Einka & Lentils Chicken Bake

My doctor has requested I eat more whole grains, something I have eschewed for a decade or more. I told him that was NOT going to do anything for my low-carb diet efforts, but he said in the long run, it would make me healthier. Told him I would try to have them 1-2 times a week in some form or another. I immediately went about ordering on-line the following favorites: Einkorn wheat kernels, triticale, steel-cut oats, buckwheat groats, hard red wheat berries, and some whole barley (not the processed, instant stuff my grocery store carries). I found most items at Bluebird GrainFarms.com but a few I had to get from other sources. For those wondering about the sesame seeds visible in the photo above, Za’atar herb blend contains sesame seeds.

I also ordered a product called Einka and French Lentils from them. What a wonderful discovery! The mixture of Einkorn hard red wheat kernels and black lentils went into a new dish I made tonight. The chicken bake I created with this blend is a variation on a recipe on their website for this product. I changed the dried apricots to dried, unsweetened cranberries (I make myself). I added Swiss Chard to the dish. I omitted the cilantro garnish. I like cilantro, but didn’t think it would be particularly compliment the Za’atar and thyme.

Because whole grains are high in carbs, even with the fiber ‘knock-off’, clearly this recipe is not suitable until you reach weight-loss maintenance on your plan, and should only be indulged in on the rare occasion. This recipe is not suitable for Paleo/Primal folks who avoid both grains and legumes.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. light olive oil

½ c. red onion, chopped

1/3 c. dried cranberries, no added sugar

1 c. Einka and Lentils from BluebirdGrainFarms (no other ingredients in this product)

2 c. homemade chicken stock (no salt added)

1tsp. (total) Za’atar herb blend

1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 T. fresh thyme, chopped)

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

1/8 tsp. sea salt

¼ c. sliced almonds (or walnuts)

4 leaves Swiss Chard, stems removed

2 leg quarters, skin on (mine totaled 12 oz)

1/2 large chicken breast (7-8 oz.), cut in half

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. On your stovetop, sauté the red onion in 2T. olive oil until tender. Add the cranberries, salt, black pepper, thyme and half of the Za’atar herbs. Sauté 1 more minute. Add the Einka/Lentil mixture & chicken stock to the skillet. Stir to mix well, simmering for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. Cover pan with tight lid or foil and pop in 350º oven, baking the grain pilaf initially for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and set temperature now to 425º. Remove lid & without disturbing the pilaf too much, check to see there is still little stock (about ¼”) in the bottom center of the pan (add 1/8c.-1/4 c. water to pan if totally dry). Now place the chicken pieces on top of the pilaf. Baste each piece of chicken with melted butter and sprinkle on a dash each salt, pepper and the remaining Za’atar spice. Place skillet back in the 425º oven and bake another 20-30 minutes (time depends on size of chicken pieces). Cook until meat is done. Nearly all liquid will be absorbed at this point. Serve with a green salad or your favorite green vegetable. I chose roasted asparagus to have with ours.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes six 3/4 cup servings (1 pc. chicken). Each serving contains:

450 cals., 21g fat, 34g carbs, 8g fiber, 26g NET CARBS, 25g protein, 204 mg sodium

Swiss Chard & Mushrooms

I grow Swiss Chard in my grow-bag garden out back and it is producing nicely this year. I tried a new sauté with it last night that we just loved. A thumbs up from both of us! If you’re not a fan of mushrooms, you can certainly leave them out here, as I’ve made this vegetable that way as well and it’s quite good. Note: I did not include stems when harvesting the chard from my garden.

I served this alongside pot roast, but you could probably enjoy it with any dish you would enjoy that has spinach. This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal/Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3 slices bacon, thick slice (with grease it renders), chopped coarsely

1-2 T. extra bacon grease (add only if very lean bacon)

2 T. unsalted butter

2 oz. red onion, chopped

6 large fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

8 Swiss chard leaves (8″ long without stem), coarse chop

DIRECTIONS: Fry bacon in skillet over high heat. Add onion & butter and extra bacon grease (if needed) to pan when bacon is almost done. Bear in mind calories/fat count will be lower than shown below if no extra bacon grease is needed). Sauté until onion is translucent. Lower heat to medium and add sliced mushrooms, sautéing until no longer opaque. Sprinkle on black pepper. No salt is needed as the bacon makes this salty enough. Add chopped chard to the pan. Let it just sit atop skillet contents a minute or so, until it begins to wilt. Turn with spatula to wilt the other side. Stir/sauté a couple times until chard is just softened to your desired state. Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

184 cals, 16g fat (cals & fat will be lower if extra grease was not needed), 6g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g NET CARBS, 5g protein, 350 mg sodium

Peach “Coffeecake”

I have some leftover low-carb Cake Donuts to use up.  They are getting a little too dry now to just eat plain,  so I’ll ‘dress them up’ a bit today.   I’ll turn them into coffeecake!  This is just as good made with canned, drained peaches (water pack) if you don’t have fresh peaches on hand.  Frozen peaches work well here, too.    Yes!   Since retiring, my husband always sleeps later than me and Meg (my new little 1½ year old rat terrier-chihuahua mix seen below) who loves to jump in the bed and  wake him up in the mornings.    He loves anything sweet, so he loved these.  This quick coffeecake can also be created with leftover low-carb muffins, biscuits or neutral-tasting low-carb bread slices.

I don’t care for sweets too much, but I try to bake some low-carb sweet treat for my husband once in awhile.  This one is delicious and we both love it.  I make it with berries when I need to cut the carbs even more, but today, I have no berries on hand so canned peaches will do.   This tastes every bit as good as the pic makes it look!  This is not suitable until Atkins Pre-maintenance or Maintenance (the higher carb fruits rung of the OWL carb ladder).

VARIATION:  Use blackberries, raspberries, blueberries (for lower carbs) or perhaps a wee bit of grated apple, sliced pears or sliced plums for about the same in carbs.  Of course, changing the fruit will require you recalculate the net carbs per serving on a food tracker.

INGREDIENTS:

4 my low-carb cake donuts

3 small ripe peaches (1½-13/4″ diameter), sliced thinly

3 T. butter

1 T. + 1 tsp. sweetener of choice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  If not already made up, bake the donuts by that recipe’s instructions and cool. Slice 4 of the donuts in half laterally and place in the bottom of a non-stick cake pan, non-stick tart pan or greased baking dish.  Top evenly with the sliced peaches.  Sprinkle 1 tsp. sweetener on each serving.  Sprinkle cinnamon over all servings.  Dot evenly with butter (about 2 tsp. per serving).  Pop into the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes so the peaches slightly cook.  Serve warm.

NOTE:  You can substitute 4 small slices any low-carb bread for the donuts, but be sure to sprinkle a little extra sweetener on top of them if you make that change.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

217 cals, 17g fat, 19.42g carbs, 10.2 g fiber, 9.22g NET CARBS  (lower using berries), 6.22g protein, 112 mg sodium

Meg wanted a bite, too,  but we don’t give her anything made with artificial sweeteners.  She was happy to sublimate with her squeaky toy.  

Middle Eastern Stuffed Peppers

When they stuff peppers, grape leaves, tomatoes, onions, eggplant or whatever in the Middle East with meat mixtures, they call that food ‘Dolma‘ (or a word similar), which literally means “stuffed”.  The mixture often includes bits of dates or raisins.

I haven’t had these particular stuffed peppers since I lived in Iran but I do cook stuffed peppers with a variety of low-carb meat fillings.  Fatimeh, our maid in Iran made something like this for us one time.    I remember she put raisins in her meat filling, which I thought very odd at the time.  That jacks up the carbs too high for me on my low-carb regimen, since peppers themselves are pretty carb-y.  So I tend to leave out the raisins.   If I think I can splurge a bit, I’ll snip up a few with kitchen shears and add them since they add so much flavor.   Fatimeh also used bulgur wheat in her filling mixture, whereas I used lower-carb hemp seeds.  Even with my changes, the peppers themselves have quite a few carbs, as you can see in the stats below.  But peppers are so good for you, I just don’t care.  I’m just going to have stuffed peppers once in awhile and that’s a given!   One of these is a serving and fills me right up. 

These are suitable once you get to Phase 2 Atkins.  Keto folks can probably fit these macros into their day with menu planning.  These are also suitable for those following Primal or Paleo programs.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 medium-large green peppers (or any other color you like)

20 oz. lean ground beef

2½ oz. onion, chopped

3/4 c. chopped parsley

1   14.5-oz (total) can diced low-sodium tomatoes

3 T. hemp seeds/hearts

1 tsp. each turmeric, dried mint and dried dill

1½ tsp. ground cinnamon

Dash each salt and pepper

VARIATIONS:  Use ground lamb instead of beef.  Use cooked lentils instead of hemp seeds (carbs will go up with lentils).  If you can are in maintenance and can afford the extra carbs, add 2 T. snipped raisins to the meat mixture before filling the peppers. 

DIRECTIONS:   Cut the tops off the peppers.  Pull out the seed cluster and discard.  Save the “lids” if you want to use them for plate presentation, otherwise, chop the flesh and save all but the stem in a baggie in the refrigerator for future pepper needs.  Parboil the peppers in a braising/soup pot of water 1″ deep for just 2-3 minutes to slightly cook them.  Carefully drain off water and stand the peppers cut-side up in the pot.  Set aside for now.

For the filling, in a skillet over medium-high heat, brown the meat and onion together.  Add half of the can of tomatoes (just solids) to the meat and stir.  Add all remaining ingredients and simmer 5 minutes to cook off any water in the tomatoes.  Preheat oven to 350º while you are simmering the meat.  After 5 minutes of cooking, spoon the meat filling equally into the peppers.  Place pepper “lids” on top if using. Pour the remaining diced tomatoes and their liquid down into the bottom of the pan around the peppers as shown below to help the peppers remain moist during cooking.  Pop your cook pot into a 350º oven for about 40-50 minutes.  The amount of time will depend upon the size of your peppers and the thickness of the pepper “walls”.  Bigger/thicker peppers will take more time.  If they look like they are about ready to  collapse, they’re done!  As the filling is totally cooked, you just want to cook the peppers until they are tender and not fall-apart stage, so keep an eye on them (ovens vary).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 stuffed peppers, each contains approximately:

391 cals, 22g fat, 17.07g carbs (from the tomatoes and peppers), 5.9g fiber, 12.17g NET CARBS, 32.7g protein, 443 mg sodium

French Chicken Provençale

This family favorite is Atkins friendly and I made it again for dinner last night.  I thought I’d repost this delicious dish for those that are new to my site.  Be sure to omit the wine if you’re still on Induction Phase of Atkins program.   Got to be honest, it won’t be as good without the wine, so you might want to hold off until you’re out of Induction to try this one.   

I serve this dish to company often and it’s always a hit!     I actually won the Galveston Daily News Holiday Recipe Contest with this recipe back in the 80’s.  You can actually make this dish ahead of time, holding off on adding the bell pepper and tomatoes upon reheating for just 1-2 minutes after guests arrive and you’re ready to plate up for service.  Thicken the sauce with the butter past at the very last minute.  When I have company, I usually just use a whole cut-up chicken, minus the back, which I boil for chicken stock for adding to the sauce if needed,.  If not, the stock goes in the freezer for future uses.   

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. chicken breast, skin on (cut into 4 servings)  (I often use 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs & 1 breast)

4 slices of thick-slice bacon (1″ pieces), or dry-cured Smoked Country Ham, if you have access

1/2 c. chopped onion

4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

2 lg. cloves minced garlic

1.5 c. chicken broth or water

1/4 c. dry white wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction)

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 small bay leaf

1/2 c. green bell pepper cut into strips

4 plum tomatoes, cut into large wedges.

2 T. butter blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum

DIRECTIONS:  Brown the chicken in a skillet heated up with 1/4 c. olive or coconut oil.  When both sides are nicely browned, remove chicken pieces from the skillet to a platter.  Brown the bacon, onion, mushrooms and garlic in the same skillet in the same drippings.  When veggies are tender, add chicken pieces back to the skillet, skin-side up.  Add water, wine, thyme and bay leaf.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes until chicken is done and veggies are tender.  Add 1/4-1/2 cup stock only if you feel the dish is too dry at this point.

Finally, the last 4-5 minutes of cooking, and right right before you plan to serve, add the bell pepper and tomato wedges.  Cook another 2-3 minutes only, as you don’t want the peppers to lose their pretty green color. You want the tomato wedges slightly softened but not falling apart.  The bacon/ham usually makes this dish salty enough without extra salt addition.  Thicken with 2 T. butter that has been softened and blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum.  Stir in slowly, simmering for 1-2 more minutes.  Dip chicken onto serving platter and ladle the sauce over the meat.

I serve mine over a generous helping of buttery Mashed Cauliflower.  In my pre-low-carb days, this dish was served over now-verboten mashed potatoes.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:   Makes 4 servings of 4 oz. meat each

Each serving has 504 calories, 33.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 1.9 g fiber, 40 g protein, 6.1 g NET CARBS

Khoreshe Bademjan (Iranian Eggplant Stew)

This dish is known as Khoreshe Bademjan in Iran.  Khoreshe means roughly gravy or stew in Pharsi or Farci, the Persian language.  Bademjan means eggplant.  I lived in Teheran from 1958-1960 and I was introduced to some amazing food during our stay.  My father was USAF assigned to teach their fledgling air force how to fly the F-84’s and F-86’s we sold to Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was still on the throne.  Our maid, Fatimeh, cooked this for her daughter’s wedding feast, which our family was invited to attend.  I got to watch her prepare it from start to finish in HER home.  What a fun experience it was!  This dish is but one delicious example and can be made with either beef or lamb.  It is equally good with both.

Traditionally this dish it would have 1/3 cup of one of the following dried fruit added (only allowed on fruit rung of Atkins OWL phase, so it is not included below or in the nutritional info):  raisins, dried apricot halves, dried cherries, dried peach halves, or dried prunes.  In my pre-Atkins days, I even used craisins in this successfully.  But now I make it without the fruit……though it is not nearly as good without, I have to admit.  It was also traditionally served with indescribably delicious Iranian rice, with its unique nutty flavor.  There is no other rice quite like it, not even basmati, so my parents shipped 100# of it back home with us when we returned to the U.S..  They would likely also serve this with Iranian Noon, a sheet bread made with whole wheat flour that is cooked on scorching hot pebbles in an open oven, giving it a smoky tandoori taste to me.  got to sop up that delicious gravy with something, non?

I did not post a photo of this dish when this recipe was originally published, as it is not a particularly attractive dish.  But when I made it last night, the eggplant held together a bit bitter and I have now added a photo.  Trust me, what this dish lacks in looks, it makes up for in the flavor department.  I have tried this dish with Kubideh ground beef/lamb meatballs and that is good, too, but not how Iranians cook it.

