Boursin Scrambled Eggs

I keep Boursin  soft cheese “Garlic and Fine Herbs” flavor in the door of my refrigerator almost always.  Not something I like to run out of.  I keep finding interesting things to try it in or on.  It reminds me a lot of cream cheese, but much more intense flavor.  I find it way too heavy all by itself, as a dip or spread.  But I am really starting to like it in small amounts in a variety of odd places and sauces.  I’m having these eggs this morning so I thought I’d re-share this recipe with my readers today.  This definitely did not get the usual frowns and winces from my husband when I add something new to plain eggs (his preferred way to eat eggs, if not fried).  The “Chive and Onion” flavor Boursin cheese, which I have also tried, is delicious in this recipe as well.  Boursin cheeses are found in the deli or specialty cheese section of better grocery stores.

INGREDIENTS:     

2 T. butter, unsalted

4 large eggs, beaten

1½ T.  Boursin cheese, (I use mostly Garlic & Herb flavor)

2 T. parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:   Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add Boursin cheese and stir to dissolve.  Cheese will look like it’s curdling, but don’t worry, not a problem.  Add all the parsley but 1 tsp. reserved for garnish.  After 1 minutes, add beaten eggs and cook until done.  Serve with garnish of remaining parsley.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 2 servings, each contains:

262 cals, 23g fat, 1.2g carbs, 0.15g fiber, 1.05g NET CARBS, 13.1g protein, 165 mg sodium

If you’re not familiar with Boursin cheese, it’s a soft cheese that comes in a foil wrapper in a little box that looks like this.  It’s usually in the specialty cheese/delicatessen are of your grocery store.

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Peach “Coffeecake”

I have 4 low-carb cake donuts leftover that are beginning to get dry so I’m going to make one of my favorites:  coffeecake!  I’ll thaw a bag of my frozen peaches which only take about 30 minutes.   Yes!   I’ll make this for my hubby for breakfast today!  He’s still sound asleep and will be so surprised when he wakes up.  This quick coffeecake can also be created with leftover low-carb muffins, biscuits or neutral-tasting low-carb bread slices.

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

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

INGREDIENTS:

4 low-carb plain cake donuts

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

3 T. butter

1 T. + 1 tsp. sweetener of choice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

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

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

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

Blueberry Muffins

We love blueberry muffins so you KNOW I had to try to make them low-carb.  Originally, I did this recipe for a loaf bread, but decided to make them a second time as muffins.  So I think I’ll make a batch of the muffins for breakfast tomorrow.  We haven’t baked anything sweet in ages. 

These have great flavor and are very moist and light.  So many low-carb baked goods are too dense for my liking.  Not so with these.  This recipe is not acceptable until you reach the grains rung of Atkins OWL (ongoing weight loss carb re-introduction ladder) when you are nearing goal weight.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. golden flax meal

½ c. Jennifer Eloff Vital Ultimate Bake Mix 

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

6 T. Splenda, granular

1 pkt. stevia powder

2 eggs, beaten

½ c. water

2 T. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla

¾ c. freeze-dried, frozen or fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º and place 8 paper liners into a muffin tin.  Measure dry ingredients into mixing bowl.  Beat in eggs, water, coconut oil and vanilla.  Beat batter about a minute until it is smooth.  Gently fold in berries and using a spoon or 2T. measuring cup, carefully fill the paper cups evenly.  They will be about 3/4 full with batter.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes.  You can also do this in a greased loaf pan (won’t rise much though) and if done as a loaf, bake for about 25 minutes or until center springs back when touched.  Slice into 8 slices.  Serve warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 slices or 8 muffins, each slice/muffin contains:

130 cals, 9.56g fat, 7.18g carbs, 2.84g fiber, 4.34g NET CARBS, 5.2g protein, 160 mg sodium

Bacon-Mushroom “Pancake”

I like to fix this delicious breakfast quite often.  It’s simple to put together and my husband loves things like this done in the skillet.  Unfortunately, he sliced off a portion  and was chowing down on it before I got my camera out to take my blog photo!    I call this a “pancake” (but it has no batter in it) because it is quite thin, with only 3 eggs in it.  I’m not terribly fond of eggs, so are you surprised?  If you prefer more of a fluffy frittata, just increase the eggs to 4 or 5 and whip them with a whisk before adding them in.  This breakfast or brunch offering is suitable for all phases of Atkins and most Keto programs.  It passes muster for Primal and Paleo folks as well, provided you clarify the butter, of course.

INGREDIENTS:

4 T. unsalted butter

6 medium mushrooms, sliced

2 oz. cooked bacon pieces (weighed after cooking)

3 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  In a 10″ skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms in the pan until tender and no longer bleeding moisture into the pan.  Turn off heat.  Spread the bacon pieces on top evenly.  Drizzle the beaten eggs over the top of the bacon-mushroom mixture, trying to moisten the entire contents with the egg.  Pop skillet into 350º oven for about 7-10 minutes or until eggs are just done in the center.  Remove from oven and run a spatula under the “pancake” to slide it onto a serving platter.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings, each contains:

213 cals, 18.4g fat, 1.37g carbs, 0.27g fiber, 1.1g NET CARBS, 10.9g protein, 382 mg sodium

Jicama Cinnamon Chips

My husband went to the grocery store today and came home with a jicama.  This is one of my favorite ways to have jicama.  I love these for an easy dessert, for breakfast or for a late night snack.  They are very filling and taste a lot like baked apples!  These things satisfied my sweet tooth during Atkins Induction Phase when I craved something sweet.  This recipe is suitable for Keto, Paleo and Primal diets.

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz. jicama, peeled & sliced less than ¼” thick

2 T. melted butter

4-5 drops liquid stevia or liquid Splenda (or your preferred sweetener)

½ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In sheet pan, melt butter.  Stir in cinnamon and liquid Splenda.  Slice jicama about 1/8″ thick (1/4″ if you like them crunchier) and place each slice into butter/cinnamon mixture.  Turn over so both sides are coated well.  Bake at 350º for about 20 minutes until begin to soften.  Serve warm!

VARIATION:   I have made this in a skillet using peeled chayote squash and a bit more butter.  Then I pop the skillet into the oven to finish off.  But I didn’t invent that wheel.  You can find that recipe over on Linda Genaw’s website:  http://genaw.com/lowcarb/fried_apples.html.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 1 person.  Entire recipe contains:

239 cals, 23.1g fat, 8.4g carbs, 4.8g fiber, 3.6g NET CARBS, 0.9g protein, 6.8 mg. sodium

 

Cranberry-Orange Ladyfingers

You are going to LOVE these!  They just get better and better each day that goes by.  They’re even gluten-free, if you leave out the oat fiber.  🙂  Hubby really liked these and he’s not really a fruit and nut man.  If you don’t have a Twinkie® baking pan, just make 12 small muffins, or bake in a round cake pan for cutting in wedges.  These are not suitable for Atkins Induction on several levels.  They are suitable for Phase 2 and above and Keto diets as well.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. flax meal (I use 50:50 gold and dark)

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

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

1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

3 T. softened cream cheese

2 beaten large eggs

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

2 T. fresh squeezed orange juice

1 T. warm tap water

1 tsp. yeast + 1 tsp. sugar dissolved in the warm water above (or 1 tsp. baking powder)

½ c. cranberries (homemade, dried, sugar-free)

½ c. slivered almonds

1 oz. orange peel

VARIATION:   Add a few chopped pecans.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil a non-stick pan of your choice (discussed above) and set aside.

Measure out the first 6 (dry) ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  In a separate small glass bowl, soften the cream cheese either at room temp or in your microwave on defrost.  Dissolve the yeast in the tablespoon of warm water in a saucer and add to the cream cheese.  Stir. Beat in the eggs well. Add the cider vinegar and cream.  Add the creamy mixture to the dry ingredients bowl and stir.

Trim off 1 oz. of orange peel from an orange.  You want to get as little white, bitter membrane as possible.  Cut into approximately 1″ pieces.  Place in food processor or blender.  Add cranberries and nuts to the bowl and pulse it all together about 10 times or so, to a coarse chop.   Add the fruit/nut mixture to the batter.  Stir. Finally squeeze/measure out the orange juice. Stir well one last time to incorporate all to achieve a uniform distribution of the fruit/nuts.

Dip into/onto your chosen pan, distributing the batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, 12 Twinkie® slots or a greased round cake pan.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for  20 minutes until lightly browned.  Allow to cool a bit before lifting with the assistance of a knife tip.  If making a round or loaf bread, bake around 35 minutes or until the center passes a dry toothpick test.  As with all low-carb baked goods, store in a bag in the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 ladyfingers (or whatever shape you make), so 1/12 of the batch (1 portion) contains:

160 cals, 12.64g fat, 6.53g carbs, 2.71g fiber, 3.82g NET CARBS, 8.3 g protein, 266 mg sodium

Best Banana Bread

Although I’ve said many times I’m not a BIG sweets eater, my husband is.  So I bake maybe one thing a week, enjoy one serving and he eats the rest.  That’s the way it was even before I started low-carbing.  This banana bread was one of the first sweets recipes I tried in 2009 when this journey began.  It came out so good, I still make it often.  I’m going to share those dessert recipes this week that I keep coming back to……favorites.  Although not always the spectacular, showy desserts, they are the ones I bake again and again.  That says something to me.  

To give credit where it is due, the basic batter that inspired this creation was a  recipe at Sugar Free Low Carb Recipes which no longer appears to exist when I Google it.   Hmm.   Anyway, I changed it up by adding vanilla, sweetener, baking powder and glucomannan powder.  I believe the smooth texture on my result is attributable to the glucomannan and makes this the perfect foundation for a wide variety of sweet bread possibilities.  

My first experiment with this batter was this banana bread recipe.  A slice only has 3.74 g net carbs using bananas!  The texture of this batter is amazing and the bread is ever so moist.  The basic batter made with only extract as flavoring has 1.08 g. net carbs (cut into 18 slices), so conceivably you could add any variety of fruits, dried fruits, nuts and flavorings for an endless variety of breakfast/dessert sweet breads.  Be sure to recalculate to include anything  you add and recalculate your new per-serving numbers, because the numbers below only reflect the basic batter and 2 mashed bananas.  This is suitable for Atkins OWL or above and I believe for Paleo-Primal adherence as well.

