Category Archives: Appetizers

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.

Appetizers, Breads, Desserts, Recipes

Versatility with French Madeleine Cakes

My friend Françoise , who is French, sent me her recipe for Madeleine Cakes a few weeks ago and I finally got around to adapting them to a low carb version. Magnifique! These are so delicious and rich-tasting, even with using low carb flour. They are wonderful right out of the oven, but equally good when warmed up for about 10 seconds per two in the microwave. I’ve also made a “cookie sandwich” with them and they work very well, except they try to slip off the filling.

But the recipe is more versatile than that. They can also be made in a savory version, so I’ve included that option below. Françoise’s original recipe called for Paris Ham, which is kind of like deli ham, and green olives. My adaptation still uses ham, but I’ve added bacon bits and bell peppers in lieu of the olives. I hope I haven’t committed sacrilege with the classic French recipe!

To make a “true” Madeleine cookie, you need to have the Madeleine pan, either a metal one or a silicone one.  You can find these in many stores that carry baking supplies and online at Amazon and other suppliers.  They have the shell shape and ridges that give the Madeleines their distinct look.  Françoise says that the temperatures are essential to getting the correct rise for the cookie.  I did lower the second temperature just a little for the low carb flours.

Classic Low Carb Madeleine Cookies

3 Eggs
1 Egg White
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar Substitite
1/2 cup CarbQuick or low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup Butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Melt butter in a small saucepan or microwave in a bowl. Set the butter aside.

Grate the lemon zest and get about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and add the sugar. Whisk together until foamy. Add the flours, whey powder and baking powder and mix together. Let rest a few minutes. If the batter is a little too thick, add a tablespoon of water. The coconut flour will absorb liquid.  Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and mix into the batter.

Use a silicon Madeleine cake pan to make it easier to release the cakes.

Fill the wells to 2/3 full, about 1 tablespoon, and smooth batter into the mold. Bake at 425 degrees for 4 minutes, then lower the temperature to 385 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes, then turn out of the pans.

Makes 24 cookie cakes

Nutrition Info per cookie:
Calories: 47.4  Fat: 3.9 g  Net Carbs 0.6 g  Protein: 1.9 g

Lemon Sandwich Cookies

And this is just something else you can do with the Madeleine cakes and low carb lemon curd. (Or any low carb jam, for that matter.)

8 Madeleine cakes
4 tablespoons Lemon Curd
4 tablespoons Cool Whip or Whipped Cream (optional)

Take two Madeleine cakes per serving. Place one on a serving plate, top down and spoon 1 tablespoon of lemon curd over the top, spreading smoothly. Top with the other Madeleine cake, shell design up and press into the lemon curd gently. Top with 1 tablespoon of Cool Whip or whipped cream.

Repeat with other cakes and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Ham and Peppers Madeleines

These are yummy as a snack or make great appetizers for a party. Try them with a little Ranch dressing or other low carb dressing as a dipping sauce. I added a ricotta cheese to my version to help the texture a little and add a bit more flavor.

3 large Eggs, fresh
3 tablespoons Liquid Egg White or 1 Egg White
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Ham, diced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, diced
2 tablespoons Bacon Bits,
1 teaspoon Parsley
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup Carbquick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Water
1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Dice ham and sweet peppers and set aside. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or a bowl in the microwave,

In a medium bowl, break the eggs and egg whites and beat with a whisk until they are creamy-looking, Add the ricotta cheese and whisk it in. Add the flours, salt, water and baking powder and stir in in well. The coconut flour will make the batter thicken, so add the water after its all mixed to thin the batter a little. Pour the butter around the edge of the bowl and gently mix into the batter. Stir in the ham, bacon, parsley and peppers.

In prepared Madeleine pans, spoon the batter into each of the wells to about 2/3 full. It is about 1 tablespoon of the batter.

Bake in 425 degree oven for 4 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 385 degrees and bake another 7 to 10 minutes until the cake is golden brown. Remove and let cool a few minutes, then turn them out on a pan and enjoy!

Makes 24 cakes.

Nutrition Info per cake
Calories: 60 Fat: 5.3 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 2.2 g

Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Cupcake-sized Egg Puffs for Breakfast or Snacks

This recipe makes six cupcake-sized ham and cheese egg puffs with an optional bit of low carb tortilla in them. You can bake them and keep them in the ‘fridge for quick breakfasts or snacks later in the week. I usually only eat one for breakfast, but someone who needs a little more sustenance than I do can eat two without stressing the carbs for the day.  Add a tablespoon of red salsa for a bit of spice with your eggs.  It’s only 1 net carb per tablespoon.

Ham and Cheese Egg Puffs

4 Eggs
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1/2 cup diced Ham
1 low carb Tortilla (optional)
1/4 cup chopped Green Pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon crushed Mexican Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees. Prepare the muffin cups by buttering or spraying with cooking spray. (I tried mine with paper cups, but the egg sticks to the paper too much.)

In a medium mixing bowl, break the eggs and stir with a fork or a whisk. Add the mayonnaise and heavy cream and continue to whisk until it is blended together. Add seasonings and stir them in.

If you’re using the tortillas, cut the tortilla into sixths, then tear the sections into smaller pieces to go in the muffin cups with 1/6th of the ham and peppers (if adding) in each cup.

Carefully pour or spoon the egg mixture over the filling in the cups, dividing it equally. It should almost fill the cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Use a toothpick inserted in the center to insure that it is done. Toothpick should come out clean. If you want to store these and reheat them later, you can undercook just a little, but make sure they aren’t runny.

