Paleo Double Chocolate Pie

 Ok, so no sugar and no carbs... 4 weeks in and I'm not gonna lie, but I am craving something sweet... like chocolate. This has been one of the few cravings I have had on this Low Carb, High Fat eating plan (LCHF). And besides, we all know how irrevocable and insatiable chocolate is. My problem was to find a recipe without sugar.. So naturally, I started googling.
Wow, the amount of recipes out there for sugar free desserts and biscuits and pastries.. the mind boggles. But all in good time.. focus Pinky.. we're looking for CHOCOLATE.
I stumbled upon a "White Chocolate Paleo Pie" from one of the food blogs I follow (The Spunky Coconut) and attempted the recipe. Well.. success! But I wanted something a little more... I adjusted the crust, as I found the original to crumbly, and decided to double up on the chocolate filling (you're seeing this trend of chocolate right?) by adding the ganache. I-found-heaven-on-a-spoon-in-my-mouth.

Paleo Double Chocolate Pie

Cook time: 10 minutes

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

for the crust 
 1 cup Almond Flour 
1/2 cup Almonds (Raw) 
1/2 cup Macadamia (Raw) 
8 pitted dates
4 tbsp melted butter 

 
 for the pie
250g sugar free chocolate (I used Canderel's SugarFree Milk Chocolate)
1 Can Full cream coconut milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp (sachet) gelatin

for the ganache filling 
250g sugar free chocolate (I used Canderel's SugarFree Milk Chocolate)
1 cup full cream 


Instructions

Preheat your oven to 180°
Add the nuts to the food processor fitted with the S blade, and blitz until a rough texture. Now add the dates and almond flour and blits until combined. Add the melted butter and combine.
Firmly press the crust into a standard springform cake tin and bake blind for 8-10 minutes.  Set it aside to cool.
 Note: I placed a sheet of baking paper at the bottom and then "closed" the tin over it. (The baking paper sticks out) This helps prevent the chocolate mixture from leaking out... I found this out the hard way :-(. If your cake tin closes tightly, then just grease the tin.

 

Bring the coconut milk to a simmer in a saucepan and slowly whisk in the gelatin, until it is completely dissolved. (This may take several minutes.)
Add the honey and vanilla to the coconut milk mixture. Set aside and let cool. 

 Place the chocolate (for the filling) in a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. The water level should be a few inches below the bottom of the bowl. As soon as the chocolate is melted remove it from the heat, add it to the coconut mixture. Transfer this all into the food processor and blend completely together.
Note: The vent is crucial so that the heat can escape while pureeing.
Puree until smooth, then pour over the crust.
























Refrigerate until set (at least a few hours).












 
Now for the ganache...
Bring a pot with the cream to medium0high heat. Add the chocolate and let the chocolate melt and combine with the cream. Stir continuously.
Once combined, leave to cool (an hour or so)

Once the pie has set in the fridge, pour the ganache over and spread evenly.

Refrigerate until required. 

To serve the pie heat a chefs knife in hot water, then run the knife between the pie and the wall of the pan. Remove the wall and reheat the knife to slice. Best eaten room temperature.

 (I decorated the top with more crushed Almonds and Macadamia nuts. You could grate chocolate over too. :-))

Roast Chicken & Mushroom Lasagna

This dish is super easy and quick (if you have already made the pasta, or have store bought) and is really delicious. For me, the roast chicken gives the dish more depth and flavour. If you don't want to use carb-free pasta, you can use regular pasta. Your cooking time may vary and I'd then suggest you cover the dish with foil. I didn't with the carb free pasta as I knew it would cook very quickly.
See separate recipe for Carb-free pasta.

 

 

 

roast chicken & mushroom lasagna

Cook time: 1 Hr

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 roast chicken (I used a Woolworths roast chicken) Roughly chopped and bones removed.
1 packet of button mushrooms (sliced)
1 onion (finely chopped) 
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
250 ml cream
1 chicken stock (Knorr Stock)
1/2 white wine
fresh thyme
butter (a few knobs)

S&P to taste 
Freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions: 

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C

Fry the onions in a little olive oil and butter until softened. Add the garlic and fresh thyme. 

Now add the mushrooms and white wine. Cook for about 1 minute. 

Add the chicken stock, chicken and cream. Stir and cook for 3 minutes or so. 

You may need to add a little water.

Adjust your seasoning now.

In a deep casserole dish, spoon some of the chicken and mushroom mixture on the bottom. Add a layer of the carb-free pasta and continue to layer. Top off with the freshly grated Parmesan. 

Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes (or until cheese is melted) 

Finish off by turning the grill on and grill until cheese is golden. 

 

Serve. 

Carb-Free Pasta

Simple and quick, this recipe (thanks to The Real-Meal-Revolution) is the perfect pasta alternative to make when following a low-carb, high fat diet and it is super-easy!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
125g cream cheese
½ cup psyllium husks

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients and leave the mixture to thicken for 10 minutes.
Using coconut flour for dusting, roll the pasta into sheets and set aside. They can be frozen between greaseproof paper or cooked immediately.
Cook as you would normal pasta, by boiling it in salt water (be careful, they cook quickly).

Watch the video to see how simple. Carb Free Pasta