STEVIA
Stevia is not an artificial sweetener, yet it contains no carbs. It comes from a naturally sweet plant. The brand I use is SweetLeaf SteviaClear liquid stevia. I get mine at Kroger for $12.99 per bottle. It's also available through Netrition. Visit the SweetLeaf site for more information. You have to be careful using stevia because it can be very bitter in large amounts. I find that it's best when combined with liquid Splenda. Since all brands of Stevia come in different concentrations, there is no good standard for measuring it in recipes. I mainly use it to sweeten my herbal tea and in my smoothies.
Ingredients: purified water, Stevia leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract
Equivalent of 1 cup sugar = 0 carbs
STEVITA CHOCOLATE DELIGHT DRINK MIX
This is a bit like hot cocoa mix but without any dairy products added. It has a rich chocolate flavor and mixes fairly well into hot liquids without leaving too much sediment. A 4.2 ounce jar is available from Netrition for $3.79. I only use about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon in my coffee so a jar lasts me quite a long time.
Ingredients: Stevia Rebaudiana leaf extract, cocoa powder, vanilla, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent)
2 teaspoons = 2g Carbohydrate; .5g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carb
SUGAR FREE GELATIN MIXES
I count them at 3-6 carbs per box. Although the package states zero carbs, when you run the numbers through the Hidden Carb Calculator, it comes up with 6 carbs per 4-serving package. The carbs are from the Maltodextrin that's used to give the mix bulk. Maltodextrin is a kind of sugar. Since the carbs are fairly low, this can be useful for low carbers who need something sweet now and then. If you're sensitive to aspartame, you'll want to avoid using these mixes. I'm not fond of them plain, but I do occasionally use them in recipes.
Ingredients (lemon flavor): gelatin, adipic acid, disodium phosphate, maltodextrin, fumaric acid, natural and artificial flavor, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, yellow 6, yellow 5, BHA
Per serving = 1.5g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 1.5g Net Carbs
Recipe: Lemon Fluff
Ingredients: roasted peanuts, peanut oil, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fats), salt, sucralose (Splenda)
1/4 cup = 8g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Ingredients (lemon flavor): modified food starch, maltodextrin, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, disodium phosphate, nonfat milk, natural flavor, salt, calcium sulfate, xanthan gum, mono- and diglycerides, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, yellow 5, yellow 6, artificial color
1 serving, 1/2 cup = 6-7g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 6-7g Net Carbs
UPDATE: You can now order Monin O'Free Sugar Free Syrups from Netrition for $10.95 per bottle.
UPDATE 5/3/11: Walmart no longer sells Da Vinci syrups. They sell Torani but only in a couple of flavors. The price at World Market for Torani is now $6.99. The good news is that Netrition is selling the whole range of Torani syrups now so I can get my two favorite flavors again: coffee and black cherry.
Ingredients (Da Vinci French Vanilla): water, natural and artificial flavors, cellulose gum, sucralose (Splenda brand), citric acid, sodium benzoate (to preserve flavor quality), caramel color
Ingredients (Torani French Vanilla): purified water, natural flavors, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), xanthan gum, sucralose (Splenda brand), citric acid and acesulfame potassium
UPDATE 7/19/12: I recently found out that Dollar Tree is selling a brand of sugar free syrups called Café al Fresco. I'd seen them there for a while now but had no idea that they were sugar free until someone at Low Carb Friends mentioned it. There is no indication of that on the front of the bottle. They are $1.00 for a 375ml/12.7 ounce bottle and the flavors are vanilla, caramel and hazelnut. So far I've only tasted the caramel and it has a nice flavor. Here are the ingredients:
Ingredients (Cafe al Fresco Caramel): water, natural & artificial flavor, maltodextrin, caramel color, lactic acid, cellulose gum, sucralose, sodium benzoate & potassium sorbate, acesulfame potassium
Da Vinci
1 cup = 3g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
UPDATE: I recently found out about a couple other brands of sugar free yogurt -- Dannon Light & Fit and Target's Archer Farms brand. Both have similar carb counts per 6-ounce container to the Kroger Lite and Blue Bunny brands. I haven't tried the Archer Farms yet, but I've tried two flavors of the Dannon yogurt -- vanilla and white chocolate raspberry. Both have a very watered down consistency, very weak flavor and not much sweetness. I have to say that Kroger's yogurt is much better by far and cheaper to boot. Judging from the ingredient list, I have a feeling that the Archer Farms might be as good as Kroger's. Only the Dannon contains water, which would explain the weak flavor and watery texture.
