No Guilt Recipes for Chocoholics

carcarxx94
carcarxx94 Posts: 38 Member
I am a huuuge Chocoholic ( the past 3 years I have been battling a severe eating disorder - but before this I was so addicted to chocolate that I genuinely had it for nearly every single meal / snack.. and now? Finally allowing myself a little and I cannot stop the addiction of a couple bars a day again..! ) -
I do believe in allowing yourself a treat every day - but when you just constantly want MORE or have a huge sweet tooth like me it can be daunting so I thought maybe to share some of my healthy ways to combat the cravings !!

Quark is my friend - no fat, full of protein and only 3.4g sugar per 100g - can use for both sweet and savoury !

Quark Chocolate Mousse ( large full 250g pot serving) ;
250g Quark
20g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract or Orange / Mint / Caramel Extract ( omit if you like dark chocolate taste anyway )
Optional ; some chocolate chips, dark chocolate chopped up ( i like 85%-90% dark )
Mix it all up and enjoy a chocolatey, low sugar, protein packed, filling dessert !

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Dessert
250g Quark
25g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
30g Peanut Butter ( no sugar or oils or salt added )
10g Peanuts
Optional : some chopped dark chocolate
Mix the quark, vanilla and cocoa until a dessert .
Heat the peanut butter until liquid-like and swirl into dessert.
Optional ; top with peanuts and / or chocolate !

Chocolate Cheesecake
Base;
30g Oats
20g Peanut Butter or Butter
10g Peanuts
Filling;
150g Quark
25g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract ( or other flavour extract )
Tbsp Greek Yoghurt
Optional ; some dark chocolate

Melt Peanut Butter or Butter. Crush Peanuts. Combine peanuts and oats and add the butter until dough-like and spread into a small pan, a large mug / cup or small bowl. Place in refrigerator.
Combine all filling ingredients and place on the base. Refrigerate.
Top with dark chocolate if desired !

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
1 Large Banana
60g Oats
Optional ; some chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Mash banana. Mix in Oats. Mix in chocolate. Place Tbsp size drops on tray. bake 10-15 min. Enjoy !

Chocolate Ice Cream
2 Large Bananas
40g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4 Tsp Extract ( Vanilla, Caramel etc )
Optional : chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
Mash banana. Mix all ingredients. Freeze! Thaw a little before serving or stick in a blender .

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
30g Oats
15g - 20g Butter or Peanut Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Chocolate Chips or Chopped Dark Chocolate ( eg 20g chopped 90% dark chocolate ).
Mix Oats and butter until dough like. Add in chocolate and Vanilla. Roll into balls. Refrigerate or freeze.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream
1 serving banana ice cream
1 serving Cookie Dough Balls
Mix cookie dough into ice cream !!

Choc-o-lotta Rice Cake
3 Rice Cakes
40g Peanut Butter
100g Quark
10g Dark Chocolate
Mix quark and peanut butter to make a filling spread . Spread on rice cakes. Melt chocolate and drizzle all over .

Banana Rama Chocolate Explosion
1 Banana
1 Snack Size Chocolate Bar or however amount of dark chocolate
Slice banana ( while still in the skin ) down the length. Place chocolate into the cut. Either barbeque or place in oven until the skin goes dark . Voila ! Cooked mushy banana and melted chocolate !

Banana Gluten Free Brownies
1 Large Banana
20g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
Approx . 45g Oat flour or Instant Oats
Approx. 60ml Milk
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
Optional ; dark chocolate chips
Mash banana. Combine all ingredients and place in a small pan. Bake 15-20 min !

Black Forest Sundae
200g Fat Free Plain Greek Yoghurt
15g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
50g Mixed Berries ( raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries etc )
10g Chopped Dark Chocolate ( 75% + )
10g Strawberry Jam
Mix cocoa powder and greek yoghurt.
Layer the sundae in a tall glass as follows - half the yoghurt mixture. The Jam. Other half of yoghurt mixture. Top with berries and chocolate !

Tiramisu
200g Quark
2 tsp cold coffee mixed with water
1 Weetabix or Healthy / Low sugar cereal or 2 sponge fingers if using cake
50g Greek Yoghurt
10g Unsweetened Cocoa
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tsp Hot Chocolate Powder
Layer half the quark in a glass. Add half the cereal or sponge. Add 1 tsp coffee. Other half of quark. Other half of cereal or sponge. Other half of coffee. Yoghurt, vanilla and cocoa mixture. Top with Hot Chocolate Powder.

I am also very fond of Cocoa Nakd Bars which beat my cravings but many have a lot of sugar so I make my own versions but with more oats to make them less sugar dense and more flapjack like :)

I have also added cocoa powder to PB2 in the past but these are less expensive ways to combat the cravings !
If you are lactose intolerant I have also made some of these with soya yoghurt and have seen variations using coconut cream . Soy / coconut versions would work similar I think but cannot guarantee ! Worth a try right ?!

Don't know if these will help anyone but I have just had a major chocolate day and wanted to share before I went to start my chocolatey adventure again ..!

