Coconut Cravings

I absolutely adore the taste of coconut. I use coconut oil in my cooking whenever I can, I love coconut milk in my curries and stir fries, and I LOVE Bounty bars.

On a low carb diet, a Bounty is out of the question. I tried the Atkins brand low carb equivalent and had severe stomach pains, I'm guessing due to the malitol used. I tested it again a week later just to be sure it wasn't a coincidence, I needed my coconut fix!

Today I decided to come up with an alternative. I was looking into making my own low carb condensed milk, but I'm not interested in leaving the house today to buy the ingredients I need, so that will have to wait for another time. I was considering rolling to balls, making a log... but went for the quick, easy option, mini cupcake moulds.

Low Carb Coconut Treats

2c desiccated coconut

1/2c coconut cream (mine had been in the fridge so I just used the solids)

1/4c Natvia (will probably use less next time)

Mix together and divide between moulds, I filled 24 and had enough for 4 or 5 more.

100g Old Gold

2 tbsp coconut oil

Melt together and pour into moulds over top  of coconut mixture.

Refrigerate until set, keep refrigerated.

Totally love these, they're about 3.6g carbs each, with about 1.5g fiber, so... yay! Low carb coconut fix!

Low Carb Baking

It's Sunday again!

I'm getting my fix in the kitchen this week, rather than crafting - but I have been to Spotlight today and stocked up on a whole lot of materials for my next projects!

Since starting my low carb eating plan, I have found that my weight is finally coming under control. My problem is that about 6 years ago I gained a whole lot of weight very quickly, about 20kg in 6 months. This was due to depression and a number of other factors. Once I had myself sorted out, no matter what I did I could not budge the weight. I joined Weight Watchers, I counted calories, I exercised every day (all that did was make me more hungry and harder to keep under that calorie count!) and I even had blood tests done to see if there was anything else going on.

After about 4 years of this, on my return to Australia after being in the UK for 3 years, my doctor suggested a low carb diet. I was scared about giving up all the foods I loved and often craved (bread, rice and potatoes being the worst!) but also about the effect this would have on my baking. I have since found that there are a multitude of alternatives that can be made for traditional recipes - here are a few of my latest.

Muffin in a Mug
This is a quick and easy recipe that I have been experimenting with. The basic recipe is:
1/4c almond flour
1/2tsp baking powder
1/2 packet sweetener
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp oil or butter, melted

You mix all the dry ingredients, add the wet and then microwave for 1 minute. I sometimes find them a little too 'eggy' so cook for another 20-30 seconds.

I usually cook these in a big soup mug to give a wide, flat muffin which I usually slice in half and toast. I have also taken out the sugar and cinnamon to make a savoury muffin which I have used as a burger bun. Today, I tried 3 different variations:

Coconut Muffin in a Mug

1/4c almond flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1 tsp natvia

1/8 c shredded coconut

1 tsp coconut essence

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp coconut oil, melted

"Sticky Date" Muffin in a Mug

1/4c almond flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1 tsp natvia

1/8 c finely chopped dates

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp oil

Choc Date Brownie in a Mug

1/4c almond flour

1/2tsp baking powder

1 tsp natvia

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8c finely chopped dates

1/8c chopped unsweetened dark choc

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp oil

(As this one has a few added extras, I cooked it in a narrow mug so I could cut it into three pieces)

I also wanted to have a go at making cheese scones. I knew I wouldn't be able to match that light fluffy texture, but thought I would be able to get quite close.

Cheese Scones

3c almond meal (I used 2 1/2c almond meal and 1/2c flax meal)

1 tbsp baking powder (this was a guess, maybe a little more next time)

1 tsp salt (might leave this out next time)

2c grated extra tasty cheese (I might add a little cooked, chopped bacon next time!)

1/4c thickened cream

2 eggs

1. Mix dry ingredients

2. Add cheese

3. Add eggs and cream

4. Mix until dough forms

5. Roll out to about 2cm thick. I cut mine into rounds, but the fastest way would be to cut dough into squares or triangles. I got 22 from the batch, will probably make them a little thicker next time.

6. Cook at 165 for about 20-25 minutes

If you are reading this and have made the conversion to low carb, what is your favourite recipe? Please share in the comments!

Get Back In The Kitchen!

I used to love cooking until I got married. Hubby is a very fussy eater and all my favourite dishes that were a hit in Aus before I moved would get suspicious stares, pleas of "I'm not really hungry" and eventually end up in the bin. Very sad as I also have a severe aversion to waste.

I ended up taking on his bad eating habits (curry, bolognese and more curry was about it, and all straight out of a jar) until I realised one day what a mess I was making of my body and that I had to take control. He could eat what he liked, but I was going to get back to eating fresh cooked home made meals.

Any time hubby even hinted that something looked interesting, usually from an advert on TV, I would make it the next week. Happy to say he now eats a lot more widely, but still refuses to eat any fruit or veg. Strictly meat and potatoes only, which seems to be a UK tradition he was raised with.

As for me, after referrals to a dietitian here in Aus and trying many different types of meal plans, we finally hit on one that worked, low carb. I was really sceptical at first as I love all those high carb, starchy things like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. I know the fact that I recovered my long lost joy of cooking has really helped, I spend ages looking up recipes on the web, trying out low carb substitutes and so on. Usually I stick with a fairly regular plan but every now and then I need something different or a little bit of a treat.

It was hard at the beginning, but now I truly think I would like to stay low carb in the future, not just till I lose this weight. I feel so much better (after the initial fatigue in the first week or so) and the weight is slowly and steadily coming off.

I don't usually photograph my food, but thought I would share a few pictures of the some of the low carb creations I have made.

From top:

Mini Zucchini Quiche

Chicken, Bacon & Egg Salad

Muffin in a Minute Burger

Mini Lime Cheesecake

Flaxseed and Almond Meal Loaf

YUM! =]