Category Archives: Italian Inspired Recipes

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

White Pizza for a change of pace

February 9, 2017 Rene Averett

Every once in a while, a body wants a packed-with-goodness pizza. That’s not always easy to do when you’re watching your carbohydrates. But it’s not impossible. You can use a couple of substitutes for the pizza crust that are pretty good, like chicken, portobello mushrooms, sliced eggplant, low carb tortillas, and this one I used for this recipe, a cauliflower pizza. Now, if you don’t like cauliflower, then choose one of the other options and just follow the toppings part of the recipe.

I made a vegetable-packed white sauce pizza. In this case the white sauce is simply an Alfredo pasta sauce. I used Classico because it is pretty low in carbs, but there are others that are also good for it. Check the jar and if it is around 3 net carbs per 1/4 cup, you’re in the ballpark. The taste of this is really great and the vegetables can be pretty flexible to what you like on it. Want it completely vegetarian, leave off the chicken and bacon, but it will have cheese. I’ve listed the carb counts for the crust separate from the toppings and the total combined as well. The crust is good for any pizza you’d like to make.

White Sauce Vegetable and Chicken Pizza

For the Pizza Cauliflower Crust
2 1/2 cups Cauliflower, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Ground Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Dried Basil

For the Toppings:
1/2 cup Brussels sprouts, sliced or shredded
1/2 cup Mushrooms, pieces or slices
1/2 cup Kale, chopped or torn
1/2 cup Spinach, chopped or torn
3 tablespoons Bell Peppers, chopped
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded
1 cup Alfredo sauce (Classico)
1 cup Chicken Breast, cooked and sliced or shredded
2 slices Thick Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Crust:

Put your raw cauliflower in the food processor and pulse until it resembles rice or couscous. Or you can grate it by hand with a food grater. Put the grated cauliflower on a clean towel (flour sack towers are great for this), fold the towel over the cauliflower and squeeze to get as much water as possible out of the vegetable.

Put the dried cauliflower in a bowl and add the parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, and dried basil. Mix in the egg, a dash of salt, and stir until completely blended. You can form it into ball at this point.

Put a sheet of parchment paper over a round stone or on a baking sheet. I used a baking pan lined with foil and it also works. Spray the foil with baking spray before you put the cauliflower in it. Shape the cauliflower dough into round pizza or a rectangle. Press it firmly together.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the crust is a golden brown. Pull it out and let it rest about five minutes, then add your toppings.

Vegetable Pizza

Prepare all the vegetables while the crust is cooking. Only the chicken and bacon are pre-cooked, although you can parboil the Brussels sprouts if you cut them in slices so that they aren’t too crunchy. Put them in a pan of boiling water for three minutes, then rinse in cold water and drain. OR put them in a bowl in the microwave for three minutes then drain.

Before the final cheese is spread and the pizza cooked.

Spread half of the Mozzarella cheese over the crust, then spread the Alfredo sauce over the top of that. Distribute the chicken and vegetables evenly over the crust and top with the bacon pieces. Sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella over the top and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Cut and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving (crust and toppings):
Calories: 418 Fat: 26.2 g Net Carbs: 9.7 g Protein: 36.4 g

Nutrition Information per serving (crust only):
Calories: 92.5 Fat: 5.1 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 8.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving (toppings only):
Calories: 325.8 Fat: 21.1 g Net Carbs: 7.2 g Protein: 28.3 g

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetarian

Creating a pizza like take and bake

August 24, 2016 Rene Averett

All during the Olympics, I kept seeing an advertisement for a take and bake pizza with chicken, bacon, and artichoke hearts. Man, did my taste buds scream for a piece of that. Instead of giving in to the urge to buy a high carb pizza, I made a low carb one instead. In fact, I made it two ways that are very similar, but both are filled with more meat and vegetables than the take and bake version. Here’s how I made mine.

