What’s summer without pie? Nothing, that’s what.

In lieu of losing an entire season to a looser waistband, I whipped up this tart out of blackberries, one of nature’s lowest carb fruits. Clocking in 6 net carbs a serving (including crust), each slice also packs 8 grams of protein and three grams of healthy Omega-6 fatty acids. And this is a dessert?

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 22 oz. fresh blackberries
• 2/3 cup granular Splenda or equivalent
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 packets unflavored gelatin
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Wash the blackberries, then put half in a sauce pan on medium heat with water, sweetener, and salt. Let simmer for 5 or so minutes, until berries start to turn red and juice darkens.
Add gelatin while stirring mixture and continue stirring until powder is completely dissolved. Add remaining berries, stir to coat with juice, then pour into pie crust.
Tip: To avoid clumps, add gelatin a small amount at a time, stirring in each addition in fully before proceeding.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or until berries set and pie is cool throughout.
Makes 8 servings. 256 calories and 6 net carbs per serving.

I was reading about an amazing sounding gluten-free pie crust mix sometime last winter, and I thought to myself, “Why doesn’t Atkins have something like that?”

It probably won’t come as a surprise that I’ve never been a fan of the basic low carb crust–almond flour, butter, and splenda–that seems to be used in every recipe on the net. In my experience, it doesn’t brown well, tends to fall apart, and really only works for cheesecakes.

So after a few weeks of experimentation, I came up with this recipe. It’s moist, doesn’t fall apart when sliced, and it’s the closest thing I’ve found to a real crust without using wheat or soy. Not only that, but it passed the true acid test; baking it makes your house smell good.

Ingredients

• 2 cups almond flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp. softened butter
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix all ingredients together until throughly incorporated. Press into pie dish starting from the middle and working out towards the sides.

Tip: The more finely the almond flour is ground, the more like actual pastry the crust becomes.

Bake for twenty minutes or until golden brown.

Makes one crust.

Even though we’ve barely broken into spring, Austin’s blue skies and 80° weather have tripped whichever part of my brain that controls grill use, window-inspired daydreaming, and urges to go canoeing. As such, I’m sliding of all the winter spices–nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, among others–to the back of the cabinet and setting my alarm for the farmer’s market.

This red pepper soup makes a summery, low-calorie alternative to its tomato cousin. It’s the very opposite of heavy, and it has a natural sweetness that’ll appeal to anyone who spent a day in the heat (or to anyone wishing they had been able to).

Ingredients

• 6 red bell peppers
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. sour cream
• 2 tsp. water
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roast garlic by cutting off root ends, drizzling with olive oil, wrapping in foil, and baking in an oven for 30 minutes. Cool, then peel.

Lay peppers on a grill or gas stovetop and grill them with high heat, turning occasionally, until skins are blackened or about 10 minutes. Place them in a covered bowl or a brown paper bag until they are cool enough to handle. Then peel them, discarding seeds and stems.

Place the peppers, roasted garlic, and chicken broth into a food processor or blender, then puree. Place in a saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Mix sour cream and water, then drizzle over individual bowls of soup. Sprinkle with chives.

Makes 2-3 servings.

If you haven’t had interior Mexican before, you probably haven’t tasted a salsa like this. Store-bought salsas are usually dominated by hot peppers and salt, but the strongest flavor in this recipe is cilantro. (On the topic of authenticity, make sure to say cilantro in a Don Juan voice with the longest L you can muster.)

While it may be easier to grab something off the shelf, making your own salsa has its advantages. It will taste better, have fewer preservatives, less salt, and contain raw nutrients. You may even find that it’s a great replacement for higher carb sauces and sides, like BBQ or steak sauce. The best thing about it, though, is that the flavors in fresh salsa get more and more complex the longer you let it sit. If you make a large batch, you can use it for a week and it will only get better. That can’t be said about many vegetable dishes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups roma tomatoes
• 6 cloves fresh garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 lime
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Slice tomatoes, cilantro leaves, and onion into large chunks, de-seed jalapeño, and peel garlic, then place all of these into a food processor. Add salt, and squeeze lime over mixture. Blend to desired consistency.

