Chocolate crunch pudding.... sugar free and keto friendly!
I'm so excited about this recipe!
Over the last month of experimenting with the keto way of eating, dessert and snacks have been my main focus. Main meals have actually been the easiest part of the plan.... predominately a lot of veg!
I have always been a snacker, and whilst I don't always feel the need for a sweet treat after dinner, I do have a sweet tooth and this dessert hit the spot perfectly. I would go as far to say everyone would really enjoy this, regardless of dietary preference. It's very easy to add a little extra fruit if desired, or if serving for a crowd with differing requirements. These single serve pots are really versatile in that way.
The shortcake clusters have been seen on my blog in various guises in this strawberry shortcake here and atop this blackberry and apple crumble. The almond flour creates a 'dry' shortcake like texture which perfectly compliments a yoghurt or save style base. The simplicity and speed of the recipe is what grabs me time and time again. You could make a big batch of clusters and have the topping on hand for speedy deserts of snacks throughout the week. The almond flour (make sure you don't use ground almonds!) is also 50% protein making it a perfect low carb option.
Recipe: Chocolate crunch keto pudding
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (not ground almonds- I use this one)
- 3 tbs cocoa
- 2 tbs coconut oil
- a little stevia to taste
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or other)
- 1 cup non dairy yoghurt such as soy or coconut
- Few drops almond or vanilla extract to flavour the yoghurt- optional
- a tiny handful frozen raspberries- crushed (they go further this way)
- a handful of rough chopped macadamia nuts (or other nuts of choice)
Method:
Mix the almond flour and cocoa together then add the coconut oil, syrup and stevia, rub through with fingers to form crumbs. The crumbs should tick together when you squeeze the mix in your hands. if they don't the add a little water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Squeeze the mix into small clusters and lay evenly on a baking tray. Bake for approx 10 mins or grill for 3 mins on a medium heat until just toasted (keep a close eye as the almond flour can burn quickly!)
Meanwhile, spoon the yogurt (add flavours if desired) in two glasses or ramekins then add the choc clusters. Top with the macadamia and crushed raspberries to serve.
Chocolate shortcake clusters fresh from under the grill
a few frozen raspberries give a pop of flavour without the high carbs
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Bounty bars... totally sugar free and keto friendly!
Did you read my cookie post a few days ago?
I mentioned I have been exploring a ketogenic diet, whereby the body fuels on fats instead of carbs. I have a bunch of recipes to share... all my successes (but let's not mention the failures- including one which stank the house out and made a friend gag when she walked through the door- oops!)
These recipes are packed full of good fats, and really help to curb the sweet tooth without sugar, and create satiety. So many people I know follow some form of lower carb diet from time to time, and even for those that don't these recipes can work for you too to add variety to you snacks and meals.
Coconut is a fantastic ingredient. I use it in all my Wholeplus products because it's a healthy fat that more ready converts to energy, but also when used in my sugar free recipes it is great since it has a subtle natural sweetness. I often combine it with vanilla and/or cinnamon for an even sweeter experience since both spices give the impression of sweetness.
I will mention now that these bars are very 'dark', so if you are not such a fan of dark chocolate you may wish to add a little sweetener of choice to the coating mixture or use your favourite brand (preferably unrefined) of chocolate. I gave one to my mum and she loved it just as it was- result! This recipe by My New Roots would be a great one to try of you'd like a sweeter version.
Recipe: Bounty Bars (Inspired by this recipe)
Makes approx 5 bars
Ingredients
1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
approx 6 drops pure stevia (I use this one)
2 x 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or paste (high quality one is essential for best flavour)
⅓ cup coconut cream*
4tbs coconut oil
2tbs cocoa powder
Method:
Mix shredded coconut with coconut cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla bean and a few drops of stevia and blend well with a spoon. Place the coconut mixture on a small cookie sheet lined with parchment and form into a slab.
