Baked stuffed mushrooms
Preparation Time
15 minutes

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
4-6 large field mushrooms, stalks removed
olive oil
3 cups (600g) ricotta
60g sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped pitted kalamata olives
¼ cup (20g) grated parmesan
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for garnish
salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush the mushrooms on both sides with olive oil. Place mushrooms, cavity-side up on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper.
Combine the ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, parmesan, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper and egg, in a large bowl.
Divide the ricotta mixture between the mushroom cavities, piling the mixture roughly in the centre.
Bake mushrooms for 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden and mushrooms are tender. Place on serving plate and sprinkle with extra chopped parsley

BT compliant 'gnocchi'

500g ricotta 2 eggs, beaten ¼ large onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs oregano 2 tsp minced garlic 1 pkt frozen chopped spinach
Salt and pepper Olive oil spray

Pre-heat oven to 200°C, line a baking tray with aluminium foil and spray evenly with olive oil spray.
Combine all ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Scoop up teaspoons of mixture and mold it into a small gnocchi shape.
Place gnocchi on tray.
Bake for 20 minutes or until gnocchi are just coloured.
Allow to cool, and then remove from the aluminium foil.
Serve with your favourite pasta sauce. Could add additional vegies or protein just ensure protein serving size is OK.
I was thinking of a nice rich tomato sauce with some prawns. Maybe even some chopped ham/bacon.

Have been trying to think of other flavourings besides spinach/garlic/oregano. I'm sure they could be adapted.

Chocolate Protein Cheesecake

1 cup boiling water 3 tsp gelatine 500g ricotta cheese
1 Tbs of cocoa 2 Tbs protein powder
12 or more cupcake holders (the silicone ones are great for these)

1. Put hot water in large bowl and sprinkle over gelatine. Stir until completely dissolved. Put cottage cheese, sweetener, protein powder, & cocoa into bowl & beat with electric beater until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the water & gelatine & beat again.
3. Place cupcake holders in muffin tray (or use silicon ones) and pour in the mixture & put in fridge to set for 2hrs.

Easiest yummiest snack

100g ricotta 1 scoops BTP
200g ricotta 2 scoops BTP
300g ricotta 3 scoops BTP

I simply blend ricotta cheese with protein powder and a little water if needed. Keep the blender going until it is super creamy. I bought those little glad storage containers (6 for $3.20) and i simply spoon in 50gs into each and keep them in the fridge. They are so yum and I’m sure choc BTP would be just as good.

And i find that putting them in the small containers stops me from over indulging

EGGPLANT, RICOTTA AND PARMESAN BAKE


450g eggplant thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
250g ricotta
1 cup finely grated parmesan
3 eggs
1 cup low fat cream
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1/2 cup extra grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 200c Place the eggplant and oil in a bowl and toss to combine, Heat a large non stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the eggplant in batches for 1 - 2 minutes each side or until browned. Set aside.
Place ricotta, parmesan, eggs, cream and basil in a bowl and mix well to combine. Layer 1/3 eggplant in a 6 cup capacity ovenproof dish. Top with 1/3 ricotta mixture. Repeat with remainging ingredients and layers. Sprinkle with the extra parmesan and bake for 35 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Cheesecakes

500grams ricotta cheese 1 pack sugar free jelly 1 cup boiling water
Rind of 1 lemon grated juice of 1 lemon (optional)
Mix all together, I use a bamix to mix. Fill 10 patty pan lined muffin tray holes (perfect 50g snack) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
These freeze well.

Different recipe

500g ricotta cheese 2 eggs 3/4 splenda gelatine
2 scoops BTP lemon juice and jelly swirled through
50 gm would make a nice snack. Used just a packet of gelatine and yes just a tiny bit of water... also for the jelly i just used a little bit of water just to make it dissolve.i hope it works for everyone!

Chocolate Protein Cheesecake
1 cup boiling water 3 teaspoons gelatine 500g low fat ricotta
½ - ¾ cup sweetener 1 Tbs of cocoa 2 scoops BTP
12 or more cupcake holders (the silicone ones are great for these)
1. Put hot water in large bowl and sprinkle over gelatine. Stir until completely dissolved. Put cottage cheese, sweetener, protein powder, & cocoa into bowl & beat with electric beater until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the water & gelatine & beat again.
3. Place cupcake holders in muffin tray (or use silicon ones) and pour in the mixture & put in fridge to set for 2h

LOW CARB PANCAKES

Ingredients:
80g philly cheese (softened) 80g low fat ricotta 2 eggs
½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp vanilla ½ tsp bi-carb
90g protein powder
Method:
In a large jug, mix philly & ricotta together. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well with a spoon. Add bicarb, baking powder & protein powder. Mix well. The mixture will be thick and creamy, but a bit lumpy.
Heat a skillet and spray with non-fat cooking spray. (A teflon/non-stick pan is best). Add two heaped tablespoons of mixture to pan and let set - just like a pancake/pikelet! When bubbles appear and bottom is cooked, use spatula to flip over and cook other side. Press pancake down whilst cooking, to make sure the inside is set. Serve! They look and taste just great.
These keep well in the fridge for the next day - just reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
I have them on their own or for something extra special, I add a dollop of Dairy Farmers Low Fat & Low Sugar Vanilla Yogurt and a tablespoon of mixed berries. Remember - portion control BodyTrimmers!!! One is enough and very satisying.

