Turkish Pide (pronounced pee-day)

Moving north out of Iraq, we end up in Turkey.   I spent a very long day in Turkey’s Istanbul airport once.  That part of my trip home to the States I would never willingly repeat.  but the day included a wonderful little food experience I’ll never forget.  I understand they make something similar to this ‘pizza-like’ dish in several Arab nations.   How it is constructed may change a bit from country to country (probably spices, too), but the concept remains the same.

We purchased it at a little eaterie near the airport in Istanbul.  Our flight was laid over due to an engine problem.  They said the  replacement engine had to be flown in from Paris, so the ‘short wait’ ended up spanning a period of about 16 hours in all.  They kept announcing over the loud speaker it would just be another hour, so we were afraid to leave the airport for a hotel room, meal or any tourist sight-seeing when it got light in the morning.   😦  Sixteen hours on those hard wooden benches in the airport didn’t afford much sleep for this 12 year old (at the time).

At one point my parents sent my older brother and I on a food obtaining mission around the airport.  We were all beginning to get pretty hungry.  One food vendor had something that intrigued us.  He called it (what sounded like) “pee day”  🙂 .  Of course, being children, we found the name funny and smiled at each other.   The item looked good, so we bought some and carried it back to where Mom and Dad were.  They had been sick our entire trip back home.  We loved the pide and gobbled it down!

We had no idea what we were eating, but could tell it was spiced ground lamb with a ‘pizza’ crust.  Years later, at a Barnes & Noble bookstore,  I found this dish mentioned in a book on Middle Eastern cuisine that was organized by country.   After gaining more knowledge of Middle Eastern spices over the years, I made a feeble attempt to reproduce the flavors of this food memory.  My recipe is close, but surely not quite the same.

I have also learned that Pide is typically served during the Moslem religious holiday known as Ramadan.  It is shared when the feasting begins after the long fast.  What we ate was clearly made with a whole wheat flat bread dough similar to Iranian noon/naan.  My version posted here is instead made with my Mozzy Dough to keep it relatively low in carbs.  My husband ranted about this the first time I made it for him, so I think you will like it as well!   

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction as the dough has a small amount of flour product in it (it’s in the Carbquik).   Although this is a main entrée, it can be served in smaller slices as snack food.  It goes over well at parties but does requires a plate and fork if served in the traditional longboat shape.  For party serving, I have formed the dough into small mini muffin cups and filled with smaller portions of the toppings to make it more manageable as finger food.

INGREDIENTS:

½ recipe my Mozzy Dough

8 oz. lean ground beef (or lamb, to be authentic)

2 oz. onion, finely chopped

15 San Marzano mini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), chopped

3/4 c. parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. Baharat Spice

¼ tsp. each: dried mint

¼ tsp. crushed dried fenugreek leaves (optional, but a key flavor for me)

¼ tsp. each salt and coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions, reserving half the dough for another use.  It freezes well in a plastic bag.  Roll the dough into a fat canoe/longboat shape about 12″ x 7″ on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Brown the beef (or lamb) in a skillet with the onion.  Add the parsley and all seasonings listed above.  Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes to tenderize the onions.  Remove and spoon evenly into the “canoe” of dough, leaving a good inch of dough free of filling.  Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes on top.  Fold the uncovered dough up over the meat to create the sides of the “canoe”, pinching the pointed ends together with your fingers to help maintain the “canoe” shape.  Traditionally, they sprinkle sesame seeds on the sides of the “canoe” dough before baking but I did not, as the hubs isn’t fond of seeds on/in breads.    Pop into 375º oven for about 20-25 minutes or until begins to brown.  Remove from oven and cut into four equal portions.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    As a meal, makes 4 servings of pide (cut smaller into snack size for lower carbs), each contains:

316 calories, 23.5g fat, 12.17g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 5.97g NET CARBS, 24.424 g protein, 476mg sodium

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San Marzano Focaccia

This is what I fixed for lunch today, with the addition of some sliced olives.  I’m noticing as I get older, I’m liking many fewer ingredients on what I think of as basically, um….  pizza.   Did I tell you?  I’m trying my hand at growing San Marzano tomatoes this year!   I hope that experiment proves to be successful.  I love their ultra sweet, fruity flavor over all other tomatoes.

This is yet another great new use for my Mozzy Dough.  I’m having so much fun trialing new applications for this dough.  TIP:  I make up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates.  Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags zipped up in a shoe box in my pantry.  Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball.  So easy that way.  I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for making each batch of 10. 

Boy, is this focaccia ever simple to make and yummy good!  I make mine fairly thin.  If you like focaccia thicker, make a smaller sheet than shown right (using fewer tomatoes, of course) and being sure you cut it into 12 slices so the nutritional info will be accurate.  This recipe is not suitable until you get to Phase 2 grains re-introduction level of Atkins as the Carbquik does have some flour in it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

25-27 San Marzano mini tomatoes (10 oz. bag)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil chopped)

¼ tsp. dried oregano (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)

VARIATION:   Add a few sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Line a 13″x15″ baking sheet with parchment and using your fingers, press the ball of dough out to a 9″x12″ rectangle (smaller if you like it thicker.  With a brush baste the dough with half the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the top and press it down a bit.  Now sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella over the crust evenly.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and place skin-side down evenly over the top of the focaccia sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on next and then the shredded Parmesan.  Sprinkle on the basil and oregano last.  Add olive slices, pressing them into the dough (if using).  Pop into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is browning on the edges and the tomatoes are looking cooked on top.  Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 3″x3″ squares of focaccia, each square contains.

190 calories, 15 g fat, 6.88 g carbs, 3.61 g fiber, 3.27 g NET CARBS, 12.6 g protein, 276 mg sodium

Sausage-Mushroom Pizza

I made an absolutely scrumptious pizza this week with my new nut-free pizza crust. I have been craving pizza ever since I was reminded of my favorite pizza place back in Denton, TX when I was a freshman in college. Their sausage-mushroom pizzas were so good, I would order one of these to be delivered to the dorm every other week. Back then, I could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. Sigh, those times are past. The place has since gone out of business, I recently learned, which saddened me greatly. Decided I’d try to duplicate the flavor I remember and the result was quite close!

