Italian Herb Bread

I developed a nice quick Italian ‘bread’ when I first started low-carbing 14 years ago.  We love it as a great compliment to Italian food. It’s a little sponge-y right out of the oven, but gets more bread-like as it cools off.  This bread doesn’t rise very much, so it’s easiest to just spread butter on top of the flat pieces of bread, rather than attempting to slice it.

The flavor on this bread is quite nice.  Since the oat fiber is basically a carb wash at 26 g carbs and 26g fiber per 1/3 cup, I would think you could try this at any rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL unless you find you do not tolerate even this tiny amount of oat fiber without setting off cravings.  I’ve been cooking with it for a year now and have not found that to happen after eating anything with a bit of it included.  It greatly enhances texture, but too much is drying….so don’t increase it in my recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. riced, steamed cauliflower

2 small eggs

1½ c. mozzarella, grated

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 T. chopped parsley

¼ tsp. oregano

Sprinkle each garlic and onion powder

2 T. heavy cream

3 T. golden flax meal

2 T. oat fiber (substitute 2 T. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix for gluten free version)

1 T. olive oil for oiling muffin cups

VARIATION:  Omit the herbs for a plain cheese bread.  Change it up and use cheddar cheese for the mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Using grater or food processor, rice cauliflower until fine and scrap into into a medium bowl.  Microwave (covered) on HI for 3 minutes, stopping and stirring after each minute.   Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to the warm cauliflower.  Beat in the eggs.  Add all remaining ingredients except the olive oil.  Stir well to blend ingredients.  Oil 12 muffin cups and scoop about 2T. batter into each muffin cup.  Repeat with any remaining batter to distribute amongst the 12 muffins.  Pop into 350º oven and bake about 25 minutes or until nicely browned.  Cool a few minutes before removing from pan and serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 rolls/servings, each contains:

81.5 cals, 5.81g fat, 3.1g carbs, 1.92g fiber, 1.28g NET CARBS, 5.41g protein, 217 mg sodium

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English Muffin

This is my lowest carb English muffin experiment to date.  It sure toasts nicely and psychologically allows me to feel like I’m having an English muffin.  The flavor is nice, especially with jam.  I tried to take my picture so you could see the inside texture well.  The air bubbles brought about with the addition of baking powder really do facilitate crisper toasting and promote the resemblance of a flour-based English muffin, I think.  These would not be suitable until the OWL phase of Atkins since they have almond flour.  **For you recipe tweakers…….do not substitute coconut flour in this recipe.  I did one that way and it was hard as a rock, didn’t toast so well, and not very good flavor-wise either.

A considerably improved version and my favorite now, you might also want to try this improved version of a low-carb English muffin.  However, at double the carbs, you will want to wait until you get to or are nearly to Atkins Maintenance level to enjoy this higher carb iteration:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/einkorn-english-muffin/

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Therein she brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in each of the first 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. melted butter, unsalted

1 large egg, beaten

pinch salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 T. almond flour or meal

1 tsp. oat fiber   (Available at Netrition.com.  Substitutions will result in more carbs; omitting will give different texture)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. psyllium husk powder (optional for slightly chewy muffin)

DIRECTIONS:   Melt butter in microwave in a small round bowl.  I used a 4″ ceramic ramekin.    Beat in the egg until smooth.  Add dry ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Microwave on HI for 2 minutes.  Tip muffin out onto cutting board and carefully slice in half laterally.  Toast to desired brownness and butter or serve with your favorite no-sugar jam or fruit topping.  My picture is shown with sugar-free blackberry jam.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 English muffin which contains (total both halves):

294 calories, 27 g  fat, 7.4 g   carbs, 4.6 g fiber, 2.8 g  NET CARBS, 10.9 g  protein, 217 mg sodium

Sour Cream Grilling Bread (low carb)

Nothing like a delicious grilled cheese sandwich!

Sadly, most low-carb breads made with alternate flours simply do not toast well.  They just won’t get…….ummmm……………toasty!!!  😦

This individual serving bread recipe I developed I think is particularly suited for grilling sandwiches.  It toasts up better than any other low-carb bread I’ve tried toasting in 10 years of low-carbing and bread experimentaation. Not sure which ingredient is facilitating that toasty quality though.  Likely it is the oat fiber, but am VERY glad whatever ingredient is doing that!

You can bake this in any microwaveable square container.  I have a plastic bread-shaped container (which isn’t so healthy to cook in actually), so I have switched to using my 4″ square glass dish.  I have not tried baking this bread in a conventional oven, but suspect it would need 350º for around 10-15 minutes.  One recipe can be sliced laterally into two thinner slices after cooling to make 1 sandwich, as shown in the photo above. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.  It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo lifestyles.

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1T. flax meal, preferably golden flax meal

1 T. butter  (plus dab more for skillet or panini pan grilling)

2 T. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber, no substitutes! (omit for gluten-free)

Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:   Melt the butter in microwave in a small mixing bowl.  Add beaten egg and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients and stir well.  With a rubber spatula, scrape batter into a 4″-5″ square microwaveable container and zap on HI power for 70 seconds or until dry to touch in center (microwaves can vary). Cool a minute and tip out onto cutting board.  Laterally slice as evenly as possible with a long-blade  knife to form two thinner slices.

When ready to construct your sandwich, melt a little butter or olive oil on a non-stick griddle and baste one side of each slice of bread.  Place one slice on griddle, buttered side down.  Add slice of your preferred cheese or meats and top with second slice of bread, buttered side up.  Brown well on both sides for best, “toastiest” results.  Slight over-browning is a GOOD thing here! 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 thin slices after cutting.  Entire recipe contains: (does not include sandwich fillings)

425 cals, 37.4g fat, 14.1g carbs, 11.3g fiber, 2.8g NET CARBS, 13.8g protein, 497mg sodium

Garlic Dinner Rolls

I’m making my Garlic Dinner Rolls again to have with our Swiss Steak tonight.  They are made with my Mozzy Dough, Which in flavor and texture lies somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  It makes excellent dinner rolls!  Delicious hot with butter!  They are also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Or they will make an excellent toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile in a variety of applications.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough dough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, or a 12″ pizza crust or in this recipe, 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

Garlic Dinner Rolls

My Mozzy Dough, somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe, makes excellent dinner rolls.  Delicious hot with butter!  Also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Makes delicious toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

1 small clove garlic, minced

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, 12″ pizza crust or 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each if made/cut into 6 portions.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

 

Einkorn Soft Pretzels

I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  My inspirational recipe was Maria Emmerich’s “Healthified Sub” recipe. I changed the water, added yeast for flavor and of course, added some Einkorn flour.  Oh, I also reduced the salt.

Man, the house smells like a bakery while these are baking…..you know that smell!  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and have a very nice texture inside, as you can see in the photo  above.  They have the mouth feel and taste of real yeast bread, perhaps a wee bit more firm and “elastic”, but not unpleasantly so.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got 8 pretzels from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe, with a bit of flour, is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance.  I order my Einkorn Flour from JovialFoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.com.

If you want a lower carb bun, either reduce the Einkorn flour, or I just make Maria’s bun as her recipe is written (no Einkorn flour at all), but I would still add the yeast and pinch of sugar, as that adds a lovely yeast taste and aroma to these buns.   As you can see by my picture, I’m not as talented with “shaping” pretzels as some. LOL  Must work on that.  But the dough is somewhat difficult to work with.  sounds like a good excuse to me.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ c. Einkorn Flour (or 1/4 c. low-carb bake mix)

Pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

1 c. boiling water

OPTIONAL:  1 egg white to glaze tops for a sheen.  Coarse-ground sea salt on tops.

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a sheet pan with silicone sheet or parchment. Mix all the dry ingredients (including yeast) in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Boil water.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add all at once to the dry ingredients.  I do not recommend using Konsyl brand psyllium.  Ruined a batch of bread with it one time.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Pour the 1 c. boiling water over the dough all at once and using the fork, stir quickly into a smooth mixture.  Now, using a rubber spatula and continue to stir quickly and fold as it thickens up.   Scoop out about 1/3 c. dough, roll on a silicone sheet into a 1/2″ “rope”.  Shape your pretzel, making two rings with a twist in the middle.  Repeat for other 7 pretzels. Place on the parchment/silicone lined pan fairly close together and pop into preheated 350º oven for a total of 45 minutes. If using egg wash, remove pan at 30 minutes cook time,  beat 1 egg white with 1 T. water and brush tops.  Sprinkle with coarse cracked salt.  Pop back into the oven and finish baking for about 15 minutes longer or until as brown as you desire.  Cool on pans before eating, as centers seem somewhat pack-y and “wet” if you don’t wait.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 pretzels, each contains:

154.4 cals, 10.6g fat,12.6g carbs, 6.98g fiber, 5.62g NET CARBS,6.53g protein, 193 mg sodium

 

 

 

Cheese Puffs

I decided to modify my Cheese Thin Buns recipe by adding some Carbquik to the ingredient line-up.   What a marvelous change that makes!  These tasty little bite-size snacks are less than 1 net carb per puff!  We both love snacking on cheese bread, but that isn’t exactly on a low-carb diet.  This is my answer to a late night snack that is suitable on a very low-carb diet.  These are easy to make and I’m certain they’ll be a hit with your family.  If you don’t like things spicy, omit the cayenne; if you do like things spicy, you may even want to increase the amount of cayenne!  🙂  These are suitable once you get to the end of Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, beaten

½ c. water

2 T. olive oil

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 T. + 1 tsp. glucomannan powder (there is no substitute for this)

¼ c. whey protein powder (plain, unsweetened)

1 T. (3 tsp) baking powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional but greatly enhanced the flavor layers)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 c. Carbquik (use gluten-free bake mix for a gluten-free version)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to evenly mix.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk.  While you are whisking the egg mixture, slowly add in the dry ingredients until all is well blended into a batter resembling pancake batter.  Stir in the cheese and mix it well.  Let the dough stand a few minutes as it will thicken/stiffen up a bit.

I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan.  The cheese will bleed out some oil, so you shouldn’t have to oil a non-stick pan.  But if yours is NOT non-stick, oil the cups of your mini-muffin pan lightly with a brush.  Using a measuring spoon, put 1 level tablespoon of batter into each cup raking it out with a finger to get it all.  Will make exactly 34 muffins, so a second baking will be necessary unless you own two mini-muffin pans.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for 17 minutes or until browning on top.  We found browning enhances flavor, so you may want to even bake yours a bit longer.  Remove from oven and cool a couple minutes.  If cooled a bit, they will come out of the pans with a knife tip’s help without tearing apart.  If removed too hot, you are going to tear them up.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 34 Cheese Puffs, each contains:

50.6 cals., 4.52 g fat, 2.13 g carbs, 1.43 g fiber, 0.70 g NET CARBS, 3.06 g protein, 138 mg sodium

Olive Bagels

I’m currently following the lowest carb diet I have ever done.  Not quite an Atkins Fat Fast, but pretty darn close.  I’m only eating protein, cheese, eggs, fat, olives and avocados for awhile.  So my creative hat kicked into gear today.  I know a lot of low-carb breads and pancakes are made with just cream cheese and eggs, so I thought I’d go down that road to create a bagel for lunch.  I was going to eat the olives “on the side”, but decided to incorporate them into the bagel, as my husband and I have always enjoyed a good olive yeast bread.  Well, these are far from a yeast bread, but they did come out quite good.

I used a doughnut pan to make these, but if you don’t have one, you could use a muffin-top pan, or make them shallow in the bottoms of pans for making large muffins.  Who says they have to have holes in the middle?  🙂

This recipe is suitable once you get to Atkins phase 2 since there is almond flour in them.  Many more of my tasty recipes are in Jennifer Eloff’s LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks.  Chef George Stella and other great low-carb cooks have participated in this on-going project.   Special complete 10-volume set pricing is going on right now. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe or two, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. cream cheese, softened

1 beaten egg (I used extra large)

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

10 black olives, chopped very fine

1 T. olive or coconut oil (for batter)

1/8 tsp. each garlic and onion powders

1T. almond flour (or some low-carb bake mix if allergic to nuts)

1 tsp. my 8-Seed Spice Blend (or similar bread-topping blend)

1 T. olive or coconut oil (to grease pan)

VARIATION:  You could omit the olives, reduce or omit onion & garlic powders for a plain bagel. 

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  With a basting brush, oil the 6 slots of your pan with 1 T. olive oil.  Set aside while you mix up the batter.  Soften cream cheese in microwave in a medium ceramic/glass mixing bowl.  Add in all other ingredients to the cream cheese and blend well for a few minutes with a rubber spatula to try to distribute the cream cheese evenly throughout the mozzarella.  Spoon the batter equally into the 6 pan slots, pressing it down with your spoon or fingers to compress batter tightly in the slots.   Pop into 375º oven and bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top.  I pulled mine out a tad too soon at 15 min., as the browner ones were the tastiest.  Allow bagels to almost completely cool before attempting to remove from the pans with a knife point to help lift them.   If you try while they are hot, they will tear up, as my first one did.   Serve with salads, Greek foods, Italian food or just by themselves.  Mmmm, they are GREAT!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Make 6 bagels, each contains:

220 cals, 18.3g fat, 2.53g carbs, 0.40g fiber, 2.13g NET CARBS, 11.7g protein, 286 mg sodium

Einkorn Soft Pretzels

I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  My inspirational recipe was Maria Emmerich’s “Healthified Sub” recipe. I changed the water, added yeast for flavor and of course, added some Einkorn flour.  Oh, I also reduced the salt.

Man, the house smells like a bakery while these are baking…..you know that smell!  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and have a very nice texture inside, as you can see in the photo  above.  They have the mouth feel and taste of real yeast bread, perhaps a wee bit more firm and “elastic”, but not unpleasantly so.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got 8 pretzels from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe, with a bit of flour, is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance.  I order my Einkorn Flour from JovialFoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.com.

