All posts by Rene Averett

Book Nook

Cookbook Launch Planned

As I mentioned previously, I am putting out a cookbook!  I have some recipes that have not appeared on this blog as well as a few that have, but they are all adapted for small batches or for two servings.  If you’re like me, there’s only two low carb eaters in the household and we don’t want a lot of leftover food in the ‘fridge.  It tends to get shoved to the back and go bad before we see again and that’s not just wasteful, it’s also icky.  So this book aims to make it easier to cook for one or two people.

I almost have the cover design done so that will be going up in early March for a preview.  I am currently targeting March 14 as the launch date and I will keep you updated on the progress and if that changes.  I am busily reviewing the recipes to make sure I haven’t missed anything or put in any wrong measurements.  It’s amazing how much work actually goes into writing a cookbook, testing the recipes, and photographing them.  But it has been a lot of fun and I love tasting all of these.  They are all on the high taste-o-meter scale, so I hope you will love them as well and will want to pick up a copy for your tablet or possibly book shelf.  Still not sure about actually having a hard copy available.

Once again, the planned launch date is March 14th, barring any technical problems with the file.  I haven’t tried converting the text and photos to Kindle yet, so that could prove to be a delay if it doesn’t go smoothly.  Either way, the news will be here and on my Facebook page.

Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

Sassy Salmon Spread for Tea Sandwiches

As I mentioned last week, I was helping with a tea party for a dear friend’s 90th birthday, which was on Saturday, Valentine’s Day. What a great party it turned out to be!

I posted the recipe for the Curried Chicken Sandwiches last week and this week, I am bringing you the recipe for the Smoked Salmon Spread. This is a fantastic and easy sandwich spread that incorporates the salmon into cream cheese to produce a lovely pink colored spread. I added a little dill to it along with a bit of red pepper. The result is delicious and has just a hint of bite. I forgot to take a photo as soon as the sandwiches were set out, so my photo shows most of the top layer of the carrier gone. I didn’t get any photos of the ones on my low carb focaccia bread, btu I can tell you, they were wonderful! You can use the spread on vegetable rounds, like cucumber or zucchini, instead of bread. Or you can put it on low carb crackers or Oopsie Rolls cut into finger-sized sandwiches.

Smoked Salmon Spread

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
3  tablespoons chopped Cucumber
4 ounces  cold Smoked Salmon, thinly sliced
1/2  teaspoon  Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon dried Dill
1/8  teaspoon  ground Red Pepper
12  Low Carb Bread slices or 24 slices of thinly cut zucchini
1/4 cup Green Onions, chopped

Reserve 1 oz of the salmon for topping.

Process cream cheese and cream in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Add the chopped cucumber, 3 oz. of salmon, lemon juice, red pepper and dill; process until well blended.

Use low carb bread of your choice or thinly slice two or three large zucchini’s to use as a base. You could also serve on sliced cucumber rounds. I used low carb focaccia bread for my sandwiches. You could also use Oopsie Rolls as a base – make them into bread-sized squares.

Spread each slice of bread with the filling. Slice the bread into triangles or cut in half.  Top each sandwich with a small piece of smoked salmon and a sprinkling of green onions. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Makes 24 finger sandwiches.

Carb counts don’t include the bread or vegetable base, so that needs to be added.

Filling Only:
   Nutrition Info per recipe:
     Calories: 587  Fat: 49.8 g  Net Carbs: 7.3 g  Protein: 30.2 g

   Nutrition Info per sandwich – 24 yield:
     Calories: 24.5  Fat: 2.1 g  Net Carbs: 0.4 g  Protein: 1.3 g

Desserts, Recipes

Rich Chocolate Valentine Treat – Low Carb and Flourless!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here’ s super easy and totally fantastic-tasting small chocolate cake that is low carb, gluten free and flourless!  Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  But it is the best!  I scored this recipe from All Recipes latest magazine and I only had to make a couple of changes to make it into low carb deliciousness.  I add vanilla whey powder to mine, which is gluten free in case you’re wondering (although check to be sure the brand you use says it’s gluten free), but it isn’t required.  I just like the extra taste and texture that it brings to the cake.  So, feel free to omit it.  I also added a little espresso coffee powder, which kicks up the chocolate flavor a little.  I topped it with miniature orange slices, but a few raspberries would be great on top also.

By the way, if you have valentine heart molds, this recipe would be super-special made in  heart shapes, then topped with a bit of sugar free raspberry jam and a teaspoon of whipped cream.  If I had thought of this sooner, I’d have done it!

For other Valentine’s Day ideas, try:  Valentine Torte. Raspberry Cream Gelatin, Valentine Candies

Espresso Flourless Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips
1/2 teaspoon Espresso Powdered Coffee
2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
2 1/2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Powder (optional)

Prepare two small cake molds, 3 1/2″ each, with parchment paper on the bottom, then spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter for about 20 seconds and stir together. Stir in the powdered coffee until it’s dissolved, then add the remaining ingredients and mix together well.