My resurrection was very good. My husband is a pizza ‘Supreme’ or bust kind of guy, but even he admitted this one with just the two toppings was really different and quite tasty. I’ll definitely be making this one again! It’s so nice when you can nearly duplicate a taste memory. This pizza is not suitable until you reach the ‘grains’ rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Einkorn Nut-Free Pizza Crust (or favorite low-carb crust)

½ c. your favorite low-carb pizza sauce

1½ c. mozzarella cheese shreds

6 oz. breakfast pork sausage

4 large mushrooms, sliced thin

¼ tsp. oregano

½ tsp. fennel seed, crushed

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS: Make your crust per that recipe’s instruction, up to the pre-cooked, ready to top stage. Set pan aside. Brown the sausage just to ‘no-longer-pink’ stage in a skillet over low heat. Add spices, garlic and cook 1-2 minutes longer for flavors to blend. Remove sausage to paper plate. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté on low heat until they are no longer opaque. Don’t overcook them! Preheat oven to 350º.

Spread pizza sauce in a very thin layer over the crust. You want the sausage and mushrooms to shine on this particular pizza, not the sauce. Evenly spread the mozzarella shreds over the sauced crust. Next sprinkle the meat mixture evenly on top. Lay mushrooms slices as evenly as possible on top next. Finish off with a sprinkling of the 2 T. Parmesan cheese. Pop your pizza into a 350º oven and bake around 15-20 minutes, being careful to check once to avoid over-browning of toppings and crust edges. Serve with a nice green salad and you’re ready for a real treat!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:

327 Cals, 21g fat, 11g carbs, 2g fiber, 9g NET CARBS, 24g. protein, 642 mg sodium

San Marzano Focaccia

This is what I think I’ll fix for lunch today, with the addition of some sliced olives.  I’m noticing in my old age I’m liking many fewer ingredients on what I think of as basically, um….  pizza.   I’m trying my hand at growing San Marzano tomatoes this year!   

This is yet another great new use for my Mozzy Dough.  I’m having so much fun trialing new applications for this dough.  TIP:  I make up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates.  Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags zipped up in a shoe box in my pantry.  Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball.  So easy that way.  I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for making each batch of 10. 

Boy, is this focaccia ever simple to make and yummy good!  I make mine fairly thin.  If you like focaccia thicker, make a smaller sheet than shown right (using fewer tomatoes, of course) and being sure you cut it into 12 slices so the nutritional info will be accurate.  This recipe is not suitable until you get to Phase 2 grains re-introduction level of Atkins as the Carbquik does have some flour in it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

25-27 San Marzano mini tomatoes (10 oz. bag)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil chopped)

¼ tsp. dried oregano (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)

VARIATION:   Add a few sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Line a 13″x15″ baking sheet with parchment and using your fingers, press the ball of dough out to a 9″x12″ rectangle (smaller if you like it thicker.  With a brush baste the dough with half the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the top and press it down a bit.  Now sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella over the crust evenly.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and place skin-side down evenly over the top of the focaccia sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on next and then the shredded Parmesan.  Sprinkle on the basil and oregano last.  Add olive slices, pressing them into the dough (if using).  Pop into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is browning on the edges and the tomatoes are looking cooked on top.  Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 3″x3″ squares of focaccia, each square contains.

190 calories, 15 g fat, 6.88 g carbs, 3.61 g fiber, 3.27 g NET CARBS, 12.6 g protein, 276 mg sodium

Turkish Pide (pronounced pee-day)

Moving through syria on our food journey, we end up in Turkey.  Turkey is so close to Greece,  I can see how many of their foods are somewhat similar.  This recipe I tasted in Turkey, I understand they make something similar to this meat-filled ‘pizza-like’ flatbread dish in several Arab nations.  How it is constructed may change (probably spices, too), but the concept is similar.  I tasted this dish when we purchased it in a little eaterie near the airport in Istanbul.  Our plane was stopped due to engine problem.  The replacement engine had to be flown in from Paris, so the ‘short wait’ ended up spanning a period of about 16 hours.  They kept announcing over the loud speaker it would just be another hour, so we were afraid to leave the airport for a hotel………..but that hour stretched into many announcements all night long and totaled 16 long hours on those long, hard, wooden benches in the waiting lobby.

My brother and I went for a walk around the airport at one point in hopes of finding a snack of some sort.  A nearby street food vendor had something that intrigued us.  He called it what sounded like “pee day”  (pide).  It looked good, so we bought some, took it back to Mom and Dad (who had sick our entire trip back to the States).  We all loved it and gobbled it down!  We had no idea what we were eating, but could telll it was spiced ground lamb.  It sure was good!  Years later I read about this dish in a book on Middle Eastern cuisine organized by country.   After gaining more knowledge of their common meat spices, I made this feeble attempt to reproduce the flavors of lamb and fenugreek in the pide I remeber.

I have also read Pide is typically served during the Moslem religious holiday known as Ramadan.  It is shared when the feast begins after the long fast.  What we ate was clearly made with a whole wheat flat bread dough similar to Iranian noon/naan but mine posted here is instead made with my Mozzy Dough to keep it relatively low in carbs.  My husband ranted about this the first time I made it for him, so I think you will like it as well!   

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction as the dough has a small amount of flour product in it (it’s in the Carbquik).   Although this is a main entrée, it can be served in smaller slices as snack food.  It goes over well at parties but does requires a plate and fork if served in the traditional longboat shape.  For party serving, I have formed the dough into small mini muffin cups and filled with smaller portions of the toppings to make it more manageable as finger food.

INGREDIENTS:

½ recipe my Mozzy Dough

8 oz. lean ground beef (or lamb, to be authentic)

2 oz. onion, finely chopped

15 San Marzano mini tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), chopped

3/4 c. parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp. Baharat Spice

¼ tsp. each: dried mint

¼ tsp. crushed dried fenugreek leaves (key flavor here)

¼ tsp. each salt and coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions, reserving half the dough for another use.  It freezes well in a plastic baggie.  Roll the dough into a fat canoe shape about 12″ x 7″ on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Brown the beef (or lamb) in a skillet with the onion.  Add the parsley and all seasonings listed above.  Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes to tenderize the onions.  Remove and spoon evenly into the “canoe” of dough, leaving a good inch of dough free of filling.  Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes on top.  Fold the uncovered dough up over the meat to create the sides of the “canoe”, pinching the pointed ends together with your fingers to help maintain the “canoe” shape.  Traditionally, they sprinkle sesame seeds on the sides of the “canoe” dough before baking but I did not, as the hubs isn’t fond of seeds on/in breads.    Pop into 375º oven for about 20-25 minutes or until begins to brown.  Remove from oven and cut into four equal portions.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    As a meal, makes 4 servings of pide (cut smaller into snack size for lower carbs), each contains:

316 calories, 23.5g fat, 12.17g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 5.97g NET CARBS, 24.424 g protein, 476mg sodium

Grilled Steelhead Trout-Spinach Pizza

I know this recipe may sound a little bizarre, but trust me, it is really, really tasty!  If you like things made with tuna or salmon, you will LOVE this interesting twist on a “pizza”.  The smoke on the fish combines so heavenly with cream cheese and green onion.   I created this for our lunch today and even my picky husband, a non-fish lover, said it was good!  And it was quite simple to put together.  I had a small piece of grilled Steelhead Trout leftover from our last grilling adventure and froze this piece.  I defrosted it and got this incredible idea as I blended it into some cream cheese.  Yummy, is all I can say.  I used my Mozzy Dough dough for the crust, but you can use whatever low-carb pizza crust you prefer.  I am providing nutritional stats for the entire recipe in case you decide to make this up as bite-size party food using a mini-muffin pan.  Just divide the “entire recipe” numbers below by the number of mini-bites you make.

