Monthly Archives: October 2014

Recipes

Warm Up With A Welsh Broccoli Bacon Soup

An unseasonably cold weather front moved into the Reno area on Saturday with high winds and lots of chill, so the idea of a nice, warming soup was really appealing. I had been thinking about a broccoli cheese soup for a few days anyway, so this was the ideal time to do it. For my soup, I used a Welsh White Cheddar Cheese, hence the name Welsh Broccoli Bacon Soup. You can use any strong Cheddar if Welsh isn’t available at your grocery. An Irish White Cheddar would be very close to the same flavor. I find the Irish and Welsh cheeses do have a stronger flavor than American cheddar.

Another unusual ingredient in this soup is Daikon Radish, which is standing in for potatoes. It’s probably not something that you ever thought about using in a soup (or maybe you’ve never tried it at all), but it does a really good job at pretending to be a potato. The cooked texture is similar and the taste is mild, with a hint of pepper. In case you’re not sure what a Daikon radish is, it’s the big, long white root that looks like a huge tuber, which it is. It has a mild pepper taste and is very versatile from using it raw in salads, to roasting, boiling, frying or even making hash browns. I often mix it with turnips and cauliflower to make a mashed vegetable in place of mashed potatoes. The Herbs de Provence add a unusual flavor to the soup with a hint of lavender and fennel in it.

Welsh Cheddar, Broccoli and Bacon Soup

2 cups Broccoli, fresh, chopped
1 cup Daikon Radish, diced
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
4 cups Chicken Broth or 4 teaspoons Better than Bullion Chicken and 4 cups Water
2 oz Welsh White Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Mushrooms, fresh, chopped
3 slices Thick Sliced Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon Dried Celeraic leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

I used the food processor to chop the broccoli into very tiny pieces, but if you would prefer to see larger pieces, by all means don’t chop them finely.

In a large sauce pan, add the chicken broth or bullion, the herbs, the broccoli, onions and daikon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Add the mushrooms and bacon. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir a couple of times.

Add heavy cream, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to a low simmer and let it cook another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it isn’t thickening up, you can continue to cook it until it gets thicker or add 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch or Thick-It-Up.

When adding thickener, mix the thickener in a cup with enough water to make a paste. Add a couple of tablespoons of the soup mixture and mix it in, then add more of the soup mixture and blend it in. Repeat until the cup is mostly full of blended soup mixture, then add it to soup pot and stir well to mix it. This will prevent the thickener from forming lumps in the soup.

When the soup is the consistency you prefer, it’s ready to serve.

Makes four 1- 1/3 cup servings

Nutrition Info per serving: (a little higher with corn starch)
Calories: 205 Fat: 17.2 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 7.0 g

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Peachy Pork Delights the Taste Buds

I spotted some really lovely, fat country style pork ribs at the store the other night, so I bought a package.  I thought I could bake them with BBQ sauce, but I wanted to try something a little different.  I saw a recipe for country style ribs done with papaya, but I had half a peach in the refrigerator that I needed to use.  So, I thought why not make it with peach instead?

This recipe is mostly mine even though it was inspired by another one, but that’s really how recipes develop.  You see something and you think, “why not try it this way and change or add this ingredient”?

This came out deliciously with a lovely hint of peach in the sauce and it is low carb!  I used Heinz Chili Sauce instead of tomato sauce, but either works.  You can also add in 1/4 cup of Bell Peppers for a little more flavor and spice.

Peachy Country Pork Ribs

1 clove Garlic
1/2 large Peach, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup White Wine or Sherry
2 tablespoons Sugar Free Honey
or Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoon spicy Tomato Sauce or Chili Sauce
4 large Country Pork Ribs, boneless (about 12 to 16 oz.)
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped Onions
Salt & Pepper to taste

Put the garlic, peach, water, wine, honey, tomato (or Chili sauce) into the food processor and pulse several times until it is liquefied.

Cut the pork ribs into 4 pieces so that you have 16 pieces. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet, then add the onions and sauté a minute. Add the pork and cook and stir until it is lightly browned on all sides. Add the sauce and stir to coat all the meat. Reduce heat to a high simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Check on the pan, stir the meat and turn it over, then cook another 30 minutes until the sauce is thick and the pork is done.

