Chocolate Eclair Dessert

This is an easy adaptation to a popular family recipe that has scary Cool-Whip and Pudding for the filling...yuck chemicals.

Cool-Whip ingredients: water, hydrogenated vegetable oil, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, skim milk, light cream, and less than 2% sodium caseinate (a milk derivative), natural and artificial flavor, xanthan and guar gums, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, and beta carotene (as a coloring).

Try this instead:
3 eggs, separated
3 oz cream cheese or coconut cream
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp stevia glycerite

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a bowl, whip egg whites with cream of tartar until peaks are very stiff (about 5 minutes). In separate bowl, blend cream cheese and stevia. Slowly add the cream cheese mixture into the stiff egg whites. (Save yolks for a different recipe:) Place in lasagna pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Cream Topping:
8 oz cream cheese or coconut cream
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tsp stevia glycerite (or to taste)

Whip the almond milk cream cheese and stevia. This mixture will thicken up if you let sit for 4-8 hours. Spread over the puffed éclair.

Chocolate Glaze:
2 TBS grass fed butter or coconut oil
1 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
10 TBS heavy cream or coconut milk
1/4 cup powdered* erythritol (or Truvia)
1 tsp stevia glycerite

Place the butter and chopped chocolate in a double boiler (or in a heat safe dish over a pot of boiling water). Stir well until just melted (don't burn the chocolate!), add in the cream, and sweetener. Stir until smooth and thick. Drizzle onto éclair dessert and let rest on cooling rack until glaze has set. Serves 9.

Nutritional Comparison (per serving):
"Traditional" Recipe: 370 calories, 63 carbs, 1 fiber
"Healthified" Recipe: 153 calories, 3 carbs, 1.5 fiber

Easy Cheesy Scalloped "Potatoes"

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 cup veggie/chicken broth
3 pounds (6 cups) Cauliflower stems, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) package sliced ham, chopped (optional)
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium pot, boil water (or chicken broth) and add the sliced cauliflower. Boil for 5 minutes or until tender.

In another saucepan, mix cream cheese, sour cream, cheese and broth until well blended. Add 1-3/4 cups of the cheese; stir gently to mix all ingredients.

Spoon cauliflower, ham and top with melted cheese mixture into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until casserole is heated through and cauliflower is tender. Makes 12 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Using Potatoes = 220 calories, 16g fat, 10g protein, 10g carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Cauliflower = 195 calories, 16g fat, 10g protein, 4.3 carbs, 1.4g fiber

Chocolate Lava Cakes

Mmmmmm, chocolate! You'd never notice that the recipe uses Peanut flour instead of white flour. The peanut flour creates a soft, dense, fudgy outside with an explosion of chocolaty goodness on the inside.



6 ounces dark chocolate ChocoPerfection Bar
2 eggs
1/4 cup vanilla almond milk
1 stick butter
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup Swerve (or Just Like Sugar )
1 tsp stevia glycerite
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup peanut flour

To make centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate and vanilla almond milk in double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.

To make cake, heat oven to 400°F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sweetener, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and peanut flour into egg mixture just until combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.

Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Serves 6.

Nutritional Comparison:
"Ghiradelli Lava Cake" using sugar and cream: 424 calories, 31.8 carbs, 0.2 fiber, 4.9 protein
"Healthified" Lava Cakes: 290 calories, 9.3 carbs, 7.6 fiber, 1.7 effective carbs, 6.9 protein

Serve with "Healthified" Ice Cream!

Low Fat Almond Chocolate Mini Pumpkin Pie

Don't you love the vibrant show that nature puts on at this time of the year and exuberance of pumpkins adds to the splendor.Yes,I got my first pumpkin home and made the pie,this one was not so tough to cut through,made my work little easy.I have been posting about pumpkin desserts past two seasons,I present this season another special kind of pie, with almonds ,100% cocoa and dark chocolate chips as the secret ingredients.If you are a regular viewer of the blog,these ingredients are no secret,as I use them often in my recipes.

I do not have a preference for these mini pies over the large pie,making one large pie would be equally good,I just had the pie tins unused for long hence went for the mini version of the pie.The chocolate chips surprise in the filling are simply fantastic. I say this often,will say it again,use 100% cocoa powder and 60% cocoa chocolate chips to get the best benefits of the chocolate.