Spoon batter into each of the prepared molds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until cake pulls away from the side of the molds and a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool in the molds for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to continue cooling.  Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar substitute on it or a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves two or four. This cake is so rich, one half a cake really is enough, but if you want the whole thing, it’s still low carb. Omit the orange slices to save carbs.

Nutrition Info per cake (without orange slices):
Calories: 233.5 Fat: 23.2 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5 g

Nutrition Info per 1/2 small cake (4 servings to a recipe):
Calories: 116.7 Fat: 11.6 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 2.5 g

 

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

A Bit of Spice in a Chorizo and Egg Casserole

Coming from the southwest, you just know that I love Mexican food and that includes the spicy chorizo sausage that is mixed with chile.  The basque chorizo that I first found more frequently when I moved to Reno is a solid, easily cut version and it doesn’t melt in the skillet as the Mexican chorizo does.  This recipe is definitely for the Mexican variety.  These days, it’s packaged in a plastic tube and you can cut it open and squeeze it into the skillet.

Mexican style chorizo in a plastic tube. Chorizo can be pork or beef or a combination.

 

I made a small 2 or 4 serving (depending on how hungry you are) casserole of this, but it’s easy to double it to make a larger size.

Chorizo and Egg Casserole

4 eggs
2 oz Chorizo
1/4 cup sliced Bell Pepper
1/4 cup diced Onions
1/2 cup Mexican Cheese (Queso Fresca)
1/4 cup grated Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Chile Powder
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F>)

In a skillet add the olive oil and chorizo and cook over medium high heat until the chorizo begins to melt. Add the onions and bell peppers and continue to cook until the onions are tender and the chorizo is completely melted. Turn heat to low.

In a bowl, beat together eggs and seasonings. Add most of the Mexican cheese, saving a little for topping. Pour the eggs into the pan with the chorizo and stir to mix well. The eggs will begin to cook as you stir. Remove from heat. Spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray and pour the egg and chorizo mixture into the casserole. Sprinkle the remaining Mexican cheese and shredded cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 431 Fat: 32 g g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 29.5 g

*I’ve actually pictured 1/4 of the recipe serving, which is what I usually eat, so picture double the amount of that wedge in a regular serving.

Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

A Curried Chicken Tea Time Sandwich

Curries are very popular in Britain, so it’s no surprise that there’s a lovely curried chicken tea sandwich on some menus.  Happily, it’s an easy recipe to adapt to low carb and easy to make.  I am co-hosting a birthday tea for a dear friend who is turning 90 on Valentine’s Day and I plan to bring these sandwiches along with smoked salmon and cream cheese ones. These are colorful and delicious.  They also make a great luncheon open-faced sandwich.

The bigger challenge with these is the low carb bread.  You can make your own.  I made a low carb focaccia-style bread for this and that worked perfectly.  Or you could try this flat bread with it.  You can also spread it on low carb tortillas and roll them up, then slice into a pinwheels.  Or you can ditch the bread altogether and spread it on zucchini cut lengthwise to make the base.   However you do it, if you like curry, you’re going to love it.

 Curried Chicken Tea Sandwiches

1/4  cup  Unsweetened Flaked Coconut, re-hydrated
2 tablespoons Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/2  cup  chopped or slivered Almonds
1  (8-ounce) package Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons  sugar-free Orange Marmalade
2  teaspoons  Curry Powder
1/8  teaspoon  Salt
1/8  teaspoon  Pepper
2 cups  diced cooked Chicken
12  (1/2-inch-thick) slices low carb Bread
1  tablespoons diced Green Onions or fresh Parsley.

To rehydrate the coconut, place in a shallow bowl, add 1 tablespoon coconut milk or heavy cream, 1 tablespoon water and sugar substitute. Stir together, then let sit for at least 15 minutes.

In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese and 1 tablespoon heavy cream and beat until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, curry powder and orange marmalade and mix in. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the almonds and mix the rest into the cream cheese mixture.

In your food processor, put in chunks of chicken meat and pulse a few times to chop it to small pieces. Don’t cut them too small, but it will make the mixture easier to spread on the bread if the piees are about 1/4″ . Alternately, chop the chicken finely on a cutting board. Stir the chicken into the cream cheese mixture.

For Tea:
Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices, trim the crusts. Top with a few pieces of the reserved almonds and green onions. Cut each slice into 3 finger sandwiches. Makes 36 finger sanwiches.

For Luncheon:
Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices and top with almonds and green onions or parsley. Makes 12 open-faced sandwiches.

Nutrition Info per finger sandwich (filling only):
Calories: 45 Fat: 3.3 g Net Carbs: 0.7 g Protein: 03.4 g

If your bread is 2.0 carbs per slice, your net carbs per finger sandwich would be about 1.4 net carbs.

Nutrition Info per luncheon sandwich (filling only):
Calories: 135 Fat: 9.9 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 10.2 g

If your bread is 2.0 carbs per slice, your net carbs per luncheon sandwich would be about 4.1 net carbs

I’d love to hear how you like this if you try it and how you serve it.    Please send me comments.