Recipes

bmeadows380

I dug back through the group postings and only found one thread started for recipes, but it was pretty specific in what it wanted, so I decided to post a few of my experients from this week, as I try to make some lower sugar, less calorie dense sweets to satisfy my holiday sweet tooth (and year round, for that matter lol)

Post any diet friendly recipes that you enjoy!

bmeadows380

Low Sugar Maple Fudge
https://thesugarfreediva.com/sugar-free-maple-fudge/


NOTES: Personally, after making this, I wouldn't call it fudge; its more like homemade carmels - but it is good! The recipe tastes super - rich, so cut the pieces very small; trust me, you don't want a huge piece!

also, I have included estimated metric equivalents; however, I have not tried the recipe using those, so if you want to go by grams and ml, you may have to adjust.

Makes 63 candies


Ingredients

1. - 1 1/3 cup [268g] Nonfat Dry Milk in powder form (note: I used dried buttermilk and it turned out great!)
2. - 1/2 cup [118ml] Water that is one the cool side
3. - 1/2 cup [100g] Sugar Alternative (I used 1/2 cup generic splenda)
4. - 1 cup (2 sticks) [230g] Butter
5. - Brown Sugar Alternative to equal 2 cups [403g] regular brown sugar (I used the splenda brown sugar blend, which is 1 cup blend equals 2 cups regular).
6. - 1 1/2 tsp Maple Extract
7. - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
8. - 2 cups [403g] Sugar Free Powdered Sugar such as Swerve (or you can make your own sugar free powdered sugar by blending 2 cups granulated splenda with 5 Tbsp cornstarch - whirl in a blender or food processor for a few pulses to get powdery - I had very good success with this method; the final product was not grainy at all).

Instructions

In a microwave-safe cup or bowl, mix together your nonfat dry milk and your water. Microwave this on high for one minute- stirring every 15 seconds. Do not allow to boil- if this starts to boil you can quit microwaving sooner than one minute.

Add in the granular sugar alternative and stir until you have made a paste. Cover this and set this aside in the refrigerator and allow to cool- overnight would be best.

When ready to make your fudge, butter foil or parchment in a square pan, extending foil over sides for easy removal.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine together your butter (cut into tablespoons), the refrigerated mix that your prepared earlier, and the brown sugar alternative. Allow this to come to a boil, stirring constantly. (DO THIS AT MEDIUM OR LOWER HEAT, AND DEFINITELY STIR CONSTANTLY - RECIPE WILL EASILY SCORCH!!!!) Cook this for 10 minutes and then remove from the stove. (NOTE: definitely keep a close eye on this and definitely stir constantly and use low heat - you must be patient on this or it will scorch - I know from experience! I actually started off with a double boiler to get the whole thing heated up and mixed well before putting it on direct heat to get it boiling)

Obviously this will be hot so please take precautions. Add your remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed until smooth (use a handheld mixer for about two minutes or whisk by hand). Spread this mix into your prepped pan and allow to cool before cutting into squares. Store covered in an air tight container.

bmeadows380

Low Carb Peanut Butter Fudge
https://eatathomecooks.com/low-carb-peanut-butter-fudge/

I'm going to post the recipe as I found it, though after making it, I think it needs to be sweeter and will be increasing the splenda to at least 3/4 cup, maybe more. Of all the ones that I've experimented with so far, this one has been the most like actual fudge!

makes at least 48 pieces

Ingredients

1. - 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
2. - 1 cup smooth peanut butter
3. - 1 cup butter, softened
4. - 1/2 cup powdered artificial sweetener (I used 1/2 cup granulated splenda blended with 4 tsp of cornstarch to make my own, but will be increasing this to about 1 cup and 3 tbsp cornstarch next time)
5. - 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

In a microwaveable-safe bowl, heat the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter until the butter is melted, stirring about every 15 seconds. Whisk this mixture well. Blend in the artificial sweetener and vanilla. Pour the fudge mixture into an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan, smooth the top, cover and refrigerate until firm.

Slice into squares and store in the refrigerator.