Recipe :Almond Chocolate Mini Pumpkin Pies
Makes 6 Mini pies or one 9 inch pie
Ingredients
For Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons fat free plain yogurt
1/4 cup brown sugar

For Filling
2 cups Pumpkin puree
1/2 cup fine ground raw almonds(or use almond meal)
1/4 cup unsweetened 100% cocoa powder(I use Hersheys)
1/2 cup brown or white sugar or 1/4 cup Agave nectar
*2 Organic eggs
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips(good quality with at least 60% Cocoa,I use Ghirardelli)
2 tablespoon Organic Whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla

*for eggless filling use - 2 table spoon of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup whole milk

Method
Bake the crust
Preheat oven to 350F.Mix together graham cracker crumbs, yogurt, and brown sugar in bowl. Press mixture firmly into a min pie tins or a 9 inch pie pan.Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Whisk the eggs or the egg substitute,stir in the sugar,cocoa powder,vanilla, pumpkin puree and ground almonds,combine well.Fill the mini pie tins or the pie pan with the pumpkin mixture.Drop the chocolate chips evenly in all the pie crust or in the pie pan.Bake in 350F oven for about 25-30 minutes until the center is a little firm to touch.Serve warm or can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging #255,hosted this week by Prof Kitty from The Cabinet of Prof. Kitty

French Toast Bagel

I used to go to Panera Bread and get the "French Toast" Bagel with Honey Walnut Cream cheese...Yikes, check out these stats:
1 bagel = 350 calories, 67 carbs, 2 fiber...NO LIE, this is on their website. And that is just for the bagel, no cream cheese.



Try these instead:
3 TBS ground golden flaxseed
2 TBS coconut flour
1/2 t baking powder
4 egg, separated
2 TBS cinnamon
4 TBS Just Like Brown Sugar (or 1/2 tsp liquid stevia)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium-small bowl mix the dry ingredients - the golden flax meal, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sweetener.

Whip the egg whites until fluffy. Slowly add the yolks, and then the dry mixture. Allow the dough to sit for 5 minutes to firm up. Spoon the dough into a greased "donut" mold or shape into bagels on a cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes until the flax turns a darker golden shade. Allow to cool in the oven. Makes 6 bagels.

NUTRITIONAL Comparison:
Flax bagel = 88 calories, 4 carbs, 2.7 fiber (1.3 effective carbs)
Small "LENDER's Bagel = 140 calories, 29 carbs, 1 fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE DONUT PAN I USED.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Craig absolutely loved these and he isn't one for pancakes. They are a thinner pancake, but the flavor is outstanding.


1/4 cup cottage or ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup pumpkin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1/4 cup vanilla whey protein OR 2 TBS coconut flour

Preheat skillet. Beat eggs with electric mixer on high for 1 minute to make them light and fluffy. In a food processor, blend the cottage cheese until very smooth, then add to the eggs. Add all the other ingredients. Pour batter onto skillet, fry until golden brown. Serve with Nature's Hollow syrup. Makes 4 servings. Whole Recipe = 321 calories, 11.9 carbs, 6.6 fiber

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Pancakes = 149 calories, 28 carbs, 1 fiber, 4g protein
“Healthified” Pancakes = 80 calories, 2.9 carbs, 1.6 fiber, 9g protein

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 1/4 cup syrup)
Regular Pancake Syrup: 240 calories, 40 carbs, 40 sugar
Nature’s Hollow Syrup: 76 calories, 28 carbs, 26 sugar alcohol, 2 effective carbs

Chicken Wild "Rice" Soup

I know the recipe sounds weird, instead of heavy cream, I used cream cheese. This added an amazing flavor without extra calories, 1 TBS of cream is 50 calories, 1 TBS of cream cheese is also 50 calories. Since you only need a small amount of cream cheese for the thickness and the flavor, you save a lot of calories this way. Comfort food without the guilt!

"HEALTHIFIED" WILD "RICE" SOUP
1/2 cup butter
1/2 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 pound fresh sliced mushrooms
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped asparagus
1 cup cauliflower "rice"
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup cream cheese or coconut cream


In a food processor (or cheese grater), chop cauliflower into small rice-like pieces (see photo). Set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery and saute for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes. Slowly add in the chicken broth, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next, add the asparagus, cauliflower rice, chicken, salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper, almonds and cream cheese. Allow to heat through, and wisk to incorporate the cream cheese. Let simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

Nutritional Comparison (serves 8)
1 serving Traditional Soup: 529 calories, 28.7 carbs, 3.6 fiber
1 serving of "Healthified" Soup = 365 calories, 6.5 carbs, 3.7 fiber

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE FOOD PROCESSOR I USE TO MAKE 'CAULIFLOWER RICE'