Monthly Archives: September 2021

Product Review

Product Review: King Arthur Carb-Conscious Pancake Mix

Photo: King Arthur Carb-Conscious Pancakes

King Arthur Flour  has a great flour product, so I was eager to try their Carb-Conscious Pancake Mix. I usually make my own batter from the low-carb flour products I have at home, but I wanted to see how this mix compares. It doesn’t.

While it is super-easy to mix up, simply measure out one cup of the mix and add 1/2 cup water. If the mixture is too thick, as mine was, add water 1 tablespoon at a time to bring it to a spreadable consistency. I live at 4,500 feet above sea level, and this sometimes affects baking. It took almost another 1/4 cup of water to get the batter thin enough to spread on my trusty waffle iron.

My iron has made hundreds of waffles over the years I’ve had it, and most of my batters have been low carb. I’ve made regular waffles and savory waffles, but I’ve never had a waffle stick to the iron…until now. I did spray the iron with baking spray before pouring the batter, in case you’re wondering.

The waffle cooked longer than a usual waffle. Since I could still detect steam coming from the iron, I let it continue to cook. Once the steam had stopped, the iron still did not want to release the waffle. I finally had to force it. The waffle was completely cooked, but it stuck to both sides of the iron.

Photo:Crumbled waffle

Once the iron had cooled some, I extracted the pieces adhered to the non-stick surface. So, I had the cake in many pieces on the plate. Nothing else wrong with it, except it was a mess.

Nonetheless, I buttered it, added sugar-free syrup, and ate it. It tasted okay but lacked a little in flavor. My recipe is much more flavorful. Like many low carb flour products, the Carb-Conscious product doesn’t have as much flavor as the real deal.

Photo: Waffle with apples.
To dress up the waffle pieces, I added a compote of cooked apples with cinnamon. Big improvement.

The next time I used it, I made pancakes. 1/4 cup of the flour plus about 1/3 cup of water makes three cakes. I added 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract to the batter to add flavor. They worked fine, browned up nicely, and tasted okay. Still not as flavorful as they could be. If you add cinnamon along with the vanilla, you might get a better pancake.

Bottom line. The mix comes together easily but lacks flavor compared to a homemade mix or some other low-carb mixes. I’d give it three spoons – not the best, but okay if you add a little spice to it.

Nutrition information indicates that two pancakes use 1/3 cup of mix to make and contain 4 net carbs.

Try my pancake recipe. This one is for Pumpkin Pancakes.

This evaluation is the first of several low-carb or Keto flour mixes or products I will be reviewing this week. Keep an eye out for more as I try the goods and report back to you, so you don’t have to waste money on those that aren’t up to the flavor.

I will also be getting to the promised tiropitas recipe this week.

Please note: I am not receiving anything from the makers of the products I review. I purchase the item, make it when needed, and give it my honest review. The opinions expressed are mine. Other people may have different thoughts on the product.

Desserts, Recipes

Greek Festival Flavors

Photo: Baklava pieces

Many years ago,  I traveled to Greece for my first European holiday. I loved the country and the people, but I really loved the food. Every year in Reno, the local Greek Church has hosted a festival. Last year’s was cancelled due to COVID, and this year’s is just an order-your-favorite-foods year. Well, rather than indulging in higher carb’d delights, I decided to make my own.

If you love nuts, honey, and spices, you’ll flip for Baklava, the sweet, delightfully delicious honey-nut pastry. There’s no way around the flaky pastry dough. I wouldn’t even try to recreate it with delicate low carb flour. But, I can, and did, save a lot of carbs on the filling. This recipe will give you all the flavor without all the carbs, but the real problem is, you can only have one or two pieces a day, depending on you carb threshold. For me, it’s one piece and careful eating the rest of the day. But it is soooo worth it!

You need a jelly roll pan, which is like a cookie sheet with deep sides, and is about 10×13-inches. You’ll also want a pastry brush and a lot of space to work. The recipe is actually easy to make, but you need to work quickly to keep the dough from drying out while you’re working. So, with all that in mind, here’s the recipe.

Photo: Sheet of baked Baklava

Baklava (Greek Honey Nut Pastries)

1 lb. Phyllo Dough (Filo or Fillo)
2 cups raw Pecans, chopped
1 cup raw Almonds, chopped
1 1/2 cups Butter, melted (3 sticks)
2 tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

Honey Syrup:
1 1/2 cups granulated Sugar Substitute
1 1/2 cups Water
2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
3/4 cup Sugar-free Honey

Begin by chopping the nuts to a nice crumble.  I use a small food processor to do this and pulse them for about six times. Next, mix the chopped nuts with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Melt the butter and get a pastry brush ready. Prepare a 10-x13 jelly roll pan by covering the bottom with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Brush butter over the top.

Open the dough package and roll out on a sheet of wax paper. Put another sheet of wax paper over the top and cover with a damp towel to help prevent drying. Carefully move a sheet of filo dough to the pan and brush with butter. The dough will probably overlap the side of the pan. You will trim it later. Repeat 4 to 5 more times, brushing butter on between each sheet. Brush the top sheet, then sprinkle half the nuts over the dough.

Repeat another layer of 5 or 6 filo sheets, each brushed with butter. Sprinkle the rest of the nuts evenly over the dough. Repeat the layers one more time, brushing with butter each time.