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. eggplant (I often use more), cut in 2″ cubes

1½ lb. chuck

3 oz. onion, sliced or chopped

4 plum tomatoes, quartered

2 T. olive oil

3-4 sprigs fresh parsley

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. turmeric

pinch salt and pepper

3-4 cups water or chicken stock (total)

DIRECTIONS:  Cut up chuck into 1½”-2″ cubes.  Cut eggplant into 2″ cubes (do not peel).  Brown meat on all sides in olive oil in oven-proof skillet.  Add onion and cook just a couple minutes.    Add tomatoes and eggplant cubes.  Lower heat and cook 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add parsley and spices.  Stir in half the water/stock.   Cover with tight-fitting lid and bake in a slow  325º oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, approximately.  Mid-cooking, lift lid, add rest of water/stock, stir gently.  Recover and finish cooking.  It is done when the eggplant is soft but not reduced to mush.   For yourself and all low-carbers, serve  over steamed cauliflower.  For your non-ANA guests, they will want to serve it over steamed basmati rice.

A lovely side dish to enhance this, is sliced, butter-seared banana halves.  Trust me, the sauteed bananas are to-die-for with this dish!  The bananas always WOWS my dinner guests when they taste them with this stew (or any curry).  If you’re an eggplant fan, you are going to LOVE this recipe!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains:

301 cals, 12.7g fat, 6.7g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 4.2g NET CARBS, 39g protein, 137 mg sodium

Eggplant Lasagna

When I defrosted my spaghetti sauce for tonight, I didn’t just want to make spaghetti.  I bought a beautiful eggplant yesterday, so I decided to throw it all together into one of my fav Italian dishes.  It always comes out real tasty.  This dish is Induction friendly if you can fit the carbs into your day.  🙂  I find with the cheese, this dish is salty enough without added salt. This is not a particularly large recipe, so if you want extra so there will be leftovers for freezing, I would recommend doubling the recipe.  This recipe is not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 OWL.  It is suitable for Primal if you eat occasional dairy, but not for Paleo due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz. eggplant

1 T. olive oil

1 c. low-carb spaghetti sauce with meat  (I use homemade, my recipe here)

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

4 T. Parmesan cheese

1/3 c. ricotta cheese

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or ¼ tsp. dried)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 400º.  Stem the eggplant and slice into ¼” slices.  Oil sheet pan with olive oil and place each slice on sheet, coating both sides of them with oil as you go.  Bake until eggplant is nearly done, turning once (takes about 8-10 minutes on a side.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 350º.  Layer half the eggplant slices on the bottom of a well oiled baking dish.  Spoon half the spaghetti sauce over the top.  Evenly spread all the ricotta cheese on next.  Now sprinkle on half the mozzarella followed by 2 T. of the Parmesan.  Spread the chopped basil on next.  Now place the remaining slices of eggplant on top, reserving out one nice slice to decorate the top of the dish.  Add the remaining sauce. Sprinkle on the remaining mozzarella and then the Parmesan cheese.  Place the last slice of eggplant center dish and pop into 350º oven for around 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Garnish with colorful fresh basil leaves if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

294.3 cals, 19.7g fat, 11.13g carbs, 3.65g fiber, 7.48g NET CARBS, 19g protein, 250 mg sodium

Oatmeal Cookies

Made my hubby some delicious oatmeal cookies this morning.  He’s been asking me to for some time, so I finally got around to it.  These are kind of chewy and remain so after they cool.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these and have used this basic cookie dough for many cookie variations over the last 2 years. So far I have done variations with fresh cherry, pineapple and pecan, dried prune , currant-spice, pumpkin, and chia-chai .  All have been delicious.  If you’re tired of dry/brittle cookies and seek a low carb cookie that is moist and chewy, this one you really need to try!  They also freeze well and are even chewier when eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE OTHER SWEETENERS FOR THE SUGAR-FREE HONEY IN THESE OR THEY WILL NOT COME OUT CHEWY!  I discovered that the hard way. Real honey will work, but will also jack up the carbs considerably!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (substitute 100% certified gluten-free oat flour for a gluten-free version)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. granular Splenda (or equivalent sweetener to = ½ c. sugar)

1 T. erythritol

½ c. chopped pecans

½ c. rolled oats (100% certified gluten-free if you require that)

½ c. melted coconut oil or butter (or any combination)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (NO SUBSTITUTES or they won’t be chewy)

5 chopped dried prunes (much lower in carbs than raisins)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl measure in all dry ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, stir the almond butter and oils together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Add the chopped prunes  on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   Roll dough into 28  1″ balls of dough and place them onto parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.  Leave 1″ space between cookies as they don’t spread much during cooking.  Press balls down slightly flat to about a 2″ circle and pop pans into preheated 350º oven.  Bake for about 7-8 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and prone to crumble more.  Remove from oven and COOL COMPLETELY on the pans before removing with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when cooled. Store in an airtight container on counter or freeze up t 1 month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

120 cals, 10.4g fat, 6.03g carbs, 2.21g fiber, 3.82g NET CARBS  (without prunes, 5.18 g carbs, 2.10 fiber, 3.08 NET CARBS), 2.82g protein, 58 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: If you have real honey (too high in carbs) but really don’t want to run to the store or order sugar-free honey, I have a solution inspired by a recipe I saw on Birgit Kerr’s blog Birgitkerr.blogspot.com.  My recipe is to simply boil for 2-3 minutes: ¼ c. erythritol, 2 T. + 1 tsp. real honey and 1 pkt. stevia (or Splenda).  Cool (thickens as it cools) and put in airtight jar.  My version is here if you want to print a copy: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/imitation-sugar-free-honey/  TIP:  If it crystalizes in your pantry over time, just soften in the microwave on DEFROST for 1  minute or plunge into a pot of slow simmering warm water a minute or so before using.

Lebanese Baked Chicken (Frarej)

This recipe has been one of my most popular and most visited recipes to date.  Our best friends in Dallas have taken us several times to a wonderful little Lebanese restaurant over in Ft. Worth named Hedary’s.  Family-operated for many years, I can say their tabouleh  salad and kebabs are to die for!  So is their slow-roasted baked lemon chicken known as Frarej.  For those tables positioned close enough to do so, they used to serve their fresh-baked pita bread all the way from behind the counter on long, paddled poles.   Don’t know if they still do that, but is sure was fun to watch!  Next time you’re in Ft. Worth, give Hedary’s a try!  But in the meantime…………………..experience their delicious baked chicken at home! This Induction friendly version of their ever-popular lemony chicken dish is slightly changed.  The original dish has potato wedges, so I always substitute rutabaga or turnip wedges to keep the carbs reasonably low.  I did not include the root vegetables in the nutritional info below as I don’t always include them in the pan.  I tend to vary the vegetables I use based on what I have on hand.  So be sure to calculate the veggies you add (and consume) over and above what I consider to be the base recipe of onion, garlic and tomatoes.  If you have family that are not on Atkins, I would definitely use a few wedges of potato for them, as they soak up those tasty pan juices like a sponge and are sooooooo tasty.

My rendition is very close to the inspirational dish from Hedary’s, though I must confess, not QUITE as good.  This meal is easy to prepare and the oven basically does the work for you!  Gives a whole new meaning to “Set it & forget it”.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

4 T. olive oil

1 cut up whole chicken or 8 pieces

4 oz. onion cut into wedges (separate layers)

2 Roma tomatoes cut into wedges

6-10 cloves garlic, (leave half of them whole, mince the rest)

½ tsp. oregano

Juice of 1 lemon

Dash salt and pepper

OPTIONAL: Carrots and wedges of rutabaga or turnips (for non-low-carbers, potato wedges)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 500º.  Cut up chicken into separate pieces making 8 pieces in all.   I never use the back as I simmer that for broth to freeze for other purposes or it becomes dinner for my dogs.  🙂  Drizzle 1 T. of the olive oil on the bottom of a very large baking/roasting pan (I use a 12 x 15 stainless steel metal pan).   I do not recommend glass/ceramic wre for such high temperature cooking.  If you don’t yet have a really large, good quality stainless steel roasting pan, I think it is one of the single most important investments you can make in your cooking tools.  Place chicken skin side up  in the pan.  You don’t want any overlapping or crowding.  I do not recommend using a glass or ceramic baking dish at the very high temperature called for in this recipe.  Glass can be unpredictable, can even break, above 450º.  Crowding of this chicken and the surrounding veggies will result in deeper pan juices around them and that will impede crisping of the chicken.  Place tomato wedges around and in between chicken pieces.  Do the same with the onion pieces and add the garlic.  If using the root vegetables, cut them up and place them evenly around the chicken.  Squeeze the lemon over everything in the pan.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over the pan contents as well.   Lightly sprinkle some oregano over all (about 1/4-½ tsp, I don’t measure it).   Bake 30 minutes at 500º.  Baste with pan juices, lower heat to 350º and bake another 20 minutes or to internal temperature of the chicken is 170º on a meat thermometer.   Baste with pan juices just before serving if desired.  I like to place the juices in a gravy boat and have it on the table for basting the drier breast meat.  If there are any juices leftover, I freeze them and add them to the bottom of the pan next time I make this recipe (which is often!).  I like to serve this with a Tabouleh parsley salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: (does NOT include the optional potato, turnips or carrots).
Please note, these numbers are only approximate, because the actual counts will vary depending on which pieces of chicken and which roasted veggies you eat.

Serves 4, each 2-piece serving contains:

447 cals, 30.4g fat, 7.98g carbs, 1.1g fiber, 6.88g NET CARBS, 34.8g protein, 39 mg. sodium

Strawberry Flax Muffins

A delicious afternoon or breakfast treat for your family.  And at less than 3 net carbs per muffin, you can’t go wrong compared to a high carb muffin, that’s for sure.  I’m making a pan of these today to have for a quick breakfast with coffee.  They are similar to the famous Atkins One-Minute Muffins, so I think you’ll like them.  Be sure to wait until you get to the nuts rung of the Atkins carb-reintroduction ladder to enjoy these due to the almond flour in them.   

INGREDIENTS: 

2 c. flax meal

1 c. almond flour

1 T. oat fiber (omit for gluten-free version)

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

½ c. erythritol (or equivalent sweetener to equal ½ c.+ sugar)

½ c. granular Splenda (or equivalent additional sweetener of your choosing)

6 T. melted butter

¼ c. heavy cream

1 tsp. vanilla

6 large eggs, beaten

10 oz. coarsely chopped fresh strawberries

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325º.  Melt butter in small saucepan or in microwave.  In a large mixing bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients and stir.  Add the melted butter, cream, vanilla and beaten eggs.  Stir well. Add berries and stir again.  Let batter sit for 3-4 minutes and it will thicken up.  If it seems thicker than muffin batter, thin with a bit of water, but it should be pretty thick.  Grease well or line 15 regular-size muffin cups with paper liners.  I use silicone muffin pans with medium-sized muffin slots, so the paper liners come just up to the very tops of the slots.  If you use a muffin pan with the larger slots, you will probably only get 12 muffins from this batter and will have to recalculate nutritional numbers. 

With a 1/3 c. measuring cup, scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each prepared slot, scraping the batter out with your finger in necessary.  Cups will be virtually full, as this batter doesn’t rise much during cooking.   Equalize the remaining batter among the cops as evenly as possible.  Pop into preheated 325º oven and bake for around 35 minutes.  Do not over brown baked goods with flax or it gets dry and bitter in my opinion.  The muffins should spring back when touched in the center.  Cool slightly and enjoy warm with coffee or tea.  As with all sugarless baked goods, be sure to store leftovers in the refrigerator in a plastic bag to avoid spoilage.  These muffins freeze nicely for up to a month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 15 small muffins, each contains:

161 cas, 13.7 g fat, 5.93 g carbs, 3.57 g fiber, 2.36 g NET CARBS, 5.66 g protein, 239 mg sodium

Einkorn Herb Biscuits

These biscuits were inspired by a recipe for Garlic Butter Keto Bread at Eatwell101.com. I made some changes in ingredients, amounts and how I baked them.  The final product was so good I felt compelled to post it on my blog for you all to try some time.  This recipe with my modifications is not suitable until you are adding back grains during Atkins Phase 2.  These were very filling and we could only eat one, which is good, because they are a little higher in carbs than most of my breads.  But they were delicious!  I served them with lobster tails and salad tonight.

Many of my recipes are showcased in Volumes 8 and 9 of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  As always, included in both editions are tasty new creations of Chef George Stella and my dear friend, Jennifer Eloff.   You can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leave a review here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. butter

2 T. parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. poppy seeds (optional)

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour (omit for slightly lower carbs)

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder

2 oz. cream cheese

2½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

3 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:  In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir in the parsley, garlic and poppy seeds (if using).  Set aside for now.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Lightly oil a 9″ cast iron skillet (I used an ebilskiver pan) or 7 slots of a large-muffin pan.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.  On a paper plate, measure out the dry ingredients and stir.  Set aside.  In a large glass bowl, place the mozzarella and cream cheese.  Microwave the cheeses on high for 1-2 minutes to melt well. Remove and stir well with a fork.  Add the eggs and dry ingredients all at once and stir rapidly to mix the dry ingredients with the eggs and cheese.  Knead a few times if needed to blend well.    Spoon up about 1/2c. dough and slightly roll.  Place a ball of thick dough into each of seven slots of your pan. Press smoothly down into the slots.  If using a cast iron skillet, place 6 of the biscuits around the outside of the oiled skillet.  Place the 7th roll in the center.  They will be touching when done if not before cooking.

With a fork, dip the melted butter-parsley mixture onto each roll top, pressing slightly down into the rolls with the tines of the fork.  Pop into a 350º oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Turn oven up to 450º and bake for another 5-6 minutes to brown the tops to your liking.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 7 biscuits, each contains:

354 cals, 28.4g fat, 9.55g carbs, 3.14g fiber, 6.41g NET CARBS, 19.4g protein, 355 mg sodium

Pizza Muffins

These lunch goodies are constructed using my Fluffy Biscuits dough for the bottom part of the muffin.  I’m always afraid they won’t cook thoroughly in the center, but they always do.  They are simply delicious!

My husband prefers regular pizza sauce over the thin tomato slices, but I don’t always have any on hand ready made up (or bottled low-carb sauce in the pantry).  I actually prefer the fresh tomato better as I find it less heavy. 🙂  We will be making these again I’m sure!  They are not suitable for Induction.  Use all Jennifer’s homemade bake mix for a gluten free version.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8!  You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order this one  (or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.   Remember, they make GREAT birthday and  holiday gifts!

