Creamy Chocolate Mousse

Yup, me making something chocolaty AGAIN! I am sure you have realised by now that I might be addicted to chocolate. For me, it’s not just the taste of chocolate that I love but also the creamy texture and the way it melts in your mouth. I am sure you will agree that it’s a little piece of heaven! Be sure to serve decent portions as your guests will definitely need more.

 

 

 

Portions: 6

Ingredients:

250ml Cream

250g Mascarpone Cheese (room temperature)

3 Eggs

2 Tbls Cacao powder

3 Tbls Xylitol syrup

5ml Vanilla essence

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, whisk the cream and mascarpone cheese until well combined (not fluffy).

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, xylitol and vanilla essence until smooth and add to the cream mixture. Whisk everything together until smooth.

Pour the mixture into a medium size sauce pan and heat until just before boiling point. VERY IMPORTANT (get those muscles working): Whisk this mixture constantly while heating. You will notice a foamy texture. Heating can take approximately 6 - 10mins.

Once heated remove the pot from the hob and sift in the cacao powder and whisk into a beautiful creamy texture. The mousse will be a little runny at this stage but will set very quickly.

Pour mixture into bowls or glasses and refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.

Serve with crushed nuts or fresh fruit and a sprinkle of cacao powder

 

 

 

Enjoy!

No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake

I just have to "brag" a bit! I was a tad nervous when I made this cheesecake because I used yogurt instead of heaps of cream cheese. We all know full fat cream cheese is VERY expensive. I was not sure if it would set properly or taste great... But...when I tasted this, it was absolutely amazing! The filling is very light and creamy and melts away in your mouth. Perfect for a beautiful summers day!

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Crust

250ml Almond flour
80ml Coconut flour
50ml Melted butter
5ml Vanilla essence
10ml Xylitol syrup
1 Egg (whisked)

Filling

125g Full fat cream cheese (room temperature)
125ml Cream
250ml Full fat plain yogurt
15ml Vanilla essence
15ml Xylitol syrup

Directions:

Crust

Preheat oven to 140 degree Celsius
Mix all the ingredients together until well combined
Wrapped in cling film, place the dough in the fridge for 5 minutes
Grease a medium size oven tart dish and press the dough from the centre outwards
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown

Let cool completely before adding the filling

Your dough should look something like this:

Filling

Whisk the cream cheese, cream and yogurt until smooth and fluffy
Add the vanilla essence and xylitol and whisk again until thoroughly combined
Spoon the filling into the crust
Sprinkle with cocoa or any topping of choice
Set the cheesecake in the fridge for approximately 2-3 hours

The filling should look like this when everything is combined:

Low Carb High Fat Bread

Yes please! Who does not LOVE a slice of warm bread just from the oven smothered with farm style butter. What’s even better is that you don't have to feel guilty while enjoying it. I have tried and tested this recipe in the past couple of weeks and according to the critics (my family) this one is delicious. It is perfect for lunch and/or a light snack served with creamy pates.

Ingredients:

500ml Almond flour
20ml Psyllium husk powder
15ml Baking powder
250ml Full cream yogurt
50ml Melted butter
5 Eggs
4 Tbls mixed seeds/nuts
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 140C and grease a medium size bread tin.

Melt the butter in the microwave. In a medium size bowl, whisk the eggs until creamy and FOLD the butter, almond flour, Psyllium husk powder, baking powder, full cream yogurt, mixed seeds/nuts and salt together. The dough should have a sticky texture. Rest the dough in the fridge for 5 minutes.

Place the dough into the bread tin and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until golden brown. Test if bread is thoroughly cooked by sticking a clean knife into the centre of the bread-if knife comes out dry, the bread is ready. Let the bread rest for a couple of minutes or have a slice with a dollop of butter immediately :-)

Notes:

 

Gently fold the ingredients together to keep the air in the dough.

Cover the bread tin with baking paper if your pans are a bit scratched in order to prevent the bread from sticking to the pan.

Add olives or sundried tomatoes to the dough for something different.

I like to fry a slice or two in a pan with some garlic and olive oil.

 

 

Enjoy!

