keto

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Homemade Keto Chocolate Bon-Bons with Chocolate Mousse – A perfect and Easy Valentine’s Day treat!

Ooooh love is in the air. ❤ Today, I wanted to give everyone an option that is quick, fun, and tasty for their SO. My sweetie isn’t a holiday kind of guy, so I usually make it special for the both of us by low-pressure, fancy chocolate and movies. Now I’m sharing it with all of you.

In my opinion, Lily’s has the best tasting low-sugar chocolate chips. Unfortunately, they can get pricey. But I see it as every once in a while kind of thing, so I usually splurge to buy them. Hershey’s also has a low-sugar version or you can also buy high cacao chocolate chips. Just be forewarned, that these come packed with 6-8 g of sugar per serving and if you are trying to stay on track, I recommend not doing it and opting for the pricier version. On to the recipe!

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Utensils:

  • Silicone mold for bon-bon (large or small works)
  • Large Glass or microwave-safe bowl
  • A deep saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl for the hand mixer
  • Large bowl for mixing
  • Pastry brush (or use a spoon in a pinch)

 

Ingredient list:

 

Chocolate mousse:

  • 4 oz full-fat cream cheese
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
  • 7-10 drops liquid stevia (or liquid sweetener equivalent)
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate:

  • 9 oz (or the 10 oz from the store if you can’t get the Lily’s)

 

Directions:

Place a saucepan with 1 inch of water on a rolling boil (around 6-7 on your stovetop dial). As soon as it starts to boil, place the chocolate in the microwave safe bowl and place that on top of the heat. Watch the chocolate until there are just a few chunks left and it is mostly smooth. Remove from heat.

Take out your silicone mold and pour roughly about 1-2 tbsp of the chocolate into each mold then start coating the mold with chocolate. You can either use a spoon, or a pastry brush to do this. Make sure the chocolate is evenly coated on all sides and then place it in the refrigerator.

In your mixing bowl, pour the 1/2 heavy cream and use the hand mixer at medium to medium-high speed until stiff peaks start forming, or you notice it has become firm.

In a separate bowl, mix the

  • 4 oz of cream cheese
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa
  • and 7-10 drops of liquid stevia together.

After the mixture is smooth (no lumps) pour the ingredients into the heavy cream mixture and mix for another minute or two with the hand mixer.

Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and scoop the mixture into the shells. Voila! a lovely chocolate coated mousse that you can decorate however you wish. If you want to be extra fancy, you can make a quick chocolate keto cake for the bottom (minus the crust), or you can pour the remaining chocolate on the bottom to create a sort of large bon-bon mousse.

Enjoy, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

See this on YouTube as well:

 

 

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Keto Plain Glazed Donuts Recipe

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Dough Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs

  • ½ cup almond flour

  • ¼ cup egg white protein powder (or whey protein powder) You can use vanilla protein powder, but I don’t like the aftertaste so I use unflavored

  • 2 tbsp coconut flour

  • ¼ cup Swerve (or your favorite granulated sweetener)

  • ¼ tsp salt

  • 2 oz cream cheese, softened

  • 2 tsp baking powder

  • 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla extract

  • ½ cup unsweetened cashew milk (or almond milk, or use the blend of the two)

Glaze

13.5 oz can of whole coconut milk

1/4 cup Swerve (or granulated sweetener of your choice)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp vanilla

 

Instructions:

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) Separate 2 eggs. Set aside the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks in a standing mixer and set aside.

3) In a large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (almond flour, egg white protein powder, coconut flour, Swerve, salt, softened cream cheese and baking powder).

4) Add wet ingredients (egg yolks, vanilla, and unsweetened cashew/almond milk). Stir until mixed very well.

5) Gently combine stiff egg whites with the mixture. Stir gently until mixture is all one color.

6) Spray two donut pans with coconut spray and fill each mold about 2/3 of the way.

7) Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Let donuts cool in pan for 5 minutes, and then take them out of their molds and set on a paper towel.

8.) Next, place 1/4 cup coconut oil in a frying pan on medium-high setting. Fry donuts on either side until they are slightly browned and then place them back on the paper towel. Let the donuts rest for 5 minutes.

8) In a large skillet/frying pan, combine coconut milk and granulated sweetener. Bring to a boil, and turn down heat to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about half.

Glaze notes:

 

Remove glaze from heat. If you want a thicker glaze, wait at least 45 minutes to apply glaze. If you prefer a thinner glaze, dip each donut once in the frying pan, applying glaze to both sides. If thicker, wait a few moments between dipping and then dip a second time for a thicker coat.

