sugar free Archives

Key Lime & Vanilla Bean Custard Cups

August 5, 2014 by Kristin

I’ve been playing around with this recipe for few days and what I’ve ended up with, what’s pictured in the photo above, is one of my favorite desserts of all time. Custard, key lime, vanilla bean, and {what wasn’t able to fit in the title block} salted, toasted coconut flakes – magnificent, I tell ya!

I toyed with regular coconut milk {light consistency} and culinary coconut milk {cream consistency} and the culinary coconut milk made all the difference in the world. If you aren’t able to get your hands on culinary coconut milk, then try your best to find canned coconut cream {I’m not sure about the boxed variety}.

And key limes… This Florida girl has such a special place in her heart for anything key lime. They are so adorable and somehow embody parts of childhood for reasons unknown {could it be just a lifetime love of real key lime pie?}. But if you’re unable to find key limes at your local grocer, a regular lime should suffice. This recipe calls for zest and juice of two key limes that could simply be replaced with zest and juice of one regular lime.

After fully chilled, this custard is a perfect cross between traditional custard, key lime pie, and crème brûlée. I’ve helped myself to a cup after every dinner since Saturday and… I just can’t foresee when I’ll stop re-stocking my fridge with custard – it is that good!

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Homemade Grapeseed Oil Mayo

July 30, 2014 by Kristin

At some point during every summer, I start craving massive amounts of sandwich salads {minus the sandwich part}. Chicken, tuna, egg – I could easily rotate the three every day from May to August. Insert a slaw here and there, and you’ve got yourself the happiest of girls.

But then there’s mayonnaise. I strategically create salads and slaws that have simple ingredients and then add a mystery ingredient condiment to bind it all together? It just doesn’t make sense. So I turned to Melissa Joulwan, fellow Austin food blogger, for her paleo olive oil mayo recipe.

And then I failed. Hard. Not because of her instructions or impatience. But because I didn’t sample the olive oil before creating the most beautiful, fluffy, poisonous tasting mayo ever.

So I went back to the grocery store on a mission to purchase the lightest tasting oil I could find. I walked away with grapeseed oil and ended up with a beautiful, fluffy, delicious mayo the second time around.

Using only egg, lemon juice, salt, and grapeseed oil completely changed my perception of mayo. I eat eggs and use lemon juice/oil as salad dressing on the regular, so there was no longer anything mystery about it.

If you’re a sandwich salad lover as well, I highly suggest you make your own mayo this summer!

Shredded Beef With Red Cabbage Slaw

July 28, 2014 by Kristin

You know those people who take forever to eat salads because they want a bit of every ingredient with each and every bite? That’s me to a tee, which is why I can’t get enough of shredded meat lately. It’s a totally lazy way to make sure you get some meat in every bite.

I crock potted up about 3 pounds of boneless chuck roast with 4 cups of water, 1 chopped onion, 3 chopped celery stalks, 3 sliced garlic cloves, and salt and pepper on low for about 8 hours. And after shredding with two forks, I did something I hadn’t ever done before, and reduced the stock in a saucepan on high heat for about 20 minutes until it was thick and flavorful. Game. Changer.

After the meat soaked up the bulk of the reduction, I spread a thin layer of it on a plate and topped with a heaping scoop of red cabbage slaw. And that slaw… was really the highlight of this meal.

I used a mandolin slicer to achieve super thin and delicate slices of cabbage. Then added mild veggies, cilantro, citrus, and homemade mayo to create a light slaw that’s perfect for summer {especially a Texas summer}. I’m so looking forward to coming home to these leftovers tomorrow!

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