Category Archives: Breads

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

For the Love of Pizza

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Pizza is one of those things that is just so satisfying that it is missed terribly when you change to a low carb lifestyle. But it doesn’t have to be. You need to adjust your thinking. What makes a great pizza? For some, it may be the bread crust and if that’s the case, low carb is a definite challenge. But if it’s the toppings that are the main attraction, then it’s possible to make a different style low carb pizza. In fact, there are several ways to do it.

If you must have bread, you can make a flax meal pizza crust like the one here. Or you can order the flour or a completely made and partially cooked pizza crust, that is very good, from LC Foods. See it here. CarbQuick has a recipe on their box for a pizza crust that is also good. For those who may not know, CarbQuick is a low carb baking mix from Tova Foods. The box looks a little like Bisquick, but it is not the same.

Cauliflower crust pizza is a popular way to make a sort of crisp pizza crust that you can pile the topping ingredients on. There are many recipes on the web for this pizza, but here’s one from Your Lighter Side that is pretty tasty. One of my favorites, also from Your Lighter Side, is the chicken crust pizza. Don’t roll your eyes! It really works and it’s delicious. Chicken breast is baked, reduced to tiny crumbles in a food processor with mozzarella cheese and seasonings and pressed into your baking pan or pizza pan. It’s baked, flipped, then toppings go on and you bake it long enough to melt and brown the cheese. Delicious!

Other ways to make mini-pizzas include using a low carb tortilla base, a portobello mushroom base, and an eggplant slice base. Recently, I was thinking on this and inspiration struck!  So I tried two new ways to do this. One is cauliflower base, but not like the riced cauliflower version, and the other is using spaghetti squash and this is my new favorite pizza base. Here are a couple of recipes with these options. I won’t say that these haven’t been tried before, but I came up with them, so they are new to me and the recipes are mine.

Cauliflower Pizza Slices

The roasted flavor on this gives a little more of the cauliflower than some people might like. It forms a solid base, but you still need a knife and fork to eat it.

1 head Cauliflower, compact
3 tablespoons Butter, melted
4 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced

1/2 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Pasta Sauce (about 4 carbs per 1/2 cup)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Dried Red Chiles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F.) Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and cooking spray.

Slice the cauliflower into 1/3-inch thick slices. Trim off any leaves, but you want the slices to be large and flat. This will be the pizza base. Brush melted butter on each slice, then sprinkle garlic and oregano on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of that.

Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is lightly browned and a fork penetrates easily. Remove from the oven and let cool for about five minutes. Turn the slices over so the browned side is face down.

Pre-cook the sausage in a skillet until just browned. Add the peppers and mushrooms and sauté another few minutes. If you wish to add onions, add them at this time also.

Spread 1/4 cup of pasta sauce over each slice of cauliflower then spread 1/4 cup of the filling on each slice. Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on dried red chiles, if you wish.

Makes 4 slices of “pizza”.

Nutrition Info per slice:
Calories; 435 Fat: 34.2 g Net Carbs: 7.8 g Protein: 20.6 g

Spaghetti Squash Sausage Pizza

Simply the best tasting pizza crust that isn’t bread with delicious toppings highlighted by Italian sausage. This is basically the same topping as the pizza above, but you can vary your toppings however you like. The important part here is the crust. I have used spaghetti squash to sub for spaghetti, to make a tamale pie instead of masa and for many other things, so I thought, “Why not a pizza crust?” It does have a lot of moisture and I used a little almond flour to absorb the moisture. You could also use flax meal to do this. Or you could omit it entirely and it will still work. Just try to get as much water as possible out of the spaghetti squash.

2 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1 large Egg
2 tablespoon Almond Flour (optional)
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Salt

Toppings:
2 links Italian Sausage
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, diced or sliced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, broken into pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cup Pasta Sauce (Vodka sauce is around 4 nc per 1/2 cup)
2 to 4 slices Provolone Cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed Chile Peppers

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F.) Line a 6″ x 10″ pan with parchment paper.

Check the spaghetti squash to make sure all seeds have been removed. Squeeze as much excess liquid out of the squash as you can and pat with a paper towel to dry. In a large bowl, mix the spaghetti squash, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, garlic salt and 1 egg together. Use a serving glove or wash your hand thoroughly, then mix the ingredients together, breaking the squash into smaller pieces.  (You could use a food processor if you want, but it isn’t necessary.)