If you want a lower carb bun, either reduce the Einkorn flour, or I just make Maria’s bun as her recipe is written (no Einkorn flour at all), but I would still add the yeast and pinch of sugar, as that adds a lovely yeast taste and aroma to these buns.   As you can see by my picture, I’m not as talented with “shaping” pretzels as some. LOL  Must work on that.  But the dough is somewhat difficult to work with.  sounds like a good excuse to me.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand; ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE  KONSYL BRAND! Been there and what a mess that was!)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ c. Einkorn Flour (for gluten free version, substitute either 1/4 c. certified gluten-free oat flour or  Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten Free Bake Mix)

Pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

1 c. boiling water

OPTIONAL:  1 egg white to glaze tops for a sheen.  Coarse-ground sea salt (I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt).

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a sheet pan with silicone sheet or parchment. Mix all the dry ingredients (including yeast) in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Boil water.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Pour the 1 c. boiling water over the dough all at once and using the fork, stir quickly into a smooth mixture.  Now, using a rubber spatula and continue to stir quickly and fold as it thickens up.   Scoop out about 1/3 c. dough, roll on a silicone sheet into a 1/2″ “rope”.  Shape your pretzel, making two rings with a twist in the middle.  Repeat for other 7 pretzels. Place on the parchment/silicone lined pan fairly close together and pop into preheated 350º oven for a total of 45 minutes. If using egg wash, remove pan at 30 minutes cook time,  beat 1 egg white with 1 T. water and brush tops.  Sprinkle with coarse cracked salt.  Pop back into the oven and finish baking for about 15 minutes longer or until as brown as you desire.  Cool on pans before eating, as centers seem somewhat pack-y and “wet” if you don’t wait.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 pretzels, each contains:

154.4 cals, 10.6g fat,12.6g carbs, 6.98g fiber, 5.62g NET CARBS,6.53g protein, 193 mg sodium

 

 

 

Garlic Dinner Rolls

My Mozzy Dough, somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe, makes excellent dinner rolls.  Delicious hot with butter!  Also good split, toasted with melted butter brushed on the tops and a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  Makes delicious toasted garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

1 small clove garlic, minced

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, 12″ pizza crust or 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each if made/cut into 6 portions.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

 

Einkorn Jumbo Cinnamon Muffins

I’ve been wanting to try my delicious Einkorn Dinner Roll recipe as a sweet muffin and this morning was the day.  Tried using my brand new jumbo muffin pan for the first time, too.  The pan cups here were filled 3/4 full and rose nicely!  Being jumbo, these are a bit carb-y, so you might want to make 12 regular-size muffins to cut the numbers below in half per muffin.  Alternately, you can use liquid sweeteners and cut carbs even more.  The psyllium and flax meal make these VERY filling, so not even the heartiest sweets eaters will ask for a second one.  Place those leftover muffins in a plastic bag and as with all low-carb baked goods, keep refrigerated until you want them again.  Should keep about a week.

This recipe is not suitable until you are near goal weight (Pre-Maintenance).

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour

½ c. egg white protein powder

2 T. oat fiber

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. baking powder

2 T. golden flax meal

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. psyllium husk powder

½ c. Splenda (or equivalent sweetener of choice)

WET INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 2 T. warm water + 2 tsp. sugar (consumed by yeast)

5 large eggs, beaten

3 T. olive oil

2 T. melted butter

¼ c. egg whites (I use carton variety)

½ c. boiling water (added at very last)

TOPPING:  3/4 c. ch. pecans, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 3 T. melted butter, 2 T. Splenda

VARIATION:  Add a little brown sugar substitute to the topping mixture

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil a jumbo muffin tin with a brush and set aside.    Dissolve yeast in 2 T. warm water and add a 2 tsp. sugar (consumed by the yeast).  Set aside for now.  Mix topping ingredients in another small bowl, stir and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, measure out all dry ingredients.  Stir well.   In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add oil, melted butter and egg whites.  Beat until uniform and smooth.  Next add the dissolved yeast mixture and stir well.   Now pour  wet ingredients into dry ingredients and beat well with rubber spatula until all is moistened smooth. Add in boiling water all at once and beat well 15-20 times with spatula until smooth.  Using half-cup measuring cup, spoon batter into greased muffin pan slots, evenly distributing the batter as best you can.  Cups will be about 3/4 full.  sprinkle on topping evenly on the 6 muffins.  Pop in preheated 350º oven for around 20-22 minutes.  Check at 20 minutes as ovens vary.  If not firm and dry to touch center top, cook 2-3 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and cool 3-4 minutes. Gently lift out with knife tip and serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 jumbo muffins, each contains:

457 cals, 37.7 g fat, 18.83g carbs,  8.36g fiber,  10.47g NET CARBS (use liquid sweetener to lower), 19g protein, 497mg sodium (halve these numbers if you make regular-size muffins)

 

 

Sour Cream Grilling Bread (low carb)

Shown on a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Sadly, most low-carb breads made with alternate flours simply do not toast well.  They just won’t get…….ummmm……………toasty!!!  😦

This individual serving bread recipe I developed I think is particularly suited for grilling sandwiches.  It toasts up better than any other low-carb bread I’ve tried toasting in 10 years of low-carbing and bread experimentaation. Not sure which ingredient is facilitating that toasty quality though.  Likely it is the oat fiber, but am VERY glad whatever ingredient is doing that!

You can bake this in any microwaveable square container.  I have a plastic bread-shaped container (which isn’t so healthy to cook in actually), so I have switched to using my 4″ square glass dish.  I have not tried baking this bread in a conventional oven, but suspect it would need 350º for around 10-15 minutes.  One recipe can be sliced laterally into two thinner slices after cooling to make 1 sandwich, as shown in the photo above. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.  It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo lifestyles.

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1T. flax meal, preferably golden flax meal

1 T. butter  (plus dab more for skillet or panini pan grilling)

2 T. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber, no substitutes! (omit for gluten-free)

Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:   Melt the butter in microwave in a small mixing bowl.  Add beaten egg and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients and stir well.  With a rubber spatula, scrape batter into a 4″-5″ square microwaveable container and zap on HI power for 70 seconds or until dry to touch in center (microwaves can vary). Cool a minute and tip out onto cutting board.  Laterally slice as evenly as possible with a long-blade  knife to form two thinner slices.

When ready to construct your sandwich, melt a little butter or olive oil on a non-stick griddle and baste one side of each slice of bread.  Place one slice on griddle, buttered side down.  Add slice of your preferred cheese or meats and top with second slice of bread, buttered side up.  Brown well on both sides for best, “toastiest” results.  Slight over-browning is a GOOD thing here! 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 thin slices after cutting.  Entire recipe contains: (does not include sandwich fillings)

425 cals, 37.4g fat, 14.1g carbs, 11.3g fiber, 2.8g NET CARBS, 13.8g protein, 497mg sodium

Cheese Puffs

I decided to modify my Cheese Thin Buns recipe by adding some Carbquik to the ingredient line-up.   What a marvelous change that makes!  These tasty little snacks are less than 1 net carb per puff!  We both love snacking on cheese bread, but what we buy at the store isn’t exactly low-carb.  This is my answer to a late night snack that is suitable on a very low-carb diet.  These are easy to make and I’m certain they’ll be a hit with your family.  If you don’t like things spicy, omit the cayenne; if you do like things spicy, you may even want to increase the amount of cayenne!  🙂  These are suitable once you get to the end of Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, beaten

½ c. water

2 T. olive oil

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 T. + 1 tsp. glucomannan powder (there is no substitute for this)

¼ c. whey protein powder (plain, unsweetened)

1 T. (3 tsp) baking powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional, but greatly enhances flavor profile)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 c. Carbquik (use a gluten-free bake mix if needed)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to evenly mix.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk.  While you are whisking the egg mixture, slowly add in the dry ingredients until all is well blended into a batter resembling pancake batter.  Stir in the cheese and mix it well.  Let the dough stand a few minutes as it will thicken/stiffen up a bit.

I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan.  The cheese will bleed out some oil, so you shouldn’t have to oil a non-stick pan.  But if yours is NOT non-stick, oil the cups of your mini-muffin pan lightly with a brush.  Using a measuring spoon, put 1 level tablespoon of batter into each cup raking it out with a finger to get it all.  Will make exactly 34 muffins, so a second baking will be necessary unless you own two mini-muffin pans.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for 17 minutes or until browning on top.  We found browning enhances flavor, so you may want to even bake yours a bit longer.  Remove from oven and cool a couple minutes.  If cooled a bit, they will come out of the pans with a knife tip’s help without tearing apart.  If removed too hot, you are going to tear them up.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 34 Cheese Puffs, each contains:

50.6 cals., 4.52 g fat, 2.13 g carbs, 1.43 g fiber, 0.70 g NET CARBS, 3.06 g protein, 138 mg sodium

Einkorn-Carbalose Sandwich Buns

I continue to tweak my Einkorn Sandwich Bun recipe in an attempt to make it whiter and to eliminate the “damp” feeling on the inside.  Suffice it to say I’m getting there.  With today’s experiment I got rid of the “slightly damp” interior that bothered my husband and I both.  When cooled, these were not “damp” feeling inside (just a normal level of bread moisture you would want).  I believe reducing the psyllium husk powder is what dried the interior a bit.

They are also now lighter in color with the addition of a little bit of resistant wheat starch.  Now I admit freely that this isn’t the lowest carb bread recipe out there folks, and clearly not suitable until you’re at or near goal weight.  But if you’re looking for a better low-carb yeast-tasting bread that is really, really good, that is sturdy enough to hold up to hot roast beef with juice for a delicious sandwich, with a very neutral flavor, you NEED to try this recipe. 🙂   Even my husband ate one and said he could learn to eat this bread regularly.    Not suitable until nearing goal weight when slightly higher carbs and grains are permissible occasionally on Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.

For hot-dog buns, form into 6″ “ropes” and slightly press flat on the pan before baking.

NOTE:  This bread, gets a little “tough” when toasted if care is not taken to avoid over-browning.  If only lightly toasted, that doesn’t seem to happen.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/2 tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. very warm tap water

3/4 c. Carbalose flour

1/4 c. Einkorn flour

½ c. almond flour

2 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. sea salt

3 T. vital wheat gluten

1 T. arrowroot powder

1 T. Resistant Wheat Starch

1 T. coconut flour

3 egg whites (I used ½ c.+1 T. egg whites from carton)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition to the warm water listed above)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  In a small bowl dissolve the yeast, sugar with the 1/4 c. warm tap water.  Set aside while you continue.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork, add the proofed yeast mixture, stir to blend and add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a uniform thick dough.  Now pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with the fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform consistency.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold the dough as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the bowl and with your rubber spatula portion off 5 equal portions of dough. Scoop up each portion and roll in your palms into a round ball.  Place each ball on a non-stick, silicone-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down slightly to about 5/8″ thick and 4″ round.  They don’t spread much during cooking so they can all fit on one sheet pan.  Make 6 portions for smaller buns with lower carb count.

Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until golden as shown above.  Cool partially before attempting to slice laterally as shown or bag to store.  Like all low-carb cakes and breads, I store these in a gallon ziploc bag in the fridge. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  I’ll provide for both size buns:

5 buns: each will contain:  180 cals., 5.72g fat, 22.32g carbs, 10.6g fiber, 11.72g NET CARBS, 10.4g protein, 469 mg sodium

6 buns: each will contain:  150 cals., 5.6 g fat, 18.6g carbs, 8.83g fiber, 9.77g NET CARBS, 8.66g protein, 391 mg sodium

 

 

Cheese Thin Buns

Ages and ages ago I saved a recipe for cheese bread from the Low Carb Friends recipe forums (which sadly shut down permanently June 1st, 2018).  A member there named Marcea posted her cheese bread recipe made from glucomannan (no flour) and it intrigued me.  I tried it and found it indeed tasty, but the texture left me wanting.  So I tweaked the recipe just a bit.  Now my husband and I find it more bread-like with GREAT flavor!  These made delicious sausage, egg, breakfast sandwiches this morning, shown above.  These are so filling with glucomannan (pure fiber) in them, sliced super thin is the way to go for an adult “sammie”.  One will sure fill you right up!  The hubs wanted an extra slice of cheese on his breakfast treat, but I did not add extra to mine.  All I can say is breakfast was delicious!  This gluten-free bread is a keeper.  Going to make it up as hot dog buns next time.  Or you could make mini treats for snacking.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and gluten-free diets.  Clearly it is not suitable for Primal/Paleo due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 T.  plain whey protein isolate (I use NOW brand)

1 T.+1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 eggs, beaten

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. tap water

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all wet ingredients and add eggs to a medium mixing bowl.  Beat with hand or electric mixer.  Leaving mixer on as you work, with your free hand, slowly dust in or sprinkle the glucomannan onto the wet ingredients until it forms a smooth waffle-like batter.  Will lump a bit with first addition but will quickly smooth out.  Do not rush this step.  When all glucomannan powder is incorporated, turn off mixer and remove/scrape down beaters.  Add in baking powder, garlic powder, shredded cheese and whey protein powder.  Stir well with rubber spatula to blend uniformly.   Now it should be a pretty thick bread batter.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl of batter as you go.

Line a baking sheet  or pan with parchment.  Spoon batter onto sheet in 6 equal 4″ mounds.  I flatten mine out a bit with the spatula to get this size and to eliminate a thick mound in the middle.  If you are making snack bites rather than buns, spoon your batter onto the parchment in 12 smaller mounds (no need to flatten).    Pop pan into 350º oven and bake the larger buns for around 15 minutes; smaller ones take around 9-10 minutes.  I don’t over brown these or they dry out.  Slightly cool and slice them in half laterally to make your favorite lunch or breakfast sandwiches.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 large buns or 12 snack cheese bites.

