Category Archives: Breakfast & Brunch

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

Take Waffles to a New High…

Okay, so the leaf bordered plate wasn’t the best choice to display these waffles. Still they look yummy!

I love waffles, but I don’t make them too often and every time I do make them, I wonder why I don’t do them more often. Well, the taste of this fantastic waffle and syrup that I made today is one that really needs repeating often. This is a recipe adapted from one at the Raley’s grocery store web site. Theirs isn’t low carb, but mine is and it lacks nothing with the substitutions in it. Add the terrific Bourbon Pecan syrup I created to go with this and it is absolutely “fantastical”! (To quote Huey Calhoun in Memphis.)

Once again, I rely on a combination of low carb baking mix – my preferred one being CarbQuick – and a non-wheat flour, like almond flour or coconut flour. Can it be made with just almond flour or coconut flour? I haven’t tried, but I am guessing that yes, it can, but it will be more delicate and you will need extra eggs in it. Waffles are tricky enough to get out of the iron, so the almond flour or coconut flour mix may be really hard to move without them falling apart. If you have a flip waffle maker, you might be able to flip them into your plate successfully.

While these are great for breakfast or brunch, don’t overlook the possibility of a smaller portion with ice cream or yogurt and whipped cream on top as a dessert. It’s that good!

And, like most waffle batters, this also makes great pancakes, so that’s an option if you don’t want to go the waffle route.

Ricotta Waffles

1 cups carbquick
1/4 cup almond flour
1 large egg
2 tbsp. sugar substitute
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons melted butter

Mix dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients together with a whisk. Stir into dry ingredients until thoroughly mixed, but may be slightly lumpy.

Pour or spoon 1/2 batter into a lightly greased hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Check after 2 1/2 minutes to see if it releases easily. If not, let it cook another 30 to 40 seconds and check again. The cook time will vary with waffle irons. Mine is a flip and takes about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes to cook.

Makes 4 waffles. If you’re a light eater, half a waffle will be enough.

Nutrition Info per waffle:
Calories: 232 Fat: 19 Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 11.1 g

Awesome Bourbon Pecan Syrup

Best made just before serving, so the recipe is per waffle.

Per waffle:
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup pecan halves
1 tablespoon sugar substitute
1 tablespoon Kentucky Bourbon
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup (Mrs. Butterworth’s)
OR
*1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoon brown sugar substitute and 1 teaspoon maple extract

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the pecans and 1 tablespoon sugar substitute. Stir and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the bourbon, stir and cook another minute or two. Add the maple syrup and cook one more minute to just warm the syrup.

*If you’re making your own syrup, prior to starting the pecans and the waffles, mix the water, brown sugar substitute and maple extract in a saucepan and cook on medium high heat until the mixture begins to thicken. Stir frequently so it doesn’t burn and stick. It will take about 10 minutes and it won’t get very thick.

Spoon over buttered waffle and serve. Delicious!

Nutrition Info for 1 serving sauce:
Calories: 324   Fat: 31.9 g   Net Carbs: 1.2 g   Protein: 2.7 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/26/2014 4:16 PM

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Easy, Delicious Baked French Toast

I love French toast and I love bread pudding. Sadly, those are almost a no-no if you’re trying to keep your carbohydrates low. Man, I wish I could eat about double the net carbs that I am forced to stay at because my metabolism is so slow. If I could, these things wouldn’t be a problem. So I have to look for alternatives.

Fortunately, a low carb bread will work in this recipe that combines French toast and bread pudding in an easy bake option. For this I used only two slices of New Hope Mills Cranberry Orange bread that I made a couple of weeks ago. You can order the mix from NewHopeMills.com or Netrition.com. LC Foods and Bob’s Red Mill also have low carb bread mixes. Or you can make your own low carb muffins and use two (regular sized ones) of those for the bread in this recipe.

One half of one of these small cassoulets of this was like a muffin and enough, with a couple of slices of bacon, to make a satisfying breakfast, but most people will want more.

Quick Baked French Toast

2 slices (1/12th of loaf each) of New Hope Mills Cranberry Orange or Blueberry Bread or other low carb bread (approx. 2 net carbs per slice)
2 large Eggs
1 1/2 ounces Heavy Cream
2 teaspoons Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/4 teaspoon Clove, ground

Break bread slices into pieces. In a small bowl, mix eggs, cream, cinnamon, clove and vanilla until well blended. Add bread pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for at least one hour (or overnight) to allow bread to soak up the egg mixture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Prepare two cassoulet dishes by spraying with cooking spray or butter lightly.

Spoon the French toast mixture evenly into each of the two dishes. Bake for about 25 minutes until the egg bread is firm and lightly browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then serve with butter and sugar free pancake syrup.

Makes 2 large servings

Nutrition Info: 1 serving
Calories: 333.1 Fat: 13.6 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 14.8 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 11/11/2013 9:52 PM

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Big Delicious Cream Cheese Biscuits

Recipes are always evolving as a new idea strikes or something that worked well with something else sounds like a good possibility with an existing recipe. That’s the case with this biscuit recipe. The Oopsie Roll or Atkins Roll uses cream cheese and eggs to achieve a bread-like texture. My version added in some Carbquick or almond flour to give it a little more texture and strength. So when I started to make a quick bread for a sandwich, I decided to combine the cream cheese with my standard roll and the result is fantastic. It’s more like a biscuit with a bit of cheese taste. Here is the basic recipe with a couple of variations. You can add cheese, peppers, onions, olives or whatever you might like into the dough for variety.

Just a note: I use about a tablespoon or two of oat fiber in my bread recipes. It adds texture without adding calories or carbohydrates and helps keep the rolls fresh longer. You can purchase it at health food stores or from Netrition.com.

