I cannot believe March is almost over! Where does the time go? I seem to be way behind on everything this month. But I did manage to try out a quick recipe for a wonderful dessert like Pecan Pie.
I’ve seen several recipes for “Impossible” pies that use the same technique as the Bisquick recipes that work so well to mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour them into the pie shell, and they separate while they cook to give you a crust on the bottom and sometimes a topping layer. So far, I haven’t been able to duplicate this using low carb flours.The food tastes great, but the crust doesn’t seem to come out on the bottom. This is another one of those recipes. It seems more like a very low flour cake than a pie, but the taste is wonderful.
The original recipe came from Dixie Carb Counters, but I made a few adjustments. I used the DCC All Purpose Flour to make this, but I think it will work equally as well with almond flour, soy flour, or coconut flour (use 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of water). The recipe uses a small amount of flour, so the crust isn’t very thick.I used my cranberries whole, but they might be distributed better if they are chopped.
Cranberry Pecan Pie Cake
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/3 cup fresh or frozen Cranberries
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F.). Prepare a pie tin or an 8-inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. I also like to line mine with parchment paper, then spray the paper.
In a small bowl, add the sugar, flour, and baking soda and mix together. Set aside. In a larger bowl, add the eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk together until blended. Stir in the flour until it is all mixed in. Add 3/4 cup of the nuts and the cranberries and stir them in.
Pour into your prepared pan, smoothing until even. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans over the top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 20 to see if the edges are getting too browned. If so, cover with foil and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Makes 8 Servings
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories:162 Fat:15.7 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.7 g
I call this West of Ireland shrimp because I’m a long way from Erin’s shore and I don’t have any Dublin Bay prawns where I live. The recipe is in the style of an Irish prawn recipe I have and I deem it suitable for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for those who might want a change from corned beef and cabbage. Get big plump shrimp for this, about 20 to 24 per pound.
It’s terrific with my low carb Irish Soda Bread to soak up the delicious butter sauce. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate. Incidentally, I made my soda bread in a muffin pan so it makes even-sized servings with a nice crust all around it.
1 lb. Large Shrimp in shells
1 stick Butter
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce or Chili Oil
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Peppers
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
Pinch of crushed Celeriac
Peel and devein shrimp, rinse, and put in a sealable quart plastic bag. Add Olive oil, crushed red peppers, and garlic. Seal and turn the bag over several times to coat all the shrimp.
In a saucepan, add the Chili Oil or Olive Oil, Tabasco sauce and Irish Whiskey. Stir and cook until the liquid is reduced by about 1/4. Add butter and Celeriac and stir together until it looks creamy.
Lower heat to a simmer and add shrimp with the oil. Cook until you can see the pink on the bottom side, then turn them over and cook the other side. About two to three minutes.
Transfer shrimp to serving dishes. Add a bit of parsley to bring a touch of color if you wish. Serve with cauli-rice, zucchini pasta, or Irish Soda Bread. Makes about 3 servings.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 446.3 Fat:32.3 g Net Carbs: 0.4 g Protein: 32.0 g
Even in winter, we have a lovely selection of vegetables that are simply scrumptious when roasted. This recipe is based on one Yummly sent in my email, but I’ve made changes to only include low carb vegetables in the mix. No potatoes or carrots in it. I did go a little overboard when I prepared my vegetables and ended up with enough to feed ten to twelve people. Good thing I love these veggies. So, I scaled it down to half that size and this should make enough nice side servings for six.
Hearty Winter Roasted Vegetables
2 small Golden Beets
1 cup Kohlrabi
1 cup Turnips
1 cup Cauliflower flowerets
2 stalks Celery, medium-sized
1 medium Yellow Squash
1 large Zucchini
3 small Sweet Peppers
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cut all vegetables into about 1-inch pieces. Try to keep them close to the same sized pieces for even cooking. Keep the softer vegetables (celery, squash, peppers) separate from the harder ones (beets, kohlrabi, turnips, cauliflower).
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup.
Add water about two-thirds up a large pot and bring to a boil. Add hard vegetables and boil for about five minutes to partially cook them. Drain and run cold water over them.
In a large plastic bag, mix the olive oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic salt, garlic powder,and pepper. Stir or slosh it around in the bag until combined. Add the vegetables to the bag, seal and turn a few times to coat all of them.
Spread the vegetables out on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 125 Fat: 9.4 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 2.3 g
In my mind, and in the ones bought locally, the calzone has always been like a pizza sandwich. Mind you, I’ve since heard that real calzone has ricotta and other cheeses in it and no sauce or gravy, as they say back east. Nonetheless, I love the dough, which is like pizza dough, and the convenience of a pocket sandwich.
I’ve tried several low carb flour brands to create a passable pizza crust and the best one I’ve tried is from LC Foods, their Pizza, Calzone, and Bagel flour mix. I’ve also tried Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Flour and it works, but the dough is sweeter than I like. Other flours may work, but nut flours don’t give as good a result. For one thing, the yeast doesn’t seem to work well on them.
Ready for the oven, calzone made with DCC All Purpose Flour.