If it is very moist, you can add 2 tablespoons of Almond flour to help absorb the moisture. When completely mixed, spread the squash mixture into the pan on top of the parchment paper and smooth evenly to the edges.

Bake for about 25 minutes until the crust is turning a golden brown. Remove and cool for a few minutes, then lift the paper and flip the crust in the pan. Remove the paper.

Spaghetti squash pizza crust. I started to spread sauce on before I remembered to take the photo. It’s about 1/3 inch thick.

While the crust is cooking, prepare your toppings. In a skillet, add a little Olive Oil and saute the mushrooms and bell peppers. Remove to a dish. Add the Italian sausage (remove from the skin) and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces. Cook until lightly browned.

Spread the pasta sauce to your liking over the top of the crust. Use between 1/2 cup and 1 cup, but be cautious. Pasta sauce varies in carbs per half cup and the lowest I’ve found is Mario Battali’s Vodka Sauce. Or you can make your own sauce.

Next, distribute the sausage over the top of the crust, then add the mushroom and peppers, sprinkling evenly. Spread mozzarella cheese over the top, then place the Provolone cheese on top. Sprinkle with crushed chile peppers for a bit of spice, if you like.

Loaded with topping and ready to bake.

Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let set about 5 minutes then serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen.

Makes 4 slices.

Nutrition Info per slice:
Calories: 467 Fat: 34.4 Net Carbs: 8.2 g Protein: 28.6 g

So there you have my options for low carb pizza.  What have you tried and which do you like best?

Breads, Desserts, Product Review

Product Review: Cinnamon Swirl Bread

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Product Review:  Dixie Carb Counters Cinnamon Swirl Bread Mix

I tried the LC Cinnamon Rolls a couple of weeks ago and they were good, although small and somewhat troublesome to make.  Read my review  here.  So this week, I am trying the Cinnamon Swirl Bread Mix from DCC.  These are not really a cinnamon roll, but they have more cinnamon in them than many commercially made Cinnamon Breads from the market.  They are also not a yeast bread, but more of an egg bread.

The mix goes together easily with the add-ins you need being 3 large eggs, 3 tablespoon soft butter, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon of oil and 2 tablespoons of water.  The package has two packets in it; one has the bread mix and the other has the sugar free cinnamon sugar.  You also need a 4”x 8” bread pan.  This is the smaller loaf pan you usually use for fruit bread rather than the standard-sized loaf pan.  To make it, you simply mix the first packet with the bread mix in with all the add-ins and stir, whisk or beat on a very low setting on the mixer to blend it together.  Put 1/2 of the batter into the pan and spread it smoothly, then cut open the second pack and sprinkle the cinnamon over the batter evenly.  Although it says to put all the cinnamon on this level, I saved some for the top because there is a lot of it.

Batter sitting on top of the cinnamon layer waiting to be spread.

Next you add the rest of the batter over the top of the cinnamon, smooth it out evenly.  Add the rest of the cinnamon if you save some like I did, then use a knife to pull through the batter to spread the cinnamon into swirls.  There’s really no right or wrong way to make this distribution.  Just try to spread it evenly through without actually mixing it into the batter.  Smooth the top out again and put it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.  I cooked mine 30 minutes and it was a lovely golden brown, but I let it go a few minutes longer and pressed against the top to get the spring back.  When it cooled, it did sink in the middle and was not completely cooked in the center.  So I would say, depending on your oven, this might take 35 to 40 minutes to cook completely.

The flavor is wonderful.  It has a very strong cinnamon flavor, as one would like a cinnamon bread to have, and it is more like bread than a coffee cake.  A slice of this with a cup of coffee or tea makes a wonderful snack or light breakfast. Additional butter on top is optional.  I don’t think it’s sturdy enough to pop in the toaster, but it would warm in a toaster oven or a microwave easily.

Ingredient-wise, the mix contains unbleached flour, soy isolate, cereal fiber, fructosaccharide (a naturally occurring fructose in plants), low glycemic monosaccharide (a simple low glucose sugar), baking soda, corn starch, dried egg whites, cinnamon, ground soy, vanilla powder, sucralose and low glycemic fruit concentrate.  Sounds like a lot of chemical stuff, doesn’t it?  But most of it is extracted from plants and is commonly used in baking.

The mix costs $9.30 plus shipping from Dixie Diners  or you can buy it through Netrition.com for less (currently $7.29 plus shipping – hint, your whole order ships for $5.99 so order everything you want at one time).  One of my biggest complaints about low carb mixes is that they are pretty pricey.  In fact, almost any food mix that doesn’t use standard flours and sugar are usually more than double in price.  I appreciate that these companies have gone to a lot of work and expense to develop the mix formulas, but it seems they would sell more if they weren’t so high.

