Category Archives: Recipes

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

Turkey & Bacon Cheddar Melt

I love doing a hot sandwich for lunch and this is really a great-tasting one with turkey, bacon (how could you go wrong?) and an egg thrown in for extra goodness and it helps keep you feeling full longer. This open-faced sandwich is easily done with a Hamilton Beach sandwich maker. No, I am not promoting them, just saying. But I do include directions to do it without this unit. It just takes a little more work. For a gluten-free option, use an Oopsie Roll (recipe link below) for the base.

1 slice Turkey breast meat, 1/4″ thick
1 slice thick Bacon, cooked
1 oz Cheddar Cheese
1 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1 Egg
1 splash Heavy Cream (about 1 teaspoon)
Pepper, dash
1 teaspoon Onions, dehydrated flakes or 2 teaspoons freshly chopped onions
1 slice Ripe Tomato, medium, 1/4″ thick
1 slice Low Carb Bread or 1/2 low carb bun or 1 Oopsie roll *

Simple Flax Yeast Sandwich Roll or Low Carb English Muffin or Savory Sandwich Rounds or the Oopsie Roll from Your Lighter Side’s web site.

With the sandwich maker:

Plug in the sandwich maker to warm up. Spray the cooking surfaces with cooking spray.

Take 1 slice of bread cut into a round or 1/2 of a sandwich round cut across the middle to form two rounds.  Butter the top. Set aside.

Cut the turkey slice in half if it is oblong so that it will fit on the bread. Cut or tear the cooked bacon into two pieces. Place on top of the bread round.

In a small container — I like to use yogurt cups for this – break the egg, add ricotta cheese, salt, pepper, and onions and stir it well. Add a splash of cream and about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese. Mix it all together.

When the cooker is hot (usually by this point), put the bread half with the turkey and bacon into the bottom well. Sprinkle half the cheese on top. Lower the top well down, making sure the plate handle is all the way to the right. Pour the egg mixture in and close the lid. This may puff up and raise the lid, but don’t worry about it.

Cook for about 4 minutes. Raise the top lid and put the sliced tomato on top and close the lid again. This will grill the tomato a bit. Cook one more minute, unplug the unit, then slide the top plate to the left so the egg slides down on top of the meat and bread. Lift the bottom well up and use a spatula to lift the sandwich to a microwaveable plate. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on the top and put in the microwave for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

Enjoy. I like to add a little mayonnaise at this point, but that is optional.

To make without a fancy sandwich maker:

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.

Toast the bread and butter it. Cut the turkey and bacon slices in half and grill in a small pan to heat it through. Remove to the bread and sprinkle cheese on top.

Mix the eggs, ricotta cheese, cream and onions as described above. Heat 1 teaspoon of butter in the skillet and use an egg ring or a tuna can that both ends have been cut out as a mold. Pour the egg in and press down on the ring with a spatula until the eggs have set up enough that they don’t leak. Put a lid or a pan over the top and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the egg is almost set, then flip over if you want the top firmer.

Use the spatula to lift the egg to the meat and bread. Quickly fry the tomato slice to just tender, then put it on top of egg and sprinkle cheese over the top. Put in an ovenproof pan in the oven for about five minutes until the cheese is melted. Or you can put it in the microwave for about 30 to 40 seconds.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition Info for the egg filling only:
Calories: 318 Fat: 28.9 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 24 g

The breads will add between .6 g (Oopsie roll) and 2 g

I used a Wheat Germ and Flax Round, cut in half for 1.2 carbs.

Here’s a tip for cooking your bacon with less mess and fuss – bake it!

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 9/26/2013 9:35 AM

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

Delicious Pumpkin French Toast Two Ways!

I actually created this recipe as a way to try to use the zero carb Julian Bread that I had purchased. It did bring a host of flavors to the otherwise tasteless bread, but I found it tastes so much better with breads that have flavors to add to the party. So here are two ways to make this low carb, but delicious dish. And by the way, you can make it with regular bread also if you aren’t worried about the carbs.

