Monthly Archives: July 2016

Desserts, Recipes

Low Carb Fruit Mini-pies are possible

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Ever wished for a little mini-pie to satisfy your sweet tooth, then looked at the carb count on the package of one of those pre-made ones?  Yikes!  One of the them can run around 70 net carbs for an apple one.

But you can make a low carb one at home fairly easily.  How, you may ask? Using low carb flours and sugar substitute really brings the carb count down.  Apples are a high carb fruit, but you can make a low carb apple mini-pie (or turnover) for under 10 net carbs.  I definitely don’t recommend this for anyone who is still losing weight and on phases 1-3 of the Atkins plan.  But for those who are on maintenance or have a high daily net carb count, this recipe will give you a great little pie. Just don’t make a habit of it.

You can use the same recipe for other fruit pies, such as peach, cranberry, raspberry, blueberry and blackberry.  Of these options, raspberry is the lowest carb count, coming in around 4 net carbs per pie. I broke open the crust in the photo so you could see how flaky the crust is and how good the fruit looks.

Low Carb Fruit Mini-Pies

1 Gala or other semi-tart Apple or 1 cup of other fruit
2 tablespoons chopped Pecans or Walnuts
2 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Diet Cranberry Juice
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
2 tablespoon Brown Sugar Substitute

1/2 cup Low Carb Baking Mix
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
2 tablespoon Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
3 tablespoons Shortening
2 to 3 tablespoons Cold Water

Make the pie crust by mixing the flours together in a small and cutting in the shortening until it resembles crumbs. Add enough water to pull the flour mix together into a ball. Wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator to chill for about an hour.

While the dough is chilling, make the filling. Peel the apple, if you wish, and cut into thin slices or chop it, whichever you prefer. Melt butter in a skillet and add the apples, nuts, cranberry juice, brown sugar and seasonings and stir together, continuing to cook and stir for about five minutes. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool until the dough is done.

Before you take the dough out, preheat the oven to 265 degrees (F.). Prepare four muffin wells by spraying with baking spray.

Separate dough into five balls. Dough should not be sticky. Place a piece of waxed paper on a bread board and put a little low carb flour on it. Press the dough into a small round, then put another sheet of waxed paper over the top and roll until you have about a three-inch in diameter crust. Press into a well of the muffin tin. Repeat with three more balls of dough. Use a fork to poke a few vents in the bottom of the crust.

Spoon 1/4 of the filling into each of the muffin wells and top with 1 teaspoon of butter. Now, take the fifth ball of dough and split it into four smaller balls. Roll each one into a round that is large enough for the top of the muffin tin. Place the top dough on each pie in the tin and seal the edges. Poke a couple of holes in the top with the fork or a knife.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown. Remove and let cool about 10 minutes. Serve with a scoop of low carb ice cream or a tablespoon of whipped cream topping.

Makes four mini-pies.

Nutrition Information per Apple pie:
Calories: 320.5 Fat:23.3 Net Carbs: 9.6 g Protein: 11.5 g

Nutrition Information per Peach pie:
Calories: 307.2 Fat:23.3 g Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 11.6 g

Nutrition Information Raspberry pie:
Calories: 276.4 Fat:22.7 g Net Carbs: 4.0 g Protein: 11.9 g

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Delightful Pork with a Mustard Sauce

I love pork, so I really enjoy finding recipes that combine it with savory sauces.  This is a very good one and the mustard adds just a little bite to the flavor.  Serve it with the vegetable of your choice and a small side salad.  If you aren’t that crazy about pork, the other white meat, a chicken breast, works well.

4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2 inch thick (2 to 3 oz. each)
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Pepper
1 tablespoon Butter
1/4 cup Hot Water
1 teaspoon Better Than Bullion
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 tablespoon Dijon-style or Brown Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Dry Mustard Powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Sprinkle the pork chops with lemon pepper on both sides. In a skillet, melt the butter, then add the chops and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.

Mix the bullion in the hot water and add to the skillet, stirring to get all the meaty bits loose and pulled into the sauce. Add the mustard, mustard powder and Worcestershire sauce. Stir into the mixture, then stir in the cream. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and continue to cook and stir until the sauce begins to thicken.

Add the pork chops back in with any juices on the plate. Cover the chops and cook a little longer to heat them up and finish any side dishes. I served mine with asparagus and diced turnips with butter and cheese.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 434 Fat: 30.4 g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 36.7 g

Breads, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

A touch of the tropics in a ham patty

Another recipe from Better Homes & Gardens “Dieting for One” that I’ve adapted for a low carb lifestyle. When I first read the recipe, I chuckled at the simplicity of it, but I thought I’d give it a try. It uses chunk-style canned ham, but if you’d rather avoid the canned taste, pick up a ham steak at the grocery instead or use leftovers to make it. This tasty little round goes well with a slaw or you can put it on a low carb bun and make a tasty sandwich.

Polynesian-style Ham Patty

2 spears of fresh Pineapple, each cut into six wedges
1 6-1/2 oz. can Chunk-style Ham or 7 oz. Ham
1-2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoon Soft Low Carb Bread Crumbs*
1 teaspoon Minced Onion Flakes, rehydrated
2 tablespoons Green Sweet Pepper, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Cut the ham into chunks or cubes, if it isn’t already, then put it into a food processor  and pulse two or three times to make it ground or flaky.

In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the pineapple and mix well. Form two patties with your hands, each about 4 inches in diameter. If the mixture is too moist to hold the patty shape, use a baking-spray-coated muffin ring (or cut the bottom out of the ham can or a tuna can for this purpose) to hold the patty.

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray and place the patties in the pan. Press six wedges of pineapple into each ham patty.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the ham is lightly browned.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 161 Fat: 9.2 g Net Carbs: 5.8 g Protein: 12.0 g

* To make low carb bread crumbs, use a Muffin in a Minute recipe, using any low carb flour to replace one tablespoon of the flax meal. If you don’t like flax meal, use almond flour and low carb baking mix.

Muffin in a Minute Adapted

1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Tablespoon Low Carb Baking Mix
1 tablespoon Flax Meal or Almond Flour
Pinch Salt & pinch Pepper
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a coffee cup or small microwaveable bowl, add the egg and oil and beat with a skinny spatula or fork to blend the egg into the oil until it looks creamy. You want to ensure the egg is completely mixed in. Add the flour and seasonings and mix together well, making sure the flour is completely mixed in.

Microwave for one minute. Loosen the muffin with your fingers when you take it out, then let it cool a few minutes before crumbling up as much as you need for crumbs. It will not be a fine, dry crumble, but the soft little pieces work well for this recipe. If you’d like to dry it out more, slice it into rounds and put it in a 300 degree (F.) oven to toast for about five minutes.

Nutrition Information per muffin:
Calories:269 Fat:23.8 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 11.4 g

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