A few weeks ago I got a wonderful email from the people over at SweetLeaf. They noticed that I had used their liquid stevia drops in a couple of my recipes and asked if they could send me some samples with which to experiment. I have to say I was flattered but more importantly I was excited because I find SweetLeaf products to be reliably high quality. A few days later I opened a package from SweetLeaf and found Vanilla Creme, Cinnamon, Peppermint and Berry liquid stevia Sweet Drops. Exciting! After wracking my brain trying to figure out what to make first I decided to take a break and go grocery shopping where I came across some sugar free peppermint candy and I had an epiphany…Peppermint Candy Cupcakes!!!

With their festive frosting these Peppermint Candy Cupcakes do double duty as decor and dessert!

To make the base of this cupcake I’ve modified my favorite yellow cake recipe. It’s made with fiber rich coconut flour and makes for very moist and fluffy cupcakes without all the carbs and sugar. This time around I added more sweetener to the recipe because I personally think peppermint frosting requires a slightly sweeter cake. The frosting itself is super easy and fun to make. To create the candy topping buy a bag of your preferred peppermint hard candy. Unwrap about a cup of the candies and put them in a plastic bag and grab a hammer. I told you this would be fun! Next find a hard surface that won’t be damaged by the hammer and whack the bag of candy until the sweets are crushed into little pieces. I like my candy pieces to be a little chunky so as much as I love swinging the hammer I try to restrain myself! Then pull together the frosting itself. Just mix all the ingredients…minus the candy…until creamy but be careful not to over mix. Also, make sure to refrigerate your frosting before spreading it over the cupcakes…this will make it firmer and easier to use which makes for prettier cupcakes. The result is a sweet peppermint treat that satisfies all those holiday cravings, enjoy!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup

This soup is so yummy and easy to make. All you do is cook the broccoli and onion as you normally would but then you toss them in the blender with the rest of the ingredients and within minutes you have a healthy, creamy broccoli soup. And, because the veggies are already cooked the soup is the perfect temperature by the time it’s done blending. Also, it’s a snap to make this recipe vegan…just omit the cheese and yogurt or use a vegan substitute. It won’t be quite as creamy but it will still taste amazing…trust me..I’ve tried it and it’s fantastic. One last quick tip…Add seasonings like salt and pepper last and add them a little at a time to avoid over seasoning. If you do end up  going slightly overboard with the spices don’t worry, you can extra almond milk or greek yogurt to help dilute the flavors. Enjoy!

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

I must confess….I bought a Vitamix!! I know they are a big indulgence but for me it’s worth every penny because I’m cooking (and eating) more vegetables as a direct result. This creamy cauliflower soup recipe is a perfect example. With a high powered blender you can easily turn leftover cauliflower into an impressive, healthy hot soup that’s exactly what you need on a cold night. Is there anything more perfect than curling up with a hot bowl of soup on a frosty evening? I’d given up soups for a while…too much sodium in the store bought kinds…so I’m thrilled that I can now control exactly what goes into my soup by making it myself. This soup has a creamy texture and taste despite being vegan though you could add some cream cheese if you wanted to make this more of an indulgence.  Speaking of ingredients, you might be surprised to see nutmeg in the ingredient list but I really implore you to give it a go. The nutmeg flavor complements the earthy taste of the cauliflower and gives it a holiday season feel. One more quick tip, when I whip this up I’ll pour out my serving sans salt, since that’s not my thing, and then add a little kosher salt to the remaining soup for the rest of the family who like their soups a bit more seasoned. That way I get my soup the way I like it and keep the family happy. When you take matters into your own hands with this warm winter treat the possibilities are really endless.

Happy Birthday Steven!!!

It’s the hubby’s birthday on November 16th but we’re going to be on vacation that week so I decided to make him an early birthday cake. Since he loves cannoli I figured what could be better than a cannoli cake and I concocted this brand new recipe! Man-oh-man am I glad that I took the risk because I’m happy to report the hubs declared this cake melt-in-your-mouth good. And I’m kind of obsessed with the  indulgent confluence of  almond, rum, cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla flavors in each delicious bite. Now, hold up…what exactly is a cannoli you might ask. Well,  your traditional cannolo (apparently “cannoli” is the plural term) is an Italian treat comprised of a fried, crunchy pastry dough formed in the shape of a tube filled with creamy, sweet ricotta cheese. Over the years bakers have made variations to the traditional recipe and nowadays you’ll find cannoli filled with mascarpone cheese, cinnamon, rum, almonds, pistachios and more. For my Cannoli Cake I decided to craft a simple yellow cake to provide the pastry flavor since I was making this into a cake not an actual cannoli. For the filling I used traditional ricotta cheese and added almond extract, rum, vanilla extract, lots of cinnamon and chunks of dark chocolate.

Use real rum if you can, it adds a rich almost buttery flavor to the creamy filling.

