When you think of comfort food, you think of those down-home dishes that Mom or Grandma made because they make you feel like you’re wrapped in love. Am I right? Foods like fried chicken and fried pork chops were often the highlight of the week in my childhood home.
Alas, breaded food is pretty high in carbs, and some people want to avoid all the fat of frying in oil. So what’s the solution? A pork chop made with a nut flour that brings a substantial amount of the seasoning and taste of breading without the higher carbohydrates. Then, bake it instead of frying and you still get the flavor of the dish.
This recipe, from All Recipes, is delicious, but it was made with flour. I swapped that out for low carb almond flour, and it makes a crunchy, delicious crust.
How about a close-up of those juicy chops? I used a pork loin chop and cut it in half to bread it easier. Incidentally, the rice-looking vegetable on the plate is riced kohlrabi, a new frozen option from Green Giant. Great flavor and I’m thrilled to see it at Wal-Mart.
Oven-Fried Pork Chops
2 large, thick pork chops, trimmed & cut in half
1 tablespoons butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon Cream
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Almond Meal
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/2 teaspoon Dried Parsley, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Use a cast iron or another skillet that can go in the oven or use a baking pan. Put the skillet into the oven to get hot for about 10 minutes, then take it out and add the butter. Lift and turn the pan to distribute the butter.
While the pan is heating, add the almond flour, seasoning salt, pepper, dried parsley and oregano to a shallow bowl big enough to hold a pork chop piece and mix together.
In another shallow bowl about the same size, mix egg and cream together. Dip a pork chop piece into the egg mixture, then roll it in the almond mixture, pressing it into the meat so that it sticks, and place in pan. Repeat with each chop.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn chops over and bake for another 10 minutes. Pierce the meat with a fork to see that any liquid that runs out is clear to ensure the pork is done. If not, then cook a few minutes longer.
Let the chop rest for about 5 minutes then serve.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 573 Fat: 39.3 g Net Carbs: 3.4 g Protein: 49 g
Looking for summer to come around the corner any time now and my thoughts are turning to fresh, tasty salads. Actually, we had a hint of the warmer season this week in Reno before it turned chilly again. In celebration of those two days of bright sunshine and heat, I made this yummy tuna and cauliflower salad. It’s packed with delicious vegetables and enhanced with a light lemony mayonnaise dressing. If you like tuna, you should love it. If you don’t like tuna, here’s a tip… you can substitute in chopped chicken or turkey.
Tuna and Cauliflower Salad
2 cups Cauliflower flowerets
9 ounces White Tuna, water packed
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice, divided
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup Jicama, cubed
12 oz. jar Artichoke Hearts, drained and quartered
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Cheddar Jack or Swiss Cheese
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
2 cups Mixed Lettuce, (Spring Mix)
8 Cherry Tomatoes (optional)*
Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook the cauliflower for about 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain thoroughly.
Drain tuna and place in a large salad bowl. Use a fork to flake it apart. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and gently toss.
Add artichoke hearts, cauliflower, cheese, jicama, and eggs and toss together gently.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with remaining lemon juice, sugar substitute, and parsley to make a creamy lemon dressing. About 30 minutes before serving, add dressing to the salad, toss gently and chill for about 15 to 30 minutes, then serve over a 1/2 cup mixed lettuce in each bowl.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: (without tomatoes) Calories: 430 Fat: 32.8 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 26.1 g
* With tomatoes, add 0.5 net carbs per tomato.
TIP: Use foil packaged tuna packed in water instead of canned tuna. It’s a little dryer so it doesn’t need to be drained, and it doesn’t carry the tinny taste of canned tuna.
Without the tomatoes, this recipe is suitable for Induction on the Atkins Low Carb Diet.
A few months ago, writer Kim Iverson posted her mother’s recipe for a pecan pie muffin that sounded wonderful. I adapted it to a low carb recipe and made a couple of changes along the way. I can truthfully say, this makes a wonderfully delicious cupcake that you can enjoy any time. Plus, it is so low-carb, you can splurge on two if you can’t resist and still not feel guilty.
I use Dixie Carb Counter’s low carb baking mix for this recipe, although you could use any low carb flour. LC Foods has a nice fine cake flour and CarbQuick also works in it. I just like the finer texture of the DCC baking mix or use a combination. You can also use almond flour. I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour alone but in combination with another flour. If you use coconut flour, use 1/2 the amount and add 1 or 2 additional eggs or egg whites as coconut flour will absorb the liquid and the eggs will add the rise to the cupcakes.
Pecan Pie Muffins
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1 -1/2 tablespoons Sugar free Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup low carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1/4 cup Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Grease standard muffin pans or use paper liners and spray those with baking spray.
Mix sugar substitute with maple syrup until it is blended in. Add eggs and butter and mix together.
Stir in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. When mixed, stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Spoon into muffin wells until 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Makes 8 muffins.
