Never mind. I deleted my original comment about yoghurt with fruit and walnuts. Yoghurt is a simple carb. I typed without checking.

Our friend group has card avoiders as well. I usually have a bowl of berries (strawberries are the least at 13g/cup) and a really good bar of dark chocolate broken up. Always a hit.

Similar to Cleo, I was going to suggest a tray with options. I think people that have specific concern appreciate choices. I would offer berries, dark chocolate, nuts, and certainly you could add the macaroons.

I do also find coconut to be a love it/hate it food. I am a lover, rest of my family are haters.

Martha has a nice blueberry ricotta tart on almond crust. http://www.marthastewart.com/1047830/blueberry-ricotta-tart

I have a friend who is very anti-carbs for blood sugar reasons, so when she visits, I make a bowl of mixed fruit (mostly berries which are lower in sugars) -- no sugar added -- and a dollop of whipped heavy cream (no sugar added or use stevia). She's quite happy with it.

Thx all. I agree that coconut is, as you say love it/hate it, and I have a feeling they will feel compelled to eat anything special i make that is low carb, no matter what it is. ANd even if it is awful.

I always have a fresh fruit platter, and I do know that Watermelon and Berries are the lowest carb fruits. I guess instead of a platter I can move it over to dessert. Or maybe I will make a platter, include some peaches and such, and let people make their own fruit salad. I was thinking mascarpone, but fresh whipped cream will also make the kids very happy. I only use a bit of vanilla in it so should be fine.

I could also have toppings like low sugar granola, nuts. and unsweetened toasted coconut.

Sort of like a Sundae bar, and in fact I have the cutest little sundae glasses!

I am liking this idea now!

What about going European and serving cheese and some berries? Mmmmmm.....cheese for dessert...

1929, I would except almost every yummy thing I can think of to make involves cheese. For example, my Farro salad has a lot of parm. I also wanted to make a watermelon/cuke/feta salad (Rubik's cube style) but I am wondering if that is too much cheese. Not to mention this time of year tomatoes are sooo good, and Id like to do tomatoes and burrata!

So I am already trying to figure out how to reduce the cheese quotient.

Tentative Menu so far:

Appetizers: Cantaloupe w Proscuitto, mixed nuts ....?

Grilled Marinated Bavette from local yummy butcher

Charlie Bird/NYT Farro Salad

Grilled Balsamic Asparagus

Watermelon/feta/cuke salad or Tomato Burrata?

Dessert - make your own fruit salad sundae...

mixed berries and stone fruit

fresh whipped cream (no sugar, just vanilla and maybe some Grand Marnier)

Choice of toppings: home made low carb granola, toasted sliced almonds, toasted unsweetened coconut

ETA- In Spain, I had a Rubik's Cube fruit salad. The chunks were very very small and so precise. This version looks easier!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cubed-watermelon-cucumber-and-feta-salad-3821717

Fruit sundaes sound great -- my only other thought was whole wheat crepes but you don't really need them.

Not really the time of year for it but I used to make brown rice pudding for my diabetic grandfather -- I loved it too! Brown basmati worked well.

Instead of whipped cream, why not add a bowl of chilled vanilla Greek yogurt as a topping? Delicious and so darn healthful?

Lynn,

I do that when I do a baked apple bar, or would do it for brunch. I think a nice dollop of real whipped cream will be more special and festive for a summer dinner party. Plus I know these guests are specifically concerned about sugar and not calories or other health attributes (having dined with them).

Most vanilla yogurt has a boatload of sugar in it anyway and isn't all that healthful, IMO. Might as well have the whipped cream.

That sounds like a lot of fruit which is still high in carbs. I'd go for a no/low carb appetizer instead like an antipasto platter with cubed cheese, maybe some giardineira, proscuitto, salami, olives, maybe some breadsticks or crackers which your friend can skip.

I googled low glycemic index desserts, and while lots of fruit desserts came up, one site suggested chocolate clusters. Combining a very dark chocolate with nuts would have minimal sugar and plenty of fiber and protein from the nuts to lower the glycemic index. Plus the serving size is small.

Annie, when I googled it, berries were the most recommended low carb fruits. But several sites also listed melon (high water content I suppose).

All in all, the most current advice seems to be that you should avoid juice, avoid any canned or processed fruit, and watch serving sizes in any event.

This is just one guest. So I do want to be accommodating but I am not going to rule out selections that include some fruit.

I've made this lemon cheesecake with lemon curd and it is good and decadant and no one needs to know that it's not all that bad:

http://whatsonparkersplate.com/2013/11/guilt-free-lemon-cheesecake/

I have been a low carber since the 60's and avoid fruit. I third the vote for cheesecake which can be made with Splenda or its ilk. It is also make ahead and usually freezes well. I have used almond flour for the crust. Almond flour at T J's. Wonderful menu.

Those do sound good, and look good, but we don't use any sugar substitutes, and all of us will be eating, too.

I texted them a few days ago because I thought I recalled that the DH ate low-carb, and the wife said that he "usually avoids simple carbs like white rice and potatoes bc of blood sugar issues", but not to worry about it.

So I am going to stick with the menu I have, which only uses fruit from the list "11 Best low-sugar fruits". The fruits only show up in the app.s, which he can choose not to have (I will have mixed nuts too) and the dessert, which he can also forego. In both cases he also controls the portion side (apps on a platter, the fruit as a "sundae" bar.

I'm a low carber too and your menu sounds great. Personally, I don't think you need the watermelon feta salad and the burrata tomato. You have a lot of fruit already, so I would do the burrata tomato as an appetizer along with the cantaloupe, so that your LC guest has an option that doesn't involve fruit (some low carbers avoid tomatoes, too, but you can't avoid everything!). For your main, the steak, asparagus and farro salad is sufficient - no need to go overboard with choices. If you really want to include another salad with this course, I would so with something simple and green, with a vinaigrette (very classic pairing with steak).

Then the berry sundae bar for dessert is excellent! I would suggest offering a wedge of cheese along with the fruit just in case - you don't need a whole platter, just a single large wedge of something special (I would suggest either a well aged Gouda or Parmesan, which are great to nibble with fruit and really don't require crackers or bread the way a soft brie might).

Hmm, not a bad idea re the cheese at dessert. Question though, if i were to have a hard cheese like Gouda or Parm, and not crackers, I would serve it with apples, pears and or grapes. Somehow berries seem odd ... too soft maybe. Do others agree?

I agree.

MtnRdRedux, yes, I agree that the hard cheese would more typically be eaten with an apple or something harder. You could certainly add apple slices to your dessert bar, but I was actually thinking of the cheese as an alternative to the fruit, not necessarily to go with it. Personally, if I had had cantaloupe and tomatoes with my appetizer and a vegetable or two with my main, I would be unlikely to want to eat any further fruit with dessert, beyond maybe a strawberry or two. I would much prefer to end the meal with a nibble of cheese, taken straight, or a square of very dark chocolate. This is extremely typical of low carbers, especially those who adhere to this lifestyle for blood sugar reasons.

okay, got it! Thanks again

I might be too late with this but here goes. I had weight loss surgery and have to avoid simple carbs as well. They will actually make me feel sick. I got this recipe from a website for Bariatric patients and have made it several times for company and Church groups. It always goes over well. I love it as does my diabetic BIL.

https://www.bariatriceating.com/2017/03/skinny-strawberry-pie/