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Fluffy Biscuits batter

6 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into quarters

12 slices pepperoni

1½ Roma tomatoes

5 oz. pork sausage or ground pork (if you have Italian sausage, omit next 5 ingredients)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed

½ tsp. crushed oregano leaves

2 T. parsley, chopped

Dash coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  If using a metal muffin pan, lightly oil it.  If using silicone, oiling won’t be needed, but bottoms of your muffins won’t brown as nicely.  In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage, breaking it into crumbles as you cook it until it is no longer pink.  Add garlic, fennel, oregano and parsley as it is cooking (or you can just use Italian sausage to begin with, which I didn’t have on hand).  Remove from heat.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Make Fluffy Biscuits dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Divide into 12 portions and place a portion in the bottom of each oiled muffin cup.  Slightly press flat and slightly up the sides.  Add 1 slice of pepperoni to each cup next.  Place ¼ slice mozzarella cheese in each cup.  Place small spoon of sausage mixture in each cup.  Slice Roma tomatoes thinly into 12 slices (less than ¼” or they won’t get done!!).  Again add ¼ slice of cheese to each muffin cup and top off with a final slice of pepperoni.   Pop pan into preheated 350º oven for about 15 minutes, watching closely (ovens vary) so they don’t over brown.   Mine were fully done in the middle by the time they were just starting to brown on top. Serve at once and enjoy!  Two filled me up; the hubs ate three of these for dinner.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 Pizza Muffins, each contains:

237 calories, 19.6 g fat, 4.58 g carbs, 1.91 g fiber, 2.67 g NET CARBS, 12.0 g protein, 510 mg sodium

Banana-Coco-Nutty Candy

I don’t eat many sweets, but when I do, it’s usually a bite of candy of some sort.  I got to thinking about my Peanutty Coconut Candy yesterday, which I haven’t made in ages, and wondered what it would be like with banana in it.  So I mashed one of the beautiful bananas I bought at the store yesterday morning and just took equal amounts of the main ingredients.   That decision made for  some of the tastiest candies!  They are very filling, too, as just one one these takes the edge off my occasional sweet tooth.  I think I may even like this version better than the original peanut-coconut version!  After popping the candies out of the mold slots, I decided to store them in a zip-loc bag in the freezer.  They don’t get hard, just firm and chewy, so they can be eaten straight the freezer!

I used 1″ square silicone candy molds to make mine,  but you could also just roll into balls and if desired, coat with more desiccated coconut.  You could also roll them into balls and flatten like little hockey puck disks.  Maybe even little logs coated with finely chopped peanuts!  HAVE FUN SHAPING THEM!

These are not suitable until the higher fruit rung of the Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance Phase.  They are suitable for Keto diets as well.   The sweetener would have to be modified for this to be acceptable for Primal-Paleo.

INGREDIENTS: 

1     6-oz. banana, mashed

1 c. desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

1 c. natural peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

3/4 c. erythritol (or other sweetener to equal 3/4 c. sugar)

2 pkts. stevia (I used NuNaturals)

DIRECTIONS:   Using a fork, mash the banana in the bottom of a mixing bowl.  I added the juice of a wedge of lemon to prevent darkening, as candy is slow to be eaten in my house.  Add the peanut butter and stir well to blend.

Add coconut and blend it into the mixture until all ingredients are uniformly mixed.  Press into silicone molds, pressing down firmly.  Set mold on a flat pan and place in freezer for about 2 hours.   The mixture will make 28 small 1″ candies of about 1½-2 T. of the mixture.   Your numbers may vary, so I will provide the nutritional values for the entire recipe so you can calculate your per piece figures from the number you get.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    (does not include any additional coconut/peanut coating)  Entire recipe contains 3,034 calories, 239 g  fat, 133 g. carbs, 48.3 g fiber, 84.7 g. NET CARBS, 95.7 g. protein.

If yield is 28 pieces, each piece contains:

108 cals, 8.55g fat, 4.75g carbs, 1.72g fiber, 3.03g NET CARBS, 3.41g protein, 37 mg sodium

Spicy Cheese Cornbread Loaf

I was asked by my husband to cook a pot of pinto beans and ham with some cornbread tonight.  I don’t like to eat such a carb-y meal, so I only ate a couple boiled eggs and 1/2 avocado during the day in plans for the carb-y dinner tonight.   I modified my Jalapeno-Cheese Bread recipe that has been on my website for years now and changed things up a bit.  I added onion powder and a hefty amount of cayenne pepper, along with a small amount of actual cornmeal.   We both LOVED the result!  This bread is not suitable until you reach Maintenance Phase of Atkins, since it has real cornmeal in it.   

This would probably make up nicely as muffins, too.  Muffins will only take about 15-20 minutes to cook.

The corn flavoring I use is, frankly, whatever brand I can find.   Select Products (who bought out Superior Flavors and then shut down their on-line website later.  Superior Products website will still open for me and may accept orders on certain products.   I use their “Fresh Corn” in their Regular Shop, but you have to get the 8 oz. bottle.   I succeeded in ordering 6 small bottles last time OK.  If you have no success placing an order at that site, try this corn flavoring (I have not personally tried):  https://amoretti.com/products/sweet-corn-extract-ws, try the corn flavoring at Naturesflavors.com (I hear it’s good, but I haven’t tried it yet, myself).

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. coconut flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

1 T.  baking powder

1½ c. shredded cheddar cheese (or other hard cheese)

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. granulated onion powder

1/3 c. cornmeal (I use white, but yellow is just fine)

5 eggs, beaten

2 T. coconut oil, melted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. cider vinegar

1 T. + 1 tsp. Fresh Corn flavoring (optional) Source:  selectflavors.com

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a loaf pan well and set aside.  I highly recommend using a piece of parchment to cradle the batter, as my bread is inclined to stick on the bottom at times, even in a non-stick pan!  I can easily get 10 very thick slices out of this loaf.  For those that use over-long size loaf pans (4″x12″) I have had luck with this recipe using both the extra-long loaf pan, as well as a regular loaf pan.  The longer size will back a flatter loaf; the regular will make a slightly taller loaf.    

Measure all dry ingredients and cheese into a medium measuring bowl, stir and set aside.  Add cheese and stir all dry ingredients together to blend.   Add all liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to blend.    Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into greased, preferably parchment-lined also,  loaf pan and pop into preheated oven for 40 minutes in a 5×8″ pan (only 30 min if using a 4″x12″ pan).  Ovens vary, so check center with finger for a dry touch and also do a toothpick test.   Remove and cool in pan a few minutes before attempting to tip out & slice.  Run sharp knife around edges to loosen and gently tip out onto a cutting board. Slice into 10 servings.  

This cornbread should make an outstanding “Cornbread” Stuffing for your holiday turkey, I’m sure.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes ten 1/2″ slices, each slice contains: 

284 cals, 22g fat, 9g  carbs, 3g  fiber, 6 g  NET CARBS, 11g  protein, 272 mg sodium

Butter Sriracha Pot Roast

The pan juices this roast makes, melded with the butter, Sriracha sauce and caramelized onion are so sweet and tasty I spooning it out onto my meat at the table, wasting not a smidgeon.  Sometimes I’ve even been known to lick the pan before I wash the dinner dishes.  I make sure to not use much Ranch seasoning so as not to drown out the magic of the other flavors.  Man, is this roast ever good!   If you’re a pot roast fan, this one is definitely worthy of your time.  I’ll bet you add it to your regular rotation roast recipes.  It’s THAT good!    It’s incredibly simple, too.  For those that shy away from spicy foods, there was a bit of tingle on my tongue, but this was not very hot with Sriracha really.  It wasn’t too hot for me, and I don’t like my food very spicy when push comes to shove.  🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

2¼ lb. beef chuck roast (this is a very small roast)

½ pkg. Ranch Buttermilk dressing powder

3 oz. onion, sliced pretty thin

2 tsp. Sriracha sauce

4 T. unsalted butter, cut into smaller bits

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place meat in suitable pan.  I used a 9×9 square metal pan.  Sprinkle the Ranch powder over the top surface of the meat.  Next top with the sliced onions.  Now invert Sriracha bottle and in a zig zag motion like they do chocolate sauce over desserts in the fancy restaurants, zig-zag about 2 tsp. Sriracha sauce over the onion layer.  Next dot with small pieces of the butter to evenly cover.  Top with a good sprinkling of black pepper.  Pop into oven without a cover and bake for about 2 hours.  Chuck takes longer to get tender.  There is a fair amount of shrinkage, so you’ll only end up with about 2 lbs. cooked meat which will serve 4 people nicely, perhaps even 5.  I’m calculating for 4 adult servings.  Cut meat into thick slices and serve with pan juices (that’s the best part!).  No need to thicken the pan juices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Serves 4 adults, each generous serving contains:

397 cals, 19.1 g  fat, 2.9 g  carbs, 0.2 g  fiber, 2.7 g  NET CARBS, 50.7 g  protein, 432 mg sodium

Steamed Lobster Tails

One of life’s culinary pleasures is lobster, in my opinion.  Only thing that comes close for me would be a grilled-to-perfection 1½” thick ribeye steak.  Both make my mouth water just thinking about them.  We try to move away from Turkey after Thanksgiving, so right now, I’m planning on having lobster for my Christmas feast.   I think a lovely Lobster Bisque, a green salad, a crusty French baguette, and perhaps a lovely Broccoli with Caramelized Onion Sauce this year to accompany the seafood.

The lobster tails I can get at Sam’s  Club usually ship from the Bahamas.   They taste a little sweeter than cold water lobster from New England, in my opinion, which I kind of like.   This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS: 

1.25 lb. lobster tails (yields about 12 oz. tail meat after removing shell)

½ stick salted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:    Put about 1½ cups water in a deep boiling pot and bring to a boil. Run two skewers from the base of the tail up the center of the belly, all the way up to the center of the thickest part to keep the tail from curling during cooking.  When the water comes to a rolling boil, place the skewered lobster (tail up) in the pot.  I usually lean the skewers against the top edge of the boiling pot so they stand upright.  Set a lid on the pot slightly offset to reduce water evaporation, but it really doesn’t have to be 100% closed.     Lower to medium heat and let steam for 7-10 minutes.  Turn off heat, remove skewers and holding shell with one hand, with the help of a kitchen towel or mitt, cut with kitchen shears straight up the belly shell from top to base of tail. Pull sides of tail shell apart and fork out the tail meat (I like to leave the tail fins attached and in tact) right out of the shell.  Splay the tail fins out on the serving planner for a pretty presentation at table.   Another bread option would be my Rosemary Onion Dinner Rolls:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/rosemary-onion-dinner-rolls/

VARIATION:  Sometimes I boil my lobster tails and when I do, I dispense with the skewer step.  I do take the time before cooking to cut all the way up the back (arched concave side) just to the tail fan.  This avoids your having to handle the tails when they are boiling hot out of the water.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings and each contains (including ¼c. of the butter):

367 cals, 23.9 g fat, 2.2 g carbs, 0 fiber, 2.2 g NET CARBS, 34.8 g protein, 1350 mg sodium

Turkey Day Feast

Roaster Oven Turkey

CLICK THE LINKS UNDER EACH PHOTO TO SEE RECIPES:

I meant to post this earlier in the week, but we had company and doctor’s appointments seems like forever.  I want to wish all my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving!  I know you’ll be serving up some delicious low-carb creations.

I’m fond of turkey roasted in my roaster oven as they always come out so moist cooked that way.   This year I’m actually cooking a turkey breast and two thighs instead of a whole bird.  Nobody is visiting and I don’t want too many leftovers.  Roaster ovens are especially nice for extra oven space needed at holiday gatherings.

What turkey would be complete without a good batch of dressing/stuffing?  This recipe, modified to be low-carb, has been in my family for years (high carb version, that is).  I think you’ll like my low-carb version.  I like to bake the dressing separately from the bird as I like the crusty bits on top:

Southern Cornbread Dressing or Stuffing

Although we debate on what side dishes we want to have “this year” with the two basics above, we keep coming back to these two recipes:

Green Bean Casserole

Smoked Gouda Cauliflower

And of course, there must be a sweet, tangy cranberry sauce to top things off.  And why not spike it a bit?:

Bourbon-Pecan Cranberry Sauce

To top it all off, a lovely dinner roll is in order for the holiday table:

Einkorn Dinner Rolls

That just brings us to the pièce de résistance, dessert.  Oh, the dilemma!  I usually decide on light rather than rich and heavy dessert as most folks are stuffed to the brim before dessert.  Although pumpkin pie is typical at my house, I think I’ll be doing a sweet potato pie instead this year.  I just substitute an equal amount of cooked sweet potatoes (mashed) in my regular pumpkin recipe.  This year I’m making a large pie and several small ones to save for later in the the holiday season.  A person can never have pumpkin/sweet potato pie too often in my book.  🙂

Mom’s Light Fluffy Pumpkin Pie

At a time to be thankful for family, friends and good food to share with them, I can’t imagine a more bountiful meal to serve.  May all my readers be blessed with a lovely holiday get together this year.

Homemade “Cavender’s Greek” Seasoning

This is my version of the ever popular Cavender’s Greek Seasoning.  I plan to steam roast a whole chicken tonight for dinner and plan to use this particular spice on this one.  My brother Stephen, a professional chef before he retired, just LOVED his Cavender’s:  in salad dressings, on fish and chicken, and he would even use it on vegetables.  My version is real close to the popular commercial product, but it definitely has a more pronounced garlic/onion flavor and, as with all my spice blends, has no salt in it (I’m very sodium sensitive). I think you’ll  like my version of this delightful blend.  This can be used during all phases of Atkins.  It is also acceptable for other Ketogenic  and Primal Blueprint or Paleo lifestyles.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. dill seed

1 T. black peppercorns

1 T. dried basil

1 T. dried oregano leaves

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 T. granulated garlic

1 T. granulated onion

1 T. dried parsley flakes

1 T. dried rosemary

2 tsp. dried marjoram leaves

DIRECTIONS:   Mix ingredients in a bowl and transfer to a grinder (or your blender).  This may take several batches if using a dedicated coffee grinder like I use.  You want the blend fairly fine.  Store in an airtight lidded jar in a dark spice cabinet with all your other spices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes about 9 Tbsp. or 27 tsp.  Each teaspoon contains:

4.6 cals, 0.09 g  fat, 1.0 g  carbs, 0.34 g fiber, 0.66 g  NET CARBS, 1 mg sodium

Steak Diane

I just this evening discovered that I have two Steak Diane ‘variation’ recipes on my blog, but have never photographed and uploaded the classic recipe itself! How silly of me! Since it’s what I fixed for dinner tonight with some fresh green beans, I thought it about time I did that little thing. So here your are, in all its lovely, lemony deliciousness for your perusal. We just love this simple dish and how the mushrooms soak up the lemon juice and become lemon-y themselves. Although I sometimes add 1/4 cup white or red wine to this dish, I’m not consistent about that addition, so I’ll not include in in the stats below. My mother never added the wine, so the recipe below is at least authentic to HER version of this famous dish. 🙂 You may think an 8oz. strip steak is too much for one portion, but after you trim off the gristle and fat on the outer rim of a strip steak, it will likely only be a 6 oz. steak. I know I cut 3 oz. tough gristle/fat from my steak tonight, so the protein & fat numbers, in reality, were much lower than is shown below. My Fitness Pal, which I now use to calculate my recipes, I seriously doubt, takes the waste into consideration in their food stats.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. unsalted butter

2 8-oz. (raw) steaks (I used NY strips)

¼ tsp. each coarse black pepper & sea salt

2-3 cloves minced garlic (your call)

2 4-oz. cans sliced mushrooms (with juice)

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp. Better than Bouillon Beef Base

½ c. chopped parsley, curly leaf

OPTIONAL: ¼ c. dry white or red wine

DIRECTIONS: Sprinkle the black pepper onto both sides of the steaks. In a large skillet over high heat, melt the butter and sear the steaks on both sides until halfway to the stage you want. We like our steak medium rare, so that was about 6 minutes on a side. Kill the searing action by dumping the mushrooms with their juice into the pan around the meat and lower heat to medium. Add all remaining ingredients, stir as you simmer on medium for a few more minutes to finish cooking the meat and allow flavors to co-mingle. Using a knife, cut into meat to check. Turn fire off when steaks have reached the stage of doneness (check with a knife) your family prefers. If you wish, you can thicken the sauce a wee bit with a sprinkle of your favorite thickener (I used xanthan gum, around 1/16 tsp.). This dish pairs nicely with fresh green beans and mashed cauliflower.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes two adult servings (8 oz. steaks), each steak with sauce contains:

653 cals, 47g fat, 6g carbs, 1g fiber, 5g NET CARBS, 48g protein, 1160 mg sodium (omit salt to lower)

Butter Pecan Toffee Candy

This recipe was inspired by two different low-carb toffee recipes: one called Toffee, by Pami on now-closed Low-Carb Friends forums; one called Heath Bar Candy by Elaine Smith, also on the same closed forums.   I first tried Elaine’s recipe and it basically failed on me, in that when the boiled sugar mix reached the “brown paper bag color” specified in the recipe, I don’t think it had cooked long enough, so the final candy was too grainy and fragile when I tried to get it out of the pan.  Just wasn’t cohesive enough.

