Friday, February 13, 2015

Raspberry Curd (Sugar Free, Low Carb)






Sugar Free Raspberry Curd (Low Carb, THM S)


      With a large bag of frozen raspberries on hand I knew that I needed to use, I started thinking of ways to use them. Not to mention Valentine's Day was close and who doesn't like a indulgent dessert on that day?


      I had never tried lemon curd before starting my Trim Healthy Mama journey. I really like its sweet tart tang and creamy mouth feel. However, I wanted something a bit different and to change things up a bit.

     One of the most important things to remember when making a curd or a custard is to keep the heat low. Trust me, you don't want scrambled eggs in your raspberries.

     You can use this curd in a number of ways, the recipe I'm going to share makes about 1 1/2 cups of finished curd.


 Some ways that I use this are: 
  • As a fruit side with eggs and bacon.
  • As a dessert pudding (pictured above) 
  • As a filling for Skinny Chocolate (page 371, Trim Healthy Mama
  • To fill donuts and whoopie pies (future post) 
  • In a dark chocolate and raspberry triffle 
     So you see just how versatile this recipe is. It keeps well in the refrigerator.

SugarFree Raspberry Curd (THM S, Low Carb)
 

 Raspberry Curd (Sugar Free, Low Carb, THM S)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:


   8 TBS (1 stick), unsalted butter

    2½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries

    6 medium egg yolks, lightly beaten

    3 1/2 TBS sweetener, I used this one

    ⅛ tsp salt

    2 TBS  fresh lemon juice)



Directions:

  1.     Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
  2.     Add the sugar, berries, egg, and salt. Heat until all the sugar has dissolved and all the berries have broken down. Stirring constantly.
  3.     Cook at a low simmer (medium heat) for 10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
  4.     Stir in the lemon juice.
  5.     Press the mixture through a coarse strainer sitting over a large bowl. Try to press out as much of the juice you can from the pulp and seeds of the berries.
  6.     Pour mixture into a jar or container with a lid. Allow to cool for 2-3 hours before covering and storing in the refrigerator. Curd will thicken as it cools.
  7.     Keeps for about a month if refrigerated.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Sugar-Free Coco Caramel Crunch Cereal


      It sure seems like I am on a cereal kick, but these recipes have been a life saver for me due to the ease of cooking as well as that it gives me options for breakfast and snacks that are quick and easy to put together. This cereal is amazing and the taste profile is crunchy and sweet like "Samoa Cookies". It is a little more time consuming to make but what a special treat. I'm sure it could be mixed into some Greek yogurt as well for a nice snack with a crunch.


       Being that it is February we are all starting to see Girl Scout Cookies. Being on a Sugar free whole foods eating plan like Trim Healthy Mama, requires you to forego the yearly indulgence of these cookies. That is really hard, honest I can relate to how hard it is … I used to buy cases of cookies and freeze them for longevity. With three sons even by the case they never did last nearly long enough.

      So to feed my cereal addiction as well as indulge in my favorite flavors of these cookies, I have been working on some cereals that work great for breakfasts and snacks. Yesterday I made the Coconut Caramel Crunch from this blog. This is an amazing snack as well as a wonderful topping for her
Samoa Shake
(Yep I linked the recipes for you). 



      But to get the taste of the "Samoa" cookies we all love so much it needed some chocolate and short bread. So I mixed up some cereal to meet that need. And melted some Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips to drizzle over the cereal, I used the baking chips because they stay solid at room temperature a lot better than skinny chocolate does.


Sugar-Free Coco Caramel Crunch Cereal
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
½ cup of Whey Protein Powder
½ cup of Oat Fiber
1/3 cup of Sweet Blend or Sweetener of choice
¼ cup+ 2 TBS Coconut Oil, Melted
1 tsp almond or vanilla extract
3 TBS water
1 batch of Coconut Caramel Crunch Topping
1 Batch of Stevia Sweetened Chocolate Chips, Melted

 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F
Blend Whey, Oat Fiber and Sweet Blend.
With a fork stir dry ingredients as you add coconut oil in a gentle stream, combining into loose crumbs.
Stir in extract and water until dough is coarse crumbs, dump onto baking sheet and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
This should be stored in the refrigerator so that the chocolate is stable.
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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Pear Waldorf Salad

Pear Waldorf Salad
     I was going through one of my Taste of Home cookbooks and ran across a version of Waldorf salad that included pears, grapes, walnuts, mayo and cottage cheese. This doesn’t work for my lifestyle because it tandem fuels with both S and E fuels.

     So I adapted it to fit my THM lifestyle. This makes enough for 4-5 servings which gives me a good go to lunch or snack when needed. This is a higher carb option which makes it an E meal/snack for THM mama’s.

     I adore the Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad recipe on page 300 of Trim Healthy Mama . It has been my go to E meal for lunch and breakfast since I first tried it. This recipe is huge, so I normally have to split it into a meal and a snack since I can’t seem to eat it all in one sitting.

    
Trim Healthy Mama Waldorf Cottage Cheese Salad


Pear Waldorf Salad

2 ripe pears, diced
2 cups diced celery
2 cups 1% cottage cheese or 1 cup cottage cheese & 1 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbs chopped walnuts
Add first 4 ingredients to a large bowl.
Mix with a fork, sprinkle chopped walnuts into bowl and mix again.
Serving size is aprox 1 ½ cups
*** I normally eat this in a cereal bowl or will split it into ½ - 1 cup servings for a snack. I also will sub greek yogurt for the cottage cheese and eat this as a sandwich on a pita or with on plan bread.
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