This recipe appears in Vol. 5 of Jennifer Eloff’s cookbook series Low Carbing Among Friends.  These books are a compilation of fantastic recipes from well-known low-carb cooking gurus on the internet.  Even Chef George Stella has participated in Jennifer’s cookbook venture. They make a wonderful addition to any low-carb cook’s library.  You can order copies at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 c. coconut flour

2/3 c. almond flour

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 T. glucomannan powder

1 tsp. baking powder

Sweetener equivalent for ½ c. sugar 

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

3 T. coconut oil, melted

½ tsp. vanilla

8 eggs, beaten

2 mashed bananas

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a loaf pan with a bit of coconut oil or butter.  I use an odd-size loaf pan 4″x 2½x 10″ that allows me to get 18 smaller slices from my loaf.  Using a standard loaf pan, you may only get 9 slices and have to cut them in half to get the carb values shown below for each of my 18 slices.  Mix dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. In a larger bowl, beat or whip all wet ingredients.  Add the dry items to the wet and whip with a whisk or electric mixer until smooth. Fold in your desired fruit, nuts or flavorings and stir well.    Spoon batter into greased pan, level with a spoon and bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into center comes out dry/clean.  Cool a bit, slice into 18 servings (or 9 cut in halves) and serve warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 18 servings, each contains: (2 bananas calculated in below, but no nuts)

141 calories, 12 g  fat, 5.61 g  carbs, 1.87 g  fiber, 3.74 g  NET CARBS, 4.24 g  protein, 90 mg sodium

Einkorn Sausage-Cheese Balls

As I have mentioned before, I’m not much of a snacks eater being on a one-meal-a-day regimen these days.  But when I do want a snack, it must be easily prepared with always-on-hand ingredients.  I’m not making a trip to the grocery store for my snacks, in other words.

This is an ever-popular party appetizer that never goes out of favor with your guests.  I have another Sausage Cheese Ball recipe on my website that rings in at only 1 net carb per ball but I like this one a bit better because it’s a little easier to put together.  It features my convenient homemade Einkorn Low-Carb Bake Mix (similar to Bisquick and Carbquik).  Even with the bake mix, these only have 1.76 net carbs per ball!  Not bad for the convenience of just 3 ingredients.   These are not suitable until the grains rung of the carb re-introduction ladder of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.  They are OK for Keto diets if you can fit them into your daily carb limits.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. breakfast sausage (I used my homemade breakfast sausage recipe)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix  (For gluten-free version, use Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix or another GF mix of your choice)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º. Mix the above ingredients in a medium bowl with your hands as you would a meatloaf mixture.  When thoroughly blended, form into 30 1″ balls and place on non-stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment or silicone sheet for ease of clean-up. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove to paper towels to drain off any excess grease (mine had none actually).  Serve warm and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 30  1″ balls, each sausage ball contains:

95 calories, 7.81 g  fat, 2.4 g  carbs, 0.64 g fiber, 1.76 g  NET CARBS, 4.82 g  protein, 81 mg sodium

Jicama Hash Browns

Hash browns made with jicama (diced or grated) are very similar to those made with potatoes.  A little crunchy, but the taste is very close.   These literally were one of the steadfast recipes that helped to get me through the difficult 2-week Atkins Induction Phase.  They are pretty good with scrambled eggs and bacon/sausage.  Do give them a try sometime.  The difference in texture is well worth the carb “savings”.  

INGREDIENTS:

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

1 oz. chopped yellow onion

2 tsp. bacon grease

Dash salt and pepper

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 serving which contains:

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

English Muffin

This was my very first English muffin experiment.  I was quite pleased, as it toasted nicely and visuallyl, psychologically made me feel like I was eating a real English muffin!  The flavor on this muffin is nice, especially with jam.  You can see it makes the classic air holes to catch the melting butter and jam.  The air bubbles really do facilitate crisper, even toasting as well.   Most low-carb English muffins look merely like a slice of cake to me.  Not sure what allows the air pockets in these, but glad it happens.  These would not be suitable until the OWL phase of Atkins since they have almond flour. 

**For you recipe tweakers…….please do not substitute coconut flour into this recipe or you are going to be disappointed.  I did one that way and it came out hard as a rock, dry,  didn’t toast well, and was not very good flavor-wise either.  Thought I’d save you the trouble of trying that.  Shortly I will be posting another English Muffin recipe that I think is really better, because it adds to the party a chewiness I really like.  Stay tuned!

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

Fluffy Biscuits

These are one of the lightest, fluffiest biscuits I’ve ever made!  My husband will tell you, I’ve been trying to find a good biscuit recipe for the entire time I’ve been married!!!  All were poor results for both of us.  Who would have thought the best would end up being a low-carb recipe?!  🙂  Although they don’t shine a light to those made by Frank Williamson at Galveston’s Professional Bldg. cafeteria (my benchmark of melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk biscuits).  These are pretty darn good considering their ingredients are non-traditional.

My inspiration was Jennifer Eloff’s focaccia bread recipe, which I tweaked a bit.  I just made my batter into drop biscuits and man were these ever good!  They are not suitable until the grains rung of OWL because of my CarbQuik addition.  If you use all Jennifer’s Gluten-Free bake mix they would be suitable once you get to Atkins Phase 2 OWL nuts & seeds rung of the carb re-introduction ladder.  This change would also make them gluten-free.

VARIATION:  Substitute cheddar cheese for the Parmesan & Monterey Jack cheeses, brush tops with butter and sprinkle on a pinch of garlic powder/herbs, and these transform into Red Lobster-style Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

½ c. Jennifer Eloff Gluten-Free bake mix

¼ c. CarbQuik  or one of my own low-carb bake mixes (use ¼ c. more Jennifer’s mix for gluten-free)

1 T. Parmesan Cheese, grated

½ c. Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated

½ tsp. each baking powder and baking soda

dash salt

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese and beat in the eggs.  Add all remaining ingredients and beat well.  Dip onto parchment lined baking sheet, forming 9 large drop biscuits.   Pop into preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 9 large biscuits, each containing:

134.5 cals, 11.9 g fat, 4.04 g carbs, 2.04 g fiber, 2g NET CARBS, 7.56 g protein, 199 mg sodium

Meatza-Meatza® Quiche

Though I have many more delicious egg recipes on my site, this post will wrap up my blast from the past on eggs today.  Low carbers do not lack for quiche recipes, that’s a fact. Jack.  This one my husband liked better than a lot I have created.  “Just the right ratio on the ingredients” he said.  I have to agree.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal and Paleo followers.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs, beaten

1 link diced smoked sausage

6 oz. pork bulk breakfast sausage

2 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Brown the breakfast sausage over high heat in a small non-stick skillet.  Add the smoked sausage and continue to cook on medium heat until it, too has cooked.  Add the green onion and saute a a couple minutes.  Remove from heat and slowly pour the beaten eggs over all.  Pop into hot oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until it puffs up and is firm in the center.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

392.3 cals, 31.1 g fat, 2.13 g carbs, 0.43 g fiber, 1.7 g  NET CARBS, 24.8 g  protein, 917 mg sodium

Bacon-Mushroom “Pancake”

My husband sliced off a portion of my breakfast dish before I got my camera out to take a picture!   I call this a “pancake” because it is quite thin, with only 3 eggs in it.  But then I’m not terribly fond of eggs, so are you surprised?  If you prefer more of a frittata, just increase the eggs to 4 or 5.  This is prepared with pre-browned bacon.  This breakfast or brunch dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto programs.  It passes muster for Primal and Paleo diners as well, provided you clarify the butter, of course.

INGREDIENTS:

4 T. unsalted butter

6 medium mushrooms, sliced

2 oz. cooked bacon pieces (weighed after cooking)

3 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  In a 10″ skillet melt the butter over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms in the pan until tender and no longer bleeding moisture into the pan.  Turn off heat.  Spread the bacon pieces on top evenly.  Drizzle the beaten eggs over the top of the bacon-mushroom mixture, trying to moisten the entire contents with the egg.  Pop skillet into 350º oven for about 7-10 minutes or until eggs are just done in the center.  Remove from oven and run a spatula under the “pancake” to slide it onto a serving platter.  SErve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings, each contains:

213 cals, 18.4g fat, 1.37g carbs, 0.27g fiber, 1.1g NET CARBS, 10.9g protein, 382 mg sodium

Chorizo & Smoked Sausage Scrambled Eggs

             Entire recipe shown

My new egg creations are often the result of some little leftover or bit of food I fear won’t keep much longer.  On this occasion I wanted to use up the last of some cilantro in the fridge before it perished there.  So it was eggs with a Mexican twist for sure.  Those that don’t like “hot”, this half of a large jalapeno was not too much for me, and I do NOT like things too “hot”.  It just added a nice flavor layer.  Many lovers of real spicy food will want to use even more I suspect.  I use locally-made Texas smoked sausage and chorizo.  These will surprise you!  They mellow out the heaviness of both the chorizo and the smoked sausage.   Most of my long-time readers know I’m not that fond of eggs to begin with, but this recipe makes them regularly doable for me!

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Paleo-Primal regimens as well (using ghee for the butter here).

INGREDIENTS:

5 large eggs beaten

Dash onion powder

1 link chorizo or smoked sausage (or some of both)

¼ c. cilantro, chopped coarsely

½ seeded jalapeno, chopped very fine

Dash ground cumin

2 T. butter or ghee to cook eggs.

DIRECTIONS:  Beat the eggs with the onion powder in a mixing bowl and set aside.  Chop the sausage, cilantro and jalapeno.  Lightly brown the sausage in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the jalapeno and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add the butter to melt and then stir in the cilantro.  Lower heat to medium.  Slowly pour the eggs over the sausage mixture as evenly as possible.  Wait a couple minutes before stirring so the eggs and sausage begin to bond on the bottom and edges.  When the edges begin to bubble a wee bit, using a rubber spatula, slowly push in the outer edges toward the center to loosen.  Begin flipping sections of the mixture with spatula to fully cook the eggs to your desired doneness.  Remove from heat and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

363 calories, 33 g fat, 1.4 g carbs, 0.5 g fiber, 0.9 g NET CARBS, 22 g protein, 379 mg sodium

Breakfast Chalupas

These simple chalupas are going to be my breakfast in the morning.  To my knowledge, they are not authentic Mexican, but I think of them as such.  For these I typically just use the Mission low-carb whole wheat tortillas for convenience.  You can use either bacon or thin-sliced cured ham.  The little bit of jalapeno in these is quite tasty without being too spicy.  I’m not a big fan of overly spicy food.  Give these a try!  Your palate, tummy and family will be happy!   Adjust recipe for more than 2 chalupas.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Mission brand whole-wheat Carb-Balance flour tortillas (6″ diameter)

1 T. unsalted butter

2.6 oz. lean cured ham (or bacon pre-fried)

1 green onion, chopped

½ jalapeno, chopped

3 large eggs, beaten in a small bowl

¼ c. shredded Cheddar Cheese

VARIATION:  Use bacon or browned breakfast sausage instead of ham. 🙂

DIRECTIONS:  Chop the ham small and green onion and have ready.  Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and dry griddle the flour tortillas, slightly toasting both sides until they begin to brown.  Remove to an oven-proof serving platter.

In the same skillet, melt half the butter over medium heat and lightly brown the onion, jalapeno, green onion and chopped ham.  Saute just until the vegetables start to wilt and remove to a paper plate.  Preheat oven to 300º.

Wipe skillet with paper towels.  In the same skillet over medium neat,  melt the rest of the butter and add the eggs.  Scramble to your preference.  I like them still moist if a dish is going to go in the oven also.