Essentially, the Baked French Toast is bread pudding with a little less egg and cream in it. So you can treat it as you might a bread pudding to make other variations. Add pecans or walnuts to the mix, add sugar-reduced craisins or blueberries. Instead of maple syrup, make a rum-flavored hard sauce. It can be a fabulous dessert.

Pumpkin French Toast with Low Carb Bread

This version uses a low carb bread base that you can make from a low carb muffin recipe or my Irish soda bread or scone recipe. Or you can use a bread mix from one of several companies.I used New Hope Mills Blueberry Muffin bread mix to make a loaf of bread. It makes about 14 slices and each slice is 2 net carbs. You can also make my low carb Irish soda bread and use two slices of that. I used New Hope Mills Blueberry Muffin bread mix to make a loaf of bread. It makes about 14 slices and each slice is 2 net carbs. You can also make my low carb Irish soda bread and use two slices of that.

Based on my BakedFrench Toast recipe, this adds pumpkin and several spices to the flavor mix. The recipe is basically a bread pudding mix with a little less egg and cream. Top it with butter and sugar free maple syrup.

2 slices of low carb bread
1 large Egg
1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream,
1 tablespoon Pumpkin-Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 tablespoons Pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops liquid sucralose or 2 packets of Splenda, Stevia or other sweetener

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray a 1 1/2 cup casserole dish with cooking spray or lightly butter.

Tear bread into small pieces and put in a small mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to make a moist lumpy batter. Pour into the casserole dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pudding is done and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into two pieces. One piece is one serving.

Makes two servings – Atkins Phases 2 to 4, South Beach Phase 2 and 3

Nutrition Info (using New Hope Mills bread without pecans):
Calories: 213 Fat: 12.2 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 12.4 g

(using New Hope Mills bread with pecans):
Calories: 315.8 Fat: 21.2 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 13.8 g

 

Oopsie Roll Baked Pumpkin French Toast

This version uses the Oopsie Roll recipe from YourLighterSide.com or the Atkins Roll recipe, which is basically the same recipe but using Ricotta Cheese instead of Cream Cheese. Or you can do what I accidentally did and make an Egg Roll that doesn’t use either cream cheese or ricotta in it. Ingredients for the French Toast are basically the same, although I added in 1 oz. of cream cheese to replace the cream cheese that I left out of the Oopsie Roll. If you want to add the extra cream cheese with a properly made Oopsie Roll, it will add just a little on the carb count but a little extra richness to the dish. This version of the recipe is suitable for Atkins and (I believe) South Beach, phase 1 as well as being gluten free.

The photo at the top of the post is the Oopsie Roll version.

2 Oopsie roll rounds (1/3 of the standard recipe)
1 large Egg
1 oz. Cream cheese, softened (optional)
1.5 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream,
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 drops liquid sucralose or 2 packets of Splenda, Stevia or other sweetener

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Spray a 1 1/2 cup casserole dish with cooking spray or lightly butter.
Tear rolls into small pieces and put in a small mixing bowl. Cut the cream cheese into little squares and add to the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to make a moist lumpy batter. Try to smear the cream cheese through the batter so you don’t have pockets of it when cooked.

Oopsie roll pumpkin batter in the casserole before baking.

Pour into the casserole dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the pudding is done and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cut into two pieces. One piece is one serving.

Makes two servings – Atkins All Phases, South Beach All Phases

Nutrition Info
Calories: 218 Fat: 18.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 8.9 g

I didn’t include pecans in the second version, but they can be added. While the New Atkins version I started on about three years ago didn’t include nuts in phase 1, it seems to include them now, so that’s apparently a legal choice now.

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/6/2014 3:57 PM

 

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Cinnamon French Toast 2 Ways

I have been experimenting a bit with low carb breads and the traditional cinnamon French toast recipe. I have two (or more, depending on your view) ways to make it with low carb bread choices. One uses the ever-popular Atkins roll or Oopsie roll as the base bread or my variation of it, Rene’s Egg Bread Roll. The other uses the low carb muffin bread from New Hope Mills mixes. The NHM bread is delicious so the French toast has the added taste of blueberries or cranberry orange from the mixes, but you could add dried blueberries or craisins plus sweeteners to the Oopsie Roll to add more flavor in to those. These recipes don’t take into account any additions to the Oopsie Roll or Egg Roll, so you would need to adjust if you decided to add them.

