1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (127 page)

½ cup (65 g) vanilla whey protein powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2½ teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (12 g) Splenda

½ cup (120 ml) plain yogurt

¼ cup (60 ml) oil

1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

1 egg

2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

½ cup (65 g) shredded zucchini

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

In a mixing bowl, combine the almonds, protein powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and Splenda and mix them well.

In a separate bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the yogurt, oil, molasses, egg, and water. Pour into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is well combined and there are no dry spots. Add the zucchini and whisk briefly to distribute evenly.

Spray an 8 × 8-inch (20 × 20-cm) baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and pour the batter into it. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Yield:
9 servings

Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 17 grams of protein.

Try serving this with Whipped Topping (page 552).

You’ll be surprised how good a cheesecake you can make from cottage cheese! It’s high in protein, too.

2 cups (450 g) cottage cheese

2 eggs ½ cup (115 g) sour cream

2 ounces (55 g) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

¼ cup (6 g) Splenda

1 Hazelnut Crust (page 522) or Simple Almond Crust (page 522), prebaked in a large, deep pie plate

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).

Put the cottage cheese, eggs, and sour cream in a blender. Run the blender, scraping down the sides now and then, until this mixture is very smooth. Add the melted chocolate and Splenda, and blend again.

Pour into the prebaked crust. Place the cake on the top rack of the oven and place a flat pan of water on the bottom rack. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.

Cool and then chill well before serving. Serve with whipped cream.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 16 grams of protein. (Analysis includes the crust but not the whipped cream.)

This lemon-vanilla cheesecake is wonderful with strawberries, blueberries, cherries—any fruit you care to use. It also makes a nice breakfast.

2 cups (450 g) cottage cheese

2 eggs ½ cup (115 g) sour cream

¼ cup (32 g) vanilla whey protein powder

¼ cup (6 g) Splenda

Grated rind and juice of 1 fresh lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Hazelnut Crust (page 522) or Simple Almond Crust (page 522), prebaked in a large, deep pie plate

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5).

Put the cottage cheese, eggs, sour cream, protein powder, Splenda, lemon rind and juice, and vanilla extract in a blender and blend until very smooth.

Pour into the prebaked crust. Place the cake on the top rack of the oven and place a flat pan of water on the bottom rack. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool and then chill well before serving.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 21 grams of protein. (Analysis includes crust.)

Serve this cheesecake with the fruit of your choice. I like to serve it with thawed frozen, unsweetened strawberries, blueberries, or peaches mashed coarsely with a fork and sweetened slightly with Splenda. If you use 1½ cups (450 g) of frozen strawberries with 2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda for the whole cake, you’ll add 2 grams of carbohydrates per slice, plus a trace of fiber and a trace of protein. Use 1½ cups (235 g) sour cherries—you can get these canned, with no added sugar—and sweeten them with ¼ cup (6 g) Splenda, and you’ll add 3 grams per slice. I’m lucky enough to have a sour cherry tree, and cherry cheesecake is one of the joys of early summer around here!

Using Neufchâtel cheese in this cheesecake gives a lower calorie count without increasing the carb count, and it still gives a superb flavor and texture.

16 ounces (455 g) Neufchâtel or cream cheese, softened

½ cup (12 g) Splenda

2 eggs

½ cup (115 g) plain yogurt or sour cream

Juice and grated rind of 1 lime

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Ginger Almond Crust (page 524)

Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3).

With an electric mixer, beat the Neufchâtel or cream cheese until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the Splenda, eggs, and yogurt, in that order, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl often with a rubber scraper. Now, beat in the lime juice, rind, and vanilla extract. Pour into prepared crust. Put a flat container of water on the floor of the oven and then put your cheesecake on the oven shelf. Bake for about 45 minutes or until only the very center of the cake jiggles a little when you shake it. Chill well before serving.

Yield:
8 to 10 servings

Assuming 8, each will have 11 grams of carbohydrate, with 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 8 grams; 15 grams protein. (Analysis includes Ginger Almond Crust.)

