Minty Meringues

I was wondering what to do with some left over egg whites since I made another attempt at my eggnog custard (post to come). I decided to make some Meringues. Good news is that these are super low calorie, low fat, low carb, and high(er) protein (87% protein according to fitday.com, which is by far the best nutritional profile I’ve ever found when it comes to dessert recipes). Bad news is that I ate the three quarters of the batch as soon as they came out of the oven and they aren’t very filling, but they are very tasty and sweet ;) At least I don’t have to feel guilty for eating them though! The texture is different from traditional meringues; these remind me of minty marshmallows, not a bad thing to be reminded of…  This recipe makes 12, but if you’re at all like me you’ll probably eat a bunch of them, so there will be minimal ones left for picture taking or family taste testing :)

Ingredients:

• 2 egg whites

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1 teaspoon erythritol

• 1/4 tsp stevia

• 1/4 tsp mint extract

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease cookie sheet.
2. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff and shiny (a good test is to turn the bowl upside down, and if they don’t fall out then you’re good). Mix in erythritol and stevia, add more sweetener if you want. Fold in the mint extract.
3. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

Nutrition Info:

• For whole batch: 36 calories, 0.1g fat, 0.9g carbohydrates, 7.2g protein

• Per Serving (12): 3 calories, 0g fat, 0g carbohydrates, 0.6g protein.

Creamy Eggnog Custard

Eggnog is one of my favorite holiday drinks, and custard is such a classy dessert. I decided to put them together to make this eggnog custard.  Super easy to make this mixes up in just a few minutes in a blender. You could also just drink the “batter” as eggnog if raw eggs don’t weird you out (and you could always use pasteurized eggs for it too). I was almost tempted to drink it as I was pouring it into my little ramekins, but I’d rather eat custard than drink it. To each their own : ) This could also easily be made dairy free by substituting thick coconut milk for the cream. Baking the custard in water helps it bake evenly and stay smooth in texture. If I make this again I might consider taking out the egg whites and adding in some more cream to make it extra rich, but it’s not bad the way it’s written, it’s just a lighter but still creamy custard, that’s all. 

Eggnog Custard

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs

•   1/2 Cup Cream

• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla extract

• 3/4 tsp Stevia (it bakes out so make it a bit sweeter than you’d want it)

• 1/2 tsp nutmeg, plus more for garnish

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 300°F and boil some water. 
2. Combine all ingredients in blender and whiz until well mixed but not too foamy, pour into 3 ramekins.
3. Place ramekins in a baking dish filled with boiling water. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until set (a solid jiggle, not a liquid one) You can place foil over the top of the baking dish if you’re worried about the tops getting too brown.
4. Sprinkle nutmeg on top and serve warm (if you’re impatient like me) or chilled.

Nutrition Info:

• For whole batch: 668 Calories, 60g fat, 6.7g carbohydrates, 21.4g protein, 4.5g alcohol (from the vanilla extract)

• Per Serving (3): 223 calories, 20g fat, 2.3g carbohydrates, 7g protein, 1.5g alcohol

Fudge

Low Carb Coconut Fudge

Today I was craving chocolate and I’ve been experimenting with some healthier recipes for sweet treats. I based my fudge off of a recipe I found a while ago, but I wanted to add some coconut into mine for extra protein and bulk. The best thing about this fudge is that it takes no more than 25 minutes to make and then you have delicious little squares of chocolaty goodness. The end result satisfied my chocolate cravings and was a hit with the rest of my family too. I suppose you could make these bigger and add in nuts for fudgy bar type thing too.

Fudge

Ingredients: 

• 3 Tablespoons coconut oil

• ¼ Cup Eyrithritol

• Stevia extract (to taste, start with ¼ tsp and add more until you’re satisfied, I used NuNatruals brand)

• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

• ¼ Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

•  1/3 Cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut

 

Method:

1. Melt erythritol and coconut oil in a small pan, mix in all remaining ingredients and taste until it’s as sweet as you want it, add more shredded coconut if it still looks oily.    
2. Spread onto wax paper on a small cookie sheet and form a rectangular mass, pressing it together.   
3. Freeze until hard, about 10-15 minutes, and cut into 12 squares. Store in freezer.

Nutritional Info:

I didn’t include the eyrithritol in the nutrition information since it’s a calorie free sugar alcohol. I calculated using fitday.com

• For whole batch: 774 Calories, 80.2g fat, 25.2g carbohydrates, 15.6g fiber, 7.8g protein

• Per serving (12): 65 Calories, 6.7g fat, 2.1g Carbohydrates, 1.3 g fiber, .65g protein.

Hi!

Hi! I’m starting this blog to share my culinary and nutritional endeavors. I’m a high school senior and I’m hoping to study biochemistry in the context of nutrition next year. I’ve always loved to cook but in the past year I got really into nutrition, weight loss and health. It all started with half a bag of coconut flour left over from my little brother’s gluten intolerant period. I was searching for coconut flour recipes and I found Marks Daily Apple. I had discovered the primal diet and lifestyle. Later on I started reading about traditional diets and the more I learned about these different diets the more inspired I was to cook. The primal diet is a big influence on my cooking, but I make my own alterations because of my own personal tastes and nutritional needs. I do my best to limit sugars and grains in my cooking because I feel so much better without them, and I know it doesn’t hurt my family to have delicious grain and sugar free meals either. The Weston A. Price Foundation is another inspirational source for me. (I have huge jars of sauerkraut sitting in my fridge because of them, and when I do eat oats I soak them with raw milk yogurt first). I love finding out about new foods and methods of preparation.

I had always wanted to be a chef because I thought that there was nothing more pleasurable in life than watching dark chocolate swirl into cheesecake batter. I did a mentorship at a restaurant working with a chef and multiple cooks. I gained a solid base in culinary arts, and learned a lot about meal planning and organization in a kitchen. I used to sell brownies at school and made quite a bit of money before I was found out :)  I’ve also taught cooking classes to younger kids. I’ve sold my own gluten free bread products too. Last summer my mom was working a bunch so I took over all the family grocery shopping and meal preparation. I have to say I loved knowing the contents of our refrigerator better than my parents. I’m not as interested in being a chef anymore, because I think health is important when it comes to foods and cooking in a restaurant setting isn’t what I want to do.

When I put my cooking and nutritional findings together last summer and decided to go primal it was an amazing experiment. I cut out all the refined sugar, grains and starches from my diet. I felt so much better, my skin cleared up, I had tons of energy, and I never got sick.  Slowly I moved more into traditional diets as well, buying raw goats milk to make into yogurt, and eating a few grains in the form of homemade granola bars and oats in the morning. I love oatmeal (I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite food on this planet!) Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do and when farmers markets are in season I have a schedule and go at least once a week to stock up on fresh produce. Now that its winter I keep pots of lettuce and various herbs inside to supplement our meals.

Planning meals, preparing snacks, grocery shopping, researching new foods and eating good food are activities I live for. Food is my obsession, and I figure if I’m going to be eating I might as well be eating delicious and healthful food. Currently I’m really into cooking with high quality fats (like coconut oil), vegetables, and other nutritionally dense foods. I’m also watching my carbs so I’m grain free for now but that’s likely to change in a bit because I can’t abstain from oatmeal forever ;) I hope for this blog to be a place me to share my findings, foods and recipes with you.