We couldn’t believe that N!CK’S Swedish Style Snack Bar had no added sugar (and just 2g sugar overall).

The line was developed to conform with the keto† diet. It provides a full-flavor candy bar experience using non-caloric, plant-based sweeteners; and delivers 14g – 15g of protein to boot.

You’d never know that there was zero refined sugar in these snack bars. The sweetness comes from alternative plant-based sweeteners* that provide sweetness without calories.

They taste great! That’s why they’re our Top Pick Of The Week.

If the flavor we tried (Choklad Peanot) is representative of all three varieties, they provide the experience of a chocolate-coated candy bar while being so much better for you.
 
 
NICK’S KETO SNACK BAR FLAVORS

N!CK’s gives you a keto candy bar experience with low net carbs and high protein. The flavors:

 
All are sweetened with natural noncaloric sweeteners*.
 
The line is vegan.
 
 
THE CHOKLAD PEANOT BAR

To date we’ve only tasted the Choklad Peanot Bar. It’s bursting with fresh peanut crunch and gooey caramel, .

It’s oh-so-satisfying, and so chewy that it lasts longer. Have it with a beverage, and you’ll be full.

We’ve even had them for lunch (there’s 15g protein, after all).

It’s a guilt-free indulgence, worth every calorie.
 
 
GET YOURS

The NICK’s website currently only features only Choklad Peanot Bar.

Amazon has all three flavors.

A box of 12 bars is $335.95. That’s 12 days of yummy snack breaks!

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*N!CK’s products use a variety of plant-based sweeteners, including:
Allulose, a sweetener found in figs and raisins.
Erythritol, found in pears, plums and fermented foods. It can also be made from corn.
Monk fruit, a small green gourd from Asia that has been used for sweetening since the 13th century.
Stevia, from the stevia plant of South America.
Sweet fiber, soluble corn fiber.
Xylitol, also called birch sugar. It is naturally found in fruits and vegetables, and is produced in small amounts by our bodies every day.
 
Check out our glossary of noncaloric sweeteners.

†The ketogenic diet (keto for short) is a low carb, high fat diet that offers many health benefits. Here’s more about it.

[1] The keto-friendly Choklad Peanot Bar from N!CK’S, one of three flavors (all photos © N!ICK’S).

[2] N!CK’S Krispi Nougat Bar.

[3] Karamell Choklad bars. The bars are sold in boxes of 12.

[1] A sweet potato pizza with caramelized onions, copressata and balsamic glaze (photo and recipe © DeLallo).

[2] Sweet sopressata, a dry salami from southern Italy (photo © Our Harvest).

[3] Mascarpone, rich and creamy (photo © Vermont Creamery).

[4] Provolone cheese is a close cousin of mozzarella. Both are stretched-curd cheeses, called pasta filata (stretched paste) in Italian (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

For National Potato Month, September, go beyond the Big Three (baked, fries, mashed) and try something new. We’re fond of a white pizza of smoked salmon and sliced potatoes, garnished with salmon caviar. But today, we’re making a sweet potato pizza. It’s an Old World-New World fusion food: pizza from Italy, potatoes from the Americas.

The lively meld of flavors include sweet potato, caramelized onions, sopressata, mascarpone cheese, provolone, fresh sage and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

Sopressata (also spelled soppressata, sopresseta, soprasata and sopresatta) is a dry Italian salami made from coarsely ground pork sausage seasoned with garlic, savory spices and whole black peppercorns.

If you can’t find it, substitute prosciutto di Parma or any dry Italian salami.

> The history of potatoes

> The history of pizza
 
 
RECIPE: SWEET POTATO PIZZA WITH CARAMELIZED ONION, SOPRESSATA & BALSAMIC GLAZE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

If you have ready-to-use pizza dough, skip Step 1.

1. COMBINE the flour mix and yeast packet in a large mixing bowl with 1-1/4 cups of lukewarm water. Stir with a fork until the dough begins to form. Knead by hand for 3 minutes, or until the dough is soft and smooth. Transfer to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (After this step, you can refrigerate for use within 1-3 days.)

2. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Wash the potatoes and poke holes using a fork. Brush with oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 1 hour. Meanwhile…

3. HEAT a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter; then turn down the heat to low. Add the onions and stir to coat with the butter. Spread the onions evenly in the pan and cook, stirring occasionally. After 10 minutes, sprinkle them with salt. Cook for 30 more minutes, or until caramelized. (Editor’s note: Ours were done in 10 minutes.)

4. REMOVE the sweet potatoes from the oven. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and discard or repurpose the skins*. Pulse in a food processor with the salt. Add the olive oil and purée until smooth.

5. REDUCE the oven temperature to 450°F. Cut the pizza dough in half. Roll out the dough into a circle on a floured surface. Evenly spread the puréed potato mixture onto the dough. Sprinkle with the provolone. Top with the onions, dollops of mascarpone and the sliced sopressata.

6. BAKE for 10-12 minutes, or until the provolone melts and the crust becomes golden brown. Remove from the oven. Allow to rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting.

7. DRIZZLE with the balsamic glaze, sprinkled with sage and serve.
 
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*The skins are where the fiber is. You can slice them and crisp them in a hot pan or add them to scrambled eggs and omelets.

Sure, we love sophisticated foods. Bring on the molecular gastronomy or a plate of foie gras. But we also love the foods of our youth. This year, September 7th is National Ants On A Log Day (it’s held the second Tuesday of the month). So it’s nostalgia time.

We remember the day in our childhood when we were first allowed to place our own “ants” on the logs. Mom had already filled the logs; some with cream cheese, some with peanut butter. But we got to put on the raisins.

Back in those days, the “ants” were always raisins. Our creative mother supplied both purple and golden raisins (sultanas); and once, we remember chocolate-covered raisins left over from Halloween.

Since then, moms have gone further, replacing the raisins with dried cranberries, freeze-dried corn and peas, fresh blueberries, grape tomatoes, olive slices, pretzel sticks, and on and on (photo #2).

Moms had been stuffing celery sticks for some time. Stuffed celery sticks became popular at the turn of the 20th century, as an appetizer for adult gatherings [source].

We may never know who added the raisins and called the result “Ants On A Log,” but the term first appears in the 1950s. Whoever you are: Thanks for putting a fun name on this crunchy snack.

> Here’s more history of Ants On A Log.

For today’s celebration, here’s perhaps the most fun idea of all our recipes below: Goldfish® in a stream (photo #2).
 
 
RECIPE: BEYOND ANTS ON A LOG, GOLDFISH IN A STREAM

This fun creation from Delicious Made Easy via Taste Of Home was made for kids; but grown-ups can enjoy them, too.

In fact, grown-ups can tweak them:

 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix. Spread the cream cheese mixture in the wells of the celery.

2. TOP each piece of celery with 3-4 Goldfish crackers. Sprinkle dried parsley on top.
 

MORE ANTS ON A LOG RECIPES

[1] Goldfish on a log…or maybe, in a stream (photo © Delicious Made Easy via Taste Of Home).

[2] Adult versions: sliced grape tomatoes and olives—and how about a zigzag of pretzels (photo © Cava).

[3] Ants on a raft: romaine leaves, cream cheese, fruits and olives (photo © Aldi).

[4] Snails and caterpillars. Here’s the recipe (photo © Women’s Day).

[1] Acorn squash, an American favorite (photo © Kim Daniels | Unsplash).

[2] Bake an acorn squash and stuff the halves with other veggies, including root vegetables. Here, Brussels sprouts, dried cranberries and sliced almonds atop brown rice (photo © Chef Eric LeVine).

[3] Here’s the recipe from Farmgirl Gourmet (photo © Farmgirl Gourmet).

[4] Butternut squash joins acorn squash as the most commonly found winter squash varieties in grocery stores (photo © Good Eggs).

