Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp. granular sugar substitute
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 6 tbsp. natural peanut butter, unsweetened
• coarse sea salt, for topping (optional)

Makes 6 Servings (1 cup per serving)

1. Line a 6-count muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
2. Whisk together the cocoa, coconut oil, granular sugar and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
3. Scoop 1 rounded tablespoon of the cocoa mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup.
4. Place the muffin tin in the freezer and leave it for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to solidify. 
5. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the peanut butter into each muffin cup, spreading it into an even layer.
6. Top the peanut butter with another tablespoon of the cocoa mixture. 
7. Freeze the peanut butter cups for another 5 minutes. 
8. Top each peanut butter cup with a pinch of coarse sea salt if desired.
9. Serve immediately or transfer to a container in the refrigerator to store for up to 1 week. 

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. Who doesn't love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? You can have your peanut butter cups and eat them too in this recipe. These sweet treats contain natural ingredients and A LOT less sugar than the ones you would buy at the store. I added a touch of almond extract to enhance the nutty flavors. You can also completely eliminate the sugar in these cups and the cups will still taste delicious. If you don't like peanut butter, feel free to substitute any other nut butter of your choice and the cups will still be delicious. 

Stuffed Pepper Tacos

Ingredients:

• 4 bell peppers
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• ½ cup pico de gallo
• 1 avocado, diced
• 4 Tbsp. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 4 Tbsp. sour cream
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced (optional)

Makes 4 Servings (1 taco per serving)

1. Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion  and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
2. Add the lean ground beef to the onions. Cook until brown and no longer pink.
3. Add the cumin and ¼ of cup water. Stir and simmer uncovered until the liquid is gone. Remove from heat. 
4. Prepare the bell peppers by slicing in half and removing the stems and seeds.
5. Assemble the pepper tacos by placing each bell pepper on a plate or sheet pan and filling each with the ground beef. 
6. Top each taco equally with cheddar cheese, pico de gallo, avocado, jalapeno and sour cream. Serve two pepper halves on a plate. 

WW POINTS VALUE: ?

Note: This recipe appears on www.southbeachdiet.com. Tacos are a delicious comfort food. These tacos are keto-friendly and gluten-free. You can enjoy tacos without the taco shells. If you stuff taco filling into raw bell peppers, they will hold together just as well and taste just as good as in a shell. Bell peppers are the ultimate low-carb vegetable because they are crunchy, colorful and add a touch of sweetness to your meals. You can use ground turkey in place of the ground beef and the tacos will be just as delicious. 

Big Easy Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 2 strips turkey bacon or Canadian bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can (16 ounces) chopped tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. hot-pepper sauce
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Makes 4 Servings 

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble when cool. Remove and discard all but 1 tablespoon of drippings from the skillet.
2. In the hot drippings over medium heat, cook the onion, bell pepper, and celery for 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes (with juice), bay leaf, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and hot-pepper sauce. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the shrimp and bacon and cook for 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving.

WW POINTS VALUE: 4 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Cookbook. This dish has Creole flavors and is both filling and flavorful. This dish has plenty of vegetables and they go great with the shrimp. You can enjoy this dish on Phase 1 but you can add cooked brown rice if you're on Phase 2. The rice goes great with the shrimp and vegetables.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup erythritol-based sweetener (granulated)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup erythritol-sweetened chocolate chips

Makes 16 Cookies (1 cookie per serving)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Whisk together coconut oil, eggs, erythritol and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Add the almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chocolate chips. Stir well to fully combine.
3. Scoop the cookies by the heaping tablespoon onto the prepared pan, leaving at least 1-inch of space between each cookie. 
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cookies are just barely cooked through. Allow to cool for up to 20 minutes on the pan before serving. 

WW POINTS VALUE: ?

Note: This recipe appears in the New Keto-Friendly South Beach Diet book. The people behind South Beach Diet have done it again this time with Keto and with a classic comfort food dessert. You can have your cookie(s) and eat it (them) too. The coconut oil works just as well as butter. These cookies are made with almond flour and they are just as chewy and flavorful as regular chocolate chip cookies. If you can't find sugar-free chocolate chips, bittersweet or dark chocolate chips will work just as well. Don't forget to have a glass of milk on hand. 

One Pan Moroccan-Spiced Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. salmon fillet
• 5 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Moroccan spice blend (1/8 tsp. each of cumin, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, ground cloves, turmeric and allspice)
• ½ cup cucumbers, sliced (or about 6 slices)
• ½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced (or about 12 small tomatoes)
• 2 Tbsp. onions
  
• 2 tbsp. mixed greens
• 4 walnut halves
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Makes 2 Servings

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Brush salmon front and back with a teaspoon of olive oil (half of a teaspoon per three ounces of salmon filet). Combine your spices, mix and brush salmon lightly with spice blend. You can store any excess spices in an airtight container for future use or cook additional salmon filets if desired.
2. Place salmon on a baking sheet or glass baking dish and cook for about 20 minutes or until salmon is cooked through.
3. While salmon is cooking, gather remaining ingredients and slice cucumbers, tomatoes and onions.
4. Place one cup of lettuce, a quarter of a cup of sliced cucumber (or about three slices), a quarter of a cup of sliced grape tomatoes (or about six small tomatoes), one tablespoon of sliced onion and two walnut halves in each salad bowl. Toss with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and one teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. 
5. Remove salmon from oven, place on top of salad bowl and enjoy!

WW POINTS VALUE: 7 pts. 

Note: This recipe appears on www.southbeachdiet.com. This is a very filling and flavorful meal to enjoy for lunch or dinner. Moroccan flavors are spicy and can help you will with your health. Salmon is also good for you with omega-3 fats and is heart healthy. The salad  is flavorful and crunchy and will fill you up as well. You can also grill the salmon and the meal will be just as tasty. 

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. steak, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 oz. white or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Makes 6 Servings

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add the steak cubes to the pan and sauté for about 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned.
3. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside on a plate.
4. Using the same pan, sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic until cooked and onions are transluscent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the steak back to the skillet. 
6. Add beef broth, tomato paste and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a boil.
7. Turn the heat down and simmer until the steak becomes tender, about 15 minutes.
8. Stir in the sour cream and season with salt and pepper. 
9. Garnish with parsley and serve.

WW POINTS VALUE: ?

Note: This recipe appears on the South Beach Diet website. Beef Stroganoff is a simple and an elegant dish that can be enjoyed by everyone. This version of the dish is Keto friendly and it omits the pasta and rice. This dish is filled with meat and vegetables and is very filling. I added tomato paste to this dish for a extra kick of flavor and it makes the dish more decadent.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour, finely ground
• ¾ cup stevia or erythritol
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup dark chocolate cocoa powder, unsweetened
• ¼ cup avocado oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ cup powdered or confectioners erythritol/stevia (optional)

Makes 20 Servings (1 cookie per serving)

1. In a large bowl, combine the cocoa powder, vanilla, sweetener and oil. Mix well.
2. Add one egg at a time to the large bowl and use a blender or whisk to combine. Blend until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl. Knead until it becomes smooth.
5. Form dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
7. Form 1" dough balls with your hands and place them on a baking sheet. Press down in the middle to flatten them.
8. Baking for about 12 minutes.
9. When cookies are slightly cooled (but still warm), cover them in the powdered sweetener (optional).
10. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

WW POINTS VALUE:

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Keto Cookbook. If you can't decide between brownies or cookies, these chocolate treats are for you. These treats are a combination of brownies and cookies and they are so delicious. They are also gluten-free because they are made from ground almonds. These brownie cookies are so chocolately and delicious you will be satisfied after only two.