1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (134 page)

Using an electric mixer, beat the pudding mix, sour cream, heavy cream, and orange zest together until smooth and fluffy. Put in the bowl of a chip-and-dip tray, surround with whole strawberries, and serve.

Yield:
10 servings

Each with 11 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 11 g usable carbs.

In their book
The GO-Diet
, Drs. Goldberg and O’Mara explain that plain yogurt has far fewer carbs than the label would indicate because most of the lactose in the milk has been converted to lactic acid by the yogurt bacteria. Accordingly, they say that we can count just 4 grams of carbohydrates per cup (230 g) of plain yogurt. Reading this, I added yogurt back to my low-carb diet, and it’s never caused weight gain or rebound hunger for me, so I think Goldberg and O’Mara are right! This recipe is so versatile—it makes a great dessert, a phenomenal quick breakfast, or a delicious and nutritious snack. Enjoy!

3 ripe strawberries

1 tablespoon plus

¼ teaspoon (0.1 g) Splenda, divided

¾ cup (170 g) plain yogurt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons (15 g) Cinnamon Splenda Nuts (page 553), chopped a bit, or 2 tablespoons low-carb commercial granola-like product

Cut the green hulls off the strawberries and slice them thinly into a dish. Sprinkle them with ¼ teaspoon of the Splenda and stir.

Combine the yogurt with the vanilla extract and the remaining tablespoon (1.5 g) of Splenda, stirring well. Spoon over the strawberries. Top with the nuts or granola and devour!

Yield:
1 serving

Using the GO-Diet’s carb count of 4 grams of carbohydrates per cup (230 g) of plain yogurt, this has 12 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 10 grams of protein.

Feel free to substitute ¼ cup (35 g) blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or even diced peaches. Make this in a clear glass dish or even layer it in a parfait glass, and it’ll look pretty enough for company.

This is a good make-ahead company dessert, and it’s a really beautiful color.

1 cup (240 ml) water

1 package (4-serving size) sugar-free

lemon gelatin

10 ounces (280 g) frozen unsweetened strawberries, partly thawed

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, divided

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Splenda (if desired)

Bring the water to a boil. Put the gelatin and boiling water in a blender and whirl for 10 to 15 seconds to dissolve the gelatin. Add the strawberries and whirl again, just long enough to blend in the berries.

Put the blender container in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or just until the mixture starts to thicken a bit.

Add ¾ cup (180 ml) of the heavy cream and run the blender just long enough to mix it all in (10 to 15 seconds). Pour into 5 or 6 pretty little dessert cups and chill. Whip the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of cream with the vanilla and a teaspoon of Splenda (if using), to garnish.

Yield:
About 5 servings

Each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 3 grams of protein.

For you raspberry and blackberry lovers, here’s a quick and tasty dessert.

1 package (4-serving size) sugar-free raspberry gelatin

1 cup (240 ml) boiling water

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Grated rind of ½ orange

¾ cup (100 g) frozen blackberries, partly thawed

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, divided

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Splenda (optional)

Put the gelatin, water, lemon juice, and orange rind in a blender and whirl for 10 to 15 seconds to dissolve the gelatin. Add the blackberries and blend again, just long enough to mix in the berries.

Put the blender container in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or just until the mixture starts to thicken a bit. Add ¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream and run the blender just long enough to mix it all in (10 to 15 seconds). Pour into 5 or 6 pretty little dessert cups and chill.

Whip the remaining ¼ cup (60 ml) of cream with vanilla and Splenda (if using) to garnish.

Yield:
5 servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.

This has too many carbs for you to want to eat it on a regular basis, but it’s great for a company dinner or a holiday. It’s really pretty, too.

1 (4-serving size) package sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups (480 ml) Carb Countdown dairy beverage

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, chilled

1 tablespoon (10 g) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

½ cup (60 g) almond meal

½ cup (35 g) shredded coconut

2 tablespoons (11 g) cocoa powder

2 tablespoons (25 g) polyol sweetener

1 batch No-Sugar-Added Cherry Pie Filling (page 525)

Mix the chocolate pudding mix with the Carb Countdown dairy beverage and stir with a whisk for 2 minutes or until thickened. Set aside.

Pour the chilled heavy cream into a deep mixing bowl. Add the vanilla instant pudding mix and use an electric mixer to whip until cream is stiff—do not overbeat, or you’ll get sweetened vanilla butter! (Also do not try to do this step in a blender or food processor. It simply will not work.)
Scoop out 1½ cups (360 ml) of the whipped cream and add to the bowl with the chocolate pudding; fold in with a rubber scraper.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the almond meal, coconut, cocoa powder, and polyol sweetener. Stir over medium heat for about five minutes or until toasted. Remove from heat.

Okay, we’re on the home stretch. Get out 6 pretty dessert dishes—preferably clear parfait glasses so that everyone can see the layers. Spoon half of the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the dessert dishes and then top with half the coconut mixture and half the cherry mixture. Repeat the layers, reserving just a couple of teaspoons of the coconut mixture. There should be just enough whipped cream left in the bowl to put a little dollop on top of each serving. Sprinkle the reserved little bit of coconut on top of that and chill for at least a few hours before serving.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 10 g protein; 17 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 15 g usable carbs. Carb count does not include polyol sweetener.

This is a classic French dessert, traditionally made in a heart-shaped mold. Coeur a la Crème molds are hard to come by, but you can buy a regular 2-cup (480-ml) heart-shaped mold and stick three or four holes in it with a nail, which is what I did. Serve with fresh strawberries or Strawberry Sauce (see page 550) for a truly beautiful Valentine’s Day dessert.

2 packages (8 ounces, or 225 g each) cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

3 tablespoons (45 ml) heavy cream

2 tablespoons (30 g) sour cream

¼ teaspoon salt

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it’s very creamy. Beat in the Splenda, heavy cream, sour cream, and salt, mixing very well.

Line the mold with a double layer of dampened cheesecloth and pack the cheese mixture into it, pressing it in well. Place the mold on a plate to catch any moisture that drains out and chill for at least 24 hours.

Yield:
8 servings

Each with 2 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 5 grams of protein. Analysis does not include toppings.

Warning: This is not a quick dessert to whip up before your sweetheart comes over. You need to start making this dessert at least 24 hours in advance to give it plenty of time to chill.

My childhood friend Maria found me on the Internet a couple of years ago, and we got together. Her mom is Colombian, so Maria had grown up eating flan, a traditional Latin American dessert. Here’s the version we came up with together.

FOR THE SYRUP:

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

FOR THE CUSTARD:

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half

6 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of nutmeg Pinch of salt

cup (17 g) Splenda

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

To make the syrup: Combine the Splenda, molasses, and water, stirring until the lumps are gone. Spray a glass pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and pour the mixture into it, spreading it over the bottom. Microwave for 2 minutes on medium power. (You could substitute the sugar-free syrup of your choice for this syrup; just use 2 to 3 tablespoons [30 to 45 ml].)

To make the custard: Whisk together well the heavy cream, half-and-half, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, and Splenda and pour the mixture over the syrup in the pie plate.

Place the pie plate carefully in a large, flat baking dish and pour water around it, not quite up to the rim of the pie plate. Put the baking pan with the pie plate in its water bath in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool and cut the flan into wedges. Traditionally, each piece is served inverted on a plate with the syrup on top.

Yield:
8 generous servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 6 grams of protein.

1 cup (240 ml) boiling water

1 ounce (28 g) unsweetened baking chocolate

1 rounded (1 g) teaspoon instant coffee crystals

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

3 eggs

cup (8 g) Splenda