Makes 4 average servings – one whole pork rib per person.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 416.2 Fat: 32.4 g Net Carbs: 6.2 g Protein: 20.8 g

Desserts, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Light and Delicious Pumpkin Flan

Fall is beginning to really arrive in many parts of the country.  Here, in the Truckee Meadows of Northern Nevada, it’s an overcast, blustery day and trees are beginning to change colors.  My pear tree is a mixture of red-orange and golden leaves from the multiple varieties grafted onto it.  My pumpkin vine failed to produce any pumpkins, but luckily, the grocery stores have canned available.  I usually pick up several cans in the fall to last me year ’round because I love pumpkin!  I like to have Pumpkin Butter with my low carb muffins or spread it on the top of little cakes.  Pumpkin pie should be savored year-round.  Not to mention those Pumpkin Madeleine cookies that I posted recently or luscious Pumpkin Cheesecake.   And there’s the old stand-by for breakfast, Pumpkin Pancakes!

So, here is another lovely pumpkin dish.  A flan is a Spanish dish that is like a custard, usually with a caramel sauce, and it is very easy to make.  My recipe will make six little ramekins of these delicious desserts.  You will need six 1 cup ramekins or you can make them in a muffin tin.  Just be sure you have a pan large enough for the tin to sit in.  My recipe uses coconut milk or almond milk, so it is good for those of you who can’t tolerate cow’s milk.  It also makes it lower carb than using heavy cream, but you can substitute that in if you prefer the richer taste.

Not crazy about pumpkin?  Are you nuts!  Seriously, I know there are some people who don’t really like it, but you can try this Orange Flan recipe instead. (It’s near the bottom of the new page.)

Light Pumpkin Flan

3/4 cup Sugar Free Maple Syrup
3 large Egg
1/3 cup Sugar Substitute
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Ground Clove
1 – 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 -1/2 cup Almond Milk or Coconut Milk (or heavy Cream)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat maple syrup in a small pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar substitute.  Cook until the sugar is blended in.

Butter or spray six one cup ramekins or six large muffin wells, put 2 tablespoons of the syrup in each and roll around the bottoms to coat. Mix the remaining ingredients together until smooth. Pour into ramekins, dividing mixture evenly to about 1/2 inch from the top.

Put the ramekins or muffin pan into a large pan that is deep enough to add water at least half way up the sides of the pan or ramekins.  Be careful not to get water in the ramekins.  Carefully place in the center of your oven.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the custard is set. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream or cool whip.  You can also top with a few roasted pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch if you like.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info with almond or coconut milk:
Calories: 59 Fat: 3.2 g Net Carbs: 2.4 g  Protein: 3.8 g

Nutrition Info with heavy cream:
Calories: 256.8 Fat: 24.6 g Net Carbs: 4.1 g Protein: 4.8 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Fresh Taste with Zucchini Fritters

To me, it still seems like an impossible dream that any diet could allow the luxury of any kind of fried food and still be legal.  I’ve always joked that Atkins low carb diet was the one that allowed you to eat all the toppings — sour cream, butter, bacon and cheese — that go on a baked potato, but the not potato itself.  What irony.

Well, potatoes might not be on the menu, but there are other substitutes that are totally palate pleasing as well as low carb’d.  One of these is the Zucchini Fritter.  My version is loaded with fresh zucchini, onions, bell pepper and bacon pieces.  Usually, the recipes start with grating the zucchini, then draining it, adding salt to remove the liquid and squeezing as much water out as possible so that it’s very dry.  I skip that step.  You can shred the zucchini or take my approach and let the food processor chop it into small pieces.  I don’t squeeze the liquid out, but just use it as is and let the flour absorb the liquid.  Serve this with a dill sauce, a low carb Ranch dressing or heat up a little pasta sauce.

Zucchini, Onions and Peppers Fritters

1 cup Zucchini, shredded or chopped
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup Bell Peppers, chopped
2 large Eggs
1/2 cup  low carb Flour *
2 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated
2 tablespoons Bacon pieces
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
4 to 6 tablespoons Olive Oil

* If you use Coconut Flour, reduce to 3 tablespoons.  The flour will absorb the liquid very well.

Finely chop the zucchini, onion and bell peppers in a food processor and mix together in a bowl. Add eggs, low carb flour, cheese, bacon pieces and seasoning salt. Stir together until the mixture is completely blended with the vegetables and all the flour is mixed in. The liquid from the vegetables and the eggs will provide enough moisture to make a pancake consistency batter.

Fitter patties in the frying pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When hot, add a big tablespoon of the zucchini mixture to the pan and smooth it into a small pancake. Repeat with a second tablespoon on the other side of the pan.  Cover with a lid and cook for about two minutes until golden brown. Turn over and cook another two minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Add more olive oil if needed.  Repeat, making two at a time, with the remainder of the batter.

Flipped golden brown fritters. The trick here is to cook them at a medium temperature, just hot enough to lightly brown them and still cook them through. These were about 1 minute and 40 seconds.