Recipe notes: If you replace any ingredients with others, keep in mind that the flavor will change. If you use a protein powder, vs. egg powder the texture will also change so just keep this in mind!

Enjoy!

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Keto Coffee Jelly Recipe

As a child, my step-dad used to bring me home boba tea or we would make sweet jelly with milk. But since I can’t do that on my lifestyle, I decided to alter this recipe to fit my new keto ways! For all those tea lovers out there, I’ll be adding a boba tea recipe using this coffee jelly. I’m working toward creating a keto friendly pearl or boba as well. Enjoy!

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All Ingredients

  • 1 box (1 ounce) unflavored gelatin (or if using the small packets use 4 envelopes)
  • 3 cups boiling water; 3/4 cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  • 1/2 cup granulated sweetener
  • 1 can (14 ounces) condensed ‘milk’
  • 1 can (12.8 ounces) heavy cream (or table cream if you prefer)
  • For boba tea (bubble tea) Simply brew a black tea and add into the mix!
Jelly Instructions

  1. In a saucepot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add instant coffee and sweetener. Stir until dissolved.

  2. In a large bowl, pour the gelatin into the remaining 1 cup of cold water. Let stand for about 1 minute or until gelatin powder begins to bloom.

  3. Slowly add the 3 cups of boiling coffee and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes or until gelatin is completely dissolved and no granules are visible.

  4. Transfer mixture to a  baking dish and allow to completely cool. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or until completely set. (firm to the touch) If you prefer a firmer gelatin, use less water.

  5. In a bowl, combine condensed milk and heavy cream. Stir until blended. I like to warm mine slightly during the cold seasons.

  6. Cut set gelatin into 1-inch cubes and divide into serving cups (or a nice, tall glass). Top with the cream mixture and garnish with whipped cream, if you would like! Serve cold.

 

Keto sweetened, condensed milk (dairy-free) recipe

  • 1 Can Full-Fat Coconut Milk 13.5 oz
  • 1/3 Cup Swerve or the equivalent of your favorite powdered sweetener
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet/frying pan, combine coconut milk and granulated sweetener.
  2. Bring to a boil, and turn down heat to a simmer.
  3. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about half.
Recipe Notes

My ‘milk’ only took about 20-25 minutes to condense, but yours may or may not take slightly longer. From my experience over the years, the larger the surface area of the pan, the faster the milk will condense. It should be slightly thick and gooey when it is finished. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

You can also add this blend to any tea to create a yummy boba tea!

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Keto Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded full fat mozzarella
  • 3/4 cup blanched almond flour
  • 2 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the filling:

  • 2 tbsp warm water
  • 2 tbsp Sukrin Gold (or another granulated sweetener like Truvia)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

For the frosting:

  • 2 tbsp cream cheese 1 tbsp Greek/ full-fat yogurt
  • 2 drops liquid Stevia or 1/2 teaspoon

 

Cooking directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 – 360 degrees
  • Melt the mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl for a total of 1.5 minutes in 30-second increments. Stir the cheese together.
  • After all ingredients have bound together, immediately stir in the egg.
  • Next, add the almond flour and baking powder. Start to combine using a fork, then use your hands to make a ball of smooth dough.
  • This can be easier if you lightly oil or wet your hands first since the dough will be sticky.
  • Roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper into a rectangular shape.
  • Cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch in width strips, make the dough as thin as you can.
  • Prepare your cinnamon filling: boil water, then stir in the sweetener and cinnamon.
  • Spread the cinnamon paste over the strips (or you can try the log method I showed in my video).
  • Roll the dough into mini spirals and then place on your baking sheet.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.

While the rolls are in the oven

  • prepare the frosting: Mix cream cheese, yogurt, and Stevia. To make them pretty, place the mixture in a sand-which baggie and cut open the tip, or use a pastry bag to pipe it on.
  • Make sure the rolls have cooled a bit before you do it!
  • Spread over the warm rolls and serve.

 

Notes about this recipe:

This recipe works best with pre-shredded mozzarella from the grocery store. Fresh mozzarella contains too much liquid and won’t work. If the dough cools down too much, just warm it back up to make it easier to handle. I would recommend using Sukrin Gold to make the filling – it has a taste very similar to brown sugar that works great with cinnamon. You can use butter instead of the water, which gives the rolls a nice buttery taste, however, the recipe already has enough fat in the mix so if you want to save the calories just dissolve the sugar into the water and it tastes just as great!

