I make tasty desserts without sugar... and flour... and gluten. What's left? Check out Healthy Indulgences Blog to find out! 
Crunchy Low Carb Snack Bars
This will be my last post for awhile. I’ll be heading back to university this Monday and having an actual life!
When a good little low-carber wants something to snack on, she usually reaches for string cheese, sliced veggies, or a spoonful (or five, in my case) of peanut butter. Packaged diet bars and cookies just won’t do. They fail to satisfy the hunger like whole foods. Scary artificial sweeteners and the polyols that accompany them have very unpleasant side effects. Abstain from the “M” word–MALTITOL–if you have a social life and want to keep it. On top of that, a chewy, dry bar encased in a chocolate vegetable oil coating is a big disappointment to the natural food adapted palette. What’s a hungry health foodie to do?
A brilliant gal named Elana came up with a fancy shmancy version of coconut bark, chock full of nuts and seeds, slathered with a blanket of rich chocolate to make your snack time extra special. Spoil yourself rotten with these babies when you can’t look at another cold cut or celery stick. The coconut oil makes them a bit crunchy, tickling your corn chip- and pretzel-deprived taste buds. I cut down on the sugar, de-carbed the chocolate coating, and punched up the flavor with a little twist on the preparation. The testers absolutely flipped for the toasted pecan version. I’d recommend starting there and then following wherever your culinary imagination takes you! There are no hard and fast rules with this wonderfully versatile recipe.
One trick to maximize the lovely flavors of these natural ingredients: Toasting, my friend! Don’t be afraid of somehow “destroying the nutrients” in the nuts. Roasting the nuts can actually improve digestibility. I like to think that our tongue is so well designed that it knows what’s best for us, in the same way that it regulates sodium intake. These bars are even more fabulous with the aromatic, slightly smoky flavor that toasting imparts to the nuts and coconut, so don’t skip this step!
Crunchy and sweet, topped with a layer of smooth dark chocolate! You won’t believe they’re free of sugar and gluten. Promise.
Recipe Notes:
~To toast the ingredients, spread nuts and coconut flakes around a small pan. Pop ‘em in the toaster oven and toast for one cycle on medium heat, watching closely to prevent excess browning of the coconut flakes. You might have to stir them around the pan mid-cycle.
~I buy unhulled sesame seeds for the highest calcium content. Get them at the bulk bin or refrigerated section of your local health food store.
~Non-hydrogenated palm oil based shortening is sold under two names, to my knowledge–Spectrum Organic shortening and Jungle brand shortening.
~I get my nuts, seeds, honey and almond butter from the bulk bin section at the health food store. You can buy as much or as little as you want that way. Just be sure to sample the almond butter for freshness.
~Peanut butter is the cheapest option, but almond butter lends a more neutral flavor. Make your own macadamia nut butter with a magic bullet or powerful food processor. Heat the nuts in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and blend. Macadamia nuts contain enough natural oil to turn into a smooth paste after enough pulsing and scraping.
~If you buy roasted pistachios, rinse the salt off under a colander, pat them dry, and toast them for one cycle under medium heat to crisp the pistachios back up.
~For the 85% chocolate, I alternate between Lindt, Ghirardelli, and Green & Black’s organic. Use whatever brand you prefer–the carb counts are similar.
~DON’T heat the flax seeds or hemp seeds. You want to keep those precious omega-3s intact!
The following is my absolute favorite version. It smells like a Samoa cookie, no joke!
Crunchy No-Bake Snack Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup golden flax meal (could also use sesame seed meal)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup almond butter (could also use peanut or mac nut butter)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of raw honey
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons erythritol
1/8 teaspoon of pure stevia extract (NuNaturals brand!)