So as not to waste the nuts, I basically reheated the candy so I could strain out the pecans and recooked the sugar mix longer, but also decided to add in a little polydextrose, as Pami does in her recipe.  If unfamiliar with polydextrose, you can read about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydextrose I added a few other things as well.  This time I boiled the candy until it would form a nearly firm ball, but still stretchy/pliable, like a stiff caramel or SloPoke candy bar being stretched out (if you ever ate one of those).  In other words, I cooked it to “just short of hard ball stage” in candy making terms, or around 300º-310º on a candy thermometer.  Hard ball stage would end up like peanut brittle, and you definitely don’t want it that hard.

So cooking longer seems to have been what was needed!  The result is very tasty (I’m munching down on it as I type this.  Mmmm.)  The texture is just about like the toffee center of a Heath® bar.  This batch came out VERY close to my Mom’s sugar-based Butter Brickle Candy she made at Christmas every year!  This recipe is not acceptable until the nuts and seeds rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. erythritol, powdered

2 T. hazelnut sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

2 T. caramel sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

¼ tsp. vanilla

2 sticks butter, unsalted (8 oz.)

2 T. water

Dash salt

1/2 c.+ 2 T. polydextrose

2 c. pecan halves, chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:  Liberally butter a 12½ x 17½ sheet pan (even if it is non-stick, butter the pan!).  Chop the pecans and place in a bowl and set by the stove top.  Powder the erythritol in a food processor if you are using granular.  Using a large saucepan (3-4 qt.), melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Place a saucer of cold water beside the stove. Add the erythritol,  polydextrose, vanilla, both syrups, water and salt to the saucepan and whip with a whisk.  It will eventually get smooth (add a T. more water if not) as you bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.  As with most candy-making, you should stir the mixture continuously throughout the preferably with a whisk.  The mixture will slowly change from a slightly yellowish color to a tan and eventually dark caramel color when it is ready.  When the color starts to go browner, drop a few drops of mix in the water and see if it will clump together when you try to form a ball with your finger.  If it won’t, keep cooking and stirring.  Repeat the ball test in fresh water again in a few minutes.    When it will come together and form a ball or clump that feels pretty stiff but is still a little pliable, the mixture has cooked long enough.  Remove from heat.

Very quickly stir in the chopped pecans.  Working just as fast as you can, pour it onto the greased sheet pan, spreading quickly with a rubber spatula out to the edges of the pan.  It will set up real fast, so you really must work quickly.   I have never been able to work fast enough to be able to mark off square pieces with a knife, but maybe you’re faster than I.  🙂  When it is fully set (about an hour) , lift it up with the edge of a metal spatula and break into pieces.  Store in a VERY air-tight container at room temperature, as humidity (even in a refrigerator) really messes this candy up.  It will get softer and grainy if it gets damp.  If in an air-tight enough container, I found mine got a little more brittle on day 2, which pleased me greatly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Because I can’t know how your pieces will break up, an exact nutritional count is virtually impossible.   So I will give you the info for the entire pan full and you will have to estimate based on your number of pieces.  I got around a hundred  1″ pieces, maybe more, I’d guess, which made mine averaged around  0.18 net carbs per piece, or 5 pieces for 1 NC.  Some pieces broke small, some broke off larger.   Although per piece counts are impossible, clearly the count is so low (since polydextrose is full of deductible fiber), I never worry about it. Basically only the pecans really rack up the few carbs that are in this.

Entire batch:  3233 cals, 339g fat, 139g carbs, 121g fiber, 18g NET CARBS (for the entire batch!!), 22g  protein, 199 mg sodium

Dumpling Lasagna

QUICK & DELICIOUS!

I don’t much feel like cooking tonight, so this is what I’ll throw together.  We LOVE this!  I have some small tubs of spaghetti sauce in the freezer that will do nicely here.  This stuff is delicious, so I fix it often.   When I first created this recipe my husband was out of town that night.  It tasted like I was eating real gnocchi or lasagna noodles!!   The next day when he got back home, I told him “You’re not going to believe what I made with my new dumpling recipe!”  Even my husband now loves this mock lasagna as well as the real traditional lasagna preparation.

This recipe quickly made my regular recipe rotation and since its creation in 2014, has hopped right  to the top of the list!   The dumplings hold up well in the sauce and do not break down during the baking process either, (although I always think they will).  This is  so good you simply must try it soon!  You won’t believe you didn’t slave in the kitchen making this scrumptious Italian fare.  This dish is suitable once you reach Atkins Phase 2 OWL, and is is OK for a variety of Keto programs.  It is not, however, appropriate for Primal or Paleo followers due to the dairy.

INGREDIENTS:

(pot of simmering water to make dumplings)

1 recipe my Dumplings

1 c. my meaty Spaghetti Sauce (or low-carb Italian meat sauce of your choosing)

½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ c. Parmesan cheese

¼ c. ricotta cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix up the dumplings per that recipe’s instructions.  Form the dough into 24 small balls about 3/4″ in diameter.  Drop into boiling water and lower to a gentle simmer, cover and simmer for 8-9 minutes, DO NOT LIFT THE LID during cooking.   Drain off the water and pour the dumplings into a baking dish (no need to grease it).  Dot evenly with your spaghetti sauce.   Dot evenly with the ricotta.  Sprinkle the mozzarella over the top evenly and finally, top with the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 15 minutes to heat all and melt the cheese.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

286 cals, 18.7g fat, 13.93g carbs, 6.76g fiber, 7.17g NET CARBS, 21.03g protein, 451 mg sodium

Sofrito

Sofrito is a sauce seen often in Puerto Rican and Spanish recipes.  I have seen many recipes for it, but have never made it myself.  If you’re not familiar with it, you absolutely must try it some time (assuming you like cilantro).  PilotGal on the Active Low Carber forums introduced me to this in one of her recipe shares on the forum.  I finally decided to try it since she ranted about how good it was.  I varied the amounts of the ingredients a wee bit from her original recipe though.  My husband likes bell pepper only marginally.   I was very impressed with the blend of flavors, but I got too much garlic in my first batch.  Most recipes call for green bell pepper, as did hers, but in my second batch, I tried red and really like the sweet edge and color it brings to the mixture.  I use less green onion and cilantro than most, but it is ample for those flavors to strongly come through.  A little parsley added to the mixture and the resulting sauce was delicious!  I can see this versatile little sauce will have many uses in my kitchen. Last night I used it as a dressing on an avocado/cherry tomato salad that was delicious!  Tonight, it went onto pan-seared chicken breasts. It makes a lovely condiment for fish, chicken or beef tacos.  It compliments grilled seafood, chicken and pork and some casseroles, too.  It’s great with some chopped olives and used for olive salad dressing used on a classic  muffaletta sandwich  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdUrvFKnGRs .  I have even dotted a bit into my scrambled eggs in the morning and absolutely LOVE it on eggs!  This sauce is Atkins Induction-friendly.  Some recipes for sofrito include tomato, and you might like to add a seeded chopped tomato to the mix for some uses.  I store mine in a gallon Ziploc® bag in my freezer, flattened out with air removed, and just break off a piece the size I need, like you would break off a piece of peanut brittle candy (something I haven’t done in years).

Here’s a link to the recipes I have tried this tasty sauce in so far and they have all been DELICIOUS!!:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/?s=Sofrito&submit=Search .  No doubt you will think of other creative uses for Sofrito.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

½ bunch of fresh cilantro

4 large green onions, roots removed

4 garlic cloves

2 oz. red bell pepper (or green)

¼ c. parsley

¼ c. extra virgin olive oil (more if you want a thinner sauce)

VARIATION:   Add 1 seeded, Roma tomato.

DIRECTIONS:  Pulse all ingredients in a food processor or blender until chopped and blended.  Don’t pulse too long.  You want it coarsely chopped about like pickle relish.   Store your sofrito in a lidded jar in the refrigerator if not using immediately.  It can also be frozen in plastic bags.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 1½ c. (20 tablespoons), each tablespoon contains:

28 cals, 2.74g fat, 0.88g carbs, 0.24g fiber, 0.64g NET CARBS, 0.24g protein, 10 mg sodium

Peggy’s Original Dumplings

My husband asked for Chicken and Dumplings tonight.  For those low-carbers who miss dumplings and noodles, and don’t find any commercial product to quite meet that need, here’s a recipe you’ll really  appreciate!  Only took 4 years to develop, but I finally got the results I wanted.

When you can’t eat flour, it’s really really hard to make dumplings that will hold together during cooking.  Alternate flours like almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal and a variety of others have left me wanting in the dumpling department.  You name it and I’ve probably tried that alternate flour to make a dumpling.  This is no easy low-carb feat.  I wanted a similar taste and similar mouth feel as the dumplings I made before my low-carbing days.  All attempts thus far have been mediocre, at best, and not recipes I’ve tried on the net have pleased me either.

Somewhere on the web several years ago, someone mentioned glucomannan powder in a discussion.  Not being at all familiar with this product, I ordered some from Netrition.com and began to experiment.  The powder becomes gel-like in water, with a fiber rating to beat the band.  I thought to myself, why not try a dumpling with this slippery stuff?  It might just provide the structure and elasticity I’m looking for.  BTW, glucomannan is also useful for thickening gravies, sauces and puddings.  I’ve even found a tad enhances low-carb cakes, cookies and my bread baking results, both in volume and texture.  I’d love to give credit to my inspiration on this recipe.  I failed to note or remember where I heard about it, or who mentioned it but am very happy they triggered off some experimentation that has led me to this wonderful recipe!

If you’re not familiar with glucomannan powder, it comes from the Konjac tuber, and is used to make shirataki noodles sometimes used in Asian kitchens.    It can be used as a binding agent in some recipes.  It is virtually a zero carb food, in that the fiber content is so high, it virtually negates the few carbs it contains indigestible fiber that passes right out of the body with zero blood glucose  impact.   More importantly, glucomannan adds the structure and elasticity needed for dumplings and noodles.  Thus my experimenting began.

I’m getting more comfortable using this tricky ingredient and have finally come up with a “dumpling” that feels and almost tastes like my flour dumplings of old.  This will now be my go-to low-carb dumpling recipe.  As you can see in the pic above, they hold together nicely during very gentle simmering (unlike all previous attempts), and the gluc powder also slightly releases in to the broth to thicken as they cook.  NICE!

For you “experimenters”,  under no circumstances, increase the oat fiber!!  I did one time and these were a fail.   Not only were they hard as a rock, but they did not absorb any flavor from the chicken broth because of the density.  Trust me, you DON’T want to go there!  This delicate balance of ingredients is really pretty special and all attempts to “improve” them have been disappointing.

These were the best low-carb chicken and dumplings I’ve had in years!  My husband gave these dumplings two thumbs up today, and he’s extremely picky.  They don’t have much taste on their own, but pick up the flavor of whatever broth you cook them in.  The carb count for these dumplings is simply unbelievable for the satisfaction they provide.  Guilt free dumplings at last!!  YAAAAAAY!

The recipe posted elsewhere on my site for chicken and dumplings is good, don’t get me wrong.  But you have to bake the Oopsie rolls separately for that recipe.   With this dumpling recipe, I can stir the ingredients together, drop them into the broth, and the dumplings are simmering immediately!  Much easier!  And you regular readers know I’m really in to EASY cooking.

These work nicely in  soups if made smaller.   I have made small, oblong shapes for marvelous gnocchi served in rich cream sauces.  Some more adventurous cooks are even using pasta extruders and coming up with all kinds of noodle shapes for this dough!  But I don’t own an extruder and probably wouldn’t go to that much trouble for noodles.  Just being very honest.  I’m a lazy cook. 🙂

These dumplings are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins OWL ladder due to the oat fiber, but omitting or substituting for it is just not an option here.   I’m very proud to have developed a dumpling recipe that many who have tried freely admit fills a dumpling/noodle craving void in their low-carb lifestyles.  🙂

My Lobster Linguine recipe is the first time I tried rolling and cutting it into noodles and the final dish was quite good.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1½ T. glucomannan powder (Konjac powder)

1½ T. oat fiber (For gluten-free, use oat flour ground from 100% gluten-free oats)

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ c. +2 T. water

1 extra large egg, 1 jumbo egg, or 2 medium eggs, beaten

VARIATION:  Add 1-2 T. finely chopped parsley to the dry ingredients

DIRECTIONS:   Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork.  Add the water and beat until well blended.  On a paper plate or in another bowl, mix the dry ingredients well.  Slowly sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring with a fork or whisk.  Switching to a rubber spatula, stir and begin to fold the slowly thickening mixture over and over itself until it is a contiguous mass of batter.  it will turn into a drier dough as you mix it up.  I let mine sit by the stove 2-3 minutes.  Then, using a teaspoon, dip 3/4″-1″ dollops of the dough into your palm.  This step is important:  roll them gently in your palms into a ball shape.  I set the balls on my counter or a silicone sheet until all are made.  If you just drop them directly into the broth from the spoon without rolling, they tend to fall apart in the broth during cooking.  If making gnocchi, using your hands, roll the dough into ropes on plastic wrap or silicone sheet and cut into short lengths for gnocchi, if that’s your application.

Remove chicken, meat or large chunks of vegetables to a platter before adding the dumplings to broth.  This allows ample room for the dumplings to rise and swell during simmering.  Have your soup/broth boiling (it will cool fast as you add the cooler dough balls).  Drop the round dumplings/gnocchi into broth.   When all are in the broth, adjust down to medium/medium-low so it will only gently simmer.   This is IMPORTANT, as you don’t want to “rough up” these delicate babies boiling them in violently bubbling broth.  Cover with tight fitting lid.  From the time you cover the pot, set timer for exactly 10 minutes for dumplings (8 minutes for smaller gnocchi).   DO NOT LIFT THE LID or shake pot during cooking.  After 10 minutes  (8 minutes for gnocchi), lift the lid and VOILA!!  They’re done!  You may like thicker stock for your dumplings, but we find but the dumplings themselves usually take care of thickening, as some of the glucomannan in them sloughs off into the broth, thickening it right up.   🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 medium 1½” dumplings (24 gnocchi), each contains:  (halve the numbers for each gnocchi stats)

7.17 calories, 0.49 g  fat, 1.38 g  carbs, 1.29 g  fiber, 0.1 g  NET CARBS, 0.61 g  protein, 55 mg sodium

Swiss Steak

Swiss Steak, it’s what I’m making for our dinner tonight!  This is a dish my mother prepared often when I was growing up.   She served hers with a side of seasoned mashed potatoes, but I serve mine now with a side of seasoned mashed cauliflower.  Just as good in my opinion.  Mom didn’t put the red wine  in her version, but I think it transforms the ordinary into something really special.  You should omit the wine if still on Induction.  The oat fiber I dredge over this meat before browning isn’t actually necessary, but as it only adds 0.25 net carbs per serving and tends to make a much browner, tastier gravy, I usually do so. Your call on that one. You can just brown the meat directly in the oil and save the fraction of a carb from each serving, if you don’t have oat fiber or prefer to not use it.  This extremely nutritious dish is Atkins Induction friendly if you omit the wine and resistant starch coating.