I also learned a quite a few things when working with ricotta cheese. One, use the full fat version. Two, put your cheese in a cheese cloth and drain it over night if you can. Just make sure you have a bowl to catch the drips otherwise your fridge will get messy. Trust. Three, if your cheese is grainy pulse it in a high powered blender or food processor until it’s smooth. And four, refrigerate the filling before spreading it on the cake…it makes it much easier to handle.  As for the mascarpone cheese frosting, all the same rules apply except for the blending since mascarpone cheese is already smooth. But seriously, refrigerate the finished mascarpone frosting before trying to frost the cake or it will be one hot (but still tasty) mess.

When I put this recipe together I tried to be mindful of the fact that the hubs is training for a marathon so the cake needed to be somewhat healthy. To that end, I decided to use coconut flour for the cake. It’s packed full of fiber and the accompanying eggs give this cake lots of protein.  And most importantly, it creates a delicious light texture that tastes like regular cake.  This yellow cake will now be my go-to cake base recipe…it’s that good! Keeping with the healthy theme, this go round I only made one layer and sliced it in half. If you want to make a really beautiful, tall cake you could double the recipe and create another layer (and add more frosting and filling). You could even slice both layers to create a four layer cake — that would be gorgeous and would feed a ton of people or a mob of hungry party-goers? Slicing the cake layer is actually pretty easy and I managed to take an “in progress” picture of the cake layer sliced in half to give you an idea of what I mean…Just grab a sharp knife and try to keep your hand steady. If you end up with some unevenness just use extra frosting or filling to balance out the cake and no one will be the wiser.

Now  you might look at the recipe and get scared but it actually doesn’t take too long and the flavors are so delicious that you can’t really mess it up. Too much almond extract? Just add more cheese. Frosting too runny? Just refrigerate it longer before frosting the cake. The fixes are intuitive and if all else fails just add sweetener. The fluffiness of the yellow cake combined with the sweetness of the cheese will make this an instant family classic. Also, this looks (and tastes) amazing. If want to impress guests this is the recipe to try and no one will think it’s low carb. I promise you it is well worth the effort. Enjoy!

When I was making the perfect crostini last week I was wracking my brain for something to make to go on the crostini. I didn’t want anything too sweet since my teeth are still (wonderfully) aching from the baked brie with sweet pumpkin and walnuts so when I spied some delicious looking beets in my refrigerator I was inspired to create this dish. Roasting the beets helps them retain more flavor than boiling them and this dish is all about flavor. The richness of the cream cheese mellows the earthiness of the beets so that they melt in your mouth. So delicious. But interestingly the most crucial element in this recipe isn’t the beets.

I promise you, the lemon juice makes this dish.

It takes it from good to great by enhancing the flavor of the beets until it really pops in your mouth. And don’t get me started on the basil. I implore you to use fresh basil if you can since the sweetness of the basil will give the whole dish a sensual, peppery aroma. Yes, I have become the person that uses  the word “sensual” to describe food. Face meet palm. Before I leave you to find a new food thesaurus I’ll mention that this could totally be a side dish. You don’t need to make this into canapés. Both the hubs and I were eating the extra beets right out of the bowl and I think the bold pink color would look really pretty next to a main dish. Enjoy!

Last week I made these crunchy crostini to complement my sweet pumpkin baked brie with walnuts.  Since I was going to big party (and I didn’t feel like baking) I used a regular baguette. They made a beautiful presentation that looked professional and the olive oil and kosher salt baked into these puppies made them the perfect vehicle for the sweet pumpkin brie goodness. After seeing how quickly these rich, crunchy crostini were devoured I figured I have to make a low carb version of these so I tried using my golden flax bread recipe instead of a regular baguette. I was nervous since low carb bread is generally denser than your typical baguette but both versions are delicious!

Whether you use a baguette or a low carb loaf this recipe is foolproof way to bake beautiful, delicious crostini perfect for making canapés.

The crumb is thicker in the low carb, gluten free version in a way that gives these a wonderful crunchy outside and an ever so slightly chewy inside after they’re done baking. The texture is absolutely sturdy enough for any topping and The flax gives these an appealing speckled look as well as a hint of nuttiness. You can see these beauties below but definitely try them for yourself so you can get that wonderful fresh baking bread smell and some tasty snacks…enjoy!

Ladies and gentleman we are getting ready for Thanksgiving! It’s not even Halloween yet but I am in full on pumpkin recipe mode thanks to my good friend’s Iron Chef Halloween party this weekend. What is an iron chef party you ask? It’s when selected guests each compete against each other to make the best dish in a limited amount of time time while other guests judge the best appetizer, side, dessert and so on. This year I was selected for the appetizer category and the secret ingredient was squash. My contribution was this yummy baked brie with a sweet, spiced pumpkin puree and walnuts. It has my own blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves which combines with the brown sugar to make a filling that tastes like a cross between pumpkin pie and pecan pie which beautifully complements the rich, savory cheese.

This easy, sweet appetizer is perfect for large groups and since its made with creamy Brie cheese, brown sugar and spiced pumpkin it’s a sure fire crowd pleaser.