Dannon Light & Fit comes in 12 flavors but I've never seen more than about five different flavors at any store so far. The Archer Farms yogurt comes in about six or eight flavors. I bought the raspberry vanilla and strawberry vanilla flavors and will post back once I've had a chance to try them.
I tried some Raspberry Vanilla Archer Farms today and it's much nicer than the Dannon. The flavor is very good, it's thick and creamy and it's nice and sweet. However it is a bit more gelatinous than Kroger's yogurt, but I like that there aren't any raspberry seeds in it. The Archer Farms yogurt is more like traditional pre-blended yogurt where Kroger's is more like natural yogurt that just happens to have the fruit already blended in.
Ingredients (Kroger Lite Blueberry): cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, blueberries, modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, natural flavors, gelatin, tricalcium phosphate, citric acid, pectin, agar, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, vitamin A palmitate
Ingredients (Dannon Light & Fit Blueberry): Nonfat yogurt (cultured non fat milk, modified corn starch, gelatin), water, blueberries, elderberry juice concentrate, modified corn starch, natural flavor, sucralose, potassium sorbate, malic acid, sodium citrate
Ingredients (Archer Farms Raspberry Vanilla): Cultured nonfat milk, raspberries, whey protein concentrate, modified cornstarch, raspberry and vanilla flavor, natural flavors, gelatin, sucralose
UPDATE 1/22/11: I recently discovered that Kroger has changed the ingredients in their sugar free lite yogurt and I'm not sure if I will buy it again. They've added three questionable ingredients: Neotame, cultured dextrose and soluble corn fiber. I did some internet research and Neotame is a new form of Aspartame that is heat stable and can be used in cooking and baking. Cultured dextrose is a preservative that prevents mold. Soluble corn fiber is powdered corn syrup. Here is the old ingredient list so that you can compare it with the new one:
OLD INGREDIENT LIST (Kroger Lite Blueberry): cultured pasteurized nonfat milk, blueberries, modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, natural flavors, gelatin, tricalcium phosphate, citric acid, pectin, agar, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, vitamin A palmitate
NEW INGREDIENT LIST (Kroger Lite yogurt): Cultured nonfat milk, modified corn starch, whey protein concentrate, natural flavor, gelatin, tricalcium phosphate, soluble corn fiber, pectin, agar, cultured dextrose, Sucralose, Neotame, acesulfame potassium, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, and active cultures
I like the look of the Archer Farms the best but those may have changed over the years too since I last bought some. I don't think that Dannon still makes a Splenda-sweetened yogurt so that information may also be outdated.
6 ounce container = 10-13g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 10-13g Net Carbs
UPDATE 5/11/12: I recently decided to try Kroger's CARBmaster low carb "yogurt" again and I have to say that the flavor and texture has been greatly improved. It also comes in a lot more interesting flavors now. It's not really yogurt. They're calling it "cultured lowfat dairy blend" and the ingredients aren't ideal. However, for just 4 carbs, it makes a nice occasional treat. Click here for a list of available flavors. Here's the ingredient list:
CARBmaster Cherry ingredients: water, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, cream, modified corn starch, cherries, natural flavor, gelatin, tricalcium phosphate, sodium citrate, citric acid, malic acid, pectin, agar, cultured dextrose, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, Red 40, vitamin A palmitate, vitamine D, enzymes, active cultures with L acidophilus
6 ounce container = 4g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
UPDATE 1/31/13: Kroger has added three new CARBmaster flavors this month: Key Lime, Cinnamon Roll and Black Forest Cake. Also, two flavors that I thought had been discontinued are still around. They just don't sell them at the Kroger store where I shop.
UPDATE 7/11/12: Trader Joe's has them cheaper than Walmart. They have a 16 ounce bag for $1.99. They're $2.98 for a 15 ounce bag at Walmart.