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. beef cube steak, round, chuck, sirloin or flank

1 T. oat fiber (omit for fewer carbs)

2 T. oil of choice

4 oz. sliced onion

1 large green bell pepper, sliced

3 Roma tomatoes, cubed or wedge cut large

Dash each salt & pepper

¼ c. red wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction)

2 c. water (or beef broth)

Small amount of favorite thickener (I use a light dusting of xanthan gum)

DIRECTIONS:  Cut meat into 4 portions.  Pound meat on both sides with a cleaver to tenderize it a bit. Dredge both sides of each piece with the oat fiber.  Heat oil in non-stick skillet and brown over high heat until nicely browned on both sides.  If you prefer, you can omit the oat fiber and sear the meat directly.  The gravy won’t get as brown, but will taste OK.  Add onion and brown a minute or two.  Add bell pepper and tomato, the water (or broth) and wine.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook about 45 minutes to 1 hour.   If you want the meat to get tender, but not to cook the veggies to death, wait 15-20 minutes into the the simmering before adding the bell pepper so it doesn’t totally fall apart.  If needed, thicken gravy with a sprinkle of your favorite thickener, but I find it is rarely necessary when properly cooked down.  Serve topped with a generous portion of the veggie sauce.  This is nice with mashed cauliflower or zucchini noodles.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes four 4-oz servings (meat and vegetable sauce only, no underlayment), each contains:

352.3 cals, 15.75 g fat, 8.3 g carbs, 3.28 g fiber, 5.02g NET CARBS, 40 g protein, 97 mg sodium

Chicken “Risotto”

It’s what’s for dinner tonight!  This tasty dinner comes together in under an hour, start to sitting down at table.  I always buy chicken breasts with bones (or whole), as I stew the bones to strip for adding those bits of meat to my dog’s food and making chicken broth.  But you can certainly use boneless breasts for this dish if you wish to speed up this quick meal even more.  This risotto-like dish is very psychologically satisfying, as well as being quite filling.  My husband and I felt like we were eating real rice or cous-cous!  This creation is extremely low-carb and suitable for all phases of Atkins, other Keto diets, Primal Blueprint and if the wine and cheese are omitted, it is also acceptable for Paleo followers.

INGREDIENTS:

5 T. butter, unsalted

20 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or seasoning of your choice)

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 c. chopped parsley (I used flat leaf, but either type will work)

2 T. white wine (optional)

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 pkg (14 oz) Zeroodles brand Shirataki Rice-Shape Noodles w/ oat fiber

4 T. grated Parmesan Cheese (added at table)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter in large skillet over high heat.  Add chicken strips and begin to brown.  As it is browning, sprinkle with half the Seafood Spice Blend, salt and black pepper. Turn the pieces of meat over and brown the other side.  Sprinkle remaining spices on the side of meat now up.  When meat has nicely browned a bit on both sides, add in the parsley, garlic and wine (if using).  Lower heat to medium and stir occasionally as it simmers for about 5-10 minutes.  Open noodle package and drain in a sieve under running cold water to rinse.  Pour noodles into skillet and stir to blend ingredients well.  Continue cooking another 10 minutes and remove from heat.  Serve at table allowing each serving to receive 1 T. grated Parmesan on top.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

365.3 cals, 22.9g fat, 5.95g carbs, 4.42g fiber, 1.53g NET CARBS, 31.1g protein, 590 mg sodium

Jicama Hash Browns

Here’s a hearty breakfast to start your day off!  Hash browns made with jicama (diced or grated) are very similar to those made with potatoes.  A little crunchy, but the taste is very close.   I love them best with caramelized onion added in.  This was one of the steadfast recipes that helped get me through the difficult initial 2-week Atkins Induction Phase.  They are pretty good with scrambled eggs and bacon/sausage, but I occasionally enjoy these at dinner with steak.  I hope you’ll give them a try sometime.  The difference in texture is not bothersome enough to me to not enjoy the carb “savings” jicama offers over hash browns made with real potatoes.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. peeled jicama, diced or shredded (I like shredded best)

1 oz. chopped yellow onion

2 tsp. bacon grease

Dash salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Grate the jicama (or dice into 1/2″ pieces).  Drain and pat dry with paper towels.  Chop onion.  Melt grease in no-stick skillet and brown the two together, stirring often, until jicama is well-browned.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 large serving which contains:  (Divide into 2 svgs. for even greater carb savings!)

136 cals, 8.7g fat, 13.6g carbs, 6.6g fiber, 7g  NET CARBS, 1.2 g protein, 175 mg. sodium

Curried Meatballs and Cauliflower

My husband wants something “Indian” for dinner tonight.  I thawed some beef and chicken (I often swap chicken and pork in recipes).  We both love those tiny meatballs that appear on Indian restaurant buffet tables, so I decided to make these again tonight.  This comes out really nice and I think you’ll like this dish.  Not at all spicy, so double the jalapeno if you’re into spicy, or add a dash of cayenne pepper.  For the non-low-carbers at the table, this would be delicious served with basmati rice, but it was pretty darn good just as is, with cauliflower standing in for rice.  This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, and would be OK for Primal-Paleo using coconut milk for the cream.

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INGREDIENTS:

½ medium head cauliflower, cut into flowerets

1 lb. lean ground pork (or ground chicken)

½ lb. lean ground beef

1 egg, beaten

2 oz. raw onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp. ground ginger root

1 tsp,. total Garam Masala

1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped (use 2 for spicier dish)

¼ c. cilantro for meat

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

¼ tsp. salt

2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

½ c. cream + ½ c. water

1-2 T. more chopped cilantro for sauce

Dash curry powder

2 T. coconut or olive oil for browning meatballs stove-top (or bake them on non-stick pan)

VARIATION:  Add ¼-½ tsp. crushed dried mint to meat mixture (or 6 fresh leaves chopped).  you can also use ground lamb in this recipe for a more intense meat flavor.

DIRECTIONS:  Cut up cauliflower and partially cook in boiling water until just half tender.  You want it under-cooked as it will cook more once in your skillet sauce.  Drain and set aside for now.

In a food processor, pulse to a smooth mixture both meats, the egg, onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, ¼ c. cilantro, turmeric, salt and ½ tsp. of the Garam Masala spice blend.  Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (medium if not using a non-stick pan).  You can also bake the meatballs if you prefer to eliminate the need for any coconut oil (for about 20 minutes at 350º).  Form into twenty 1½” meatballs. Brown them rotating gently as they brown.  Spoon/drain off excess grease, if any.

When meatballs are nice an golden and almost done through, add the cream and water to the pan.  Using a silicone spatula, scrape up any brown bits off the pan so it will make the sauce richer.  Add chopped tomato, the final bit of the cilantro (and dried mint if using), dash curry powder and the rest of the Garam Masala spice.  Gently stir in the cauliflower chunks, coating each with sauce.  Simmer on low heat until thick to allow flavors to meld together nicely.  If the sauce is not thick enough for your taste, dust with the tiniest dusting of xanthan gum or your preferred thickener.  Work it into the sauce with your spatula until it has done a proper thickening job.  It will not take much at all.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 5 servings (4 meatballs each with 1/4 cauli/sauce mixture).  Each serving contains:

428 calories, 33 g fat, 9.36 g carbs, 3.64 g fiber, 5.72 g NET CARBS, 25.5 g protein, 258 mg sodium

French Chicken Provençale

I am cooking up a batch of this scrumptious chicken for our dinner tonight.  This is, bar none, our all-time favorite chicken dish.  This family favorite is Atkins friendly, so I hope all my Atkins followers enjoy this one.  Omit the wine if you’re still on Induction.  It won’t be quite as good without the wine, but acceptable. 🙂 This dish is always a hit with company and really pretty simple to make.  I actually won the Galveston Daily News Holiday Recipe Contest with this recipe back in the 80’s.  You can actually make this dish ahead of time and just add the bell pepper and tomatoes for a brief simmer after guests arrive, thickening the sauce at the very last minute.  When I have company, I usually just use a whole cut-up chicken, minus the back, which I boil for chicken stock for my freezer.

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INGREDIENTS:

2  extra-large chicken breasts, skin on (cut into 4 servings)  (or 4 serving any pieces you like)

4 slices of chopped bacon or dry-cured Country Ham, cut into 1″ pieces  

1/2 c. chopped onion

4 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms

2 lg. cloves minced garlic

1.5 c. chicken broth or water

1/4 c. dry white wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction)

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 small bay leaf

1/2 c. green bell pepper cut into strips

4 plum tomatoes cut into large wedges.

2 T. butter blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum

DIRECTIONS:  Brown the chicken in a skillet heated up with 1/4 c. olive or coconut oil.  When both sides are nicely browned, remove chicken pieces from the skillet to a platter.  Brown the bacon, onion, mushrooms and garlic in the same skillet in the same drippings. If using Country ham, soak an hour in warm water to remove excess salt before chopping & browning.   When veggies are tender, add chicken pieces back to the skillet, skin-side up.  Add water, wine, thyme and bay leaf.  Cover and simmer 30 minutes until chicken is done and veggies are tender.

Finally, the last 4-5 minutes of cooking, and right right before you plan to serve, add the bell pepper and tomato wedges.  Cook another 3-4 minutes only, as you don’t want the peppers to lose their pretty green color. You want the tomato wedges slightly softened but not falling apart.  The bacon/ham usually makes this dish salty enough without extra salt.  Thicken with 2 T. butter that has been blended with 1 T. oat fiber or 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum.  Stir in and simmer for 1-2 more minutes.  Dip chicken onto serving platter and ladle the sauce over the meat.

I serve this over a generous helping of buttery Mashed Cauliflower.  In my pre-low-carb days, this dish was served over now-verboten mashed potatoes. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:   Makes 4 servings of 4 oz. meat each

Each serving has 504 calories, 33.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 1.9 g fiber, 40 g protein, 6.1 g NET CARBS

Orange Pound Cake

This cake is quite dense like a good pound cake should be.  It can be made as an orange pound cake, or you can substitute lemon juice and lemon zest for a lemon pound cake, or lime juice and lime zest for a lime pound cake.  This cake is lovely with a cup of good coffee or as a dessert with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream or a citrus glaze on top.   If you are avoiding wheat (Carbalose is low-carb flour), I would substitute in about 3/4 c. almond meal, bearing in mind the texture of this cake will likely be different with that substitution.  And of course, you will always have to recalculate net carbs making any substitutions.  This recipe, as written, is not suitable for Induction.  By the way, the Boyajian Citrus Oils I use in my baked goods is well worth the investment for the three-flavor sampler box.  They have lasted me for ages and are the best citrus flavorings I’ve ever used!

INGREDIENTS:

1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 beaten eggs

½ c. + 2T. vanilla whey protein (I use Body fortress)

½ c. + 2T. Carbalose flour (or 2/3 c. Jennifer Eloff’s gluten-free bake mix)

juice of ½ small orange

zest of l small orange (about 1 T.)

1/8 tsp. Boyajian Orange Oil  or 1/2 tsp. orange extract

½ tsp. xanthan gum

1 T. oat flour (grind from 100% gluten-free oats for gluten-free version.  DO NOT use higher-carb oat bran!)

2 T. oat fiber (or 2 T. more oat flour for gluten-free version)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cream of tartar

½ c. each granular Splenda and erythritol

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.   Soften cream cheese and butter and blend the two together until very smooth.  Beat in the 4 eggs, fruit zest and juice.  Now add in the Splenda and erythritol.  Stir well.  Measure and add in all dry ingredients and beat batter 8-10 times with wooden spoon until smooth.  Using rubber spatula, scrape batter into 5×8″ oiled loaf pan and spread batter evenly in pan.   Bake at 350º for about 40-45 minutes, checking at 35 minutes, as ovens can vary.  Toothpick test center for doneness.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes twelve ½” slices, each containing:

203 cals, 16.7g fat, 5.68g carbs, 2.31g fiber, 2.37g NET CARBS, 7.03g protein, 89 mg sodium

Grilled Marinated Elk

Whenever I pop into my local Natural Grocer I look to see if they have elk in the freezer.    We love it grilled outside, since I think that brings out the best flavor in meats.   The flavor, if you’ve not had it before,  is similar to beef.  Not really as wild-gamey as venison tastes to me.  I developed a simple marinade that really does a great job of tenderizing what otherwise can be a fairly tough cut of meat.  Elk has virtually no fat, so there is no marbling to help tenderize the meat.  Therefore marinating is recommended.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and is certainly acceptable for the Paleo-Primal table.  I usually serve mine with a small oven-baked sweet potato (if I have the carbs to spare that day), a  grilled pineapple slice and a nice green salad.  All I can say is man, oh, man, is this good eating.  My husband REALLY likes this new marinade and has eaten elk many times now

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb. elk, steaks or shoulder cut 1¼-1½ thick

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 T. raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce (or tamari)

2 tsp. onion powder or 1 T. finely minced onion

1 tsp. garlic powder or 2 Cloves minced garlic

½ tsp. coarse black pepper

1/8 tsp. Chipotle powder (or pinch of cayenne)

4 T. unsalted butter or ghee, melted

6 pineapple slices(optional 1 per person, as they are high carb)

DIRECTIONS:  Prepare meat by trimming off any obvious large pieces of sinew.  Butterfly larger/thicker roasts so they are between 1¼-1½” thick.  Place meat into a gallon plastic zip bag.  Mix the next 8 ingredients (all but the melted butter) in a small bowl.  Stir and scrape the marinade into the bag.  Zip bag and manipulate with your hands to evenly coat the meat.  Marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning and manipulate the meat and marinade bag every hour.  When ready to cook, prepare a bed of hot charcoal in your grill.  When the coals are ready, place meat on grill.  Melt butter.  Using a brush, baste the meat (and 5/8″-3/4″ pineapple slices if making them) with melted butter/ghee several times while cooking to help with moisture.

This will need to cook about 6-8 minutes on a side if you like your meat very rare.  Allow around 10 minutes per side for medium rare, as shown in the pic above.  Medium will take about 12 minutes on a side.  You ABSOLUTELY DO NOT want to cook game well done on the grill (as it has no fat/marbling to help keep it moist and tender).   Therein lies the path to a result you won’t be pleased with.  And elk is too expensive to fall prey to “death by overcooking”.  This marinade is also delicious on beef chuck or lamb chops if you don’t have get access to elk.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 servings elk, each contains: (does not include pineapple slice if you indulge).  One slice of pineapple will add around 100 cals + 19g Net Carbs).