Set half the eggs evenly on each toasted flour tortilla.  Evenly top with half the ham/onion mixture.  Top with 2 T. cheese over each.  Pop into 300º oven for 5-8 minutes just to melt the cheese.  Garnish with a halved cherry tomato if serving to company.  Offer some slices fresh jalapeno as well.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 2 chalupas, each contains:

330 cals, 20g fat, 14.15g carbs, 8.4g fiber, 5.75g NET CARBS, 22.4g protein, 870 mg sodium

Scrambled Eggs with Tarragon Cream (with ham)

Served with 2 oz. ham added

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

It is also suitable for Primal diners, but not Paleo without a substitute for the cream, like coconut milk. You can play around a bit with this recipe, too, adding other things to the sauce like sausage, ham (as shown), sliced mushrooms, onion slivers.  🙂  Tarragon is a sweet, delicate spice with a slight licorice taste.   If you put too much in the sauce, you’ll probably not be happy.  With tarragon, more is NOT better!

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

INGREDIENTS:

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

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

1 tsp. olive oil

6 T. heavy cream

1/3 c. water

¼ tsp. crushed tarragon

Pinch onion powder

1 T. butter

4 large eggs, beaten

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

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each containing:

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

Indian Panch Puran Eggs

Inspired by a recipe on Linda Genaw’s site, I decided to take a combination of Indian ingredients and throw them into a new scrambled egg dish and discovered it is DELICIOUS!  Panch Puran is made with either 5 spices (and goes by that name), or with 7 spices).  It is a common Bengali and East Indian spice.  I have the 7-spice blend which is a mixture of cumin, nigella (kalongi or onion seed) , anise (fennel), fenugreek seed, mustard seed, cloves and allspice.   The 5-spice mix omits the cloves and allspice.  NOTE: this is not the 5-spice powder used in Chinese cooking! These spice blends can be purchased ready-made at import stores carrying Indian foods or on-line at places like Penzey’s.  There are also likely recipes on the internet for making it homemade.   I bought a bottle at a little Indian import place in San Antonio.

My husband doesn’t ordinarily like food that is “outside the box” at breakfast, but I’m up for any meal that takes ordinary food to a whole new level.   However, being an Indian food fan, he tried these and agreed they tasted very good, but went on to say would like them better as a side dish for an evening meal or for lunch better than at breakfast.  We agreed to disagree on that one, as I loved them and don’t usually eat breakfast AT ALL.  Very delicate flavors here and not heavy at all.   By the way, this dish is NOT hot from the jalapeno, as searing jalapenos takes a lot of the “heat” out of them.  Omit the cayenne if you don’t like very spicy foods.  This dish is Induction friendly and suitable for Keto or Primal-Paleo followers as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. butter, unsalted (or ghee, or coconut oil)

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (or less)

1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped

½ clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

Pinch each ground coriander, turmeric, curry powder, cumin

Dash cayenne pepper (optional)

¼ tsp. Panch Puran 7-Spice Mix (see comments above recipe)

4 large eggs

1 T. chopped cilantro (omit if not a fan)

DIRECTIONS:   Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over med-high heat.  Sauté onion and jalapeno until tender.  Add garlic, ginger and tomato and cook down until the tomato is just tender.  Whisk eggs with all spices and pour into skillet.  Cook as you would your scrambled eggs until done.  Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro for best flavor and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

315 cals, 27.4 g  fat, 5.1g  carbs, 0.9 g fiber, 4.2g NET CARBS, 13.5 g  protein, very little sodium

“Shypoke” Egg

My inspiration for this low-carb wonder is a famous recipe served at two San Antonio diners (no longer in existence) known as Hipps Bubble Room, and its successor, Little Hipps.  Our best friends used to take us to these places late night for beer and their famous “Shy-Poke Eggs”.   A little history on the restaurant legacy here:  http://cooking.lovetoknow.com/shypoke-eggs-recipe

Now you have to SEE this culinary creation to appreciate the name, but they were nachos with a smear of beans on the round tortilla chip, then a slice of Jack cheese, then a slice of jalapeno and finally a small circle of yellow cheese on the top.  They were warmed just long enough for the cheeses to begin to melt, but before the cheese got runny and spread out all over the pan.  The overall visual impact when a plate of these was set before you was that they looked remarkably like a dozen fried eggs!!  Hence their name.

Well, I was thinking about Shy-Poke Eggs on my morning walk today and got the idea to make something like them that is low-carb (without tortilla chip) for breakfast.  The final creation came out tasty!!   Although they didn’t have quite the visual impact of the originals and substituting sausage at the bottom for the traditional tortilla chip, well the taste was different, but still good.  🙂

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: By personal choice, I do not receive money 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.

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz. ground pork, seasoned (or commercial pork sausage)

1 slice Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

¼ slice Cheddar or Deluxe American Cheese

1-2 T. canned refried beans (omit if still in Induction)

1 egg

1 slice jalapeno (optional)

Sprinkle chopped cilantro (optional)

VARIATION:  Top with 3 slices of fresh jalapeno

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  On a good non-stick sheet pan or skillet, using the back of a fork, spread sausage out in a 5″ circle (will be thin).  Using the fork, make a 1½” hole in the middle by pushing the sausage outward a bit.  The final result is something like the shape of a doughnut.  Using the back of a spoon, smear the refried beans on top of the sausage, but leave the center hole empty.  Now, gently crack the egg into the center hole, trying not to break the yolk.  Top with the whole slice of Jack cheese.  If you want it, place a slice of jalapeno atop the yolk.  Finally place the small square of yellow cheese on top.   If using, sprinkle with cilantro last.

Pop into 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on how done you want the yolks.  My husband likes them runny, which took 15 minutes; I like them 90% set, which took 20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 serving which contains:

446 calories, 37.4 g  fat, 5.4 g  carbs, 1.4 g  fiber, 4 g  NET CARBS, 30 g  protein, 189 mg sodium

Scrambled Eggs with Tarragon Cream (with ham)

Served with 2 oz. ham added

I’m not terribly fond of eggs just scrambled or fried.  I have to “doctor them up” quite a bit to not get totally turned off on eating them day in and day out for breakfast.  This is one way I’ve succeeded in making eggs not taste so much like eggs, to be quite honest! It’s sinfully rich and Induction friendly!  It is also suitable for Primal diners, but not Paleo without a substitute for the cream, like coconut milk. You can play around a bit with this recipe, too, adding other things to the sauce like sausage, sliced mushrooms, onion slivers, black olives or any combination of those. 🙂  Tarragon is a sweet, delicate spice with a slight licorice taste.   If you put too much in the sauce, you’ll probably not be happy.  With tarragon, more is NOT better!  If serving to guests, (or you want to boost your vegetables for the day) this is very pretty and tasty served over a bed of steamed spinach.  Served with spinach, this makes a very nice brunch or lunch entree.  If in Atkins Phase 2 OWL, 1-2 T. sherry or white wine is also good added to this sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

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

1 tsp. olive oil

6 T. heavy cream

1/3 c. water

¼ tsp. crushed tarragon

Pinch onion powder

1 T. butter

4 large eggs, beaten

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

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each containing:

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

Fluffy Biscuits

As the Monty Python crew used to say, ‘and now for something completely different’ from last night’s unfortunate post.

I made up a bunch of sausage and sausage-cheese biscuits to freeze for the hubs Sunday.  This recipe was the biscuit I chose to use, as it is still my all-time fav biscuit recipe.  I kid you not, these are hands down the lightest, fluffiest, best biscuits I’ve made in 50 years!  And man, my husband will tell ya, I’ve been trying to find a good biscuit recipe for the entire time we’ve been married!!!  Who would have ever thought the best would end up being a low-carb recipe?!  🙂  Although these can’t shine a light to Frank Williamson’s traditional biscuits he served at the Professional Bldg. snack counter in Galveston, TX (my benchmark of melt-in-your-mouth buttermilk biscuits), they are a pretty darn good imitation, considering they are not made with much real flour.

My inspirational recipe was Jennifer Eloff’s focaccia bread recipe, which I tweaked a bit.  I just made the resulting batter into drop biscuits and man were they good!  These are not suitable until the grains rung of OWL because of my CarbQuik addition.  If you use all Jennifer’s Gluten-Free bake bix and no CarbQuik, they would be suitable once you get to Atkins Phase 2 OWL nuts & seeds rung of the carb re-introduction ladder.  This change would also make them gluten-free.

If you are not needing a gluten-free biscuit, and are much closer to goal weight, my Einkorn Fluffy Biscuits , my Einkorn Heavenly Biscuits , or my Einkorn RWS biscuits might be more what you are looking for.

VARIATION:  If you substitute cheddar cheese for the Parmesan, and add a pinch of garlic powder, these are more like Red Lobster’s Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

½ c. Jennifer Eloff Gluten-Free bake mix:   

¼ c. CarbQuik  bake mix (substitute ¼ c. more Jennifer’s mix for gluten-free)

1 T. Parmesan Cheese, grated

½ c. Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated

½ tsp. each baking powder and baking soda

dash salt

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese and beat in the eggs.  Add all remaining ingredients and beat well.  Dip onto parchment lined baking sheet, forming 9 large drop biscuits.   Pop into preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 9 large biscuits, each containing:

134.5 cals, 11.9 g fat, 4.04 g carbs, 2.04 g fiber, 2g NET CARBS, 7.56 g protein, 199 mg sodium

Pumpkin Granola

My husband was asking for an easy breakfast cereal recently, because occasionally I just don’t want any breakfast and he doesn’t want me to cook when it’s just him eating.  So…… I created a very tasty cereal for such occasions.   I like to just snack on this stuff, no milk required!  The hint of pumpkin taste is delightful and so is the bit of coconut.  Mostly I taste the spices, nuts and fruit in this.   🙂  This recipe is not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 OWL when nuts are re-introduced.  This keeps AMAZINGLY well over time and stays quite crunchy, but you can reheat in the oven if it seems to get soft over time.  Mine has not, quite honestly, just storing in a Tupperware canister in my pantry.  

INGREDIENTS: 

½ c. roasted sunflower seeds, unsalted

½ c. roasted pumpkin seeds, unsalted

2 T. chia seeds

1½ c. large flake coconut, unsweetened

1 c. walnuts, coarsely cut

1 c. pecans, coarsely cut

1½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

1/8 tsp. sea salt

2 T. erythritol

5 dried prunes, chopped fine like tiny raisins (Del Monte has no added sugar)

1/3 c. liquified coconut oil

¼ c. sugar-free maple syrup

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. canned pumpkin puree (do not use the pie filling!)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 300º.  Line two large baking sheets  with parchment paper and set aside.  Measure the first 12 (dry) ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well.  In a small bowl, stir the last 4 (wet) ingredients well.  Using a rubber spatula, pour the wet ingredients evenly over the dry and with the spatula, stir and toss to coat all the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.  When well-blended, pour half the mixture onto each paper-lined pan.  Spread evenly.  You will need to bake until it is dry and somewhat crisp to the touch, or about 1½ hours (longer for some ovens).  Stir ever 15-20 minutes to be sure it is cooking evenly.  Do not allow to overly brown or the nuts will taste burned.   Turn off oven and let the granola dry in the oven as it cools.  Break it apart into smaller clusters if you like.  I like mine in larger clusters, as I eat it more as a snack than a cereal.  Transfer to an airtight container or zip-loc gallon bag.  BE ABSOLUTELY SURE IT IS FULLY COOLED BEFORE STORING.  Otherwise it will “sweat” and get soft (just re-bake for 15-20 minutes to crisp it up again).  This stuff is delicious, so do ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 cups total or eighteen ½ cup servings.  Each ½-cup serving contains:

214 cals, 19.6g fat, 7.5g carbs, 3.21g fiber, 4.29g NET CARBS, 4.9g protein, 42 mg sodium

Granola Bars

This experiment was quite a pleasant surprise.  I am quite pleased with the final taste on these granola bars.  They baked up beautifully.  I would describe these as firm, but not hard like Nature’s Valley® granola bars.  This makes a huge pan of bars, so you may want to make half a recipe or simply freeze half, as they freeze really well without detriment.  I love one of these with half a banana!

