All posts by Rene Averett

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Tastes of the Season: Crustless Brussels Sprouts Pie

Depending on how you feel about baby cabbages, as we tend to call Brussels sprouts around our house, this could be a great recipe or one to avoid. I will mention here that you can substitute other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi, for the sprouts and it will make a very taste quiche.

I served this with prime rib for Christmas dinner and it was a hit with even someone who wasn’t that crazy about Brussels sprouts. So, for the adventurous, here’s a different side dish for the holidays or any time. This is based mostly on a recipe I got from 12Tomatoes.com and adapted a little bit. I eliminated the crust since most of the carbs are in it, which leaves a much lower carb’d dish. I also added a little ricotta to tone down the eggs and add more texture.

My Christmas dunner with prime rib, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprout pie, creamed cauliflower, and Harvard beets; all low-carb.

Crustless Brussels Sprouts Quiche

2 cups of Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and outer leaves removed
1 cups Heavy Cream or half-and-half
1 cup Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Coat a pie plate with butter or cooking spray.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook Brussels sprouts for about five minutes until fork tender.

Arrange the sprouts in the bottom of the pie plate, standing them on end if possible. I used frozen sprouts and they refused to stand up. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

In a medium bowl, add eggs, cream, ricotta cheese, and seasonings. Whisk together until blended, then pour carefully over the sprouts.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool a few minutes before servings. It will deflate some.

Makes 6 to 8 servings depending on appetite.

Nutrition Information per serving (6 per pie):
Calories: 263 Fat: 23 Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 10.2 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 per pie):
Calories: 197.3 Fat: 17.3 g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 7.6 g

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know how you like it.

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Honey Ginger Pancakes

Looking for a special breakfast meal this holiday season? How about something with a yummy honey flavor along with the seasonings of gingerbread? I came up with this recipe and just loved it. It’s not the lowest carb’d breakfast you can serve, but it is still about 8 net carbs and is really filling. Add a couple of slices of bacon or sausage and it will last you until dinner.

Honey Ginger Pancakes with Pecan Sauce

2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoons Coconut or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Cloves, ground
2 teaspoons Ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Ginger, Crystallized, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Sugar–free Honey
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Bakesquick or Carbquick Mix or other Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Honey Ginger Pecan Sauce

1/4 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Sugar Free Honey
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup Pecan pieces

In a medium bowl, add ricotta cheese, oil, and eggs and beat together with a whisk or a rubber spatula. (I use the small end of my double-sided spatula for this.) Add the seasonings — cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and ginger paste– and add the sugar substitute and sugar-free honey. Hold on to the ginger crystals for now. Mix it into the egg mixture well.

In a small bowl, add the low carb flour of choice, the vanilla whey powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix together. Add to the egg mixture and stir until fully mixed in. The batter should be thick, but easy to spread in the pan. Chop the candied ginger into little bits and stir into the batter. If the batter is too thick, thin with a little water.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water skittles across it. Lower to a medium high head and spoon two heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Spread to form about a 4 to 5 inch pancake. If there is room, add a second pan cake. Cover and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the top no longer looks wet and the spatula slides easily under the cake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until browned on the bottom.

Remove to a warm plate and keep warm in a low oven while you prepare the rest of the cakes.

Look at how thick these pancakes are!

For the Ginger Pecan Sauce:
In a non-stick pan, melt the butter. Add the ground ginger, ginger paste, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the chopped pecans and honey and toast for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Pour over the pancakes and serve.

Makes 2 servings of 2 pancakes each.

Pancakes only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 286.7 Fat: 21.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 15.6 g

Sauce Only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 418 Fat: 44.9 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 3.0 g

Note: Want to cut the calories some? Just use sugar-free maple syrup in place of the Ginger Pecan Sauce or use 1/4 cup of pecan pieces instead of 1/2 cup. That will lower the calories by 100 per serving. Or only eat one pancake and 1/4 of the sauce.

Desserts, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Cranberry Cream Parfait

Last month, I was all about the pumpkin, but this month my passion is cranberries. They really are a wonderful fruit that keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and even longer when frozen. I buy at least a dozen bags when they’re available in late Fall. They can be made into so many things.

This is a variation of the pumpkin parfait I posted last month and it is sooooo good. It makes a light, creamy-tasting dessert to follow up a heavy meal like prime rib and turkey. And it is so easy to make. You can put it into dessert dishes or just leave it in the bowl and spoon it out into a little bowl or plate to serve.

Cranberry Parfait served with a half-slice of pumpkin bread.

Cranberry Orange Cream Parfait

Cranberry Topping
1 cup whole Cranberries
2/3 cups Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Water

For the Cream cheese filling
8 oz . Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Cranberries, chopped
1/2 package Orange Drink Mix
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Prepare the Cranberry topping first. Put a small pan on the stove with the water and bring to a boil. Stir in sugar substitute and reduce heat to a low boil. Add the cranberries and stir. Wait for the berries to pop, then stir well and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and chill.

