20 Minute Air-Fried Low Carb Beignet Balls + Sneaker Unboxing
FitMenCook
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is truly a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and enjoying adequate exercise. By experimenting in the kitchen and openly sharing my meals, I learned that healthy eating is hardly boring and that by making a few adjustments, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my personal fitness goals. Our bodies are built in the kitchen and sculpted in the gym.
Short version
Today’s recipe was inspired by 2 things. (1) my recent trip to New Orleans, where I visited Cafe Du Monde and ate the world famous beignets; and (2) one of my favorite sneaker stores in New Orleans – Sneaker Politics – releasing the Saucony Shadow 5000 Cafe Du Monde limited edition pair based off the beignets.
Longer version
Besides food, one of my other greatest joys in life is collecting sneakers. Ever since I was young, I had a deep fascination with sneakers and I dreamed that one day I’d either design my own shoe or open my own sneaker store.
Me in front of my sneaker collection that has spilled into the living room.
For me, sneakers also ignite my creativity in the kitchen. For instance, I frequently challenge myself to make the colors of a meal or a recipe match the colors of a pair of sneakers. It’s an exercise that’s taught me a lot about cooking and helped expand my knowledge of food.
Today, I unboxed the EPIC New Orleans collab between Saucony Shadow 5000 + Sneaker Politics, which pays homage to the iconic Cafe Du Monde cafe and its beignets.
Here
Here I am in front of Cafe Du Monde unfortunately wearing a black shirt. 🤦🏾♂️
What I love most about this particular pair is that it was pretty thoughtful in integrating recognizable elements of Cafe Du Monde in the sneakers.
The green & white sole represents the white/green canopy. The two tones of brown remind us that beignets are golden brown and deep fried. The white laces and “splatters” or “sprinkles” of white on the darker brown represent the mountain of powdered sugar that’s added at the end.
Today, I challenged myself to create a reduced calorie and lower-carb version using 5 ingredients and my reliable air-fryer.
Beignet Balls Recipe
Ingredients for 10 balls
- 1/2 cup all purpose white flour
- SUB: sorghum flour, oat or wheat flour (but it will be more dense and may require an egg)
- 1/2 cup super fine almond flour (NOT almond meal)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (~227g) 2% Greek yogurt
- SUBS: regular plain yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- spray avocado oil
- SUBS: coconut oil, grapeseed oil
- Garnish
- 1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener
- SUBS: Swerve; powdered sugar (but account for the changes in macronutrients)
- 1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener
- Set air-frier oven to 400F (or 375F if it’s a compact air fryer).
- In a bowl, mix together flours, baking powder and salt with a fork.
- Add Greek yogurt and vanilla to the bowl and mix together to form a sticky dough. If needed, add teaspoons of almond flour if it is too thick and sticky.
- Lightly dust the counter, table or cutting board with flour, then add the dough. Kneed the dough – repeatedly flattening and folding it – until is no longer sticky.
- Equally divide the batter into 10 round pieces and roll the pieces into a ball. Add them to the air-fryer basket. If you are using a smaller air-fryer then you’ll need to do this in batches.
- Lightly spray the balls with avocado oil, then bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, watching as the top and outer edges turn golden brown. Be careful not to overcook these, it’s ok if they look slightly undercooked. As they cool out of the oven, they will firm up, but we want them “pillowy.”
- Garnish with powdered sweetener and enjoy with a cup of coffee or green tea!
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