But, wait…brown sugar! How can that be low carb? There are a several ways to make this low sugar. One, you can use a white, granulated sweetener like Zsweet or Splenda in place of the brown sugar; this will sweeten the pumpkin mix but it may lack some of the brown sugar flavor. Two, you can use a white, granulated sweetener as above but also add 1 teaspoon of blackstrap molasses (readily available at your local grocery store) along with each cup of the white, granulated sugar substitute. This will give you all the flavor of brown sugar with much fewer carbs. Three, you can use  white, granulated sweetener and add one tablespoon of Torani Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon Syrup along with each cup of white, granulate sweetener; this will give you a slightly more liquid consistency. Four, you could use a brown sugar substitute like Ideal Brown No Calorie Sweetener or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend. Given that the remaining ingredients are walnuts, cheese and pumpkin, which are all low carb, this is a great gluten free, low carb Thanksgiving treat that can be enjoyed as an appetizer or as a dessert. Since I like mine sweet, I added a good amount of sugar but if you want to make this as a more savory appetizer you can simply cut back on the sweetener.

Taste  the levels of sugar and spice as you go and adjust according to your own preferences.

I definitely recommend getting a pretty baking dish like this La Creuset 2-quart baking round that I used. While it’s not necessary, it’s handy to be able to bake the Brie and serve it all in one festive looking dish. It also makes clean up easy. This also makes it  a great recipe for a group of people because all your do is set out the dish and people can serve themselves. You don’t need to make a million tiny canapés. To go with all this sweet, cheesy goodness have some low carb crackers or crostini handy. I have found that if I make a loaf of my low carb flax bread and cut it up into small pieces, then brush the pieces with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then I have perfect low carb crostini that go great with this dip. As soon as I get a good picture of my crostini I will post it as a full recipe. In the meantime, enjoy this tasty treat!

What a busy couple of weeks it has been! Yesterday I landed back in Los Angeles after a weekend with my girlfriends in Richmond and I am happily exhausted. The weekend before that, I made this pretty pie for my cousin-in-law’s baby shower which I hosted. The beautiful mama has gestational diabetes and it’s no fun giving up sweets when you’re dealing with pregnancy cravings! So, I decided to make a low sugar version of one of our favorite desserts from a nearby restaurant…Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream Pie. I was nervous about creating something new for a slew of guests but I figured the at the very least any combination of cream cheese, chocolate and peanut butter would come out semi-palatable. Luckily, the mommy-to-be allayed all my fears when she took the first bite and exclaimed, “This is low sugar?! It tastes good!” Phew…it turned out delicious!

It’s actually pretty easy to make since it has a no bake filling so don’t let the long ingredient list scare you.

The filling is essentially cream cheese, Greek yogurt, peanut butter and granulated sweeter blended together…that’s it. You’ll see I used some of my favorite sugar-free sweeteners like granulated z-sweet, powdered z-sweet and Torani sugar-free hazelnut syrup. You don’t need to use the same brands that I do but since each one is different make sure you taste the batter, crust mixture and ganache as you go so there aren’t any surprises. Also, if you don’t have access to powdered sugar substitute just take the granulated kind that you have and grind it in a high powered food processor.I know it sounds hard and there are a bunch of steps but this one looks so good and the combination of cream cheese, chocolate and peanut butter just melts in your mouth. In fact, if you want to make this more decadent you could substitute more cream cheese for some of the Greek yogurt. I can already taste the deliciousness…enjoy!

The other day I realized that we have enough ground turkey in our refrigerator to survive the zombie apocalypse…sometimes the hubs gets carried away at Costco. Needless to say I see quite a few ground turkey recipes in my future. But, if they turn out half as good as this one then I’m a-okay with that! Apparently, the secret to making an amazing meatloaf is to use fresh ingredients. Now usually I use dried spices because quite frankly they’re easier to keep on hand but I really recommend grabbing some fresh basil for this recipe…it will make a difference I promise you. The mixture of plenty of fresh basil, tomato, onion and garlic play together so wonderfully with the ground turkey canvas. Pop in an egg and some almond flour to bind it and you’ve got one tasty Italian inspired meatloaf. But, why the “rustic” moniker you ask? I’l let you in on my little secret, any time I chop something roughly I call it rustic. Hey, it’s faster, it adds charm and it sure doesn’t take away from the taste. I’m dying for you all to run out and grab some fresh basil so you can try this out and experience all the yumminess. Enjoy!

A couple of tips, make sure you use a high powered blender and room temperature eggs. You don’t want any lumps in this dessert.

The  pairing of two different sweeteners along with the rich flavor of the cream helps balance out the bitter taste of the chocolate in a way that’s heaven on the palate. But, an easy way to spoil that heaven is leaving any lumps from cold or unblended chocolate that will interrupt the velvet texture of the creme. It may sound odd but trust me, if your eggs are cold it will make the chocolate lumpy so do yourself a favor and pull the eggs out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before you blend them. If you forget, just put them in the microwave for 10 seconds…but you didn’t hear that from me. The end result is a silky, chocolate creme with hints of raspberry. Top it with your favorite whipped cream and few berries and you’ve got one impressive looking sweet treat. Enjoy!