Larger buns each:  139 calories, 10.55 g fat, 5.33 g carbs, 3.36 g fiber, 1.97 g NET CARBS, 10.5 g protein, 522 mg sodium

Smaller bites each:  70 calories, 5.27 g fat, 2.66 g carbs, 1.68 g fiber, 0.98 g NET CARBS, 5.25 g protein, 261 mg sodium

White Bread Sandwich Rounds

This recipe is a slight modification of my new Toasting Bread recipe.  I merely added some psyllium to the original batter.  They came out soft, neutral in flavor and resilient to handling.  Made GREAT roast beef sandwiches for our lunch today.  The husband really liked this one!  So a thumbs up on this one from both of us.  This recipe is not suitable until you are in Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance on the Atkins plan.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix or Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. CarbQuik Bake Mix

½ tsp. each baking powder & baking soda

1½ tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.  Set aside.  Prepare the batter. Soften cream cheese in a medium glass mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat with a whisk until smooth.  Add in eggs and olive oil and whisk until smooth.  Add in the rest of the dry ingredients listed and whisk smooth.  Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.  I didn’t use a measuring cup, but used my spatula to spoon up about into 4 well-spaced piles on the papered pans.   If more batter left, evenly distribute into the 8 piles total.  Smooth out fairly thin with your spatula or back of a spoon.  Aim for roughly 4″ rounds with 3/4″ space between them.  Pop into 350º oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  I intentionally under-browned one pan of mine so that I could re-heat them without overly drying them out or over-browning.  Ovens vary, so keep an eye out!  When as golden as you like, remove pans from oven and cool.  Enjoy with your favorite sandwich fillings.  Store extras in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 thin round breads.  Each bread round contains:  Takes two to make a sandwich as I find them too thin to slice, so each person is eating 8.3 net carbs plus your sandwich fillings.

195 cals, 15g fat, 11.02g carbs, 6.87g fiber, 4.15g NET CARBS, 11.7g protein, 219 mg sodium

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

I continue to make little changes to my Einkorn Sandwich Bun recipe in an attempt to make it better.  I’m getting there, but I’m still not quite to bread Nirvana.  The latest changes make these tasty buns lighter in color and less “damp” on the inside.  I admit freely that this isn’t the lowest carb bread recipe out there so it is clearly not suitable until you’re at or near goal weight.  But if you’re looking for a really flavorful, yeast-tasting bread that is really, really good, you NEED to try this recipe. 🙂   Even my husband said he could learn to eat this bread over all my other low-carb bread recipes.

For hot-dog buns, roll the 5 portions of dough into 6″ “logs” and slightly press flat to the shape of a hot-dog bun before baking.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, 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 yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!  If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

Interior texture

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

½ tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. very warm tap water

1½ c. almond flour

4 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. Einkorn flour

1 T. arrowroot powder

1 T. coconut flour

3 egg whites (I use ½ c.+1 T. carton variety)

2½ T. cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition to the warm water listed above)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  In a small bowl dissolve the yeast, sugar and warm tap water.  Set aside while you continue.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork, add the proofed yeast mixture, stir to blend and add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a uniform thick dough.  Now pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with the fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform consistency.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the bowl and with your rubber spatula portion off 5 equal portions (by eyeball) of dough. Scoop up each portion and roll in your palms into a round ball.  Place each ball on a non-stick, silicone-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down slightly to about 1″ thick.  They don’t spread much during cooking.

Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 45 minutes.  Cool partially before attempting to slice or they will get pack-y inside just like regular flour bread when sliced too hot.  Like all low-carb cakes and breads, I store these in gallon ziploc bags in the fridge. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 5 buns, each contains:

250 calories, 17.24 g  fat, 19.98 g  carbs10.12 g  fiber, 9.86 g  NET CARBS, 10.46 g  protein, 309 mg sodium

 

 

Cheese Puffs

I decided to modify my Cheese Thin Buns recipe by adding some Carbquik to the ingredient line-up.   What a marvelous change that makes!  These tasty little snacks are less than 1 net carb per puff!  We both love snacking on cheese bread, but that isn’t exactly on a low-carb diet.  This is my answer to a late night snack that is suitable on a very low-carb diet.  These are easy to make and I’m certain they’ll be a hit with your family.  If you don’t like things spicy, omit the cayenne; if you do like things spicy, you may even want to increase the amount of cayenne!  🙂  These are suitable once you get to the end of Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, beaten

½ c. water

2 T. olive oil

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 T. + 1 tsp. glucomannan powder (there is no substitute here)

¼ c. whey protein powder (plain)

1 T. (3 tsp) baking powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 c. CarbQuik (or other low-carb bake mix)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to evenly mix.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk.  While you are whisking the egg mixture, slowly add in the dry ingredients until all is well blended into a batter resembling pancake batter.  Stir in the cheese and mix it well.  Let the dough stand a few minutes as it will thicken/stiffen up a bit.

I use a non-stick mini-muffin pan.  The cheese will bleed out some oil, so you shouldn’t have to oil a non-stick pan.  But if yours is NOT non-stick, oil the cups of your mini-muffin pan lightly with a brush.  Using a measuring spoon, put 1 level tablespoon of batter into each cup raking it out with a finger to get it all.  Will make exactly 34 muffins, so a second baking will be necessary unless you own two mini-muffin pans.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for 17 minutes or until browning on top.  We found browning enhances flavor, so you may want to even bake yours a bit longer.  Remove from oven and cool a couple minutes.  If cooled a bit, they will come out of the pans with a knife tip’s help without tearing apart.  If removed too hot, you are going to tear them up.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 34 Cheese Puffs, each contains:

50.6 cals., 4.52 g fat, 2.13 g carbs, 1.43 g fiber, 0.70 g NET CARBS, 3.06 g protein, 138 mg sodium

Individual White Bread

When it comes to the commercial sliced white bread we all ate growing up, I’m getting real close to that texture and neutral flavor with this recipe.  I made an outstanding tuna sandwich today and didn’t have to suffer the taste of flax!  This “white bread” version has a much softer texture than my darker version.  This bread is not the slightest bit crumbly, thanks to the chia gel.

This quick bread is suitable for all those who have reached the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL carb ladder and for Keto followers.  With the whey protein, this is not suitable for Primal-Paleo followers.

You can get chia seeds at most health food stores, Whole Foods, probably Trader Joe’s, and also order them from a variety of on-line sources, including Netrition.com and most on-line pharmacies.  I always grind the seeds in a blender or coffee grinder so they will be less visible in my baked goods and dessert recipes.  Plus, I don’t like biting down on them.

CHIA GEL RECIPE:  In a small lidded jar mix 1 T. ground chia with 9 T. water.  Screw lid on and shake it up every 3-5 minutes or so until it gels up (about 10 minutes  total).  Any leftover gel will keep in the refrigerator for about a week for making more bread or chia puddings/shakes.

This bread is more suited to cold sandwiches, as it doesn’t toast any better than most non-flour low-carb breads do. It will brown nicely and firm up enough for spreading jam or jelly but it’s never going to get that crunchiness or toasted grain taste we all love that real flour can yield.  🙂  Just not gonna happen.  No big surprise there..

Note:  To bake a larger batch, cook in a conventional 350º oven.  Make 8 recipes and spoon/spread into an 11½”x16½” steel pan lined with parchment on the bottom and up the long sides.  Just oil the short sides of the pan.  It cooks in 10-11 minutes (longer for browner crust).  I found the texture and flavor to be just about the same as cooking in the microwave.  Large batch makes 12 small slices, each has 2.93 net carbs.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, 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 yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. olive oil

½ T. chia gel (made by the recipe above)

1½ T. water

pinch salt

2 T. whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened

¼ c. almond flour

½ tsp. baking powder

DIRECTIONS:  In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg, olive oil, chia gel and water together until smooth.  Measure the dry ingredients on top and stir to blend well.  Pour into square baking dish that is at least 1″ deep.  Microwave on HI for 1 minute.  Center will be dry to the touch when it is done.  Cook few seconds longer if needed.  Tip out onto cutting board and cool a few minutes.   Slice laterally as evenly as possible into two thinner slices and enjoy any way you would normally use sliced white bread!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 slices.  Entire recipe contains:

358 calories, 26.4 g  fat, 8.1 g  carbs, 3.3 g  fiber, 4.8 g  NET CARBS (both slices!), 32.4 g  protein, 454 mg sodium

Individual Dark Bread

Individual Dark Bread (with caraway seed for rye version)

I’ve been experimenting with a dark bread recipe all day.  My inspiration was a 2-Carb Bun recipe of Centaura57 (on ActiveLowCarber forums).  After 4 attempts, and some tweaks, I have gotten a result I’m really pleased with.  Great texture, good elasticity, not crumbly, not bitter with flax taste, and quite moist.  I’m just not too fond of any of the flax breads I’ve made to date.  Usually have to FORCE myself to finish a sandwich made with them, as the flax flavor overpowers what’s IN the sandwich.   Not so with THIS bread.  I scarfed down the tuna sandwich pictured above with no problem at all.  And chia is very filling, so this sandwich will “stay with you” longer than many.

MY CHIA GEL RECIPE:  In a small lidded jar mix 1 T. ground chia with 9 T. water.  Screw lid on and shake it up every 3-5 minutes or so until it gels up (about 10 minutes  total).  Any leftover gel will keep in the refrigerator for about a week for making more bread or chia puddings/shakes.

Given the tiny amount of chia seeds in this, 2/9 of 1 T., I wouldn’t think this bread would be a problem for people still on Atkins on Induction.  This is also suitable for Keto, Paleo and Primal diners.  My thanks to Centaura57 for giving me the idea for this bread.  I’ll be making often!  This bread also stands up to sandwich content moisture well!

If  sliced laterally and toasted first, this makes a pretty nice quickie pizza crust for a sausage/mushroom/pepper topped pizza I made, pictured below.  Sliced, buttered and sprinkled with Parmesan and Italian spices, it also makes a quick little piece of garlic toast or bread sticks!  It’s also great right out of the oven and eaten buttered like a dinner roll!  You could even cook it in roll shapes, if you have microwaveable dish with those shapes.  I have some individual silicone cups great for making MW rolls.

OVEN BAKING- For anyone interested, one of my readers reports that this bakes up nicely in a conventional oven if you quadruple the recipe, bake in a greased loaf pan 25-30 minutes at 350º.  I have not tested this method personally.

For more great bread recipes, hop on over to LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS Facebook page for a photo preview of their latest, best-selling cookbooks.  Jennifer Eloff, famed Chef George Stella and a number of other talented low-carb cooks have collaborated to bring you a wealth of tasty low-carb and gluten-free recipes.  You can order the entire 5-volume set or individual volumes at Amazon or here.

INGREDIENTS: 

As a single-serve pizza crust

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. olive oil

½ T. chia gel (mixed by the recipe above in blue 1:9)

1 T. water

2 T. whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ c. flax meal (I use half golden flax and half dark flax or all dark for the rye version)

VARIATION:  Caraway seed will make this taste like rye bread.  Onion powder is also good in this. If making dinner rolls, add a little of BOTH!  🙂

DIRECTIONS:  In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg.  Add oil, chia gel and water, stirring well.    Add remaining ingredients in order listed.  With rubber spatula, scrape batter into a flat microwave dish about the size of a slice of bread. Be sure it is 1″ deep to avoid overflow during baking.  Microwave on HI for 1 minute.  Since microwaves vary (I use a 1200 watt unit), you might check at 1 minute and then add more time if center is still wet.  Cool and gently tip onto cutting board.  Slice laterally into two thinner slices for a delicious sandwich.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 serving of 2 slices.  Entire recipe contains:

304 calories, 22.8 g  fat, 9.19 g  carbs, 7.8 g  fiber, 1.39 g  NET CARBS, 21.5 g  protein, 278 mg sodium

Cheese Thin Buns

Ages and ages ago I saved a recipe for cheese bread from the Low Carb Friends recipe forums (which sadly are shutting down June 1st, 2018).  A member there named Marcea posted her cheese bread recipe made from glucomannan (no flour) and it intrigued me.  I tried it and found it indeed tasty, but the texture left me wanting.  So I tweaked the recipe just a bit.  Now my husband and I find it more bread-like with GREAT flavor!  These made delicious sausage, egg, breakfast sandwiches this morning, shown above.  These are so filling with glucomannan in them, sliced super thin is the way to go for an adult “sammie”.  One will sure fill you right up!  The hubs wanted an extra slice of cheese on his breakfast treat, but I did not add extra to mine.  All I can say is breakfast was delicious!  This gluten-free bread is a keeper.  Going to make it up as hot dog buns next time.  Or you could make mini treats for snacking.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and gluten-free diets.  Clearly it is not suitable for Primal/Paleo due to the cheese.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, 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 yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!

INGREDIENTS: 

4 T.  plain whey protein isolate (I use NOW brand)

1 T.+1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 eggs, beaten

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. tap water

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all wet ingredients and add eggs to a medium mixing bowl.  Beat with hand or electric mixer.  Leaving mixer on as you work, with your free hand, slowly dust in or sprinkle the glucomannan onto the wet ingredients until it forms a smooth waffle-like batter.  Will lump a bit with first addition but will quickly smooth out.  Do not rush this step.  When all gluc powder is incorporated, turn off mixer and remove/scrap down beaters.  Add in baking powder, garlic powder, shredded cheese and whey protein powder.  Stir well with rubber spatula to blend uniformly.   Now it should be a pretty thick bread batter.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl of batter as you go.

Line a baking sheet  or pan with parchment.  Spoon batter onto sheet in 6 equal 4″ mounds.  I flatten mine out a bit with the spatula to get this size and to eliminate a thick mound in the middle.  If you are making snack bites rather than buns, spoon your batter onto the parchment in 12 smaller mounds (no need to flatten).    Pop pan into 350º oven and bake the larger buns for around 15 minutes; smaller ones take around 9-10 minutes.  I don’t over brown these or they dry out.  Slightly cool and slice them in half laterally to make your favorite lunch or breakfast sandwiches.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 large buns or 12 snack cheese bites.

Larger buns each:  139 calories, 10.55 g fat, 5.33 g carbs, 3.36 g fiber, 1.97 g NET CARBS, 10.5 g protein, 522 mg sodium

Smaller bites each:  70 calories, 5.27 g fat, 2.66 g carbs, 1.68 g fiber, 0.98 g NET CARBS, 5.25 g protein, 261 mg sodium

Individual Rye Bread

If you’re looking for a tasty single serving bread recipe, look no more.  This one has great texture, good elasticity, is not crumbly, has no bitter with flax taste, and is quite moist.  I’m just not too fond of any of the flax breads I’ve made to date.  I usually have to FORCE myself to finish a sandwich made with them, as the flax flavor overpowers what’s IN the sandwich.   Not so with THIS bread.  I scarfed down the pictured tuna sandwich pictured above with no problem at all.  Chia is very filling, so this sandwich will “stay with you” longer than many.