Place in the freezer for around 2 hours until frozen and then slice into bars once solid.
n the meantime prepare the chocolate coating. Melt coconut oil in a small sauce pan until liquified, then stir through the cocoa powder, a few drops of stevia and 1/2 tsp vanilla bean until well blended.
Let cool to room temperature but still liquid. Dip the bars in the cocoa mixture, and turn to all sides to coat evenly. The coating will solidify very quickly over the frozen bars, after a minute to so dip them again to get a thicker coating until you have no cocoa mixture left.
hen all bars are all coated put in the refrigerator to harden. The bars can be kept in the fridge or freezer for an ice cream style bar.
*For the coconut cream, use the thick part of a can of coconut milk. Set the watery liquid aside for a smoothie (not need to waste it!)
Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.
Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places:
Almond choc-chunk cookies (plus introducing my keto experiment!)
For the last few weeks I have been in experimental mode when it comes to changing up my eating habits. Let's get things straight... I don't believe in 'diets' in the traditional understanding of the word BUT I do believe in being as informed as possible when it comes to knowing what is optimal for your body. My method for this is experimentation.
We are all unique and there is no one size fits all approach to dietary habits. Obviously I write a vegan food blog, but many (most) of my health coaching clients are not vegan or even vegetarian, that's absolutely fine by me since my coaching method is to empower you to find what is right for your heath and your life. Of course there are some factors I feel hold true for everyone and I encourage in our sessions... pack in as many veggies as you can and get rid of as many refined foods as possible.
Even following a vegan diet there is plenty of room for experimentation and its something i've been playing with for the best part of year now, tweaking things to see how my body feels. I've mentioned before I often suffer from digestive issues such as gas and bloating so by eliminating certain foods or eating in a certain way I hope to determine the root causes and find the balance that best suits me. Digestive issues also have emotional connections so this is something I'm learning to heal also.
I have documented a few of my nutritional experiments in previous posts, maybe I'll document them more formally on the blog. So far i've tried... a candida diet, grain free diet, intermittent fasting and now a ketogenic diet.
Nutritional ketosis is where the body is fuelled by fat instead of carbs... you literally switch the source of energy.
This in effect means a high fat and low carb approach to eating. Low carb in this context means super looooow carbs- under 50g net carbs (once fibre has been accounted for). I decided to do a months experiment (I still have a week or so to go) and then review things.
I initially bought Leanne's book having been a long time reader of her blog, and would highly recommend it as a great introduction and guide to this style of eating. I will talk about it all in a bit more detail at the end of the experiment!
Before I started 'properly', I spend a couple of weeks or so gearing up with a selection of recipes in my arsenal, as well as reducing my carbs in the lead up (to be honest I was already fairly low carb to begin with). The cookie recipe I'm sharing today is a fab low carb recipe and one of my transitional recipes, but not strictly keto. It's pack with protein and good fats to sustain you and contains minimal sweeteners (you could add a touch more if you need to when you've tasted the dough).
I gave my mum a cookie and she loved them, so these are definitely family friendly too! They have a great crisp an crumbly cookie texture even without granulated sugar due to the higher fat content.
Recipe: Almond choc-chunk cookies (low carb)
Makes approx 12 cookies
Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
¼ cup white hemp powder
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp vanilla powder
1/3 cup cacoa liquor chunks (or dark chocolate if preferred)
¼ cup coconut oil- softened
1 tbs syrup of choice* plus ¼ tsp pure stevia
2 tbs water (to bind)
Method:
Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl, in a small bowl mix the coconut oil and stevia and mix until very soft and lump free. Mix into cookie batter using hands if needed. Add a drizzle of water so the mixture holds together nicely.
Form walnut sized balls and flatten onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for approx 15 mins on a fairly low heat approx 160C until golden at the edges. Allow to cool fully before eating/storing as these cookies are quite delicate and a little ore crumbly than regular.
* I used yacon syrup which is a really thick low carb syrup, but any syrup would work here, you could also increase to 2-3 tbs if strict carb control is not necessary.
Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.
Day to day you can always find me hanging out in these places: