Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies: Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free + Low Carb

It's hard to argue with brownies. They're moist. They're decadent. Perhaps most importantly of all, they're insanely chocolatey. The best part, though, is that these tasty brownies are all of those things-- but they're also healthy!

Perfect for taking along on summer picnics, these brownies are as sweet as your best friend's six month old. The ideal mixture of chocolate and peanut butter comes together to make a little party that'll leave your taste buds dancing for hours.

This recipe incorporates a special fiber additive called polydextrose, which I buy on Netrition for a few bucks. The only place I use polydextrose is in brownies because when you're leaving out sugar, it really does lend a fudgy texture that is very hard to achieve without it. Polydextrose has just 12g non-fiber carbs per half cup, so it doesn't lend much in the way of carbohydrates. If you don't want to use polydextrose, simply increase the almond flour by a half cup. Your result won't be as fudgy as it would be with it, but it's still sure to be tasty. 

Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies

Ingredients: 

Brownies:

• 3/4 C almond flour
• 1 T coconut flour
• 2/3 C pure cocoa
• 1/4 C polydextrose fiber
• 3/4 C Swerve (or granulated eyrthritol or xylitol)
• 2 egg whites
• 1/3 C heavy cream
• 3 T water
• 1/4 C coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Frosting:

• 4 oz (1/2 brick) cream cheese or neufchâtel cheese, softened
• 1 T butter, softened
• 2 T peanut butter, creamy (no sugar added)
• 2 T PB2 powdered peanut butter
• 1 T water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 C granulated xylitol (I used Ideal brand)
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan or guar gum

Directions:

For Brownies:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a large bowl, combine egg whites, cream, water, coconut oil, salt, baking powder, vanilla extract and Swerve. Beat on high speed until well mixed.

3. Add in almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa and polydextrose and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy. 

4. Pour batter into greased 9x9 inch square cake pan and bake on middle rack for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out (mostly) clean. Cool completely before frosting. 

For Frosting:

1. In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter and, PB2 peanut butter until smooth and evenly mixed. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine water, vanilla extract and xylitol. Stir well until xylitol gets completely mixed in and dissolved. 

3. Mix xanthan gum into the water mixture. Keep stirring it until it begins to thicken a bit. The mixture should turn into a syrup.

4. Drizzle the syrup into the frosting mixture and beat on high for several minutes. The frosting will be soft but sturdy. It will set up more in the refrigerator, but it will hold at room temperature as well. 

NUTRITION (1/12th recipe): 180 calories, 10 g carbs, 4 g fiber, (6 g net carbs), 15 g fat, 5 g protein

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream: Grain Free, Sugar Free, Gluten Free + Low Carb (with a Dairy Free option)

Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Could it possibly get any more American? Sweet, creamy vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and chunks of real chocolate chip cookie dough spread throughout. Are you drooling yet?

Mine was already starting to melt: it's 85 degrees here today!

Of course, the store-bought version contains lots of nasty gluten and sugar--not to mention tons of preservatives and chemicals that leave something to be desired. My version, however, is super creamy, ultra decadent and completely void of gluten, sugar and gluten. Score!

I will admit it: I got a little impatient while making this and decided that gelato consistency was all I needed to be satisfied. If you leave it freeze longer, it'll get thicker. That said, this ice cream won't freeze in a "creamy" way in the freezer. It'll come out like a rock. To make it better, just take it out 10-15 minutes before you scoop it. No biggie. I've heard that adding vodka to the ice cream helps it to freeze better, but I didn't have any on hand, so I didn't try it. If you do, let me know how it works.

There are some can't miss ingredients when it comes to making chocolate chip cookie dough, either for real cookies or the dough for this ice cream. Real vanilla and a brown sugar substitute (or coconut sugar, which is really similar to brown sugar) are non-negotiable items. You'll understand why when you taste it!

I also added a brown sugar substitute into the ice cream to add to the depth of the flavor. This is one of those instances where I chose to use a substitute rather than coconut sugar because I really, really wanted to keep the carbs low on this recipe. If you're more open to adding in a little natural, unrefined sugar, coconut sugar would be the way to go.

As far as the chocolate chips go, you have two options: an organic, refined sugar free version like Enjoy Life semisweet chocolate chips, or a sugar-free option such as Hershey's Sugar Free or Nevada Manna. I used Nevada Manna.

The ice cream does utilize raw egg yolks. If you're afraid of raw yolks, you could heat the yolks and sweetener and whisk until cooked. Alternatively, you could just leave them out.

When you make the cookie dough chunks, I'm going to warn you-- it takes a little time, but it's soooo worth it. You'll make a basic, easy dough out of almond and coconut flours, butter, Swerve, brown sugar substitute, vanilla extract and chocolate chips. Easy peasy. The hard part is the 20 minutes it'll take you to roll it into teeny, tiny balls that you'll fold into the ice cream. My suggestion? Watch TV while you do it-- just don't touch anything, because your hands will be a mess when you're done.


To make this ice cream dairy free, simply use 2 cups of coconut cream and 2 cups of almond or coconut milk and omit the dairy milk products. For the dough, use coconut oil or palm shortening instead of the butter.



Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream


Ingredients:

Ice cream:

• 1 1/2 C half & half (preferably organic)*
• 1 1/2 C almond milk*
• 1 C heavy cream*
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 Cup Swerve (or any other granulated calorie-free sweetener)
• 2 T brown sugar substitute or coconut sugar
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan or guar gum

*For a dairy-free version, use a milk mixture of 2 C coconut cream and 2 C coconut or almond milk

Cookie Dough:

• 1/2 C almond flour
• 1 T coconut flour
• 4 T butter, softened (or coconut oil or palm shortening for dairy free)
• 2 T brown sugar substitute
• 2 T Swerve (or any other granulated calorie-free sweetener)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 2/3 C sugar free or dairy free/refined sugar free semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:


1. In a large sized bowl, beat egg yolks, vanilla, salt and sweeteners together until a thick paste is formed.

2. Add in milks, creams and xanthan gum and stir well. Pour into ice cream maker canister and follow your ice cream maker's instructions to make the ice cream. Most ice cream makers take 30-60 minutes to get the ice cream to a semi-freddo, or gelato-like consistency.

3. While the ice cream is being made, make the cookie dough. Combine all cookie dough ingredients except chocolate chips into a dough, then fold in the chocolate chips last.

4. Grease a paper plate or some wax paper and form teeny, tiny balls of cookie dough and place them on it. Freeze the cookie dough balls to make them nice and hard until your ice cream is done in the ice cream maker.

5. Remove your ice cream from the ice cream maker and fold in the cookie dough balls. Spoon the ice cream into a lidded container and freeze for 2-4 hours, stirring occasionally to avoid ice chunks. (Or just do what I did and dig in after a half hour!)

6. Store in the freezer and leave out for 10-15 minutes prior to scooping as ice cream will get very hard.


Makes about 12 VERY RICH servings.

Nutrition (1/12th recipe): 210 calories, 4 g carbs, 1 g fiber (3 g net carbs), 19 g fat, 3 g protein

Cheesy Garlic Bread: Grain and Gluten Free + Low Carb

My husband goes goo-goo over garlic bread, but the nutritional profile of the stuff is enough to make me cringe. Refined carbs, trans-fat filled margarine and "dough conditioners" (whatever those are) make up the junk you get from the takeout pizza place up the road. If you're lucky, it'll have real cheese.

My version is completely grain free, gluten free and low in carbs. The smell that wafts throughout the house while it's baking is simply mouth-watering. Butter, cheese and garlic? Sign me up, right?

For taste authenticity, I added a bit of yeast to this recipe. No, yeast won't work on grain free flours (boo!), but it definitely lends that familiar flavor of "real" bread. I baked my dough in a 9x9 square cake pan (greased very well) and then turned it out onto a cookie sheet. Next time, though, I'd probably just free form it. The dough isn't incredibly thick, but it's thick enough that you'll get a rustic bready base. If you want the square, just do what I did and bake it in the pan. If you do bake it in the pan, it'll probably be thicker than it would be free-form. Honestly, that sounds good to me. I can't wait to make it that way next time!

Is this super chewy like wheat-based garlic bread? No. It's definitely more biscuit-y, but I promise-- it's also deeeeelicious!

Cheesy Garlic Bread 

Ingredients (for bread base):

• 1 1/4 C almond flour
• 1 T coconut flour
• 3 egg whites, beaten until fluffy 
• 2 T olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/4 C warm water
• 1 tsp. live yeast granules 
• 1 tsp. coconut sugar (or honey or molasses-- will be eaten by yeast)
• 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan or guar gum (optional)

Ingredients (for topping): 

• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 T butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. In a large bowl, combine almond and coconut flour, salt, baking powder, garlic powder and xanthan gum. Stir well.

3. In a small cup or bowl, combine warm water and sugar and stir until dissolved, then add yeast. Set aside for a few moments. 

4. To the flour mixture, add olive oil and yeast-water mixture and stir well with a rubber spatula. Add in beaten eggs and continue to mix.

5. Add in the 1/2 C mozzarella shreds and mix gently with your spatula until a nice dough is formed and cheese is mixed well throughout. 

6. Grease a 9x9 square cake pan or large cookie sheet. Put batter into cake pan or cookie sheet. If you're free-forming on a cookie sheet, loosely form the dough into a rectangle or square. 

