I make tasty desserts without sugar... and flour... and gluten. What's left? Check out Healthy Indulgences Blog to find out! 
Healthier Peanut Butter Cookies (aka Fresh Peanut Butter Cookies!) – A lower sugar, high protein version of classic PB cookies.
These peanut butter cookies are just like grandma’s, but changed up just a little to boost the protein and reduce the sugar. Oh, and they’re gluten-free. Make this one your new classic peanut butter cookie recipe!
You’re still holding on to that old recipe card, aren’t you? Hmm, well, did I tell you that the dough is made in a food processor, so preparation is a breeze? Yup, it’s true.
Making fresh PB in my Kitchenaid food processor, a Christmas gift I’ve finally gotten around to using. Much more powerful than my smaller food processor, it makes nut butter in minutes. Love!
Did I mention you can grab all of the ingredients for these healthier cookies during your next trip to the grocery store? Also true.
Sorry, grandma. I love ya, but that cup of sugar and white flour have gotto go!
Made with real butter, freshly ground peanut butter, oat flour, and a mere 1/2 cup of sugar, these cookies have half the carbohydrates of your old favorite recipe…
…and ALL of the addictive, salty n’ sweet peanut butter cookie taste.
Truvia Sweetener Review + How to Make Your Own Truvia Substitute in Bulk (Much Cheaper!)
The holiday giveaway winners have been contacted. Thank you for participating, everyone!
School is back in full swing, but fear not, readers – I am going to continue blogging while taking classes this year! In addition to recipe posts, I’ll be doing reviews of products that are buzzworthy. An item I’ve received questions about is Truvia, sweetener that became widely available in grocery stores in 2011.
Truvia is a blend of stevia extract and erythritol, the two sweeteners I have been using since 2008 in the dessert recipes on this blog.
Scroll down for my recipe for cheaper, tastier homemade Truvia substitute + photos of how to make it! I came up with a sweetener blend that’s a one-for-one substitute for Truvia after purchasing the real deal a few times (@ $7.99 per 9.8 ounces, yikes!) to test it. A premixed blend of stevia and erythritol is convenient for smoothies and coffee, but I still prefer to use stevia and erythritol and separately.
So, how does Truvia stack up with similar sweeteners? Read on for my review!
More…
Healthy Decadent Chocolate Mousse – Sugar-Free and Incredibly Easy!
This healthy chocolate dessert is rich, decadent, and ridiculously simple to prepare. You might just find yourself eating chocolate mousse for the next few weeks. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…
Did I mention this mousse is sugar-free, low carb, and so easy a caveman [with a blender] could do it?
Many thanks to the Pioneer Woman for developing the method for this fabulous recipe. She even has photos showing how to make this dessert, although there are no chocolate chips in my version since it’s sugar-free. She calls it Pots De Creme. I call it Chocolate Mousse. Whatever you call it, it’s a surefire hit with company, or any time you want to indulge.
Healthy, Homemade Granola Bars (pssst… they’re Sugar-Free!)
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These are not your typical granola bars. What’s so special about ‘em? Look closely…
You don’t see any oats, do you? Or sugar. I know you can’t see there’s no sugar, but I promise you it’s not there (okay, so there’s 1 tiny teaspoon of honey in the whole recipe!). Low carbers and gluten-free eaters, take heart. These snack bars are sure to satisfy your craving for this formerly forbidden treat.
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Healthy Carrot Cake with decadent Cream Cheese Frosting
Why have I made carrot cake over ten times in the past three days? To come up with a Healthy Carrot Cake that’s low in carbohydrates and gluten-free for you! This fragrant and flavorful cake is also dairy-free and nut-free, if you omit the classic add in of chopped walnuts. I promise you won’t miss the raisins in this nourishing carrot cake that’s not just healthy “because it has vegetables in it!” 
The other bad stuff–those culprits named Sugar and Flour–are conspicuously left out of this recipe. All of that grating was totally worth it.
There is a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses–which is technically a sugar–in this recipe. It’s a thick, dark iron-rich syrup made from the sugarcane plant. This molasses is potent stuff, and contributes a rich flavor and coloring to the cake. You can leave molasses out to be completely sugar-free, but I think it’s worth the 4 grams of carbs.