CheezWhiz88

My husband and I enjoy avocado toast. On whole wheat bread, we put avocado (obviously), onion, tomato, spinach, and a small splash of balsamic. Super fast and easy to make and packed with veggies, healthy fats and whole grains.

bmeadows380

Fish Provençal

this one I made with Salmon as you'll see below. I also have the long list of spices because I don't keep the herbs de Provençal blend, so I had to approximate it. If you have the blend, you can substitute 1 tsp of it for all the herbs listed from the basil to the lavendar buds. Or look up whats in the herb de Provençal blend and use whatever you have handy to make up to 1 tsp of herbs.

I enjoyed this, though, and will have the the rest of it today for lunch!




Makes 2 servings
should take around 30 minutes to complete.

Directions

1. slice the fennel bulb into thin slices and chop the onion.
2. Using a healthy spray of cooking spray or an additional tablespoon of olive oil, cook the fennel and onion over medium heat for 5 - 7 minutes or until softened.
3. Add the tomatoes (this is actually a 14.5 oz can), grated orange peel, and herbs de Provençal (or, if you don't have the herb blend, add the basil, oregano, tarragon, lavendar buds, rosemary, parsley and thyme) to the fennel onion mixture an stir well. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. (NOTE: watch this closely as the only water comes from the tomatoes; if it starts to stick to the pan, add a little extra water).
4. While the vegetable are cooking, mince the garlic (or used enough preminced garlic to equal 1 clove). Mix the bread crumbs (this is actually 2 tbsp or 1/8 cup - the recipe thing cuts it off to 2 digits passed the decimal), minced garlic, parmesan cheese, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
5. After vegetables are done, lay the fish fillets on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the fish. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Cover the pan and cook for an addition 5 - 6 minutes or until fish is flaky.
7. OPTIONAL: while fish is cooking, heat broiler. After fish is done, place the fish on a pan and place under the broiler for 1 - 2 minutes to make the topping more crispy.

bmeadows380

Cheesy Potato Soup

This is is out of an old weight watchers cook book I have, and I love the recipe! Note that I added the ham for my own personal taste - the original recipe did not call for it, so feel free to leave it out. I also used water instead of chicken broth because I chose to cook my vegetables and the ham in a crock pot over night, so the ham made a broth while they cooked. Also, the original recipe called for low fat milk instead of the cashew milk.




Makes approximately 3-4 servings

Directions

1. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrot. Place in a pot with the water (or chicken broth), adding additional water as needed to cover vegetables. Cook until tender. (I added the ham to this).
2. Once the vegetables are done, drain, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. Place vegetables into a blender.
3. In a skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Chop the onion and garlic and add to pan. Saute for a few minutes until translucent and soft. Whisk in flour, cooking for approximately a minute. Quickly whisk in the reserved liquid. Stir until mixture has thickened.
4. Add the liquid to the vegetables in the blender and puree (work in batches as necessary). Return pureed mixture to the pan.
5. stir in milk and heat until hot, but not boiling. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper until cheese is melted.

NOTE: if you choose to add the ham like I did, either puree it with the vegetables, or reserve it and add to the soup after last step.

CheezWhiz88

My husband and I made tuna steak with roasted asparagus and purple sweet potato the other night. We lightly seasoned it with ground ginger, mustard seed, lemon pepper, and garlic powder. We put it on a foil lined pan and after searing the tuna in a pan with some olive oil, we cooked it with the potatoes and asparagus. Super simple and yummy.

CheezWhiz88

Another easy recipe: stuffed peppers. We made stuffed green peppers with shrimp. We put in brown rice, mushroom, onion, spinach and tomato. We cooked the shrimp ahead of time with a little garlic and seasoned it all with some pepper, parsley, garlic and oregano. This recipe is super versatile and you could stuff it with all kinds of veggies, and different meats: lobster, ground turkey, ground chicken...whatever you like. We sprinkled a very small amount of low sodium cheese on top.

bmeadows380

looks good!

I've found that couscous in place of the rice is a good way to stuff peppers too. I like both ways. And a little cheese on top makes them the best

CheezWhiz88

@bmeadows380 : couscous would be a great substitute! I already have my sights set on that cheesy potato soup for a future meal!

bmeadows380

@CheezWhiz88 Let me know what you think of it! (oh, and I just realized that the flour was listed as cups - 0.06 cups is 1 Tbsp lol

CheezWhiz88

@bmeadows380 : will do!

Tonight was pork chop (I ate half), some sweet potatoes, homemade applesauce (nothing but apples), and corn. We just seasoned the pork chop with some garlic powder, dried onion, and pepper.