7. Bake at 400 degrees for approx. 15-17 minutes or until the sides of the crust turn golden brown. Remove and top. 

8. In a tiny bowl, combine butter, garlic powder and salt. Mix well, then brush over the top of the garlic bread base. Be sure to get the butter over every inch!

9. Top the bread with shredded mozzarella cheese, then sprinkle that with Italian seasoning. 

10. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. For final 3 minutes, turn broiler on to brown the cheese.

11. Remove from oven and let bread stand for 5-10 minutes before serving (if you can wait that long). 

(NUTRITION FACTS TO COME)

Chicken Piccata with "Fettuzini" : Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Low Carb

Chicken piccata might very well be my favorite Italian dish. Well--right next to veal marsala. The creamy lemony sauce paired with the saltiness of parmesan cheese and a plump, juicy chicken breast is the perfect combination.

The traditional dish might be served with a side of pasta, but we wouldn't want that. Instead, we make our own fettucine-- or, "fettuzini"-- from zucchini we peeled with a vegetable peeler.

To peel the zucchini into noodles, first peel the skin off the zucchini. Can you leave it on? Sure. It'll look more like zucchini that way, but really, who cares? I left it out for the sake of pictures, though. Use a handheld peeler--I got mine at WalMart for about five bucks-- and peel strips of zucchini flesh in noodle-sized pieces until you get down to the seeds. Discard the seedy core. Voila--you're left with "fettuzini!"

Chicken Piccata with "Fettuzini" 


Ingredients: 

2 grilled or sauteed boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz. apiece)

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

2 egg yolks

3 minced garlic cloves

2/3 cup chicken broth

3 T organic heavy cream

Juice of two lemons

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. xanthan gum

Grated parmesan cheese (for topping)

Capers (if you like them-- I don't)

For Fettuzini:

1 tsp. butter

1 medium zucchini, skinned and peeled into fettucini-sized "slices" 

Directions: 

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the butter, olive oil and garlic over medium heat until garlic begins to turn golden brown. 

2. Add in heavy cream and salt and reduce heat to low. Whisk the mixture together for a minute, then whisk in the egg yolks. 

3. Whisk the egg-containing mixture constantly for about five minutes over low heat. Don't stop whisking or the egg yolk will overcook and clump up. 

4. Add in the lemon juice and continue to whisk on low heat. Don't stop whisking or you'll risk curdling the mixture. 

5. Add the xanthan gum or guar gum into the mixture and continue to whisk. 

6.  Slowly pour in the chicken broth and whisk until mixture is evenly mixed. Continue to cook while whisking on low heat for about five minutes. 

7. Remove the mixture from heat and allow to set up. Whisk occasionally to test the thickness. 

8. Pour set-up sauce over chicken and fettuzini*. 

Makes two servings.

*To make fettuzini, simply sautee the peeled zucchini with a teaspoon of butter over medium-high heat for about five minutes. 

Frosty Lemon-Berry Chiller: Sugar +Wheat Free, Low Carb (GF, All Natural)

It's about that time of the year: McDonald's commercials for the 'McCafe' line of cold summer drinks start taking over the TV, leading my nine year old to tap me on the shoulder and plead for her life that I take her to get one of the sugar-filled frozen drinks from the golden arches. While these drinks are surely refreshing, they also pack a ton of sugar (HFCS, anyone?) and carbs. In fact, the 16 oz. McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade packs 250 calories and 65g of sugar. The large 22 oz. packs 84g of sugar! Even the tiny 12 oz. packs 50 grams of sweet diabetes-inducing junk. Yuck! It's hard to justify those numbers even as a once-in-awhile treat.

Enter my healthy, low calorie, no sugar Lemon-Berry Chiller. It packs all of the flavor of the McDonald's version with just 20 calories and 5g net carbs. And of course, none of the nasty chemicals! The best part? It's super easy to make and takes just about one minute of your time. The whole family will love it!

I made this in my Nutribullet blender. And mid-range blender will work, though-- and if you've got a nice Vitamix or Blendtec, even better. The resulting drink isn't just chipped ice-- it's a creamy-feeling icy masterpiece that'll have your kids begging for more. It's perfect for summertime and even perfect for company.

Idea: Add in a little vodka or clear rum for an adult beverage that won't leave you feeling guilty later! 



Sugar Free, All Natural Lemon-Berry Chiller


Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• Juice of two lemons (about 2.5 oz.) 
• 1 T sugar-free strawberry or raspberry preserves (I used Polaner) OR 5-6 small berries
• 3T - 1/4 C Swerve (or other calorie-free sweetener; amount depends on personal taste)
• 3 C ice (about 12 cubes) 

Directions:

1. Dissolve sweetener in water and lemon juice by stirring, then add to blender. Add in berry preserves or fresh berries and ice.

2. Blend for about one minute or until the mixture gets creamy.

3. Pour and serve!


Makes one big drink or two smaller ones.

