Guilt Free Tiny Clouds of Deliciousness

With a full week of dieting under my belt, I'm proud to say I've lose 11 pounds. Granted, I've cut sodas and alcohol which used to be a regular part of my routine so that's probably a large part of it. I've been trying to cook and eat more at home because I know exactly what's in it and I can keep track of my diet better. 

The hardest part is finding foods that I like that can eat to replace previous cravings. Like chips. BIG problem for me. So I wondered what I would need to get the crispy, saltiness that I craved in chips. I found this really promising recipe for radish chips. I do love radishes, so it sounded perfect. Um, not so much. They are the hardest things to dry out and "crisp." They came out soggier than they went in.

I'm not much of a sugar person, but every now and then I get this INSANE drive for sugar. Like a light sugar cookie or something. This diet has been hell for that. I've been eating white grapes to satisfy my sweet tooth, but unfortunately a fruit allergy keeps me from having very many. That, and white grapes are kind of a medium-level carb on the glycemic index. For the beginning at least, I'm trying to keep to the complex carbs. Anywho, I found this recipe for mini- meringues. I've never had one or really even heard of one, I always thought it was just a pie topping. Turns out if you bake just the egg whites with some sugar and vanilla, they turn into these delicious little crunchy things that melt in your mouth like cotton candy. If you've had one before, just hush and let me enjoy my description for those that haven't. I know I'm probably jumping on the meringue train a little late but whatever. Anyway, they are amazing little clouds of deliciousness. If one could eat a cloud on a pretty day, this is what it would taste like. I thought I'd share the recipe for those of you who are dieting and need a sugar high or have plain never tried one. Don't worry, I dissect the baking lingo at the end for the non-kitchen friendly folks out there. Trust me, ANYONE can make it.

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup of sugar (you'll want to use Splenda if you're dieting or watching your sugar)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract (or almond, it's whatever)

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry (whatever that means). Gradually stir in the sugar, until smooth and not gritty. 
2. Stir in the extract by hand. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon (or pipe, if you're fancy-pantsy) small amounts (like a tablespoon, you can go smaller but you'd have to adjust the baking times and keep an eye on them!!) onto the parchment paper.
3. Bake for 25 minutes. It may vary depending on your oven so keep an eye on them. They should turn a nice golden color and feel smooth and hard on the surface.

OK, to see if the egg whites are stiff, lift the beater and if a "peak" forms and stays, they are stiff. You can add all kinds of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc. into the batter or sprinkle on top. You can also make a cream cheese filling and make meringue-sandwiches. Keeping an eye on these suckers is important, if you overcook them, they burn. If you undercook them, they are more gooey inside. Which is fine if that's what you were going for, buuuut not my preference. Spooning them is not very pretty, so if you're going for 10's in presentation, you can pipe them, or if you're not so fancy or experienced in that sort of thing, try this- take a ziploc bag, fill it with the batter, cut a hole in a bottom corner and squeeze it out into drops. Might take practice, but it makes for prettier drops.

So yeah, as I find more recipes that work for me, I will certainly post them. This makes eating right and losing weight a little easier for me, anyway.