Blogging Break

Am back at school now with a tough courseload, so I will not be posting (or cooking!) for awhile. In the mean time, check out these tasty links:

Flax "Rye" Bread @ Elana's Pantry
Grain-Free Zucchini Bake @ Whole Life Nutrition
Grain-Free Coconut Flour Biscuits @ Diet, Dessert, And Dogs
Cultured Coconut Milk Kefir @ The Healthy Cooking Coach

Be back when I have more time to play in the kitchen!

~Lauren

Healthy Grain-Free Chocolate Zucchini (or Apple) Bread

Just returned, completely rejuvenated, from a trip to a see friends and relatives up north. Minnesota and North Dakota are some of my favorite places on Earth. I feel revitalized from being immersed in this uplifting, highly social culture for two weeks. Let me explain: In Fargo, North Dakota, it seemed as if everyone wanted to strike up a conversation with you, a perfect stranger, soon to be new friend. The human connection, the sense of community, is strong in these smallish Midwestern towns. How refreshing!



How does that observation relate to low carb cooking? You might be suprised to find out that North Dakota has fabulous health food stores! The selection is much more extensive, and the food more competitively priced compared to what you can find in my Florida hometown. Of course I stocked up, and will be sharing some of these food finds with you.

Have you tried buckwheat flour before? I've used it in a couple of recipes (my Molten Lava Cake and Gluten-free Wraps), but never in large amounts. It's not a grain, but a seed, highly nourishing with its low starch content and antioxidants. As you probably know I'm not big on typical gluten-free flour because of their highly processed nature and carb counts (20+ grams net carbs per 1/4 cup for most!). Fortunately, a little bit of buckwheat flour goes a long way. You can't achieve the same "crust" on quick breads using almond flour or coconut flour alone. The buckwheat flour also helps to bind the nut meal into a smooth dough. Finally, it makes quick breads less mushy, which can be a common problem in low carb baking. Almond meal baked goods can be too moist, especially since we're not using any sugar with it. I bought a bag of fresh buckwheat flour at a tiny health food store in Park Rapids, Minnesota. This flour ended up being much more mild tasting than the Bob's Red Mill brand buckwheat I had been using, which has a strong earthy flavor to it. Look for no label, light colored buckwheat flour at your own local health food store. It's reasonably priced, so you have no excuse not to try it out!

Put that buckwheat flour to good use in this ultra moist gluten-free Chocolate Zucchini Bread. It's really sweet enough to be a rich chocolate cake, with a pleasant subtle spiciness from the cinnnamon and apple. Sugar-free, low carb, and dairy-free, as usual. I guessed on the measurement for Splenda, since I don't care for the flavor. Just taste the batter, and add more Splenda to adjust the sweetness. Less is more with that stuff. The loaf you see here is made with apple in place of zucchini. Your house will smell so good when this is baking. Yum!



Healthy Chocolate Zucchini (Or Apple) Bread

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons coconut oil OR unsalted organic butter
2-1 oz squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup erythritol OR xylitol OR 1 1/4 cup Splenda
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract (if using erythritol or xylitol)
2 cups (5 ounces) grated peeled apple or zucchini
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour (buckwheat, millet, etc.)
2 cups nut meal (I used 1/2 almond meal, 1/4 ground sunflower seeds, 1/4 ground pecans)
1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease an 8" by 5" loaf pan well with coconut oil, and sift cocoa powder over the bottom and up the sides. Cut a rectangle of parchment or wax paper to fit the bottom, and line the pan with it.
Grate zuchini or apple and press between a dishcloth or paper towels to blot out moisture. Melt coconut oil gently in the microwave, or scoop out and heat in a double boiler until liquified. Measure out the tablespoons of liquid oil into a bowl. If using butter, melt until liquified. Whisk in eggs, whites, vanilla, stevia, and erythritol or xylitol, and beat for a couple minutes until sweetener is dissolved. If the brand of xylitol or erythritol you buy isn't finely milled, then run it through your coffee grinder to powder it before adding to the batter. Chop chocolate and melt in 30 second intervals in the microwave until liquified; scrape into batter and beat well. Measure out nut meal by packing it into your measuring cup firmly, and scraping the top level. Whisk together dry ingredients, and stir into batter. Fold in grated zucchini or apple. Beat well for 2-3 minutes. Scrape into pan and tap the bottom forcefully on the counter to pop the air bubbles in the batter. Bake for 1 hour, until the top springs back to the touch. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert gently on to a plate and stand upright. Let cool for an hour, slice, and serve. It freezes well, with slices individually wrapped in plastic and foil.