For the crust, I used LC Foods low carb pizza crust that you can purchase pre-made or buy the pizza flour mix and make your own. You can also use a cauliflower pizza crust, a chicken pizza crust, or this flax meal flat bread crust. I wouldn’t recommend the chicken crust since you’re putting chicken on top, but it would still work.

Pre-cook the crust as described in the previous links so it is partially cooked.

Chicken, Bacon, Artichoke, Zucchini and Asparagus Pizza

For the toppings:
1 cup cooked Chicken Breast or Thighs, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup Artichoke Hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 slices of thick-sliced Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce, such as Barilla (look for lowest carb one)
1 Zucchini, thinkly sliced
4 spears Aspargus, medium spears, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Crushed Red Chile Peppers, dried (optional)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F.)

Put pizza crust on a pizza stone or pan, then spread with the Alfredo sauce, taking it as close to the edge as possible. Put the zucchini slices on top of the sauce, placing them evenly around the pizza. Distribute the chicken next, then the artichoke hearts, followed by the asparagus pieces. Sprinkle the crushed red peppers on, if you wish, then cover the top with mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle on a little Parmesan cheese now or add it after the pizza comes out of the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. I kind of like my cheese a little more crusty, so I cook it a little longer. Let cool for 5 minutes for the cheese to firm up, then cut and serve.

Makes eight slices or four servings.

Nutrition Information per serving (without crust):
Calories: 230 Fat: 15.2 g Net Carbs:4.2 g Protein: 16.5 g

Chicken, Bacon, Artichoke and Spinach Pizza

Variation on the basic pizza:

1 cup cooked Chicken Breast or Thighs, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup Artichoke Hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 slices of thick-sliced Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce, such as Barilla (look for lowest carb one)
1 cup Baby Spinach
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese to taste

Make the same way as above, but replace the zucchini layer with spinach leaves.

Makes eight slices or four servings.

Nutrition Information per serving(without crust):
Calories:222 Fat:5.2 Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 16.1

Depending on the type of crust you use, the carb count will vary from about 1 net carb to 3 net carbs additional. The LC Foods pizza crust is 3 net carbs.

Want to go vegetarian? Leave off the bacon and the chicken and add more zucchini and asparagus or spinach to the pizza, along with a cup of the artichoke hearts.

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Product Review

Product Review & Pizza Recipe

February 24, 2016 Rene Averett 2 Comments

LC-Pizza & Bagel Flour

I’ve been meaning to try LC Foods flour for making pizza, calzones, bagels, and English muffins for quite some time now. The only recipe actually included on the package is for pizza. I found a bagel recipe that sounded good and I tried that one before I tried to make a pizza. I can say that it works very well for the bagels. So this week, I mixed up the pizza dough and had a go of it.

First, this is a fine-textured flour that is excellent for baking these types of breads. LC Foods has severl milled flours in their online store that can be used for a variety of baking including pasta, cake, and bread, as well as the one for pizza. The flour is not as low priced as regular wheat flour, but it is a low carb flour and it’s worth the difference for a flour that is low in carbs and still produces a product that rises with yeast, tastes like bread, although not entirely like its wheat counterpart, but close enough that you can enjoy it. It’s also a sturdy pizza bread.

Note, this pizza flour is not gluten-free. It is made from a blend of wheat protein isolates, resistant wheat starches, flax seed meal and vital wheat gluten. You will need to add fast rising yeast, a bit of salt, a little sugar substitute, and olive oil to the mixture. The personal-sized pizza crust makes a 7 to 8 inch pizza round that will

For those who don’t want to make a pizza crust from scratch, LC Foods also sells a pre-made, partially cooked large pizza crust. You can add your favorite toppings and bake right at home and have a great pizza in no time.

So, on to the pizza dough and the toppings I used for this personal-sized pizza. For reference, each 1/4 cup of the flour is 2 net carbs and the whole small pizza used 3/4 cup of the flour. You can also shape the pizza dough into bread sticks, calzones, and strombolis. To make bagels or English muffins, you need to refer to a recipe for those breads as they have other ingredients and measurements. I will be putting up the basic bagel recipe next week.

