Recipe: No bake low carb cheesecake bites

You can see I'm stocking up on low carb sweets at the moment, having desserts around that fit in a restricted calorie or carb diet make it easier to maintain my weight. I also like to portion control any treats, you'll notice I  use small tins and moulds for many desserts. This avoids the temptation to take "just a little more" and gives me an excuse to make whimsical looking sweets

I tried a number of baked low carb cheesecake recipes with no success on texture, this no bake fridge/freezer cake is my best yet. This is a terribly easy recipe that is delicious and can be adapted to any flavour, whether you're carb watching or not!

Low Carb Cheesecake Bites

Crust

1/4 cup roasted almonds (unsalted)
1/4 cup walnuts
3 tbspn melted butter
1 tspn pumpkin pie spice (or nutmeg/cinnamon/ginger)

• These cheesecake bites are lovely on their own but add a crust if you want the real dessert experience
• This mix of nuts and spice makes a great low carb crust that is reminiscent of a Graham Cracker crust
• Chop the nuts in a mixer or by hand
• Add the spice, then add the melted butter 1 tbspn at a time until a moist consistency is reached
• Line the bottom of a pie tin or cupcake tins for individual portions, 1 tspn per mini cake is more than enough

Filling

225g (8oz) Neufchatel or Cream Cheese
125g (or 1 stick) of Salted butter
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup Splenda granules or equivalent sweetener
1 lime or small lemon

• Neufchatel is the best cheese to give that "just like Sara Lee" taste, but if you can't find it at your local supermarket then any brick of Cream Cheese will do just as well
• I keep these in the freezer so that 1 batch can last many days, I take out one portion about 20 mins before I intend to eat it
• If you like a stiffer consistency or would like to serve straight from the fridge rather than the freezer then add 1 sheet of gelatin or replace the sweetener with a box of Sugar Free Lemon jelly (jello) dissolved in half a cup of water
• Using other flavours of jelly (or sugar free flavour syrups) allow you to mix and match flavours like cherry, raspberry or orange. 
• Soften the cream cheese either by leaving it out of the fridge for an hour or by microwaving for 30 seconds (make sure to remove the foil!)
• Melt the butter on the stove or in the microwave; I melt the butter and then take out a couple of spoons for the crust and use the rest in the batter. 
• Using a hand mixer or food processor mix the Cream Cheese and Butter together. Make sure that you have returned the butter to a luke warm temperature or it will cause the cheese to curdle
• Grate the rind of your lime (or half of a lemon) and juice the fruit, add both the rind and the juice to the cheese/butter mix
• Add the cream and the sweetener and then mix on a medium speed until all the ingredients are combined
• For easy serving into moulds or tins I then transfer the mixture into a measuring jug for easy pouring, the mixture should have the same consistency as melted ice cream
• Pour your mixture into your moulds and then move into the freezer, this recipe will take around 2 hours to set. 
• I use silicon moulds for freezing, these are perfect in cupcake form. I put the silicon liners in a cupcake tray and then put the whole tray in the freezer.

• These make great frozen 'bites' without the crust, use fancy jelly or ice moulds to make small treats you can pop out any time like these Mooncake shapes I've created with a cheap jelly mould. Without the crust, and in smaller sizes, make these closer to an "every day" treat at around 100 calories each
• To ensure the shape stays 'perfect' prepare the night before and don't be tempted to pop out until the mixture is firm!
• This recipe makes 9 mini cupcake desserts, or more if you choose a smaller mould. Macros for 9 servings are 264 calories, 25g Fat, 3.5g Carbs (2.5g Net) per serving
• Top with a slice of citrus, nuts or fruit toppings if you're not a low carb eater

Recipe: Low Carb Pumpkin Pie

It's Autumn in the US (or Fall if you must) and that means one thing - Pumpkin Spice everything! Rather than miss out it was time to investigate my own low carb recipe. If you want you can add a ground nut and butter crust but I think this is just delicious on it's own with whipped cream.

Low Carb Pumpkin Pie

3 eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tin of canned pumpkin or 2 cups mashed fresh pumpkin
1 cup Splenda granules or equivalent sweetener
1 tspn Vanilla essence
2 tspn Pumpkin Pie Spice OR
1/2 tspn each of Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ground Ginger & 1/4 tspn Ground Cloves

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F)
• In a bowl beat the eggs until fluffy and then add the vanilla and spices
• While on a medium speed add the sweetener and beat until blended
• Add the cream and beat until a stiff consistency is achieved
• Reduce the speed on your mixer, add the mashed pumpkin 1 tbspn at a time until the mixture achieves a consistent orange colour
• Spoon the mixture into a pie tin or 6 small moulds, in the picture I have used a mini bundt tin
• Leave room for the pie mixture to rise
• Bake for 30 mins, then turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven
• Serve with whipped cream
• Macros below are for the whole recipe - serves 6 at 150 Calories, 11g Carbs (9 Net) per person

Recipe: Chicken Saltimbocca (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Saltimbocca is an underated dish especially for low carb eating since it has no starch and high fat content, but the sharp ham, citrus and pickles cut through the fat leaving a happy tummy. In particular this is a great dish to order in Italian restaurants while you watch your friends eat pasta! Even if you're not low carb or gluten free this is a relatively quick meal to cook that pleases the whole household. 

Chicken Satimbocca

500g (1lb) chicken
3 slices prosciutto
4 sage leaves
60g (2oz) salted butter
1 tbpsn capers
2 marinated artichoke hearts
1 lemon
salt and pepper

Method

• Prepare the chicken by separating the tenders from the breast and cutting the breast in half. 
• This should leave you with 2 large fillets and 2 small tenders, flatten the chicken using a meat tenderizer and then season with salt and pepper
• Place a sage leaf on top of each piece of chicken and then cover with a piece of prosciutto. For the tenders cut one piece of prosciutto in half and use on the smaller chicken pieces. 
• Put half the butter in a pan to heat on medium heat and then fry the chicken in the butter with the prosciutto attached. 
• Once the chicken is browned add the juice of the lemon and the rest of the butter and simmer gently until the butter has melted
• Cut the artichoke hearts into small pieces and add to the pan with the capers and simmer for 1-2 minutes
• Remove the chicken fillets to a plate and continue to simmer the sauce until thickened
• Pour the sauce and pickled vegetables over the chicken and serve with fresh green vegetables
• Serves 2 people with only 3g net carbs per person