MOCK OATMEAL

½ cup Ricotta 2 tsp Splenda 1 egg maple syrup -- or vanilla
¼ cup cream -- add after cooking
Mix first 4 ingredients.
Cook in microwave 3 minutes.
You'll feel like you're eating carbs! When I smelled the maple cooking, I was thrilled; then when I saw the cooked result, I was a bit scared LOL, but bravely tried it and was amazed! This stuff even looks like oatmeal, but tastes much better, IMHO.

It's sweet not too sweet and filling.
Serve with real cream.

Mocka Mousse

250 gram low fat ricotta cheese
1 shot espresso or 1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1/4 cup boiling water
1tsp gelatine
2 tsp sifted cocoa
3 Tbls zylitol or sweetener of choice
1 egg white

dissolve gelatine in coffee
beat egg white until soft peaks form
In a blender, combine cottage cheese,coffee/gelatine mix,cocoa and sweetener and blend until smooth.
fold in egg white
Pour into cups (I use kids plastic cups)
refrigerate until set.
Sprinkle a little unsweetened grated chocolate on top (one square is sufficient)

Oopsie Rolls

3 large eggs 1/8 tsp cream of tartar pinch of salt
3 Tbs psyllium husks 100g ricotta cheese

1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
2. Separate the eggs and add ricotta to the yolks along with salt & psyllium husks. Use a mixer to combine the ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks (must be stiff).
3. Using a spatula, gradually fold the egg yolk mixture into the white mixture, being careful not to break down the whites. Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray (or use a silicon baking sheet) and spoon the mixture onto the sheet (or use silicon egg rings), making 6 mounds. Flatten each mound slightly. You can also my one large one for a pizza base.
4. Bake about 20-30 minutes (You want them slightly softer, not crumbly). Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes, and then remove to a rack and allow them to cool. Store in a loosely open bag and allow to rest on the counter before use (otherwise they might be too moist).
5. They can be frozen.
Makes 6 rolls

PEANUCOTTA

50-100g fresh ricotta (from the deli not the stuff in the tubs)
1 heaped tsp natural crunch peanut butter (either Sanitarium or fresh)

Mix together.

Protein chocolate mousse

300g ricotta cheese ½ -¾ cup sweetener 2 Tbs of cocoa powder
2 Tbs of protein powder ½ cup boiling water 2 tsp gelatine
4 egg whites

Put hot water in large bowl and sprinkle over gelatine. Stir until completely dissolved.
Beat together ricotta, sweetener, protein powder, cocoa powder & gelatine mix with electric beater until smooth and creamy.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks & fold very gently a bit at a time into the cream mixture.
Pour into cups/moulds & refrigerate for 2 hours.

Note: if you want a more real chocolate taste, just melt a sugar free chocolate bar together with a dash of cream & add that instead of cocoa powder (this makes them extra yummy).

Protein Pancake

1 egg
1 tab ricotta
2 tab protein powder
pinch cinnamon (optional)
sweetener (optional)

Mix all together and cook as a pancake.

Nice with a slurp of sugar free maple syrup.

Ricotta and spinach balls

Ingredients
400g spinach leaves 300g of ricotta 200g finely grated parmesan 3 eggs
Method
Thaw and drain spinach, squeeze out as much water as possible then chop. In a bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, parmesan and eggs.
Using a little flour on your hands, shape balls of about 3cm in diameter. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and poach the balls for 2-3 minutes; they should rise to the surface when ready.
Remove with a slotted spoon or "spider", drain, place in a dish and serve with a fresh tomato sauce and extra parmesan.

Ricotta Semifreddo with Warm Rhubarb Compote

Serves 6
Semi-freddo means half frozen in Italian. It’s similar to ice cream but grainier in texture. It can be frozen in a loaf pan and sliced. Remember to put this in the fridge an hour before serving if you’ve made it in ramekins or bowls.
This is great with spring rhubarb and can be served with fresh berries in the summer. Without the rhubarb, the carb count goes down to 2.42 grams per serving.
½ cup whipping cream 1 vanilla bean, split 500g ricotta cheese
1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 egg yolks liquid sweetener = ¼ cup
pinch of sea salt 2 Tbsp water 1/3 cup Splenda
½ cup whipping cream 500g fresh young rhubarb with pink stems
Combine the first ½ cup (120 ml) of whipping cream and the vanilla bean in a small pot. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and cool completely. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the cream. Discard the bean.
In a food processor, puree the ricotta cheese and vanilla until smooth. With the motor running, pour in the vanilla cream. Transfer to a bowl.
Beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt until thick and lemon coloured. Fold into the ricotta mixture. Beat the cream into soft peaks and fold into the ricotta mixture. Pour into 6 6-oz. attractive serving bowls or ramekins and freeze.
For the rhubarb compote, trim the leaves and the lower end of the stalks from the rhubarb and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces. Place in a non corrodible saucepan the water. Cover and set over low heat. Stew gently for 30-45 minutes until soft. Cool slightly and the rhubarb can be cooked a few days in advance
To serve, remove the semi-freddo from the freezer and place in the fridge an hour before serving. Gently rewarm the compote and spoon on top of each semi-freddo. Serve immediately.