Replies

  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Wow thank you for these! Better not try them all at once though :-/
  • MinmoInk
    MinmoInk Posts: 345 Member
    This is going to be my go-to post when I'm on the monthly
  • valente347
    valente347 Posts: 201 Member
    You should check out Alice Medrich's "Chocolate and the Art of Low-fat Desserts." Yes, it's an old cookbook (early 90s), and yes, it focuses on removing fat (but in practice they are actually just low-calorie desserts). However, the recipes have been meticulously tested, solid ingredients are offered in weights, each recipe offers a calorie count with macro breakdown, there are both simple recipes and showstoppers, and nothing tastes like diet food or requires esoteric ingredients. Medrich is a chocolate guru and is one of the chefs responsible for popularizing chocolate truffles in the US in the 1970s. She knows her stuff and I can't recommend her work enough.
  • justrollme
    justrollme Posts: 802 Member
    I had to bookmark these, thank you for sharing!
  • MichelleDusk
    MichelleDusk Posts: 1 Member
    Following.
  • lauraseidel1234
    lauraseidel1234 Posts: 1 Member
    Hi. Just wondering where you're located? I'm in Canada and I looked for Quark everywhere but can't seem to find it. Where do you buy it?
    Thanks
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    Is there a particular brand? I tried a flavored Quark the other day (Elli's Red Velvet) and it was just all sorts of odd tasting, though I wasn't sure if maybe it was just the flavor that caused that.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    The only brand of Quark I can find in the US is Elli's and it's disgusting.
  • carcarxx94
    carcarxx94 Posts: 38 Member
    Hi. Just wondering where you're located? I'm in Canada and I looked for Quark everywhere but can't seem to find it. Where do you buy it?
    Thanks
    Afura wrote: »
    Is there a particular brand? I tried a flavored Quark the other day (Elli's Red Velvet) and it was just all sorts of odd tasting, though I wasn't sure if maybe it was just the flavor that caused that.
    Francl27 wrote: »
    The only brand of Quark I can find in the US is Elli's and it's disgusting.

    Oh I am sorry I am European so I would not know American or Canadian brands ..! Though over here each supermarket has their own brand one which taste the same and we do not have flavoured ones like the US! Ours is just plain thich creamy fat free soft cheese with only ingredient is milk :( Sorry I cannot help with knowing a brand for you :( !!
  • Wow thank you ever so much!! You have made my day
  • kirstenb13
    kirstenb13 Posts: 181 Member
    valente347 wrote: »
    You should check out Alice Medrich's "Chocolate and the Art of Low-fat Desserts." Yes, it's an old cookbook (early 90s), and yes, it focuses on removing fat (but in practice they are actually just low-calorie desserts). However, the recipes have been meticulously tested, solid ingredients are offered in weights, each recipe offers a calorie count with macro breakdown, there are both simple recipes and showstoppers, and nothing tastes like diet food or requires esoteric ingredients. Medrich is a chocolate guru and is one of the chefs responsible for popularizing chocolate truffles in the US in the 1970s. She knows her stuff and I can't recommend her work enough.

    Wow, thanks for the recommendation! This book sounds great and it looks like you can get it used pretty easily.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    The only brand of Quark I can find in the US is Elli's and it's disgusting.

    Oh good so it's not just me.
    carcarxx94 wrote: »
    Oh I am sorry I am European so I would not know American or Canadian brands ..! Though over here each supermarket has their own brand one which taste the same and we do not have flavoured ones like the US! Ours is just plain thich creamy fat free soft cheese with only ingredient is milk :( Sorry I cannot help with knowing a brand for you :( !!
    :smiley: No worries, I was putting out the question in case anyone in the US knew.
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    Wikipedia suggests a few "similar products", but I don't know if they'd be similar enough in taste to use in these recipes.

    However, it's apparently easy to make your own quark at home with just milk and buttermilk. Check out the 'recipe'! :smile:
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    SueSueDio wrote: »
    Wikipedia suggests a few "similar products", but I don't know if they'd be similar enough in taste to use in these recipes.

    However, it's apparently easy to make your own quark at home with just milk and buttermilk. Check out the 'recipe'! :smile:

    I know they address spoilage, but it still kinda gives me the heebies to leave milk out overnight.
  • valente347
    valente347 Posts: 201 Member
    Afura wrote: »
    SueSueDio wrote: »
    Wikipedia suggests a few "similar products", but I don't know if they'd be similar enough in taste to use in these recipes.

    However, it's apparently easy to make your own quark at home with just milk and buttermilk. Check out the 'recipe'! :smile:

    I know they address spoilage, but it still kinda gives me the heebies to leave milk out overnight.

    I can understand the feeling, but the good bacteria in the buttermilk take over and "crowd out" any bad guys that could grow otherwise. Controlled fermentation is how we get foods like sauerkraut, fish sauce, beer, pepperoni, sourdough, and blue cheese.
  • latumakamoeafi
    latumakamoeafi Posts: 3 Member
    nice post workout for me.. thanks for sharing..
  • yasef13
    yasef13 Posts: 63 Member
    To my knowledge, you can make your own quark by bringing skim milk to a boil, then adding lemon juice or vinegar. Continue boiling until it curdles, then strain.
    You can leave it in the strainer until the desired consistency. Usually half an hour would do.
    Great recipes!
  • This is brill! Thanks for putting all there on here, I m a massive chocoholic so these recipes will make dieting so much easier!
  • eileenmcpartlin
    eileenmcpartlin Posts: 10 Member
    carcarxx94 wrote: »
    Hi. Just wondering where you're located? I'm in Canada and I looked for Quark everywhere but can't seem to find it. Where do you buy it?
    Thanks

    If you're looking for a quark substitute, I would try Skyr, fat-free natural fromage frais or Fage Total Natural yogurt 0% fat.