~3.2g net carbs per 1/10th of a loaf, made with zucchini
~4.5g net carbs per 1/10th of a loaf, made with apple

Related content from other blogs:
Gluten-Free Pecan and Apple Bread @ Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried
Grain-Free Banana Bread @ Feel Good Food
Grain-Free Sweet Potato Almond Butter Bread @ Deliciously Gluten Free Cooking

Have you tried buckwheat flour? What's your favorite gluten-free flour? Share it with us in the comments section!

Sugar-Free Premium Chocolate Ice Cream

Sugar-free chocolate ice cream.

This is the real deal.

I busted out my little Cuisinart and produced an ice cream worthy to share with you guys. With a little bit of inspiration from All Recipes (love this site!), we now have a viable alternative to storebought low carb ice cream that's gluten-free and made with fresh ingredients. No sorbitol or maltitol, yuck.

The best part about this ice cream is that it's scoopable right from the freezer. The secret ingredients that make this possible are the heavy cream (as opposed to using part milk or half and half) and the tiny bit of brandy that lowers the freezing point. Now you won't have to wait around to dig into your healthy indulgence on a hot summer day!

Furthermore, this creamy custard ice cream doesn't require any cooking time. Because the ice cream contains raw egg yolks, use only fresh organic eggs. I honestly use conventional storebought eggs every time I make desserts, and have never gotten sick, but you might want to take this precaution if you have a compromised immune system. Additionally, you can find pasteurized eggs in some supermarkets that have already been heat treated for safe culinary use.

If you haven't tried using fresh vanilla beans in your cooking, you might want to give them a try. I ordered them off of ebay for a very reasonable price, and have been using them in low carb custards and pastries ever since. The aromatic floral nature of the tahitian beans and bean pods adds a layer of complexity and richness you can't get from a bottle. Plus, the pod scrapings add those pretty dark flecks to the ice cream base. Order some today, and you won't be disappointed.

Still working on a dairy-free ice cream. Stay tuned.

These photos reflect the heat in my sunny Florida kitchen. Hopefully my frustration with the shoot doesn't come through... :)



Premium Low Carb Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:
2/3 cup erythritol or xylitol
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 fresh egg yolks, beaten
2 2/3 cups organic heavy cream
1/8-1/4 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract OR 2 vanilla beans, split
1 tablespoon brandy, or other hard alcohol (to keep it soft and scoopable)

Preparation:
Melt xylitol in a saucepan over medium-low heat, and add vanilla bean scrapings and bean pods (if using). Let the xylitol melt completely, and steep for a couple of minutes with the bean. Whisk in cocoa powder and 1/4 cup heavy cream. Stir until sweetener dissolves, with no grainy chunks visible. Remove saucepan from heat. In a large bowl, beat yolks with electric mixer until light in color. Add the rest of the heavy cream a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add cocoa mixture into yolk mixture, and beat well. Whisk in stevia, xanthan gum and vanilla extract, if using. Taste, and add more stevia, if necessary. Chill ice cream base in refrigerator for a minimum of four hours, covered in plastic wrap.

Turn on your ice cream maker and strain the base through a fine mesh sieve into your machine to remove the vanilla bean pieces. While the ice cream is freezing, make up the sugar-free chocolate chips. Freeze ice cream for a few hours to make it firm and scoopable.