Let cool a few minutes, then remove from the pan and serve or store.

Nutrition Info: (with optional items) 1 egg puff
Calories: 146.8 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 1.8 g Protein: 9.4 g

(without optional items) 1 egg puff
Calories: 135.2 Fat: 10.9 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 8.5 g

Without the tortillas, this is suitable for Phase I of Atkins.

Appetizers, Recipes

Chips without the guilt

While potato chips are the greatest crunch around, they aren’t always the lowest carb or calorie item you can snack out on or use as a dipper.  Other vegetable chips work really well also and have a great flavor.  They aren’t hard to make and you feel a little less guilty eating them.

The ones I’ve found that produce great results are zucchini squash, turnips, kohlrabi and daikon radish.  You can also use carrots, other summer squash and eggplant.  Look for large vegetables for this purpose since they will shrink up to 75% while they are drying out.  About 10 slices of these veggies will give you a satisfying serving and come in at around 3 net carbs per serving.

Cut the vegetable into 1/4 inch slices (or about that).  I use a salad shooter to cut most of mine and even then, they don’t always come out to the same thickness.  You can also use a slicer or just cut them with a knife.  For the turnips, put them in a small plastic bag, add a teaspoon of vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon Splenda or other sugar substitute per cup of turnip slices to add a bit of sweetness to the turnip.  Let sit for about 10 minutes, then drain the liquid off.

Zucchini slices ready to be oven dried.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F.

Line a cookie pan with parchment paper.  Place the raw chips on the paper  as closely together as you can.  They will shrink.  Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper (I like garlic pepper) or any other flavor you would like to add.  I put Parmesan cheese on zucchini sometimes.  You could also make a sweet chip with a bit of sugar substitute, cinnamon and a dash of ground cloves mixed together and sprinkled over the top.  This works well with squash, but I’m haven’t tried it with the other veggies.  Pretty sure it would be good with carrots.

Put in the oven for about four hours.  Check it after three hours to see how dry they are getting.  They need to completely dry out and get crisp, but you don’t want to burn them.  Once they are dry, remove from the oven and eat.  You can store them in a paper bag for a couple of days, if they last that long, but they will eventually pick up moisture from the air and soften.   You can dry them out again in a food dehydrator, if you have one.

Dried vegetable chips – from the top are turnips, daikon radishes and kohlrabi.

Nutrition Info:
Zuchinni (1/2 cup pre-dried – about 10 chips when dried)
Calories: 19.4 Fat: .5 g Net Carbs: 2.2 g Protein: 1.6 g
Turnips (about 10 chips when dried)
Calories: 42 Fat: .2 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 1.6 g
Kohlrabi (about 10 chips when dried)
Calories: 30 Fat: .0 g Net Carbs: 2. g Protein: 2 g
Daikon Radish (about 10 chips when dried)
Calories: 20.7 Fat: .0 g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: .7 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 8/14/2013 11:24 AM

Appetizers, Recipes

Yummy Party Bites = Pollo Pequitos

Holiday parties are coming up and a tasty little chicken-based treat is this Pollo Pequitos recipe (Little Chickens).  Confession time, this is loosely based on a Raleys recipe that I got through their try it program for Chicken Littles made with BBQ sauce, blue cheese and minced celery.  I wanted something a little spicier, so I came up with this delicious version.  You can serve these as appetizers at a party or 3 or 4 of them will make a main course for dinner.  Guess what I’m taking to the next pot luck party?

Pollo Pequitos (Little Chicken Bites)

2 large half Chicken Breasts , no skin
3 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Green Chile Salsa, Mild or medium
1/4 cup finely chopped Celery (about 2 medium stalks)
1/4 cup Shredded Cheddar & Monterey Jack Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 tablespoon butter
Dash of salt and pepper

 You’ll need tooth picks to secure the rolls.

If chicken breasts are very thick, cut them in half lengthwise.  Pound each potion of chicken with a meat mallet on a cutting board to flatten and shape it into a rectangle as much as possible.  Cut the chicken into 1″ wide by about half the length of the rectangle strip.  (About 1″x3″ – if you have a short piece, don’t cut 3t into two pieces.)

Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil or a silicone baking mat sprayed with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

In a small saucepan, melt a tablespoon of butter and  saute the chopped celery until it is just tender.  Set aside.

Mix the cream cheese with the garlic powder and the shredded cheese.  Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on each strip of chicken, leaving about 1/4 inch on one end free.  Brush or use a spoon to spread about 1/2 teaspoon green chili salsa on each strip and sprinkle in the middle with 1/2 teaspoon celery.   Roll each chicken strip up toward the ingredient free end to form a roll and secure with a toothpick.    Put each on the baking sheet as it is completed.

On the pan to be cooked.

Brush or spoon any extra salsa over the rolls.  Bake for 20 minutes and check for doneness.  Continue to cook at 5 minute intervals if they aren’t quite done.  They won’t brown but if you poke the chicken, any juices should run clear.  Let cool a few minutes then remove to serving dish.  Serve with additional green salsa if you wish.

Tip:  You might find it easier to spread the ingredients over the chicken without cutting it, leaving the straighter edge about 1/4 inch free of ingredients, then roll the whole breast up in one roll.  You could cut it into 1 inch rolls before or after baking,  I haven’t tried doing it this way yet, but it might be quicker and less messy.

Makes 14 to 16 appetizers.

Nutrition Info per appetizer (14 per recipe)

Calories: 72.2  Fat: 1.8 g Net Carbs: .6 g  Protein: 8.7 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 10/27/2013 2:28 PM