I Want to Eat the Easter Bunny

Spring is in the air.
Well, at least it is here in Vegas. My poor husband is working in Minot and currently getting snowed on. Sorry babe! But down here it's different. I am warming up, watching the flowers bloom and nibbling away at beloved holiday figures. Can you blame me? I mean, who doesn't want to eat the easter bunny, or at least some sweet, edible effigy of the mythical creature? Right now the stores are full of bunnies made from chocolate, marshmallow, mint cream, gummies, you name it. Walking through target requires carrying a napkin to catch the oh-yum-I-wish-I-could-eat-that drool. Low carb living somehow starts to loose its appeal around major holidays.
So, to indulge? Or to diet? As usual, instead I choose to-the-kitchen!
This is one of my simple answers to sweets cravings - so simple you can hardly call it a recipe. But make it anyway. It's yummy. It's a little bit filling. And it won't give you a sugar crash, or destroy any dietary good intentions.

Coconut Cream Gelatin Bunnies
Yields about 36 small bunnies or similar shapes

Set the kettle on to boil some water
In a large bowl, pour out
1 Can (12oz/354mL) Stevia Sweetened Soda (I recommend Blue Sky Zero Ginger Ale, or any flavor that sounds good with a hint of coconut)
Sprinkle over the top of the soda
2 Tb Powdered Gelatin
Once your water is boiling, add to the soda
1/2 C (120mL) Boiling Water
Stir well and constantly until all of the gelatin is dissolved, then add
3/4 C (180mL) Coconut Cream
Again, stir until well combined
Pour into shaped molds or a large baking dish and chill for 3 hours or more to set
Once set, remove gently from molds, using a thin, butter knife to help if needed, or slice into servings if molds were not used
Store chilled in an airtight container

This recipe contains about 1g effective carbohydrate per 4 bunnies and should be safe for most diabetics and low carb dieters, but please know your own body and make your own judgement call.

Bunny nibbled. Mission accomplished.

Seeking Low Carb, GF Brownie Perfection

  

Just in case you've never spent 5 minutes in the same room with me, I'll tell you something that everyone who has, already knows. I am a perfectionist.

By perfectionist, I don't mean, I'm meeting every goal, or I'm striving for excellence, or doing my personal best or any of that nonsense that was drilled into us in high school. No, I mean perfect-ionist. Some people will tell you, "there's no such thing as perfection," but I beg to differ. My most persuasive argument against this accusation is simply to feed the offending imperfectionist my Chocolate Butter Cake cupcakes, and that tends to convert them all on it's own. I have tasted perfection. 

Thanks to that taste I've developed for perfection, I'm also acutely aware of the imperfections in so many of my recipes. This recipe is NOT perfect. It's good. Satisfying. Enjoyable even. But perfect, it is not. I will continue to bake and re-bake, as I always do, in search of low carb brownie perfection. Meanwhile, here is the merely good and satisfying for you to enjoy at your leisure.

(This recipe is a part of my low carb GF diet project and calls for natural alternative sweeteners)

Low Carb Coconut Brownies

Yields one 8x8 pan of brownies or 9-12 servings

(Approximately 1-2.5 effective carbs per 1/9th depending upon your choice of cocoa brands)

Preheat Oven to 325*F/165*C

Dry Bowl:

Sift into bowl

   1C (86g) Cocoa Powder (I use Rapunzel. It can be hard to find, but it's sooo good, and ultra low in carbs too!)

Add, then whisk all together to combine

   1/2 C (40g) Desiccated Coconut

   1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum

   1/2 tsp Salt

Mixer Bowl:

Cream together until well combined and almost fluffy

   1C (216g) Coconut Oil

   1/2 C (68g) Chicory Root Fiber (I used a brand called Just Like Sugar that I found at Whole Foods)

   1/4 C (49g) Erythritol (You could probably get away with a little less of this if you care to)

Scrape down the sides of the mixer and beat in 

   3 Large Eggs

   1 Tb Vanilla Extract

Slow the mixer to a stir and add in the dry ingredients a little at a time

Once they're stirred in, bring up the mixer speed and beat until well combined and uniform