You can bake the cake into a traditional rectangular loaf, or snack-sized mini muffins. Get creative and have fun with your sugar-free frosting! It pipes well, using a zip top bag with the corner snipped off.
A bit of food coloring can transform your homemade low carb treats into festive, eye-catching confections worthy of special occasions. Check the food coloring label for hidden sugar before you buy. I made the mistake of not checking the label of the Wilton gel coloring I used here, and saw it contained corn syrup, much to my dismay! That pesky Sugar manages to sneak in everywhere, doesn’t it? McCormick food colors, found in most grocery stores, are sugar-free. I’ve tried a couple of organic dyes, and unfortunately neither of them yielded satisfactory results. You need so little coloring for an entire batch of frosting that I’m not too worried about the health effects. If you have any recommendations for natural food dye, let us know in the comments, please.
The frosting is absolutely delicious any color you make it. It’s a new and improved Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting, with a special low carb ingredient that might be familiar to the Asian and Indian readers of this blog…
Good things come to those who wait…
To all of my amazing, supportive readers: The wait is over! You’ll be seeing a new recipe posted every week or so. I can’t make hard and fast promises, but I WILL attempt to designate a few hours each weekend to post, so as to use up some of this stevia (and erythritol! oh my) I received from the wonderful Ron Redding over at NuNaturals. Furthermore, I’d like to show my appreciation those of you who have used my iherb.com rewards code (see sidebar) and who have made Paypal donations. I am able to restock baking supplies once again! Since I’m a full time college student, every little bit really helps.
Stay tuned! I should have a new post up, featuring a brand new tasty sugar-free dessert, by **March, as I have my first major round of exams to prepare for up until then! Spring break is coming up in early March, which will give me a breather. Sorry for the delay, folks. The recipes are ready to go, but writing up a thoughtful post takes time. If I don’t respond to your first email, please try me again, as I have been on the computer less and less as of late, and sometimes my inbox gets backed up. Thank you for your patience!
**Edited
Again, I can’t thank y’all enough for your supportive emails, comments, and for spreading the word about sugar-free living! Feel free to contact me via email instead of in the comments please. Have fun with your healthy baking, all!
All the best,
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.
~1,378 calories, 17.4g, net carbs per batch (no chocolate chips, using erythritol)
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.
~12g 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
Easy Sugar-Free Strawberry Mousse–a Low Carb Summer Treat!
Thanks to the readers who entered the contest for the Organic Zero erythritol packets! Andrea is the randomly generated winner. Here is why she eats sugar-free:
“I live sugar-free because my life depends on it. Both of my parents died from diabetes complications and I do not want to go down the same path. We are so fortunate that there are now so many alternatives to sugar such as the product you are promoting. When I was growing up, there was just saccharin which did dnot taste very good. Thank you for your excellent information.”
And now for a surprise second winner! I ordered some vanilla beans on ebay, and have an extra bundle to give away. Rachel can have these vanilla beans if she would like them! The beans can be used as a sugar-free flavoring for baked goods, custard, ice cream, and to make vanilla extract. Here is why Rachel eats sugar-free:
“Lauren,
I eat sugar-free because it’s what my body wants. How do I know this? Sugar and carbs were ruining my life. I had no idea why I constantly craved sugar and processed carbs, and my obsession quickly turned into an eating disorder. I had no control over my cravings…my body wanted more and more and I became a slave to it. I’d binge on sugary, carb-loaded foods and then feel horrible about it and go to great lengths to undo my binges (which I will not describe in detail here). I also suffered from wild mood swings, irritability and fatigue, all of which everyone (including my doctors!) attributed to PMDD.
But I knew it was more than that. All of the treatments I tried for PMDD symptoms had failed. Eventually, completely exhausted, and my body ravaged from my bingeing cycles, I began to do desperate research into blood sugar and its effects on the body. I was shocked to find out that SO many of the symptoms I suffered from, especially the constant sugar and carb cravings, could be due to extremely unstable blood sugar levels!
I immediately stopped eating all sugar and carbs, and have never felt better. I almost never suffer from cravings anymore, I have stopped my destructive bingeing cycles, and am no longer controlled by food. My emotions and moods have leveled, and I have an energy I never knew existed…one that occurs naturally, not feuled by carbs!