Use these chocolate chips only for ice cream, since they will melt quickly at room temperature. For chocolate chips that can be used in baking, see this recipe.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Ice Cream Chips

Makes enough chips for one batch of ice cream

Ingredients:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I like Ghirardelli)
1/4 cup xylitol OR 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon erythritol, powdered
1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract
2 tablespoons coconut oil OR nonhydrogenated shortening

Preparation:
Powder sweetener finely in a coffee grinder. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in microwave for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir again until smooth, and add xylitol and stevia. Fold mixture together with a spatula until a silky smooth consistency is reached. It may take you a minute to work the chocolate mixture around the bowl and smooth out all the chunks of xylitol. Scrape melted chocolate bit by bit into ice cream maker a few minutes before the ice cream stiffens completely. Alternatively, pour on to a sheet pan lined with foil. Freeze for 10 minutes, then peel chocolate slab off of foil. Chop into tiny chunks, working quickly before it melts. Fold chips into finished ice cream.

~13g net carbs for the whole batch of chips
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What is your favorite kind of ice cream? Any good storebought sugar-free or dairy-free brands? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Low Carb Vanilla Ice Cream w/Hot Fudge Sauce--No Ice Cream Maker Required!

Just a quick note about comments and emails--I have been traveling, and don't always have a moment to respond to everything as of late. If you have an urgent question about a recipe, please shoot me an email (or two!). Keep in mind that I'm just a college student. Thanks so much for your feedback! I read all of it and take it to heart to improve the content here.



It's ice cream season in Florida!

I've blogged about this frozen treat before, but couldn't resist trying a couple of recipes that seemed pretty easy, with readily available ingredients. Best of all, they don't require an ice cream maker, but still yield deliciously creamy, airy results. Furthermore, they're company worthy, making summer entertaining easy on your low carb plan.

Coming up for you are more ice cream recipes, now that I'm back home with my little Cuisinart ice cream maker. Stay tuned for a scoopable dairy-free ice cream, coming up next post.

Do you know what a semifreddo is? I had never heard of it until stumbling upon this Italian frozen dessert at a food blog. Semifreddo is italian for "half cold," which aptly describes the nature of this icy gluten-free dessert. You whip together cream, separated eggs, sweetener and flavoring, then spread it in a loaf pan or mold. Freeze, slice, and enjoy. It's that simple! All you need is a hand mixer and a few mixing bowls, along with a bit of patience for the whipping and freezing time required.

I topped off the vanilla bean version with a homemade sugar-free hot fudge sauce. It's lick-off-the-spoon worthy. You can make up a small batch if you feel it'll be dangerous to have hanging around.

Seasonal blackberries were used in the making of the deep purple semifreddo. I blended 'em up, strained them, and used them in the custard as well as the fresh sauce drizzled over the top. The sauce helps to cover the cracks I made from using plastic wrap to line the mold. Note to self--don't line the mold next time. Just grease it with butter, and run the mold under hot water if you want your pretty pan design to show on the finished dessert. I used a jello mold for the blackberry flavor, which you can see created the rounded, fluted shape. How cool is the bright purple coloring from the blackberries? You just know something that naturally vibrant has to be healthy!

And to finish up, here are a few cool posts for your weekend low carb cooking:

How to Render Bacon Fat @ Mark's Daily Apple
Flax Meal Bread @ Elana's Pantry
Bacon Wrapped Steaks @ Flour Arrangements

Tastes just like a hot fudge sundae!