I saw Emeril make a margarita cheesecake on his show one night, and I had to decarb it the very next day! It’s fabulous. You can make this with cream cheese and sour cream, if you like, for added richness or with Neufchâtel cheese and plain yogurt for a lower calorie count with no increase in carbs.

1½ tablespoons (10.4 g) unflavored gelatin

1 cup (25 g) Splenda

¾ cup (180 ml) boiling water

1½ pounds (680 g) cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese, softened

1 cup (230 g) sour cream or plain yogurt

¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice

2 teaspoons grated lime rind

½ teaspoon orange extract

¼ cup (60 ml) tequila

Sweet-and-Salty Almond Crust (page 523)

Combine the gelatin and Splenda in a saucepan and pour the boiling water over them. Stir over low heat until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Turn off the heat.

Put the softened cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until very soft and creamy. (If you have a stand mixer, you can start the cheese beating before you dissolve the gelatin and just leave the mixer mixing on its own.) When the cheese is very smooth and creamy, add the sour cream or yogurt and beat that in well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, beat in the lime juice, grated lime rind, orange extract, and tequila. Go back to the saucepan of gelatin. It
should still be liquid! If it’s not, you’ll need to heat it again, gently. Beat the gelatin mixture into the cheese mixture and make sure everything is very well combined. Pour into the Sweet-and-Salty Almond Crust and chill for at least 4 or 5 hours, and overnight is better.

Run a knife around the cake between the cake and the rim of the springform pan before removing the rim. Slice with a thin-bladed knife—dipping the knife in hot water before each slice is a good idea, although not essential.

Garnish with paper-thin slices of lime, strips of lime zest, or both.

Yield:
12 servings

Each serving will have 11 grams of carbohydrate and 2 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 9 grams, and 12 grams of protein. (Analysis includes crust.)

This has a lovely, creamy texture and a bright, sunshiney orange flavor. Using the stevia/FOS blend keeps the carb count very low.

1 cup (225 g) cottage cheese

1 package (8 ounces, 225 g) cream cheese, softened

1 cup (230 g) sour cream

4 eggs

Grated rind of 1 orange

1 tablespoon (15 ml) orange extract

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (10 g) stevia/FOS blend

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

Tiny pinch salt

1 Hazelnut Crust (page 522) or Simple Almond Crust (page 522), prebaked in a springform pan

Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3).

Put the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, orange rind, orange extract, stevia, lemon juice, and salt in a blender and run the blender until everything is well-blended and a bit fluffy.

Pour into the prebaked crust. Place the cake on the top rack of the oven and place a flat pan of water on the bottom rack. Bake for 50 minutes. The cheesecake will still jiggle slightly in the center when you take it out. Cool and then chill well before serving.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 17 grams of protein. (Analysis includes crust.)

This is wonderful with sugar-free chocolate syrup. Many grocery stores carry it; it’s worth your while to try to find it.

You’ll have to make yourself some Mockahlua before you can make this. What better incentive could you have?

FOR THE BLACKBOTTOM LAYER:

3 sugar-free dark chocolate bars (about 1.5 ounces [42 g] each)

¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream

1 Simple Almond Crust (page 522), prebaked in a springform pan

FOR THE MOCKAHLUA FILLING:

3 packages (8 ounces [225 g] each) cream cheese, softened

¾ cup (18 g) Splenda

¾ cup (175 g) sour cream

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vanilla extract

4 eggs

cup (80 ml) Mockahlua (page 46)

Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C, or gas mark 3).

To make the blackbottom layer: Over the lowest possible heat, melt the chocolate bars (preferably in a heat diffuser or a double boiler to keep the chocolate from burning). When the chocolate is melted, stir in the cream, blending well. Pour over the crust and spread evenly.

To make the Mockahlua filling: In large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Beat in the Splenda and sour cream and mix well. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one by one, beating until very smooth and creamy. Beat in the Mockahlua last and mix well.

Pour the filling into the chocolate-coated crust. Place the cake in the oven and place a pie pan of water on the rack below it or on the floor of the even. Bake for 1 hour.