These can be crumbled up for a granola cereal if you like, but I recommend a little extra toasting after crumbling.   These also make a nice crunch topping for baked peaches, apples, or favorite crumb-topped pies.  This recipe is not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins but they are well worth the wait, folks!  They are very nutrient dense.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. rolled oats, toasted (use 100% certified gluten-free oats if required)

2 c. dark flax meal

¾ c. vanilla whey protein

½ c. granular Splenda

10 drops liquid stevia

½ c. sesame seeds

¾ c. grated coconut meat

1½ T. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

½ c. coconut oil (or butter), melted

½ c. sugar free maple syrup

¼ c. water

2 c. pecans, chopped

½ c. walnuts, chopped

½ c. almonds, coarsely chopped

6 T. sugar free honey (I use Honey Tree from Walmart)

¾ c. sunflower seeds, unsalted

½ c. pumpkin seeds, roasted,salted

VARIATIONS:  Add a very few snipped home dried cranberries or raisins (add to nutritionals below)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  On a 13×15 cookie sheet, toast oats until begin to lightly brown.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 250º.   Pour oats into large mixing bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir well to be sure all ingredients are moistened.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Pour granola mixture onto paper and using plastic gloves or baggies over hands, press evenly into pan.  I like to take a glass loaf pan or sheet of parchment and press the surface evenly before baking.  Pop into oven and bake at 250º for approximately 1 hr. 30 minutes until dry to the touch in the center.  Remove from oven and when almost cool, cut into 30 rectangular bars (10 x 3 rows). This makes a nice size granola bar at an acceptable 4.05 net carb count.  Cutting into 60 squares will of course halve that number.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 30 bars, each contains:

239.7 Calories, 20.0 g  fat, 8.77 g  carbs, 4.72 g  fiber, 4.05 g  NET CARBS, 8.31 g  protein, 79 mg sodium

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

These are a pleasant change from your usual plain pancakes, and not too bad in carbs to have a whole small apple in them!  I’m far enough along in my diet now to be able to add the occasional bit of fruit so long as it’s not too often.  That will make me gain weight.  Today is the day.   A small 2″ apple yields about ½ cup apple shreds.  I use my  “Pork Rind French Toast Cakes” as a base for this recipe, along with a bit of spice, sweetener and  vanilla and  Voilà!  A delicious breakfast!  It only takes 2 of these to fill me up!  Good thing, because hubby eagerly ate the other four with NO PROBLEM!  🙂  This recipe is not suitable until you are closer to goal weight on the fruit rung of the Atkins Phase 2 (OWL) carb re-introduction ladder.  Omit the apple for a cinnamon pancake even those on Atkins induction can enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1½ oz. pork rinds, crushed

2 T. golden flax meal

2 T. coconut flour

½ tsp. baking powder

½ pkt. stevia (I use SweetLeaf)

1 small 2″ apple, grated

2 eggs, beaten

¼ c. heavy cream

2 T. DaVinci vanilla or caramel sugar-free syrup (or 1/4 tsp. vanilla)

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg 2

T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Measure the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Add wet ingredients, stir well and let batter set for about 2-3 minutes and to get thick.  Dip the batter onto an oiled, hot griddle, pancake style, forming into six round 4″ pancakes with the back of your spoon.  Brown on first side and when puffed up a bit, flip them over.  When both sides nicely browned, serve with your favorite low-carb syrup (I use Cary’s  sugar-free maple) and breakfast meat.  I think these would also be nice served with some diced, spiced and slightly thickened saucy apples and a dollop of whipped cream for a desert!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes six 4″ pancakes, each contains:

113 cals, 6.78g fat, 5.55g carbs, 2.12g fiber, 3.43g NET CARBS (reduce apple to lower), 7.73 g  protein, 233 mg sodium

Spinach-Mushroom Omelet

I rarely make folded omelets because I invariably tear them up or they don’t get done in the center. This morning I was in the mood to give it a go in a new skillet bought especially for omelets. I didn’t make a mess, it cooked thoroughly inside and man, oh man, was it ever good! I recently bought a ceramic-lined skillet to dedicate exclusively for omelet making. It worked a charm, as they say in Britain. I’ll be making more folded omelets from now on! This made a delightful lunch for me and my husband today. He really liked it! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Paleo and Primal followers as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs, beaten

2 T. total butter, unsalted

¼ c. frozen chopped spinach (or 1/2 c. fresh)

1/8 tsp. granulated onion powder

3 very large mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS: Melt 1 T. of the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-hi heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until no longer white/opaque and slightly browned. Remove mushrooms to paper plate or saucer. Add onion powder to eggs and beat with a fork. Lower heat to medium. Melt remaining butter in skillet and add spinach. With a rubber spatula, sauté stirring 1-2 minutes and spread evenly in the bottom of the skillet. Now gently pour the eggs around the eggs trying not to disturb the spinach too much. As the eggs begin to cook and set up, using spatula lift the edges and tip the skillet so all raw egg rolls down and underneath the egg ‘pancake’ at this point. Repeat this lifting and tipping until all raw egg has rolled off the top. Continue to cook until you are satisfied all egg is done done in the center. Pour the mushrooms down one side of the egg ‘pancake’, spreading them out evenly. With a sturdy long spatula, carefully lift the plain side of the circle up over the other side and let it fall on top. I like to leave some of the mushroom half exposed for a prettier presentation at the table, but you don’t have to and can cover the filled side completely if you prefer. Cut in half and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings. Each half contains:

252 cals, 21g fat, 4g carbs, 0 g fiber, 15 g protein, 157 mg sodium

Scrambled Eggs with Tarragon Cream (with ham)

Served with 2 oz. ham added

I’m not terribly fond of eggs just scrambled or fried.  I have to “doctor them up” quite a bit to not get totally turned off on eating them day in and day out for breakfast.  This is one way I’ve succeeded in making eggs not taste so much like eggs, to be quite honest! It’s sinfully rich and Induction friendly!  It is also suitable for Primal diners, but not Paleo without a substitute for the cream, like coconut milk. You can play around a bit with this recipe, too, adding other things to the sauce like sausage, sliced mushrooms, onion slivers, black olives or any combination of those. 🙂  Tarragon is a sweet, delicate spice with a slight licorice taste.   If you put too much in the sauce, you’ll probably not be happy.  With tarragon, more is NOT better!  If serving to guests, (or you want to boost your vegetables for the day) this is very pretty and tasty served over a bed of steamed spinach.  Served with spinach, this makes a very nice brunch or lunch entree.  If in Atkins Phase 2 OWL, 1-2 T. sherry or white wine is also good added to this sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped

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

1 tsp. olive oil

6 T. heavy cream

1/3 c. water

¼ tsp. crushed tarragon

Pinch onion powder

1 T. butter

4 large eggs, beaten

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

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each containing:

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

Smoked Sausage Twinkies®

I was craving some good old sausage cheese balls for lunch yesterday, but realized I was out of bulk breakfast sausage.  I did have a 6-oz. piece of smoked sausage in the fridge but wasn’t sure how all that would bind together to form balls.  I added 2 eggs, some cream and baked my ball-shaped lunch into a different shape.  Wow!  These are really good!  Not heavy like one would think.  I ate 3 of these things to find myself pleasantly full.  My husband really liked these, too.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. Carbquik Bake Mix (or other low-carb mix)

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

6 oz. Burton’s Smoked Sausage (or any brand you have), chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

½ c. heavy cream

VARIATION:  Add a little minced green onion to the batter.

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Using a brush, oil a non-stick twinkie-shape pan (12-slot).  I used a food processor to chop up my sausage, but you could finely dice with a knife if you prefer.  Scrape into a medium bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir until uniformly moistened and blended.  Spoon the stiff batter into the 12 slots of the twinkie pan.  Batter will be nearly to the top of each slot.  Slightly press batter down to eliminate air holes.    Pop into 350º oven for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned as shown above.  Remove from oven.  Cool 3-4 minutes before attempting to loosen and lift out of the pan of they may break apart.  Serve warm and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 12 Twinkies®, each contains:

123 cals, 11.2g fat, 4.81g carbs, 3.5g fiber, 1.31g NET CARBS, 7.46g protein, 296 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bread

This is a tasty breakfast variation on my Gluten-Free Focaccia bread recipe.  I just shape the batter into 9 individual Circles and sprinkle on cinnamon and Steviva (blend of stevia and erythritol)  on them.   Hot out of the oven with butter they are delicious!  Haven’t made them in years and decided to whip up a batch today.  I sometimes toast them in the broiler depending on my mood.  I would pre-butter these if you toast them.  These are suitable once you are past the Atkins Induction Phase when you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the OWL carb reintroduction ladder.  These are not suitable for Primal-Paleo unless you eat whey protein powder and cheese occasionally.

VARIATION:  You can snip a few raisins to add for a raisin bread version, but only 1 Tbsp. or the carbs will really go up.  You can add a little finely chopped, peeled peach or nectarine for another tasty version. You need to recalculate and add carbs below if you add raisins or peaches.

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

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

about 2 tsp. Steviva or sweetener of your choice

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.  Scoop the batter onto the prepared pan into 9 equal portions. I used a 1/4 c. measuring cup.  Spreading the batter out the size of a slice of bread.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. Steviva or other sweetener of your choosing.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and just beginning to lightly brown.  If you wish to broiler toast them, brush some melted butter on top of each and broil to lightly toasted stage.  Store leftovers, once cooled, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 pieces, each contains:

149 cals, 11.5g fat, 3.5g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.4g NET CARBS, 10.1g protein, 204 mg sodium

Cake Donuts

My husband has always liked really plain cake donuts: no icing, no flavors, no sprinkles, no powdered sugar, no cream fillings, no nothing extra beyond vanilla extract and nutmeg.  He was so fond of Dolly Madison cake donuts when I met him. When we were still dating, I couldn’t believe we’d go into Dunkin’ Donuts on Congress Avenue, downtown Austin and he would order plain cake donuts!!  All those luscious donut varieties staring back from the glass display cases didn’t phase him at all!  Only other donut I ever saw him order was a glazed, strawberry jelly donut (talk about contrast LOL).