307 cals, 16.7g fat, 2.58g carbs, 0.17g fiber, 2.41g NET CARBS, 35g protein, 202 mg sodium

Chicken Florentine

This has, over time, become one of the most popular recipes on my website.  Sometimes we food bloggers get so wrapped up in creating new dishes, we can easily get lost and forget some of the old favorites and need to be reminded of them from time to time.  I’m making this again tonight, so I thought I’d share it with my newer followers that may not have seen this one. This recipe takes a mere 20-30 minutes to pull together.  It’s amazingly tasty and worth every one of those minutes.  So attractive on the platter, too!  And better yet, it’s Induction friendly!  The creamy spinach and mushroom topping compliments the seared chicken so nicely.  You’ll also want to try this recipe on  butter-seared salmon!  That’s delicious, too!  If already in Atkins OWL (ongoing weight loss) Phase 2, adding 2 T. white wine to the spinach mixture is very, very good!  🙂

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INGREDIENTS:

3 large chicken breasts, deboned and skinned (I used 30 oz.)

1 T. unsalted butter

½ lb. fresh mushrooms sliced thick

1 clove minced garlic

Pinch salt and pepper

6 oz. fresh spinach (3-4 oz. if using frozen)

1/3 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. chicken broth

3 T. grated Parmesan

2 T. white wine (optional)

Pinch xanthan gum (if needed to thicken)

DIRECTIONS:  If using frozen spinach, cook in water as directed on package in a saucepan and drain well.  Set aside.  Now slice each chicken breast diagonally into 3-4 thinner slices to speed up cooking.  Melt butter in non-stick skillet and sauté the chicken slices or “filets”, as I call them,  until lightly browned and thoroughly cooked (medium-high heat).  This won’t take long at all, which is precisely why I like to slice them.  Remove chicken to serving platter.  Add mushrooms to the same skillet and sauté until done.   Add fresh spinach and garlic.   Sauté until spinach is wilted.  Lower heat and add cream, broth, wine and cheese to spinach/mushroom mixture in skillet.  Add pinch of salt and pepper.  Lightly dust with xanthan gum 2-3 times, stirring between each addition to slightly thicken sauce.   Pour sauce over chicken.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings each with:

436 cals, 23g fat, 6.8g carbs, 2g fiber, 4.8g NET CARBS, 49g protein, 200 mg sodium

Sausage Bake

When I have a couple of biscuits left over from breakfast I like to make  combo dishes like this.  Leftover cauliflower enhances the flavor profile, but if I have none left over, I cook it a few minutes from scratch in boiling water.  This creation is always tasty, although a bit different each time I make it for some strange reason.  Trust me, it tastes much better than it looks in the picture.  What you end up with is a flavor similar to classic Shepard’s Pie but with sausage instead of the traditional beef. It really tastes like there is mashed potatoes in this dish!  This dish is not suitable for Induction unless you make an unsweetened MIM with some cheese added and used that instead of the cheese biscuits.

INGREDIENTS:

2 my cheese biscuits  (or other low-carb biscuit or muffin)

¼ lb. breakfast pork sausage

1 green onion, chopped

2 T. red pepper, chopped

3/4 c. cauliflower, boiled or steamed

Pinch salt and pepper

2 oz. grated cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Cook sausage, crumbling as it cooks until no longer pink.  Add chopped green onion and red pepper and sauté until nearly tender.  Lightly grease a casserole dish.  Break up the two cheese biscuits on the bottom of the dish.  Next put the steamed, mashed cauliflower as evenly over this as possible, mashing any large pieces pretty flat.  Next add the meat and vegetable mixture evenly.    Top with grated cheddar and bake at 350º for 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 2 (or more if light eaters).  Each serving contains:

553 cals, 48.3g fat, 21.5g carbs, 12.45g fiber, 9.05g NET CARBS, 34.4g protein, 1161 mg sodium

Toasted Coconut Candy

I try to incorporate coconut oil into my diet every single day as it has so many health benefits.  The ever popular Fat Bombs all over the internet gave me this idea.    What a delicious way to boost one’s intake of coconut oil!   I keep these at the ready in the freezer.   They can eaten right from the freezer, as they don’t get completely hard.  These are so good it can be tricky just eating ONE!   This candy reminds me a lot of those tiny, rich butter mints I had as a child, only these are cherry-coconut-almond flavored!  Mmmmm So good!

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction.  Wait until you get to the nuts and seeds level of Atkins Phase 2 for these tasty babies.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut, TOASTED

½ c. coconut oil

1 oz. roasted almonds, ground coarsely

1 tsp. almond extract (makes the candy extra special)

3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. powdered erythritol (I powder in my food processor)

¼-½ tsp. liquid sweetener of your choice (add slowly & taste as you go)

Tiny pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:  Toast ¼ cup coconut on a pan in a 400º oven for 5-6 minutes or until just golden.  Remove and cool.  Line an 8×11 pan with waxed paper large enough to hang over the side a bit, so you’ll have something to grab onto when this is set.   I speak from experience when I caution you to watch that coconut closely in the oven lest it burn.  I’ve burned several batches in my time getting distracted in the kitchen.  So I have learned to not start my recipes until the coconut has been safely removed from the oven.  🙂

In a mixing bowl, whip the soft cream cheese with a rubber spatula.  Add both the toasted and untoasted coconut, as well as the chopped almonds.  Stir well.  Next add the  salt, coconut flour, erythritol, almond extract and liquid sweetener (taste as you begin adding to avoid  getting too sweet).    Add the coconut oil last.  Beat well to make your best attempt to incorporate the oil into the candy.  When it is as blended as best you can get it, scrape it out onto the wax-paper lined pan.  Using your spatula or hands, spread the candy out evenly.  Some of the oil will rise to the top, but that’s OK, as it freezes and isn’t really seen or noticed on the finished candy.  Place pan on a level shelf/surface in your freezer 4-5 minutes.  Remove and cut into 48 pieces (6×8).  Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove and separate the pieces by lifting the waxed paper up and bending them apart.  This will melt/soften quickly, so do not leave it out of the freezer ahead of consuming.  Just take out what you are eating immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 48 pieces that are about 1¼” square.  Each piece contains:

51.4 cals, 5.11 g fat, 1.06 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 0.46 NET CARBS, 0.72 g protein

Zuppa Toscana

This soup is similar to Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden restaurants, but mine has diced cauliflower standing in for potatoes.  I tend to use ground pork or my Homade Italian Sausage, rather than commercial Italian sausage, as I can control final sodium load as well as spices (and for fewer carbs) that way.  You just need to add oregano, fennel and garlic really.  But for convenience, you can certainly substitute in commercial Italian sausage if you prefer.  It almost DOUBLES the sodium using the commercial sausage.   Just be aware of that.  This soup is delicious and we both gave it a resounding thumbs up.  It will make the regular menu rounds at our house. 🙂

VARIATIONS:  Substitute 1/2 c. chopped parsley for the kale; substitute diced rutabaga for the cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices bacon, cut into 3/4″ bits

12 oz.  lean ground pork or Homemade Italian Sausage, coarsely broken up to 1/2″ chunks

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1½ c. coarsely chopped kale (about 3 leaves after stemming)

3 oz. cauliflower, diced to ½”-3/4″ pieces

1 oz. pimiento (half a 2 oz. jar)

3 large mushrooms, sliced or cut however you like (optional)

4 c. homemade chicken broth (32 oz.)

1 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

Dash black pepper

Dash crushed red pepper

3-4 drops Tobasco

¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves

½ tsp. fennel seed, crushed

DIRECTIONS:  In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat, cook the bacon.  Add the pork, onion and garlic and sauté until meat is no longer pink.  Lower heat to medium.  Add all remaining ingredients but the cream.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Add cream and simmer 5 more minutes.  Thicken with xanthan or gum if desired.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes six 1-1¼c. servings, each contains:

356 cals, 30.5g fat, 5.51g carbs, 1.08g fiber, 4.43g NET CARBS, 15.6g protein, 865 mg sodium

Calabacita

We’re having this flavorful side dish with some broiled shrimp tonight.  They should go well together.   I’ve seen a wide variety of recipes for this dish over the years, but my version with bacon is our favorite.   Bacon always seems to make everything a wee bit better.  🙂

For those not familiar with what we Texans call Calaba squash, the pic below is an example of one popular strain in all our local grocery stores.  This squash is also referred to as ‘Mexican Zucchini’.  They are mild and very similar to zucchini in taste, but are shorter, lighter green, slightly striped (some have even darker stripes than the squash in the pic) and they are more oval in shape than zucchini.  The inside flesh is firmer, yellower and best of all, does not bleed water into your recipes as badly as regular Italian zucchini does. You can definitely substitute zucchini in this dish if you can’t get calaba squash where you live, but expect it to be a ‘wetter’ dish with that substitution.  I’ve even been known to make this recipe with yellow summer squash.  Comes out tasting a little different, but still quite good.  This dish is most certainly Atkins Induction friendly.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. diced calaba squash (½-¾” dice)

½ large leek, sliced thin

4 slices lean bacon, chopped

1 T. butter, unsalted

½ c. sweet red pepper, chopped

3 oz. cheddar cheese

3 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese

Pinch each of black pepper, ground cumin and celery seed

VARIATION:  Omit the bacon entirely for the more traditional calabacita.

DIRECTIONS: Brown the chopped bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat (do not drain off grease unless there is more than 2 tablespoons).  When done, add butter and diced calaba squash, stirring often and cook until just about fully tender.   Add sliced leeks, red pepper and spices  and continue stirring for about 5-10 minutes until all veggies appear to be done.  Top with cheeses and pop into 350º oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted nicely.  This dish goes well with pork, fish and most Mexican meat entrées.  My leftovers are frozen & added into the next pot of Mexican-style soup I make.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 large servings each containing:

235.5 cals, 17.7 g fat, 7.65 g carbs, 1.8 g fiber, 5.85 g NET CARBS, 12.9 g protein, 394 mg sodium

Sauteed Kale and Sausage

This quick dish originally came about one day at lunchtime because I had 1/4 pound package of fresh breakfast sausage in the fridge sitting center front of the refrigerator shelf today at eye level.  Adding just 3 other ingredients made for a wonderful and delicious lunch.  Today, however, I made this one for dinner tonight.  I forgot how good this dish is!  Even my greens-aversive husband enjoyed this dinner! I DID double the ingredients to make enough for two servings tonight.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. pork breakfast sausage, crumbled large (I use Owens ‘regular’)

2 oz. onion, slivered large

1 c. chopped kale (or 2 leaves, stemmed and chopped)

1 oz. red bell pepper, slivered small

Dash salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:   Brown the sausage until no longer pink.  Add onion and sauté until it, too, is tender and browned to your liking.  Add red pepper and kale and sauté just until they are soft.  Overcooking kale will make it both strong and somewhat bitter, so don’t do that to your kale.  sprinkle the mixture with a dash of salt and coarse black pepper and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes one large serving (adjust for more servings) which contains:  (Share with someone to reduce the numbers below.  Remember, these are all “good” carbs)

442 cals, 32g fat, 12.3g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 10g NET CARBS, 24.9g protein, 1036 mg sodium (omit salt if super sodium sensitive)

Air Fryer Chicken Breasts with Sofrito Sauce

I keep seeing recipes on air fryer Facebook groups that use baking powder to coat chicken for frying.  I finally got around to trying it and………… I’m here to tell you that flat WORKS!  You will simply be amazed!  I can’t convey how crisp this chicken came out.  My husband said I could “do this one again and SOON!”  I want to caution people who must restrict potassium this techniques is not for you, as 4 tsp. baking powder has 2020 mg potassium.  You could substitute 1/4 c. almond, coconut, low-carb bake mix or Parmesan cheese instead of the baking powder if you are potassium shy.  Might not come out quite as crisp, but it should still be good.

The sauce I made for this recipe is one I’ve used in many dishes, as I find Puerto Rican Sofrito to be almost addictively delicious!  This dinner tonight, served with steamed cauliflower and fresh green beans, was a big hit with my husband!

Important cautionary note:  Please don’t think MORE is better when it comes to this coating.  This isn’t like flour coatings, where thicker may be better.  With the baking powder coating, MORE is NOT BETTER!  Been there!  Too much baking powder will taste sharp, almost bitter and ruin your chicken.

For 5-pieces of chicken, double the recipe of coating.  I can’t fit more than 5 pieces of chicken in my fryer basket.  I have to switch to my oven’s “air fryer” setting to cook more than 5 pieces of chicken, but there are just two of us and I tend to use the basket air fryer for just 2-3 pieces.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHICKEN: 

2 medium (4-5-oz) chicken breasts, skin left on (or 4 thighs, if you prefer)

4 tsp. baking powder (I use aluminum free)

¼ tsp. each onion and garlic

¼ tsp. sea salt

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:

2 T. butter, unsalted

1 T. my Sofrito Sauce

1 Roma tomato, chopped

Dash each salt and pepper

½ c. heavy cream

½ c. water

(thickener of choice if you feel a need)

DIRECTIONS:  De-bone the chicken breasts (I buy with the rib frame so I can boil the bones for broth and any bits of meat for my dog).  If your chicken breasts are quite large, often these days, slice them laterally and splay them out for more even cooking.  Measure and stir the baking powder and spices on a paper plate and coat the chicken pieces well on all surfaces.  Set aside for a few minutes.  Preheat your air fryer.  Place breasts into basket skin-side down on piece of parchment paper lining, as mine tended to want to stick to my basket.  Set fryer to 375º and cook 18 minutes skin-side down.  Open fryer, turn and cook skin-side up another 18 minutes.  Check them at 15 minutes both sides if your chicken breasts are small…….also air fryers can vary.

While they are cooking, melt the butter in a medium skillet.  Add the Sofrito Sauce and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.  Add chopped tomato and simmer 3-4 minutes to break them down a bit.  Finally add cream and water and simmer 3-4 more minutes, allowing to reduce and slightly thicken.  If not thick enough for you preference, add a light dusting of your favorite thickener, stir and simmer 1-2 more minutes.  Serve with sauce spooned over each breast.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 servings, each contains:

736 cals, 51.5g fat, 9.1g carbs, 1.9g fiber, 7.2g NET CARBS, 60g protein, 1180 mg sodium

Smoked Gouda Cauliflower

I thought I’d reach back into my archives and pull up one of my recipes that keep the weight-loss adventure from being called a “boring diet “.   This recipe is anything but boring in the flavor department and has proven to be one of the most popular recipes on my website.  It was a real hit with my brother, an executive chef at one time at Top-of-the-Mark in San Francisco and my husband just loves it.  It also garnered hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook (when I posted there) so I’m reposting it in case it somehow eluded some of my followers.  It’s one of my favorite. easy ways to serve cauliflower now.     

Smoked Gouda doesn’t melt easily in dry heat, but if shredded underneath a veil of moisture, it usually melts pretty nicely.  In this dish, smoked Gouda takes an ordinary cheesy cauliflower casserole and transforms it into the sublime.  The smoked Gouda truly sets this one apart from all the other cauliflower casseroles you have tasted.  I promise.  It’s Atkins Induction friendly, too! 