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and ricotta cheese and mix with a hand mixer until they are smoothly blended. Add 1/2 cup sugar substitute, the orange drink mix, and the chopped cranberries and mix together.

In a small bowl or blender, add the cup of heavy cream and beat until it begins to thicken. Add 1/4 cup sugar substitute and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream is thick enough to spoon out with it holding its shape.

Reserve 1/4 cup whipped cream and stir the rest into the cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon of the cranberry sauce into the bottom of a 1/2 cup dessert glass, add 1/6th of the mixture (about 3 tablespoons), then add another teaspoon of the cranberry sauce on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 285 Fat: 28.4 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 4.3 g

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season – Asparagus Pinwheel Appetizers

For my second holiday party last weekend, I made these tasty little appetizers that are so easy to put together. If you want to be nice to non-low-carbers, you can make one portion with low carb tortillas and the other three with regular or flavored tortillas. I used the tomato spiced tortillas for mine for the party and made mine with low carb flour tortillas. Either way, these are a delicious and colorful snack.

Asparagus Pinwheels

Low carb version with low carb flour tortillas.

1 (8 ounce) package Cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 Green Onions, finely chopped
4 large Low Carb Flour Tortillas
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
8 to 12 stalks Asparagus, depending on the length
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim asparagus spears and par boil for 3 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cream. Beat with a mixer until blended and smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese.

Warm the tortillas to make them more pliable. Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture on the tortilla, be sure to go all the way to the edge on the side that will be the end of the roll. Sprinkle 1/4 chopped onions, 1/4 peppers, and 1/4 celery evenly over the tortilla. Place two stalks of asparagus down the center of the tortilla, about 1″ apart. Make sure they go the full length. If they aren’t long enough, cut extra from the additional stalks you prepared.

Beginning at the side you did not spread to the edge, roll the tortilla tightly into a long roll and press the opposite side to secure with the cream cheese edge all the way to the bottom. If you didn’t get enough cream cheese on the edge, use a little extra on the edge to make it stick.

Wrap the roll tightly in aluminum foil. Repeat with the other tortillas.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Remove and use a bread knife to cut about 1/2 inch at each end off, then cut the rest into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. It should make about 10  slices per tortilla.

Arrange on a party tray and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Recipe makes 40 pinwheels.

Nutrition Information per pinwheel (based on 40):
Calories: 36.5 Fat: 2.9 g Net Carbs: 1.2 g Protein:1.7 g

Note: It helps to have a container of spreadable cream cheese handy in case you don’t have enough on the edges after you roll the tortilla.

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Holiday Cheeseball

If you’re like me, you can be sorely tempted at a holiday party this time of year.  When you have several to attend and you can bring a side dish or appetizer, you can at least make sure something you bring is low in carbohydrates. This past weekend, I had two parties to contribute a dish and I made two easy to make options that didn’t stress my low carb allotment, although a couple of the other goodies at them did make it tough. I’m posting the recipe for one of them today and I’ll put the other one up later in the week.

This one is based on a recipe from All Recipes with a couple of changes to suit my tastes, such as adding taco seasoning to give it a bit of spice.  It looks really cute on the table and is as delicious as it is attractive.

Seasoned Yule Tree Cheeseball

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion or 3 tablespoons fresh minced onion
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper, freshly ground

1/2 red bell pepper
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds (optional)

If using dehydrated onions, add the minced onion to about 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let sit until most of the water is absorbed. If you use three tablespoons of fresh minced onion, omit this step.

In a large bowl, add cream cheese and use a mixer to whip until creamy. Add cheese, minced onions, taco seasoning and garlic pepper and mix until completely combined. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to pull the cream cheese together into a ball.

Cover a plate with plastic wrap, then form the ball into a cone-shaped tree. Put in the refridgerator to chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to decorate, cut the bell pepper into short strips and cut out a top decoration, such as a star or a circle, or whatever you would like. Chop the parsley sprigs or pull them off for longer greenery.

Press the parsley into the cheeseball tree to give it a lush green tree look. Add pieces of the bell pepper to form decorations or garlands on the tree. Top with the your topper choice. Add a few sliced almonds to make additional decorations.

Chill until ready to serve, then carefully use a wide spatula to slide under the cheeseball and move to a serving platter. Serve with low carb crackers or vegetables to keep the treat low carb.

Makes about 20 servings.

Nutrition Information per 1 serving:
Calories:106.2 Fat: 10.0 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 3.1 g

Tip: If you’re having a small party or a family dinner, this recipe can be halved easily to serve 8 to 10 people.  Or make a full recipe, split it in half and make two trees for different parties. 

Other appetizer recipes for the holidays – click on the images:

Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Tomato Spinach Cheese Puffs

 

Tamale Pie ‘Shrooms