Nutrition Info per muffin: Calories: 304 Fat: 29.5 g Net Carbs: 1.8 g Protein: 5.0 g
Of all the fish in the sea, not counting the shellfish, but the ones with fins, I think salmon may be my favorite although Icelandic cod is swimming right behind. I also like spicy food, so this combination is a no-brainer. If you like salmon and hot spice, you’ll love this. I admit, I over-spiced a tad, so I cut the Cajun spice down a bit in the recipe. If you want it at a higher level of burn then add another teaspoon of Cajun spice.
Cajun-spiced Blackened Salmon
3/4 lb salmon filet
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice or 1 lemon juiced
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley or 1/2 teaspoon Dried Parsley
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F.). Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients except the salmon and the salt and pepper and mix well.
Place the salmon on the baking sheet and spread the oil mixture on both sides. Rub it into the fish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes until the fish is done. If there is skin on the bottom, the skin should separate easily from the flesh if it is done enough.
Makes two servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories:377.5 Fat:24.4 g Net Carbs:5.8 g Protein: 34.4 g
While looking for a different Mexican-style dessert to end up a tasty Cinco de Mayo meal, I ran across a recipe for dessert nachos. It sounded intriguing, but I had to add my own spin on it. First, I made the tortillas and added a little sweetener and cinnamon to the dough. Then I made a cocoa cream cheese filling to add an extra layer of goodness to it and added chocolate chips. Yum. Bottom line? By the time I finished, it was my recipe. Very little remains of the original.
For the record, I used Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Flour, which has a slightly sweet taste. I don’t think this would work well with almond flour or coconut flour as they don’t hold together well enough to cook over a griddle. However, you could make almond flour pancakes and do pretty much the same thing. I’ll put the recipe after the Nacho recipe if you want to try it. I use Walden Farms Chocolate Syrup and Caramel Syrup, which are both 0 calories and 0 carbs. If you can find something else that comes close, then feel free to use it. You can also melt a sugar-free chocolate bar and sugar-free caramel candies to get the syrups. They will add about 1 net carb to the serving. (In fact, I found I was out of chocolate syrup and used chocolate chips melted in the microwave for my chocolate blobs of topping. I should have used a little coconut oil to thin them.)
Cocoa Cream Cheese Nachos
For the Tortillas:
1/2 cup Low Carb Flour
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1/2 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Shortening or Lard
1/2 tablespoon or more Water
For the Tortillas:
In a bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, and sugar together. Cut in the shortening and mix until crumbs form. Add the water and mix until all the flour is absorbed. If 1/2 tablespoon isn’t enough, add a little more until you have a pliable dough.
Separate the dough into two balls. Roll each into a circle about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle until hot. Brush with a little oil, then cook the tortillas, one at a time. The tortilla takes about two minutes for the first side and will lighten as the dough dries out. flip and cook about another minute until done. This time varies with the thickness of the tortilla.
Cinnamon tortillas on the left and almond flour pancakes on the right.
For the topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)
Mix the Cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon sugar substitute, and allspice together.
Spread butter over the tortillas on both sides, then sprinkle half the seasonings onto each tortilla and cut them into quarters. Place on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Let cool a few minutes.
While the tortillas are cooking, prepare the topping. Mix cream cheese, cocoa powder, sugar substitute, and heavy cream together until thoroughly mixed. Add the chocolate chips and spread evenly over each tortilla chip. Top with a little whipped cream and drizzle caramel and chocolate sauce over the tops.
Makes two servings.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories:395 Fat:32.2 g Net Carbs:5.0 g Protein: 15.7 g
To make Cinnamon Almond Flour Pancakes:
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Oil
In a bowl, add the egg, oil, cinnamon and sugar and beat together. Stir in the ricotta cheese until blended. Add the baking powder and almond flour and sit until mixed. Add enough water to make a pourable batter.
Heat skillet or griddle until it is hot and a drop of water skitters across it. Reduce heat to medium high, then spoon in enough batter to make a 5 or 6 inch thin pancake–about half the batter. Cook the pancake until bubbles form and it begins to look dry, then flip and cook the other side. Set aside and cook the second pancake. Let them cool for a few minutes, then cut into quarters to make four wedges.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)
Mix the Cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon sugar substitute, and allspice together.
Spread butter over the tortillas on both sides, then sprinkle half the seasonings onto each tortilla and cut them into quarters. Place on a baking sheet and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Let cool a few minutes.
While the tortillas are cooking, prepare the topping. Mix cream cheese, cocoa powder, sugar substitute, and heavy cream together until thoroughly mixed. Add the chocolate chips and spread evenly over each tortilla wedge. Top with a little whipped cream and drizzle caramel and chocolate sauce over the tops.
Makes two servings.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories:395 Fat:32.2 g Net Carbs:5.0 g Protein: 15.7 g