MY CHIA GEL RECIPE:  In a small lidded jar mix 1 T. ground chia with 9 T. water.  Screw lid on and shake it up every 3-5 minutes or so until it gels up (about 10 minutes  total).  Any leftover gel will keep in the refrigerator for about a week for making more bread or chia puddings/shakes.

Given the tiny amount of chia seeds in this, 2/9 of 1 T., I wouldn’t think this bread would be a problem for people still on Atkins on Induction.  This is also suitable for Keto, Paleo and Primal diners.  I make this one often and hope you’ll try it soon.  This bread also stands up to sandwich content moisture well!

If  sliced laterally and toasted first, this makes a pretty nice quickie pizza crust for a sausage/mushroom/pepper topped pizza I made, pictured below.  Sliced, buttered and sprinkled with Parmesan and Italian spices, it also makes a quick little piece of garlic toast or bread sticks!  It’s also great right out of the oven and eaten buttered like a dinner roll!  You could even cook it in roll shapes, if you have microwaveable dish with those shapes.  I have some individual silicone cups great for making MW rolls.

OVEN BAKING- For anyone interested, one of my readers reports that this bakes up nicely in a conventional oven if you quadruple the recipe, bake in a greased loaf pan 25-30 minutes at 350º.  I have not tested this method personally.

For more great bread recipes, hop on over to LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS Facebook page for a photo preview of their latest, best-selling cookbooks.  Jennifer Eloff, famed Chef George Stella and a number of other talented low-carb cooks have collaborated to bring you a wealth of tasty low-carb and gluten-free recipes.  You can order the entire 5-volume set or individual volumes at Amazon or here.

DISCLAIMER:  I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes in the books.  I do so merely because they are GREAT books (I have all 5!) you will want to ad to your cookbook arsenal.

INGREDIENTS: 

Click for pizza photo

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. olive oil

½ T. chia gel (mixed by the recipe above in blue 1:9)

1 T. stale brewed coffee

2 T. whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ c. flax meal (I use half golden flax and half dark flax)

1/4 tsp. caraway seed, whole or crushed

VARIATION:  Onion powder is good in this bread. Add about 1/8 tsp. if you’re of a mind.  🙂

DIRECTIONS:  In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg.  Add oil, chia gel and coffee.  Stir well.    Add remaining ingredients in order listed.  With rubber spatula, scrape batter into a flat microwave dish about the size of a slice of bread. Be sure it is 1″ deep to avoid overflow during baking.  Microwave on HI for 1 minute.  Since microwaves vary (I use a 1200 watt unit), so you might check at 1 minute and then add more time if center is still wet.  Cool and gently tip onto cutting board.  Slice laterally into two thinner slices for two thin slices for making a sandwich.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 serving (2 slices).  Entire recipe contains:

304 calories, 22.8 g  fat, 9.19 g  carbs, 7.8 g  fiber, 1.39 g  NET CARBS, 21.5 g  protein, 278 mg sodium

Rosemary-Onion Dinner Rolls

These little rolls are a variation on a Paleo Flax Bread recipe I saw somewhere on the net.  They came out quite light and tasty.  They are very nice with butter.  These are not suitable until you get to the Atkins OWL nuts and seeds level of the carb re-introduction ladder.  This batter can be baked as a single loaf as well, but allow longer (about 30 minutes) for baking time if you do.  I found they were good at room temperature, sliced and used to make min- sandwiches and sliders, too!

VARIATION:  Omit rosemary & onion powder and instead use dill weed or seed along with lightly toasted minced dehydrated onion.  For a rye version, substitute caraway seed for the rosemary.  Or use any favorite herb blend you like.  Be CREATIVE!!  🙂

This recipe appeared in Volume 2 of Jennifer Eloff’s cookbook series: Low Carbing Among Friends.  Each of her books brings you a huge collection of kitchen-tested low-carb creations (a number of mine also) by some very talented cooks in the low-carbing arena. GET YOURS TODAY from:  Amazon or here

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. coconut flour

2/3 c. almond flour

1 c. + 2 T. flax meal (use golden flax for the lightest roll)

¼ tsp. salt

2½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. crushed dried rosemary (or 1½ T. fresh, chopped fine)

4 eggs, beaten

¾-1 c. water

4 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.   Grease loaf pan or muffin pan with some olive oil.  Beat the eggs, 4 T. olive oil and 1/2 c. of the water in a large mixing bowl.  Measure all dry ingredients on top of the egg mixture and stir/beat well.  Batter will be quite stiff.   Gradually add more water in small increments and beat after each addition until batter is smooth/soft enough to be spooned into muffin pans.  I used a square muffin pan making these.  You want it fairly thick!  Spoon into muffin cups nearly full, as these don’t rise too much. I actually used a square muffin pan, with 1″ deep wells.

Optional:  Before baking, sprinkle a few poppy seeds or crushed minced onion on top.

Pop into 350º oven for about 20 minutes (30-40 minutes for a single loaf of bread).  Cool slightly before attempting to remove them from the pan.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 loaf.  Cut in 12 slices or 12 rolls, each roll/slice contains:

154 calories, 12.8 g  fat, 5.83 g carbs, 4.43 g fiber, 1.4 g  NET CARBS, 5.71 g protein, 83 mg sodium

 

English Muffin

This is my lowest carb English muffin experiment to date.  It sure toasts nicely and psychologically allows me to feel like I’m having an English muffin.  The flavor is nice, especially with jam.  I tried to take my picture so you could see the inside texture well.  The air bubbles brought about with the addition of baking powder really do facilitate crisper toasting and promote the resemblance of a flour-based English muffin, I think.  These would not be suitable until the OWL phase of Atkins since they have almond flour.  **For you recipe tweakers…….do not substitute coconut flour in this recipe.  I did one that way and it was hard as a rock, didn’t toast so well, and not very good flavor-wise either.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. melted butter, unsalted

1 large egg, beaten

pinch salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 T. almond flour or meal

1 tsp. oat fiber   (Available at Netrition.com.  Substitutions will result in higher carbs; omitting will render a different texture muffin)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. psyllium husk powder (optional for slightly chewy muffin)

DIRECTIONS:   Melt butter in microwave in a small round bowl.  I used a 4″ ceramic ramekin.    Beat in the egg until smooth.  Add dry ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Microwave on HI for 2 minutes.  Tip muffin out onto cutting board and carefully slice in half laterally.  Toast to desired brownness and butter or serve with your favorite no-sugar jam or fruit topping.  My picture is shown with sugar-free blackberry jam.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 English muffin which contains:

294 calories, 27 g  fat, 7.4 g   carbs, 4.6 g fiber, 2.8 g  NET CARBS, 10.9 g  protein, 217 mg sodium

Pumpernickel “Rye” Bread

These chunks of dark deliciousness were super tasty hot from the oven with butter.  You can make this into formed rolls, a loaf, of even a focaccia-style flat sheet!  I just make it in a small cake pan and cut it into triangles.  Next time I’m going to do these either as round dinner rolls or in my square muffin pan!   If you don’t like rye bread, just leave out the caraway seed and you have plain Pumpernickel!  This recipe is not suitable technically until the grains rung of OWL.  But oat fiber has 26 g. carbs per 1/3 cup and 26g. fiber, so even with rounding, it’s <1g. of carbs per 1/3 c.  I use very little in a recipe so that helps, too. As a virtual wash on carbs, I doubt you would have to wait until the grains rung of OWL to try these, but test to determine if it starts food cravings or causes gains.  It hasn’t for me.  🙂

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1 T. DARK flax meal

1 T. melted butter

2 T. sour cream

1 egg

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber

½ tsp. caraway seed

1 square (14.3 g) 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate (or 90% Lindt chocolate)

1 T. brewed coffee

OPTIONAL:  ½ tsp. freeze-dried coffee crystals (enhances flavor a lot)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt chocolate and butter in microwave.  Dissolve coffee crystals in the brewed coffee and add. Place in food processor.   Add in the sour cream and beaten egg.  Pulse a couple times to blend.  Add all dry ingredients and pulse a few times to mix batter well.  Either dip into 4 greased ramekins, 4 microwave safe muffin cups  or if using as sliced bread, dip batter into square or round small glass baking dish container.  Cook on HI for 1 minute 10 seconds or until center is dry to the touch.   If increasing recipe (four recipes) for a small loaf, bake at 350º for around 30 minutes or until center passes a dry toothpick test.  Cool and tip out onto cutting board.  Slice “rolls” laterally if using for a sandwich.   Serve hot rolls  at once with butter.  Completely cool before attempting to cut if you made a loaf for slicing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  The whole recipe has 690 calories, 63.5 g fat, 20.1 carbs, 13.5 g  fiber, 6.6 g net carbs, 20.9 g protein.  Calculate according to what shape/slice you are making.

If making as dinner rolls, this recipe makes 4 small rolls, each contains 172.5 calories, 16 g fat, 5.03 g carbs, 3.38 g fiber, 2.65 g NET CARBS, 5.23 g  protein

Egg White Protein Buns

I continue to try to improve the Oopsie-style sandwich buns.  My forays into using whey protein powder in the original Oopsie recipe dried them out and made them crumbly.  Next I tried adding a bit of egg white protein instead.  The egg white protein idea I got from a bun recipe I saw over on Maria Emmerich’s blog, seen here:  http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/eggs-benedict-on-protein-bun-and-athletes/.  Thank you for that idea, Maria!  Those came out good, but still not chewy enough.  Next I added some crushed plain pork rinds, an idea I got form Lynne Daniel at the Duke University Low Carb Support Group.  Thanks, Lynne.

Definitely this is an improvement over the original Oopsie in my opinion.  They are sturdier, slightly chewy, without the slightest interior “wetness” the original recipe always had.  I could definitely eat a hamburger or cold cut sandwich on these!  I see some sweet applications for these in my future, too.  🙂  The texture is somewhat like angel food cake to me.

Best of all, these only have .51 net carbs, as the recipe makes nine 3-4″ buns!  Oh, and these toast pretty nicely for butter or your favorite jams, but be warned, set your toaster low, as they are inclined to burn around the edges.  Keep an eye on them as they toast.  🙂  They tend to still get sticky on the top crust in the refrigerator as the inspiration recipe, but I’m working on improving that issue next.  🙂  These are suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, and Primal-Paleo as well.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php.DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are GREAT cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS: 

5 eggs separated

½ tsp. cream of tartar

½ c. pure egg white protein (No substitutions. Some grocers carry in the baking aisle. I order on-line)

¼ tsp. glucomannan powder (pure fiber from the konjac tuber)

2 T. melted butter

3 T. (½ oz.) finely crushed pork rinds

DIRECTIONS:  Grease, line with parchment or cover 2 cookie sheets with silicone sheets.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt the butter.  Separate the eggs into two immaculately clean medium mixing bowls.  Add the crushed pork rind flour to the yolks.  Add the melted butter and glucomannan.  Whisk together and let sit to swell/soak up moisture.  Sprinkle the cream of tartar over the egg whites and with an electric mixer, beat them to the stiff peak stage.  Slowly sprinkle the egg white protein over the egg whites once they are stiff, continuing to run the mixer while you add them.  When all the egg white protein is incorporated, stop the mixer.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the yolk mixture over the egg white mixture evenly and slowly, very gently fold the two mixtures together until they are well blended.  Do not stir roughly like cake batter or you will deflate the egg whites.  Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the baking sheets (they don’t spread much) and gently shape them round.  TIP: You have to use your finger to get all that batter out of the cup so they will all be uniform in size.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for 17-18  minutes. Turn off oven and let them stay in there (DOOR CLOSED!) for a few minutes to begin to cool down. Remove and finish cooling.   I found the crust on these “powdery” and off-putting when right out of the oven.  But once they were totally cool and I bagged them up for an hour, the crust developed into a nice chewy crust.  They did NOT get sticky and stick to each other in the bag like the original Oopsie rolls always did.  Yaaaaay.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes nine 3-4″ buns, each contains: (size depends on how much you spread the batter on the pan)

88 calories

5.81 g  fat,

.57 g  carbs, .06 g  fiber, .51 g  NET CARBS

4.48 g  protein

124 mg sodium

Einkorn Dinner Rolls

These are my best dinner roll recipe to date without all the cheese in them!  Soft inside; slightly chewy crust and a marvelous flavor.  And they rise up nicer than any low carb rolls I’ve made so far!  You can bake this dough in a loaf pan for slicing bread also.

My husband even liked this bread, and he’s real hard to please when it comes to bread.  These have a nice mouth feel one finds in good traditional yeast bread, not the typical coarse, dense crumb of low-carb breads.  I even included some dissolved yeast for that added flavor.

These make very nice sliders, too.  Here’s a close-up on the smooth texture:

I order my non-GMO Einkorn flour direct from Jovial Foods.  Some have found it at Safeway and other stores, but I’ve not been so fortunate.  Einkorn is real, ancient wheat, that has not been hybridized.  I use only the tiniest amounts in the occasional baked goods recipes.  It brings so much texture and flavor for little carbs if used sparingly to enhance alternate flours.  This recipe is not suitable until you are near goal weight (Pre-Maintenance).

VARIATION:   Sprinkle some of my 8-Seed Blend on tops of the rolls before baking:

DRY INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour

½ c. egg white protein powder (I use NOW brand)

2 T. oat fiber

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. baking powder

2 T. golden flax meal (dark flax or a mixture can be used for a darker, nuttier-tasting bread)

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

WET INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 2 T. warm water + pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

5 large eggs, beaten

3 T. olive oil

¼ c. egg whites (I used the ones in a carton)

½ c. tap water, boiling (added last per directions)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease or oil a standard muffin tin and set aside.    Dissolve yeast in 2 T. warm water and add a tiny pinch sugar.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, measure out all dry ingredients.  Stir well.  In another medium bowl, add the first 5 wet ingredients (all but the boiling water) and beat with a fork.  Add the dissolved yeast mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with fork.   Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat well using a rubber spatula. Slowly add the boiling water to the batter and stir to blend. Batter will be lumpy.  Now, using a whisk, beat until batter is smoother (about 15 times is all it should take).  Spoon batter into greased muffin tin cups 3/4 full evenly distributing the batter as best you can.  I actually used a silicone muffin pan.  Bake at 350º for around 30 minutes, but check them at 20 minutes as ovens vary. If not firm and dry to touch on tops, cook 5 or so minutes longer.  Remove from oven and in a few minutes, lift out with knife tip or tip onto board to finish cooling.  Serve warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 12 dinner rolls, each contains:

123 cals, 8.56g fat, 6.53g carbs, 3.93g fiber, 2.6g NET CARBS, 4.85g protein, 222 mg sodium

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

I continue to improve my Einkorn Sandwich Bun recipe in an attempt to make it whiter and to eliminate the “damp” feeling on the inside.  Suffice it to say I’m getting there.  With today’s experiment I got rid of the “slightly damp” interior that bothered my husband.  When cooled, these were not damp feeling inside (they are when hot however).  The coconut flour addition corrected that issue.