Cinnamon French Toast

1 Egg
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon Water
1 drop liquid Sucralose
1 tablespoon Butter for cooking
4 Oopsie rollsl or Egg Rolls or slices of NHM Muffin Bread

In a small bowl or pie tin, beat all ingredients except butter together. For Oopsie roll or Egg Roll, poke holes in the bread with a fork, then soak in the egg mixture, turning over to make sure both sides are coated. It may not absorb a lot of the mixture.
For muffin bread, just soak in the egg mixture, being sure to coat both sides.

Heat a skillet or griddle, reduce to medium heat, and melt the butter, spreading around a little. Place the coated bread on the butter and cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the egg coating is cooked and lightly browned, then flip to cook the other side.

Butter and serve with sugar free syrup or a low carb jam, if you like. Or you can just sprinkle a little sugar substitute on the top for sweetness.

Makes 4 slices. The Oopsie and Atkins Rolls are suitable for Atkins Phase 1. The Egg Bun (which uses Carbquick or almond flour in it) and the New Hope Mills are suitable for Phases 2-4.

Nutrition Info: (Oopsie Roll or Egg Bun): 1 bun
Calories: 173.5 Fat: 16.7 g Net Carbs: 1 g Protein: 6.7 g

Nutrition Info: (Egg Bun): 1 bun
Calories: 141.4 Fat: 12.1 g Net Carbs: 1 g Protein: 6.4 g

Nutrition Info: (New Hope Mills Muffin Bread): 1 slice (14 to a loaf)
Calories: 135 Fat: 7.7 g Net Carbs: 2.8 g Protein: 12.2 g
Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/9/2014 2:20 PM

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

Leftovers Become Yummy Sandwiches

I usually have steak leftover when I go out for dinner. A great way to use that is to make a steak sandwich. Or next time you grill steaks, make an extra for a sandwich or two later in the week. This recipe also uses leftover grilled onions and mushrooms. If you don’t have those, you can easily saute’ them in a skillet with a little butter.

Steak and Bacon Sandwich

Sliced left over Steak, sliced thinly
1 slice of cooked Bacon
1 tablespoon grilled or stir fry Onions
Sliced grilled or butter fried Mushrooms
1 1/4 inch Tomato slice
A few leaves of Baby Spinach
Thinly sliced Jalapeno Jack Cheese, about two slices
1 low carb Roll, sliced in half

Preheat the sandwich maker and spray with cooking spray.

Cut roll across the middle. Lightly butter the cut sides. Place the roll in the bottom well of the cooker, then top with sliced steak, pieces of bacon, and mushrooms. Lower the top well, slide the middle cooking plate to the left so the well is completely open, then add the onion, , tomato slice and cheese. Close the lid and cook for 2 minutes. Open the top section and put in the spinach and the top of the roll and cook another 2 minutes.

Turn middle section plate to the left, use a hot pad or hand cover, then lift the bottom section handle to remove the entire sandwich from the plate. Lift the top bun and add lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise or other condiments that you prefer.

Nutrition Info: Calories 271.9 Fat: 16.9 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 26.4 g

Hot and Juicy Hamburger

Following this same line of reasoning, you can make hamburgers in the sandwich maker. Again, make a few extra burgers, about 3 to 3 1/2 inches in diameter, when you next grill burgers or get precooked ones from the store or fast food restaurant. (They call them pet burgers.) Here’s a basic recipe for a hamburger.

1 precooked Hamburger patty, 1/3 inch or less in thickness
Sliced Cheddar or Jack or Swiss cheese, about 1/4″ thick
1 slice of Onion, thin
Sliced Mushrooms (optional)
Sliced Peppers (optional)
1 low carb Roll, sliced in half
2 pieces of Lettuce
1 or 2 slices of Tomato

Preheat the sandwich maker and spray with cooking spray.

