All posts by RAverett

Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Breakfast Sandwiches in a Jiffy!

Don’t you just love those breakfast sandwiches from McDonald’s or Burger King or any other of the fast food places that sell these wonderful little egg and muffin or biscuit or croissant sandwiches? But if I want to grab one from one of the above mentioned restaurants, I am looking at between 28 and 36 net carbs per sandwich, so I haven’t done any grabbing in the last three years. I love these things and I have missed them now and then although there are perfectly acceptable substitutes in the low carb world if you make your own biscuits and rolls.

You can make your own sandwiches at home and they are pretty easy, but not quite the same. The other part of that is keeping everything hot until you eat it and that’s where this new little cooker I bought last week comes in. I accidentally stumbled on a video demo of Hamilton Beach’s Breakfast Sandwich Maker that promises a sandwich like your favorite fast food restaurant. Well, I had to give this a try and it wasn’t too expensive. I have made several sandwiches since I bought it and they do come out fabulously and hot! So, I am going to share some of my recipes for quick cook sandwiches made with this little gadget that doesn’t take up much counter space, but they can also be made the old fashioned way… just not as quickly or easily.


The keys to quick cook are to have the meats precooked, your cheese, peppers, onions, whatever cut and ready to go and your egg in a little dish and either scrambled and seasoned or just ready to slide gently into the cooker. Another key when using low carb breads, whether they are purchased or homemade is to have them lightly buttered on the cut side, then to not put the top bread into the sandwich cooker until the last 2 minutes. And speaking of homemade bread, there are several recipes on this blog that are helpful and you can always use an Oopsie Roll to make your sandwich. Try a low carb English Muffin or a Cream Cheese Biscuit or a Yeast Flax Roll. These are all sturdy enough to hold up to your sandwich, although I think the yeast rolls hold together better.

Let’s start the recipes with a basic sausage and egg breakfast sandwich…

Sausage and egg sandwich on a flax meal roll.

Italian Touch Sausage and Egg Sandwich

A bit of pesto sauce spread on the bread adds a touch of Italian to this sandwich. You can substitute in Italian sausage for more of the flavor or use prosciutto.

1 large Egg
1 tablespoon Cream
1 cooked Sausage Patty or 1 slice of Prosciutto
Thin slice Mozarella Cheese or Jalapeno Jack Cheese
1 tablespoon thinly sliced Sweet Peppers, lightly sautéed
1 tablespoon Pesto Sauce
2 or 3 leaves fresh Spinach (optional)
1 low carb English muffin or Biscuit or Roll

Preheat the sandwich maker and spray with cooking spray. While the cooker heats, prepare everything for cooking.

Lightly butter the cut side of the muffin or roll, spread the pesto sauce on the top half. Scramble the egg in a small bowl with cream, salt and pepper to preference. You can also cook the egg whole and just lightly poke the yoke with a toothpick. It won’t break the yolk.

In the lower section of the sandwich machine, put the bottom muffin half and top with sausage, sweet peppers, and cheese. Lower the top section of the cooker, make sure the middle plate is closed. Pour the egg into the upper section. Close the lid and cook for two minutes to allow the egg to set. Open the top section and put the top of the muffin on top of the egg and cook another 2 minutes.


Slide the middle section plate to the left, use a hot pad or hand cover, then lift the bottom section handle to remove the entire sandwich from the cooking plate to your serving plate. You can add any additional condiments you might like, such as mayonnaise or more salt and pepper.

To cook without a cooker:
Warm the sausage patty in a microwave for about 30 seconds or put n a skillet and warm on medium heat about 5 minutes. Put cheese on top of sausage and cover to allow the cheese to melt. While that is happening, split the roll and toast both halves in a toaster or toaster oven. Saute the spinach leaves enough for them to go limp. Prepare egg in another small skillet making a small omelette or use an egg ring to make a biscuit-sized egg.

Butter your roll halves and spread the cut side of the top with the pesto sauce. Transfer the sausage patty and cheese to the bottom of your roll, then put the egg on top with the spinach on top of that, then top with the pesto covered bread.