Nutrition info for 1/16 of the loaf – it makes 16 slices.  I usually cut it in eight slices, then cut each of those in half rather than trying to make 1/2-inch cuts.

Calories: 66 Fat: 0 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g  Protein: 2.0 g

You could easily make these in muffin cups, making individual cinnamon rolls.  Separate the batter into two sections, put about 1 tablespoon from the first section into each of 12 muffin cups, then sprinkle the cinnamon on top of each roll and add the rest of the batter from section 2 by tablespoons on top of that.  Swirl the cinnamon through to mix and level the tops.  Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.

You could also add chopped nuts to the cinnamon layer if you’d like.   For a dozen rolls, you would increase the net carb count to 4 nc per muffin.

On a scale of 5 spoons being the top, I would give this cinnamon bread mix five spoons and I am definitely ordering it again.

5-spoons

Tip:  If you want to make this a great dessert bread, add a sugar-free Cream Cheese Glaze to it or a Warm Cinnamon Bourbon Syrup topping. 

Cream Cheese Glaze

2 tablespoons softened Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons Cream
1/4 cup Powdered sugar substitute
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Mix the ingredients together by hand until completely mixed. If the icing isn’t thin enough to spread easily, add a little water until it is the desired consistency. Drizzle over the top of the bread.

Warm Cinnamon Bourbon Syrup

1 tablespoon Cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon Bourbon
2 tablespoons Butter
4 tablespoons Sugar Substitute

In a small saucepan, add the ingredients and stir together well. Heat over medium heat until it thickens. Remove from the heat and spoon over the bread or cinnamon muffins.

Let me know if you try this bread (or the glazes)and how you like them.

Disclaimer:  I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review has asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.

Breads, Product Review

Product Review: LC-Cinnamon Buns

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Cinnamon Buns

Mix From LC Foods – Cost $8.98 Makes 9 cinnamon rolls

Package contains about 1 1/2 cups of mix to make the cinnamon buns plus a packet of cinnamon filling mix. You need to add heavy cream, butter, seltzer water, and yeast.  You also need butter and walnuts (or pecans) for the filling.

I mixed according to the directions and used 2 tablespoons of Diet 7-Up for the carbonated water.  The dough was extremely sticky.  The directions say the dough needs to be stiff to roll and to add extra carbonated water if it isn’t.  It didn’t say what to do if the dough was too soft.  I add 2 tablespoons of protein powder and mixed it in and it was still too soft and sticky.  I added 1 tablespoon of carbolose low carb flour and it was finally not too sticky to handle although still too sticky to roll out.  Next, I separated the dough into three equal-sized balls.

I made the cinnamon filling according to directions using 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon melted butter.  Very thick filling.  I put 1 tablespoon of carbolose on the bread  board, took the first ball and shaped it into a cylinder about 5 to 6 inches long, then put it on the board and pressed it into a 3 inch wide by about 9 inch long strip.  It was too thin to press to 12” long without it tearing.  I turned it a couple of times during the shaping to keep it from sticking to the board and shifted the flour under it.

Then I spread the cinnamon mix onto the strip, which was not too easy as the cinnamon mix wanted to stick to the fork I was using and pulled the dough a couple of times.  I spread chopped pecans on top since we don’t use walnuts at our house.  Then I cut the strip into three one inch wide strips and rolled them from one end to the other to make the roll.

Once they were all done and in the baking pan, the instructions say to put in a warm 70-85 degree oven to rise.  I don’t know about you, but my oven, which I bought about 5 years ago, doesn’t go down below 250 degrees.  It’s electronic ignition, so it doesn’t even have a pilot light to give off heat.  I used my toaster oven, set to the unmarked area below 150 degrees and hoped it wouldn’t destroy the yeast before its time.

It took about twice as long as recommended for the rolls to almost double in size, so that was about 1 hour 15 minutes to rise.  This might be because I live in a high altitude location and that does affect the rise.  Then I brought the oven up to 400 degrees and allowed it to heat for about 5 minutes, then put the rolls in for 15 minutes to bake.  At this point, they look like they will be very tasty although the dough itself is brown rather than white bread type dough.  The mix contains flax meal, wheat isolate, wheat starches, wheat gluten, inulin, and other products that substitute for wheat and sugar.