Sugar-Free Vanilla Ice Cream (Semifreddo style)

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, split (optional)

Sweetening options:
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons erythritol, powdered, or 1/2 cup xylitol, powdered plus 1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract
OR
3/4 cup Splenda

4 fresh, organic eggs (whites and yolks separated)
2 cups organic heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:
In first bowl, beat sugar and egg yolks until mixture is a light creamy yellow, then beat in vanilla extract and bean scrapings. In second bowl, beat heavy cream until soft peaks form. In third bowl, beat egg whites, add a pinch of salt, and then keep beating until you have stiff peaks. Fold together cream and egg yolk mixture gently. Then fold in egg whites thoroughly, but with as few strokes as possible to keep the airiness. Spread into loaf pan lined with plastic wrap, or a metal mold. Freeze, covered loosely in plastic wrap, for at least 4 hours. Scoop out with an ice cream scoop. Alternatively, run water over the bottom of the pan for a few seconds, unmold, and slice.

~15.5g net carbs for the whole recipe using erythritol and stevia
~31.5g net carbs for the whole recipe using Splenda



This hot fudge sauce will not work will Splenda as the primary sweetener. No matter how much you add, the unsweetened chocolate will still taste better. You must add erythritol or xylitol for the best flavor.

Sugar-Free Hot Fudge Sauce
Adapted from a recipe at AllRecipes.com

Ingredients:
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (I like Ghirardelli)
2 teaspoons unsalted organic butter
1/2 cup organic heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt
6 tablespoons xylitol, powdered, OR 7 tablespoons erythritol, powdered
Pinch NuNaturals pure stevia extract
4-6 teaspoons water

Preparation:
Powder xylitol or erythritol in coffee grinder with pinch of sea salt. Chop chocolate finely. Melt together unsweetened chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring occasionally until smooth. I make my own double boiler by placing my steel bowl over simmering water in a small saucepan. Stir in cream and sweetener mixture, and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla and water. Add more water to thin it out if necessary. Taste and adjust sweetness with a bit more stevia or powdered erythritol, as necessary. Keep in mind that the sauce will firm up over ice cream. Store in a jar in the refrigerator, and reheat and whisk well to use.

~10g net carbs for the whole batch

Those little white flecks are bits of cream not mixed in well. Still tastes fabulous!


Sugar-Free Blackberry Ice Cream (Semifreddo Style)
Adapted from a recipe at epicurious.com

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients:
12 ounces blackberries (2 heaping cups)

Sweetening options:
1/3 cup erythritol, powdered OR 1/4 cup xylitol, powdered plus 1/8 tsp NuNaturals pure stevia extract
OR
1/2 cup Splenda

1 cup organic heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
5 large egg yolks

Preparation:
Line loaf pan with plastic wrap, if using. Powder erythritol or xylitol in coffee grinder. Purée berries with 1/4 cup cream and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour through a mesh sieve to remove seeds, if desired. Add yolks to a metal bowl and stir in erythritol or xylitol (or Splenda). Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and beat with mixer until pale, thick, and tripled in volume, about 8 minutes. Remove bowl from saucepan and set in a large ice bath, stirring it around a few times as it cools. When yolks are cool to the touch, fold in berry puree.

Beat cold heavy cream (with 1/8 teaspoon stevia, if using), in other large bowl, using cleaned beaters. Whip until cream reaches soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into berry mixture gently but thoroughly. Don’t worry if you see a few streaks of white. Scrape mixture into pan or decorate metal mold and freeze, loosely covered with plastic wrap, until firm, at least 5 hours. Run warm water over the bottom of the pan for a few seconds, then invert semifreddo onto a plate. Alternatively, just use an ice cream scoop to serve from the loaf pan. Let semifreddo defrost for a few minutes for easier scooping.

~5.2g net carbs per 1/5th of a recipe, using erythritol and stevia
~7.6g net carbs per 1/5th of a recipe, using Splenda granular




Fresh Blackberry Sauce

5 ounces (1 cup) blackberries
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon xylitol, erythritol, or Splenda
Tiny pinch NuNaturals pure stevia extract (optional)

Blend blackberries, lemon juice, and sweetener until pureed. Strain through a sieve to remove seeds.

~6.5g net carbs for the whole batch