Day 2 and My First Recipe!

First, let me say these cubes of fudge aren't exactly Almond Joys, but they're pretty darn good. For those unfamiliar with ACD, the diet restricts all sweeteners except stevia, yacon syrup and vegetable glycerin. That's pretty darn limiting, especially when you are faced with a glut of recipes calling for agave syrup and honey.

Stevia is extremely sweet. 1/3 teaspoon is equivalent to 1/4 cup honey. It only takes a few drops of the stuff to sweeten a whole pitcher of lemonade. That's great for conserving pantry space, horrible for converting recipes. After all, we can't just replace the sweetness. We also have to replace the moisture. In baking, it's a bit easier. We can use unsweetened applesauce or even pears, eggs or water. But, when a recipe doesn't call for baking, such as the protein bar recipes provided by Arbonne, we've got a challenge.

Yacon syrup is a different beast. It has a very unique flavor that is great for pecan pie cupcakes, drizzling on sweet potatoes and GF pancakes or making some Elana's Pantry chocolate chip cookies. The taste is somewhat dark, caramel, even kind of cinammony. (Yes, that's a word...now. And you were there when the word entered the lexicon. You're welcome.) It also has a viscosity close to molasses. It's simply too over powering for the snack I wanted.

Vegetable glycerin is a bit foreign to me. I've had some in my pantry for a while. I've only made the carob fudge I referred to yesterday with it. I liked the fudge, but I wanted something with a more familiar taste and I wanted to add some protein. With that one experience with glycerin as my template, I used the flavors for Arbonne's Almond Joy Balls to create something new.

So, without further ado, I give you Almond Coconut Protein Fudge.

*Update 2/9/2012: I'm sharing this over at Diet, Desserts and Dogs for Wellness Weekend Feb 9-13. <Squee!> My first time to share on another site! Really wish I had taken a picture when I made this. Oh, well, next time!

Almond Coconut Fudge

Ingredients:

1 cup Arbonne Vanilla Protein Powder (vegan)
2 Tbsp carob powder
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin
10 drops vanilla creme stevia
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/8 to 1/4 cup almond slivers

Directions:

Line an 8x8 glass dish with plastic wrap.

In a bowl mix the vanilla protein and carob powder.

Melt the coconut oil with the almond butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat. Stir to combine until smooth.

Remove pan from heat and add vegetable glycerin and stevia. Combine with protein mix. Add shredded unsweetened coconut and slivered almonds.

Pour mixture into glass dish. Cover and place in fridge for at least two hours.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

I don't make any pretense that these couldn't use some improvement. For one, I used a full 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and that made it hard to keep the cubes together. I think next time I'll cut them up a bit more in my magic bullet or coffee grinder. So, please, if you have any variations or improvements on this, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think!

Day 2 Dining:

• "Arbucks" Protein Shake - Modified
• Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake
• small baggie of raw broccoli
• 4 (maybe more. I kind of lost count). Almond Coconut Protein Fudge cubes
• Eastern North Carolina Pulled Pork
• Arbonne Detox Tea

Tomorrow I'll provide my modified version of the "Arbucks" Shake. I'll also fill you in on the why's and what's of all the carob powder in my shakes and snacks. Hint in dramatic prose:

I heart chocolate.
Candida hearts chocolate.
I was sad until carob.

And scene.

Until tomorrow, take care.

-Melie
a.k.a. Mrs. P