Nutrition Info for the filling only. Add in the info for the roll, biscuit or muffin. It will still be only about 6 net carbs.
Calories 304.5 Fat: 24.8 g Net Carbs: 2.8 g Protein: 16.1 g

More Recipes! Tillamook Cheese, Ham and Egg Sandwich, Steak and Bacon Sandwich and Hamburger (with the steak recipe).
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 4/19/2013 1:16 PM

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

Breakfast or Dessert? Sour Cream Blueberry Cobbler

PK and I brought home a large bag of frozen blueberries at the same time we were buying many things for a party and completely filled the freezer. So a week down the road, I had a bag of thawed (and leaking – thank goodness I put it in another storage bag!) blueberries. So, what to do with blueberries? I started out looking at a blueberry muffin recipe, but wanted to use more blueberries then hit on using the muffin recipe on top of the blueberries to make the cobbler. The result is awesome! I can’t wait to try it with other fruits, maybe even a strawberry rhubarb combination. As to the breakfast or dessert question, I think this works well for either. Let me know how you like it.

Sour Cream Blueberry Cobbler

3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Almond flour
1 cup Carbquick or other low carb baking mix
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 large Eggs
2/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup sugar substitute (like Ideal Sugar Substitute)
12 drops liquid Sucralose (like E-Z Sweet)
2 cups Blueberries, fresh or frozen (unsweetened)
1/2 cup blueberry juice, if available, or water
1/2 cup Sour Cream
6 drops liquid sucralose

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the flours and baking powder together. Set aside.

Put 2 cups of thawed blue berries and 1/2 cup of blueberry juice in a 9×12″ deep baking dish. Add sour cream and 6 drops of liquid sucralose. You can use Splenda or Equal, but it will increase the carb count. Mix together well, cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs, add whipping cream, sugar substitute and 12 drops of liquid sucralose. Mix well, then add the coconut oil and mix it in. Add the flour about 1/3 at a time, mixing it in before adding the next third.

Remove the plastic wrap over the berries and drop the batter on top of the berries, spreading it to cover the entire top.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Add whipped cream, whipped topping or sour cream with a bit of sweetener added, if you would like.

Nutrition Info: 1/8 of recipe
Calories: 256.8 Fat 28.1 g Net Carbs: 7.5 g Protein: 6.3 g

1/12 of recipe
Calories: 171.2 Fat: 18.7 g Net Carbs: 5.1 g Protein: 4.2 g
Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 5/8/2013 4:46 PM

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Recipes

Asian Fusion Dirty “Rice”


One of my favorite meals at the best Asian Bistro in town, before it became a sushi bar, was “Dirty Rice”, which is a combination of meat, vegetables and lots of flavor in a fried rice. It was a meal in itself, although you could add a refreshing cucumber, onion, radish salad with a bit of chilled rice vinegar dressing to add a bit of extra taste. For a dinner, add an appetizer, like a chicken, beef or pork satay.

This version comes close and replaces the rice with cauliflower and daikon riced and cooked to the same texture. Try it before you pooh-pooh it – you’ll be surprised at how well the cauliflower substitutes. No, it doesn’t taste exactly like rice, but it is close enough and I actually like it better. You can toss in a tablespoon of rice to add some of the rice flavor if you want. But it will add carbs.

Asian Fusion “Dirty” Rice

1/4 cup finely chopped Onions
1 tablespoons Coconut Oil or Olive Oil
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 drops Soy Sauce
1 drops Sesame Oil
2 ounces cooked lean boneless Pork, finely chopped
2 ounces Chicken, chopped
1/2 cup small, cooked Shrimp
1/4 cup Baby Corn, chopped (optional)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup frozen Green Beans, chopped into small pieces
1 1/2 cup frozen or fresh Cauliflower, riced
1/2 cup Daikon, riced
2 Green Onions, chopped
3/4 cups Bean Sprouts
1 tablespoons Soy Sauce

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in wok or rounded side skillet; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice golden color, about 5-7 minutes; remove from wok.

Allow wok to cool for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, mix egg with a drop of soy and a drop of oil.