1/4 cup = 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Ingredients: dexrose, acesulfame-K, cream of tartar, calcium silicate (anticaking agent) and natural flavors
1 packet = 1 carb
Ingredients: nonfat dry milk, cocoa, calcium carbonate, modified whey, salt, carrageenan, sucralose, natural and artificial flavors, disodium phosphate, acesulfame potassium
1 packet: 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Ingredients: water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), vinegar, salt, chili peppers, spices, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, soy lecithin, natural flavor
1 teaspoon = 0 carbs
Ingredients: sesame seeds
2 tablespoons = 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Ingredients (green curry paste): green chili, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, salt, onion, pepper, coriander, cumin, kaffir lime
1 tablespoon = 2g carbs
Ingredients: Tianjin cabbage, garlic, salt
1 tablespoon = 5g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 2g Net Carbs (just a guess)
TOASTED DRIED ONION
1 tablespoon = 4g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
TOASTED ONION POWDER
1 tablespoon: 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs
Ingredients: water, tomato paste, salt, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic, natural flavorings, dehydrated bell pepper
8 ounce can = 11g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 9g Net Carbs
UPDATE 8/16/12: If you live in the UK, you probably can't get tomato sauce in cans like we have here in the states. However, my friend who lives in England discovered the creamed tomatoes at Sainsbury's which will work fine in recipes that call for tomato sauce. You may need to adjust the salt in your recipe because the creamed tomatoes aren't salted unlike canned tomato sauce which has salt and some seasonings added. I don't have access to the label, but I'm pretty sure that the only ingredient is tomatoes.
TORANI SUGAR FREE SYRUPS (see Sugar Free Syrups)
Ingredients: green beans
3/4 cup = 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carb
UPDATE: They recently updated the packaging as you can see above. They've also improved the little packets that the product comes in. I used to have a horrible problem with the powder getting damp and sticky but that doesn't seem to happen anymore. Also note that the product ingredients have changed.
UPDATE 5/3/11: You can buy True Lemon and True Lime as well as True Orange at Netrition for $3.49 per box.
Ingredients (old): citric acid, lactose, lemon or lime juice, lemon or lime oil, maltodextrin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
1 packet = less than 1 carb
TIP: If you run Truvia through a coffee grinder it becomes like powdered sugar and will dissolve much more readily in recipes. However, this does change the formula for measuring it. I've posted an approximate conversion below.
UPDATE (2/6/11): I had a chance to try the Truvia again ground into powdered sugar this time. It seems that it works pretty well for certain things and not so well with others. I made a 3-Minute Flourless Chocolate Cake and attempted to make buttercream frosting to top it. The frosting was horrible. It took far too much Truvia to get the right consistency which made the frosting much too sweet. The cooling effect from the erythritol was very odd too. I scraped the frosting off into the trash. On the other hand, the little chocolate cake came out great and will be even better once I get the sweetness level corrected. I used about 5 teaspoons of the powdered stuff and I think I will try just 3 teaspoons next time. The cooling effect was hardly noticeable in the cake and should be even less noticeable with less Truvia. The consistency of the cake was very nice and there was no bitterness like you'd get using Splenda. It had a pudding-cake consistency. I will post the updated recipe after I've gotten the sweetness right.
TRUVIA CONVERSION (spoonable)
Ingredients: Erythritol, rebiana, natural flavors
3/4 teaspoon (equals 1 packet) = 3g Carbohydrate; 3g Sugar Alcohols; 0g Net Carbs
1 pound = 23g Carbohydrate; 7g Dietary Fiber; 16g Net Carbs
1 packet = 0 carbs
UNSWEETENED COCONUT
1 cup (about 2 ounces) = 13g Carbohydrate; 9g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
1/4 cup = 6g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs
Ingredients: Triple Filtered Purfied Water, Apple Flavor, Dehydrated Apple, Natural Flavors, Sucralose, Citric Acid, Cellulose Gel, Xanthan Gum and Sodium Benzoate
1 tablespoon = 0 carbs
Ingredients: Triple Filtered Purified Water, Cellulose Fiber, Cellulose Gel, Natural Flavors, Lactic Acid, Sucralose, Salt, Food Starch Modified, Xanthan Gum and Potassium Sorbate
2 tablespoons = 0 carbs
Ingredients: Triple Filtered Purified Water, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Cellulose Gel, Lactic Acid, Sucralose (Splenda Brand), Titanium Dioxide, Salt, Xanthan Gum and Potassium Sorbate (To Preserve Freshness).