Tip: For more kick, double the onion and jalapeño.

Refrigerate at least two hours, and preferably overnight.

Every once in a while I find low-carb substitutes that are nearly identical to staples I once thought I’d never really enjoy again. Almond flour cornbread is one of those things. Not only does it keep you from eating genetically modified, sugary corn flour, but it is high in protein and Vitamin E and promotes HDL, the good cholesterol.

I’d tried a recipe for standard low-carb cornbread before, and while it tasted just like the real thing, it was still a bit too dry for my liking. Enter my green onion cornbread; it still tastes just like the real thing, but now it’s moister and has a bit of onion kick that makes it stand out from the bunch. It’s great for weekend BBQs (put it in a cast iron skillet and you can cook it on the grill), and it makes eight single-carb servings.

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1-2 green onions, chopped
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a bowl, mix together wet ingredients and green onions, then add dry ingredients and mix again.

Pour into greased baking dish (I use an 8″ square pan), then bake for 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Tip: If you’re short on time or patience, you can bake this in a microwave in 5-6 minutes.

Serve warm.

Some things, whether we like them to or not, come with trivia attached. Brazilians speak Portuguese. General Tso’s Chicken is from America. And puttanesca means “like a whore would make it.” These facts will come up again and again, as if everyone that ever went to a dinner party was given the same deck of prep cards. They’re inevitable. Prepare yourself.

That being said, puttanesca is aptly named–it’s a dirty hot mess. Although recipes vary, they always involve throwing together a dozen or so fresh Mediterranean ingredients, then letting the mix simmer itself finished. And, knock on wood, puttanesca has a fair track record of tasting amazing. We whipped up this recipe a weekend or two ago, and despite making enough to feed a good-sized family, it was gone in an hour.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs or legs
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 12 garlic cloves, chopped
• 28 oz. canned fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
• 2 oz. anchovies, drained and chopped
• 1 cup pitted black olives, chopped
• 1/3 cup capers, drained
• 3 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes (suspended in oil), chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper
• black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large (and I do mean large) skillet or dutch oven. (If you’re in the market for one, I fell in love with this baby last month. So blue!) Add the chicken and brown on all sides, then remove it and set aside.

Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in the tomatoes, anchovies, olives, capers, vinegar, and spices. Return the chicken to the pan and coat with the mixture. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes. Serve hot.

I’m not the biggest fan of Splenda. It spices up the low-carb lifestyle, sure, and the latest Atkins books all say that it’s fine in moderation, but I find that things just work better when I stay away from the sweetness. So when I found this recipe for a low carb, Atkins-friendly creme brulee that barely uses any Splenda at all, it went straight into my bookmarks.

The creme itself isn’t bad, as the custard base lent itself entirely to low carb translation. The topping, however, is something rather original. It’s a crunch, and it tastes great, but no one will be mistaking it for the real deal. I may have been spoiled by too many late-night movies with coffee and rock-solid brulee, but the pecans left me wanting for something to crack with my spoon. Be that as it may, since artificial sweeteners don’t caramelize, the butter-pecan topping is about as close as we’re getting to the real deal without using actual sugar (which, needless to say, would defeat the point).

Despite that exercise in fence sitting, I recommend this recipe wholeheartedly. It seems especially suited to dinner parties or special occasions, as you can make it a day or so ahead of time with absolutely no extra work required, and it’s oven to table in one dish, so cleanup is a breeze. And that’s what it’s all about, right?

Custard Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons granular Splenda
• dash of salt

Topping Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/8 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon granular Splenda

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Warm cream in a saucepan over medium heat, until bubbles just begin to form. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, salt, and Splenda. Gradually whisk in cream, then strain mixture.

Tip: If you want to make the sweetness more complex, switch out part of the Splenda for stevia extract. While I’m not that partial to either, Splenda tends to taste smoother, and stevia offers more body.

Divide into ramekins, then bake in a water bath for 25-30 minutes, until set but still jiggly. Chill for one hour.