Cacao Ganache

I am sure most of you bakers will agree that Ganache is the "Crème de la Crème" for fillings, toppings, etc. This recipe is specially designed for those bakers who do not have chocolate lying around the house all the time. Sometimes (most of the time) I get serious chocolate cravings but its way too much of a hassle to get the kids into the car just to go buy chocolates! So I decided to make use of what I have in my kitchen. This is what I came up with. It is absolutely delicious and instantly fulfils my desires! The versatility of Ganache is endless. It can be used as fillings, truffles, toppings for cakes and even be diverted into a yummy chocolate mousse (recipe to follow). The soft creamy texture of this recipe touches my heart in places where nothing else does :-)



 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

1 Cup cream (250ml)

¾ Cup cocoa powder (sifted)

1 tsp Vanilla essence

Xylitol to taste

 

Directions:

 

Over medium heat, heat the cream and vanilla essence in a small sauce pan until just before boiling point and  remove from hob.

 

Sift the cocoa powder and xylitol directly into the pan

 

Whisk all elements together until smooth and creamy

 

Notes:

 

Let the Ganache cool off to room temperature before using.

Use as toppings or fillings on cooled off cakes, etc.

Ganache will set in the fridge.

Replace cream with coconut cream.

Add any other components including, chopped nuts, liqueurs, etc.

Ganache can be kept refrigerated for a couple of weeks and can be frozen for up to three months.

 

Enjoy!

Full Fat Yogurt & Cinnamon mixed Nuts

For the busy bee. This is one of my favourite breakfast treats of all time! It is healthy, filling and not to mention delicious!

Serving: 1

Ingredients:

1 Cup full fat yogurt (250ml)

1 tsp Cinnamon powder

1 tsp Xylitol

½ Cup mixed nuts (125ml)

 

Directions:

 

Crush the mixed nuts in a pestle and mortar (do not crush to a powder)

Mix yogurt, cinnamon, xylitol and crushed nuts in a serving bowl

Sprinkle with more crushed nuts and enjoy!

 

Creamy Baby Marrow Spaghetti with fried cheese grillers

Today I made a "toddler proof" meal that turned out to be absolutely delicious! Honestly, I didn't know if my five year old would like it or not, but I do know she absolutely adores spaghetti with melted cheese. With this in mind, I tried to make something similar but with a twist. Her plate was empty with no complaints-need I say more!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

450g Baby marrow spaghetti (you can buy this pre-packed) 

Cream sauce:

250ml Cream

115g Cream cheese

1 tsp butter

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ Grated cheese

Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste

Cheese grillers:

10ml Olive oil

1 Tbls ginger/garlic/chilli paste

4-5 Chopped cheese grillers

A pinch of Turmeric

Topping:

Parmesan shavings

Fresh chives

Directions:

Stir-fry the paste, cheese grillers and turmeric in the olive oil until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside

Pour the cream, butter and cream cheese into a small pot and whisk into a lump free creamy texture. Add oregano, salt and pepper and grated cheese. Stir until cheese melts and set aside

Microwave the baby marrow spaghetti according to package instructions. Gently combine all elements and sprinkle with parmesan and chives

Notes:

Make sure you strain the spaghetti properly because the cream sauce will become watery if it is not drained properly

 

LCHF Egg McMayo Muffins

Ok, so this morning I made lovely light and fluffy Egg McMayo Muffins for breakfast! This recipe exceeded my expectations by far. You see, every time I buy or make these babies (from an online recipe) it always appears to be a little dry. So I was a tad sceptical in trying out my own ingredients - but it worked out fantastically!

Feel free to try it out.

Portions: 6

Ingredients:

4 Eggs
5 Tbls almond flour
1/2 Cup melted butter (real deal)
10ml Olive oil
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
1/2 tsp Baking powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper to taste
A generous amount of mixed herbs
Grated cheese for topping

(Optional: add any other meats, etc)

Topping:

Full fat Mayonnaise
Fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 140 degrees.
Grease a muffin pan (six portions)
Mix all ingredients in a bowl except the mayonnaise and chives
Measure the mixture evenly into six muffin pan holders
Bake approximately 15 minutes until golden brown
Serve hot with a dollop of Mayonnaise sprinkled with fresh chives

Enjoy!