All posts by RAverett

Breads, Recipes

Peanut Butter Muffin Is Smooth & Yummy

I haven’t had a sweet muffin in a while so I decided to try something a little different by adding peanut butter instead of regular butter to my favorite muffin recipe. The result is wonderfully delicious without being overwhelmingly peanut butter. For those who want more, just spread a little on the muffin after it’s cooked. As usual, I use my 3″ round cake silicone baking mold to make these so they are nicely round with lots of space for butter and/or jam. You can put them in muffin top pans but they may a bit larger so the muffin won’t be as tall. This recipe makes three muffins. If your pan makes six, then just double it. You can make this using either CarbQuick Baking Mix or Almond flour or any other low carb flour you prefer, but texture and taste may change.

Peanut Butter Muffins

1/2 cup CarbQuick or Almond flour
1/4 cup Flaxmeal
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Eggs, large
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, ground

Preheat oven to 360 degrees (F). Spray a 3″ (3 wells) cake tin or muffin top tin with cooking spray.

Mix flours, sugar substitute and baking soda together. Add eggs, peanut butter, oil and cinnamon and mix well. Make sure the eggs get thoroughly mixed in so you don’t have strings of egg in the muffins. Spoon equally into the three prepared wells and smooth.

You can also use regular muffin tins, filling each well to at least two-thirds. You may get four to six muffins and the carb count will be lower.

Bake for about 20 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool a few minutes, then remove from the pans and serve or let cool completely and store in a plastic baggie.

Peanut Butter Muffin with low carb pomegranate jelly. Awesome!

Nutrition Info for 1 muffin:
Carbquick:
Calories: 215.7 Fat: 16.1 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 11.7 g
Almond flour:
Calories: 250.3 Fat: 20.19 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 11.6 g

NOTE: Different brands and qualities of almond flour have different carb counts. For this calculation, the net carbs for 1/2 cup came to 4.5 g. Check it against yours and adjust accordingly, but the count should be close.

Peanut Butter Muffin with low carb pomegranate jelly. Awesome!

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/15/2014 11:38 PM

Breads, Recipes

Rene’s Egg Bread Roll: A Variation of the Atkins Roll

Egg roll bread used to make yummy French toast.

 

‘Tis said that the Oopsie Roll came about by accident while Jaime from YourLighterSide was making the Atkins Revolution Roll. Well, this one also came about by accident while I was making my version of the Oopsie Roll. I inadvertently forgot to add the cream cheese. There it was, sitting on my counter, ready to be added to the egg yolks in the bowl and I completely spaced it! That’s what happens when your brain is busy doing other things. So I call this an egg bread, because it is primarily egg. I even added an extra egg to it because it seemed too thick. The flavor is very good and it is a sturdy bread. It uses Carbquick or Almond Flour (or possibly Coconut flour, although I haven’t tried that in it), so it isn’t suitable for Induction on Atkins, nor probably South Beach. It is good for the other phases of the plan though.

Rene’s Egg Bread Roll

An accidental version of my version of Oopsie rolls with Carbquick.

4 eggs
2 tablespoons Carbquick or other baking mix or almond flour
1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 teaspoon Oat Fiber (optional)
dash of Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Prepare 3″ cake molds or a baking sheet with parchment paper by spraying with cooking spray. Recipe makes 6 buns.

Separate three eggs, one at a time, putting egg yolks in a medium bowl and egg whites in a deeper bowl. Beat the egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until egg whites are stiff.

Add Carquick and oat fiber to the egg yolks and beat until well blended. Add a couple of drops of liquid sucralose or a teaspoon of sugar substitute. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix into the egg yolks.

Carefully fold the yolk mixture into the stiff egg whites until blended. Don’t stir as that will break down the egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the molds evenly or into six equal rounds about 3 inches across on the parchment paper.

Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. If you are using pans on two rack levels, swap them mid-way through cooking to ensure they brown evenly.

Remove the pans and let cool 10 to 15 minutes, then remove from pans and place on rack to finish cooling.

These make good sandwich buns or can be torn and used for Baked French toast, bread pudding or other bread based dishes.

Makes 6 rolls. Use two rolls for a sandwich.

