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6/30/14

Teriyaki Beef - A basic marinated ground beef mixture to serve over rice or use with other ingredients


The base seasonings in this recipe are the same as what I use for steaks and poultry and the same as many store bought marinades and sauces.  Soy Sauce, brown sugar and garlic.

Yesterday I made 2 pounds to freeze for later as "make ahead cooking" meals.  When I want to use them I can simply heat and serve over rice or pasta if I wish - or use it as a starting point to make into a handful of other dishes.   I might add broccoli and stir fry vegetables and serve over rice, perhaps mix this with cooked rice, top with those crinkly Chinese noodles and call it a casserole, or make it into any Chow Mein style dish, etc.   I found myself 'snitching' it by the spoonful yesterday as it cooled down enough to put into freezer bags.

The soy sauce makes it salty - which my family is more 'salty' than sweet so we love it.  But I'd use low sodium soy sauce if you don't like salty foods or have to cut down on your sodium intake. We love garlic so I use almost double what it calls for but left '3' cloves for most people to be happy with.  I also use a sugar substitute since we don't usually eat white sugar.


1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 c each diced celery, onions and red peppers
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red peppers
salt and pepper


Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown hamburger with garlic and vegetables. Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, salt and pepper and crushed red peppers. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions. I freeze it in a ziploc style bag for use later.  Freezes perfectly.










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6/27/14

Streusel Coffee Cake - Can be made sugar free






Streusel Coffee Cake 

1/3 c graham cracker crumbs (Carb Counters Graham Cracker Style Pie Crust Mix)
 3/4 c brown sugar
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
2/3 c butter, melted

1 regular sized package yellow cake mix (I used Pillsbury Sugar Free Classic Yellow)
1 c water
1/4 c canola oil (I used melted coconut oil)
3 eggs

Glaze: optional
1 c powdered sugar (Ideal No Calorie Sweetener)
1 1/2 t vanilla
water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a tube or bundt pan.  Make the streusal by combining the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and butter.  Sprinkle half in the bottom of the pan.  Set the other half to the side.

Mix the cake mix with the water, oil and eggs.  Beat on low with 1 minute, beat on medium for 2 minutes.  Spread half the batter in the pan, sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over the batter and then pour the rest of the batter on the over streusel.  Bake for about an hour but watch as all pans and ovens are different.  Test for doneness when the center is done.  Let it cool for about an hour, loosen and turn out of the pan.  Make the powdered sugar glaze with the vanilla and just enough drops of water to make it a drizzle consistency.  Drizzle over the cake.  Serve warm, room temperature or cold.  This is excellent and very moist!




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6/25/14

A Sugar Free, Low Carb, Protein Packed Faux Rice Krispy Bar (UPDATED FOR 2019)


This isn't so much a 'recipe' as it is simply replacing regular ingredients with something similar, but healthier in order to copy a favorite.  In this case, a rice krispy bar is now packed with protein, sugar free and lower carb.   I made the bars my regular way - but used sugar free ingredients.

A regular Rice Krispy Bar recipe: (I halved this and used sugar free, protein packed products)

3 T butter
10 oz., about 40 marshmallows  or 4 cups mini marshmallows
5-6 cups Rice Krispie cereal



The products I used to make them healthier;

SUGAR FREE LOW CARB VERSION 
Krispy Bars

La Nouba Sugar Free Marshmallow
ProMix Nutrition Unflavored Protein Puffs - about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
Butter - 1 - 2 T
Vanilla - 1 t
Peanut Butter - 1-2 T
Hershey's Sugar Free Semi-Sweet Baking Chips - used half a package (about 5 oz.)
sugar substitute of your choice (I used liquid drops)

Melting about 1-2 tablespoons of butter with 1-2 packages of sugar free marshmallows in the microwave for about a minute until they puff up to about quadruple their size then add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and about a teaspoon or two worth of sweetener of your choice. 

Add about 2 cups whey protein crisps and mix like you do rice krispy bars.  Press into a greased 8X8" pan.  Because they don't taste exactly like the cereal bars, I opted to top them with melted chocolate/peanut butter.  Half a package of sugar free chocolate chips (about 5 oz.) with a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter and a teaspoon of butter, melted in the microwave.  You can also add a dash of vanilla and a little sweetener substitute if you wish (I did).  Spread over the bars and let set or chill.  Cut into squares.














