1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (126 page)

Work the sweetener of your choice (if using) into the dough. My whey protein powder is sweetened with stevia, and I find that that’s enough sweetener for me. But if you want your Great Balls of Protein to be sweeter, simply add sweetener. (If you’re using stevia, dissolve it in a couple of tablespoons [30 ml] of water and sprinkle it evenly over the mixture before working it in, or it’s not likely to spread throughout the mixture very well. Actually, it’s best to sprinkle any sweetener evenly before combining it with a mixture this thick.)

Roll into balls about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.

It’s nice to coat these with something. If you like sesame seeds, you can toast them by shaking them in a dry, heavy skillet over medium heat until they start popping and jumping around the pan and then roll the balls in them while they’re still warm. You could roll them in coconut, if you prefer; most natural food stores carry it unsweetened and shredded. Again, you can toast it lightly in a dry frying pan and add a little Splenda. Or you could melt sugar-free chocolate bars and dip your Balls of Protein in chocolate— although it would probably be simpler to chop them up and mix them in. Another option is to roll them in unsweetened cocoa mixed with a little Splenda.

Yield:
About 50 balls

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 10 grams of protein. (Analysis does not include coatings for balls.)

This is easiest to make if you have a powerful stand mixer or a heavy-duty food processor. If you don’t, don’t try to use a smaller appliance—you’ll only burn it out and destroy it! Rather than dooming your old mixer, just roll up your sleeves, scrub your hands, and dive in.

A friend posted the original version of this recipe—definitely not low carb—online. (Thanks, Robin!) I couldn’t resist the challenge. They’re wonderful!

1 cup (25 g) Splenda

½ cup (65 g) vanilla whey protein powder

¼ cup (30 g) almond meal

½ cup (45 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon (12 g) instant coffee crystals (regular or decaf, as you prefer)

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (115 g) butter

2 large eggs

¼ cup (60 ml) water

6 ounces (170 g) sugar-free chocolate chips or sugar-free dark chocolate bars, chopped to chocolate chip–size in the food processor

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

Put Splenda, protein powder, almond meal, cocoa, instant coffee crystals, and salt in a food processor with the S-blade in place. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is “cut in”—well combined with the dry ingredients. Turn out into a bowl. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well with a whisk after each. Then beat in the water. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips or chopped-up chocolate bars. Spray an 8 × 8-inch (20 × 20-cm) pan with nonstick cooking spray and spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes—do not overbake! Cool and cut into squares.

Yield:
I made 25 small brownies from this—I like to have the option of having a little something, and if I want more, I can always have two.

If you do, indeed, make 25, each brownie will have 3 g carbohydrate and 1 g fiber, for a usable carb count of 2 g; 3 g protein.

Yield:
If you prefer, you can make 16 bigger brownies

At 4 g carb each, and 1 g fiber, for a usable carb count of 3 g, with 4 g protein. Carb count does not include polyol sweetener in the sugar-free chocolate.

2 ounces (55 g) bitter chocolate

8 ounces (225 g) butter

½ cup (100 g) polyol sweetener

½ cup (12 g) Splenda

2 eggs ½ cup (65 g) vanilla whey protein powder

1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

In the top of a double boiler or in a saucepan over a heat diffuser set on lowest possible heat, melt the chocolate and the butter together. Stir until they’re well combined. Scrape this into a mixing bowl.

Add the polyol sweetener and stir well and then stir in the Splenda. Next, beat in the eggs, one at a time. Stir in the vanilla whey protein powder and salt.

Pour into an 8 × 8-inch (20 × 20-cm) baking pan you’ve sprayed well with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake! Cut into 12 bars and let cool in the pan. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 9 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 1 g usable carb. Carb count does not include polyol sweetener.

About 1¼ cups (170 g) hazelnuts

2 eggs ½ cup (120 ml) oil

½ cup (120 ml) yogurt

cup (17 g) Splenda

½ cup (65 g) vanilla whey protein powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¾ cup (45 g) shredded zucchini

¼ cup (30 g) shredded carrot

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

In a food processor with the S-blade in place, use the pulse control to grind the hazelnuts to a mealy consistency. (You want 1½ cups of ground hazelnuts when you’re done, and for some inexplicable reason they seem to actually grow a little rather than shrink a little when you grind them.) Set the ground hazelnuts aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the oil, yogurt, ground hazelnuts, Splenda, protein powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixing well after each addition. (It’s especially important that the baking soda be well distributed through the mixture.) Add the zucchini and carrots last, mixing well.