Easy Chocolate Ganache Topping
Ingredients:
4 squares of 85% cacao chocolate
2 tablespoons non-hydrogenated palm oil shortening (could also use more coconut oil or organic unsalted butter)
1 tablespoon erythritol
1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract
1 teaspoon organic heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk)
Preparation:
For Snack Bars:
Powder erythritol in coffee grinder or magic bullet. Toast coconut and nuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat or the toaster oven, until slightly browned. Pulse nut and seed mixture in a food processor just until nuts are chopped. Melt coconut oil and nut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Add vanilla extract, honey, erythritol, stevia, and sea salt, stirring until incorporating. Fold into nut mixture. Press into an 8 by 4 pan with a spatula. Quick set in the freezer for 20 minutes. Cut into 6 bars. Store in the refrigerator, covered with a paper towel and plastic wrap.
For Ganache Topping:
Powder erythritol in coffee grinder or magic bullet. Melt shortening and chocolate in microwave in for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Stir in cream, erythritol, and stevia, until mixture is completely blended. Spread over cooled bars immediately.
~4.35 grams net carbs per 1/6 of a recipe
Check out that funky green color! It’s from all the pistachios and pepitas. The flavor is pretty phenomenal, too. Very pistachio-y.
Pepita Pistachio Variation (a.k.a. REPTAR BARS, RAWRR!)
1/2 cup pistachios, roasted
1/4 cup plus two tablespoons pepitas, toasted
2 tablespoons hemp seeds (could use more pepitas)
1/4 cup sesame seeds (could also use golden flax seeds)
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup macadamia nut butter (could also use almond butter)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon raw honey
1/8-1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons erythritol
1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract
Follow the steps listed above.
~6 grams net carbs per 1/6 of a recipe
Paean to Peanut Butter– Peanut Butter Granola
Peanut butter is a substance that makes me dangerous. Chillin’ in the fridge, accessible by spoon and finger, it’s in mortal peril every minute. To avoid this internal struggle, I only purchase jars of this spreadable bliss for immediate consumption in recipes.
This post is dedicated to George Carver.
Fortunately, this nirvana-in-a-jar is healthy and relatively low in carbohydrates, containing 4g net carbs per 2 tablespoons. That’s a good-sized portion for its satiety factor. It’s a good source of biotin, vitamin e, and antioxidant polyphenols (heart-healthy compounds that fight free radicals). It also contains a small amount of resveratrol, the anti-aging component of red wine. Who knew? Be happy and combat wrinkles with PB (taken internally, not topically)!
Start your day in a good mood with a big dose of PB! This version of my grain-free (no oats here!) granola is heavenly with a rich peanut butter-y taste and smell. It’s a very flexible recipe, so if you don’t have some of the nuts and seeds listed, fear not! Just throw whatever you have in there and it’ll come out crunchy and roasted with a sweet coating. Pair it with sliced apples and yogurt for the perfect flavoring combination. I’m thinking peanut butter granola in almond milk with a few teensy slices of banana (1/4 of a large one) for a decadent pre-workout breakfast. It’d also be pretty kickass making sweet love to my chocolate granola in the same bowl. Reese’s cups cereal, anyone?
Peanut Butter Granola (Grain-Free)
Makes two heaping cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup all natural peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or oil
-3 tablespoons erythritol or xylitol, powdered
-1/4 teaspoon black molasses (optional)
-1/8 + 1/16 teaspoon pure NuNaturals stevia extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons nut meal (almond, pecan, whatever you like)
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt butter or oil with peanut butter in a small bowl in microwave until liquified. Powder erythritol in a coffee grinder or blender. Whisk erythritol, blackstrap molasses, additional sweeteners, and sea salt into peanut butter mixture. Mix dry ingredients together and stir in wet ingredients, using your hands to coat the nut and seed blend. Spread mixture over a parchment paper-lined baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the mixture around occasionally. Remove from oven and spread over a paper towel set on a baking rack. It will continue to dry out as the moisture evaporates. Bake granola for an extra 10 minutes if the mixture still seems moist after cooling. Store in an airtight container for up to a week, or freeze.