Add 1 teaspoon oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture. Immediately swirl egg until egg sets, like an omelet. When egg puffs, flip egg and cook other side briefly; remove from wok, and chop into small pieces.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in wok; add meats to wok, along with beans, chopped baby corn and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add cauliflower, daikon, green onions, bean sprouts and chicken broth. Stir to mix well and continue to stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the liquid is almost gone. Add shrimp and cook another 2 minutes until shrimp are hot. Add soy sauce and stir in. Serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 310 Total Fat: 14.2 g Net Carbs: 7.4 g Protein: 33.5 g
With 1 tablespoon cooked rice added
Calories: 318.8 Total Fat: 14.2 g Net Carbs: 9.3 g Protein: 33.6 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 6/9/2013 3:21 PM

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

Turkey & Bacon Cheddar Melt

I love doing a hot sandwich for lunch and this is really a great-tasting one with turkey, bacon (how could you go wrong?) and an egg thrown in for extra goodness and it helps keep you feeling full longer. This open-faced sandwich is easily done with a Hamilton Beach sandwich maker. No, I am not promoting them, just saying. But I do include directions to do it without this unit. It just takes a little more work. For a gluten-free option, use an Oopsie Roll (recipe link below) for the base.

1 slice Turkey breast meat, 1/4″ thick
1 slice thick Bacon, cooked
1 oz Cheddar Cheese
1 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1 splash Heavy Cream (about 1 teaspoon)
Pepper, dash
1 teaspoon Onions, dehydrated flakes or 2 teaspoons freshly chopped onions
1 slice Ripe Tomato, medium, 1/4″ thick
1 slice Low Carb Bread or 1/2 low carb bun or 1 Oopsie roll *

Simple Flax Yeast Sandwich Roll or Low Carb English Muffin or Savory Sandwich Rounds or the Oopsie Roll from Your Lighter Side’s web site.

With the sandwich maker:

Plug in the sandwich maker to warm up. Spray the cooking surfaces with cooking spray.

Take 1 slice of bread cut into a round or 1/2 of a sandwich round cut across the middle to form two rounds.  Butter the top. Set aside.

Cut the turkey slice in half if it is oblong so that it will fit on the bread. Cut or tear the cooked bacon into two pieces. Place on top of the bread round.

In a small container — I like to use yogurt cups for this – break the egg, add ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, and onions and stir it well. Add a splash of cream and about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Mix it all together.

When the cooker is hot (usually by this point), put the bread half with the turkey and bacon into the bottom well. Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Lower the top well down, making sure the plate handle is all the way to the right. Pour the egg mixture in and close the lid. This may puff up and raise the lid, but don’t worry about it.

Cook for about 4 minutes. Raise the top lid and put the sliced tomato on top and close the lid again. This will grill the tomato a bit. Cook one more minute, unplug the unit, then slide the top plate to the left so the egg slides down on top of the meat and bread. Lift the bottom well up and use a spatula to lift the sandwich to a microwaveable plate. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top and put in the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

Enjoy. I like to add a little mayonnaise at this point, but that is optional.

To make without a fancy sandwich maker:

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the bread and butter it. Cut the turkey and bacon slices in half and grill in a small pan to heat it through. Remove to the bread and sprinkle cheese on top.

Mix the eggs, ricotta cheese, cream and onions as described above. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in the skillet and use an egg ring or a tuna can that both ends have been cut out as a mold. Pour the egg in and press down on the ring with a spatula until the eggs have set up enough that they don’t leak. Put a lid or a pan over the top and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the egg is almost set, then flip over if you want the top firmer.

Use the spatula to lift the egg to the meat and bread. Quickly fry the tomato slice to just tender, then put it on top of egg and sprinkle cheese over the top. Put in an ovenproof pan in the oven for about five minutes until the cheese is melted. Or you can put it in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition Info for the egg filling only:
Calories: 318 Fat: 28.9 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 24 g

The breads will add between .6 g (Oopsie roll) and 2 g

I used a Wheat Germ and Flax Round, cut in half for 1.2 carbs.

Here’s a tip for cooking your bacon with less mess and fuss – bake it!