This recipe is suitable once you get to phase 2 Atkins and is OK for most Keto diets provided you use a plan-suitable crust.

Our latest three volumes of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you. Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes! Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is hot off the press with more delectable goodies. Special prices offered right now! Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

4-5 oz. grilled Steelhead Trout, salmon or other fish

25 small spinach leaves, stemmed

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

½ c. green onion, chopped

2/3 c. mozzarella shreds

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º. Line a pizza pan with parchment paper and set aside. Make the crust by that recipe’s instructions.  Press the dough out evenly in your pan to a 14″ diameter circle.  Pop into 350º oven for 8-9 minutes or until just beginning to brown a tiny bit.  Remove and cool 5 minutes.  Slide parchment out from under the crust so it will crisp up on the bottom for the next phase of cooking.

While crust is baking, soften the cream cheese in a bowl in your microwave set to defrost.  Remove, add green onion and trout flakes (discard skin).  Blend well with a fork.  With a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, spread half the fish mixture evenly onto the crust to within 1/4″ of the edge.  Place the spinach leaves in a single layer evenly on top.  Carefully spread the remaining fish-cream-cheese mixture on top.  Sprinkle the mozzarella shreds on top and pop into 350º for about 10 minutes or until the edges are nicely browned and the cheese is melted.   Remove from oven and slice into 8 slices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Entire recipe contains 2215 cals, 177.7g fat, 77g carbs, 44.7g fiber, 32.30g NET CARBS, 151.4g protein, 2812 mg sodium 

For 8 slices, each contains:  277 cals, 22g fat, 9.62g carbs, 5.58g fiber, 4.04g NET CARBS, 19g protein, 352 mg sodium

For 6 slices, each contains:  369 cals, 30g fat, 12.83g carbs, 7.45g fiber, 5.38g NET CARBS, 25g protein, 469 mg sodium

Chicken-Pizza Logs

I created a delicious lunch today with half a baked chicken breast that was leftover from dinner last night.  Man, did these come out ever so good!  I basically took my Cheese Thin Buns recipe, subbed in mozzarella cheese for the Cheddar and added just a pinch of crushed oregano to the batter.  Added my flavorings and baked 12 minutes!  These are so filling with glucomannan (pure fiber) just 2 will be an ample serving for most people.  Men might be able to eat 3, but I could not.  All I can say is lunch tasty, filling and not as heavy as regular pizza can be to me.  You could also make these as bite-size  treats using a mini-muffin pan.  Just spread out into 24 slots and using ½ slice pepperoni atop each mini.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and gluten-free diets.  Clearly it is not suitable for Paleo due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 T.  plain whey protein powder (I use isolate)

1 T.+1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 eggs, beaten

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. tap water

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheddar cheese for the batter

4 oz. cooked chicken meat, cut into 12 strips (or 24 bits for minis)

12 slices pepperoni

1/3 c. shredded mozzarella to top (more if you add carbs to numbers below)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Oil a Twinkie® or baking log pan with your preferred oil (or line large baking sheet with parchment paper).   If you don’t have a Twinkie® pan, but you still want to try this, just make round ones using a regular muffin pan.   They just won’t be “logs”. 😉

On a paper plate, measure out dry ingredients and stir.  Set aside a moment.  Break eggs into medium bowl and add oil and water.  Beat with whisk to blend well.  Using a rubber spatula next, slowly dust in or sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top and stir rapidly to blend.  Add the 1 cup mozzarella shreds, stirring and folding batter over and over to allow the glucomannan to thicken up.  It will be a pretty thick like bread batter in just a couple minutes.  When all nice and thick, spoon about 1½ T. batter into each of 12 oiled Twinkie® pan slots.

If batter seems a bit thin, let it set up a couple minutes longer.  Stir several times more.   If still too thin, I fear you’ve added too much water and need to add a teensy bit more glucomannan powder.   When batter is fairly thick, use the side of your rubber spatula to dip into the Twinkie® slots of your pan, or into your muffin cups.  Or you can spoon batter into 24 oiled mini-muffin cup slots for a bite-sized version of these that would be nice for entertaining.   Top each “log” with a small strip of the chicken meat (around 2″x½” strip or equivalent morsels of meat) until all meat is used up.  Then top with a slice of pepperoni (I sliced mine in half to spread it out).  If not sodium sensitive like we are, you may want to increase pepperoni to 2 slices per log, but alter numbers below accordingly.  Last, sprinkle a few of the extra mozzy shreds atop each log.  Pop pan into hot oven and bake for 9-12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Keep an eye out so you don’t over brown these or they may dry out.  To avoid tearing them up, slightly cool before removing from pans to a serving plate.  I used a mini rubber spatula to help lift mine out of the pans.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 pizza logs, each log will contain:

137.25 cals, 10.6g fat, 1.75g carbs, 0.71g fiber, 1.04g NET CARBS, 9.93g protein, 397mg sodium

(Divide numbers by 2 if you make the mini-muffin version)

 

 

Spinach Mini Pizzas

I went to make a little spinach pizza today and decided to make a couple minor tweaks (less cheese and less oil) to my versatile Mozzy Dough recipe.  Good thing!  These minor changes really improved it!  Those changes have been post to the original post now, with adjustments to the nutritional stats that reflect those changes.  I think you will be pleased with my changes next time you bake that dough.  We sure were.  Anyhow, these little lunch treats were quite tasty.  I ate 2; the hubs ate 3.  I think 1 tsp. jar low-carb Alfredo sauce on the dough before adding the cheese/spinach toppings would be a plus, but I didn’t have any in the house.  I’m going to add a dab next baking.  🙂  And there will be a next baking!  Of that I am certain!  These gems are not suitable until you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.

