Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
2 strips of thick bacon, chopped fine (or see note)
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (12 oz) diet (sugar-free) cola - Splenda-sweetened preferred
1/4 cup low carb (sugar-free) catsup, (or see note)
3 T mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground cloves
Hot sauce to taste

PREPARATION:
Note 1: If you prefer to leave the bacon out, add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke, to taste, near the end of the cooking. Alternatively, add some smoky flavor using 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, or chipotle powder to taste.

Note 2: If you can't find low carb catsup, leave it out, but add about a tablespoon of vinegar and some sweetener, to taste.

1) Fry the bacon in a saucepan - a 2 qt pan works well.

2) Add the onion and cook over medium until soft - 3-5 minutes. Add garlic at this point if you're using fresh and stir it for half a minute or so.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients, plus about half a cup of water. Stir well. 4) Simmer for 20-30 minutes. It will cook down a bit and flavors will combine. 5) Adjust the seasonings so you have the balance you want - you can add vinegar, artificial sweetener (liquid preferred), or hot sauce. (If it's too hot, adding more sweetener will tone it down.)

The recipe makes approximately 10 servings of 1/4 cup each. Each serving has about 3.5 grams of carbohydrate plus 1 gram of fiber.