Nutrition (ENTIRE RECIPE): 20 calories, 6 g carbs, 1 g fiber (5 g net carbs), 0 fat, 0 protein

Mini Breakfast Pizzas: Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Low Carb

Before I went wheat free, I would make individual pizzas on low carb pitas. I've been wanting to recreate that yumminess in a grain free way and these breakfast pizzas were just the ticket. I made them in a whoopie pie pan, but these could easily be made free-hand on a cookie sheet.

The crusts are crispy and flavorful. I added garlic to the dough, but you don't have to if you don't like garlic.

I topped mine with cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, red peppers and onions. You can use whatever toppings you like. The best part? These yummy pizzas-- which are about 3 inches in diameter-- have just TWO net carbs apiece. That's right-- TWO. Freeze them for the perfect breakfast on the go, or bake up a batch for the whole family.

Mini Breakfast Pizzas

Ingredients:

(Crust)

• 1/4 C coconut flour 
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 T olive or avocado oil
• Dash of garlic powder
• Dash of pepper
• 1 T plain Greek yogurt or sour cream (preferably full fat Greek yogurt)

(Toppings)

• 2 scrambled eggs
• 2 cooked sausage links, cut up
• 2 cooked bacon strips, cut up
• 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 T each chopped onion and red pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease six wells in a whoopie pie pan or a cookie sheet. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine all of the crust ingredients except the mozzarella cheese and stir until a dough is formed.

3. Mix in the mozzarella cheese into the dough mixture until it's evenly mixed. 

4. Divide the dough into six pieces and press them into the wells in the whoopie pie pan. If you're using a cookie sheet, simply press the pieces of dough into three-inch disc shapes. 

5. Bake the crusts on the middle rack for about 15 minutes or until the cheese browns. The crusts will turn browner around the edges than in the middle. That's OK.

6. Allow the crusts to cool a bit, then remove them and place them onto a cookie sheet. Top with scrambled eggs, chopped breakfast meats, cheddar cheese and vegetables. 

7. Turn your oven to the "broil" setting and broil the topped pizzas until the toppings and cheese are bubbly and just beginning to brown. 

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before eating. Enjoy!

Nutrition (1/6th of recipe): 160 calories, 3 g carbs, 1 g fiber (2 g net carbs), 12 g fat, 10 g protein

Fast & Delicious Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse: Gluten Free, Grain Free, Sugar Free, Low Carb

I've been craving cheesecake for days, but I wasn't in the mood to bake one because this has been an excessively busy week. Instead I thought I'd take a few minutes and see what I could whip up. The result was this incredibly creamy cheesecake mousse with an easy peasy strawberry topping made with sugar free strawberry preserves. The great part about this recipe? Aside from the taste, this makes just two little servings, so you don't have to be tempted with an entire cheesecake in the fridge for a week.

Do you have to use the strawberry topping? Nope. I think it really makes the dessert, but not everyone likes strawberries. You could potentially use any sugar free preserves you want, or some sugar free chocolate syrup. Or, if you're really in the mood for a classic, no topping at all.

Also, I used neufchatel cheese in this recipe. For those of you that aren't familiar with it, it looks exactly like cream cheese and is sometimes labeled as "1/3 less fat than cream cheese." I didn't use it because I'm scared of fat, but rather to keep the calories a bit lower. Cream cheese has 1g carbs per serving while neufchatel has 2, so it's not really a huge jump in carbs. It's also a whole food, as it's not a "low fat" version of cream cheese, but rather a different type of cheese that tastes almost identical to cream cheese. It's higher in protein, too. Think of it as traditional yogurt vs. Greek. That said, if you want to use regular cream cheese, go right on ahead. :-)

I also want to add that while the recipe calls for you to refrigerate the cheesecake mousse for an hour prior to eating, this isn't required if you're impatient (and who could blame you?). I think it tastes better cold, but it's also great right after you make it.

Fast & Delicious Creamy Strawberry Cheesecake Mousse

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. neufchatel or cream cheese (1/2 brick), softened 
• 4 T organic heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 C powdered Swerve (or any other powdered sweetener)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)
• 2 T sugar free strawberry preserves (I used Polaner) 
• 1 T water 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the neufchatel or cream cheese, vanilla extract, almond extract and powdered sweetener with an electric mixer.

2. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it's thick.

3. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture with a rubber spatula. If necessary, use the electric mixer to mix for an additional few seconds to get the mixture nice and smooth. 

4. Scoop the mixture into a small covered container and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

5. When ready to serve, mix the preserves with water until smooth and then spoon over the portions of cheesecake mousse just before serving. 

Makes two servings. 

Nutrition (1/2 of recipe): 245 calories, 5 g carbs, 1 g fiber (4 g net carbs), 23 g fat, 6 g protein