Cut dough ready to bake.
This is the completed phyllo dough after the boxes are cut into triangles. You can see one uncut one on the bottom left.

With a sharp knife, trim the dough at the edges of the pan off by cutting right along the inside of the pan. Remove the dough and discard.

Using a sharp knife and cutting part-way through the dough, cut the dough lengthwise into three equal sections.  Turn the pan and cut the dough across the middle. Cut each half into three sections. Cut each box section across diagonally to make two triangles. When done, you will have 36 triangles. Carefully pour the rest of the butter over the top, making sure the butter gets into all the cuts where it will roll down to the bottom.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the pastries are golden brown.

While they are baking, make your honey syrup: Add sugar to a medium-sized pot, then add water and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Let boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the honey. Stir in it, then let it sit until the pastries are done.

Remove the pastries from the oven and put the pan on a padded counter or cooling rack. Use a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the syrup and pour it over the hot pastries. They will sizzle, which is normal. Use all the syrup on the pan, making sure it gets into all the cracks and down to the lower layers. Let cool before eating. The baklava is best after it has rested for several hours allowing the dough to soak up the syrup.

Makes 36 pieces of baklava.

Note: The baklava is very sticky to eat. The tops do not stick to the nuts, so they tend to be a deliciously messy. I found they held together and tasted best after the first day.

Nutrition Information: Baklava

Coming next week, a recipe for another Greek favorite,  tiropitas!  These are delectable cheese appetizers wrapped in phyllo dough.

 

Curds and Jellies, Desserts, Recipes

Applesauce Topping Is Awesome

Applesauce Topping photo

As I said last post, I had a huge jar of applesauce, so I’ve used it several ways. This one is a recipe from All Recipes that I adapted for low carb. It’s a wonderful topping for ice cream or yogurt. Use a low carb ice  cream and the lowest vanilla yogurt you can find to keep the carbs down. I use CarbMasters yogurt from Kroger Foods, but some people don’t care for the taste. I also use CarbSmart ice cream from Breyers Ice Cream.

With only four ingredients, the recipe is easy. I suspect it would be delicious over vanilla pudding, custard, cheesecake, or even as cake topping. If you don’t like pecans, substitute in walnuts or almonds, or leave them out completely.

If you have any leftover, you can refrigerate it for a few days.

Applesauce Sundae Topping

1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 tablespoon Swerve Brown Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 cup Pecan pieces

In a microwave safe bowl, combined the applesauce, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for one minute. Stir in the pecan pieces.

Alternately, put the applesauce, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small pan and cook over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pecans.

For a slightly richer flavor, add 1 tablespoon butter to the bowl before you microwave or bake. If you like the tang of clove, add a pinch or so to the mixture.

Serve over two scoops of low Carb ice cream.  Tastes like Fall!

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info Image

 

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts

Fall is coming and so are tasty Fall-flavored Donuts

In a spur of the moment decision, I bought a 32-oz container of unsweetened applesauce. I’ve used it a couple of times to make these breakfast bars, and I made a dessert sauce with them. (Recipe for that coming soon.) I’ve even added it to a hot cereal, like this one. But I still have more applesauce.

I decided to make these deliciously-tempting applesauce donuts with another portion of the fruity sauce. They’re easy to make and they come out tender and tasty. They don’t rise as much as I’d like, but they’re still a nice breakfast treat. At a little less than 3 net carbs per donut, you could splurge with two if you’d like. For me, one fills me right up.

Applesauce Donuts

1 cup Low Carb All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Cinnamon Apple Sauce
1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
1 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Tablespoon Butter, Melted

FOR THE GLAZE:
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar Substitute
½ teaspoons Maple Extract
1/2 tablespoon Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk or 1 teaspoon Cream with 1/2 teaspoon Water

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Add the flour, coconut flour, sugar substitute, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a large bowl and mix together with a whisk.

In a smaller bowl, add the applesauce, almond or coconut milk, egg, vanilla, and butter and combine using the whisk.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually pour the wet ingredients in while you stir to mix. Beat until it is combined and you have a smooth batter. You may need to add another 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, depending on how much liquid your coconut flour absorbs. The batter should be easily spoonable, but not too runny.

Use grease or butter or baking spray to coat two 6-well each donut pans. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each donut ring. Fill the rings half-full.

Put the pans in the middle of your oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Donuts will be a light brown. If they are getting a darker brown around the edges, they are done.

Remove donuts and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Invert the pans over a wax paper covered baking pan or other surface. The donuts should fall out. If an don’t, try to encourage them by gently rocking them in the pan. If it still won’t release, then use a plastic knife to slide down and loosen the stuck donut.

You can place them on a wire rack to cool or leave them on the wax paper-covered surface.

Make the icing:

Put the powdered sugar substitute, maple syrup, and milk, adding a little at time, in a soup-sized bowl. Whisk until the glaze is smooth and about the consistency of syrup.

Dip each donut in the glaze to coat the top, then put them back on the rack or wax paper to dry for a few minutes.

Eat while fresh out of the oven or put them in an air-tight container and storage bag once the icing is completely dry. The donuts are okay for 2-3 days on the counter, then refrigerate.

Makes 12 donuts.

Note:  A single donut can be warmed in a microwave oven for about 10 seconds.