Mix all topping ingredients into a small pan, then heat on medium until nuts begin to brown. Mind the Splenda, as it can burn. Divide divide between ramekins, spreading mixture gently and evenly. Chill at least four more hours before serving.

Makes 4 servings. 517 calories and 4.1 net carbs per serving.

There were two problems, though. First, chowders are almost always potato based. I did some research and found that turnips, when used in soups and stews, are a perfect substitute for potatoes. (And it’s amazing how true that is.) The second, somewhat harder problem was finding a low carb thickener strong enough to replace a half cup of flour. I didn’t find my fix until it was reducing, but it seems that mild white cheese is the perfect thickener for chowder. And with that, voilà, a low carb, Atkins-friendly chowder that withstood my vacation memories.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups onions, coarsely chopped
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 2 8 oz. bottles clam juice or broth
• 3 10 oz. cans chopped clams or baby clams, drained and liquid reserved
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, coarsely ground
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 4 cups turnips, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup grana padano cheese (or similar dry, hard, white cheese)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, then add onions and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Stir in bacon and cook until fat melts, turning down heat if bacon begins to burn.

Add pepper, clam broth, and reserved clam liquid. Stir intermittently on medium-high heat for 20 minutes, allowing chowder to thicken. Add clams and remove from heat.

In a separate saucepan, heat water. Stir in turnips and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Remove and drain well.

Heat cream in a separate pan until small bubbles begin to form around edges. Add to chowder and set pot to medium heat, stirring frequently. Add cheese, turnips and remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring gently until melted. Do not allow chowder to reach rolling boil, but reduce to your liking. Serve in heated bowls, preferably with low carb crackers.

Store leftover chowder in refrigerator, reheat gently.

Now this isn’t a catchall recipe, not that any chocolate chip recipe could be. Although I prefer chewy cookies, one day (maybe after low-carb shortbread, pecan sandies, grasshoppers, macaroons, and, dear God, cookie cakes) I’ll come back and find a good crunchy variation. Until then, these will be more than enough for me.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips or chopped sugar-free chocolate
• 1/2 cup walnuts or pecans
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar-free vanilla syrup
• 1/4 cup granulated splenda
• 1/4 stick butter, melted

Tip: If you’re willing to shoulder a few extra carbs in the name of authenticity, normal 70% chocolate lends the cookies a richer flavor.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix together dry ingredients together, then add wet ingredients and mix again. If the dough seems too wet, let it sit for 5 minutes.

Form into balls and press onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don’t worry if it seems too sticky; the wet texture should be that of an oatmeal cookie.

Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden brown. Slide a spatula under each one to ensure a clean break, then let cool for 5-10 minutes.

Makes 16 cookies. 171 calories and 1.3 net carbs per cookie.

I still enjoy going, but the character of the our location just isn’t the same. Homegrown Texan girls trying to wrap their tongues around “Bonsoir, monsieur” change the atmosphere in a way that’s hard to ignore. The one thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the utter perfection of their tomato basil soup.

Knowing I didn’t want to go to a pastry-filled French bakery for one of their few low-carb dishes, last weekend we took a stab at making our own version. It may be winter here in Austin, but go into any grocery and you will find box after box of fresh tomatoes, still glowing from the Mexican sun. Armed with fresh produce and garlic flax bread, this recipe turned out better than either of us expected.

Ingredients

• 4 cups ripe tomatoes, diced
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 16 fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 stick unsalted butter

Combine diced tomatoes and juice in saucepan and simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If rings form on the side the of pan, scrape it down and mix them back into the soup.

Tip: Many recipes might advise peeling the tomatoes, but I see no good reason to discard the fruits’ best nutrients. Lycopene–the antioxidant tomatoes are famous for–is concentrated in the skin, and that’s just the beginning.

Place soup in a food processor or blender (in batches if yours isn’t large enough), add basil leaves, and puree. Return to pan, add cream and butter while stirring, then let simmer 10 more minutes. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Makes 8 servings. 241 calories and 8 net carbs per serving.