Serve warm with a dill dressing or a low carb dressing. Delicious.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Info per fritter
Calories: 109 Fat:9.8 g Net Carbs: 2.0 Protein: 3.5 g

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

More Madeleine Cookie Options

I admit it.  Once I get hooked on something new, I have to experiment more with it and that’s exactly what I have been doing with the Madeleine cookie recipe.  The basic one that I just posted is really very good and the savory one has many possibilities, and I’ll probably be doing some more of those at a later date.  But for now, with pumpkin harvest upon us, I felt I simply had to try it with pumpkin and it is wonderfully delicious.  The other option that also must be tried is the chocolate Madeleine.  So, I am thrilled to share these two recipes with you.  My friend has created a Madeleine Cookie Monster, but the beauty is that they are all low carb.  Yummmm…

Pumpkin Madeleine Cookies

This recipe is figured to make 36 cakes rather than 24, mostly because my pan has 18 wells in it and I didn’t want to have to cook the second batch with just 6 wells used.  If you do find yourself in the situation of cooking with empty wells in the pan, put a tablespoon of water in the well, so that it isn’t empty.    Apart from that, 3 dozen cookies are always good to have around when they are so tasty.

4 large Eggs
1/4 cup liquid Egg Whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute
1/4 cup granulated brown sugar substitute
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour (CarbQuick, LC Foods or others)
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Pie spice
1/2 teaspoon Clove, ground
3/4 cup Pumpkin puree
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
3 tablespoons Water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Melt butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a bowl. Set the butter aside.

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and add the sugar and vanilla. Whisk together until foamy, then add the pumpkin and seasonings and whisk them in. Add the flours and baking powder and stir together with a spoon until well mixed. Let rest a few minutes, then add the water. The coconut flour will absorb liquid, so if it seems too stiff, add a little more water.

Use a silicon Madeleine cake pan or spray a metal pan with baking spray to make it easier to release the cakes.

Fill the wells to 2/3 full, about 1 level tablespoon of batter per well and smooth batter into the mold. Bake at 425 degrees for 4 minutes, then lower the temperature to 385 degrees and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pans.  Makes 36 cookies.

Nutrition Info per cookie:
Calories: 43.2 Fat: 3.6 g Net Carbs: 0.8 g Protein: 1.5 g

Pumpkin Marshmallow Cookies

Low Carb Pumpkin Marshmallow Madeleine Cookie

Another simple way to dress up a Madeleine cookie is to take two pumpkin Madeleine cookies and spread a layer of sugar free Marshmallow Creme* on top of one, then top with the other.  Both of the cookies have the shell side out with the smoother side in.

You can also put whipped cream between them.

Or take 1 oz of Cream Cheese, add a teaspoon of whipping cream, 1 teaspoon of sugar substitute (more or less to taste) and a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and mix well to make a cream cheese filling to make two filled cookies.

* I buy Walden Farms Sugar Free Marshmallow Creme , which is 0 calories and 0 carbs.  Sometimes grocery stores carry it or you can order it online.

Chocolate Madeleine Cookies

Orange Syrup or orange extract adds just a light citrus taste to these chocolate cookies.

3 Eggs
1 Egg White
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup CarbQuick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons Cocoa
1 tablespoon Orange Syrup
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Melt butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a bowl. Set the butter aside.

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk together until foamy. Add the flours and baking powder, chocolate powder and mix together. Let rest a few minutes. If the batter is a little too thick, add a tablespoon of water. The coconut flour will absorb liquid.

Use a silicon Madeleine cake pan, if possible.

Fill the wells to 2/3 full, about 1 tablespoon and smooth batter into the mold. Bake at 425 degrees for 4 minutes, then lower the temperature to 385 degrees and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pans.

Makes 24 cakes.

Nutrition Info per cookie:
Calories: 53 Fat: 4.9 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 1.5 g

Chocolate Madeleine Cookies with Cherry Yogurt Dessert

 

Chocolate Madeleine cookies topped with cherry yogurt, Cool Whip and tiny sugar free chocolate chips.

For  quick, yet elegant-looking dessert, take two Madeleine cookies and arrange them on a plate, add 1 oz of low carb Cherry Yogurt on top or partially on top and top with a tablespoon of Cool Whip or whipped cream and a couple of sugar-free chocolate chips.

Tip:  If you don’t have Madeleine pans, you can bake these in mini-cupcake molds and they won’t taste much different.  They just won’t have the distinctive shape.  Be sure to spray the molds with cooking spray to make it easier to release the cookie and allow it to cool completely.