Also they are now lighter in color with the addition of a little bit of arrowroot powder.  Now I admit freely that this isn’t the lowest carb bread recipe out there folks, and clearly not suitable until you’re at or near goal weight.  But if you’re looking for a better low-carb yeast-tasting bread that is really, really good, you NEED to try this recipe. 🙂   Even my husband ate one and said he could learn to eat this bread regularly.    Not suitable until Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance of the Atkins or Keto programs when slightly higher carbs are permissible.

For hot-dog buns, roll the 5 portions of dough into 6″ “ropes” and slightly press flat on the pan before baking.

Interior view

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/3 tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. very warm tap water

1½ c. almond flour

4 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. Einkorn flour

1 T. arrowroot powder

1 T. coconut flour

3 egg whites (I use ½ c.+1 T. carton variety)

2½ T. cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition to the warm water listed above)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  In a small bowl dissolve the yeast, sugar and warm tap water.  Set aside while you continue.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork, add the proofed yeast mixture, stir to blend and add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a uniform thick dough.  Now pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with the fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform consistency.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the bowl and with your rubber spatula portion off 5 equal portions (by eyeball) of dough. Scoop up each portion and roll in your palms into a round ball.  Place each ball on a non-stick, silicone-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down slightly to about 1″ thick.  They don’t spread much during cooking.

Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 45 minutes.  Cool partially before attempting to slice or they will get pack-y inside just like regular flour bread when sliced too hot.  Like all low-carb cakes and breads, I store these in gallon ziploc bags in the fridge. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 5 buns, each contains:

250 calories

17.24 g  fat

19.98 g  carbs10.12 g  fiber, 9.86 g  NET CARBS

10.46 g  protein

309 mg sodium

 

 

Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been wanting to start some experimenting with my best bread dough to date.  That is a dough inspired by Maria Emmarich’s Healthified Sub recipe (scroll down her page).  I eliminated the coconut flour and added Einkorn flour to her recipe instead. I decided today was a GOOD day for baking and here are the fruits of my labors!  Made some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast and even my picky husband enjoyed them!!  Not quite as good as all-flour buns, but it came in a close second!  🙂

Man, the house smelled like a bakery while these were baking!!…..you know that yeast-y smell?  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and a soft texture inside.  I squirted a cream cheese glaze  on them, but you could also spread that around more like a frosting.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got 8 cinnamon buns from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling and you will likely find one is all you can eat. I see that as a GOOD thing! built-in portion control. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance due to the Einkorn Flour.

I order my Einkorn Flour from Jovialfoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.  It bakes up a darker final baked good than Jay Robb psyllium that Maria uses.  But I’m a tightwad and won’t spend $30+ when I can spend <$10 for something that works and tastes just fine to me.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

BASIC INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I used NOW brand)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/8 tsp. sugar  (consumed by yeast)

¼ c. Einkorn Flour

2 T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites (I use the kind in carton: ½ c.+1 T.)

3/4 c. boiling water

CINNAMON MIX:  Mix in a small bowl the following and stir well.

1 T. ground cinnamon

2 T. granular Splenda

2 T. erythritol

Dash stevia extract

GLAZE/DRIZZLE:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. melted butter

2 T. Splenda (I used granular)

3/4 tsp. vanilla

Dash stevia extract

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients (dry yeast too) in a large mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix/whisk the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add boiling water and stir again. Add wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, stirring quickly with the fork as you do so. As it begins to thicken up into a solid dough, switch to a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl into the ball of dough, folding the dough several times to blend it well.  Roll dough between 2 silicone sheets or or 2 parchment sheets roughly into a rectangle that is 10 x 13″.  Gently with a knife, cut the rectangle into 8 long strips of dough without removing them from their position.  Brush strips with some water to moisten them (or butter if you’re feeling totally decadent, but water is calculated in numbers below) and sprinkle on all the cinnamon mixture as evenly as possible.  Now roll each strip into a tight, coil-like roll and set them cut side down onto a non-stick or lightly greased baking pan.   Pop pan into preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  They don’t spread much but will rise quite a bit and then fall a bit when cooled.  Not to worry, this happens every time.  Drizzle glaze on tops with piping bag or sandwich bag with tiny hole cut in the corner.  If preferred, spread the glaze smooth like frosting with the back of a spoon.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 iced cinnamon rolls, each contains:

262 calories

21.6 g  fat

14.61 g  carbs, 7.9 g  fiber, 6.71 g  NET CARBS

7.48 g  protein

226 mg sodium

 

 

 

Einkorn English Muffin

Tried my Peggy’s English Muffin as an Einkorn flour version to see how that would improve texture and flavor.  I also decided to add a little psyllium husk powder for elasticity and the results were amazing!  Toasted in my broiler nicer than any other toast to date.  Flavor was like real toast!  Still haven’t achieved that acidic “sour dough” flavor that store-bought English muffins have though.   I’ve never been into messing with sourdough starter and such, quite frankly, so that may never happen.  But I’m pretty happy with this muffin and may not do further experiments on it.  Peggy, who are you kidding?  I can’t quit until I reach Nirvana and this muffin just isn’t quite there yet.  But it is vastly improved over my old version linked above.  I see that as all “goodness”.   🙂  As always, if there are further tests and improvements, I’ll come back to this post and make those changes.  🙂

As with all my Einkorn experiments, they are not suitable until you are nearly or at goal weigh.  Keto dieters can have these occasionally if the day’s menu allows the carbs.  These would not be suitable for Primal-Paleo folks.  If you’re wondering, I order my Einkorn flour from Jovial foods.com.  Some people are able to buy it in local grocery stores, but I am not.

INGREDIENTS: 

1½ T. unsalted butter

¼ c. egg whites (I used the ones in a carton)

2 T. very hot water

3 T. almond flour

1 T. Einkorn flour (for gluten free, use 1 T. oat flour ground from 100% certified gluten-free oats)

1 tsp. oat fiber (for gluten-free, use oat flour ground from 100% certified gluten-free oats)

¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand from Netrition.com)

DIRECTIONS:   Melt butter in a small bowl.  I used a 5″ oval dish.  Add the egg whites and hot water.  Add the dry ingredients in the order listed, stirring after each addition.  The mixture will be very fairly soupy at this point.  Add the psyllium husk powder last and the “batter” will now begin to thicken up.  Stir well with your fork to insure all is well-mixed.  Allow 1 full minute for the psyllium to do its job of thickening your batter.  Pop into your microwave and cook on HI for about 1 minute (should be dry to the touch in the center).  Cook a few seconds longer if still damp in the center.  Microwaves vary. Preheat your broiler.

Remove, loosen the edges with a knife tip and tip the muffin out onto a cutting board.  Cool a minute or so and then carefully slice laterally into two slices using a serrated bread knife.  Place on a metal pan and toast/brown the bottoms and then the tops in your broiler or toaster oven to your liking.  Serve hot with butter and your favorite jam.  You can also toast these in your slot toaster if you prefer, but be forewarned, I find they tend to “slump” or crumple down, even with the toaster support wires.  They then are misshapen and inclined to burn when they crumple and touch the elements of the toaster.   Your call on the toasting method. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes one muffin.  Entire recipe contains:

329 cals, 28 g fat, 15.3 g carbs, 7.8g fiber, 7.5 g NET CARBS, 13.1 g  protein, 218 mg sodium

Einkorn Soft Pretzels

Einkorn Soft Pretzels

I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  My inspirational recipe was Maria Emmerich’s “Healthified Sub” recipe. I changed the water, added yeast for flavor and of course, added some Einkorn flour.  Oh, I also reduced the salt.

Man, the house smells like a bakery while these are baking…..you know that smell!  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and have a very nice texture inside, as you can see in the photo  above.  They have the mouth feel and taste of real yeast bread, perhaps a wee bit more firm and “elastic”, but not unpleasantly so.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got 8 pretzels from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe, with a bit of flour, is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance.  I order my Einkorn Flour from JovialFoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.com.

If you want a lower carb bun, either reduce the Einkorn flour, or I just make Maria’s bun as her recipe is written (no Einkorn flour at all), but I would still add the yeast and pinch of sugar, as that adds a lovely yeast taste and aroma to these buns.   As you can see by my picture, I’m not as talented with “shaping” pretzels as some. LOL  Must work on that.  But the dough is somewhat difficult to work with.  sounds like a good excuse to me.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand; ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE  KONSYL BRAND!)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ c. Einkorn Flour (for gluten free version, substitute either 1/4 c. certified gluten-free oat flour or  Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten Free Bake Mix)

Pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

1 c. boiling water

OPTIONAL:  1 egg white to glaze tops for a sheen.  Coarse-ground sea salt (I used Himilayan Pink Sea Salt).

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a sheet pan with silicone sheet or parchment. Mix all the dry ingredients (including yeast) in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Boil water.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Pour the 1 c. boiling water over the dough all at once and using the fork, stir quickly into a smooth mixture.  Now, using a rubber spatula and continue to stir quickly and fold as it thickens up.   Scoop out about 1/3 c. dough, roll on a silicone sheet into a 1/2″ “rope”.  Shape your pretzel, making two rings with a twist in the middle.  Repeat for other 7 pretzels. Place on the parchment/silicone lined pan fairly close together and pop into preheated 350º oven for a total of 45 minutes. If using egg wash, remove pan at 30 minutes cook time,  beat 1 egg white with 1 T. water and brush tops.  Sprinkle with coarse cracked salt.  Pop back into the oven and finish baking for about 15 minutes longer or until as brown as you desire.  Cool on pans before eating, as centers seem somewhat pack-y and “wet” if you don’t wait.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 pretzels, each contains:

154.4 calories

10.6 g  fat

12.6 g  carbs, 6.98 g  fiber, 5.62 g  NET CARBS

6.53 g  protein

193 mg sodium

 

 

 

Einkorn Hotdog Buns

Einkorn Hotdog Buns

I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  My inspirational recipe was Maria Emmerich’s “Healthified Sub” recipe, to which I added a bit of Einkorn Flour, added 1½ tsp. of dry yeast for flavor and reduced the salt.   Man, the house smells like a bakery while these things are baking!  I just love the smell of yeast bread baking!   These rise nearly double and have a very nice texture inside.  They have the mouth feel of real yeast bread and even my picky husband likes them!  They are simply DELICIOUS!!  I got eight hot dog buns out of this recipe.  Being made with psyllium, these are very, very filling. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance due to the Einkorn Flour.  If you are still in Atkins Induction or the first few weeks of your Keto diet, you might want to try instead my Induction Hotdog Buns.  I order my Einkorn Flour from JovialFoods.com but some grocery stores carry it I am told.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.com.

If you want a lower carb bun, you can either reduce the Einkorn flour to 2 T. or just make Maria’s recipe as it is written.  But DO add the yeast and pinch of sugar, as that adds a lovely yeast-y taste to these buns. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt (I used Himalayan Pink Salt)

1½ tsp. dry yeast

pinch of real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. Einkorn Flour

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

1 c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork to moisten all dry ingredients.  Pour the boiling water over the dough and using the fork, stir into a smooth liquid.  Transfer to using a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up.   Portion off 8 equal portions using your spatula.  Roll each portion in your palms into an oblong hot dog shape about 5½” long and 1″ wide.  Place on a non-stick, silicone or parchment lined or oiled baking sheet.  They don’t spread much, so be sure you are shaping them the size you want right now.  Pop into preheated 350º  oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  Cool almost completely before attempting to slice these buns or they will get pack-y inside just like regular flour bread when sliced hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 8 hotdog buns, each contains:

154.37 calories

10.62 g  fat

12.6 g  carbs, 6.98 g fiber, 5.62 g NET CARBS

6.52 g  protein

193 mg sodium

 

Egg White Protein Buns

Egg Protein & Rind Buns

I continue to try to improve the Oopsie-style sandwich buns.  My forays into using whey protein powder in the original Oopsie recipe dried them out a bit and made them crumbly.  This time I tried adding a bit of egg white protein and some crushed pork rind “flour”, a bit of glucomannan powder and eliminated the cream cheese totally.  The egg white protein idea I got from a bun recipe I saw over on Maria Emmerich’s blog, seen here:  http://mariamindbodyhealth.com/eggs-benedict-on-protein-bun-and-athletes/.  Thank you for that idea, Maria.  I think I will use a little less egg white protein next batch in an attempt to make them a bit less chewy.  This adventure makes me want to try pea protein in these buns next time, which I have on hand.  🙂  I know some folks having some amazing results baking with pea protein.  So many types of protein to try; so little time. 🙂  Lynne Daniel at the Duke University Low Carb Support Group put me on to the idea of pork rinds in them.  Thanks, Lynne.

Definitely this is an improvement.  They are sturdier, even chewy, without the slightest interior “egg-white wetness” the original recipe always had.  I could definitely eat a hamburger or cold cut sandwich on these.  I see some sweet applications for these in my future, too.  🙂  The texture is somewhat like angel food cake to me, drier and somewhat chewier then the original Oopsie recipe, which I always found to be a little wet inside.  Best of all, these only have .51 net carbs, as the recipe makes nine 3-4″ buns!  Oh, and these toast pretty nicely for butter or your favorite jams, but be warned, set your toaster low, as they are inclined to burn around the edges.  Keep an eye on them as they toast.  🙂  They tend to still get damp on the tops in the refrigerator, but I’m working on improving that issue next.  Perhaps a pinch of psyllium will stop that sticky top problem under fridge storage.

