Daily Archives: December 15, 2015

Appetizers, Condiments and Sauces, Recipes

Cranberry and Peppers Salsa Perks Up a Party

Here’s a simple and delicious salsa made with cranberries and Serrano peppers. I’ve adapted a recipe my roomie found on the web to a low carb version. We’ve increased the number of peppers and it still doesn’t have a really spicy kick to it. I think if it sits on the shelf for a month or so, it might get stronger, but when it’s fresh, it’s only a smoky hint of fire. If you want more kick in it, then add some of the seeds from the peppers, but be cautious. If you can’t find sugar-free honey, then omit it.

This is a great treat to take to a Holiday party along with crackers and softened cream cheese to spread it on.  Pictured above with Flackers crackers.  For my review of these, go here.

Cranberry and Peppers Salsa

Low Carb Ingredients:

6 cups Cranberries (two 12-oz bags), chopped
3 cups Red Onions, chopped
1 Apple, peeled and chopped
6 large Serrano Peppers, chopped
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Water
3 tablespoons Sugar-Free Honey
2/3 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 tablespoon Canning Salt

Canning Recipe

In a deep, large pot, put four one-pint canning jars and lids and seals, placed independently of the jars, in with water to cover the tops and bring to a boil.

Chop cranberries, onions, apple and peppers. A food processor really speeds this process up. Be sure to use gloves unless you like pepper juice in your skin.

In a large pot, mix all ingredients except the cranberries and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce the heat to a high simmer, add the cranberries and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

About 10 minutes before done, remove the jars and drain.

Spoon or use a funnel to fill jars to about 1 to 1/2″ from the top. Take lid and sealing ring from hot water and seal each jar. Places jars back in the hot water, making sure the water covers the top. Boil for 25 minutes.

Remove the jars and wait for the lids to pop, which indicates they are sealed. This can take several hours. The lid will appear dented down a little when they are properly sealed. Once sealed, this can store for up to one year on the shelf.

If you are going to eat within two weeks, you can skip the hot water seal and just store in the closed jars in the refrigerator.

Makes 4 jars with about 15 tablespoons in each jar.

Nutrition Information per tablespoon:
Calories:10.2 g Fat:0.1 g Net Carbs:1.9 g Protein: 0.2 g

Closer view of the cranberry pepper salsa.

Regular Ingredients

6 cups Cranberries (two 12-oz bags), chopped
3 cups Red Onions, chopped
1 Apple, peeled and chopped
6 large Serrano Peppers, chopped
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon Water
3 tablespoons Honey
2/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Canning Salt

Cooking instructions are identical to the low carb ones.

Makes 4 jars with about 15 tablespoons in each jar.

Nutrition Information per tablespoon:
Calories:21.8 g Fat:0.1 g Net Carbs: 5.0 g Protein: 0.2 g

Appetizers, Product Review

Product Review: Flackers Flax Seed Crackers

2 Comments

I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review have asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.

I am always on the lookout for a good cracker that is low carb so when I saw this one on Amazon from Doctor in the Kitchen, I decided to try them.  They are a savory cracker with garlic, onion, red pepper and basil seasonings added.  The main ingredient is flax seeds.  They are sprouted, which, according to the box, makes them easier to chew,digest and absorb.  If you eat low carb, you are probably aware that flax seed is very low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, being one of those foods that can actually give you a negative number on net carbs.  They are also high in Omega 3 fatty acid, which is good for your heart.

If you like the taste of flax, you will probably find these to be very tasty and they are a good cracker for a snack or putting cheese or a little of the cranberry salsa on for a quick treat.  They are surprisingly satisfying as well.  I enjoy them although I really favor my own crackers made with flax meal and Carbquick.  The seeds tend to stick in my teeth, so I prefer the ground flax.

Developed by Dr. Alison Levitt for herself and her patients, she decided to take them to the consumers, who can now benefit from these nutritional and tasty crackers. In addition to the flax, they also contain apple cider vinegar, vegetable protein from non-GMO soy beans and the aforementioned spices.  One serving is a generous 6 crackers that amounts to 100 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 carbohydrates with 7 grams of fiber, giving you a -1 net carb, and 5 grams of protein.  On many levels, these are a win-win.

The only drawback is in the pricing.  There are 30 crackers in a box, 5 servings, for $5.69 on Amazon as an add-on item, which makes them about $1.12 a serving.  It doesn’t sound too bad unless you eat them daily.

In addition to these savory crackers, there are also Flax seed Rosemary, Flax seed Tomato Basil, Flaxseed Dill, and Flax seed  Cinnamon and Currants.  Unfortunately, this last one has a net carb count of 6 g per 6 cracker-servings, thanks to the currants.  I haven’t tried any of the others, but it appears they are all a little higher on the carbohydrates than this one.

I give these 4 cooking spoons out of 5 for flavor and good taste.