2 tablespoons = 0g carbs
Ingredients: Triple filtered purified water, maple flavor, natural flavors, maltodextrin, cellulose gum, salt, sucralose, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), lactic acid, beta carotine and caramel coloring
1/4 cup = 0g carbs
Ingredients: whole grain rye flour, wheat bran, sesame seeds, wheat germ, wheat fiber, salt
1 crispbread = 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 5g Net Carbs
WHEAT PROTEIN ISOLATE 5000 & 8000
1 cup WPI 5000 = 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Recipe (WPI 5000): 3 Minute WPI Chocolate Cake
Ingredients (Syntrax Nectar Cappuccino): whey protein isolate, decaffeinated pure coffee, natural and artificial flavors, lecithin, acesulfame-K, sucralose
1 scoop = 0-4g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 0-4g Net Carbs
WHEY PROTEIN POWDER (see Designer Whey Protein)
Ingredients: water, tomato paste, soybean oil, white and wine vinegars, hickory smoke, spices, salt, sugar, soy sauce, caramel color, anchovies, onions, tamarinds, flavoring, xanthan gum, potassiaum sorbate, sodium benzoate, red no. 40
2 tablespoons = 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs
Ingredients: vinegar, molasses, high fructose corn syrup, anchovies, water, onions, salt, garlic, tamarind concentrate, cloves, natural flavorings, chili pepper extract
1/4 cup = 11g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 11g Net Carbs
YOCHEESE
1/2 cup = 9g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 9g Net Carbs
1/2 teaspoon = 4g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 0g Net Carbs
Ingredients (Strawberry flavor): Maltodextrin, Natural And Artificial Flavors, Citric Acid, Aspartame, Sodium Citrate, Contains 2% Or Less of The Following: Calcium Silicate, Acesulfame Potassium, Red 40
1 carb per serving
Ingredients (Chocolate flavor): Natural And Artificial Flavors, Maltodextrin, Aspartame, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Acid Sulfate, Contains 2% Or Less of The Following: Yellow 5, Red 40, Calcium Silicate, Acesulfame Potassium, Blue 1
1 carb per serving
SUGAR FREE PEANUT BUTTER
I found a really good sugar free peanut butter called Peter Pan No Sugar Added. It tastes just like the regular Peter Pan but is sweetened with Splenda. It doesn't need to be stirred like natural peanut butter. It does have one drawback and that's that it contains trans fats, despite the claims on the label.
Recipe: Easy Peanut Sauce
SUGAR FREE PUDDING MIXES
Sugar free puddings are not really a low carb food because they are thickened with modified corn starch. However, if you can afford the carbs, they are useful in many low carb dessert recipes. The carb counts of the different flavors and brands of puddings vary so I've come up with a chart with the counts for each kind. I like to use just a little of the dry mix to thicken whipped cream. See the recipe below.
Recipe: Whipped Topping
SUGAR FREE SYRUPS
Despite what it says on the label about there being zero carbs per serving, there are about 8 carbs per large bottle according to the Da Vinci Gourmet company. The carbs can add up so be careful. I often find that it takes more than 1/4 cup to flavor and sweeten a serving of something to my taste so I do count the carbs. There are other brands of sugar free syrups out there, but Da Vinci and Torani are the most popular. I've mostly heard bad reviews of the Artisan brand, but Monin is supposed to be good. However, Monin sweetens theirs with sugar alcohols as well as Splenda. The Eridex sweetener they use is a brand name for Erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. I tried Nature's Flavors brand several years ago and didn't care for theirs, but they've since changed their formula to all natural flavors so they may be worth another try. I find the best selection of Da Vinci flavors ($7.49) at Netrition. The best prices in my local area are at Wal-Mart (Da Vinci - $3.28 and $5.28) and World Market (Torani - $5.99). I have a chart on my site where I review the various flavors that I've tried.
Torani
Nature's Flavors
Monin O'Free
Recipe: Panna Cotta Variation
SUGAR FREE YOGURT
I only know of two brands of sugar free flavored yogurt, other than the handful of low carb yogurts that are available. I think that the low carb yogurts are flavorless and watery so I never use them. Kroger makes an excellent "lite" yogurt that's sweetened with Splenda and comes in an amazing selection of flavors. It also only costs 39-cents per 6-ounce container. Click here to see a list of flavors. Another good brand is Blue Bunny Lite 85, which is available at Wal-Mart. These do contain a small amount of cornstarch and some sugar from the fruit flavorings, but I've never had a problem eating these on a regular basis.