Our latest two LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks, Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is coming out soon as well.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order.  Or you can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leaving a review at this site

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

1 scant cup (14 Tbsp.) Parmesan cheese shreds

3 oz. frozen chopped spinach

DIRECTIONS:  Boil the spinach 1-2 minutes, drain and dry on paper towels.  Set aside for now.  Make the Mozzy Dough by that recipe’s instructions.  Divide dough into 7 equal portions (a ball about 1½” round).  Press each portion of dough evenly either into 7 slots of a muffin-top pan, a similar ebelskiver pan, or on a parchment-lined baking sheet to about 2-3″ in diameter.  Top each crust with 1 T. Parmesan shreds.  Evenly distribute the spinach on the 7 pizzas.  Finally, sprinkle 1 T. Parmesan shreds on the top.  I thought about some mozzarella at this point, but there is so much in the dough itself, none is really needed on the tops.  Pop pan into a 350º oven and baked for about 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Serve at once.

VARIATION:   Make these up even smaller, in 28 slots of mini-muffin pans for bite-size party/appetizer version.  Just distribute the toppings out over the 28 equally as possible and divide the numbers below by 4 to get the stats fsor 28 bite-size morsels.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 Spinach Mini Pizzas, each contains:

202 cals, 15.8g fat, 9.02g carbs, 5.8g fiber, 3.22g NET CARBS, 15.9g protein, 400 mg sodium

 

Turkish Pide (pronounced pee-day)

Although a traditional Turkish treat, they make something similar to this meat-filled flatbread in several Middle Eastern countries.  The seasoning used varies from country to country.  This dish is often served at Ramadan when the feasting begins.  Classically, it is made with wholewheat flatbread dough, but mine is made with my Mozzy Dough to keep it lower-carb.  I just chose spices and herbs reminiscent of our days in Teheran, as my Mom didn’t bring a recipe for this dish back to The States.   The chosen seasonings here are typical of many Middle Eastern recipes.  My husband ranted about this at lunch today! 

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction as the dough has a small amount of flour product in it (Carbquik).   Although this is a main course, it can be served in smaller portions as a pizza-like snack.  It is substantial enough to require a plate, fork and knife to eat, however.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself, is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new creations by Chef George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.  Order your copy (or any of our  cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

½ recipe my Mozzy Dough

8 oz. lean ground beef (or lamb, for more authentic version)

2 oz. onion, finely chopped

15 cherry tomatoes (or San Marzano minis), chopped

3/4 c. parsley, chopped

¼ tsp. each: dried mint, dried fenugreek leaves, my Baharat Spice Blend

¼ tsp. each salt and coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions, reserving half the dough for another use.  It freezes well in a plastic baggie.  Roll the dough into a fat canoe shape about 12″ x 7″ on a parchment lined sheet pan.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Brown the beef (or lamb) in a skillet with the onion.  Add the parsley and all seasonings listed above.  Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes to tenderize the onions.  Remove and spoon evenly into the “canoe” of dough, leaving a good inch of dough free of filling.  Sprinkle the chopped tomatoes on top.  Fold the uncovered dough up over the meat to create the sides of the “canoe”, pinching the pointed ends together with your fingers to help maintain the “canoe” shape.  Traditionally, they sprinkle sesame seeds on the sides of the “canoe” dough before baking but I did not, as the hubs isn’t fond of seeds on/in breads.    Pop into 375º oven for about 20-25 minutes or until begins to brown.  Remove from oven and cut into four equal portions.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings, each contains:

316 calories, 23.5g fat, 12.17g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 5.97g NET CARBS, 24.424 g protein, 476mg sodium

San Marzano Focaccia

This is what I’m fixing for lunch today.  I’m noticing in my old age I’m liking many fewer ingredients on what I think of as basically, um….  pizza.   I think I’ll add a few sliced black olives today.  I have some San Marzano smaller tomatoes to use up.  This is yet anotsher great use of my Mozzy Dough.  I’m having so much fun trialing new applications for this dough.  TIP:  As a general rule, I make up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates.  Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags in a shoe box in my pantry.  Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball.  So easy that way.  I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for the next batch. 🙂 

Boy, is this focaccia ever simple to make and so delicious!  I make mine fairly thin.  If you like focaccia thicker, make a smaller sheet (using fewer tomatoes, of course) and recalculate the nutritional info accordingly.  This recipe is not suitable until you get to Phase 2 grains reintroduction level of Atkins as the Carbquik has some flour in it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

25-27 San Marzano mini tomatoes (10 oz. bag)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil chopped)

¼ tsp. dried oregano

VARIATION:   Add a few sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and press the ball of dough out to a 9″x12″ rectangle.  With a brush baste the dough with half the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the top and press it down a bit.  Now sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella over the crust evenly.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and place skin-side down evenly over the top of the focaccia sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on next and then the shredded Parmesan.  Sprinkle on the basil and oregano last.  Pop into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is browning on the edges and the tomatoes are looking cooked on top.  Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 3″x3″ squares of focaccia, each square contains.

190 calories, 15 g fat, 6.88 g carbs, 3.61 g fiber, 3.27 g NET CARBS, 12.6 g protein, 276 mg sodium

Silver Dollar Pizzas

When I was growing up my mother used to make us tiny pancakes she called Silver Dollar Pancakes, served up in a “Leaning Tower of Piza” stack.  My brother and I LOVED THEM!    They were just regular old pancakes made about 2½” round, but it got us excited about eating them when we were little.  Well, I made some real tiny pizzas in my muffin-top pan today and decided that would be a perfect name for these tasty  pizza bites.  I used my new Mozzy Dough, which held up nicely for eating with fingers.  They made a great lunch and they would make great party appetizers!   These delicious little gems are not suitable until you get fairly well into Phase 2 Atkins, as there is a little wheat product in Carbquik bake mix (in the dough).

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8! You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!  If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

½ recipe my Mozzy Dough

¼ c. Classico Spaghetti Sauce (Tomato & Basil) or other low-carb sauce

1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed

12 slices pepperoni

12 black olives, sliced into 3 slices each

1 oz. green bell pepper, sliced into 12 thin pieces

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

3 T. shredded Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.   Divide in half and wrap/store half for some other use.  Divide the half you are using into 12 equal balls (that’s about 1½ T. each ball of dough).  I used a non-stick muffin-top pan, but you could alternately use the bottom of non-stick muffin pan slots or a parchment-lined baking sheet if you don’t own a muffin-top pan.  Place a ball of dough into each of the 12 pan slots and press flat into a 2½” circle.  Top each with 1 tsp. of spaghetti sauce.  Sprinkle on the oregano.  Next place a slice of pepperoni on top of each Pizza.  Then place 3 slices of olive on each, followed by 3 pieces of bell pepper.  Finally, top each pizza with 1-2 tsp. mozzarella shreds, ending with a sprinkle of the Parmesan shreds.  Pop into 250º oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browning on the edges.  Remove, plate and serve warm.  These can be handled with your fingers, so the youngest kiddoes will love these and be able to eat them without dropping a bit on the floor or their lap.  Of course, they may have never seen a real silver dollar and wonder about the name.  Silver Dollars are rarely seen nowadays.  Perhaps you have one you can show them?