Cream Cheese Biscuit

Delicious, tasty muffin-like biscuits. Use them for sandwiches or as a biscuit.

3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large Eggs
1/2 tablespoon Dried Onion Flakes
1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
Pinch salt
1 drop Sucralose or 1 packet of Splenda
3 oz. Cream Cheese
3/4 cup Carbquick
1 tablespoon Oat Fiber

Heat oven to 360 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

In a larger bowl, use a mixer to mix the cream cheese, then add eggs and sucralose or sugar. Add dry ingredients gradually. When mixture gets thick, clean off the egg beaters and stir in the rest with a spoon with enough water to make a sticky dough.

Spray a baking pan or round molds with cooking spray and divide equally into the molds or drop about two tablespoons on the baking pan and shape into rounds.

Bake for about 20 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 3 large rolls or 4 to 5 biscuits

Rolls Nutrition: Calories 352 Net Carbs 4.6 g Protein: 12.3 g

Flax Meal Cream Cheese Biscuit

Lower carb’d version with more grain-like texture.

2 oz. Cream Cheese
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 large Eggs
1 drop Sucralose or 1 packet of Splenda
1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 cup Carbquick, 0.5 cup
1/4 cup Flax Seed Meal (ground flax), 4 tbsp
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon Oat Fiber (optional – use low carb flour)

Follow mixing instructions for regular biscuits above.

Makes 3 sandwich buns or 4 to 5 biscuits
Nutrition Info: Calories 341 Net Carbs 3 g Protein 12 g
Variation: Chile Cheese Biscuit

Chile Cheese Flax Biscuit

2 oz. Cream Cheese
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 jumbo Eggs
1 drop sucralose or 1 packet of Splenda
1/2 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper Garlic powder
1/2 cup Carbquick (or other low carb flour)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Flax meal
2 tablespoons oat fiber (optional – replace with more low carb flour if needed)
2 tablespoons diced green chiles
1/2 cup cheddar jack cheese

Makes 6 biscuits.
Nutrition Info: Calories 211 Net Carbs 1.7 g Protein 8.7 g

 BLT Sandwich

BLT with Cream Cheese Bun

Ham and egg sandwich

1/2 lb Bacon
3 leaves Romaine Lettuce
2 slices Red Ripe Tomatoes, medium, 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup Mayonnaise, regular
1 Cream Cheese Bun

Simple and satisfying. I’ll warn you that it is high calorie, but actually pretty low carb and it is very filling. Fill the rest of your day with low carb, low calorie choices so you can enjoy this every once in a while. You can also make the cream cheese bun skinnier by not making it quite as thick. But you need thick enough to hold up to the sandwich.

I prefer to bake my bacon. Spread the slices out over a rack set on a jelly roll pan. The rack keeps the bacon out of the drippings and the pan catches the bacon drippings which you can store in a jar for other uses. Cook in 400 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes until bacon is crisp.

Slice a tomato in 1/4 inch slices. Use two slices per sandwich.

Use cream cheese buns from above and cut each in half through the middle. They can be warmed in a microwave or toasted in a wide slice toaster, toaster oven or under the broiler if you want it warmed and a little crunchier. Toasting does change the taste of breads plus actually adds to the firmness, but it isn’t required.

Spread mayonnaise or whatever sandwich spread you prefer on each inside half of the bun. Place a lettuce leaf on top of one mayo’d bun, then the tomato on top of that and arrange the 1/3 of the bacon over the top of that. Place the other bun half on top and enjoy!

Complete sandwich:

Calories: 715 Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 23.4 g

Also try a ham and egg sandwich by preparing your egg any way you want it, piling it on the roll, topping it with ham slices and spreading on a tablespoon of mayonnaise or whatever dressing you like with it.

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/7/2013 5:44 PM

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

New Year Starts With A Favorite Breakfast

We are a few days into the New Year — Happy 2013! Let’s hope that it is a really great year for everyone and you enjoy good health, happiness and a bit of prosperity in the next 12 months. I am certainly hoping to have that continue for me.

A tradition for some of us from the south is to have Biscuits and Sausage Gravy for the first breakfast, but it doesn’t exactly scream low carb!  But it can be. This is a recipe that is adapted with just a few changes from the chef for Tova foods, the company that makes CarbQuick. It uses CarbQuick, but it can be made with other low carb flours. You may need to add egg to get the biscuit to rise if you use a flour like almond flour or coconut flour. Ideally, you could mix one of those with another low carb flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill baking mix, to balance it out. Of course, any changes you make in the recipe may change the carb and calorie count for this.

Sausage Gravy with Biscuits

Biscuits:
1 cup Carbquick or other low carb flour
1 tablespoons *Shortening
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream

Gravy:
1/2 pound Pork Sausage
2 tablespoons Carbquick or other low carb flour (you can also use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, will change the carb count a little)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Coconut Milk (or unsweetened Almond milk)
1/4 cup Water
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt to your preference (I use a dash since I don’t like things too salty)
1/2 teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce (optional)

Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.

Mix flour and baking powder together and add a dash of salt. Cut shortening into flour until it is mixed into pea-sized clumps. Add whipping cream and a little water to make a thick dough that barely clings together.

Divide dough into quarters and shape into rounds, patting the tops down. Use just a little extra flour if the dough is too sticky to handle. Placed on a greased pan and bake for 6 to 8 minutes until the biscuits are golden brown.

Gravy:

In large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble sausage to lightly brown. Pour off fat from pan.

Sprinkle flour over sausage in skillet, stir to blend, add cream, milk. Worcestershire sauce and water to pan all at once.

Cook, stirring constantly over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. This may take up to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve over hot baked biscuits. 1 biscuit and 1/4 of gravy is one serving.

Nutrition info: Calories: 458.6 Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 12.4 g
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/5/2013 1:44 PM