September 7th is National Acorn Squash Day, celebrating one of the most popular of the winter squash varieties. Known for its compact size, the squash can be baked, mashed, even fried for tempura. Our favorite is simply baked with a drizzle of maple syrup, but we can’t resist any of the recipes below.
 
 
TYPES OF SQUASH

Acorn squash is one of 11 types of winter squash that can be found in American markets. Acorn is joined by banana, buttercup, butternut, delicata, hubbard, kabocha, pumpkin, spaghetti, sweet dumpling, and turban squash.

Winter squash has a very thick skin and can be stored for months. It needs to be cooked.

Summer squash has a thin, edible peel and a limited shelf life. It can be eaten raw or cooked.

There are three species of squash, all native to the Americas:

 
> The History Of Acorn Squash

> The Different Types Of Squash
 
 
ACORN VS. BUTTERNUT SQUASH

These two varieties are most commonly found in markets.

 

ACORN SQUASH RECIPES & TIPS

The defined ribs and deep green color of an acorn squash make it an attractive vessel. The halves can be hollowed out after baking; the flesh mashed and the shells used as decorative bowls for the mashed squash, squash soup, rice, or stuffing. Other favorites:

 
 
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*In addition to referring to the flesh of animals used as food, “meat” also designates the edible part of anything, e.g. a fruit or nut.
 
 

September 6th is National Coffee Ice Cream Day. Our recipe of choice: coffee ice cream sandwiches, made easily from store bought cookies, ice cream and optional Nutella or chocolate sauce. (And if this sounds super-good to you, National Ice Cream Sandwich Day is August 2nd).

Thanks to Hello Fresh for the suggestion!

In some surveys, coffee has dropped off of the favorite ice cream flavors in the U.S. It didn’t make the Top 10 as recently as five years ago.

In a recent study conducted by an online cake shop, coffee at least ranked number 9 in the top ten.

It’s hard to get consistent data across surveys. Even those based on industry data are skewed, because the data is typically based on both foodservice and supermarket figures*.

Here are 15 more ways to celebrate with coffee ice cream, plus recipes below.

> The History Of Coffee

> The History Of Ice Cream

> The History Of Ice Cream Sandwiches
 
 
RECIPE: COFFEE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

You can use whatever type of cookie you like. The best candidates are chocolate chip, double chocolate (deep chocolate or chocolate chocolate chip), oatmeal, snickerdoodle and sugar cookies.

We like cookies that are 3″ or 4″ in diameter, although cookies of 1-1/2″ to 2″ afford the option of two smaller cookies with different cookie flavors.

As an alternative to cookies, a loaf cake is nice. We’ve used carrot cake as well as chocolate or regular pound cake, with a special shout-out to the chocolate pound cake.
 
Ingredients For 2 Cookie Sandwiches

 
Preparation

1. SET the container of coffee ice cream on the counter for 10 minutes.

2. SPREAD 1 teaspoon or Nutella or fudge sauce on the smooth sides of four double chocolate cookies.

3. SPREAD the slightly softened ice cream on two of the cookies and top with the remaining cookies. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to smooth out ice cream. If desired…

4. COAT the sides with sprinkles.

5. PLACE on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before eating.
 

MORE COFFEE ICE CREAM RECIPES

[1] Coffee ice cream sandwiches made with store-bought cookies and ice cream (photo © Hello Fresh).

[2] We prefer artisan brands like McConnell’s Turkish Coffee, which has deep coffee flavor (photos #2 and #3 © McConnell’s Ice Cream).

[3] If you like deep coffee flavor, look for coffee ice creams in “espresso” or “Turkish” flavors. You’re most likely to find them in artisan brands. Some mass-market brands are called “espresso”; you’ll have to see if they measure up to your espresso standards.

*In foodservice—restaurants, cafeterias, etc.—vanilla and chocolate will always be at the top, never trendy flavors that might be in the top 10 of supermarket sales. For example, total retail and foodservice sales in the U.S. combined are $6.22 trillion, while the grocery store sales are $682.86 billion [source].