NUTRITIONAL INFO:     Makes 12 Silver Dollar Pizzas, each contains:

98.3 calories, 7.85 g fat, 3.32 g carbs, 1.83 g fiber, 1.49 g NET CARBS, 6.44 g protein, 231 mg sodium

 

Mozzy Dough

Used in a pizza-like Italian Chicken Tart

I’ve begun experimenting with a dough that is somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  But the final result is a little less delicate when rolling/handling.  This dough has good elasticity and flavor and numerous possible applications.  I can see I’ll be using this dough recipe a lot.  I have made a couple minor changes since my original version, noted below in ingredients, reflected in the revised nutritional stats.

TIP: As a time saver, I’m now making up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates. Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags in a shoe box in my pantry. Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball. So easy that way. I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for the next batch. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter (slightly less than my original recipe)

1 egg, beaten

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

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

1 T. oat fiber

3/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder (for rolls, only use 1/4 tsp)

Dash each onion and garlic powder (omit for dessert applications)

DIRECTIONS:  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzy cheese and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a congruous ball of dough, making sure to get it all off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Proceed to make a 12″ pizza crust (moisten hands with water to avoid sticking to fingers), pie crust, hand pies, sweet filled pastries, dinner rolls (omit onion/garlic powder for sweet applications) or whatever application you dream up.  For pizza bake at 350º until dry to touch.  Remove, slide parchment paper out from under pizza, add toppings and bake 15-18 minutes longer to desired brown level.

Formed ball once all ingredients kneaded together.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a large pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, a small 12″ pizza or 7 dinner rolls or mini pizza rounds.

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

 

Italian Chicken Tart

I have modified the popular Fathead Pizza Dough a bit and think it is improved with my changes.  The oat fiber I’ve added makes it taste like there’s real flour in it; the psyllium makes it a more elastic, sturdier final product; the two bake mixes always render for me a wonderful final product when mixed.  With just 1½ cups of leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator, I made a delicious dinner for the two of us tonight.  You could certainly serve this with a salad, but with the fresh spinach layer here, I felt we were getting enough greens in this meal and did not make one.  This is suitable once you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.  Keto dieters can have this if it fits their daily number limits.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8! You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

VARIATION:  For a smaller version, divide the dough into 12 balls and press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides a bit of each cup in the tin.  Distribute the toppings on all 12 portions.  Baking time probably won’t change for the smaller version.  You could even divide dough into 24 balls and press into the real mini-muffin pans.  Reduce cook time a bit for those.  Another variation would be to sub in 2-3 Italian sausage links, skinned, crumbled and pre-browned for the chicken in this recipe. 

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used whole milk variety)

2 T. unsalted butter, pre-melted

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s GF bake mix

½ c. Carbquik Bake Mix

1/8 tsp. each onion and garlic powder

1 T. oat fiber

1/2 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

1 egg, beaten

TOPPINGS:

1 c. fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

¼ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (jar) (I used Classico brand with basil)

1½ c. cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

½ tsp. each dried basil and oregano leaves

½ c. additional mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place cheese in glass bowl and set in microwave.  Melt cheese on HI for around 2 minutes.  Remove bowl from.  Drizzle melted butter over the top of cheese and stir with fork.  Add in the two bake mixes, the psyllium, oat fiber, the beaten egg, onion and garlic powder.  Stir well with fork until it forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl.  Knead once or twice with hands in the bowl and then place dough into a classic tart pan (the kind where the bottom pushes up/out).  If you don’t have one, use a large pie plate.  This crust wanted to stick to the pan a bit, despite the fact my tart pan is non-stick, so you might want to lightly oil the pan with coconut oil.  Press the dough out evenly on the bottom with your hands, pushing it up the sides a bit to form a “wall” around the edge.  Pop into 350º oven for about 12 minutes to set up the dough surface. Remove when it just beings to get tan on the edges.  Remove.  Place the spinach evenly on the bottom of the tart.  Next add the chopped chicken, oregano and basil.  Top with the additional ½ c. mozzarella cheese.  Raise oven temp to 375º and pop back into oven.  Bake until lightly browned, or about 15 minutes.   Watch it, as ovens do vary.  Cut into 6 slices and serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 slices, each contains:  (I ate 2 and the hubs ate 3)

333 calories, 25 g fat, 10.83 g carbs, 6.65 g fiber, 4.18 g NET CARBS, 27 g protein, 549 mg sodium

Pizza Muffins

Had an idea today for using up some pepperoni and mozzarella cheese that had been in my freezer about as long as I care to freeze them.  These were constructed using my Fluffy Biscuits dough for the bottom part of the muffin.  I was concerned whether they would cook thoroughly in the center, but they DID get done and came out simply delicious.  My husband said he would have preferred regular pizza sauce over the thin tomato slices, but this was a quickie dinner and I had no pizza sauce made up (or bottled low-carb sauce in the pantry).  I actually prefer the fresh tomato better as I find it less heavy. 🙂  We will be making these again I’m sure!  They are not suitable for Induction.  Use all Jennifer’s homemade bake mix for a gluten free version.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8!  You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Fluffy Biscuits batter

6 slices mozzarella cheese, cut into quarters

12 slices pepperoni

1½ Roma tomatoes

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

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. fennel seed, crushed

½ tsp. crushed oregano leaves

2 T. parsley, chopped

Dash coarse black pepper

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

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 Pizza Muffins, each contains:

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

Eggplant Focaccia

This is a fairly easy dish to throw together and it is quite tasty.  Any leftovers can be reincarnated the next day by adding some browned Italian sausage and mushrooms or some super thin slices of green pepper and seeded tomato.  My husband is a hearty eater and had 3 slices.  It took only 2 to satisfy me.  Not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 OWL unless you use a different, Induction-friendly bread instead of the bread mentioned below.  I added 2 sausage patties to the focaccia pictured above, because that’s what I had cooked, leftover in the fridge.  Next time I’ll use 4 patties.  If you add sausage, be sure to add that to the nutritional info shown below.

