Sugar Free Red Velvet Cheesecake

A good friend of mine from Gatlinburg posted this recipe on the Tenn Forum of Obesity Help.

It makes me feel good when people step out and try things. One of my goals for surgery was not to deny myself of good food. Sometimes we just have to try and experiment.

Sugar free does not always mean calorie free, so we need to use these recipes in moderation and not as a treat every day. But it is really nice to be able to have gourmet food that is deli-sh! Way to go Marilyn! She even provided Food Porn!

Sugar Free Red Velvet Cheesecake

Ingredients
1 package Murray ’s sugar free Oreo like cookies
¼ cup I can’t Believe its not Butter
1 ½ packages (8 ounces) fat free cream cheese
1 ½ packages (8 ounces) ¼ less fat cream cheese
1 ½ cups Splenda
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup low fat sour cream
½ cup fat free buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon vinegar
2 (1 ounce) bottles red food coloring
1 ½ ounces fat free cream cheese
1 ½ ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
¼ cup I Can’t believe it not Butter spread
2 cups powdered Nature’s crystals
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Crush the cookies and add ¼ cup I can’t believe its not butter and press into 9 inch springform pan. Beat cream cheese and Splenda together 1 minute. Add eggs and next 6 ingredients, mixing on low speed until just blended. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, then 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until center is firm. Run a knife along edge of cheesecake. Turn oven off and let cheesecake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes. Cover and chill for 8 hours or until needed. Beat remaining cream cheese; I can’t believe it’s not Butter until creamy. Gradually add Nature’s crystals, and beat until smooth. Spread over top of cheesecake. Remove side of springform pan and serve!

Nutritional Info
16 servings
142 calories per slice
10 grams carbs
7 grams protein

Terrific Teriyaki Wings

Teriyaki Sauce
¼ C of low sugar ketchup
2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T Splenda Brown sugar
1 T Splenda Sweetened Pineapple Juice
1 ½ t ground ginger
1 t minced garlic 1
t sesame seeds



Marinate chicken wings in the above sauce at least 4 hours, the longer the better. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. We decided to finish the wings on the grill to give them a great summertime flavor!

Red, White and Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Red, White and Blue Cheese Coleslaw

1 pkg. (16 oz.) coleslaw blend
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup KRAFT Blue Cheese Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Natural Blue Cheese Crumbles
6 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled


Toss coleslaw blend with peppers and dressing in large bowl; cover.
Refredgerate at least 1 hour.
Top with the cheese and bacon just before serving

Nutritional Information
6 servings
Calories 190
Total fat 15 g
Saturated fat 4 g
Cholesterol 25 mg
Sodium 440 mg
Carbohydrate 7 g
Dietary fiber 2 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 5 g

*Recipe and picture from Kraft Foods Recipes

Fruit Pies

Strawberry Pie


2 Qt strawberries rinsed and hulled; sliced or chunked
1 pre-baked deep dish pie shell
1 recipe of strawberry glaze

Mix berries and glaze together. Turn onto pre-baked pie shell. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Serve with Sugar free Cool Whip topping.

Strawberry Glaze

1 C berries crushed or pureed
¾ C water
¾ C Splenda
3 T corn starch

I use the magic bullet.

Mix all ingredients together in the magic bullet. Blend. Bring to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Stir until thickened. Cool. Mix with berries to make pie or tarts.


Blueberry or Mixed Berry Pie


4 pints of berries, rinsed
1-1 ¼ C splenda
¼ C flour
2 t cinnamon
1 deep dish pie shell
Pastry to top ( I use pre-made pie crust – unroll and top the pie)



Mix berries, Splenda, flour and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Turn onto a unbaked deep dish pie shell. Top with unrolled pie crust dough. Pinch seams together. Make steam slits in top pie dough before cooking. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 3500 for approximately 40-45 minutes. Best when made a day ahead of time. Top with sugar free cool whip topping.