So I created a low-carb version of the beloved Dolly Madison cake donuts they have stopped making commercially.   I couldn’t be more pleased with these! These donuts have a lovely texture, just a hint of nutmeg, and I’m certain Dolly Madison bakeries would say these are a pretty good imitation.  These donuts are not suitable for Atkins Induction but are OK once you get to Phase 2 OWL if the oat fiber, a virtual carb wash at 96% fiber, doesn’t cause you any issues or weight gain.  They are acceptable for other ketogenic diets but not for Paleo-Primal devotees.  See the SUPPLIERS tab above for unusual ingredient sources.

NOTE:   I made a lovely sweet dessert with 4 of these.  Sliced them in half laterally and placed in the bottom of a tart pan.  Topped with thin slices of peaches (3 small).  Dotted with butter all around.  Sprinkled cinnamon and erythritol on top and baked 30 minutes.  It was DELISH!   Plan to try that with other fruits and berries eventually.  🙂

INGREDIENTS: 

1/2 c. oat fiber

1/2 c. + 3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. plain, unsweetened whey protein powder

¼ c. egg white protein powder (pure powdered egg whites)

1 T. baking powder

1½ tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground nutmeg(preferably fresh, grated)

1 pkt. stevia

½ c. sugar equivalent of your favorite sweetener

1/3 c. granular erythritol

3 T. melted butter, unsalted

3 large eggs, beaten

3 T. DaVinci vanilla sugar-free syrup (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract + 2½ T. more water)

½ c. heavy cream (or coconut milk)

½ c. water

Optional:  mix a bit of cinnamon with a bit of granular erythritol to sprinkle on top if desired

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and stir well.   Break the eggs into the center of the dry ingredients and beat them well.   Add cream, water, DaVinci syrup and melted butter.  Stir well until batter is smooth.  Batter will be quite thick.  Well oil the 12 slots of 2 donut pans with oil of your choice.  Spoon batter into slots until they are almost full.  There is just enough batter for 12 donuts in this recipe. Even out the batter with  the back of a teaspoon.  These do not rise much during baking, so overflow shouldn’t be a problem.  Pop into 350º oven for about 17 minutes or until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool a few minutes. Loosen them with a knife tip and serve cooled off a bit for best flavor.  Top optionally with cinnamon/erythritol, powdered erythritol or low-carb icing of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 donuts, each contains: (topping or optional icing not included)

128.6 calories, 9.56 g  fat, 11.77 g  carbs, 9.15 g fiber, 2.62 g  NET CARBS, 6.08 g  protein, 114 mg sodium

Strawberry Blossoms

I often bake these for my hubby’s Valentine’s Day treat, but they are really good year-round.  This year I think I’ll resurrect these tasty morsels.  If you don’t have the Nordicware® blossom pan used for these tasty blooms, you can use a mini-muffin pan.  These were so easy to make and so good my husband just couldn’t stop grabbing another and another.  I enjoy mine with my with morning coffee.  Or sprinkle them with powdered sweetener and serve them with a warm cup of tea.   These are suitable once you get to the berries rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb ladder. They are also OK for most Keto diets.

NOTE: If you are gluten free, use all Jennifer Eloff’s mix, as my Einkorn mix clearly is not gluten-free.    

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs, beaten

¼ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

¼ c. my Einkorn Bake Mix (or more Jennifer’s mix for gluten-free)

1 c. frozen (or fresh) strawberries, drained, chopped

2 T. erythritol

2 T. Splenda, granulated

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 T. + 1 tsp. coconut oil

VARIATION:   Use chopped raspberries, blackberries or blueberries in place of the strawberries

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º. Melt coconut oil in your baking pan and brush 24 slots well with oil.

Beat the eggs in a small mixing bowl.  Add the bake mix.  You can use any low-carb bake mix you prefer.  Add sweeteners, vanilla and chopped berries.  Fold all together until smooth.   Using a 2 T. measuring cup, spoon batter into mini muffin pan slots.  Right is the Nordicware pan I used.

They will be nearly full to the brim.  Don’t worry, Mine didn’t overflow in the pans, although they do temporarily rise above the top like a soufflé…..and then fall a bit when done and cooled.

Pop into oven and bake for 16-18 minutes or until risen and firm in the center.  Remove, cool a couple minutes and with knife tip, lift them out and serve while warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 24 edible blossoms, each contains:

32.3 cals, 2.4g fat, 1.55g carbs, 0.37g fiber, 1.18g NET CARBS, 1.67g protein, 16 mg sodium

Breakfast Sticks

Realized I hadn’t made one of my more popular recipes in quite some time this morning.  I resurrected this tasty ‘Top o’ the Morning’ treat today.  You can use the bottom of muffin cups for these (circle shape) or muffin-top pans (flatter shape) as well.  These are simply delicious!  Just the right amount of cheese to make them a bit creamy without it being overpowering.  Just the right amount of chopped vegetables to not dominate the flavor profile so the eggs still speak up.

These are suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal Blueprint as well.  Omit the cheese for Paleo adherence.  Below is a photo of the pan I used.  Although they still make it (BTW, it is rimmed in metal framing for support, which I really like), it is difficult to find on the internet.  You can make this recipe using muffin pans however.  I stumbled upon these two Chicago Bakeware pans at my local Tuesday Morning store several years ago and snatched them up. 🙂  Other companies make similar pans:  http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Silicone-Sponge-Finger-Bakeware/dp/B00AFRALOS.

This recipe garnered more Facebook fans than any all other recipes I have posted here.  Simply amazing!  Thanks to all my readers and fans for making the recipe go viral on its original 2015 posting.  When you try these, you’ll see why it went off the chart!  🙂   

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. oil of choice

2 slices bacon, chopped

3 oz. breakfast sausage

2 large green onions, chopped

4 large eggs, beaten

1 oz. (¼ c.) shredded Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Oil your muffin/pan slots with oil using a brush and set aside.  Beat the eggs with the shredded cheese in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.  Using a non-stick skillet, brown the bacon. Add the sausage crumbled, stirring and cooking until it is no longer pink.  Add onion and saute just until onion begins to cook/wilt.  Remove from heat and cool 1-2 minutes.  Add the meat mixture to the egg mixture and beat together well with a spoon.  Using a ¼c. measuring cup, scoop up ¼ c. of the mixture into each of 8 slots.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes (ovens do vary) until just set and barely beginning to brown on tops.  Remove from pans/slot with a knife tip and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 Breakfast Sticks, each contains:

142.4 cals, 12.3g fat, 0.73g carbs, 0.16g fiber, 0.57g NET CARBS, 7.16g protein, 220 mg sodium

Sausage Breakfast Focaccia

To quote the bard, “a sausage biscuit by any other name……” would taste as sweet.  🙂  A tasty new way to use my wonderful gluten-free focaccia bread recipe.   You’ll be happy to know you CANNOT taste the flax meal in this bread either!

TIP:  If you are not gluten-free, I find 1 T. oat fiber improves this bread’s taste and texture greatly.  But remember, if you add it, OAT FIBER IS NOT GLUTEN FREE.

This recipe is suitable for Phase 2 Atkins, Keto diets, Primal folks if consumed only occasionally.  This bread would not be suitable for Paleo.

BREAD INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain 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

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

1 T. oat fiber (optional)

TOPPING:   5 oz. browned sausage + 1 c. more shredded cheese of your choice

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. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  You can also use a non-stick pan.  I would not recommend silicone, as this won’t brown as nicely on your Silpat.  Scrap the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a rectangle that is roughly 10″x13″.  Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Sprinkle on cooked sausage and then the mozzarella shreds.  Lightly press down on the toppings so they embed slightly into the batter.  Pop pan into 350º oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until dry to the touch in center and lightly browned on the edges.  .  Cool a few minutes and cut evenly into 9 slices and enjoy!  When totally cool, store in plastic bag in your refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Entire sheet contains:  2113 calories, 164 g fat, 30.6 g carbs, 13.8 g fiber, 16.8 g net carbs, 142 g protein, 3334 mg sodium  (divide by number of servings you cut)

If cut into 9 portions, each serving would contain:

235 calories, 18.2 g  fat, 3.4 g  carbs, 1.53 g  fiber, 1.87 g  NET CARBS, 15.73 g  protein, 370 mg sodium

Bacon-Onion Heart Quiche

Who doesn’t love the smell of bacon and onion cooking together in the kitchen?  One of my favorite culinary aromas, for sure.  These little gems pictured above are something I enjoy year ’round, but when shaped like hearts, are a cute and delicious treat for Valentine’s Day.  So tasty and easy to put together!  I think I’ll make something Indian for dinner that night, since you can’t get into a restaurant on Valentine’s Day with a shoehorn and Indian is his favorite food!  I make these in a fun little pan I found somewhere years ago ( shown right).  You KNOW I just had to have it!  The slots are only 3/4″ tall, so it makes individual portion cakes (or whatever).  These tasty breakfast “hearts” are as easy as pie to make.  You can use any shaped pan molds, silicone molds or regular cupcake pans (or whatever you have available).  There is nothing sacrosanct about the shape here.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets.  Primal-Paleo will need to use a plan-suitable bread at the bottom.

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, chopped fine

2 oz. onion, chopped fine

1 slice low-carb bread (I had this on-hand focaccia bread)

3 extra-large eggs (or 4 large), beaten

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Using a brush, oil your baking pan slots with a dab of olive oil.  Crumbled the bread evenly into the bottoms of the slots.  Pour the beaten egg mixture into the slots.

In a non-stick skillet, brown the bacon.  When it is done but not quite crisp, add the onion and sauté until the bacon is browned and onion is beginning to brown as well.  Sprinkle about 1 T. of the bacon-onion mixture over the tops of each portion.  Pop pan into 350º oven for about 13-15 minutes or until egg is set up in the center when touched with your finger.  Do not over cook lest they dry out.   Lift them out gently with the tip of a knife and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 5 Heart Quiches, each contains:

146.4 calories, 11.8 g fat, 1.74 g carbs, 0.40 g fiber, 1.34 g NET CARBS, 9.14 g protein, 225 mg sodium

Einkorn Sausage-Cheese Balls

This is an ever-popular party appetizer that never goes out of favor with your guests.  When I’m hosting the appetizers phase of our neighborhood annual Christmas round-robin dinner, this easy treat is easy to make ahead, heat and serve.  I have another Sausage Cheese Ball recipe on my website that rings in at only 1 net carb per ball but I like this one a bit better because it’s a little easier to put together.  It features my convenient homemade Einkorn Low-Carb Bake Mix (similar to Bisquick and Carbquik).  Even with the bake mix, these only have 1.76 net carbs per ball!  Not bad for the convenience of just 3 ingredients.   These are not suitable until the grains rung of the carb re-introduction ladder of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.  They are OK for Keto diets if you can fit them into your daily carb limits.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. breakfast sausage (I used my homemade breakfast sausage recipe)

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

2 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix  (For gluten-free version, use Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix or another GF mix of your choice)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º. Mix the above ingredients in a medium bowl with your hands as you would a meatloaf mixture.  When thoroughly blended, form into 30 1″ balls and place on non-stick baking sheet or one lined with parchment or silicone sheet for ease of clean-up. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.  Remove to paper towels to drain off any excess grease (mine had none actually).  Serve warm and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 30  1″ balls, each sausage ball contains:

95 calories, 7.81 g  fat, 2.4 g  carbs, 0.64 g fiber, 1.76 g  NET CARBS, 4.82 g  protein, 81 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.