The smoked Gouda I buy at Sam’s Club has a very smooth, pronounced smoke flavor.  Not all grocery stores carry quality smoked Gouda, so be sure yours has a nice flavor to begin with or your casserole will be boring in flavor.  The brand I bought in San Antonio at my mother’s grocery store was just awful, so I know it is not all made of equal quality.   Be sure yours has a pronounced smoked flavor before making this casserole. 

This recipe appears in Volume 1 of Low Carbing Among Friends by best-selling author Jennifer Eloff and other talented chefs, including George Stella!  There are 5 volumes already released and two more due out soon!  More info on their Facebook page linked above.   You can order our cookbooks here or at Amazon.com.  These cookbooks are filled with easy, gluten-free, tasty low-carb creations by a group of very creative cooks. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium-large head cauliflower

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, grated or shredded

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

chopped chives or green onion to garnish

DIRECTIONS: Cut up cauliflower into manageable pieces and boil or steam until tender.  Drain off any water and mash the chunks up slightly with a fork (do not puree, however).   Stir in softened cream cheese until it is melted and blended well.  Grease glass casserole dish and spoon half the cauliflower mixture in.  Sprinkle with half the grated smoked Gouda (I do not recommend using slices for this.  Grate it to facilitate melting).  Spoon remaining cauliflower into dish and top with rest of Gouda cheese.   Sprinkle with just a dash of salt and pepper if desired, but cheese has a lot of sodium.  If you are sodium sensitive, I wouldn’t add ANY salt.   Sometimes I add some chopped chives or green onion to the top, but this is not in the nutritional info below.  Bake at 350º for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 6, each serving contains:  (you may get 8 servings, reducing carbs even more)

190 cals, 15.22g fat, 6.17g carbs, 2.4g fiber, 3.77g NET CARBS, 8.77g protein, 312 mg  sodium

Scrambled Eggs with Tarragon Cream (with ham)

Served with 2 oz. ham added

This is my all-time favorite ways to cook eggs in the morning.  I’m not terribly fond of eggs just scrambled or fried.  I have always had to “doctor them up” quite a bit to eat them.  This is one way I’ve succeeded in making eggs, to be quite honest, not taste so much like eggs.   It’s sinfully rich and Atkins Induction friendly!

It is also suitable for Primal diners, but not Paleo without a substitute for the cream.  You can play around a bit with this recipe, too, adding other things to the sauce like cooked pork sausage, ham (as shown), sliced mushrooms, onion slivers.  🙂  Tarragon is a sweet, delicate spice with a slight licorice taste.   If you put too much in the sauce, you’ll probably not be happy with the result.  When it comes to tarragon, MORE is not better!   For what it’s worth, although I sometimes add ham to this sauce (shown above) for my husband, I personally prefer this sauce without the ham.

If beyond Induction Phase of Atkins, 1 T. sherry or white wine is also good added to this sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

Without the 2 oz. ham (my preferred way to serve this)

1 tsp. olive oil

¼ c. + 2 T. heavy cream

1/3 c. water

¼ tsp. crushed tarragon

Pinch onion powder

1 T. butter

4 large eggs, beaten

1/16 tsp. xanthan gum (only if you want it thicker)

VARIATION:   Add 3-4 oz. sliced/chopped cooked ham to the sauce before adding the other ingredients to the skillet.  Add some cooked crumbled bacon to the sauce instead of ham.  🙂

DIRECTIONS:  In small non-stick skillet, sauté chopped tomato in olive oil.  When tender but not reduced to mush, lower heat and add water, cream, tarragon and onion powder.  Simmer a few minutes and it will thicken up on its own.  Only add the xanthan gum if you want it thicker.  In separate non-stick pan, melt butter and add beaten eggs and cook scrambled just until done.  Plate 1/2 the eggs with 1/2 of the cream sauce on two serving plates.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each containing:

354 Cals, 32.3 g fat, 3.3 g carbs, 0.4 g fiber, 2.9 g NET CARBS, 13.85 g protein, 236 mg sodium

Buttery Sriracha Pot Roast

It’s what’s for dinner tonight, so I thought I’d share this recipe with you again.  The pan juices this roast make, melded with the butter, Sriracha sauce and caramelized onion are so sweet and tasty I spoon it out onto my meat. I make sure to not use much Ranch seasoning so as not to drown out the magic of the other flavors.  Man, is this roast ever good! If you’re a pot roast fan, this one is definitely worth a try.  I’ll bet you add it to your regular rotation roast recipes.  It’s THAT good!    It’s incredibly simple, too.  For those that shy away from spicy foods, there was a bit of tingle on my tongue, but this was not very hot with Sriracha really.  It wasn’t too hot for me, and I don’t like my food very spicy when push comes to shove.  🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

2¼ lb. beef chuck roast (this was a very small roast)

½ pkg. Ranch Buttermilk dressing powder

3 oz. onion, sliced pretty thin

2 tsp. Sriracha sauce

4 T. unsalted butter, cut into smaller bits

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place meat in suitable pan.  I used a 9×9 square metal pan.  Sprinkle the Ranch powder over the top surface of the meat.  Next top with the sliced onions.  Now invert Sriracha bottle and in a zig zag motion like they do chocolate sauce over desserts in the fancy restaurants, zig-zag about 2 tsp. Sriracha sauce over the onion layer.  Next dot with small pieces of the butter to evenly cover.  Top with a good sprinkling of black pepper.  Pop into oven without a cover and bake for about 2 hours.  Chuck takes longer to get tender.  There is a fair amount of shrinkage, so you’ll only end up with about 2 lbs. cooked meat which will serve 4 people nicely, perhaps even 5.  I’m calculating for 4 adult servings.  Cut meat into thick slices and serve with pan juices (that’s the best part!).  No need to thicken the pan juices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Serves 4 adults, each generous serving contains:

397 cals, 19g fat, 2.9g carbs, 0.2g fiber, 2.7g NET CARBS, 50.7g protein, 432 mg sodium

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

Never a bad day to grill outside in my book.  We love this good old classic.   Although considered an American classic, much like America’s nation of immigrants, we now have a ‘melting pot’ of cuisines.  I often wonder if we are even correct calling our American favorites ‘American’ at all,   other than turkey and winter squashes known to be around at the First Thanksgiving.  As other cultures have immigrated, so have their food traditions, slowly making them American regulars.

What’s more American than BBQ nowadays?  Yes, the sauces people put on it vary from region to region, but the smoking meats and seafoods over open fire has always been an American favorite.  Heavily smoked foods can upset my intestinal tract, but I love the taste so much, I just won’t give it up!  It’s comfort food for me.  As it reheats so nicely, we often cook it in large batches, freezing the leftovers.  When thawed and warmed up with a little sauce on top, it’s like you just spent the afternoon grilling again!  My husband’s philosophy on BBQ’ing briskets and ribs is “Might as well do two:  one for now and one for later.”  Besides, he just HATES the smell of smoke on himself (although I love it) and has to go shower after cooking BBQ.  Shhhhhh!  He would be embarrassed if he knew I told you his secret.  Needless to say, he loves to eat BBQ out a lot because of this and we do have our favorite BBQ restaurants in the area.

I’ve never liked BBQ beef ribs quite as much as I like BBQ pork ribs.  Must be my North Carolina roots?  I’m a ‘naturalized’ Texan by virtue of marriage, as well as living here for over 50 years now.  I’ve grown to prefer the slightly sweeter tomato-based sauce on my BBQ over the popular tart  vinegar sauces of North Carolina, despite my mother’s best efforts to change me.  What I just admitted is sacrilege for a ‘Tarheel’!  🙂

That said, I do have my limits on sweet.  I don’t like my BBQ as unctuously sweet as some Texans like it either, so I never use ketchup in making homemade BBQ sauces.  Typically, I will take a full bottle of G. Hughes low-carb BBQ sauce (or start with a base of tomato sauce, some Splenda and spices) and cut it with ¼-½ c. vinegar and ½ c. water to thin both thickness, until the taste is just right for me.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other keto diets.  It is suitable for Paleo if a plan-suitable BBQ sauce is used.

INGREDIENTS:

1  rack of pork spare ribs (silverskin/membrane removed from bones along concave side)

½ bottle G.Hughes BBQ sauce (or other low-carb sauce)

½ c. white vinegar

½ c. water

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325º.  Using a sharp knife, lift and remove the silver skin/membrane from the concave side of the rack of ribs.  If done right, you can sometimes pull it all off the bones with one steady pull.  Place rack of ribs into a large baking pan that will hold them completely.  Cover with foil and pop into 325º oven and bake 45 minutes only.  This is done to to pre-cook them a bit to speed up grilling time and also to facilitate ultimate tenderizing for tooth-tender eating.   Watch them, as you don’t want the meat falling off the bone.  If done this way you can cook a rack of ribs, start to finish, in just 3 hours or so.  If you try to cook them entirely on the grill without the pre-bake step, it will require multiple charcoal additions during cooking time, ribs take 4-5 hours cook and is an all-afternoon affair to reach the tender stage we love to call “fall-off-the-bone”.

When your charcoal is white hot, using a BBQ tool, push coals to one side of the grill.  Go ahead and lay a few more fresh coals on the fire at this point as well.  Lay the rack of ribs on the other side of the grill, away from the coals.  You will need to grill them for a total of 3 hours.  Using a brush, sauce the rack of ribs lightly on both sides.   After one hour cooking, sauce again with the brush and turn the rack over (sauce the cooked side up again, too).  At two hours cooking, sauce the meat, turn and sauce the now cooked top again.  At 3 hours, sauce the bottom side one more time and allow to cook just until the sauce has caramelized.   Remove the ribs to a serving platter and cut them apart between the bones to serve with additional sauce at your dining table.  Sides that compliment this are a lovely green salad, coleslaw, my Mexican Bean Casserole or Sweet Green Cabbage.

NUTRITION:   Contains 14 ribs, each rib contains approximately:

170 cals, 11.4g fat, 5.5g carbs, 0.1 fiber, 5.4 NET CARBS, 10.8g protein, 405 mg sodium

Sausage-Bacon Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I saw a package of lovely Portobello caps in the grocery store yesterday and decided to bring them home for a new stuffing trial. Since we hadn’t done any in ages, it just sounded good. I decided to throw in several common stuffed mushroom ingredients and the combo came out particularly good. I think you’ll like these as much as we did! If you are still on Atkins Induction Phase, do leave out the Sauvignon Blanc wine called for below. You can use smaller button mushrooms to produce bite-size party food or snacks with this recipe. I would estimate the filling would stuff approximately 20-24 small mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large 3oz. Portobello mushroom caps (mine had no stems)

2 tsp. olive oil

4 slices thick bacon, chopped

1½ links sweet Italian Sausage (I used Johnsonville), casing removed, crumbled

¼ c. chopped green onion (or yellow onion if you prefer)

1 small low-carb dinner roll, crumbled

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

2 T. (1 oz.) cream cheese

½ tsp. coarse black pepper

¼ c. white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

DIRECTIONS: Wipe mushrooms with clean cloth or paper towel to remove any dirt. Spoon out and discard the black gills. Using a brush, oil the smooth outside with olive oil and place gill-side up in your baking dish. Set aside and Preheat oven to 350º.

In a skillet, brown the bacon until nearly crispy. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink. Add onion and sauté a couple minutes until tender. Add wine (skip if still on Induction Phase) and sauté 2 minutes. Add cream cheese, working with the back of your spoon to help it melt and blend in uniformly. Add all remaining ingredients and stir well to evenly mix them evenly. Remove from heat and spoon mixture equally into your 2 mushroom caps. Pop into 350º oven for about 20-30 minutes or until golden on the top. Serve at once with low-carb garlic bread and a green veggie of choice or perhaps a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

575 cals, 50g fat, 15g carbs, 8g fiber, 7g NET CARBS, 28g protein, 1084 mg sodium (in the meats and cheese).

Lebanese Baked Chicken (Frarej)

This recipe has been one of my most popular Middle Eastern recipes therefore I would be remiss in not including it in our adventure through my Middle Eastern recipe collection.  It has garnered millions of Facebook fans where I once maintained a presence, during those years I was on the Low Carbing Among Friends team.  I no longer maintain a Facebook presence. 

Our dear friends in Dallas have taken us several times to a wonderful little Lebanese restaurant over in Ft. Worth named Hedary’s.  Family-operated for many years by a Lebanese family.  I can say their tabouleh  salad and kebabs are the best I’ve ever eaten.  So is their slow-roasted baked lemon chicken known as Frarej.  For those tables positioned close enough to do so, they used to serve their fresh-baked Lebanese bread all the way from behind the counter on long, paddled poles used to place them into and out of the ovens for cooking.   Don’t know if they still do that, but is sure was fun to watch!  Next time you’re in Ft. Worth, give Hedary’s a try! 

In the meantime…………………..experience their delicious baked chicken at home!  This Induction friendly version of their ever-popular lemony chicken dish is slightly changed, but just as yummy nonetheless.  The original dish has potato wedges, so I always substitute rutabaga or turnip wedges to keep the carbs reasonably low.  I did not include the root vegetables in the nutritional info below as I don’t always include them in the pan.  I tend to vary the vegetables I use based on what I have on hand.  So be sure to calculate the veggies you add (and consume) over and above what I consider to be the base recipe of onion, garlic and tomatoes.  If you have family that are not on Atkins, I would definitely use a few wedges of potato for those folks, as they soak up those tasty pan juices like a sponge and are sooooooo tasty.

My rendition is very close to the inspirational dish from Hedary’s, though the tomatoes are my personal addition.  I must confess, mine is good, but not QUITE as it is at Hedary’s.  Sigh.  I understand Hedary’s has left the original location and moved farther out in Ft. Worth somewhere.   This meal is easy to prepare and the oven basically does the work for you!  Gives a whole new meaning to Ron Popeel’s expression “Set it & forget it.” for a sheer heavenly, delicious dinner almost effortlessly.  🙂  Please follow directions closely as they are KEY to getting the best results.

INGREDIENTS:

4 T. olive oil

1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces, cutting breast in half (Do not remove skin or you will ruin this dish)

4 oz. onion cut into wedges (separate layers)

2 Roma tomatoes cut into wedges

6-10 cloves garlic, (leave half of them whole, mince the rest)

½ tsp. oregano

Juice of 1 lemon

Dash salt and pepper

OPTIONAL: Original dish had potato wedges and whole carrots roasted in the pan with the chicken.  The carrots are OK  but I’d substitute in pieces of rutabaga, turnip or daikon radish for the potato wedges to keep carbs down.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 500º (therefore do NOT use a ceramic baking dish!).  Cut up chicken into separate pieces making 8 pieces in all.   I never use the back as I simmer that for broth to freeze for other purposes or it becomes dinner for my dogs.  🙂  Drizzle 1 T. of the olive oil on the bottom of a very large METAL baking/roasting pan (I use a 12 x 15 stainless steel metal pan).    If you don’t yet have a really large, good quality stainless steel roasting pan, I think it is one of the single most important investments you can make in your kitchen tools.  Place chicken skin side up  in the pan.  You don’t want any overlapping or crowding.  Do not use a glass/ceramic baking dish as it will break in a 500º oven.  