Protip: If you don’t have vanilla-flavored stevia, you could add a bit of vanilla extract to your frosting.

 

Nutritional Information:

Calories per serving: 9

Net carbs: 2 grams per serving

Protein: 6.2 grams per serving

 

I’m currently working on a recipe to make keto cinnamon rolls that aren’t made of fathead dough. If you find any, share! You can also see me make these here on my Twitch!

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Keto Cornish Hens with Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing.

It’s that time of year again─ The one where I’m constantly searching for that wonderful comfort food that sustains me and doesn’t make my waistband expand. This recipe will take a day for prep work, but worth the wait!

What you’ll need in advance:

  • Poultry ties (or very thin gauge wire can work in a pinch)
  • Bread pan (or I like to get these because they are very versatile)
  • Large pot used for brining. You could also use the large gallon storage bags that seal shut as well, but I prefer the pot because you are going to have to simmer the brine first and it’s just easier to do it this way.
  • 9×12 inch baking dish (or the other I mentioned that you can link together to make a pan)
  • Roasting pan (I highly recommend getting one of these for many reasons on the keto diet, it makes your life so much easier)

 

Ingredients

 

HENS and BRINE:

  • Cornish hens (they usually come in a pack of two and so I have made this recipe for two since I made it with me and my bf in mind)
  • 2 cups water
  • 6 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 4 cloves garlic, whole but peeled
  • 4 sprigs thyme (you could also use rosemary or sage or combine them)
  • 2 small bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns, roughly cracked
  • 1 lemon and lime, halved.
  • 18 ice cubes (15 oz.)

‘CORNBREAD’:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 6 eggs (or 3 eggs and 1/3 cup coconut milk if you are running low on eggs)
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

STUFFING:

  • 1 pound ground sausage
  • 2 cups celery, chopped (this is optional for people that like celery. I’m not a fan so I left it out)
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 5 cups crumbled “cornbread” (from above bread recipe)
  • 1 1/4 cups chicken broth (add more if you prefer a mushy stuffing. I like mine more firm.)
  • 1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning ( or make your own: 2 teaspoons ground sage, 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground thyme, 1 teaspoon ground marjoram, 3⁄4 teaspoon ground rosemary, 1⁄2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1⁄2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper)
  • 1 tsp sage

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Let’s get started on this wonderful recipe. You will need to prepare the brine the day before you plan on cooking. Make sure that you have given the birds an hour per pound to thaw as well. So before making your brine, make sure that you have properly thawed your birds as well.

Brine: 

  •  In a large pot, combine water, salt, onion, garlic, thyme, bay, peppercorns, and lemon and lime. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Take mixture off of the heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
  • Add ice to the mixture and stir until the ice has completely melted.
  •  Here is where you can use a large freezer bag (if you cooked the brine in a medium pot instead) Place the hens into a large freezer bag, or into the pot. For the best taste, I recommend letting this sit for 24 hours, however, if you want to make it the same day, let it sit for at least 3 hours at room temperature. Place the mixture in the refrigerator if you choose to leave it over-night.
  • The next day rinse the hens in cold, running water, pat dry and then set aside. Discard brine. Let the hens rest for 1 hour before cooking or transfer to the refrigerator to use later. (see what to do with cornish hens after cornbread and stuffing instructions.)

Cornbread: 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a medium-sized bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until very smooth.
  • Grease a small bread pan and fill about 2/3 of the way full with batter.
  • Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. This can be made ahead and frozen.

Stuffing: 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  • Place sausage, celery, and onions in a large, deep skillet.
  • Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown.
  • Drain, crumble and set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine sausage mixture with cornbread, chicken broth, poultry seasoning, and sage.
  • Mix well and transfer to a 9×12 inch baking dish.
  • Bake, covered, for 45 minutes or until well set and cooked through. Makes 12 servings.

 

Nutritional info (per serving):
Traditional Cornbread Stuffing = 441 calories, 20g fat, 15g protein, 52 carbs, 4.3g fiber
“Healthy” Stuffing = 278 calories, 22g fat, 12.4g protein, 4.4 carbs, 2.2g fiber

 

Cornish Hens After Brine:

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • Under the hen’s skin and inside the cavity, use the other half of your lemon and lime. Make sure that you slice them thinly before placing them inside.
  • Chop up your fresh thyme and rosemary (I usually use about a tablespoon of them combined or slightly under) and sprinkle under the skin and a little on top. (you can also add a sprig of rosemary inside the hens if you love it.)
  • Take 3/4 stick of butter and place inside each bird and use the last quarter of each to place under each skin. I usually slice it thinly to place underneath.
  • Tie together the legs and arm flaps like so:
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  • And then place them on your roasting pan and roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  • Continue roasting about 25 minutes longer, or until hens are golden brown and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 10 minutes.
  • Place (or tent) aluminum foil around the hens to keep warm as you prep the plates.