I do have to say that of all the low carb flours I’ve used to try to make yeast breads, this flour has done the best job of rising, browning, and tasting very good. I give this flour my five cooking spoons of approval.

LC Pizza with Meatballs

This is made with LC Foods pizza and bagel flour. I bought pre-made poerk meatballs from Wal-Mart that are about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Use a low carb pasta sauce. I used Mario Batalli’s Vodka sauce, which is one of the lowest I have found.

3/4 cup LC Pizza and Bagel Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon rapid rise Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup warm Water
1 1/2 teaspoons Olive Oil

Toppings:
1/ cup Onions, chopped
3 mini Sweet Peppers
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/4 cup Pasta Sauce
6 medium-sized Pork Meatballs
1/2 cup Mozarella Cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano Cheese

In a medium bowl, add pizza flour, salt, yeast and sugar substitute and mix together. Add the water and olive oil and stir it together until combined and it begins to form a ball. Use your hands to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Clean the bowl, dry and lightly oil. Put the dough in the bowl and put in a warm place to rise. Cover with a plate. Allow it rise 30 to 40 minutes until the dough doubles.

Lightly oil a pizza pan or pizza stone. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Pull and stretch the dough into a circle and shape with your fingers until you have about a 7 to 8 inch round. Put on the pizza pan and bake for 5 minutes to get a partial bake on it.

Meanwhile, put a teaspoon of oil into a skillet and sauté the onions and peppers until just tender, then add garlic to the mix. Remove to a bowl. Cut the meatballs in half and if not already cooked, brown them in the skillet until they are almost done.

Spread the pizza sauce on the crust, then spread the vegetables evenly. Put the meatball halves even around the pizza and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, then the Parmesan Romano cheese over the top of that.

Bake for 10 more minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes to set, then cut into pieces and serve.

Makes 2 to 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Nutrition Information per one-half pizza:
Calories: 404 Fat: 21.3 g Net Carbs: 10.4 g Protein: 14.7 g

Italian Inspired Recipes, Product Review

Product Review: Dixie Carb Counters Skinni Spaghetti

February 8, 2016 Rene Averett 1 Comment

For all that pasta is supposed to be good for a diet and the number of calories diets that include it in some form, it’s practically impossible in a low carb diet. I made a stab at Dreamfields Pasta a few years ago and actually did okay using it, but it was proven that their claims about blocked carbs were incorrect and the pasta did affect the glycemic count for those who are diabetic.

So when I saw that Dixie Carb Counters had a spaghetti out that actually looks like spaghetti, although a little curvy, I wanted to give it a try. I ordered an 8 ounce package, which is four servings, and decided to try it with my salmon with cream sauce recipe.

To begin with, it cooks in about six minutes and looks like regular spaghetti. It’s not slimy like the oriental noodles that I tried in the past. I drained it as normal, put some butter on top and then put my creamed salmon on top of that, added a little Parmesan Romano cheese and had a bite. It was delicious. While not exactly like the regular flour spaghetti, it was still very tasty and served its purpose well. I mean, really, pasta isn’t exactly loaded with flavor by itself, but serves as the medium to put those delicious sauces on. Overall, this was very satisfying and now I want to try more spaghetti with pasta sauce and meatballs.

Creamed salmon over DCC Skinny Spaghetti. Wonderful!

One note, although the package will serve four normal servings, I actually used less so I think I will get six servings from one package. Unlike regular spaghetti, it isn’t in the lower price range. Like everything that is made for low carb dieters, it is in the $8 plus price range and not readily available at grocery stores.

But the good news is that it is low carb, it looks and tastes like spaghetti, and is great for those moments that you’re craving pasta.

Nutrition Information per 2 oz (dry) serving:
Calories: 166 Fat: 3 g Net Carbs: 4 g Protein: 30 g

This Skinni spaghetti is available by mail from Dixie Carb Counters website or from Netrition.com.

Disclaimer: I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review have 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, Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

For the Love of Pizza

July 28, 2015 Rene Averett 1 Comment

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.

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?