The mix does not include icing, so you need powdered sugar substitute if you want to ice the rolls.  You can purchase LC Foods powdered sugar or you can make your own by putting sugar substitute in a blender or food processor and running it until it turns to a fine powder.   You’ll need about 2 tablespoons of sugar-free powdered sugar to make a simple icing.  I put 1 tablespoon butter in with the powdered sugar and add enough water to make either a spreadable frosting or a drip frosting, whichever you prefer.

So, making the rolls didn’t go as smoothly as I’d hoped and if you’re trying it, I would suggest not adding the carbonated soda until you have all the other ingredients mixed to see how thick your dough is, then adding it a little at a time.  I still think you will need a low carb flour, possibly coconut flour or almond flour to roll or pat the dough out on in order to prevent it from sticking to the board.

How about taste?  This is the bottom line.  Is the taste worth the expense and effort to make these?  My taste test panel was only two people and we thought that the rolls had a very good flavor, lots of cinnamon taste and were slightly crispy outside with a soft center.  I pour two tablespoons of melted butter over the rolls when they came out of the oven and that added a buttery taste to the rolls that is very nice.  I made a powdered sugar icing and spread it over the top, which added a sweeter taste to it.  We did notice a slight bitter aftertaste, which I think came from the stevia used in the mix or from the inulin.

Overall, I would say it is a very good cinnamon roll and not too difficult to make.  It is almost $1 per cinnamon roll and they aren’t very big ones, about 3 inches in diameter.  My rolls are uneven in size, but that is likely the baker’s fault and I didn’t cut them evenly.  I might buy these again and try them, but it wouldn’t be too often at the price for the mix.  I have a couple of other options to try, including cinnamon bread from Dixie Carb Counters.  I will do that over the next few weeks and post a review.

I give these cinnamon rolls  4 out of 5 tasty spoons.

4-spoons

Disclaimer:  I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review has asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Product Review

Baking with Protein Powder

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It may surprise some low carb eaters that you can add whey protein powder to your baking with really good results. I have often added a tablespoon or two to my muffins and breads to give them both more flavor and texture. I have seen a recipe now and then that uses only whey protein powder to make a pancake or a waffle. I haven’t tried these yet, but I did make a waffle this morning made with Vanilla Whey Protein Powder and Almond Flour and got a really good result. I’ll share that recipe below.

When using protein powders in baking, I usually use it as a small percent of the total flour in the recipe, but you can add more if you wish to experiment. The most I have substituted in is 2/3rds of the flour with the remainder being a low carb baking mix or almond flour. One big consideration in doing this is the number of net carbs in the protein powder that you’re using. My preferred brand comes from a health food store and is called Nu-Tek Pro 5. It is not inexpensive, but the main reason I buy it is that there is only 1 net carb in a 40-gram scoop. That makes it lower in net carbs than most of the other brands I have checked. It comes in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors. I use the vanilla more frequently than the other two. There are 145 calories per scoop. If you compare this with a few other brands, you can see that it can make a significant difference in the carb count.

One big consideration in doing this is the number of net carbs in the protein powder that you’re using. My preferred brand comes from a health food store and is called Nu-Tek Pro 5. It is not inexpensive, but the main reason I buy it is that there is only 1 net carb in a 40-gram scoop. That makes it lower in net carbs than most of the other brands I have checked. It comes in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavors. I use the vanilla more frequently than the other two. There are 145 calories per scoop. If you compare this with a few other brands, you can see that it can make a significant difference in the carb count.

protein-compare2
I’m not advocating any particular brand of protein powder and if you check around, you might find others that are equally low carb’d, but take into consideration the size of the scoop and the net carbs when choosing the powder. If you need more powder to make 1/4 cup, then it may increase the carb count. Therefore, the carb count that I get on my recipes is often based on EAS whey protein powder, which is 2 net carbs per 30 g scoop. 1/4 cup is about 3 scoops or 6 net carbs. With my preferred powder, this is reduced to 3 net carbs or less because the scoop is larger and the net carbs are lower. This gives you a starting point to adjust the net carbs up or down, depending on which brand you use.

Vanilla Whey Protein Powder Waffles

I made this in a Belgian waffle maker that has deep holes and requries a little more batter to make a full waffle. I was a little short, but I have adjusted the recipe to accommodate. It will make 4 waffle sections in the round Belgian waffle maker and 2 of them make one serving. If you are using a different waffle maker, it may make 2 waffles.