These are suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, and Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS: 

5 eggs separated

½ tsp. cream of tartar

½ c. pure egg white protein (No substitutions. Some grocers carry in the baking aisle. I order on-line)

¼ tsp. glucomannan powder (pure fiber from the konjac tuber)

2 T. melted butter

3 T. (½ oz.) finely crushed pork rinds

DIRECTIONS:  Grease, line with parchment or cover 2 cookie sheets with silicone sheets.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Melt the butter.  Separate the eggs into two immaculately clean medium mixing bowls.  Add the crushed pork rind flour to the yolks.  Add the melted butter and glucomannan.  Whisk together and let sit to swell/soak up moisture.  Sprinkle the cream of tartar over the egg whites and with an electric mixer, beat them to the stiff peak stage.  Slowly sprinkle the egg white protein over the egg whites once they are stiff, continuing to run the mixer while you add them.  When all the egg white protein is incorporated, stop the mixer.

Using a rubber spatula, scrape the yolk mixture over the egg white mixture evenly and slowly, very gently fold the two mixtures together until they are well blended.  Do not stir roughly like cake batter or you will deflate the egg whites.  Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the baking sheets (they don’t spread much) and gently shape them round.  TIP: You have to use your finger to get all that batter out of the cup so they will all be uniform in size.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for 17-18  minutes. Turn off oven and let them stay in there (DOOR CLOSED!) for a few minutes to begin to cool down. Remove and finish cooling.   I found the crust on these “powdery” and off-putting when right out of the oven.  But once they were totally cool and I bagged them up for an hour, the crust developed into a nice chewy crust.  They did NOT get sticky and stick to each other in the bag like the original Oopsie rolls always did.  Yaaaaay.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes nine 3-4″ buns, each contains: (size depends on how much you spread the batter on the pan)

88 calories

5.81 g  fat,

.57 g  carbs, .06 g  fiber, .51 g  NET CARBS

4.48 g  protein

124 mg sodium

Einkorn Sandwich Buns (or Hamburger Buns)

Einkorn Sandwich Buns

I can’t take full credit for this recipe.  My inspirational recipe was Maria Emmerich’s “Healthified Sub” recipe. I had tried to make that bread on a previous occasion with Konsyl psyllium.  Big mistake.  Had to toss the whole mess into the trash can, as the dough was a brick and impossible to work with.  Clearly Konsyl is a unique psyllium product, so do not use KONSYL brand of psyllium powder.

I finally ordered some NOW band Psyllium Husk Powder (I ordered from Netrition.com) to test the recipe again and did so today.  You all know I’m hopelessly addicted to tweaking recipes, so I made just a few changes.  I added a small amount of Einkorn flour.  I will probably reduce the amount next time to pull the carbs down a bit. I also added 1½ tsp. of dry yeast for flavor, reduced salt and increased the water to 1 cup.  These had way too much sodium for me as the recipe was originally written so I greatly reduced that.

Man, the house smelled like a bakery while these were baking…..you know that yeast-y smell?!  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and have a very nice texture inside, as you can see in the photos above and below.  They have the mouth feel and taste of real yeast bread, perhaps a wee bit more “elastic”, but not unpleasantly so.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got five 3″ small buns from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling. 🙂

I then turned around and made the recipe a second time, making just four larger 4″ hamburger buns.

It goes without saying this recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance due to the Einkorn Flour.  I order my Einkorn Flour from JovialFoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.com.

If you want a lower carb bun, either reduce the Einkorn flour, or I just make Maria’s bun as her recipe is written (no Einkirn flour at all), but I would still add the yeast and pinch of sugar, as that added a lovely yeast taste and aroma to these buns. 🙂

UPDATE:  These freeze beautifully for up to 1 month.  Reheat directly on the oven grate for about 10 minutes at 350 minutes or broil,  or toast in your toaster.  The crust will get semi-crusty and chewy again. Man, these are like eating REAL BREAD!  Not sure I need to do anymore bread experimenting.  And they make OUTSTANDING hamburger buns that hold up to hot meat patties.  They do NOT fall apart while you eat your burger!!  🙂

Einkorn Hamburger Buns

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I used NOW brand; DO NOT USE  KONSYL BRAND!)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt (I used Himalayan Pink Salt)

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ c. Einkorn Flour (I order from Jovialfoods.com)

Pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

1 c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork and add all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Pour the boiling water over the dough and using the fork, stir into a smooth liquid.  Transfer to using a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up.   Portion off 5 equal portions (using your spatula) in the bowl (mark off only 4 portions if making the larger hamburger buns).  Roll each portion in your palms into a round ball.  Place on non-stick, silicone lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down to about 1″ thick.  They don’t spread much, so be sure you are shaping them the size you want right now.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes.  Cool partially before attempting to slice or they will get pack-y inside just like regular flour bread when sliced too hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: 

Makes five 3″ sandwich buns, each contains: 247 calories, 17 g fat, 20.16 g carbs, 11.18 g fiber, 8.98 g NET CARBS, 10.46 g  protein, 308 mg sodium

Makes four 4″ hamburger buns, each contains:  309 calories, 21.2 g fat, 25.2 g carbs, 13.97 g fiber, 11.23 g NET CARBS, 13.1 g  protein, 385 mg sodium

 

 

 

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Slider Buns

Gluten-Free Slider Buns

I made my popular Gluten-Free Grain-Free Focaccia Bread recipe again tonight as slider buns.  I used my whoopie pie pan to make them.  The batter made exactly 16 little pieces, so you will get eight 2-pc buns out of this batter.  These are not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 OWL.  They are not suitable for Primal-Paleo.  Paired with  leftover meatloaf or small meat patties , these make a delightful lunch.  In addition, they are good eaten at room temperature, so they make a marvelous picnic option, school lunch option or tail-gate treats for football season.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

Meatloaf Sliders

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. lukewarm water

1 tsp. dry yeast (only for flavor)

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs beaten

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. cream

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1½ c. Monterey Jack Cheese (or mozarella, or a mixture of the two)

Note:  If you’re NOT gluten-free, I highly recommend adding 1 T. oat fiber for a more “flour-y” flavor

DIRECTIONS:   Lightly oil a whoopie pie pan (or muffin top pan) and set aside.  You can use muffin pans, but you’ll need to evenly place the batter into 16 slots.   Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in a medium glass bowl in the microwave on defrost.  In a little dish, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.  When the cream cheese is soft, add the beaten eggs and almond flour.  Beat with a spoon until smooth.  Add dissolved yeast, cream and cider vinegar.  Stir to blend.  Fold in the cheese.

Measure all dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients.  Stir and fold the batter with a rubber spatula until it is smooth and well-blended. Using a 2-Tbsp. measuring cup, Scoop a scant (not quite 2 T. batter) into each slot of the pan.  Slots will be nearly filled up.  I had exactly enough batter to make sixteen 2½” wide pieces.  With only 1 pan that has 12 slots, I had to bake these in two batches.  Pop the pan into preheated 350º oven for about 15-16 minutes or until dry to the touch in the center.  Do not over brown these or they get really dry.  Place 2 oz. leftover meatloaf or a small 2 oz. grilled burger patty between 2 buns for a slider that will really please.  The buns are so filling probably 1 of these sliders will satisfy most adults.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 16 pieces or eight 2-pc. slider buns.  Each 2-pc bun contains, (not including any fillings):

194 calories

15.6 g  fat

6.65 g  carbs, 5.07 g  fiber, 1.58 g  NET CARBS

11.7 g  protein

291 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Hamburger Buns

Larger version shown)

I think these are my best low-carb hamburger buns yet!  They are very neutral in flavor and will definitely not drown out the lovely flavor of your charcoal-grilled burgers like many low-carb breads will.   They are so sturdy not a single crumb or piece fell off my burger, despite the heat of the meat patty.   But they achieve this sturdiness NOT at the price of “moist”.  They are not the slightest bit  “dry” or difficult to swallow.  Tasted like I was eating a REAL and very SOFT hamburger bun!

For those familiar with my Gluten-Free Grain Free Focaccia Bread recipe, that’s what these are made with.

SPECIAL NOTE:  For bigger buns (shown above), make a double batch of batter (which doubles the carbs to 3.06 per larger bun).  

These buns are not suitable for Atkins Induction, but are acceptable once you get to Phase 2 OWL nuts and seeds level.  They are also suitable for Ketogenic diets and Primal folks if dairy is occasionally consumed.  These buns are not suitable for a Paleo lifestyle.

You’ll find many more tasty gluten-free recipes in Jennifer Eloff’s latest cookbooks.  She has brought together some of the most talented low-carb cooks on the internet to bring you recipes you won’t want to miss.  Stop on over at the Facebook page for Low Carbing Among Friends and see what deliciousness awaits you in this 5-volume series of cookbooks.   You can have all these wonderful recipes and more by ordering yours at Amazon or here:   http://amongfriends.us/order.php

I am not paid for this promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes in these books. I do so simply because they are GREAT recipes that any cook would be proud to add to their low-carb arsenal.

Click to enlarge

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein

1 tsp. baking powder

Click to enlarge

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1½ c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 1 T. warm water (optional, for flavor only)

Poppy or Sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar, both cheeses and dissolved yeast (if using).  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Grease your metal molds well with oil.

I actually baked my buns in empty 13-oz cans (top and bottoms removed) that cooked chicken breast meat comes in.  Those cans are the perfect diameter and I have saved 8 of these over the past year so I would have them for this purpose.  They don’t appear to be lined, so I think it’s OK to bake in them.  After baking these, I located some mini cake pans that are just the right shape for making my hamburger buns in future.  A large round metal cookie cutter would work, too. Muffin-top pans would be OK I suppose, but will make smaller buns.  You can even free-hand shape them on a silicone or parchment lined cookie sheet.  But be warned, they will spread out as they cook and you may be unhappy with their final shape.

Using a ¼-cup measuring cup, scoop up ¼ c. batter and fill your molds, spreading the batter evenly with the back of a spoon.  Batter will be about ½” thick in the molds and there should be enough batter for 7 buns. Sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds if desired.  Pop buns into a 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and lightly browned around the edges.  Cool a few minutes.  Slide knife around edges of buns to loosen and carefully remove them to a cooling rack or cutting board. When totally cool, slice them laterally and they are ready to use for your grilled burgers or other sandwiches.  Store any leftover in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.  Please note these buns boast some impressive nutritional stats below.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes seven buns you then slice laterally to create a “top” and “bottom” of your bun. Each 2-part hamburger bun contains: (doesn’t include sesame or poppy seeds if you use them)

197 cals., 16g  fat, 3.5g  carbs, 1.97g  fiber, 1.53g NET CARBS, 12.7g  protein, 288 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Sandwich Buns

Gluten-Free Sandwich Buns

When you’re no longer eating wheat flour it makes it difficult to eat a normal sandwich.  I find I don’t want lettuce wraps ALL the time.  🙂  This sandwich bun is so tasty it has become my go-to low-carb bread.  I’m most pleased with this recipe and am finding the batter very versatile.  I’m getting a lot of happy feedback from my readers on this one, too!  This is actually just my Gluten-Free Grain Free Focaccia Bread batter made into a bun shape.  This bread has a very neutral flavor, a nice elasticity, nice top and bottom crust, and is not crumbly.  I enjoyed a piece hot from the oven with butter and it was amazing!  It makes GREAT sandwiches! No strong flax taste to drown out the sandwich filling!  Very neutral in flavor.  You can also make pizza crust from this batter.  🙂  This recipe is suitable once you reach Phase 2 OWL of Atkins and Keto diets.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. unflavored, unsweetened whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

OPTIONAL:  Spices of your choosing (or cinnamon/sweetener, for a sweet version) sprinkled on top before baking.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar and both cheeses.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan either with parchment paper or silicone sheet.  Dip the batter onto the prepared pan in 9 equal piles (I used a ¼ c. measuring cup).  Spread it out into round bun shapes as evenly as possible with your rubber spatula or the back or a spoon.  Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Sprinkle on spices if using any.  Pop buns into 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and lightly browned around the edges.  Cool a few minutes.  When totally cool, store in plastic bag in refrigerator.  Slice each into a top and bottom for your buns.  These keep about 2 weeks or a little longer as a rule.  Can be frozen up to 1 month or so.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 bi-valve buns, each contains:  These can be sliced laterally to form the thinner slices of bread for toasting and other uses, but the numbers below are for 1 whole sandwich bun (top and bottom).

149 calories

11.5 g  fat

3.5 g  carbs, 2.1 g  fiber, 1.4 g  NET CARBS

10.1 g  protein

204 mg sodium

 

Cheesy “Cornbread”

I’ve been wanting to make a basic cheese cornbread and finally got around to doing that tonight.  I used my Peppered Bacon Cheese Bread recipe and deleted the bacon.  This bread is not suitable until you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL phase.   If you omit the corn flavoring, this is suitable for Primal diners that consume occasional cheese.  This was one of my better low-carb breads to date and was absolutely delicious served with seared pork chops and  a salad.  Leftover and toasted, it made a lovely breakfast sausage biscuit as well!

This bread can be baked up in a loaf, scone shapes, as biscuits, muffins or wedges cut from a 9″ round pan or 9 large squares cut from an 8×8 pan version.  This bread holds together well and will not crumble apart. Muffins or biscuits will only take about 15-20 minutes to cook.  Scones, a round version or loaf/square version will possibly take a little longer, around 30 minutes.  Check with a toothpick in the center for doneness.