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

Bacon Maple Twists

My husband asked for pancakes today, but honestly, that is NOT one of my favorite foods.  It’s not the flavors I don’t like; it’s the bulky, cake-like mouth feel of pancakes that just doesn’t seem like breakfast food to me.  So today I created a mock “pancake” thingie that really tasted just like pancakes, maple syrup and bacon without all that voluminous bulk pancakes give you.  These have a slightly chewy texture in your mouth.

I only used half a recipe of dough making 4 twists for the two of us today.  Honestly, they are so filling a serving would be just one twist I think.  They were delicious with our eggs and I will definitely be making these again.  If you’re feeding a large family or have some breakfast company, baking a full recipe of these will make your breakfast task much easier.  This recipe is not suitable until you are well along in Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

8 slices thick-slice bacon

2 T. sugar-free maple syrup (I use Cary’s brand)

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  On your countertop, roll the ball of dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or silicone sheets) into the form of a rectangle (one side the length of your bacon.  Remove top piece of plastic wrap.  Gently cut into 8 equal strips with a knife scoring completely the dough, but if using silicone sheet on the bottom, be careful not to cut your silicone sheet with your knife!  Using a brush, baste each slice of dough with the maple syrup.  Lay a slice of bacon down each strip of dough.  Sprinkle with the black pepper.  Next step is a little tricky, but doable if you don’t rush it.  Gently lift your plastic wrap or silicone sheet along the outermost strip of dough/bacon and tip it carefully over onto your hand.  Carefully grab each end with both hands now and lift over to baking pan.  Twist the dough assembly 2-3 times.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the dough is golden and bacon should be done as well.  Remove, allow to “set up” a minute or so before removing from pan with an extra-long spatula.  If you don’t own one yet, I highly recommend an investment in a long spatula.  They are invaluable for such tasks as this and lifting meatloaves or broiled/baked fish out of pans. Mine has an 8″ lifting blade.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 twists, each one contains:

228 calories, 187 g fat, 7.51 g carbs, 4.81 g fiber, 2.7 g NET CARBS, 15.8 g protein, 376 mg sodium

Cake Donuts

My husband has always liked really plain cake donuts: no icing, no flavors, no sprinkles, no powdered sugar, no cream fillings, no nothing extra beyond vanilla extract and nutmeg.  He was so fond of Dolly Madison cake donuts when I met him. When we were still dating, I couldn’t believe we’d go into Dunkin’ Donuts on Congress Avenue, downtown Austin and he would order plain cake donuts!!  All those luscious donut varieties staring back from the glass display cases didn’t phase him at all!  Only other donut I ever saw him order was a glazed, strawberry jelly donut (talk about contrast LOL).

So I decided to ry my hand at a low-carb version of his beloved Dolly Madison cake donuts. I couldn’t be more pleased with the result! My inspiration here were two lovely ladies doing much kitchen experimentation on Low-Carb Friends forums:  Ouizoid with her bake mix experiment ratios of my 1st 6 listed ingredients below; and Sungoddess with her Chai Spiced Donut recipe that helped me with the liquid ratios.  These donuts have a lovely texture, the required hint of nutmeg, and I’m certain Dolly herself would be proud if she were alive and could taste these!  These donuts are not suitable for Atkins Induction but are OK once you get to Phase 2 OWL if the oat fiber, a virtual carb wash at 96% fiber, doesn’t cause you any issues or weight gain.  They are OK for other ketogenic diets but not for Paleo-Primal devotees.  See the SUPPLIERS tab above for unusual ingredient sources.

NOTE:   I made a lovely sweet dessert with 4 of these.  Sliced them in half laterally and placed in the bottom of a tart pan.  Topped with thin slices of peaches (3 small).  Dotted with butter all around.  Sprinkled cinnamon and erythritol on top and baked 30 minutes.  It was DELISH! 🙂

INGREDIENTS: 

1/2 c. oat fiber

1/2 c. + 3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. plain, unsweetened whey protein powder

¼ c. egg white protein powder (pure powdered egg whites)

1 T. baking powder

1½ tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground nutmeg(preferably fresh, grated)

1 pkt. stevia

½ c. sugar equivalent of your favorite sweetener

1/3 c.granular erythritol

3 T. melted butter, unsalted

3 large eggs, beaten

3 T. DaVinci vanilla sugar-free syrup (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract + 2½ T. more water)

½ c. heavy cream (or coconut milk)

½ c. water

Optional:  mix a bit of cinnamon with a bit of granular erythritol to sprinkle on top if desired

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and stir well.   Break the eggs into the center of the dry ingredients and beat them well.   Add cream, water, DaVinci syrup and melted butter.  Stir well until batter is smooth.  Batter will be quite thick.  Well oil the 12 slots of 2 donut pans with oil of your choice.  Spoon batter into slots until they are almost full.  There is just enough batter for 12 donuts in this recipe. Even out the batter with  the back of a teaspoon.  These do not rise much during baking, so overflow shouldn’t be a problem.  Pop into 350º oven for about 17 minutes or until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool a few minutes. Loosen them with a knife tip and serve cooled off a bit for best flavor.  Top optionally with cinnamon/erythritol, powdered erythritol or low-carb icing of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 donuts, each contains: (topping or optional icing not included)

128.6 calories, 9.56 g  fat, 11.77 g  carbs, 9.15 g fiber, 2.62 g  NET CARBS, 6.08 g  protein, 114 mg sodium

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

Pretty much my favorite pancake recipe now.  I took my Fluffy Pancakes recipe to a whole new level when I added some pumpkin and cinnamon.  Man, oh, man, are these ever good!  Light, fluffy and very moist.  Not grainy or dry like a lot of low-carb pancakes.  My husband said these are one of the very best pancakes he’s eaten since we started eating low-carb.  He likened them to commercial Bryce’s Sweet Potato Pancake Mix we bought years ago, but mine have no real sugar, flour or other junk ingredients.  🙂  These are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. pumpkin puree

3 large eggs, beaten

¼ c. heavy cream

½ c. water

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 pkt. Sweet Leaf stevia

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

½ c. Carbquik (or more of the above mix if you require gluten free)

2 tsp. baking powder

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

1 T. flax meal

Dash salt

¼-½ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:   Measure out the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Beat in the eggs, pumpkin, cream, water and vanilla.  Beat to blend into a smooth batter.  Add 1-2 T. more water if batter is too thick. Using a 1/3 c. measuring cup, dip batter onto oiled hot griddle over medium-high heat.  Spread with the back of the cup to a 5″ circle. Brown on first side, but allow them undisturbed to firm up and you see holes almost beginning to appear on the surface before attempting to flip.    Brown on the second side to your liking and serve at once with butter and maple syrup. ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes seven 5″ pancakes, each contains:

127 cals, 10.2g fat, 10.13g carbs, 5.97g fiber, 5.29g NET CARBS, 8.64g protein, 216 mg sodium

Cinnamon Rings

My husband just loves these!  Warm they are soft; cooled they get chewy.  Doing more experimenting with my Mozzy Dough always yields great stuff.  This is the first sweet application I tried it on.  I use a little specialty pan with 2″ ring slots to make these.  You can also use a mini donut pan or a mini bagel pan.  You could also just use the bottom of the slots in a regular muffin pan.  These are not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. erythritol

1 pkt. stevia or 2 T. granular Splenda

FLAVOR SPRINKLE MIXTURE:

1 T. melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. more erythritol or Splenda

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Melt 1 T. butter over low heat and brush the bottoms of your pan slots lightly.  Mix 2 T. erythritol and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle half of it into each pan slot with your fingers.  Set pan aside.

Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions, except add the first 2 T. erythritol and stevia (or Splenda) to the dry ingredients to sweeten it up a bit.  They get chewy as they cool down.  When these are totally cooled off, they firm up and are more like cookies.  If you want them more cake-like in texture and to remain soft, eliminate the psyllium in the Mozzy Dough recipe.  When the dough is in a uniform ball, form into a log and with a knife, divide into 12 equal portions.  If using donut, bagel or ringed pans, roll each dough portion into a little snake shape about 4″ long and encircle/place into the slots.  Slightly press down with fingers to seal where the two ends meet.  If using muffin pan, just press the dough into the bottom of the slots.  Sprinkle topping mixture evenly on top of each one.  Pop pan into 350º oven and bake for about 15 minutes.  Do not over brown or these will dry out.  Allow to cool a minute before gently lifting out of slots with a knife tip.  Invert them as you plate them up and serve warm a fresh cup of coffee or tea.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 cinnamon rings, each contains:

141.4 calories, 12.1 g fat, 5.15 g carbs, 3.30 g fiber, 1.85 g NET CARBS, 8.88 g protein, 188 mg sodium

Breakfast Sticks

Realized I hadn’t made one of my more popular recipes in quite some time this morning.  I resurrected this tasty ‘Top o’ the Morning’ treat today.  You can use the bottom of muffin cups for these (circle shape) or muffin-top pans (flatter shape) as well.  These are simply delicious!  Just the right amount of cheese to make them a bit creamy without it being overpowering.  These are suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal Blueprint as well.  Omit the cheese for Paleo adherence.  Below is a photo of the pan I used.  Although they still make it (BTW, it is rimmed in metal framing for support, which I really like), it is difficult to find on the internet.  You can make this recipe using muffin pans however.  I stumbled upon these two metal-rimmed Chicago Bakeware pans at my local Tuesday Morning store several years ago and snatched them up. 🙂  Other companies make similar pans:  http://www.amazon.com/Purple-Silicone-Sponge-Finger-Bakeware/dp/B00AFRALOS.

