Every year since 2010 I’ve done a series of December diaries focusing on a variety of seasonal topics ranging from music to food to ugly sweaters. (Full disclosure: I did ONE Seasonal diary in 2008, and 2009 (eleven years ago?! time flies!!) was the first December K2 was with us so I was a little distracted :-)).
Despite the fact it’s 2020 and it feels like everything is different, I can’t ignore this theme, so let’s get seasonal! Don’t worry if Christmas isn’t your thing- while my personal December perspective is primarily secular but culturally Christian-based with a vibrant dose of earth-centered Winter Solstice mixed in thanks to almost two decades as a Unitarian Universalist, these diaries are for everyone who is alive and reading this. In other words, if there’s a holiday in December that makes you happy, that you mark differently than all the other days, or that (in any other year but this one) involves negotiating about who brings what food… or even if there isn’t... this is a place for you!
We started off with Christmas Blend coffee, and last week was a look at traditions old, new, and adapted for 2020. I promised you a cookie swap last week, but the Muse was firmly invested in revisiting a favorite confection from my pre-diabetic days, so if you brought cookies I cannot wait to hear about them, but tonight I’m offering goodies, a reimagined and keto-approved version of my favorite homemade candy ever, which I wrote about for this series way back in 2011!
At my annual physical today my nurse practitioner made clear I need to drink more water, so that’s what I’ve got, but there’s other stuff laying around ::looks longingly at the eggnog, cider and mulled wine on that table over there:: Grab something and hop below the Story Break!
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As you are all probably tired of hearing, I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in January 2016. After six months of trying to follow the American Diabetes Association recommended diet guidelines, I realized that way of eating was going to kill me eventually. Since about mid-2016 I have eaten a ketogenic diet, in which I eat ~5% of my total calories as carbohydrates, ~70% fat, and the rest protein. That works out to about 20g of net carbs (total minus fiber) per day. Essentially, my body runs on fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. It’s kept my blood sugar under diabetic levels, and is proof positive that not every way of eating is right for everyone… but everyone has a right way of eating! But this diary isn’t about the science! It’s about food!
When I first began eating this way, my health improved dramatically… but I was sure I’d never have something sweet again, or have baked goods. However, as I’ve learned (and as you may be seeing in stores near you) there are a growing number of resources available for we lowcarb eaters. I’ve learned that with only a very few exceptions, I can prepare ridiculously good keto versions of just about anything. Brownies, bagels, even pecan pie! I even have a variety of commercially available chocolate bars, sweetened with safe sweeteners.
My beloved marzipan fudge squares, alas, were still off limits because one of the prime ingredients is sweetened condensed milk. Between that and almond paste, I was stumped. And then… my favorite keto food blogger and cookbook author Carolyn Ketchum posted links to keto substitutes for BOTH of those ingredients!! (She also posted recently the best writeup of keto/diabetic-friendly sweeteners I’ve found- if you’re interested in learning more about why I use what I do below, you cannot do better than this post)
First up was a keto substitute for sweetened condensed milk. I don’t drink cow’s milk and some nondairy milks because of the sugar present, but I do use heavy cream for lots of things. I followed her recipe, using both the erythritol-based sweetener and the mail-order only Bocha Sweet because I’ve found the latter helps keep everything smooth and syrupy. It was super easy to make, has the right consistency/mouthfeel, and tasted exactly right to my keto-adapted palate. I don’t have a photo of it because… it’s kinda boring, unless you consider mine has 3g net carbohydrates per 2Tbs serving, whereas regular sweetened condensed milk has 22g for the same size serving.
Next step was to make the keto almond paste. I followed the recipe at that link except where noted below. Here’s the ingredients I pulled out to use, although it requires only four… almonds, sweetener, egg white, and almond extract.
Couple of minutes and a food processer later, I had this:
It came together really easily, and I was surprised how much it really did taste and feel like store-bought almond paste. I’d decided to use the blanched almonds rather than almond flour, because they were older and I wanted to use them up, but I think next time I’ll use all almond flour rather than grind my own because the texture would be smoother.