Recipe: Yogurt with Coconutty Crunch
SUNFLOWER KERNELS
Sunflower kernels have a nutty, almost peanut-like flavor and are very nice sprinkled on salads. I use Good Sense brand, Roasted/No Salt, which they sell at Wal-Mart in the produce department. You can also order them from Netrition.
Recipe: Coconutty Crunch
SWEET ONE
Sweet One is a brand name for an artificial sweetener called acesulfame potassium or AceK for short. It doesn't taste good by itself, but it can be useful in combination with other sweeteners to help prevent the bitterness of Splenda with chocolate. You can order it from Netrition.
SWISS MISS DIET HOT COCOA MIX
This tastes nice and chocolaty considering that it only has 3 net carbs per serving. Don't confuse the diet Swiss Miss with their sugar free hot cocoa mix. The sugar free kind has 10 carbs per serving and 1 gram of fiber. Both are sweetened with Splenda and AceK (acesulfame potassium). This cocoa is very sweet and doesn't have the bitterness you usually get when combining chocolate and Splenda. The AceK takes care of that problem. I had a little trouble getting the cocoa to dissolve well and ended up with some clumps of cocoa floating in my cup. I did enjoy it though, especially with a little instant coffee and cream added to it. Also see Kroger Fat Free Hot Cocoa Mix, which is almost identical.
Recipes: Swiss Miss Mousse - Frozen Mochaccino Protein Shake
TACO BELL RESTAURANT SAUCE
When I make the meat for taco salad, I use some of this along with the Seasoning for Tacos. It gives the meat some moisture. I've been buying this at Wal-Mart for about 99-cents per bottle.
TAHINI
Tahini is ground sesame seed paste. The consistency is a bit like thin peanut butter. It also has a very slight peanut taste but with a hint of bitterness. However, you won't notice the bitter aftertaste in your recipes. I paid $4.79 for a 16 ounce jar at Kroger in the health food section of the store. The brand I bought is Arrowhead Mills.
Recipe: Japanese-Style Sesame Ginger Dressing
THAI CURRY PASTE
Thai curry paste comes in two varieties, red and green. I can get both kinds at Kroger and it's made by Thai Kitchen. Although they come in tiny jars, a little bit goes a long way as far as flavor and heat.
Ingredients (red curry paste): red chili, garlic, lemon grass, galangal, salt, onion, kaffir lime, coriander, pepper
Recipe: Chutatip's Peanut Sauce - Stir-Fried Basil Chicken
TIANJIN PRESERVED VEGETABLE
This is a sort of "secret" ingredient in some Chinese restaurant dishes, in particular in the green beans that are popular in many restaurants. I was a little nervous about buying it because of the way it comes packaged. It comes in a little ceramic crock that isn't sealed in any way. The cabbage is wrapped in a plastic sack inside the crock and there is only a little plastic cover over the opening of the crock. It doesn't require refrigeration. I've seen some sites online that say that it should be rinsed before using, but Sherrie told me that she uses it straight from the jar in her green bean recipe. I had to guess on the carb count because the numbers on the nutritional label were incorrect. I based my numbers on a similar amount of sauerkraut.
Recipe: Chinese Stir Fried Green Beans
I've never seen these anywhere except from Penzeys. They're just like the regular minced dried onion flakes, but they've been toasted. They give French Onion Dip the same flavor that you'd get from Lipton onion soup mix.
Recipe: Nancy's French Onion Dip
This has the same flavor as the toasted dried onion, but in powdered form. You can order it from Penzeys.
Recipe: Onion Soup Mix
TOMATO SAUCE
You'll need read the labels carefully when buying tomato sauce. Some brands add sugar and some don't. Some even add sugar some of the time and not other times. So far I've never found added sugar in any of the store brands so that's what I usually buy. Below are the ingredients for Parade brand.
Recipe: My Favorite Sloppy Joes
TRADER JOE'S FRENCH GREEN BEANS (HARICOT VERT)
These are probably the best frozen green beans I've ever eaten and my husband raved about them. They are long, extra thin beans and only take a couple of minutes to cook. They come in a 24-ounce bag for only $1.99 at Trader Joe's.