This recipe has garnered more Facebook fans than any other recipe I have ever posted there.  Simply amazing!  Thanks to all my readers and fans for making the recipe go viral on its original posting.  When you try these, you’ll see why it went off the chart!  🙂   

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. oil of choice

2 slices bacon, chopped

3 oz. breakfast sausage

2 large green onions, chopped

4 large eggs, beaten

1 oz. (¼ c.) shredded Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Oil your muffin/pan slots with oil using a brush and set aside.  Beat the eggs with the shredded cheese in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.  Using a non-stick skillet, brown the bacon. Add the sausage crumbled, stirring and cooking until it is no longer pink.  Add onion and saute just until onion begins to cook/wilt.  Remove from heat and cool 1-2 minutes.  Add the meat mixture to the egg mixture and beat together well with a spoon.  Using a ¼c. measuring cup, scoop up ¼ c. of the mixture into each of 8 slots.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes (ovens do vary) until just set and barely beginning to brown on tops.  Remove from pans/slot with a knife tip and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 Breakfast Sticks, each contains:

142.4 cals, 12.3g fat, 0.73g carbs, 0.16g fiber, 0.57g NET CARBS, 7.16g protein, 220 mg sodium

Upside-Down Bacon-Onion Omelet

This is a scrumptious, quick and easy omelet that is made flat in a pan and baked in the oven.  Plan to make it for breakfast tomorrow.  I love to make omelets this way as I think they cook so evenly.  I’ve messed up more than one folded omelet that I attempted to cook stovetop.  I find the eggs don’t get quite done enough in the center for my liking.   Besides, I think eggs are pretty served up this way, too!  This delicious recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

6 thin (or 3 thick) slices bacon, diced large

2 oz. onion, diced (I used red onion)

4 large eggs

DIRECTIONS:    Preheat oven to 350º.  In a good non-stick skillet or wok, cook the bacon until nearly brown.  Add the onion and saute until the bacon is fully browned and the onion is getting soft and also beginning to caramelize/brown.   In a bowl, using a fork, beat the eggs well.  Slowly pour the eggs over the bacon-onion mixture so as not to disturb the mixture much.  Pop the pan into a 350> oven for 10-12 minutes or until eggs are just dry to the touch in the center.  Try not to brown the top of the flat omelet, as that just overcooks the eggs making them dry and rubbery.  Remove from oven.  Place a large plate (larger than your pan in diameter) over the plate and lifting skillet with one hand and holding the plate over it with your other hand, flip is quickly.  The grease from the bacon should allow it to drop right out of the pan.  Cut into 3 wedges and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 3 adult servings

231 cals, 19.4 g  fat, 2.13 g carbs, 0.16 g fiber, 1.97 g NET CARBS, 11.8 g protein, 331 mg sodium

Cranberry-Orange Scones

We’re coming up on the holidays and I love to make baked goods with cranberry and orange this time of year.  These scones are on my agenda today.  This is basically my Blueberry Scone recipe with the logical ingredient changes for Fall.  Some people frost scones, but we prefer ours unfrosted.  Fast forward:  These are delicious and I think my readers will enjoy them.  I just keep a batch in the fridge and set them out to come to room temperature an eat.  But you can slightly warm them up if you prefer.  Yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs, beaten

1 T. fresh squeezed orange juice

1½ T. orange zest

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. fresh cranberries, chopped in processor

1 c. Splenda or equivalent sweetener of choice

¼ tsp. salt

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 T. coconut flour

1½ c. almond flour

½ c. plain whey protein powder

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Melt the butter over low heat on the stove in a small saucepan.  In a medium bowl, place the orange zest and orange juice.  Add the eggs and beat.  Add the melted butter next and again beat with a spoon.  Add the cranberries next and stir.  Measure all dry ingredients into the bowl on top of the wet ingredients and work the wet and dry together until all forms a solid mass of thick dough.  I formed 6 large scones with my dough, rendering the nutritional stats shown below (a little high in carbs making just 6 scones).  You might prefer to make 7 smaller scones to cut the carb count. I’ll give the full dough recipe numbers so you can calculate yours based on how many you decide to make.

Using a rubber spatula, divide the dough into the number of scones you want to make.  Foll slightly, then flatten slightly and place either on parchment-lined or silicone sheet lined baking pan.  Pop into hot 350º oven for about 20 minutes or until firm in the center and lightly browned around the edges.  Remove and cool (traditionally not eaten hot) so they will achieve the proper “short” texture.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  For 6 large scones, each scone will contain:

354 cals, 28g fat, 15.71g carbs, 5.4g fiber, 10.31g NET CARBS, 18.2g protein, 238 mg sodium  (carbs can be cut using liquid sweetener of choice)

ENTIRE BATCH DOUGH CONTAINS:  2123 cals, 167.8g fat, 94.3g carbs, 32.4g fiber, 61.9g NET CARBS, 109.4g protein, 1427 mg sodium

Cake Donuts

My husband has always liked really plain cake donuts: no icing, no flavors, no sprinkles, no powdered sugar, no cream fillings, no nothing extra beyond vanilla extract and nutmeg.  He was so fond of Dolly Madison cake donuts when I met him. When we were still dating, I couldn’t believe we’d go into Dunkin’ Donuts on Congress Avenue, downtown Austin and he would order plain cake donuts!!  All those luscious donut varieties staring back from the glass display cases didn’t phase him at all!  Only other donut I ever saw him order was a glazed, strawberry jelly donut (talk about contrast LOL).  So I decided today I’d try my hand at a low-carb version of his beloved Dolly Madison cake donuts. I couldn’t be more pleased with the result! My inspiration here were two lovely ladies doing much kitchen experimentation on Low-Carb Friends forums:  Ouizoid with her bake mix experiment ratios of my 1st 6 listed ingredients below; and Sungoddess with her Chai Spiced Donut recipe that helped me with the liquid ratios.  These donuts have a lovely texture, the required hint of nutmeg, and I’m certain Dolly herself would be proud if she were alive and could taste these!  These donuts are not suitable for Atkins Induction but are OK once you get to Phase 2 OWL if the oat fiber, a virtual carb wash at 96% fiber, doesn’t cause you any issues or weight gain.  They are OK for other ketogenic diets but not for Paleo-Primal devotees.   See the SUPPLIERS tab above for unusual ingredient sources.

NOTE:   I made a lovely sweet dessert with 4 of these.  Sliced them in half laterally and placed in the bottom of a tart pan.  Topped with thin slices of peaches (3 small).  Dotted with butter all around.  Sprinkled cinnamon and erythritol on top and baked 30 minutes.  It was DELISH! 🙂

More delicious low-carb breakfast ideas 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: 

1/2 c. oat fiber

1/2 c. + 3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. plain, unsweetened whey protein powder

¼ c. egg white protein powder (pure powdered egg whites)

1 T. baking powder

1½ tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground nutmeg(preferably fresh, grated)

1 pkt. stevia

½ c. sugar equivalent of your favorite sweetener

1/3 c.granular erythritol

3 T. melted butter, unsalted

3 large eggs, beaten

3 T. DaVinci vanilla sugar-free syrup (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract + 2½ T. more water)

½ c. heavy cream (or coconut milk)

½ c. water

Optional:  mix a bit of cinnamon with a bit of granular erythritol to sprinkle on top if desired

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and stir well.   Break the eggs into the center of the dry ingredients and beat them well.   Add cream, water, DaVinci syrup and melted butter.  Stir well until batter is smooth.  Batter will be quite thick.  Well oil the 12 slots of 2 donut pans with oil of your choice.  Spoon batter into slots until they are almost full.  There is just enough batter for 12 donuts in this recipe. Even out the batter with  the back of a teaspoon.  These do not rise much during baking, so overflow shouldn’t be a problem.   Pop into 350º oven for about 17 minutes or until firm to the touch and just beginning to brown on the edges.  Remove from oven and cool a few minutes. Loosen them with a knife tip and serve cooled off a bit for best flavor.  Top optionally with cinnamon/erythritol, powdered erythritol or low-carb icing of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 donuts, each contains: (topping or optional icing not included)

128.6 calories, 9.56 g  fat, 11.77 g  carbs, 9.15 g fiber, 2.62 g  NET CARBS, 6.08 g  protein, 114 mg sodium

Blueberry Scones

By slightly modifying my cranberry scone recipe, I came up with a delicious blueberry version.  Used some wild blueberries from my freezer but you could use fresh berries.  We both loved the taste and texture of these scones!  Yummy indeed!  The frosting is optional and not included in the numbers below.  These didn’t really need it, unless you just like frosting on everything.  🙂  These scones are not suitable for Atkins Induction.

INGREDIENTS:

2½ c. almond flour

½ c. plain whey protein powder

¼ c. Splenda

3 T. erythritol

1 T. coconut flour

¼ tsp. salt

1¼ tsp. baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp. lemon or vanilla extract

½ c. + 2 T. tiny wild blueberries

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with silicone or parchment.  Measure all the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Add in the wet ingredients.  With a rubber spatula, stir and blend the wet and dry ingredients into a uniform, very thick dough.   Divide mixture into 7 equal parts and roll into roughly 2″ balls.  Place on the baking sheet, pressing them slightly flat so they are about 3/4″ thick.  OR you can form into a large round disk of dough about 3/4″ thick and cut into 7 wedges, which is the more typical shape for scones.  You can sprinkle them with a dusting of erythritol if desired.  Bake for around 15 minutes at 350º or until firm in the center and lightly browned.  Remove, cool and enjoy. Ice if you wish, but that is NOT included in the numbers below.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 scones, each contains: (not including frosting)

199 cals, 14.44 g  fat, 9.92 g carbs, 4.27 g fiber, 5.65 g NET CARBS, 12.8 g protein, 138 mg sodium

Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes

I took my Fluffy Pancakes recipe to a whole new level when I added some pumpkin and cinnamon.  Man, oh, man, are these ever good!  Light, fluffy and not dry or grainy like a lot of low-carb pancakes.  So often, coconut flour and almond flour pancakes are grainy.  I just don’t like that mouth feel!  My husband said these are one of the very best pancakes he’s eaten since we started eating low-carb.  He likened them to Bryce’s Sweet Potato Pancake Mix we bought years ago, but mine have no real sugar, flour or other junk ingredients.  🙂  These are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. pumpkin puree

3 large eggs, beaten

¼ c. heavy cream

½ c. water

½ tsp. vanilla extract

1 pkt. Sweet Leaf stevia

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

½ c. Carbquik (or more of the above mix if you require gluten free)

2 tsp. baking powder

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

1 T. flax meal

Dash salt

¼-½ tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:   Measure out the dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Beat in the eggs, pumpkin, cream, water and vanilla.  Beat to blend into a smooth batter.  Add 1-2 T. more water if batter is too thick. Using a 1/3 c. measuring cup, dip batter onto oiled hot griddle over medium-high heat.  Spread with the back of the cup to a 5″ circle. Brown on first side, but allow them undisturbed to firm up and you see holes almost beginning to appear on the surface before attempting to flip.    Brown on the second side to your liking and serve at once with butter and maple syrup. ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes seven 5″ pancakes, each contains:

127 cals, 10.2g fat, 10.13g carbs, 5.97g fiber, 5.29g NET CARBS, 8.64g protein, 216 mg sodium

Pineapple Bars

I made a delicious cake-like bar that can be eaten at breakfast or enjoyed as an afternoon snack.  Hot, it will need to be eaten with a fork on a plate; cooled you can pick them up and eat with your hands.  These would be a nice treat for a child’s school lunchbox.This recipe is not suitable until the higher-carb fruits rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. warm water

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ tsp. sugar (consumed by the yeast)

½ c. almond flour

1 T. oat fiber (omit for a 100% gluten-free version)

1/3 c. granular erythritol (or sweetener to equal 1/3 c. sugar)

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack or mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1  20 oz. can of pineapple chunks, drained and chopped coarsely

STREUSEL TOPPING:  2½ T. cold butter, 1 T. cinnamon, 2 T. erythritol or Splenda, ¼ c. chopped walnuts (or other nuts) and ¼ c. flax meal

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease an 8″ square metal baking pan and set aside. Dissolve the yeast with the warm water and sugar in a small saucer.  Set aside for now.

Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl.  Beat in the eggs, cream, vinegar, shredded cheeses and stir well until smooth. Add the proofed yeast mixture and stir again. Finally add the pineapple and stir.  Measure all the dry ingredients on top of the wet and stir with a rubber spatula to blend until you have a uniform mixture.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly.

For the topping, using a fork, blend the cold butter, erythritol, 1 T. flax meal and cinnamon in a small bowl until it is a coarse, crumbly mixture.  Add the nuts, stir well.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter and pop pan into 350º oven.  Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until dry to the touch, firm in the center and lightly browned around the edges.  Cool a few minutes and cut evenly into 9 squares.  Serve warm on a plate with breakfast coffee or tea.   Store leftovers in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 servings, each contains:

235 cals, 20g fat, 4.48g carbs, 2.48g fiber, 2g NET CARBS, 11.8g protein, 265 mg sodium

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Bread

This is a tasty breakfast variation on my Gluten-Free Focaccia bread recipe.  I just shape the batter into 9 individual Cinnamon Bread Buns and sprinkle cinnamon and Steviva (blend of stevia and erythritol)  on them.   Hot out of the oven with butter they are delicious!  Haven’t made them in years and decided to whip up a batch today.  I sometimes toast them in the broiler depending on my mood.  I would pre-butter these if you toast them.  These are suitable once you are past the Atkins Induction Phase when you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the OWL carb reintroduction ladder.  These are not suitable for Primal-Paleo unless you eat whey protein powder and cheese occasionally.

VARIATION:  You can snip a very few raisins to add for a raisin bread version.  You can add a little finely chopped, peeled peach or nectarine for a tasty version. You need to add those carbs below if you add raisins or peaches.

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

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

about 2 tsp. Steviva or sweetener of your choice

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.  Scoop the batter onto the prepared pan into 9 equal portions. I used a 1/4 c. measuring cup.  Spreading the batter out the size of a slice of bread.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. Steviva or other sweetener of your choosing.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and just beginning to lightly brown.  If you wish to broiler toast them, brush some melted butter on top of each and broil to lightly toasted stage.  Store leftovers, once cooled, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 pieces, each contains:

149 cals, 11.5g fat, 3.5g carbs, 2.1g fiber, 1.4g NET CARBS, 10.1g protein, 204 mg sodium

Sausage Cheese Biscuits

 

How about a pan of these delicious hearty biscuits for breakfast in the morning?  I made them for us today.  My husband just sloved them!  They are not only tasty, but they are very light and not at all crumbly like so many low-carb bisctuits turn out.   Better yet, they are very simple to make!  This is certainly a breakfast treat suitable for Atkins Induction or other Keto diets if the numbers will fit into your daily menu limits.  

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. whey protein, unflavored, unsweetened

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

4 oz. pork breakfast sausage, cooked

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. coconut flour

1 T. almond flour

1 T. oat fiber (for gluten-free biscuits, omit or substitute 1 T. certified gluten-free oat flour)

Pinch garlic powder

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. melted butter, unsalted

3 T. cream

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Brown sausage in non-stick skillet, crumbling it up well.  Melt butter in mixing bowl in microwave.  Add cream and beaten egg.  Add sausage and cheese and stir.  Measure out all dry ingredients on top and stir all together just until ingredients are well mixed.  Using a 2T. measuring cup, scoop out rounded scoops (about ¼ c.) into 8 greased muffin cups (I use a silicon muffin pan).  If any batter is left in the bowl, top each off equally with the remaining batter.  I used a square muffin pan and this amount of batter made eight that rose nearly double, but did not mound very high, as you can see in the pic.  Bake at 350º for about 12-15 minutes, but check at 10 minutes as ovens vary.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 biscuits, each contains:

106 calories, 8.6 g  fat, 2.06 g carbs, 0.84g fiber, 1.12 g  NET CARBS, 8.79 g  protein, 189 mg sodium

Scrambled Eggs & Bacon Gravy

 

With half a carton of mushrooms on the top fridge shelf, I could quickly see what I wanted for breakfast today.  The final result was soooooo GOOD!  This creamy dish is one of the many ways I disguise eggs to be able to eat them daily.  You see, I’m just not very fond of eggs.  But they are the lowest carb and healthiest breakfast food there is, so I manage with spices, additives and a pinch of creativity to be able to face them day in and out.  🙂  Check out my EGGS category at the right.  I have lots of not-so-eggy egg recipes here.  🙂  This is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal Blueprint.  Use coconut milk instead of cream for a version that is more suited to a Paleo lifestyle.

INGREDIENTS:

4 large eggs, beaten

1 T. unsalted butter

2 thick slices bacon, chopped

4 oz. mushrooms, sliced (omit if you aren’t a fan)

2 medium green onions, chopped

Dash each salt and pepper

½ c. heavy cream

¼ cup water

2-3 light dustings of xanthan gum powder (or your preferred thickener)

DIRECTIONS:   Fry the bacon in a non-stick skillet over high heat until done.   Add the mushrooms (if using) and green onion.  When they are getting soft, add the water and cream.  Simmer a few minutes.  Dust lightly with xanthan gum and allow to thicken, stirring or whisking frequently.  As it is thickening, in your dedicated egg skillet, melt the butter.  Pour the beaten eggs in the skillet and scramble to your preferred stage.  Plate half the eggs on each of two plates.  Spoon half the bacon gravy over each and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:     Makes 2 servings, each contains:  516 calories, 47 g fat, 6.2 g carbs, 1.5 g fiber, 4.7 g NET CARBS, 18.4 g protein and 425 mg sodium

Cinnamon Rings

Boy, did my husband ever love THESE this morning!  Warm they were soft; cooled they got chewy.  Doing more experimenting with my Mozzy Dough and this is the first sweet application I’ve tried with it.  He said this was a keeper.  I use a little specialty pan with 2″ ring slots.  You could use a mini donut pan or a mini bagel pan.  You could also just use the bottom of the slots in a regular muffin pan.  These are not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. erythritol

1 pkt. stevia or 2 T. granular Splenda

FLAVOR SPRINKLE MIXTURE:

1 T. melted butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 T. more erythritol or Splenda

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Melt 1 T. butter over low heat and brush the bottoms of your pan slots lightly.  Mix 2 T. erythritol and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle half of it into each pan slot with your fingers.  Set pan aside.

Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions, except add the first 2 T. erythritol and stevia (or Splenda) to the dry ingredients to sweeten it up a bit.  When the dough is in a uniform ball, form a crude log and divide into 12 equal portions.  If using donut, bagel or ringed pans, roll each dough portion into a little log about 4″ long and encircle it in the slot.  Slightly press down with fingers to seal where the two ends meet.  If using muffin pan, just press the dough into the bottom of the slots.  Sprinkle remaining topping mixture evenly on top of each one.  Pop pan into 350º oven and bake for about 15 minutes.  Do not over brown or these will dry out.  Allow to cool a minute before gently lifting out of slots with a knife tip.  Invert them as you plate them up and serve warm a fresh cup of coffee or tea.  They get chewy as they cool down.  When these are totally cooled off, they firm up and are more like cookies.  If you want them more cake-like in texture and to remain soft, eliminate the psyllium in the Mozzy Dough recipe.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 cinnamon rings, each contains:

141.4 calories, 12.1 g fat, 5.15 g carbs, 3.30 g fiber, 1.85 g NET CARBS, 8.88 g protein, 188 mg sodium

Loquat-Orange Preserves

At our last house there was a young loquat tree in the back yard.  Clearly planted by previous owners, but in a very shady area of the yard.  Either they didn’t know it would need full sun or perhaps the line of trees along the fence were not so big and blocking its sunlight when they first planted it.  Either way, it wasn’t flowering at all and just provided a bit of green in winter when most else is leafless.  Didn’t produce flowers or fruit for years.  Then about 2 years ago, we cut out a hackberry tree nearby and suddenly the loquat was getting a wee bit of dappled sunlight throughout the day for the very first time in its life.  The next season it produced a few bloom pods, but no fruit.  The next, many more bloom pods, but still very little fruit, maybe a dozen or so, which the local squirrels decimated.  This year, it has gone wild producing hundreds and hundreds of loquats!!  I pick up about 3# off the ground and off low limbs every single day!  I’ve always heard they make great preserves, but they’re so small (most are 1-1½”), I thought “what a pain” to peel and seed these tiny things for so little flesh yield. Yesterday I bit the bullet and decided to try my first batch of loquat preserves.

Loquats don’t have a lot of flavor to me. Sort of a cross between a plum, apple and apricot.  But I decided to add a little of my no-cook Meyer Lemon-Orange Marmalade to the preserves and EUREKA!  That was magical indeed.  Even my husband was quite pleased with these preserves, and he’s quite the jam connoisseur!  🙂  I’m glad there was a huge, established loquat tree at my new house, too.  🙂

Loquats grow in clusters

This recipe is not acceptable until the higher up fruits rung of the OWL ladder.  But if you have a loquat tree,  I highly recommend you not ignore those annoying fruit on the ground any longer and give this a try!  Well worth the 45 minutes it took to get the fruit peeled and prepared.  I plunged them into boiling water a couple minutes to help loosen the peeling like you can do when peeling tomatoes for canning.  The cooking part only took 4-5 minutes and the results were FANTASTIC! I’ll not be ignoring my loquat crop anymore!

As with all things using sweetener, I strongly recommend adding half the sweetener and tasting and add remaining sweetener to suit YOUR taste.  Everyone’s sweetness preferences vary and I lean toward the sweet side.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

3 lb. ripe (fully yellow, not green) loquats, raw (weighed unpeeled)

2 c. equivalent sugar (I used 2 c.granular Splenda) (use 50 drops EZsweets small bottle)

2 T. erythritol (or 2 T. more Splenda)

1 c. water

2 pkgs. unflavored Knox gelatin

1/2 c. sugar-free marmalade (I used my no-cook Meyer Lemon-Orange recipe)

DIRECTIONS:  Wash and stem the loquats.  Bring some water to a boil, enough to just cover the fruit and simmer 2-3 minutes.  Remove, drain and cool.  When you can handle them, peel skin down, slice in center and dig out seed cluster.  When all fruit have been peeled and seeded put the fruit and all listed ingredients (except gelatin) into large saucepan, bring to a boil.  Lower to medium and cook just until loquats are tender but not reduced to mush, or about 4-5 minutes.  Add gelatin last and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat, cool and spoon into airtight lidded jars.  Makes about 4 c. preserves.  It will get thicker in the refrigerator overnight.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 4 cups, or 64 Tbsp.  Each tablespoon contains:

13.45 cals, 0.05 g fat, 2.73g carbs, 0.4g fiber, 2.33g NET CARBS, 0.85 g  protein, 2.3 mg sodium