Nutritional breakdown (per serving): 

There are 793 calories in 1 hen of Roasted Cornish Game Hen (Skin Eaten). Calorie breakdown: 65% fat, 0% carbs, 35% protein.

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Keto Cheesecake Recipe – And History of Valentine’s Day in Japan

Tired of the same old mug cakes, or keto style cookies or cake? Want to make something fun this Valentine’s Day for your sweetie? Everyone loves cheesecake! My recipe used almond flour for the crust, but you can substitute finely crushed almonds or even use another flour. Just be forewarned, research flours before you use them. The valentine’s day history from Japan is down below!

 

Ingredients: 

Crust:

3 tbsp butter, melted

3/4 cup almond flour (or almond meal)

(**edit I found that 1/4 cup or handful of crushed pecans really enhances the crust**)

Filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/4 cup Truvia (or erythritol/swerve) whichever you prefer for you alternative sweetener

7 drops of Liquid Stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Toppings:

You can top it however you like. I usually use sugar-free strawberry or raspberry jam, but today I was in the mood to keep them plain! (mostly because I have a picky sweetie that wants to put his own toppings on it. And, well, it was for him.)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and start with combining your melted butter and almond flour. Mix until it is all crumbly but well combined! (here is where you could also add in 1/4 cup of crushed pecans or walnuts in the food processor for added texture)

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2. Line a muffin tin with paper or silicone cupcake liners. Then press 1-2 tsp of your almond flour mixture into the bottom. Personally, I prefer my crusts a little thicker, so I used 1.5 to 2 teaspoons typically.

3. Bake the crusts for 5-8 mins (depending on how hot your oven gets, you might want to check on them every once in a while) until they are golden brown.

4. To make the cheesecake filling, first beat together the 12 oz of cream cheese with a hand mixer until soft like this:

 

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and then add in 1 egg. Mix to combine.

5. Now add the 1/4 cup Truvia or sweetener of your choice and 7 drops of liquid stevia.

6. Next, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, the 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and 1/4 tsp salt and mix it all together one final time. Make sure you at least get up to medium speed on the hand-mixer so it becomes well blended.

7. Spoon your cheesecake filling into the baked crusts and bake for 20 mins at 350 degrees. My oven normally only takes 18. You will want to make sure that the cheesecakes have risen slightly, yet barely jiggly on the top. A key element here is to make sure that you fill the cupcake liners to the brim! It will puff up, but once it cools they will fall back down.

8. Now let them cool on the counter for at least 10 mins. After that, you can top them if you wish, or leave them plain and place them in the fridge.

9. Let them chill overnight for as long as you can stand! Or, if you are really in a pinch, place them in the freezer for a few minutes.

And viola~ Keto cheese cakes!

These are really great, at only 2.8 of net carbs per cake. They are so rich, you probably can’t handle more than one anyway.

Calories: 175 per cake

9 grams of protein

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So, what is Valentine’s Day like in Japan?

 

Even though this isn’t chocolate, like they do traditionally in Japan it is similar to what they call a handmade love chocolate, or “Honmei-choco”. (in this case maybe Honmei-cheezu? I know, cheesy) In which ladies will go out, buy ingredients and make something sweet for their sweetie! Like this:

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And stuff that you just buy for others (like co-workers or friends) get “Giri-choco” (obligation chocolate) like, this:

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Doesn’t seem so different except the swapping of genders…or does it? There’s a twist!

In Japan there exists something called “White Day” which takes place on March 14th, exactly one month after Valentine’s Day. On White Day men are supposed to give return gifts to women who gifted them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. More often the color of the chocolate is white because of the name of the day. Flowers, candies and other gifts are also popular along with the chocolates. Again, department stores have many advanced reminders with gift displays so men will have no excuse to forget about this special day which is important for women. Hmm, sounds like an excuse for the market to exploit one of the slower days for holidays around that time of the year. ha! White day chocolate typically looks like this:

And there you have it kiddos! The difference between Valentine’s Day in the US and in Japan. I like the idea of equally celebrating both men and women this way with showering your affections on some stranger you have a crush on. (or the love of your life…that works too)

In either case, enjoy Valentine’s Day with your sweetie. I know I will.

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