Basic Calzone Recipe
Based on the LC Foods Recipe for pizza crust.
3/4 cup LC Pizza Flour
3/4 tsp Sugar Substitute
1/8 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Rapid Rise Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup Water, warm
Mix sweetener, salt, and yeast into flour. Add water and oil and knead dough by hand until a gluten film forms and the dough doesn’t break. You can use a bread hook or a bread mixer if you wish, but it is just as easy to do it by hand.
Pull the dough together in a ball, then place in an oiled bowl or on a bread board and cover then place in a warm place for the dough to double in size, around 30 to 40 minutes.
Dough rolled into a 5 to 6 inch circle.Calzone with pork filling ready to fold.
For calzone, divide the dough in half, then roll or stretch each out on a lightly floured, using low carb flour, bread board into 5 to 6 inch thin rounds. Place on baking screen or stone and fill one half with desired filling. Fold it over to make a half circle and pinch the edges closed. Small gaps for air vents are okay.
Bake at 415 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes until browned or crisped to desired level.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 147 Fat: 3 g Net Carbs: 3 g Protein: 16.5 g
BBQ Pork Calzone-Style Sandwich
This is more a BBQ Pork sandwich in a calzone pocket than an actual calzone. It is delicious though and not too difficult to make. Works great with left over pork ribs.
1 Pizza Dough recipe made up and split into two balls
2 cooked boneless Pork Ribs (about 3 oz.), chopped or shredded
1/4 cup Sugar-free BBQ Sauce (I used Walden Farms, 0 calorie & 0 carbs)
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F.).
In a small skillet, heat the Olive Oil, then add the onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until almost tender. Add the pork and the BBQ sauce, stir together, and cook a couple of minutes.
Roll out one ball of dough to make a 5 to 6 inch circle. It will be very thin so try not to break through the dough. Place the dough on top of a pizza screen or on a pizza stone. If you have to use a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.
Put one half of the toppings on one side of the dough leaving a slight edge clear. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal it into half-round pocket. Brush a little melted butter over the top. Make the other calzone in the same way.
Bake in the oven about 15 minutes until the calzone is golden brown. Let cool a couple of minutes then serve. You can add an additional small dish of BBQ Sauce for dipping if you wish.
Nutrition Information for filling only: Calories:180.1 Fat: 12.0 Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 14.5 g
Nutrition Information with calzone dough: Calories: 327 Fat: 15 g Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein: 31 g
Pizza-Style Calzone made with LC Foods Pizza, Calzone and Bagel flour.
Pizza Style Calzone Sandwich
This is a simple variation of the same recipe only using typical pizza ingredients for the filling. You can add in pepperoni or ground beef or any other meat of your choice without altering the carb count too much unless the meat has a lot of carbohydrates in it. For reference, I used Bertolli Vodka Pasta Sauce for this recipe. A couple of other pasta sauces are lower in carbs.
1 Pizza Dough made up and split into two balls
3 oz. Italian Sausage
1/4 cup Pasta Sauce of Choice (Look for lowest carb)
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped or slice Olives
2 tablespoon Mushroom slices, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Mozzarella or other white cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Greens of choice (optional)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F.)
In a small skillet, add cook the Italian sausage until lightly browned, remove and set aside. Add garlic and bell peppers to the pan and saute. When bells are getting soft, add the mushrooms and cook for about 30 seconds more. If you are using the green, stir them into the pan and cook until they start to wilt. Remove from heat. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir in the olives. Mix in the pasta sauce.
Roll the dough out for the calzones and place on pizza screen or on pizza pan. Spoon filling over one half of the calzone dough, sprinkle on cheese, and fold it over. Seal the edges, leaving a couple of open spots for venting. Sprinkle a little cheese over the top if you wish.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition Information for filling only: Calories: 188.4 Fat: 14.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 10.9 g
Nutrition Information with calzone dough: Calories: 368.5 Fat: 17.9 Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein: 25.4 g
Tip: To get a golden brown and shiny bread, you can brush with olive oil or spray with an olive oil or butter baking spray before baking.
A light and delicious breakfast treat, these little pancakes are satisfying in the way toast and jam is. I used homemade sugar-free cranberry sauce as a filling, but you can also use strawberries or blueberries in them. The carbs come out about the same.
In a medium-sized bowl, add the melted butter, egg, ricotta cheese, cream, vanilla extract and sugar and whisk together well. Mix baking powder and flour together and gently stir into the egg mixture. Add chopped nuts and stir them through the batter. Add a tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.
Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Reduce the heat a little. Put two tablespoons of batter on the griddle for each pancake. They should be about 3 inches across. Unless you have a large griddle, you can cook two at a time easily. Cook for about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until bubbles break through the pancake and the batter appears to be set. Turn to cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes until it is lightly browned.
Remove to a warm plate to keep warm. Prepare the remaining batter into two more pancakes. Butter and serve with syrup or jam.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 246 Fat: 21.9 g Net Carbs: 3.4 g Protein: 8.9 g
With Cranberries/no nuts Calories:252.6 Fat: 22.0 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 9.0 g