Cut roll across the middle. Lightly butter the cut sides. Place the roll in the bottom well of the cooker, then top with hamburger patty and cheese. Lower the top well, then add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Close the lid and cook for 2 minutes. Open the top section and put the top of the roll in and cook another 2 minutes.

Turn middle section plate to the left, use a hot pad or hand cover, then lift the bottom section handle to remove the entire sandwich from the plate. Lift the top bun and add lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise or other condiments that you prefer.

Nutrition Info: 1/4 lb patty
Calories 477.6 Fat: 18.2 g Net Carbs: 2.4 g Protein: 26.7 g
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 4/19/2013 1:08 PM

Asian Recipes, Main Dish, Recipes

Recipes to Celebrate Chinese New Year

I can think of no better reason to explore Chinese food made low carb than to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the year of the Horse, coming up on January 31st. Of course, Chinese food isn’t that hard to make low carb because it’s loaded with veggies and protein, but the only really worries are the sauces. And those can be adapted. So here are some adapted recipes to make your feast low carb delicious. And while you’re at it, check out these recipes on this site:
Basic Cauli-rice – a great alternative to the steamed rice that is really delicious.
Asian Fusion Dirty Cauli-rice – a meal in iteself with shrimp and other goodies
Fish and Veggies Tampura Style – make this favorite

Rather than putting these all on one long page, I’m going to give each recipe a separate page, so follow these links to more great Chinese recipes made low carb delicious!
Egg Foo Yung
Orange Chicken with Bean Sprouts (also works for shrimp)
Chinese Almond Cookies

Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli

One of my favorite stir fry dishes is this wonderful, colorful Beef and Broccoli dish. The key with almost all quick cook meals is to prep the food before you begin cooking. There is about 1 1/4 hour of prep time from the time you start on the meat. Part of that is waiting for the marinade to get into the meat to help tenderize and flavor it. If you are serving Cauli-rice with it, be sure to get it on about 15 minutes before you start cooking this dish.

Beef Marinade
1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 tsp Sugar Substitute
8 oz. Steak, sirloin, strip or round

Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Cornstarch or Thick-It-Up
1/2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1/2 tablespoon Scotch or Sherry
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 tablespoons Beef Broth or water with 1 tablespoon Beef Bouillon in it

Vegetables
1/2 pound Broccoli, fresh
1/2 cup, medium Onions (about 1/2)
2 stalks Celery, raw,medium (7-1/2″ – 8″ long)
1 clove Garlic,
1 1/2 tablespoon Oil
1 teaspoon Ginger Root
1 or 2 dried red Chinese peppers, crushed

Prepare the marinade ingredients. Cut the steak into thin strips and place in a bowl. Cover with marinade and mix it around. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for an hour.

While the beef marinates, prepare the vegetables. Chop or finely slice onions, depending on how big you want the pieces in your meal. Peel the strings on the celery, then slice into 1/4 inch pieces on a diagonal up the stalks. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, then bring a pan of water to a boil and par boil for 2 minutes. This brings out a bright color and cooks the broccoli just a little before stir-frying it.

Prepare the sauce by dissolving the cornstarch in the beef broth, then add soy sauce, whiskey (or sherry). And sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat a wok or deep skillet over high heat until it is hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat until it begins to sizzle. Add the beef and cook for a minute or two until it is lightly browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium high, then add additional oil. Add the ginger garlic and chili and stir fry until you can smell the garlic and ginger. Add the onion and celery and stir fry for a minute or so, then add the broccoli and stir fry 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup beef broth and continue to cook for another 2 or 3 minutes, then add the sauce/cornstarch mix and the beef, and stir in until the sauce thickens and the meat it thoroughly heated.

Serve with cauli-rice immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Atkins All Phases – For phase 1, omit the cornstarch and cook the sauce down until it thickens more.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 187.5 Fat: 7.5 g Net Carbs: 6.8 g Protein: 23.8 g

Originally POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 1/24/2014 9:35 PM