Recipe: Todd's Green Beans
TRUE LEMON AND TRUE LIME
Although fresh lemon and lime juice have the best flavor, sometimes it's not convenient to keep them on hand. True Lemon and True Lime make very good substitutes and you can keep them in your pantry. They taste so much more like the real thing than that RealLemon stuff in a bottle. They come in powdered form in little packets that are the equivalent of 1 1/2 teaspoons of juice. For more information, visit their website. I can buy them at Kroger for about $3.00 for a box of 40 packets.
Ingredients (new): citric acid, evaporated cane juice, lemon or lime juice, lemon or lime oil, ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
TRUVIA
Truvia is a mixture of Erythritol and stevia. I bought a jar of the spoonable kind to try making sugar free meringues. The recipe was a disaster but I'm hoping to find some good uses for it that don't call for as much sweetener. I did use some to make a nut topping for my Butter-Pecan Crème Brûlée and the nut mixture came out nice and crunchy like candy. You can buy the spoonable Truvia at Netrition for $6.19. I got mine at Walmart $5.88 minus a $1.00 coupon from the newspaper.
3/4 teaspoons Truvia = 2 teaspoons sugar (1 1/4 teaspoons powdered Truvia)
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Truvia = 1/4 cup sugar (2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered Truvia)
3 tablespoons Truvia = 1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered Truvia)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Truvia = 1 cup sugar (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered Truvia)
Recipes: Buttered Almond Crème Brûlée & Low Carb Meringues
TURNIPS
I haven't had much experience with turnips yet. They can be bitter if not prepared in just the right way and they're a bit more carby than a lot of other vegetables so I tend to avoid them. A lot of people have had success using them in place of potatoes. Make sure that you peel them deeply enough to get rid of the underlying green flesh or they'll be even more bitter. Turnips are much smaller than rutabagas but they're in the same family. Turnips are usually white and rutabagas are yellow. I prefer the flavor of rutatabaga but it's even higher in carbs than turnips are.
Recipe: Baked Turnips
UNFLAVORED GELATIN
Unflavored gelatin has no sweeteners added so you can use it when you want to control the flavoring and sweeteners in your jelled foods. It comes in little packets of powder that must be "bloomed" before using. For instructions for working with gelatin, visit my tips page or check out the Knox website. I had a lot of trouble when I tried using a store brand of gelatin. It turned into globs that never dissolved in hot liquid. I recommend using only Knox brand. Gelatin has no carbs.
1 packet = approximately 2 1/2 teaspoons
Recipe: Mint Panna Cotta
I do most of my shopping at Kroger and they sell their own brand of unsweetened coconut in the baking aisle right next to the sweetened kind. I've also seen a very finely shredded unsweetened coconut in Kroger's health food department but I haven't tried it. If your store doesn't carry it, you can order it through Netrition. I like to use the more coarsely shredded kind in my Coconutty Crunch and the finely shredded kind is great for breading chicken and crab cakes.
Recipe: Angel Coconut
VINEGAR
I just wanted to note that in any of my recipes that just call for "vinegar", with no type specified, I use regular white vinegar. I will always specify when to use something like cider vineger or wine vinegar.
VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN
A lot of people use this as a substitute for white flour in their low carb baked goods but I haven't had any experience with it. I think that the carbs are a bit too high for my needs. You can find some information about it at The Cook's Thesaurus. You can order it from Netrtition if you can't find it in the baking aisle of your grocery store.
WALDEN FARMS APPLE BUTTER
This wasn't what I was expecting. The consistency is more like jellied cranberry sauce than apple butter. It's not spreadable. The flavor isn't bad but it tastes more of cinnamon than apple. I ended up throwing away half of the jar because I wasn't sure what to do with it. It might be fine served as a condiment with a pork roast, but not much else. You can order the apple butter from Netrition for $3.79 per jar. I'm not sure if I trust their zero carb count. I would count a carb per serving to be on the safe side.
WALDEN FARMS CARAMEL DIP
I wasn't sure if I liked this at first because the texture was a little "off" and it doesn't really taste anything like caramel. However, it does taste a lot like dark brown sugar, which is a flavor that I love. This is very good drizzled over yogurt. It made my piña colada yogurt taste a bit like pineapple upside down cake. You can order the dip from Netrition for about $3.79 per jar. I'm not sure if I trust their zero carb count. I would count a carb per serving to be on the safe side.
