Sugar-free, Low Carb Brown Betty

Note from Cheri: This recipe was given to us by our friend April S. Fields, author of the fabulous book 101 Low-Carb & Sugar-free Dessert Recipes. This recipe is part of an article April did for us about the high cost of low carb dieting. Click here for the full article, more great recipes and money saving tips from April. In this recipe, April cleverly uses jicama, sweetened with sugar-free syrup, as a low carb substitute for apples. Jicama (see photo below), available in most grocery produce sections, is very low-carb and rich in vitamin C. I love April's always inventive ways making delicious low carb versions of favorite traditional desserts. Click here for lots more low carb recipes!

4 cups diced jicama (2 large roots) 1 cup apple sugarfree syrup 2 cups water 8 slices soft breadcrumbs made from Low Carb bread* we used Life-Style® brand for this recipe) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup melted butter 1 cup Brown Maltitol 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice grated zest of 1 lemon 1/4 cup water at room temperature 1 recipe low carb vanilla custard sauce (optional)

Makes 8 Servings Preheat oven to 350 °F. Prepare Jicama by peeling and dicing into bite-sized pieces. Combine diced jicama with apple sugarfree syrup and 2 cups of water. Bring to a rolling boil then turn heat down to allow to simmer for 1 hour or until jicama is al dente. Drain off any remaining liquid. Mix the low carb breadcrumbs with salt, melted butter and 1/2 cup brown maltitol, and divide the mixture into thirds. Place one-third in a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle prepared Jicama with remaining Maltitol, cinnamon, lemon juice, and grated rind, and toss to blend. Place one-half of this mixture on top of the crumbs in the baking dish. Add another one-third of the crumbs, then the remaining Jicama, and a final layer of crumbs. Trickle the water into the side of the dish so as not to moisten the top layer of crumbs. Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake until the top crumbs are browned, about another 15 - 20 minutes. Serve warm with Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce or whipped cream. Effective Carbs: 4 Cups Jicama -- 19.2g 8 Slices Lifestyle Low Carb Bread -- 32 g Total Effective Carbs per entire recipe: 52.04 g ECC Per Serving -- 6.37 g each