INGREDIENTS:

1 batch of Artisan Flat Bread  (use Jen Eloff’s Gluten-Free mix in this bread for gluten-free version)

8 oz. unpeeled, eggplant (sliced thin, about 1/8″-¼” thick)

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. chopped fresh rosemary

¼ tsp. crushed dried oregano

Pinch each onion powder and garlic powder

3 oz. Havarti, Emmentaler, Swiss or Jack cheese, shredded

1 oz. Parmesan cheese for final topping

VARIATION:   Add a little cooked crumbled pork or Italian sausage crumbles to crust before layering with eggplant. 

DIRECTIONS:  Slice eggplant and spread onto paper towels and lightly salt.  Let sit 10 minutes and pat the water off tops.  Repeat for other side of eggplant.

Preheat oven to 350º.  While eggplant is “bleeding” out its water, make the Artisan Flat Bread per recipe instructions.  I always use mozzarella cheese where the recipe says Italian blend cheese. Spread batter onto parchment-lined 13×15 pan.  If you want to make this look like pizza, use a pizza pan instead.  Spread batter all the way to the edges of whatever pan you use.  Sprinkle rosemary, oregano and onion and garlic powder on top.  Now evenly spread half the grated cheese onto the batter.  If adding sausage, do it now.  Arrange eggplant slices in 1-2 slightly overlapping layers evenly on top.  Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.   Finally, top with the Parmesan. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 30 minutes at 350º or until eggplant is done.  Remove from oven and slice into 12 pieces.  Serve immediately.  This is nice with a green or tomato salad.  Easiest eaten with your hands like pizza.

Shown with a little cooked sausage added under eggplant layers.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 servings.  Excluding any added sausage, each serving contains:

238.5 calories, 19.7 g  fat, 4.76 g  carbs, 2.34 g  fiber, 2.42 g NET CARBS, 14.1 g  protein

Individual Eggplant Parmigiana Slices

This Eggplant Parmigiana like dish if fun to serve in individual slices.  I LOVE how the eggplant crust came together.  Just as crunchy as classically prepared Parmigiana.  Couldn’t even taste the pepperoni though.  Won’t bother or will put more next time.  What I do know is this was extremely filling and truly DELICIOUS!  I’m going to make Eggplant Parmigiana (this minus the pepperoni) more often from now on.  Pork rinds are just wonderful as a stand-in for breadcrumbs in Italian cooking.  If you keep some of the Lucini sauce in your freezer, it can be defrosted quickly int he microwave for such recipes.  Makes prep time a cinch!  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal Blueprint.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

VARIATION:  Increase recipe, omit the pepperoni and make a full casserole pan full of these slices for classic Eggplant Parmigiana.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

2   slices eggplant, unpeeled, about 3/8″ thick

1½ T. homemade mayonnaise

1½ oz. pork rinds (2 handfuls) crushed

Dash your favorite seasoning blend

Dash Italian spice blend (or oregano)

1½ oz. shredded mozzarella (about 5 Tbsp.)

4 T. spaghetti sauce (I use Lucini brand I buy at Walmart)

½ oz. green bell pepper, sliced extremely thin

5 slices pepperoni, chopped a bit

2 T. Parmesan, grated

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 450º.  Line baking sheet with parchment.

Slice off eggplant slices and brush both sides with mayo.  Crush pork rinds and stir in spices. Sprinkle them onto both surfaces with pork rind crumbs, coating well.  Place slices onto parchment lined pan and bake at 450º for about 15 minutes.  No need to turn during baking.  Remove from oven and lower to 350º.

Sprinkle each slice with 2 T. mozzarella cheese.  Dot each with 2 T. sauce.  Place bits of green pepper next.  Evenly space the pepperoni bits.  Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese and the remaining 1T. mozzarella.  Bake at 350º for 5-10 minutes to melt the cheese.  Serve and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 slices, each contains:

310 calories, 23.1 g fat, 7.0 g carbs, 3.1 g fiber, 3.9 g NET CARBS, 18.9 g protein, 700 mg sodium

Chicken Roasted Asparagus Pizza Alfredo

Please forgive my slightly out-of-focus photo, but I’m still wearing a brace on my broken wrist and it is still hurting and shaky at times. 🙂  My husband just LOVED this new pizza I made tonight from two pieces of leftover baked chicken. I liked it, too, but felt the asparagus was lost among the other flavors.  The hubs didn’t think so, but he’s particularly fond of roasted asparagus anytime, anyway.  🙂  This recipe makes a 12″ pizza, so if you need a larger one for your family, you might want to increase the ingredients accordingly.  I would think 1½ recipes would make a 16″ pizza.  Two slices filled both of us up nicely (served a green salad with it) and there are two slices left for a snack or lunch one day.  This recipe is suitable for Phase 2 (OWL Ongoing Weight Loss) Atkins and most Keto diets.

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

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe Peggy’s Pizza Crust

Light sprinkle of Italian Seasoning

15 small, fresh asparagus spears

1 T. olive oil

Dash salt and pepper

½ c. Alfredo Sauce (I used Bertolli Basil Alfredo Sauce, 2 carbs per 1/4 c.)

1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 c. cooked chicken meat, chopped  (baked or grilled)

1 oz. slivered red bell pepper

1 small can (6.5 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained

DIRECTIONS:  Make the pizza crust by that recipe’s instructions (linked above) and sprinkle with a dash of Italian seasoning.  Bake crust for just 10 minutes initially.  It will not be fully done or browned, but the batter will be set and dry to touch on top.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Turn up oven to 400º.  Cut the asparagus into 1-1½” pieces and place in small metal baking pan.  Add the olive oil, dash of salt and pepper and roll around to coat pieces well.  Pop into oven to roast for just 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven to cool.

Assemble the pizza:  Spoon a thin layer of the Alfredo sauce onto the crust nearly to the edges.  I only used 1/2 cup so the crust wouldn’t get soggy in the center (plus I’m not too fond of basil).  Top next with the mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle the meat on top as evenly as you can.  Evenly place the bell pepper next and finally, the sliced mushrooms.   Pop into 350º oven for about 10-15 minutes or just until the crust is browning on the edges and the cheese is melted.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 large slices, each contains:

356 calories

27.28 g fat

8.20 g carbs, 3.36 g fiber, 4.84 g NET CARBS

24.7 g protein

685 mg sodium  (less if you use less mozzarella)

 

Meatza “Donuts”

I wanted to make a crustless pizza today for lunch yet didn’t want to do my usual Quick Skillet Pizza or a traditional round shape.  I thought first about my stick/bar pan, a muffin pan and then my eye caught my donut pans.  Light bulb moment.  So I decided on making Meatza “Donuts”!  They came out so cute and quite delicious as well.  These are suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal.  Not suitable for Paleo unless you have a plan-suitable non-dairy cheese.   These can be refrigerated or frozen.  They would make great portable food for camping or office reheating.   Great for a meal or for a late night snack.  🙂