~7g net carbs per half cup
Homemade Cocoa Cereal
Walking down the cereal aisle as a kid, I always looked longingly at the sugar-coated puffs and multicolored flakes made out of who-knows-what. The cartoon characters called to me from commercials, shilling cookies and rice crispy treats for breakfast. What kid doesn’t want a bowlful of dessert in place of those boring bran flakes her parents choke down? My mother rarely indulged my fantasies, but that didn’t mean I went without. Every chance I got to try one of those mythical products at a friends house, I did, filling up the bowl again and again until the milk was used up. The coolest part was the milk turning chocolately brown, or pink and fruity. Oh, to be so young and carefree…
If your kids are coo-coo for sugar cereals, or if you’re feeling nostalgic, OR if you just really like chocolate, try this super simple grain-free granola cereal made with real cocoa and a blend of nutrient-rich nuts and seeds. It provides you with a healthy dose of antioxidants, medium-chain saturated fats from the coconut oil, and polyphenols from the cocoa. You’ll be satisfied after one serving**, full for hours, and your teeth won’t feel like jumping out of your head when you’re finished!
I always have a bunch of different bags of munchies from the bulk bins at my local health food store stashed in the freezer. This recipe is so versatile that you can change up the nuts and seeds depending on what you have on hand. Just remember that nuts and seeds vary in carb counts, so adjust the proportions of different ingredients to your dietary needs.
Serve with unsweetened vanilla almond milk to maximize indulgence factor.
**DISCLAIMER: This stuff is dangerously good. Portion control with baggies and half recipes if necessary!
Chocolatey Granola Cereal
Ingredients:
For Granola:
Makes 2 heaping cups
1/4 cup unsalted butter or coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder (don’t get Dutch-processed for maximum nutritional punch)
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
sweeteners, to taste
For ALL NATURAL sugar-free sweetening:
-3 tablespoons erythritol or xylitol
-1/2 teaspoon blackstrap molasses (optional)
-1/4 teaspoon pure NuNaturals stevia extract)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
4 squares of lindt 85% chocolate, melted (optional)
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 tablespoons nut meal (almond, pecan, whatever you like)
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
For Cereal Flakes:
Makes about one cup
1/2 cup nut meal (pecan, almond, etc.)
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
sweetener, to taste (I used 1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals stevia)
1 egg white
Preparation:
For Granola:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Melt coconut oil or butter and chocolate squares (if using) in a small bowl in microwave until liquified. Stir in cocoa powder until smooth, with no lumps. Powder erythritol in a coffee grinder or blender. Whisk vanilla extract, erythritol, blackstrap molasses, additional sweeteners, and sea salt into coconut oil mixture. Mix dry ingredients together and stir in wet ingredients, using your hands to coat the nut and seed blend. Spread mixture over a parchment paper-lined baking pan. Bake for 55 minutes, stirring the mixture around occasionally. Remove from oven and spread over a paper towel set on a baking rack. It will continue to crisp up as the moisture evaporates.
For Flakes:
Mix together ingredients and roll in between pieces of parchment paper until very thin. Microwave on a piece of parchment paper, 50% power, for two minutes, stopping every 20 seconds to blot off oil. Let it dry out on a paper towel placed on a baking rack, then break up into flakes. To get them more crisp, stick ‘em in the oven with the granola for a few minutes.
~8g net carbs per 1/2 cup serving
Tips:
~For richer granola, use the chocolate squares! It’s pretty great without them, too.
~The sesame seeds at a very distinct, addictive flavor to this. It won’t be the same without ‘em, so get some!
~For more “clumpy” granola, use a couple of egg whites with the wet ingredients. I don’t mind my granola in small pieces, so I don’t waste the eggs on it.
~For cinnamon-nut granola, use cinnamon in place of the cocoa powder, and omit the cacao nibs. You could also replace the coconut flakes with more nuts, and use almond extract in place of vanilla.