Once again, Robinson and I are on South Beach. My reason for getting back on South Beach is due to an unfortunate run-in with my parents' scale. I weighed myself while in Anchorage and did not like what I saw. So, back to the beach, as they say.
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner are all fine. The problem is always dessert. I have a serious sweet tooth, which made it difficult for me to start South Beach the first time. (Once I started, however, it was a piece of cake...well, make that low-carb, flourless cake.)
1/2 cup Smart Balance-esque margarine
1/2 cup Splenda (I would decrease the amount to 1/4 cup next time)
2-3 tbs. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup 90% dark chocolate pieces (optional)
Blend the margarine, Splenda, ricotta cheese, egg, and vanilla together until batter is smooth. Mix in the flours until well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate pieces (if desired). Drop by rounded 1/2 tbs. onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cookies will be airy and light. Store leftovers in the refridgerator.
Blessed be!
Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner are all fine. The problem is always dessert. I have a serious sweet tooth, which made it difficult for me to start South Beach the first time. (Once I started, however, it was a piece of cake...well, make that low-carb, flourless cake.)
I've been doing some research on-line about South Beach desserts and most of them are ricotta-based. (Now, don't get me wrong: I love ricotta...just not as a dessert. I can't stand the texture and it isn't sweet enough for me to feel satisfied.) After perusing some websites with low-carb and low-sugar cookie recipes, I decided to get adventurous and make my own recipe.
I went to the store to get almond flour (low carb, high protein) and found coconut flour in a nearby container. I had never heard of coconut flour before, so after reading the description on the front of the package and being pretty sure it was okay for Phase 1, I also threw the bag of coconut flour in the cart. (Later, I found out I was right about the coconut flour.)
The cookies turned out pretty good (even though I admit I was a bit nervous about how they'd turn out). Robinson thought they had a great flavor - "Tastes like a macaroon," he said. Arthur tried one, too. I thought they were a bit too sweet, what with the combination of Splenda and coconut flour. This was my first time baking with Splenda too, so I wasn't sure what to expect (although I was disappointed to discover that Splenda does have that awful artificial sweetener taste). Next time, though, I plan to cut the amount of Splenda I use (of course, I tend to cut the amount of sugar in almost everything I make) because the coconut flour truly is sweet.
I added ricotta cheese to make the texture less crumbly and used a margarine that does not have water as its first ingredient. Even though these cookies are South Beach friendly, eat these sparingly - the almond flour counts as huge part of your daily fat consumption.
South Beach Chocolate-Chip Macaroons
Makes about 3 dozen cookies (2 cookies per serving)
I added ricotta cheese to make the texture less crumbly and used a margarine that does not have water as its first ingredient. Even though these cookies are South Beach friendly, eat these sparingly - the almond flour counts as huge part of your daily fat consumption.
South Beach Chocolate-Chip MacaroonsMakes about 3 dozen cookies (2 cookies per serving)
1/2 cup Smart Balance-esque margarine
1/2 cup Splenda (I would decrease the amount to 1/4 cup next time)
2-3 tbs. ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup 90% dark chocolate pieces (optional)
Blend the margarine, Splenda, ricotta cheese, egg, and vanilla together until batter is smooth. Mix in the flours until well incorporated. Stir in the chocolate pieces (if desired). Drop by rounded 1/2 tbs. onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Cookies will be airy and light. Store leftovers in the refridgerator.
Blessed be!
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