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

VARIATION:  Add 1 tsp. pizza or meatless spaghetti sauce (lowest carb) before adding toppings.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground pork

1/8 tsp. garlic powder (or coarse granulated garlic)

1/2 tsp. fennel seed, crushed

¼ tsp. oregano

1 T. parsley, chopped

3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

3 T. thin slivers green bell pepper

12 black olives, sliced into 3-4 slices

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Press meat into two large doughnut pan slots (total 12 slots).  It will take about 3 T. per slot and each will be pretty full.  if using sauce, smear 1 tsp. atop each “donut”.  Add 1 T. mozzarella cheese atop each “donut” trying to keep in on the meat and not all over the pan.  It’s actually not easy to do.  🙂  Push any roaming bits of cheese back onto the meat. 🙂  Then put 4-5 slivers green pepper on each one.  Slice the olives into 3-4 slivers and put 3-4 slices onto each “donut”.  Finally sprinkle 1 tsp. Parmesan over each circle.  Press each on top slightly to seat the toppings well into the meat.  To maintain the donut shape, take your finger and push any cheese off the center post of each form.

Pop pan into middle shelf of oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until slightly browned on top.  Meat should also be done at that juncture.  Remove pans from oven and walk over to sink and tip each pan slightly to drain off most excess grease and juices that bled out during cooking.  Using a knife, loosen each donut with a knife point, lift out of pan and place them on your serving platter.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 Meatza “Donuts”, each contains:  (two filled us up nicely)

144 calories

11 g fat

0.89 g carbs, 0.21 g fiber, 0.68 g NET CARBS

9.9 g protein

158 mg sodium

Pesto Mini Meatzas

These are incredibly quick, incredibly easy and incredibly good!  I keep all the ingredients made up in my freezer and refrigerator so that such lunches are a snap for me!  These little gems can’t be picked up and eaten like regular pizza as they are too wet/messy, so get out a fork to enjoy these.  This recipe is not suitable until you reach the nuts rung of the Phase 2 OWL carb ladder.  They are OK for Primal diners, but not Paleo. These would be lovely served with a nice green salad.  These can also be made with ground beef, or with a bit of shredded, cooked chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. breakfast sausage (I make homemade sausage)

1 egg, beaten

¼ tsp. each crushed fennel seed and dried oregano leaves (or ½ tsp. Italian seasoning)

¼ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (I use Lucini)

¼ c. pesto sauce

1 c. grated mozzarella cheese (about 4 oz.)

½ oz. thin sliced red or green bell pepper, cut into strips

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  In a medium mixing bowl, well mix the sausage, egg, fennel and oregano with a fork or your hands.  Spoon about 1 tablespoon of meat into each of 12 muffin cups and press down with the back of the spoon.  I used a silicone muffin pan.  Pop into your 350º preheated oven for 15 minutes.   Remove, tilt and blot off excess grease with paper toweling. Top each meat pattie evenly with 1 tsp. spaghetti sauce.  Next spread 1 tsp. pesto sauce on top.  Sprinkle each with about 1T. of the mozzarella cheese, going back and using it all up evenly.  Top with a piece of bell pepper.  Pop back into oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.   Cool slightly and gently lift them out with a fork onto your serving platter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 mini-meatzas, each contains:

161 cals, 13.4g fat, 1.44g carbs, 0.36g fiber, 1.08g NET CARBS, 8.5g protein, 136 mg sodium

 

Pesto-Sausage Pizza

I’ve always loved the smell and taste of fresh basil, but it often doesn’t agree with me.  Interesting thing is the dried basil doesn’t bother me a bit.  This creation for my husband’s lunch today went over well.   He has always been fond of basil and loved it.  Better yet, this didn’t bother my stomach!  The key for my tolerance of basil, it would seem, is the amount of basil consumed.  This gluten-free, grain-free crust would make this recipe suitable for Phase 2 Atkins and beyond.  It is also suitable for Keto followers.  The crust isn’t suitable for Primal or Paleo however.

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. Several of my own creations appear in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment 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:

1 recipe my Gluten-Free Grain-Free Pizza Crust

2 c. more shredded mozzarella cheese

6 oz. breakfast sausage, pre-browned and drained of grease

¼ pesto sauce (I used my homemade Pesto Sauce)

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.   In a medium bowl, make up the crust batter per that recipe’s instructions (linked above).  Spread batter evenly on a parchment lined pizza pan (preferable a pan with holes).  Bake until it is just barely dry to the touch in the center but not very browned.  While it is baking, brown the sausage lightly and drain off any excess grease.  Remove crust from oven when half cooked, slide parchment out from under the pizza for better crust browning.  Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella over the top of the crust.  Next sprinkle the sausage crumbles on top evenly.  Dot with the pesto sauce.  Finally top with the remaining mozzarella and the grated Parmesan. Bake just long enough to melt the remaining cheese or about 5 more minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 slices.  Each slice contains:

377 calores

29 g  fat

4.37 g  carbs, 2.85 g  fiber, 2.85 g  NET CARBS

23 g  protein

371 mg sodium

Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Bites

Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Bites

My husband wanted a snack last night so I made him some little “pizzas”…..well, sorta.   I used zucchini for my “crust”, added lots of cheese and 1 slice of pepperoni per “slice” and they came out DELICIOUS!  Didn’t have the usual watery issues I typically have with zucchini, either. That really surprised me, especially since I used a silicone sheet underneath them to prevent cheese sticking to the pan.  Those sheets tend to promote moisture sweating issues. These cooked up beautifully!  This snack is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal, but not good for Paleo due to the cheese.