8x8 Baking Dish:

Grease the bottom and sides of your baking dish lightly with a little oil or palm oil shortening

Spread the thick batter/dough** into the pan as evenly as possible

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center no longer appears damp and springs back when touched lightly 

Cool at least 10 minutes before attempting to slice, they will also taste more sweet the more you let them cool

Cool completely before storing in an airtight container

**Warning- Ridiculous Dawn Rant:

Seriously, what's up with brownie batter? I mean it's so bloody thick, you can hardly call it a batter. But on the other hand, it is a bit damp for a dough. So what is it really? Stiff batter? Damp dough? Maybe it's the missing batter-dough link, like a doubat or a badough... Yes, it must be a badough. 

Thanks for helping me to work through that. 

Birthday Party 99 Cent Kindle Sale!

We're celebrating here! It's a week full of anniversaries for us, of my diagnosis, of my first great recipe, two important birthdays, and while we celebrate today with kids and cake, you can too! This weekend, try out all the awesome recipes on Kindle, or use the kindle app for iPad or android, for only 99 cents! Still on sale next week too, for $1.99.
This is the one and only time this will happen, per amazon's rules, so be sure to take advantage.

The Holy Grail of Gluten Free is also coming soon to Nook and iBooks, but why wait?

GF Fried Chicken Thighs of Awesomeness

Allergens: egg, corn

As promised, here's my simple, tasty GF, dairy free fried chicken recipe. As always you will find no dastardly rice or offending tapioca here, just pure, GF yum. This is my first time writing up a recipe this way, so if it's a little rough, please forgive me. :-)

What you'll need:
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
Corn Flour (note that this is different from corn starch and the two are not interchangeable)
Eggs
Water
Seasonings (salt, pepper and whatever else you like)
Frying oil (palm, olive or good old lard works best)
Heavy bottomed frying pan, preferably cast iron
Candy/frying thermometer
2 Shallow bowls
Skimmer or slotted spoon

Note on the meat:
Technically you could use any boneless, skinless cut of chicken here, but thighs are amazing and above anything they are incredibly forgiving. Cook a strip of breast one blink too long and it will magically go straight from awesome to, "omg, that's dry!" Thighs on the other hand, are not only more juicy and flavorful than breast-meat when done right, they will stay that way even if you leave them frying a little too long. Love them!

In one small bowl, whisk together well about (approximations are ok for this recipe)
   3/4-1C (90-120g) Corn Flour (Bob's Red Mill markets a GF one)
   Large Pinch of Salt
   Sprinkling of Black Pepper
   Any other desired spices (I usually sprinkle lightly with chili powder and garlic powder, but it's very flavor flexible, experiment with it and have fun!)

In another small bowl, lightly beat together
2 Large Eggs
About 2-3 Tb Water

Slice the thighs into strips or chunks, I usually cut them into about 4-5 strips each, but what ever floats your boat is ok by me.

Slap a thermometer on your frying pan according to the instructions that came with said thermometer.

Add oil to the pan to at least 1" deep, 1"-2" is better.

Heat over high heat to at least 350 F/175 C. Throughout the cooking, you will need to watch the temperature and adjust the heat to keep it between 350 F/175 C and 390 F/ 200 C, but anywhere in that range will work well.

For maximum crispiness you'll also want to set up a wire cooling rack on top of a towel or paper towels to catch the drips of oil.

One piece of chicken at a time, wiggle it around in the seasoned corn flour.

Then dip it into the eggs, wetting it all over, and allowing excess egg to drip off.

Roll it in the corn flour one more time, then lay it into the hot oil. Continue battering and adding strips of chicken to the oil, but never put in so many as to crowd them.

I like to flip the pieces over after a couple of minutes, but they'll come out alright even if you forget as long as the oil is deep enough. They are done once they are browned.

Skim out finished pieces and lay them on the wire rack to cool, leaving space between them for steam to escape without damping the breading of neighboring pieces.

Enjoy!

Don't forget to filter and store your oil once it's cooled. It can be used a few times for things like this, and reusing it cuts down on the cost of frying considerably.