I’m not really writing this for your contest, but mostly to tell you that your blog has been a godsend for new sugar- and carb-free eaters like me. I was beginning to accept that I would never be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods again, but your recipes have given me the ability to do that, while still staying within the confines of my diet and without hurting my body.
Thank you so much! I don’t know where you find the time to cook and blog like you do, but I pray that you never stop.
Rachel”
Check out of the rest of the comments from readers about why they eat sugar-free. I really enjoyed reading all of your stories, and seeing how this way of eating is helping people with so many health issues.
Do you crave fresh fruit in this summer heat?
I do, and tend to satisfy that desire with stevia-sweetened lemonade instead of “Nature’s Candy.” Some days though, you just gotta indulge in those natural sugars, so here’s how to on your low carb sugar-free lifestyle. Pair the fruit with fat! It dilutes the sugar carbs, making you satisfied with a smaller portion. It also stops your blood sugar from fluctuating wildly and making you hungry an hour after your fruit snack. Besides, fat makes everything tastes better, especially if it comes in the form of organic heavy cream. It’s a divine combination of flavors that inspired countless songs and many different types of desserts.
This strawberry mousse will be the first dessert in a series of easy, quick low carb desserts that require minimal effort, yet will still impress that surprise company coming over for dinner! Besides, who wants to make a big mess in a hot kitchen in this weather? This naturally gluten-free, egg-free mousse can also be made dairy-free with the use of full fat coconut milk! It can be made sugar-free using a combination of stevia and powdered erythritol, but any zero calorie sweetener would work well here. I tried this dessert with Splenda as well, because I have decided to include a measurement for it alongside my preferred natural sweeteners from now on. Although I don’t prefer the taste and chemical nature of Splenda for personal use, it is used by so many diabetics and other carb watchers who need to eat a low insulin producing diet to live. Most importantly, there little empirical evidence showing adverse side effects from its use. If by creating an option for sweetening with Splenda in my recipes, I can broaden the appeal of these healthful low carb treats, I am willing to do so. Keep in mind that combining sugar-free sweeteners yields the best taste, and allows you to use less of them overall. Use the sweetening option that works for your lifestyle, beliefs, budgetary constraints, and health concerns.
This mousse might work with honey as well, but I didn’t try making it like that since I am attempting to limit consumption of all forms of sugar. I’d start with a 2-3 tablespoons of honey, cooked with the strawberries, if you’d like to go this route.
Strawberry Mousse
Adapted from this recipe at Sugar & Everything Nice
Makes 5 servings
Ingredients:
8 ounces fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled and sliced
Sweetener options:
1/4 cup erythritol, powdered, plus 1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract
OR
1/2 cup Splenda plus 1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract (or 1/4 cup more Splenda)
OR
2-3 tablespoons honey plus 1/8 teaspoon NuNaturals pure stevia extract
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon zest from an organic lemon
Pinch sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1 cup organic heavy cream
Preparation:
Sprinkle the gelatin over the tablespoon of water in a small bowl, and set aside to soften. Puree the strawberries with the zest, the juice, and the salt. Heat the puree in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring together the strawberries and sweetener just until hot. Add gelatin and stir until melted. Let mixture cool. Beat the cream to soft peaks, and beat in vanilla and stevia. Gently fold strawberry mixture into cream. Pour into serving cups and chill for two hours.
For a stiff, pipeable mousse (like you see in the photos), follow these directions after soaking the gelatin:
Place the strawberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt in a saucepan over medium low heat, and add the sweetener (erythritol, Splenda, or honey–don’t add the stevia yet) and water and cook, breaking up with your spatula. Stir around the pan gently until the sweetener has dissolved. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the strawberries have slightly thickened. Add the gelatin to the pan, and stir until it is completely melted. Puree in a blender (I used my Magic Bullet) or food processor. Let cool to room temperature. Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks with a hand mixer, and beat in vanilla and stevia. Once the strawberries are cooled, carefully fold the whipped cream into the fruit puree. Pipe mixture into serving bowls, and chill for at least an hour. I used an 8″ Wilton piping bag with the largest tip I could find at Michael’s craft store. The tip was $1.99 and the piping bag was $1.99.
~6.2g net carbs per 1/5th of a recipe using ½ cup Splenda w/stevia
~4g net carbs per 1/5th of a recipe using erythritol/stevia