1/2 cup Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (about 3 to 4 scoops)
2 tablespoon Almond Flour
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Coconut Oil or Canola Oil
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Water

Pre-heat the waffle maker while you mix the batter.

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together and stir until completely mixed. You can use a mixer, an immersion mixer, a blender or a whisk. Just make sure the egg is mixed in well.

Spray the waffle maker with cooking spray, then pour the batter equally into each section. Close the lid and cook until the steam stops coming out. This is usually three to four minutes, but it varies. Gently lift the handle and if it opens easily, the waffle is done. If there is resistance, let it cook a little longer.

Carefully lift the waffle from the iron and put on plates, spread with soft butter and serve with sugar-free syrup or fresh fruit, if you wish.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 214.5 Fat: 9.1 g Net Carbs: 3.2 g Protein: 27.7 g

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Easy Popover Muffin French Toast Rounds

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Not everything works well with low carb flours or natural flours and it takes some experimenting to get it right.  One of those experiments was this failed popover recipe that actually made a very tasty, simple egg bread muffin that I am calling a popover muffin.  Where a popover would rise and collapse in on itself while creating a well in the middle, this muffin rose, but simply deflated, leaving a nice rounded surface.  But the flavor is great and it makes a fabulous low carb bread to go with almost anything.

The bread is also sturdy enough to hold up to being turned into French Toast Rounds.  So this is a two-fer-recipe day as it includes the recipe for the popover muffins and the French toast rounds.

If you give either one of these recipes a try or both, let me know what you think and if you have other ideas how to use them.

Popover Muffins

Popover Muffin

This recipe makes 6 popover muffins, which are delicious with almost anything — butter, jam, soup, a salad, but it isn’t hollow like a popover normally is. So I am calling them popover muffins. A popover pan will give you depth and make tall and nicely browned muffins, but you can also use a standard muffin pan.

This recipe is the very basic version without any kind of flavoring or seasoning. You can add a little sugar substitute to make them sweet or you can add grated cheese to make a cheese version that would complement a bowl of chile nicely. Add a tablespoon or two of chopped chiles to the batter along with the cheese and really enhance the flavor.

3/4 cup Low Carb Flour*
1/4 cup Almond Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Heavy Cream mixed with 1/4 cup water
Pinch Salt

* I used CarbQuick, but Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix, LC Flour, Carbolose or any other low carb mix will work.  I have not tried Coconut Flour, but I would guess it might not work as well.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Make sure the oven rack is on the lower level to allow room for the batter to rise and to keep them from browning too quickly.

Prepare a 6 well popover pan by spraying with cooking spray or buttering the wells. Deep muffin cups will also work.

Put the eggs into a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature, about 10 minutes.

When the oven is fully heated, begin preparing the batter. Whisk the eggs, milk and salt together in a medium bowl. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well, then add the flours at one time and continue to whisk until the flours are and it looks frothy. You can use a mixer with a whisk attachment to do this. Or you can mix it in your blender following the same sequence. Wet ingredients first, then add the flours. Add the melted butter after everything is mixed.

Pour the batter into the popover wells equally. They should be between 2/3 and 3/4 filled.

Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking, especially during the first 20 minutes. They should be a deep, golden brown.

Nutrition Info per muffin
Calories: 153.2 Fat: 13.5 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 5.8 g

Popover Muffin French Toast Rounds

This simple recipe uses an egg bread “popover” muffin as the base for a basic French toast for one. Add pumpkin butter or syrup to serve. A little bacon or sausage helps to round it out.

1 Egg bread “Popover” Muffin
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Spice or Cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon Cream
1/2 packet Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Butter

Slice the muffin across the middle, then slice each half across the middle again to make four rounds.. In a bowl or shallow pan, beat the egg, then add the cream, vanilla and pumpkin spice or cinnamon. Beat with a fork until well mixed. Dip the muffin slices into the egg mixture, turning them to completely coat both sides. Let them sit in the mixture while you warm up a small skillet.

Add the butter and set to medium heat. When the butter melts and is just getting to sizzle, add the muffin rounds. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip to cook the other side. They should be golden brown. If they aren’t, cook just a little longer. Remove to serving plate and top each with 1/4 of the pumpkin butter or butter the tops and cover with sugar free syrup.

Makes one delicious serving.

Nutrition info per recipe:
Calories: 362.7 Fat: 31.6 g Net Carbs: 4.8 g Protein: 12.8 g