Note:  The corn flavoring I use from time to time is “Fresh Corn” available at Selectflavors website (formerly marketed under the brand of Superior Products).  http://www.selectflavors.com/individual-flavors/

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this one can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. coconut flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

1 3/4 tsp. baking soda

1 c. grated cheese (I use cheddar)

5 eggs, beaten

2 T. coconut oil, melted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. cider vinegar

1 tsp. corn flavoring (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease your pan or muffin tin cups (or use paper liners) and set aside.  Measure all dry ingredients and cheese into a medium measuring bowl, stir and set aside.  Beat eggs and all liquid ingredients in a small bowl and add them to the dry ingredients.  Stir to blend all into a smooth batter.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into a greased loaf pan, 8×8 square dish, a round 9″ pan, or onto a greased sheet for cutting into 10 scones, rolls or biscuits.  Shape dough evenly as desired or spoon into 10 greased muffin tin cups or loaf pan.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for about 20 minutes for biscuits, rolls or muffins; bake 30-35 minutes for a loaf, 9″ round or 8×8 square version.  Ovens vary, so check with toothpick test.   Remove and cool in pan a few minutes.  Run sharp knife around edges to loosen and tip out onto a cutting board. Slice loaf or scones into 10 servings.  Serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 10 slices, muffins, biscuits or wedges.  Each serving contains:

293.6 calories

26.0 fat

6.16 g  carbs, 3.18 g  fiber, 2.88 g  NET CARBS

11.24 g  protein

481 mg sodium

106 mg potassium

Individual White Bread

Individual White Bread

When it comes to the commercial sliced white bread we all ate growing up, I’m getting real close to that texture and neutral flavor with this recipe.  I made an outstanding tuna sandwich today and didn’t have to suffer the taste of flax!  This “white bread” version has a much softer texture than my darker version.  This bread is not the slightest bit crumbly, thanks to the chia gel.

This quick bread is suitable for all those who have reached the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL carb ladder and for Keto followers.  With the whey protein, this is not suitable for Primal-Paleo followers.

You can get chia seeds at most health food stores, Whole Foods, probably Trader Joe’s, and also order them from a variety of on-line sources, including Netrition.com as well as most on-line pharmacy companies.  I always grind the seeds in a blender or coffee grinder so they will be less visible in my baked goods and so it will gel up faster.  White chia seeds are preferred in this recipe, but I have made it with the dark chia seeds as well (or a mixture of the two.

CHIA GEL RECIPE:  In a small lidded jar mix 1 T. ground chia with 9 T. water.  Screw lid on and shake it up every 3-5 minutes or so until it gels up (about 10 minutes  total).  Any leftover gel will keep in the refrigerator for about a week for making more bread or chia puddings/shakes.

This bread is more suited to cold sandwiches, as it doesn’t toast any better than most non-flour low-carb breads do. It will brown nicely and firm up enough for spreading jam or jelly but it’s never going to get that crunchiness or toasted grain taste we all love that real flour can yield.  🙂  Just not gonna happen.  No big surprise there..

Note:  To bake a larger batch, cook in a conventional 350º oven.  Make 8 recipes and spoon/spread into an 11½”x16½” steel pan lined with parchment on the bottom and up the long sides.  Just oil the short sides of the pan.  It cooks in 10-11 minutes (longer for browner crust).  I found the texture and flavor to be just about the same as cooking in the microwave.  Large batch makes 12 small slices, each contains 2.93 net carbs.

Many more gluten-free bread recipes like this can be at your fingertips with your own copy of Jennifer Eloff (and friends) latest 5-volume cookbook series Low Carbing Among Friends.  Click the link to visit their Facebook page and see a sampling of what awaits you in this lovely collection of delectable recipes by some of the most talented low-carb cooks on the internet, including Chef George Stella!   These cookbooks are available individually as well and can be ordered in regular or coil bound version at Amazon or here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. olive oil

½ T. chia gel (made by the recipe above)

1½ T. water

pinch salt

2 T. whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened

¼ c. almond flour

½ tsp. baking powder

DIRECTIONS:  In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg, olive oil, chia gel and water together until smooth.  Measure the dry ingredients on top and stir to blend well.  Pour into square baking dish that is at least 1″ deep.  Microwave on HI for 1 minute.  Center will be dry to the touch when it is done.  Cook few seconds longer if needed.  Tip out onto cutting board and cool a few minutes.   Slice laterally as evenly as possible into two thinner slices and enjoy any way you would normally use sliced white bread!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 slices.  Entire recipe contains:

358 calories, 26.4 g  fat, 8.1 g  carbs, 3.3 g  fiber, 4.8 g  NET CARBS (both slices!), 32.4 g protein, 454 mg sodium

Individual Dark Bread

Individual Dark Bread (with caraway seed for rye version)

I’ve been experimenting with a dark bread recipe all day.  My inspiration was a 2-Carb Bun recipe of Centaura57 (on ActiveLowCarber forums).  After 4 attempts, and some tweaks, I have gotten a result I’m really pleased with.  Great texture, good elasticity, not crumbly, not bitter with flax taste, and quite moist.  I’m just not too fond of any of the flax breads I’ve made to date.  Usually have to FORCE myself to finish a sandwich made with them, as the flax flavor overpowers what’s IN the sandwich.   Not so with THIS bread.  I scarfed down the tuna sandwich pictured above with no problem at all.  And chia is very filling, so this sandwich will “stay with you” longer than many.

MY CHIA GEL RECIPE:  In a small lidded jar mix 1 T. ground chia with 9 T. water.  Screw lid on and shake it up every 3-5 minutes or so until it gels up (about 10 minutes  total).  Any leftover gel will keep in the refrigerator for about a week for making more bread or chia puddings/shakes.

Given the tiny amount of chia seeds in this, 2/9 of 1 T., I wouldn’t think this bread would be a problem for people still on Atkins on Induction.  This is also suitable for Keto, Paleo and Primal diners.  My thanks to Centaura57 for giving me the idea for this bread.  I’ll be making often!  This bread also stands up to sandwich content moisture well!

If  sliced laterally and toasted first, this makes a pretty nice quickie pizza crust for a sausage/mushroom/pepper topped pizza I made, pictured below.  Sliced, buttered and sprinkled with Parmesan and Italian spices, it also makes a quick little piece of garlic toast or bread sticks!  It’s also great right out of the oven and eaten buttered like a dinner roll!  You could even cook it in roll shapes, if you have microwaveable dish with those shapes.  I have some individual silicone cups great for making MW rolls.

OVEN BAKING- For anyone interested, one of my readers reports that this bakes up nicely in a conventional oven if you quadruple the recipe, bake in a greased loaf pan 25-30 minutes at 350º.  I have not tested this method personally.

For more great bread recipes, hop on over to LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS Facebook page for a photo preview of their latest, best-selling cookbooks.  Jennifer Eloff, famed Chef George Stella and a number of other talented low-carb cooks have collaborated to bring you a wealth of tasty low-carb and gluten-free recipes.  You can order the entire 5-volume set or individual volumes at Amazon or here.

DISCLAIMER:  I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes in the books.  I do so merely because they are GREAT books (I have all 5!) you will want to ad to your cookbook arsenal.

INGREDIENTS: 

Click to enlarge

1 large egg, beaten

1 tsp. olive oil

½ T. chia gel (mixed by the recipe above in blue 1:9)

1 T. water

2 T. whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ c. flax meal (I use half golden flax and half dark flax or all dark for the rye version)

VARIATION:  Caraway seed will make this taste like rye bread.  Onion powder is also good in this. If making dinner rolls, add a little of BOTH!  🙂

DIRECTIONS:  In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg.  Add oil, chia gel and water, stirring well.    Add remaining ingredients in order listed.  With rubber spatula, scrape batter into a flat microwave dish about the size of a slice of bread. Be sure it is 1″ deep to avoid overflow during baking.  Microwave on HI for 1 minute.  Since microwaves vary (I use a 1200 watt unit), you might check at 1 minute and then add more time if center is still wet.  Cool and gently tip onto cutting board.  Slice laterally into two thinner slices for a delicious sandwich.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 serving of 2 slices.  Entire recipe contains:

304 calories

22.8 g  fat

9.19 g  carbs, 7.8 g  fiber, 1.39 g  NET CARBS

21.5 g  protein

278 mg sodium

375 mg potassium

10% RDA Vitamin A, 13% B6, 27% b12, 16% calcium, 46% copper, 38% iron, 36% magnesium, 41% manganese, 73% phosphorous, 42% selenium, 47% thiamin and 22% zinc.

Seeded Dinner Rolls

Seeded Dinner Rolls

I whipped up a batch of my Peggy’s Sliced Bread batter and made them up into seeded dinner rolls.  I simply baked topped with a delicious seed/spice mixture in a square muffin pan.  The wells in my non-stick pan are 3/4″ deep.  These light fluffy rolls came out very flavorful.  I topped mine with my 8-Seed version of Victoria Gourmet’s 7-Seed Crust spice blend:  http://www.vgourmet.com/7-Seed-Crust/p/VIC-00143&c=VictoriaGourmet@SeasoningBlends plus a few nigella seeds and sometimes I’ll even add a few sunflower seeds on top (just because I love them on bread/rolls/crackers).  I don’t like to use paper liners with high-egg content breads as they just won’t get that tasty brown bottom crust when you do.  Therefore I have to gently coax these out of the pan with the help of a knife tip after a bit of cooling, to prevent tearing up the bottoms.  You could also just drop these by heaping spoonfuls (20 mounds) onto a non-stick baking sheet to achieve a biscuit appearance, as the inside texture is very similar to a biscuit.  These are not suitable until the grains rung of OWL due to the flour products in the Carbquick.  Even on the Victoria Gourmet website, I was unable to get nutritional info for the spice blend I used, so I calculated .1 gram of each the carbier spices/seeds listed in the ingredients on my bottle.  You’re probably not even getting that much really, considering you divide that into 20 portions.

These would also make lovely little finger sandwiches with your favorite meats spreads for parties, luncheons, and a variety of special social gatherings!  I just made the best mini-BLT’s for my lunch with two of these. Lots of possibilities!

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS: 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/im-very-excited-to-unveil-my-splendid.html

½ c. Carbquik bake mix (substitute ½ c. more Jennifer’s mix for gluten-free version)

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

approximately 1 T. seed/spice mix of your choosing (I use my 8-Seed Spice Blend)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Oil the cups of a non-stick square or round muffin pan.  Soften cream cheese in medium bowl and beat the eggs in until fairly smooth.  Add in all dry ingredients and stir until well blended.  Using a 2T. measuring cup, dip batter (rounded in the cup) into the muffin cups.  Batter is real thick, a bit sticky,  and you will have to scoop the batter out with your finger.  There should be enough batter for about 20 rolls and nutritional stats below are calculated on that number.  I took a round butter knife and tried to spread batter evenly into the cups.  Pop into 350º oven and bake about 20-22 minutes.   Check at 20 since ovens vary.  You don’t want to overly brown these or they will dry out.  Remove and cool a bit before gently coaxing them out of the pan with the help of a knife.  If the first one tears up a bit on the bottom, wait a little longer before removing the rest.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 20 rolls, each contains:

86.75 calories

7.59 g  fat

3.68 g  carbs, 1.96 g  fiber, 1.72 g NET CARBS

5.37 g  protein

141 mg sodium

Italian Herb Bread

I developed a nice quick Italian ‘bread’ when I first started low-carbing 14 years ago.  We love it as a great compliment to Italian food. It’s a little sponge-y right out of the oven, but gets more bread-like as it cools off.  This bread doesn’t rise very much, so it’s easiest to just spread butter on top of the flat pieces of bread, rather than attempting to slice it.

I’m very pleased with this simple bread.  The flavor is quite nice.  Since the oat fiber is basically a carb wash at 26 g carbs and 26g fiber per 1/3 cup, I would think you could try this at any rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL unless you find you do not tolerate even this tiny amount of oat fiber without setting off cravings.  I’ve been cooking with it for a year now and have not found that to happen after eating anything with a bit of it included.  It greatly enhances texture, but too much is drying….so don’t increase it in my recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. riced, steamed cauliflower

2 small eggs

1½ c. mozzarella, grated

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 T. chopped parsley

¼ tsp. oregano

Sprinkle each garlic and onion powder

2 T. heavy cream

3 T. golden flax meal

2 T. oat fiber (substitute 2 T. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix for gluten free version)

1 T. olive oil for oiling muffin cups

VARIATION:  Omit the herbs for a plain cheese bread.  Change it up and use cheddar cheese for the mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Using grater or food processor, rice cauliflower until fine and scrap into into a medium bowl.  Microwave (covered) on HI for 3 minutes, stopping and stirring after each minute.   Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to the warm cauliflower.  Beat in the eggs.  Add all remaining ingredients except the olive oil.  Stir well to blend ingredients.  Oil 12 muffin cups and scoop about 2T. batter into each muffin cup.  Repeat with any remaining batter to distribute amongst the 12 muffins.  Pop into 350º oven and bake about 25 minutes or until nicely browned.  Cool a few minutes before removing from pan and serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 rolls/servings, each contains:

81.5 cals, 5.81g fat, 3.1g carbs, 1.92g fiber, 1.28g NET CARBS, 5.41g protein, 217 mg sodium

Oopsie Hotdog Buns (or Hoagie Rolls)

Oopsie Hotdog Buns

I took my sandwich bun recipe and made it up as hotdog buns today, just to see if I could do it.  They came out very nice!  The recipe will either make around 10 hoagie size halves (5 hoagie rolls) or 16-18 hotdog bun halves (8-9 hotdog buns).  As you might guess, the key is in the strip of batter’s width and length.    For hoagie rolls, make the band of batter about 7″ long and 1½” wide (they spread a bit during cooking).  For hot dog buns, make the band of batter about 5″ long and only about 1″ wide.  I make mine a tad too wide so this batch may get mostly used for hoagie sandwiches.  I forgot they spread a bit in both width and length during cooking.  But the specifications I just gave for the band of batter you want to shoot for will be just about right.  Since I can’t know how many YOU will get out of your batter, I will provide the nutritional info for the entire batch of batter and you’ll have to divide each stat by the number of “halves” you get when you make these.  I can tell you the entire recipe has only 5.5 net carbs, so these can be enjoyed often, as the carb count will be very low even if you do this recipe as 10-11 hoagie rolls!  🙂

Having the eggs at room temperature will slightly increase egg white volume for this recipe, but it’s not absolutely necessary. What is absolutely essential when beating egg whites is that no speck of yolk (or anything) contaminate them. This contamination issue goes even further, in that there must be no speck of contamination in/on the bowl you beat them in either. The slightest speck of something transferring from your fingers/hands to that bowl, or a bowl that wasn’t washed and dried properly will stop the whites from whipping. Sadly, you just have to start over with fresh, clean bowl and whites when they refuse to whip stiff due to possible contamination.   Another note:  be sure you’ve added the other ingredients to the yolks before attempting to fold in the whites. Beaten egg whites fold into a thicker mixture easier/better than into thinner one without settling issues.

