A lot of the recipes basically change out the flour/carb parts of the recipes for things like almond meal/flour. But then you read about eating way too much almond product. There are lots of natural sweeteners out there, so I try to switch between all of them so that I'm not overloading on any. I tend to gravitate towards coconut based stuff since it is a more "common" product in my mind compared to some plant that a tribe somewhere has been using for thousands of years.
Coconut is awesome, I am still finding new ways to use it:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?p=36333203&posted=1#post36333203
Which is funny because I don't like eating coconut straight up (like the hairy shredded coconut they sometimes put on frosting and stuff) & I don't like the bottled coconut water (fresh out of a coconut is super tasty, but the canned/boxed stuff = yuck). Coconut flour is weird stuff (just 1/2 cup flour + 4 eggs = cupcakes, it's like a sponge!). I use this recipe for cupcakes, as well as plain for "cornbread" with chili (I'm allergic to corn) - only changes I make is using maple syrup instead of agave & omitting the milk:
http://powerhungry.com/2013/08/coconut-flour-cupcakes-master-recipe-gluten-free-grain-free/
And yeah, almond flour has its pros/cons. Some good reading here:
http://empoweredsustenance.com/avoid-almond-flour/
And here:
http://www.health-bent.com/blog/book-release-day-why-we-didnt-use-almond-flour
A cup of almond flour requires literally about 90 almonds to make, so you can eat a surprising amount of them in one sitting because a lot of recipes calls for a couple cups of almond meal per recipe. On the flip side, these almond-flour cookies are some of my favorite chocolate-chip cookies ever, they're just brilliant:
http://catch42.pbworks.com/w/page/78284306/Chocolate Chip Cookies
Interesting. I love cooking and might just try one of these, or get my wife to try one for the hell of it.
I'd imagine the texture is quite different, but are the calories really that much lower?
What about fresh coconut flesh? I absolutely HATE that dried flaky coconut stuff you'll find in most desserts. I'm good with it anywhere else.
Black bean brownies are very good, way better than they sound.
Stay away does not mean substitute.
You are not addressing the core issue OP, just pretending to be doing so......
Interesting. I love cooking and might just try one of these
...
I'd imagine the texture is quite different, but are the calories really that much lower?
I've tried almond flour, coconut flour, carbquik, carbalouse, etc, and its just not going going be good when you try to make low carb baked goods or things like pancakes. Its best just to avoid it, and once you lose the weight, just eat baked goods in moderation. Dont be fooled by people in the comments of a low carb recipe saying it tastes great...it usually doesn't.
The closest thing I have gotten to making something baked that was edible was using coconut flour, but I don't like the taste of coconut. I can always taste it in coconut flour. Actually I take that back, cheesecake can be done well using a nut crust. For a sugar substitute, I've have good success with Xylitol and Erythritol, and I mainly use Erythritol. The only inconvenience is powerding it. Carbquik does make good biscuits, but its really fiber dense.
Speaking of pancakes, these 2-ingredient pancakes come out great (if you like banana pancakes) - just 2 eggs & a ripe banana:
http://detoxinista.com/2015/01/2-ingredient-toddler-pancakes
I like banana pancakes a little too much. I was trying to make low carb versions. Then I'm thought f it, I need to taste the real thing. It was so good I started eating them on the weekends, and since I had eggs, flour and sugar it was just as easy to make cupcakes. Then Toffee Nut cookies. 6 months later, I gained 20 pounds! Now I just remove all temptations...no baking! Although I still have a bunch of bananas sliced and vacuum sealed in the freezer...waiting for when I get back to that 200lb mark.
These almost look like Swedish pancakes or small crepes. I usually dont eat any fruit when I'm doing low carb. Only 31g of carbs. I'll bookmark this recipe for when I convert to a more paleo like diet.
"Sweeteners"
Erythritol. 70% as sweet as sugar. Can give cooling effect (Have had problem in frostings). Does not caramelize.
Xylitol. Love the taste but gives me horrible GI issues. Does not carmelize, ~ as sweet as sugar.
Stevia. Can give an aftertaste. Brands vary in strength. Trying Now Brands glycerate and powdered Better Stevia.
Tip: I have shifted away from Sucralose. It and caffeine seem to make me stall. I prefer natural sweeteners if possible although Erythritol+Stevia+Splenda is a nice combo. Use liquid Sucralose as the granuals have a bit of carbs.
"Helper Ingredients"
Guar Gum. Very powerful. Good suspender and binder. I like to mix into my dry ingredients but slowly added to a fluid in a blender works, too. A must for smoothies.
Xanthan Gum. Twice as powerful as Guar Gum. They amplify each other. Supposedly Guar is better in cold and Xanthan in hot fluids. I like both. Make a killer smoothie combo.