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 9/26/2013 9:35 AM

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

Delicious Pumpkin French Toast Two Ways!

I actually created this recipe as a way to try to use the zero carb Julian Bread that I had purchased. It did bring a host of flavors to the otherwise tasteless bread, but I found it tastes so much better with breads that have flavors to add to the party. So here are two ways to make this low carb, but delicious dish. And by the way, you can make it with regular bread also if you aren’t worried about the carbs.

Essentially, the Baked French Toast is bread pudding with a little less egg and cream in it. So you can treat it as you might a bread pudding to make other variations. Add pecans or walnuts to the mix, add sugar-reduced craisins or blueberries. Instead of maple syrup, make a rum-flavored hard sauce. It can be a fabulous dessert.

Pumpkin French Toast with Low Carb Bread

This version uses a low carb bread base that you can make from a low carb muffin recipe or my Irish soda bread or scone recipe. Or you can use a bread mix from one of several companies.I used New Hope Mills Blueberry Muffin bread mix to make a loaf of bread. It makes about 14 slices and each slice is 2 net carbs. You can also make my low carb Irish soda bread and use two slices of that. I used New Hope Mills Blueberry Muffin bread mix to make a loaf of bread. It makes about 14 slices and each slice is 2 net carbs. You can also make my low carb Irish soda bread and use two slices of that.

Based on my BakedFrench Toast recipe, this adds pumpkin and several spices to the flavor mix. The recipe is basically a bread pudding mix with a little less egg and cream. Top it with butter and sugar free maple syrup.

2 slices of low carb bread
1 large Egg
1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream,
1 tablespoon Pumpkin-Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tablespoons Pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops liquid sucralose or 2 packets of Splenda, Stevia or other sweetener

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray a 1 1/2 cup casserole dish with cooking spray or lightly butter.

Tear bread into small pieces and put in a small mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to make a moist lumpy batter. Pour into the casserole dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pudding is done and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into two pieces. One piece is one serving.

Makes two servings – Atkins Phases 2 to 4, South Beach Phase 2 and 3

Nutrition Info (using New Hope Mills bread without pecans):
Calories: 213 Fat: 12.2 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 12.4 g

(using New Hope Mills bread with pecans):
Calories: 315.8 Fat: 21.2 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 13.8 g

 

Oopsie Roll Baked Pumpkin French Toast

This version uses the Oopsie Roll recipe from YourLighterSide.com or the Atkins Roll recipe, which is basically the same recipe but using Ricotta Cheese instead of Cream Cheese. Or you can do what I accidentally did and make an Egg Roll that doesn’t use either cream cheese or ricotta in it. Ingredients for the French Toast are basically the same, although I added in 1 oz. of cream cheese to replace the cream cheese that I left out of the Oopsie Roll. If you want to add the extra cream cheese with a properly made Oopsie Roll, it will add just a little on the carb count but a little extra richness to the dish. This version of the recipe is suitable for Atkins and (I believe) South Beach, phase 1 as well as being gluten free.

The photo at the top of the post is the Oopsie Roll version.

2 Oopsie roll rounds (1/3 of the standard recipe)
1 large Egg
1 oz. Cream cheese, softened (optional)
1.5 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream,
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops liquid sucralose or 2 packets of Splenda, Stevia or other sweetener

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray a 1 1/2 cup casserole dish with cooking spray or lightly butter.
Tear rolls into small pieces and put in a small mixing bowl. Cut the cream cheese into little squares and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to make a moist lumpy batter. Try to smear the cream cheese through the batter so you don’t have pockets of it when cooked.

Oopsie roll pumpkin batter in the casserole before baking.

Pour into the casserole dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pudding is done and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into two pieces. One piece is one serving.

Makes two servings – Atkins All Phases, South Beach All Phases

Nutrition Info
Calories: 218 Fat: 18.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 8.9 g

I didn’t include pecans in the second version, but they can be added. While the New Atkins version I started on about three years ago didn’t include nuts in phase 1, it seems to include them now, so that’s apparently a legal choice now.

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/6/2014 3:57 PM