Crowding of this chicken and the veggies in the pan will result in deeper pan juices.  Deeper juices keeps chicken from crisping of the chicken, so use a really large pan.  Place tomato wedges around and in between chicken pieces.  Do the same with the onion pieces and add the garlic.  If using the root vegetables, cut them up and place them evenly around the chicken.  Squeeze the lemon over everything in the pan.  Drizzle remaining olive oil over the pan contents as well.   Lightly sprinkle some oregano or Greek seasoning over all (about 1/4-½ tsp, I don’t measure it).   Bake 30 minutes at 500º.  Baste with pan juices, lower heat to 350º and bake another 20 minutes or to internal temperature of 170º on a meat thermometer.   Baste with pan juices just before serving.  I like to place the juices in a gravy boat and have it on the table for basting the drier breast meat while eating.  If there are any juices leftover after the meal, I always freeze them and add them to the bottom of the next pan I make of this recipe (which is often!).  Each successive pan is therefore better than the last!  I like to serve this chicken dish with my Cucumber Mint Salad or my Tabouleh salad

NUTRITIONAL INFO: (does NOT include the optional vegetables).
Please note, these numbers are only approximate, because the actual counts will vary depending on which pieces of chicken and which roasted veggies you consume.

Serves 4, each 2-piece serving contains: (these numbers do not include the carrots or rutabaga)

447 cals, 30.4 g fat, 7.98 g carbs, 1.1 g fiber, 6.88 g NET CARBS, 34.8 g protein, 39 mg. sodium

Banana-Peanut Butter “Twinkies®”

One of my Mom’s regular afternoon snacks to offer us when I was growing up was half a banana sandwich with a smear of peanut butter dotted on the bananas.  If there were animal crackers in the house, she’d place a slice of banana on top of one of those with a dot of PB on top.  Well, I took those memories to a new little creation…….a banana-PB  muffin of sorts.   These were tasty beyond words. 

My Twinkies® are a little carb-y, so obviously not for daily consumption, but a tasty treat once in awhile.  🙂  These are not suitable until you have reached the higher-carb fruits level of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder and are nearer to maintenance.  These are too high carb for most Keto followers, but those at goal weight might indulge occasionally.  Totally not suitable for Primal-Paleo followers.

VARIATION:  If you don’t have a Twinkie® pan, just make as muffins.  They’ll be just as good.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Banana Muffin batter

1 ripe banana, mashed

2 T. natural peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly grease a non-stick Twinkie® pan (or use a regular muffin pan if you don’t have a Twinkie® pan).  Make the recipe of banana muffin batter in a medium bowl.  Stir until smooth.  Spoon into the 12 slots of the pan equally (will be quite full as they don’t rise much).  Bake at 350º for about 22-25 minutes.  I’m still learning to use a new oven in a new house so these came out a little browner than I like, but the oven performed pretty well for me.  Remove when firm to the touch and cool off.  Slice in half and set aside.  Stir the mashed whole banana and peanut butter together until well-blended.  Makes 3/4 c. filling or exactly 12 tablespoons.  Fill each “Twinkie”® with 1 T. of the filling, spreading somewhat evenly.  You can, if you prefer, just “frost” the tops of the Twinkies® with the filling, if you find this easier.  🙂  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 Twinkies®, each contains:

244.7 calories, 19.76 g  fat, 13.15 g  carbs, 4.29 g  fiber, 8.86 g  NET CARBS, 6.83 g  protein

Chicken Enchiladas

We love Mexican food around here!  We are particularly fond of enchiladas and haven’t had them in quite awhile.  I thought it time to make a batch today, since I have an avocado that’s ripe I can use for a guacamole salad.  I’m going to boil a chicken thigh and a couple drumsticks ahead of time and strip the meat off the bones this morning.   Once I do that it’s pretty easy going getting these together.  Just make up a batch of my low-carb corn tortillas this afternoon and roll ’em up!  This recipe is not suitable until you are at the end of Atkins Phase 2 On-Going Weight Loss (OWL).

INGREDIENTS:

6  my low-carb corn tortillas (3/4 recipe here:  Low-Carb Corn Tortillas )

1 chicken thigh + 2 lg. drumsticks, boiled

1 T. my Sofrito sauce (or 2 T. chopped cilantro + 1/2 clove minced garlic)

1 c. tomatoes and green chiles, drained (about 2/3 can)

3 slices Deluxe American or Cheddar cheese (for inside enchiladas)

5 slices Deluxe American or Cheddar cheese (for topping)

½ c. red mild enchilada sauce (homemade, preferably)

Optional:  1½ oz. chopped onion browned in bit of oil (adds 1/2 net carb to each enchilada)

DIRECTIONS:  Lightly oil a baking dish and set aside.  Make the tortillas per that recipe’s instructions.  Set them aside, reserving 2 of the 8 for another use.  Boil chicken until done (about 1 hour), cool, de-bone.   Shred the chicken meat into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to assembly your enchiladas.  Once ready to roll (pardon the pun), add the drained tomatoes with green chiles, sofrito sauce (or cilantro option offered above) and the browned onion (if using) to the bowl.  Stir to mix all well.  Spoon 1/6 of the mixture down the center of 1 tortilla.  Place ½ slice cheese inside in any fashion you like (or shred it up).  Gently roll the tortilla over the filling and place enchilada seam-side down in an oiled baking dish.  Repeat for the other 5 enchiladas. 

Spoon or drizzle the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.  FYI, I make my homemade enchilada sauce from 1 small can tomato sauce, a couple slices cheese, some chili powder and garlic powder.  If you use canned enchilada sauce, now add the remaining 5 slices of cheese atop the enchiladas. You can shred remaining slices of cheese if you prefer, but I rarely bother doing so.  You can also put more cheese inside the tortillas (1 full slice in each enchilada) and only use 2 slices on top, if you prefer.   Cover pan with foil and bake at 350º for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and serve with a refreshing guacamole salad.

VARIATION:  You can use 1/2 c. shredded Cheddar on top rather than sliced American indicated if you prefer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 enchiladas, each contains:

347 calories, 27g fat, 7.83 g carbs, 1.7g fiber, 6.13g NET CARBS, 19.25g protein, 734 mg sodium (mostly from cheese)

Braised Chicken in Cilantro-Almond Sauce

If you like cilantro you’ll love this sauce!  It is so easy to prepare and is extremely good on chicken, pork or baked/broiled fish.  Any leftover sauce in the pan also freezes well!  When reheating, warm over lowest heat just long enough to get hot so as to not overcook the cilantro or curdle the cream.  this is not acceptable for Atkins Induction Phase due to almonds, but OK after you leave Induction Phase.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. chicken broth, preferably homemade

4 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped

2 chopped seeded fresh tomatillos (or 3.5 oz. [½ can] Herdez Salsa Verde)

¼ c. almonds, finely ground

2 T. butter

1 whole bunch cilantro, chopped fine (use ½ c. parsley if you don’t like cilantro)

1/2 c. heavy cream

Dash salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:  If making this sauce for chicken, sear the meat well on both sides in the butter until golden brown.  If it is for fish, bake/broil your fish until completely done and set aside until sauce is completely done.  Place first 7 ingredients (except for the butter you’ve already used searing the chicken) into a blender or food processor and pulse until fairly finely chopped.  Now carefully transfer the cilantro mixture back into the skillet around the chicken.  Simmer sauce with chicken for about 45 minutes or until chicken is completely done.  Lower heat and add cilantro and cream.  Stir for only 2-3 minutes to slightly thicken.  Serve with about 1/3 c. sauce over each serving of chicken.  This sauce will NOT be very thick.  If using on fish, spoon the sauce over your baked/broiled fish right before serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes about 3 c. sauce for 9 servings, each containing:

96.78 cals, 8.63g fat, 2.79g carbs, 0.67g fiber, 2.12g NET CARBS, 2.1g protein, 17 mg. sodium

Individual Raspberry Cream Cake

This quick little dessert takes all of about 10 minutes to make and would make a lovely dessert for your honey on Valentine’s Day.  It’s very tasty with a wide variety of berries and fruit.  It’s a variation on my Einkorn Individual Vanilla Cake recipe.  This recipe isn’t suitable until you are fairly close to goal weight.  You can make this dessert with a few pureed strawberries if you like.

VARIATIONS:  Substitute 3 pureed strawberries for the raspberries.  Or, sub in 3 slices of pureed fresh peach.  Or stir in 2 T. crushed canned pineapple (drained).  All are delicious versions!

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Einkorn Individual Vanilla Cake

2 T. my Raspberry Coulis (or sugar-free raspberry preserves, or 7-8 mashed fresh berries)

½ c. heavy cream, whipped and sweetened (makes about 3/4 cup total)

DIRECTIONS:  Make the cake per that recipe’s instructions, but use raspberry sugar-free syrup instead of the vanilla syrup.   Scrape the batter into a 6″ ramekin (or 2 smaller ones).  Microwave on HI for 1 minutes or until center is dry to the touch.  Cool completely.  Slice cake horizontally into 2 layers.  Place one layer on a serving plate.  Whip and sweeten the whipping cream.  Stir in the fruit/ puree.  Spread half on top of the bottom layer.  Place top cake layer on top and frost with  remaining whipped mixture.  Cut into two servings and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes two servings, each contains:

316 calories, 39.4 g  fat, 8.2 g  carbs, 2.3 g  fiber, 5.9 g NET CARBS, 5.8 g  protein, 85 mg sodium

Asian Grilled Steak

Grass-fed beef steaks can be a little tough as they are so lean.  However, grilling them with a nice marinade usually tenderizes them nicely.  Hubby usually has a baked potato with his; I often have fried radishes & caramelized onions (shown above), as it reminds me of potato hash browns.  And of course, you can’t go wrong serving a nice salad with grilled meat.  This is a  very simple marinade  I think my readers will enjoy. The spices give it a distinctly Asian flavor.  This recipe is suitable once you reach Atkins Phase 2 OWL, as the bit of white wine is not allowed on Induction.  It would be acceptable for Paleo-Primal only if you consume small amounts of wine.  Of course, leaving out the wine is always an option.  As grass-fed beef does tend to be a little tougher to begin with, I would not recommend cooking grass-fed beef well-done or you are going to be doing a lot of chewing.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

2   1″ thick steaks (I used grass-fed T-bone, each 14-oz bone-in steak yields=10 oz. meat)

3 T. coconut aminos, tamari, or low-sodium soy sauce

2 T. olive oil

2 oz. white wine (omit if still in Atkins Induction)

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. ginger, minced

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 tsp. toasted white sesame seeds

1 tsp. black sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Mix the two types of sesame seeds with the red and black pepper in a saucer.  Poke the meat a few times with an ice pick, knife or kitchen fork to allow marinade to penetrate the meat a bit. Pound the sesame seed/pepper blend onto the surface of the meat either with the butt of your palm or a meat tenderizer mallet.  Place the steaks into a glass marinating dish.  Now add the coconut aminos (or soy sauce), wine and olive oil to the container.  Add the minced ginger and garlic.   Mix it up a bit and then, using a basting brush, drizzle the marinade over the meat carefully trying not to disturb the spices on the surfaces.  Cover and marinate for 4-5 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove steaks 30 minutes before ready to cook to bring them to room temperature.  While they come to room temp, prepare your charcoal fire.  When coals are white-hot, cook the steaks for about 7-8 minutes per side for medium to medium rare as shown above (or until done to your liking).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Naturally, not all the marinade is absorbed by the meat and consumed.  I show the total carbs for the marinade below, but you can assume around ½ g. net carb is consumed on the marinade. 🙂

Yields 2 adult servings (charcoal-grilled steak is the one time I indulge myself).  Each 10 oz. serving of steak contains:

478 cals, 21.4g fat, 3.9g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.8g NET CARBS  (only around ½ g net carb consumed), 62.8g protein, 948 mg sodium

Cream Cheese Chicken

This dinner creation was quite a pleasant taste bud surprise!  I was not expecting, as I threw things into the pan, such a tasty dish.  Both my husband and I were quite pleased with the results tonight.  This dish is exceedingly simple to make!  This recipe is suitable once you get to Phase 2 Atkins or can fit these numbers into any other Keto diet plan.  This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction due to the wine.

INGREDIENTS: 

2 small chicken breasts

2 tsp. bacon grease

Dash black pepper

½ c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 thick slices bacon, cut in half

½ c. heavy cream (whipping cream)

1 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 oz. any white wine

2 T. my Sofrito sauce

1/8 tsp. xanthan gum or your preferred thickener

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  Debone the chicken breasts.  I didn’t remove skin, but you can if you prefer.  I always boil the rib frames for good stock and a little bit of treat chicken for my dog Button’s dinner bowl.  I made a slight cut down the center of each chicken breast and pounded them a bit thinner.  Lay them in a lightly greased baking pan (use a bit of the bacon grease listed).  Baste the top of each breast with the rest of the bacon  grease.  Sprinkle next with a dash of black pepper.  Top each one with half the mozzarella cheese shreds.  Set aside for a few minutes.

In a small skillet over medium heat, add the cream, softened cream cheese, sofrito sauce and white wine.  Stir until the cream cheese is completely blended in to a smooth state.  Add the light dusting of xanthan gum or your preferred thickener and stir until a bit thicker.  Spoon half the sauce over the two chicken breasts for now.  Top each breast with two pieces of the bacon you sliced in half.   Pop pan into oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until bacon is done and sauce/cheese is just beginning to brown.  Remove, plate and dip remaining sauce (reheated slightly) over the tops and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:  (to lower numbers below, cut chicken into 3 servings and divide toppings equally on each meat portion)

647 calories, 50.25 g fat, 4.95 g carbs, 0.5 g fiber, 4.45 g NET CARBS, 36.15 g protein, 677 mg sodium

Cranberry Refrigerator Cookies

I created a tasty refrigerator cookie early on in my low-carb journey some years ago:  these Pistachio Rosewater Cookies) were my inspiration for this cranberry holiday version.  These are delicious and so easy to make!  My mother loved refrigerator cookies you just slice off and bake a few at a time, like these.  A little dessicated coconut (maybe 1/4 c.) would transform them yet again.  Those changes would require you add the numbers to the nutritional info provided below.  It’s nice to be able to freeze this dough and just slice off the number of cookies you want to bake.  Lowers the chance for constant temptation.  I bake a little pan of 6 refrigerator cookies at a time.  This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of the OWL phase of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 large egg, beaten

¼ tsp. salt

2/3 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (pulse couple times in food processor)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

VARIATIONS:   Add ½ c. unsweetened coconut.  Add 1 tsp. orange zest to the batter.

Kevin’s Bake Mix (slightly modified):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, sweeteners and vanilla.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Add chopped cranberries and gently fold in to get berries evenly distributed in the batter.  Shape into a log about 12″ long and 1½” in diameter on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly, closing ends of waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to slice. 

Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices the number of cookies you want to bake.  Place on silicone or parchment-lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during baking).   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Roll any unused dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Store in refrigerator or freeze if you prefer.  If freezing, slightly defrost dough a half hour before attempting to slice or the cookie will likely “break” under the knife pressure.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48  (¼” cut ) cookies, each contains:

58 cals, 5.13 g fat, 1.94 g carbs, 1.05 g fiber, 0.89 g NET CARBS, 1.6g protein, 17 mg sodium