Spinach & Ricotta Frittata

Ingredients:
2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp Crushed Garlic
1 bunch spinach, washed, dried and coarsely chopped
125g ricotta
5 eggs
1 Tbs chopped fresh dill
freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Preheat grill on high. Heat the oil in a 26cm-diameter non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the spring onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until aromatic.
Add half the spinach and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until spinach just wilts. Remove from heat.
Whisk the ricotta, eggs and dill together in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Add the spinach mixture and stir to combine. Pour the egg mixture into the frying pan and place over medium-low heat. Cook for 5 minutes or until frittata is just set around the edge but still runny in the centre.
Cook under preheated grill, about 6cm from the heat source, for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and just set. Remove from grill.
Turn the frittata onto a heatproof plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve immediately.

SPINACH PIE

Ingredients
2 boxes frozen spinach 5 eggs, whisked 500g ricotta cheese*
2 tsp minced garlic parmesan cheese

Method
Spray base and sides of large flan/pie dish. Preheat oven to 200°C.
Microwave frozen spinach. Put in colander to drain.
In mixing bowl (using stick blender), combine eggs, garlic and ricotta until smooth.
Place drained spinach in dish. Pour combined egg mix over top and spread evenly. Sprinkle parmesan on top.
Bake at 180°C for 20-30 mins then 220°C for 5 minutes or until pie is slightly brown on top. Turn off oven and leave pie in for 5-10 minutes to make sure it’s set.

Serves 6
Variations: cooked onion, mushrooms, baby tomatoes
*Try with 300g ricotta, 200g fetta

ZUCCHINI AND RICOTTA BAKE

600g lamb mince
1 onion
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 pkt french onion soup mix
grated (finely chopped) vegies of your choice, I used carrot, capsicum, fennel bulb and celery, in the amounts of your choice
1 jar of raguletto red wine and garlic pasta sauce
1/3 jar of water to rinse
squirt of tomato sauce
squirt of bbq sauce (I actually rinsed out some bottles I had that were empty)
3 medium zucchini sliced thinly lengthways
500g ricotta
1 bunch fresh basil
1 cup cheddar cheese grated
2 eggs
Brown the mince then add onion, garlic and other veg and soften. Next add soup mix and combine thoroughly. Add pasta sauce, water and other sauces and simmer until cooked.
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C. Spoon a layer of mixture on the bottom of lasagne dish. Top with layer of zucchini, then sauce, then zucchini. Next combine ricotta, eggs, basil and 1/2 the cheddar and spoon this on top of the zucchini layer. Top with another layer of zucchini and then the remaining bolognaise sauce. Sprinkle with the other half cup of cheddar cheese and bake for 1-1 and half hours until zucchini is soft.

Wow, you have been busy Akasha! Thanks for posting all those recipes... they look great and have inspired me to spend some time cooking today!

Looking at your cheesecake recipes reminds me of when I was experimenting with them a few weeks ago. I always feel like "something" if I'm watching a movie at night, but can never find anything I want to eat (yuck to meat at that time of night). So I came up with these variations on the cheesecake theme:

ADULTS ONLY CHEESECAKES

Use the basic cheesecake recipe (ricotta or cream cheese, diet jelly, about half a cup of boiling water). Dissolve the jelly in the water, then zoom all together in the blender until smooth. Pour into muffin molds (or small glasses) ~ 6 serves should be around a 50g snack portion.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE MOUSSE

To the above add:
3 squares of Lindt chocolate (70% cocoa minimum) dissolved in hot water
30 ml Cointreau or Grand Marnier

These are rich, chocolate-orangy decadent desserts!

IRISH COFFEE MOUSSE

To the original recipe add:
1 tspn coffee powder (or to taste)
1 packet sweetener (or to taste)
30 ml Irish or Scotch Whisky

If you love an Irish coffee after dinner, this one hits the spot!

The carbs are increased by the alcohol, but when you divide it by the number of portions, it's not bad.

These can also be good if you have friends over and are looking for a dessert option. Served in fancy cocktail glasses, topped with a bit of whipped cream and some shavings of Lindt chocolate, no one would know they're actually low carb!

they look lovely, very flash