WALDEN FARMS MARSHMALLOW DIP
This tastes nothing at all like marshmallow or marshmallow creme. It has a horrible chemical taste and an odd tang. However, I found a use for it that masks the taste. I mixed it with some natural peanut butter for a yummy treat. You can order Walden Farms products at Netrition.
Recipe: Peanut Butter Fluff
WALDEN FARMS PANCAKE SYRUP
I've only found two kinds of sugar free pancake syrups that don't have sugar alcohols in them. One, called Howard's, is no longer available where I shop, but I like Walden Farms even better and they sell it at Netrition. To me, it tastes almost like the typical, inexpensive maple flavored syrups that they sell everywhere, such as Log Cabin and Aunt Jemima. Don't expect this to taste like real maple syrup, but it's still very good on pancakes and waffles.
Recipe: Yummy Pancakes
WASA FIBER RYE CRISPBREAD
I found these at Big Lots for $1.50 and thought they'd be worth a try. I've had Wasa crispbreads before but not this flavor. The Fiber Rye is much lighter than the regular rye ones I've had in the past. Those were quite heavy and hard. The Fiber Rye is kind of airy with little bits of grains in it. They don't have a lot of flavor but they taste good with a little peanut butter on them. They might also be nice with something like chicken or tuna salad spread on them. I think the carbs are a little high for what you get, but if you're craving something crisp or need something to make an open face sandwich on, these aren't bad. For more information on Wasa products, visit their website.
I've only played around with these products a few times and not enough to really know how to use them. You can read the descriptions of each of them at Netrition. I should warn you that it's not always easy to know when to use each kind and they do perform differently.
1 cup WPI 8000 = 1g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0g Net Carbs
Recipe (WPI 8000): WPI Crackers
WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE
Whey protein isolates tend to have slightly fewer carbs and more protein than whey protein powders. I like Syntrax Nectar cappuccino flavor mix. It has a subtle coffee flavor and it makes nice thick smoothies. Many people also use whey protein isolate and whey protein powders in low carb baked goods. I haven't had a lot of luck myself yet. Most of the things I've tried came out very dry. Below is a protein bar recipe that did turn out pretty well.
Recipe: Mocha Protein Smoothie
Recipe: Chocolate Coconut Nut Protein Bars
WHIPPING CREAM (see Heavy Cream)
WOODY'S COOK-IN' SAUCE
This may only be available in the south. It's a concentrated smoky sauce that you rub on meat before roasting it in the oven. You end up with meat that tastes like it's been cooked in a smoker, or almost.
Recipe: Oven-Smoked Brisket
WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
Although this has a fair amount of sugar in it, a little goes a long way for flavoring. The carbs can add up quickly so don't go overboard.
Recipes: My Favorite Sloppy Joes - Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Yocheese is plain yogurt that has most of the whey drained off. The yogurt becomes very thick, almost like whipped cream cheese. A tiny serving is quite filling and makes a nice dessert with a little fresh fruit.
Recipe: Yocheese
XANTHAN GUM
I buy mine at Kroger in their health food department. It's made by Bob's Red Mill. If you can't find it locally, you can get it from Netrition. Xanthan gum isn't cheap. A little bag will run about $10.00. However, it will most likely last you a couple years or even longer because you use such a small amount at a time. I've got some tips for working with xanthan gum on my tips page. It can be a little tricky to work with. There are some similar products available, which I haven't tried but they work about the same. there is guar gum and a product called ThickenThin not/Starch which combines multiple gums. Although guar gum is a lot cheaper than xanthan gum, I've heard that it doesn't work well in cold liquids. You can get more information about ThickenThin not/Starch at Expert Foods.
Recipe: Chicken Gravy
YOOHOO DRINK MIX
I found these at Dollar Tree and Walmart for $1.00 per box of six single-serve packets. It comes in chocolate and strawberry. I occasionally make whey protein shakes for myself using vanilla protein powder. These packets are nice for turning plain vanilla into chocolate or strawberry without having to buy separate jars of whey protein in those flavors. I find that the chocolate flavor mix is a little weak so I use two of those per shake. The strawberry flavor is just right with one packet.
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