Nutrition Info: (per roll)
Calories: 56.4   Fat: 3.8 g   Net Carbs: 0.6 g   Protein: 4.7 g

Original POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/9/2014 2:10 PM

Breads, Desserts, Recipes

Gingerbread Bliss

We are truly into the holiday season now and part of that season are the wonderful scents associated with the winter and cooking. Pine scents from the trees or scented candles, peppermint, cinnamon, clove and of course, ginger… specifically gingerbread. I haven’t enjoyed gingerbread in several years now and I was determined this year to make some while trying to keep it in the low carb column. Honestly, I’ve worked too hard for the past four years to get the weight off and I have no intention of letting the holidays un-do any of that effort. Besides, with the products available for baking and making sweets, there’s no reason you can’t have your gingerbread and not the carbs or calories.

This recipe is based on one from AllRecipes.com by Charles. All adjustments to make it low carb are mine and I can say it is very, very good. PK raved about it as well, so I think it is a great substitute for the original gingerbread. But if you are one of the lucky folk who have a metabolism that burns everything, you can find the original recipe here and make the full-bodied version.

For the rest of us, here’s the adapted recipe and also a recipe for a Simple Hard Sauce. Do let me know if you try it and how you like it. As usual, I use CarbQuick, which is the lowest carb flour mix I can find, but you can use any low carb flour as the main flour except coconut flour. Too much of it doesn’t make the best option and it requires at least 4 to 6 eggs to get a good rise. Bob’s Red Mill has a low carb baking mix that you can find in many stores that have a health food section and sometimes at Big Lots.

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

 

1/4 cup White Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Brown Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Butter, unsalted
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 cup Sugar-free Maple Pancake Syrup
2 cups Carbquick or other low carb flour (almond flour will also work)
1/4 cup Coconut Flour or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
1 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup hot Water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square pan or spray with cooking spray. .

In a large bowl, use a mixer to cream together the sugars and butter. Beat in the egg and egg white and mix in the syrup. Beat until smooth.

In a smaller bowl, sift together the flours, protein powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture in about three batches, mixing in before adding the next. Mix in the hot water until well blended. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving. Cut into squares and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or with a hard sauce to add a little more spice.  Makes 16 2″x2″ servings.

Gingerbread nutrition per serving:
Calories: 99.6 Fat: 8.5 g Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 3.4 g

Simple Hard Sauce

Makes two servings (increase as needed)

1 tablespoon Butter
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Rum or Bourbon

In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and sugar, stir in the spices, and stir until it is warmed up. Add the rum or bourbon, stirring in and letting it heat up a little.

With a fork or a toothpick, poke several holes in the top of the gingerbread servings, then slowly pour or spoon 1/2 of the syrup over each slice, allowing the syrup to soak into the bread.

Serve immediately.

Note: If you have a Gingerbread Sugar-free Syrup, you can use one ounce of that in place of half the sugar substitute, but I would still use the spices.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 68.5   Fat: 5.8 g   Net Carbs: 0.2 g   Protein: 0.1 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/12/2013 12:58 PM

Breads, Recipes

The Flat Scone Revealed

Back many moons ago, when I was a kid, I loved reading Walt Disney Comic Books. My favorites were Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and I really enjoyed stories with Uncle Scrooge and his nephews. I learned things from the comics, although they may have steered me wrong on the Terries and the Firmies causing earthquakes, even though the two types of quakes may have been pretty much on target. But one of the things that really stayed with me was the story of Uncle Scrooge cravings scones, saying he’d give a fortune for a “bucket of scones”. Donald and the nephews, thinking he said stones, brought him a bucket of rocks. Scrooge then explained that scones were a thin, flat cake eaten in Scotland.

Fast-forward many years and I was finally in Great Britain and there were scones all over the places, but none of them were the ones described by Uncle Scrooge. The wonderful baked scones I encountered became a favorite, especially slathered with clotted cream. Even in Scotland and Ireland, I didn’t encounter the scones of which the old duck had quacked poetic. But recently, I have seen a few recipes from Ireland and Scotland for a griddle scone that does sound a bit like the one described. Reading though a recipe for Potato Scones, I thought, “Ha! I can make this using mashed butternut or acorn in place of the mashed potatoes. So, I did… and the result was wonderful. The scones are “baked” on the griddle, much like a pancake or crumpet. The flavor is absolutely delicious. Add a little butter and jam and you have a real treat. I added a little sugar substitute to mine to make them sweet, but you can leave it out for a scone that goes well with soups and stews.

My only complaint is that the scones are a bit too small, so it takes two to make a nice serving.