Beth’s version of Terrific Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

It seems today has been the day for cooking! This morning we had Apple Pie Pancakes. This afternoon's selection for dinner was one RJ had found in a Taste Of Home magazine. So Beth took the recipe (along with her helper Chi Chi) , and changed a lot of the ingredients to make it a little more weight WLS friendly. Without further ado, Beth's version of Terrific Teriyaki Turkey Burgers

Sauce:
¼ C of low sugar ketchup
2 T reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T Splenda Brown sugar
1 T Splenda Sweetened crushed Pineapple (Libby's Pineapple Rings)
1 ½ t ground ginger
1 t minced garlic
1 t sesame seeds

Burgers:
1 egg
1/3 C dry bread crumbs
3 T dry minced onion
2 T Splenda sweetened crushed pineapple
1 lb ground Turkey

For crushed pineapple, take 2 slices of pineapple and crush in chopper

1) In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside
2) In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, 3 T of sauce, dry onions and pineapple and ground turkey. Mix well. Shape into ½ C patties. (Mine made 6)
3) Coat grill rack with cooking spray. Grill burgers, covered over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer reads 165 and juices run clear. Brush burgers occasionally with reserved sauce.
4) Grill remaining pineapple slices for 2-3 minutes on each side or until heated through.

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 209.1
Total Fat: 8.2 g
Cholesterol: 56.1 mg
Sodium: 470.1 mg
Total Carbs: 14.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Protein: 18.0 g

Apple Pie Pancakes !

In my daily reading of blogs (I know, I need to get a life!), I ran across a nice site entitled Melissa's Journey. Now Melissa is not a WLS patient. She is just someone trying to lose a few pounds as well as keep them off.

While reading, I found a nice, easy dessert to make...Apple Pie Enchilada. So I made the apples last night, but fell asleep before we could get them made. So that recipe will be coming soon!

We awoke early this morning and decided to make some breakfast. I asked Beth if she would like some cottage cheese pancakes. While making the pancakes, I had an idea (yes that was smoke a pouring out my ears!). What if I used the apples for a topping for the pancakes?



So, wha-la...Apple Pie Pancakes!

Apple Topping
Ingredients
1 Apple~cored, peeled and chopped
A dash of Cinnamon
Splenda~Sweeten to taste
A Splash of DaVinci Sugar Free Caramel Syrup

Directions
1)Put peeled, cored, and chopped apple in a bowl and toss with Cinnamon and Splenda (if desired).
2)Microwave for 3 minutes, or until soft.
3) Too easy!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients
¼ cup cottage cheese
2 Tablespoons oatmeal
1 egg
1 packet of Splenda
Splash of Cinn-a-bliss (pinch of cinnamon may be substituted)

Directions
1) Grind oatmeal in blender/magic bullet
2) Add cottage cheese, egg, and Splenda, and Cinn-a-Bliss
3) Mix thoroughly in blender/magic bullet
4) Let sit for several minutes for air bubbles to escape

Makes 4 silver dollar pancakes or 1 large pancake.

Here is a link to other Cottage Cheese Pancake recipes:
Cottage Cheese Pancakes with Strawberry Topping
Linda's Ricotta Cheese Crepes

Easy BBQ Sloppy joes

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Turkey

1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup Walden Farms Thick & Spicy Barbecue Sauce
4 hamburger buns, split

Directions:

1) Cook turkey in large nonstick skillet until cooked through; drain.

2) Add peppers and onion; cook and stir until tender.
3) Add barbecue sauce; cook until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.
4) Fill buns with turkey mixture.

Prep Time:5 min

Total Time:20 min
Makes:4 servings

Nutrition Info:
Calories 300
Total fat 11 g
Saturated fat 3 g
Cholesterol 85 mg
Sodium 420 mg
Carbohydrate 26 g
Dietary fiber 2 g
Sugars 4 g
Protein 24 g

***Adapted from Kraft Foods!