"Lower Carb" Sugar-free Caramel Corn

What are the holidays without some fun, tasty indulgences in traditional favorites? One of the keys to any lifestyle change is moderation. While this recipe is not technically low carb, it's lower in carbs than "regular" caramel corn. A little will go a long way.

When I created this recipe, I had to find a substitute for the corn syrup -- a liquid, sugar-free substitute of approximately the same viscosity. I'm always up for a challenge! I started looking through my pantry and I came across sugar-free maple syrup. I made a test batch and happily discovered that it worked amazingly well, without any distinct telltale taste.

Please keep in mind while preparing this that you are essentially making candy, working with scalding hot syrup. You must exercise care and caution. A few of my pics are blurry because of my awareness of this. Give it your undivided attention. The syrup comes together very, very quickly.

Use at least a two-quart saucepan to prepare the syrup. Once you add the baking soda it will foam and expand so you must have a large enough pot to do this safely. I use a silicon scraper to stir. I find that it works better than a wooden spoon since I can scrape the saucepan and thoroughly blend the syrup ingredients.

This doesn't make a large amount. If you want to prepare more, do it in batches. It's much easier to work with the syrup that way.

Click photos to enlarge.

Ingredients:

3 quarts of popped corn (12 cups)
.5 cup peanuts (I use unsalted)
.25 cup sugar-free chocolate chips, optional

For the syrup:

1 stick of butter
.5 cup Splenda brown sugar
.25 cup sugar-free maple syrup
.5 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Spread the popcorn and peanuts on a large, non-stick cookie sheet. If your cookie sheet isn't non-stick, spray it lightly with vegetable cooking spray.

Prepare the syrup:


Melt the stick of butter with the maple syrup in a two-quart saucepan over medium heat. When the butter is almost melted, add the brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, and melt the brown sugar. Stir constantly. Once everything is melted and well-blended, add the baking soda. Again, be careful. Start stirring slowly, then stir very briskly to incorporate the baking soda. The baking soda will cause the syrup to become foam-like and expand. You may have to stir very hard. As soon as it foams up, remove it from the heat and pour it over the popcorn. Stir the popcorn, coating as much of it as you can.

Bake for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes. For an extra treat, stir in .25 cup of sugar-free chocolate chips the last 15 minutes.

Let cool on sheet (it will crisp a bit as it cools), then store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Frappuccino

You don't have to compromise your low carb lifestyle by frequenting your favorite high end coffee shop for a cool summer treat. Instead, make your own! This low carb frappuccino will help you chill out at less than 3 grams of carbs per huge 20-24 ounce serving.

Low Carb Frappuccino

1/2 cup water, microwaved for 30 seconds (hot, but not boiling)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon instant coffee (I use Folger's decaf)
1/2 cup heavy cream (lowest carb count!)
1/2 cup cold water
10 ice cubes

Optional: Add a scant 1/3 cup Davinci Sugar-Free Vanilla or Caramel Syrup or a few packets of artificial sweetener. Note that the Davinci syrup doesn't add any carbs like your favorite powdered artificial sweetener may.

Dissolve instant coffee in hot water and pour into blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on high until smooth.

Makes a heaping 20-24 ounce drink.

Enjoy!

Carbinator Mac and Cheese

Before the advent of low carb pastas like Dreamfields, we had to do without staple entrees like mac and cheese. Thank goodness those days are long gone! Add one pound of browned and seasoned ground beef and 1.5 cups cooked broccoli for a very easy all-in-one meal or prepare as is for a hearty side dish.

* 6 ounces dry Dreamfields Elbow Macaroni. Prepare according to package directions - don't overcook.
* 2 cups cream
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon dry mustard
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* few dashes of pepper
* 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use Krafts pre-shredded, mild; 1 package = 2 cups. For an extra kick, use Krafts Cheddar with Philly Cream cheese.)
* Dollop of cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

Butter a 3 quart casserole. If you're adding ground beef and/or broccoli, you may need to use a 13x9 pan.

Before heating: Place cream into saucepan and whisk in egg, mustard, Worcestershire, and pepper. Heat on medium heat until very hot, but not boiling, stirring constantly to keep egg from scrambling. Gradually add cheddar cheese and stir constantly until it's melted. Remove from heat and stir in dollop of sour cream. Add cooked macaroni and mix well. (This will be more liquid than you may be used to with mac and cheese made the traditional way -- don't let it throw you. It will bake together just fine.) If including ground beef and/or broccoli, add now and mix well. Pour into pan and bake for 30-45 minutes, until it's set and top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings, about 4 grams net carbs per serving; with ground beef/broccoli, about 5 grams net carbs per serving.