Ricotta Pancakes

Ricotta Pancakes (Sugar Free)
Serves 4



Pancakes:

3/4 C. Almond meal
1/2 C Oat flour or malted barley flour
4-5 T.  Splenda
1 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp Vanilla
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
Pam oil spray

1. Separate eggs. Whip whites until peaks form. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together almond meal, flour, Splenda, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, egg yolks, yogurt, and orange zest. Gradually mix in the dry ingredients.

4. Gently fold egg whites into the batter. Batter should be nice and fluffy and happy looking.

5. Heat a griddle or a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Drop about 1/3 cup of batter onto the hot griddle or skillet. Cook the pancakes until browned on the underside and beginning to set, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the pancakes on the other side, about two minutes longer. Continue making pancakes until batter is gone. Serve warm with blueberry sauce.

Blueberry Sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum powder or cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
4 packets of Splenda
2 tablespoons water

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, splenda, lemon juice and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and add xanthan gum powder. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens a bit. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Copyright 2013 SF Maven

Sugar Free Chocolate Cheesecake

Maven's Intense Chocolate Cheesecake

Total time until you can actually consume a slice: 5 hours? Maybe?

Preheat oven: 350; Put the top rack in dead center of oven; put lower rack directly under, situated with a low baking tray (casserole sized like for lasagne) of HOT water

Ingredients:

3 packs Neufschatel cheese (or Philly Brand cream cheese); total weight 1.5 lbs (Room temp)

9 oz Baker's Chocolate or Ghiardelli chocolate (bitter), NO SUGAR* (MELTED)

2 Cups sour cream

3 Eggs

1.5 teaspoons Vanilla

1 Pinch salt

1 Tablespoon Xanthan Gum powder (or if carbs/sugar are not an issue, corn starch)

2 Cups Malitol*

1/5 to 1 Cup Splenda*

*If you wish to make this with regular sugar, use 1 Cup regular semisweet chocolate chips, and 1 1/2 Cups sugar

1 Pack sugar free cookies (I prefer the Oreo styled ones, as you don't need to mix in butter to form the crust. Crunch up to crumbs, press into Pam sprayed springform pan.

2-3 Tablespoons Nutella (This is the only thing containing actual sugar, use sparingly)

1 Cup Smuckers sugar free Strawberry Preserves

1 Quart strawberries, washed, hulled

Procedure:

1. Melt chocolate in microwave, 30 seconds at a time (takes about 1 minute to 1.5 minutes to melt).
2. Blend chocolate thoroughly with room temp Neufschatel/cream cheese.
3. In a separate bowl, blend all remaining batter ingredients together, then incorporate with chocolate cream cheese mixture.
4. Pour into prepared springform pan (depending on the size of the springform, you might have some "leftovers", pour left overs into Pam sprayed custard cups.
5. Bake for 45 minutes. DO NOT OPEN OVEN.
6. Turn oven off. Leave cheesecake in oven for ONE HOUR.
7. I SAID DO NOT OPEN DOOR.
8. I MEANT IT!
9. DO YOU WANT YOUR CAKE TO SCREW UP?
10. After one hour, remove from oven, and let cool for ONE HOUR before putting in fridge.
11. LET IT COOL ONE HOUR.
12. DO YOU WANT YOUR CAKE TO CRACK?
13. After the cake is thoroughly cooled: Spread 2-3 tablespoons of Nutella on top of cake. This will form the "cement" the strawberries will sit upon. You can use less if you can spread it thin enough.
14. In a microwave safe bowl, put strawberry preserves and nuke for about 30 seconds, until liquified.
15. Coat fresh strawberries with this "glaze" and arrange berries (cut side down) onto cake.
16. Return to fridge so the preserves will set back up.

Although my favorite cakes tend to be things like a Red Velvet, a good moist Carrot Cake or a Laby Baltimore cake... cheesecake (or better yet, my Manna Mocha Torte) is just too decadent for words. My birthday is coming up, and perhaps I'll make my cheesecake ultra lemony, no chocolate (unless I can find UNSWEETENED WHITE CHOCOLATE, perhaps a trip to the King Arthur Flour Co's site might render a positive verdict on that one), with a crunchy coconutty merinque or coconutty shortbread crust, and make some Sugar Free Lemon Curd on top, and maybe top it with some raspberries, if they are still in season.

Low Carb Brownies? Abso-fucking-lutely!!!

Warning: This is low carb, not low fat or low calorie. However, they are doublely-delicious.

Preheat oven: 350

Ingredients:
4 squares Baker's Brand Unsweetened Chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter
1 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 Cup Carb Sense baking mix or soy flour
(*Could substitute a combination of almond meal & whole wheat or oat flour)
1 pinch salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon sour cream
1 Cup Splenda
1 Cup Brown Sugar Flavored Malitol
Chopped walnuts or pecans
**Shred unsweetened coconut is nice too.

Procedure:

1. Melt butter and chocolate together, microwaving 30 seconds at a time until melted. This can be done over a double-boiler as well.
2. Stir in vanilla and sweeteners.
3. Blend in eggs.
4. In a separate bowl mix baking mix, salt, and baking soda.
5. Add wet to dry, blending well.
6. Pour into a foil lined and buttered baking pan and bake for 1/2 hour in a preheated 350 degree oven and top with walnuts.
   
   Under 2 gm of carb each
   Serving suggestion: Serve warm with Breyer's Low Carb Vanilla or Butter Pecan icec ream. With 1/2 a cup of ice cream, the carb count is still 6 gm of carbs for that dessert, still not bad!!
   
   Favorite thing: To make the brownies in mini muffin tins and put in the center of each a sugar-free, miniature, Reese's peanut butter cup. Believe it or not, this recipe ROCKS... and ROCKS HARD!!!
   
   On a related note, to prevent the brownies from becoming rock hard, store them in an airtight container.