Japanese Coffee Jelly Drink (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free, Paleo/Primal)

I don't see it very often in the United States, but coffee jelly is actually a pretty popular drink in Japan. It's served about a million and one ways over there, but my favorite way to eat coffee jelly is simply by serving it with milk or cream. It makes for an excellent summertime pick-me-up, plus there's something about a glass of jelly that is very refreshing to look at. When you've let it sit for a long enough time, the color of the coffee actually melds with the white of the cream, giving the drink a lite, mocha tan. Speaking of mocha, you can add chocolate liquor to the coffee (while it's still liquid) or milk for a nice kick.

One serving of low-carb coffee jelly drink is 2 grams of carbs.


Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1/2 oz unflavored gelatin 
• 2 c freshly brewed coffee
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (paleo/primal) or 6 tsp Splenda (low-carb)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 c almond milk or cream (or a mixture of both)

1. Add sweetener and vanilla extract to piping hot coffee. Stir in the gelatin until completely dissolved. Chill in the refrigerator until soft-set, about 2 hours. 
2. Scoop some jello into a glass cup. Stir in almond milk or cream. Top with whipped cream, if you like.

Nutritional Info (for the entire paleo/primal recipe)

Calories: 217 calories

Total fat: 5 grams (using almond milk)

Total carbs: 30 grams

Dietary fiber: 2 grams

Net carbs (entire recipe): 28 gram

Protein: 19 grams

Nutritional Info (for the entire low-carb recipe)

Calories: 117 calories

Total fat: 5 grams (using almond milk)

Total carbs: 6 grams

Dietary fiber: 2 grams

Net carbs (entire recipe): 4 grams 

Protein: 19 grams