If you are at or near goal weight, you might also like to try my Einkorn Hotdog Buns.  They are acyually much, much better.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs, separated

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

2 drops liquid Splenda (or ¼ packet)

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ c. golden flax meal

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 300º.   With two clean and dry bowls in front of you, separate the eggs, whites into one bowl, yolks into another.  Be very careful not get any yolk in the whites bowl.   Start with the egg yolk bowl and add in the softened cream cheese and flax meal and stir with a spoon until fairly smooth.  Set that aside to “sit” while you tackle beating your egg whites.

Add cream of tartar to egg whites and with an electric mixer and perfectly clean and dry beaters, whip the egg whites until VERY stiff.  Many say they can’t get these the Revo Rolls recipe to come out right, saying they spread all over the pan.  If you don’t beat the egg whites until they form a totally erect peak (tip of peak does NOT fall over when you lift the beater out of the bowl and they are starting to appear almost dry on the surface), they’re not stiff enough yet!

Now using the electric mixer, beat the egg yolk mixture for 1 minute to be sure it is smooth.  Scrape your egg whites onto the egg yolk mixture and with a rubber spatula, gently fold the two together until well blended and there are no clumps of egg white. Try not to overwork the batter, which could deflate the egg whites.  Be sure to get your rubber spatula all the way to the bottom of the bowl as you fold yolk mixture upwards and over the egg whites to incorporate the two into a smooth batter.  Using the edge of the rubber spatula, dip the batter onto non-stick (or greased) baking pans into oblong bands of batter.  Gently shape if batter sprawls as you work.    Bake at 300º for 25 minutes.  Then raise heat to 350º and bake 4 more minutes or until they are as brown as you like your buns.  Partially cool on pans before trying to remove.  When cool, store any leftovers in plastic bag in refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes approximately 5 hoagie rolls (10 pieces) or 8 hot dog buns (16 pieces). But since your size will impact the per piece numbers, I’ll provide numbers for the Entire recipe and let you calculate based on how many pieces your get.

ENTIRE RECIPE:

735 calories

61.5 g  fat

12.2 g  carbs, 7.8 g  fiber, 4,4 g  NET CARBS

36.8 g  protein

577 mg sodium

811 mg potassium

Pumpernickel “Rye” Bread

Pumpernickel Rye Bread

These were super tasty hot from the oven with butter.  Was originally going to slice it as for a sandwich.  But decided to cut into triangles and butter like rolls.  Next time I’m going to do these in my round or square muffin pan!  Will post a new pic when I do.  If you don’t like rye bread, just leave out the caraway seed and you have plain Pumpernickel!  This recipe is not suitable technically until the grains rung of OWL.  But oat fiber has 26 g. carbs per 1/3 cup and 26g. fiber, so even with nutrition info rounding, it’s <1g. of carbs per 1/3 c.  And I use very little in a recipe.  The amount per serving is often miniscule, in fact.  As a virtual wash on carbs, I doubt you would have to wait until the grains rung of OWL to try these.  But test and see if it starts cravings or causes gains.  It hasn’t for me.  🙂

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1 T. DARK flax meal

1 T. melted butter

2 T. sour cream

1 egg

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber

½ tsp. caraway seed

1 square (14.3 g) 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate (or 90% Lindt chocolate)

1 T. brewed coffee

½ tsp. freeze-dried coffee crystals (optional, but enhances flavor)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt chocolate and butter in microwave.  Place in food processor.  Dissolve coffee crystals in the brewed coffee and add. Add sour cream and beaten egg.and pulse to blend.  Add all dry ingredients and pulse a few times to mix.  Either dip into 4 greased ramekins, 4 microwave safe muffin cups  or if using as sliced bread, dip batter into square or round small glass baking dish container.  Cook on HI for 1 minute 10 seconds or until center is dry to the touch.   Cool a moment and tip out onto cutting board.  Slice laterally if using for a sandwich.   Serve hot rolls  at once with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  If using for a single sandwich, the whole recipe is a serving and has 690 calories, 63.5 g fat, 20.1 carbs, 13.5 g  fiber, 6.6 g net carbs, 20.9 g protein.  To lower the counts, use only half the recipe for each sandwich and shape/slice accordingly.

If using as dinner rolls, this recipe makes 4 small rolls, each contains 172.5 calories, 16 g fat, 5.03 g carbs, 3.38 g fiber, 2.65 g NET CARBS, 5.23 g  protein

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This sandwich everyone already knows how to make!  So why in the heck would I be posting a “recipe” for a grilled cheese sandwich!!!?  Well…………sadly, most low-carb breads made with alternate flours simply do not toast well.  They just won’t get (or stay) toasty!!!  😦

This bread recipe I’ve developed is particularly suited for grilling as it toasts up better  than any other low-carb bread I’ve tried in 7 years of low-carbing and bread experimenting. Not sure which ingredient is facilitating that quality, likely the oat fiber, but am VERY glad whatever, it seems to work!  The fruits of your labor here are an amazingly toasty grilled cheese sandwich reminiscent of the ones you grew up on.  Don’t go off on me on my nutritional numbers.  I have rechecked them twice since original posting and they ARE correct.  We just have to accept it folks, grilled cheese sandwiches are high in calories!!  I mean it IS cheese and butter and bread.  Pray tell, how could it NOT be high in calories?  Go do the math on MFP or Fitday and you’ll see my numbers are right here.  🙂

You can bake this in any microwaveable square container.  I have a plastic one, but usually use my square glass dish.  I have not tried baking this bread in a conventional oven, but suspect it would need 350º for around 10-15 minutes or so.  One recipe can be sliced laterally into two thinner slices after cooling and that is what is shown to create 1 sandwich in the pic above. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.  It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo lifestyles.

There are many more fantastic low-carb bread recipes in Jennifer Eloff and friend’s best-selling cookbook series LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Preview some of them at their Facebook page:  Low Carbing Among Friends.  You can order you own copies of the 5-volume set or individual volumes at Amazon or here.

DISCLAIMER:  I do not receive remuneration for this promotion or the inclusion of any of my recipes therein.  I do so simply because every low-carb cook is going to want these wonderful recipes in their kitchen library.  I haven’t made a recipe from them yet I didn’t like!

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1T. flax meal, preferably golden flax meal

1 T. butter + 1T more for grilling final sandwich

2 T. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber (omit for gluten-free)

Pinch salt

1 slice American Deluxe cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Melt 1 T. of the butter in microwave in a small mixing bowl.  Add beaten egg and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients and stir well.  Dip or scrape batter into a 5″ square microwaveable container and microwave on HI for 70 seconds or until dry to touch in center. Cool a minute and tip out onto cutting board.  Laterally slice as evenly as possible with a long knife.  Melt a little butter on non-stick griddle and baste one side of each slice of bread.  Place one slice on griddle, buttered side down.  Add 1 slice of your preferred cheese (I use American or Swiss) and top with second slice of bread, buttered side up.  Brown well on both sides.  The browner it is the crisper it will get.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 sandwich which contains:

617 calories

56.1 g  fat

17.7 g  carbs, 13.2 g  fiber, 4.5 g NET CARBS

19 g  protein

756 mg sodium

 

English Muffin

This is my lowest carb English muffin experiment to date.  It sure toasts nicely and psychologically allows me to feel like I’m having an English muffin.  The flavor is nice, especially with jam.  I tried to take my picture so you could see the inside texture well.  The air bubbles brought about with the addition of baking powder really do facilitate crisper toasting and promote the resemblance of a flour-based English muffin, I think.  These would not be suitable until the OWL phase of Atkins since they have almond flour.  **For you recipe tweakers…….do not substitute coconut flour in this recipe.  I did one that way and it was hard as a rock, didn’t toast so well, and not very good flavor-wise either.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. melted butter, unsalted

1 large egg, beaten

pinch salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 T. almond flour or meal

1 tsp. oat fiber   (Available at Netrition.com.  Substitutions will result in higher carbs; omitting will render a different texture muffin)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. psyllium husk powder

DIRECTIONS:   Melt butter in microwave in a small round bowl.  I used a 4″ ceramic ramekin.    Beat in the egg until smooth.  Add dry ingredients and beat until batter is smooth. Microwave on HI for 2 minutes.  Tip muffin out onto cutting board and carefully slice in half laterally.  Toast to desired brownness and butter or serve with your favorite no-sugar jam or fruit topping.  My picture is shown with sugar-free blackberry jam.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 English muffin which contains:

294 calories

27 g  fat

7.4 g   carbs, 4.6 g fiber, 2.8 g  NET CARBS

10.9 g  protein

217 mg sodium

Sesame Seed Sandwich Buns

click to enlarge

These buns make great sandwiches.  It takes two, but the count is so low, you can definitely fit these into your daily nutrient limits.  These are Induction friendly.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe Peggy’s Sandwich Buns:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/peggys-sandwich-buns/

½ tsp. sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS: Make the sandwich buns according to that recipe. When they are formed onto the greased pan, sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake at 300º for 25-35 minutes (ovens vary).  Remove when they just begin to brown and feel done in center.  I don’t over brown because leftovers must be heated/toasted when used and  I don’t want to dry them out or over brown during the re-warming.  Here’s what one looks like after toasting/browning further:

click to see with further browning

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 rolls, each contains:

96 calories

7.8 g  fat

1.7 g  carbs, 1.1 g  fiber, .62 g  NET CARBS

5.58 g  protein

66 mg sodium

37% RDA Vitamin B12, 19% copper, 23% iron, 18% phosphorous, 20% riboflavin, 19% selenium, 13% zinc

Poppy Seed Sandwich Buns

INGREDIENTS: 

1 recipe Peggy’s Sandwich Buns: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/peggys-sandwich-buns/

½ tsp. (or less) poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:  Make the sandwich buns as instructed in that recipe.  When you have them shaped on the greased pan, sprinkle with poppy seeds to your liking.  Bake as the bun recipe instructs, 300º for 25-35 minutes (ovens vary).  Don’t over brown, as the toasting/reheating may dry them out too bad if you do.  Some uses will be visually more appealing if you toast the top bun to brown it nicely.  🙂  Store unused rolls in a bag in the refrigerator.   Will keep a week or a little longer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO :  Makes 8 rolls, each containing:

94 calories

7.66 g  fat

1.6 g  carbs, 1 g  fiber, .6 g  NET CARBS

5.5 g  protein

66 mg sodium

37 % RDA Vitamin B12, 18% copper, 22% iron, 17% phosphorous, 20% riboflavin, 14% selenium, 14% zinc

Cheese Oopsie Bread

The amazing Oopsie or Revolution (Revo) Rolls can be varied with many additives.  I put a little flax meal in mine for the added fiber as well as giving them a bit more bread-like texture.  I like to put cheddar cheese on top for a low-carb version of cheese bread I’ve always loved.   If you’re not too sodium sensitive, you may want to put even more cheese on these.  You might even like to fold some right into the batter as well as putting it on top as I do.  This recipe is OK for Induction.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe of my Sandwich Buns:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/peggys-sandwich-buns/

4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:  Make rolls as instructed.  When the formed blobs of batter are placed onto the greased pan, Spread them out just a bit to make them the size of a traditional hamburger bun.  Sprinkle ½ oz. cheese on each roll.  Bake as instructed in roll recipe.  Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 pieces, each one contains:

144 calories

11.6 g  fat

2.28 g  carbs, .98 g  fiber, 1.3 g  NET CARBS

8.4 g  protein

218 mg sodium

44% RDA Vitamin B12, 19% copper, 24% iron, 27% phosphorous, 26% riboflavin, 22% selenium, 19% zinc and 244 mg potassium

Rosemary-Onion Dinner Rolls

Rosemary-Onion Dinner Rolls

These little rolls are a variation on a Paleo Flax Bread recipe I saw somewhere on the net.  They came out quite light and tasty.  They are very nice with butter.  These are not suitable until you get to the Atkins OWL nuts and seeds level of the carb re-introduction ladder.  This batter can be baked as a single loaf as well, but allow longer (about 30 minutes) for baking time if you do.  I found they were good at room temperature, sliced and used to make min- sandwiches and sliders, too!

VARIATION:  Omit rosemary & onion powder and instead use dill weed or seed along with lightly toasted minced dehydrated onion.  Or use any other favorite seasoning blend.  Be CREATIVE!!  🙂

This recipe appeared in Volume 2 of Jennifer Eloff’s on-going cookbook series: Low Carbing Among Friends.  Each of her books brings you a huge collection of kitchen-tested low-carb creations by some of the most talented cooks in the low-carbing arena. GET YOURS TODAY from:  Amazon or here

INGREDIENTS: 

2 T. coconut flour

2/3 c. almond flour

1 c. + 2 T. flax meal (use golden flax for the lightest roll)

¼ tsp. salt

2½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1½ tsp. crushed dried rosemary (or 1½ T. fresh, chopped fine)

4 eggs, beaten

¾-1 c. water

4 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.   Grease loaf pan or muffin pan with some olive oil.  Beat the eggs, 4 T. olive oil and 1/2 c. of the water in a large mixing bowl.  Measure all dry ingredients on top of the egg mixture and stir/beat well.  Batter will be quite stiff.   Gradually add more water in small increments and beat after each addition until batter is smooth/soft enough to be spooned into muffin pans.  I used a square muffin pan making these.  You want it fairly thick!  Spoon into muffin cups nearly full, as these don’t rise too much. I actually used a square muffin pan, with 1″ deep wells.

Optional:  Before baking, sprinkle a few poppy seeds or crushed minced onion on top.

Pop into 350º oven for about 20 minutes (30-40 minutes for a single loaf of bread).  Cool slightly before attempting to remove them from the pan.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 loaf cut into 12 slices or 12 dinner rolls, each roll/slice contains:

154 calories

12.8 g  fat

5.83 g carbs, 4.43 g fiber, 1.4 g  NET CARBS

5.71 g protein

83 mg sodium