ProMix Nutrition Unflavored Protein Puffs




      


La Nouba: Sugar Free Marshmallow
Hershey's Sugar Free Semi-Sweet Baking Chips





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6/17/14

Marshmallow Truffles and Sugar Free Marshmallow Truffles




This week is booked solid busy, but I'm hoping perhaps I can pull off a time when I am in the mood to get these Marshmallow Truffles made.  I found a sugar free Marshmallow Fluff Mixmix to try - and it's in my pantry right now just waiting for me to try to make this recipe into a sugar free, healthier version.

By using my sugar free marshmallow fluff, the sugar free chocolate chips I always have on hand and the Ideal Confectioner's Sugar Substitute, I think I can pull off a perfect sugar-free option.


Marshmallow Truffles


7 oz jar marshmallow creme
1/3 c butter, softened
1/4 t almond or vanilla extrat
1/4 t salt
3 c powdered sugar
8 oz semisweet chocolate squares or chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
white almond bark or baking chocolate, melted


In a large bowl, combine marshmallow creme, butter, almond extract, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, beating until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour or until mixture is easy to handle.

Lightly dust your hands with additional powdered sugar; shape marshmallow mixture into 1-inch balls.  Freeze on a greased baking sheet for 20 - 30 minutes.  In a small saucepan, combine semisweet chocolate and shortening. Heat and stir over low heat or double boiler method until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Line a large baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside. Remove balls, a few at a time, from the freezer; dip balls in chocolate.  Place balls on waxed-paper-lined baking sheet.  Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes or until completely set. If desired, drizzle truffles with melted white chocolate. Makes about 40 truffles.








You might also be interested in the sugar free products I mentioned above;
Sugar Free House White Chocolate
Hershey's Sugar Free Semi-Sweet Baking Chips
Marshmallow Fluff Mix
   






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6/15/14

Oreo Crunch Bars - Sugar free version this time



Two years ago I started to make Oreo Bars - a black colored bar that was incredible and everyone who tried them, absolutely loved them.  But... they are FULL of sugar.  Needless to say I didn't make them often!  However, Nabisco Oreo came out with a sugar FREE Oreo soon after that and I found that making them with sugar free Oreo's and sugar free marshmallows worked perfectly!  

Now for the bad news.

Apparently, last year Nabisco stopped making sugar free Oreos.  Over the past 9 months or so, I've tried to find them in 4 different stores so I knew they were discontinued but this morning I couldn't find them available online either.

Now for the good news.

You can use Murray Sugar Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookiesand they are just as good!

You can make this recipe without the Bodycrunch Whey Protein Crunchies and it will be a sugar free version of the popular Oreo Bar.  Just use one (1) pkg. of sugar free marshmallows, 1 pkg. Murray Cookies and 1 1/2 T butter.   But the addition of the whey protein crunchies is just rice krispy cereal and really adds to it!  I also add a few drops of vanilla to mine, but that is just a personal option.



Oreo Crunch Bars (sugar free)

1 pkg. Murray Sugar Free Chocolate Sandwich Cookies 
1/2 c Bodycrunch Whey Protein Crunchies
2 pkg. LaNouba Sugar Free Marshmallows
2 T butter, soft

Turn the cookies into fine crumbs by using your food processor and pulsing it off and on until uniform crumbs are formed.  In the meantime, in a large microwavable bowl, place the marshmallows and butter.  Microwave for 1-2 minutes (depending on the age and strength of your microwave) until the marshmallows balloon up to big puffy clouds.  Remove from microwave, stir in the cookie crumbs and crunchies.  Spread and pat in a greased 8X8" pan.  Let set until the firm up (or rush them by chilling them in the refrigerator or freezer).





Sugar free Oreo's are no longer available, but Murray brand is great!

Uniform crumbs



You might also be interested in;

Bodycrunch-Whey Protein Crunchies Natural Flavor, 7.62 Ounce
La Nouba: Sugar Free Marshmallow, 2.7 oz (6 pack)
Body360 Nutritionals Bodycrunch All Natural Whey Protein Crunchies, Cocoa-Unsweetened, 7.62 Ounce
    


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