Thoroughly coat a ring mold or bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray and turn the batter into it. (If you sprayed your pan ahead of time, give it another shot just before adding the batter. And don’t expect the batter to fill the pan to the rim; it fills my bundt pan about halfway.)

Bake for 45 minutes and turn out gently onto a wire rack to cool.

Yield:
8 generous servings

Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 16 grams of protein.

This doesn’t need a darned thing—it’s simply delicious exactly the way it is. If you wish to gild the lily, however, you could top it with whipped topping, pumpkin cream, or cream cheese frosting. This cake, by the way, makes a fabulous breakfast, and since it’s loaded with protein and good fats, it should keep you going all morning.

I made a low-carb feast for my friend Adam’s birthday, and this was the cake. It’s not a layer cake, it’s a snack-type cake: dense, moist, and fudgy—a lot like brownies. It’s easy, too, because it needs no frosting, tasting great just as it is.

1 cup (125 g) finely ground hazelnuts

½ cup (65 g) vanilla whey protein powder

3 tablespoons (17 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup (25 g) Splenda

½ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons (75 ml) oil (peanut, sunflower, canola, or whatever)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cider vinegar

1 cup (240 ml) cold water

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

In a bowl, combine the hazelnuts, protein powder, cocoa, baking soda, Splenda, and salt and stir them together quite well. (Make sure there are no lumps of baking soda!)

Spray a 9 × 9-inch (23 × 23-cm) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and place the hazelnut mixture in it. Make two holes in this mixture. Pour the oil into one, the vinegar into the other, and the water over the whole thing. Mix with a spoon or fork until everything’s well combined. Bake for 30 minutes.

Yield:
9 servings

Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 12 grams of protein.

This traditional Italian cake is a clear demonstration that a few simple ingredients properly combined can yield extraordinary results. If it takes you a few days to eat up all of your Italian Walnut Cake, the Splenda on top will melt, leaving a glazed look instead of powdery whiteness, but it will still taste wonderful. This would be fabulous with a simple cup of espresso.

12 ounces (340 g) walnuts

½ cup (100 g) polyol sweetener, divided

4 eggs

1 pinch cream of tartar

¾ cup (18 g) Splenda

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons (3 g) extra Splenda for topping

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Spray a 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with a circle of baking parchment or a reusable Teflon pan liner.

Put the walnuts in a food processor with the S-blade in place. Pulse until the nuts are chopped medium-fine. Add 2 tablespoons (25 g) of the polyol sweetener to the nuts and pulse until nuts are finely ground but not oily. (Don’t overprocess. You don’t want nut butter!)

Separate the eggs. Since even the tiniest speck of egg yolk will cause the whites to stubbornly refuse to whip, do yourself a big favor and separate each one into a small dish or cup before adding the white to the bowl you plan to whip them in! Then, if you break one yolk, you’ve only messed up that white. Put the whites in a deep, narrow mixing bowl and put the yolks in a larger mixing bowl.

Add the pinch of cream of tartar to the whites and use an electric mixer (not a blender or food processor!) to whip the egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the yolks with the rest of the polyol sweetener and the ¾ cup (18 g) Splenda until the mixture is pale yellow and very creamy—at least 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the lemon zest and the salt.

Stir the ground walnuts into the yolk mixture— you can use the electric mixer, but the mixture will be so thick, I think a spoon is easier. When that’s well combined, use a rubber scraper to gently fold in the egg whites one-third at a time, incorporating each third well before adding the next. When all the egg whites are folded in, gently pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle top with the 2 additional tablespoons (3 g) Splenda while the cake is hot and then let cool before serving. Cut in thin wedges to serve.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 9 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 3 g usable carbs. Carb count does not include polyol sweetener.

I’ve always loved gingerbread and this is as good as any high-carb gingerbread I’ve ever had! Don’t worry about that zucchini; it completely disappears, leaving only moistness behind.

1 cup (125 g) ground almonds (or
cup raw almonds finely ground in a food processor)