Butternut Griddle Scone

A variation on an Irish Potato Scone using Butternut or Acorn squash instead of potatoes. I use Vanilla whey protein powder in the recipe to help with the texture, but it is optional. If you don’t use it, add one more tablespoon of coconut or 2 tablespoons of almond flour.

1 cup cooked and mashed Butternut or Acorn Squash
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 teapoon Salt
3/4 cup Carbquick baking mix or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Carbquick (for rolling out)
3 tablespoons Coconut or Almond flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute

Combine the squash, butter, sugar and salt together in a bowl, mixing thoroughly. Mix the flours (except the 2 tablespoons of Carbquick), whey powder and baking powder together, then stir in the butternut mix to make a pliable dough.

Spread 1 tablespoon of the Carbquick on a cutting board or bread board and push about 2/3 aside. Divide the dough into three parts. Put one section of dough on the bread board and shape into a round. Press it out to about 5″ in diameter and round out the circle. Cut the circle into quarters. Repeat with each section of the dough.

Heat a flat griddle or frying pan on medium heat and lightly butter. Cook each wedge for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once. Serve hot with butter or clotted cream.

Makes 12 scones.

Nutrition Info per scone:
Calories: 58 Fat: 3.9 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 2.2 g
The acorn squash is slightly lower in Net Carbs at 2.2 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/9/2013 6:09 PM

Breads, Recipes

Spiced Persimmon Bread

My roomie’s mom used to make persimmon bread – or persimmon cake, it was so moist – every fall when a neighbor’s tree was harvested and freeze a few loaves. We really loved this bread and looked forward to getting one of those loaves. Sadly, we haven’t had the joy of this in several years, but I went on a persimmon hunt this year and found a few at a local market. This recipe is a close recreation of Toni Kelly’s recipe using low carb flours. With Thanksgiving just a few days away, this bread would be a great brunch item or even a mid-morning snack before the main meal. If you don’t have persimmons, substitute in peaches. (And peaches are lower in carbs.) Neither fruit is on the first phases of the Atkins plan, but if you’re mindful of the carb count, you can fudge a little.

It can be made with almond flour and coconut flour, but if you are going to go for low carb baking, I really recommend using a low carb baking mix like CarbQuick or LC Foods or Bob’s Red Mill, even if you have to order it. The actual carb count varies with the flours used. I use CarbQuick for most of my baking and I am happy with the flavor and texture. All low carb flours tend to be pricey, but Netrition has the best prices on Carbquick that I’ve found so far. For the gluten free readers, they also have gluten free flours that can be substituted. Use at least two flours to get a flavor mix. I also use vanilla whey protein powder often in my baking. It’s not required, but it helps with texture as well as flavor. If you like the taste of soy flour, which I don’t, you can also substitute it for one of the flours. Peanut flour brings a peanut flavor with it and I wouldn’t use it in most recipes unless you want the peanut taste. Most other nut flours have a mild flavor and aren’t as noticeable in the recipe.

For this recipe, I used a combination Hachiya persimmons for 1/2 cup of the pulp and Fuyu persimmons for the other 1/2 cup. The Hachiya are baking persimmons and need to be ripened until they turn to a jelly consistency before using. The Fuyu are eating persimmons, but work wonderfully in baking and can be used as soon as they are just slightly soft.

Spiced Persimmon Bread

1 cup Persimmon pulp
3/4 cup Carbquick
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Vanilla whey protein powder (optional)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, ground
1/2 tsp C love, ground
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped

Peel about 3 persimmons and cut into cubes. Put in food processor to puree. Measure out. Should not be more than one cup.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray with baking spray a small loaf pan.

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flours, protein powder, coconut flour, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate larger bowl, mix the liquid ingredients – eggs and coconut oil – with the white and brown sugar substitutes and the vanilla. Add the persimmon pulp and seasonings, then mix in the flour. If the batter is too thick to stir easily, add enough water to make it easy to stir. Then stir in the nuts. Pour into the bread pan.

Bake for 45 minutes, then test with a toothpick inserted in the middle. The toothpick should come out clean. If not, bake another 5 minutes and retest. You want it to be moist, but not undercooked. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack or a plate.

Makes about 14 slices.

Nutrition Info per slice:
Calories: 148   Fat: 12.9 g   Net Carbs: 3.4 g   Protein: 4.3 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 11/24/2013 10:30 AM