300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (58 page)

This is coffee for chocolate lovers or chocolate for coffee lovers.

6 ounces (170 ml) brewed coffee

2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

2 tablespoons (28 ml) heavy cream

Tiny pinch ground cinnamon

Pour the coffee, stir in the chocolate syrup and heavy cream, dust the cinnamon over the top, and serve.

Yield:
1 serving. Assuming you use Torani, Monin, or Da Vinci coffee flavoring syrup (which are made with Splenda instead of polyols), this will have 2 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 1 gram of protein.

Chocolate Orange Coffee

I came up with this one morning when my husband was out of cream for his coffee—it kept me from having to run out to the store before breakfast, and he loved it!

6 ounces (170 ml) brewed coffee

1 tablespoon (15 g) sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

1 or 2 drops orange extract

Pour the coffee and stir in the syrup and the extract. That's all!

Yield:
1 serving. Again assuming you use Torani, Monin, or Da Vinci brand syrup, you'll have just 1 gram of carbohydrates here, no fiber, and no protein.

Café Incontro

This is for adults only, of course!

6 ounces (170 ml) brewed coffee

1 scant shot (1 ounce, or 28 ml) dark rum

2 teaspoons sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

Splenda to taste, if desired

Pour the coffee, add the rum, syrup, and Splenda, and serve. That's all!

Yield:
1 serving, with just 1 gram of carbohydrates (again, we're talking the Torani, Monin, or Da Vinci syrup), no fiber, and no protein. Add 0.5 grams of carbohydrates for each teaspoon of Splenda you add.

These are American classics and are really quick and simple to make. You may, of course, use any flavor of no-sugar-added ice cream and any flavor of diet soda to make floats. These are just a few popular combinations. You can also use one of the sugar-free coffee-flavoring syrups plus seltzer or club soda in place of the diet soda, if you'd like to get really creative.

Root Beer Float

My sister keeps IBC Sugar-Free Root Beer and Dreyer's Vanilla No-Sugar-Added Ice Cream in the house for this purpose and this purpose alone.

1 small scoop vanilla no-sugar-added ice cream, vanilla flavor

1 can or bottle sugar-free root beer, well chilled

Put the ice cream in a large glass or mug and pour the root beer over it. Serve with straws and a long-handled spoon.

Yield:
1 serving; the carb count will depend on your brand of no-sugar-added ice cream.

Chocolate Float

If you can get chocolate-flavored diet soda in your region, this is a nice variant of the Root Beer Float.

1 small scoop vanilla no-sugar-added ice cream, vanilla flavor

1 can sugar-free chocolate-fudge flavored soda, well chilled

Put the ice cream in a large glass or mug and pour the soda over it. Serve with a straw and a long-handled spoon.

Yield:
1 serving; the carb count will depend on your brand of no-sugar-added ice cream.

Dreamsicle Float

If you were a fan of Dreamsicles as a kid, you'll love this float!

1 small scoop no-sugar-added ice cream, vanilla flavor

1 can sugar-free orange soda, well chilled

Put the ice cream in a large glass or mug and pour the soda over it. Serve with a straw and a long-handled spoon.

Yield:
1 serving; the carb count will depend on your brand of no-sugar-added ice cream.

Farmer's Soda

This is simpler than a float and a bit lower carb.

1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream

1 can sugar-free soda, flavor of your choice, well chilled

Simply pour the cream into the bottom of a large glass and pour the soda over it.

Yield:
1 serving, with 3 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and no protein.

Chocolate Ice Cream Soda

This is a true old-fashioned treat. Grab your sweetheart and two straws.

2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar-free chocolate coffee flavoring syrup

2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar-free Hershey's syrup

1/2 cup (70 g) sugar-free vanilla ice cream (I used Breyer's CarbSmart.)

6 fluid ounces (175 ml) club soda, chilled

Put the syrups in the bottom of a glass. Add the ice cream and pour the club soda over all. Use a straw if you have one!

Yield:
1 serving, with 105 calories, 6 grams fat, 2 grams protein, 18 grams carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber. That carb count looks high, I know, but the 5 grams from the Hershey's Syrup is in the form of erythritol, which is virtually unabsorbed, and 5 of the grams in the ice cream is maltitol, about half of which is absorbed. So figure about 10.5 grams net carbs—low enough for the occasional splurge.

If you're not feeding children, simply passing a bowl of nuts in their shells, with nutcrackers (and plates for the shells), along with a little sherry or port, makes a nice end to a meal.

Cinnamon Splenda Nuts