NOTE:  If you’re not particularly sodium sensitive, you could use 2 slices of pepperoni on each squash slice, leaving them whole.  But be aware that’s going to be a very high sodium intake which will make you retain fluids and cause “sausage finger” syndrome.  LOL

Zucchini Pepperoni Pizza Bites

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. zucchini (I used 2 medium calaba squash, it’s close cousin)

½ c. your favorite low-carb pizza sauce (I use Lucini basil spaghetti sauce)

6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

½ c. Parmesan cheese

28-30 slices pepperoni, torn in halves

DIRECTIONS:  Line a cookie sheet with either a silicone sheet or parchment.  You could also use a non-stick cookie sheet if you have one.  Slice zucchini (skin on) as thinly as possible (I got 28 slices using a Rival slicer).  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place zucchini slices side-by-side in the lined pan.  Using a brush, brush each slice of the squash with a wee bit of the pizza/spaghetti sauce.  There should be just enough sauce to lightly coat each slice (you do not want too much or these will be “soupy”).  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly on the tops of the slices.  Next sprinkle the Parmesan evenly on top.  Tear the pepperoni slices in halves and place 2 halves on each slice of zucchini.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese and pepperoni are just lightly browned.  If you sliced your zucchini thin enough, it will also be done.  Remove and serve at once, as they cool off quickly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 28 slices or fourteen 2-slice servings.  Each serving:

112.4 calories

8.1 g  fat

2.69 g  carbs, .74 g  fiber, 1.95 g  NET CARBS

7.23 g  protein

376 mg sodium (cheese & pepperoni are VERY high in sodium)

Grilled Chicken & Spinach Pizza

 

This pizza was absolutely delicious.  I call it my white pizza.  It’s so different from classic red sauced pizzas.  I think I’ll add more spinach next time.  I used ½ cup on this one but will use 3/4 c. next time and have calculated for that below.  The red onion is key to the flavor so wait until you can get a red one for this recipe.  They have a sweeter, fruitier taste than other onions.

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction but will be OK for all other phases.  The carb count is certainly low enough for most Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Gluten-Free Pizza Crust

1 c. grilled chicken breast, chopped (skin on)

½ c. grilled chicken thigh meat, chopped (skin on)

3/4 c. (3 oz) shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

3/4 c. (3 oz) shredded Mozzarella Cheese

3/4 c. baby spinach leaves

¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed  (or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped)

Pinch garlic powder (optional)

1 oz. red onion, slivered as thinly as possible

2 oz. heavy cream

2 T. Parmesan cheese (kind in green canister is fine)

Pinch (about 1/16 tsp.) glucomannan powder (to thicken Alfredo sauce)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.   Make the pizza crust by that recipe’s instructions, on a 16″ pizza pan (preferable pan with holes) lined with parchment.  Remove crust from oven and prepare to top.

For your Alfredo sauce, mix the cream, Parmesan and glucomannan in a saucer and let it sit for a few minutes.  Should thicken up a bit.  When it appears thicker, spread it on the crust as evenly as possible, almost to the edges of the crust.  It needs to be a fairly thin layer or it will cause your crust to get soggy.  Next evenly spread the Jack cheese on the crust.  Next spread the Mozzarella cheese evenly on top.  Sprinkle with the oregano.  Sprinkle with a bit of garlic powder if you like also.  Next evenly top with spinach leaves. They may overlap if need be.  Next evenly place the diced chicken meat on the pizza and the final topping is the wafer thin onion slivers.  Pop into the still hot oven and cook until the cheese appears to be melted and the onion is cooked, or about 15-20 minutes.    ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 slices, each contains:

321 calories

23.5 g  fat

4.0 g  carbs, 1.7 g  fiber, 2.3 g NET CARBS

23 g  protein

281 g  sodium

Inside-Out Pizza Muffins

Inside-Out Pizza Muffins

I saw the cutest little salami “bowls” on Blueberriesandblessings.com yesterday. I thought they were so clever!    I wanted to try my hand at these cute little “bowls”, and saw so many potential uses for them!  So this first incarnation evolved literally as I threw it together for lunch today.  The first time I made the little “bowls” exactly as she did.  But 400º and 10 minutes was too hot for my oven.  The first batch of “bowls” almost burned.  Then I made them again but this time at 350º for only 6 minutes, which turned out to be just perfect in my oven. You only want to partially cook the salami to firm it up.

You can use any toppings, but I have provided the nutritional stats for the toppings I chose today for my crust-in-the-middle pizza muffins.  You can use a slice of any low-carb bread you have on hand, or even cut up a low-carb tortilla, or a Joseph’s Oat Fiber/Flax Pita for the center crust layer.  I used a slice of my Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread I had in my freezer (defrosting it first, of course).   I wanted the bread layer real thin, so I sliced the bread less than ¼” thick laterally, so I ended up using only about 3/4 of a whole slice.  I sliced the slice laterally one time and cut each thin layer into 4 small squares, using 6 of the 8 squares for my recipe.

The final pizza muffins were FANTASTIC!  Not too salty, not too cheesy, not too gooey and easily hand held for eating.

No Fork or Plate Needed!

It took 3 of these to fill me up at lunch, as I ate nothing else along with them.   There are Just 4 bites in these.  I used a square muffin pan for mine, but a round one will work just fine. This recipe makes six of these babies and serves two adults in my opinion.  But as usual, I will provide per piece stats and you can judge what you think a serving size is.  🙂

In order for this to be suitable for Atkins Induction, you will have to use an Induction-friendly bread like Oopsie rolls or flax bread sliced thin.  These are suitable for most Keto dieters.  Primal folks will need to use a plan-suitable bread in the middle.  These are not Paleo suitable.

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INGREDIENTS:

6 slices hard or Genoa salami (I used Hormel)

1 slice Gluten-Free Foccacia Bread

3 oz. pork breakfast sausage

1 oz. onion, finely chopped

6 tsp. (2 T.) tomato paste

3 oz. mozzarella, shredded (I find cheese very salty and use much less than some folks.  Add more if you care to.)

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning or crushed dried oregano leaves

½ oz. green bell pepper, sliced into 12 pieces

6 olives, sliced

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Push 1 slice of salami down into the slots of a muffin pan (square or round will work just fine). Pop pan into oven and bake for 6 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Brown the pork sausage and onion together in a non-stick skillet just until no longer pink.  Remove from heat.

Now you’re ready to to construct your pizza muffins.  Slice your bread laterally into 2 thinner slices and then slice each of those into 4 squares (you will use only 6 of the 8).  Push one square of bread down firmly into each salami “bowl”.  Trim if necessary to allow the bread to sit flat at the bottom of the salami “bowl”.  Spread 1 tsp. tomato paste atop each bread slice.  Sprinkle the sauce evenly with the Italian seasoning.    Sprinkle about 1 tsp. mozzarella on each muffin next.  Then 1/6 of the browned sausage and onion mixture.  Than sprinkle 1 tsp. more cheese on top.  The cheese acts as a binder for all the ingredients. Top with sliced olives (1 olive per muffin) and place 2 pieces of the bell pepper on each.  Pop into a 350º oven for about 8-10 minutes or until they are lightly browning on top.  Lift them gently out of the pan slots with a knife tip or fork and place on a plate.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 pizza muffins, each contains:

131 calories

23 g  fat

2.38 g  carbs, .60 g  fiber, 1.78 g  NET CARBS

335 mg sodium