NOW, I was ready to make Ketoified Marzipan Squares. K1 made a batch of traditional recipe at the same time, so we could compare along the way. Detailed instructions are in my 2011 diary but here’s the simplified version (because the directions work for both keto and regular recipe, I’m using the ‘regular’ ingredient list):
Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil. Or a 9x5 pan. Any larger and you should double the recipe as the layers will be too thin. This step is important unless you want to pry out your treat from the pan with a spoon. I do not recommend this approach. Yes, I have tried it because the printed recipe does not mention the foil lining until the SECOND paragraph.
In a small bowl, mash together 8oz almond paste plus 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk with a fork until well-combined. You can use a silicone spatula, too. Spread this into the foil-lined pan. I scrape it all in, then let it chill for fifteen minutes or so to make the sticky mixture easier to pat into the pan without pulling up the foil.
Melt together 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk with 7oz (about 1¼ cup) chocolate chips. I used Lily’s brand but I think any stevia/erythritol-sweetened brand will do. I microwave carefully but a double boiler works too. Pour this over the almond paste layer and spread evenly.
Chill until firm. Remove from the pan onto a cutting board, chocolate layer on the bottom. Carefully remove the foil. Cut into squares — I ended up with 40, which is what my calculations are based on. YMMV. If you want all pretty squares, trim the edges and eat the scraps. I’m told they’re zero calorie no matter what recipe you use. Store covered in a cool place… I don’t know how long they keep for because we never have them around for very many days.
As you can see from my rough nutritional analysis to the right, whereas the candy of my pre-diabetic days has 15g net carbs per square, my keto version has a mere 1g. ONE. GRAM.
Both Mr. Brillig and K1 said that if I’d given them a piece without saying anything, they wouldn’t have known it was different. I’m thrilled.
I hope that if you are someone who needs to eat in a manner that is not the standard food plan, that you find inspiration in this diary. Find a recipe source you trust, get familiar with those, then be creative and branch out to adapt a favorite dish you miss. If you are someone who eats keto or low-carb or know someone who does, if there’s something you’d like to make please get in touch and I’ll see what I can do to find you a good recipe!
I don’t have time to include the prep notes for the keto sweetener-swap adaptation I made of cranberry curd, or the sugar-free meringues I whipped up, literally, because I had leftover egg whites from the cranberry curd (hint: for the meringues, use whatever recipe you like best but for the love of all things you MUST use an erythritol-based sweetener or you will get goop. So sayeth my recipe guru named above, and I believe her).
Happy cooking and happy eating! Please share your favorite special treats with us in the comments, whether store-bought or handmade. And enjoy our selection of Top Comments, Mojo and Pictures!
Here at Top Comments we welcome longtime as well as brand new Daily Kos readers to join us at 10pm Eastern. We strive to nourish community by rounding up some of the site's best, funniest, most mojo'd & most informative commentary, and we depend on your help!! If you see a comment by another Kossack that deserves wider recognition, please send it either to topcomments at gmail or to the Top Comments group mailbox by 9:30pm Eastern. Please please please include a few words about why you sent it in as well as your user name (even if you think we know it already :-)), so we can credit you with the find!
TOP COMMENTS
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From susans:
From RealRick:
A comment by Vetwife in her diary “We HAVE to take the Senate back” deserves recognition because it calls for action on what we can actually do something about, which is our own behavior and our own concerns. This in particular: To Hell with what they are. Let’s work with who we are.
From FindingMyVoice:
Combobreaker's comment in Laura Clawson's diary, 'Biden's pick for Education secretary is a former teacher, principal, and English language learner' is right on. It's going to be an Aegean Stables-level of effort to clean up the steaming piles of damage DeVos is leaving behind. Good luck to Miguel Cardona. We all need him.
From userexists:
From ian douglas rushlau comes perhaps the most succinct summation I've ever seen why Third Way politics invariably exacerbate social, economic, and political inequality, no matter how "socially liberal" some of its positions are, and result in a society and government dominated by a smaller and smaller handful of the uber-wealthy. In other words, why Third Way policies are inherently and unavoidably undemocratic. From annieli’s Is Pence seen as "faithless" and betraying such that Trump would try to grab voting machines
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, December 21st 2020, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
Top Pictures
Top Pictures for yesterday, December 21st 2020. Click any picture to be taken to the full comment or picture. Thank you jotter!