Category Archives: Recipes

Breads, Recipes

Savory Sandwich Rounds

This is the second move for this recipe since I am now moving all of my site to WordPress. This recipe was from May, 2012. I’ve updated the recipe a little to reflect a change in the proportions of flour that I am using.

About a year ago, I decided to try a change to a low carb lifestyle and it’s been great. I’d lost about 30 pounds the previous year (2010), but it was mostly from a month long bout with kidney stones rather than a real diet. I managed to keep that weight off, but I wanted to lose more. Since February 2011, I’ve dropped an additional 72 pounds and I did it with a low carb diet. It’s that miraculous diet that allows you to eat things that other diets forbid. One of the tough parts of it is that bread it just about right out, along with potatoes, and other starches. But I’ve found substitutes for most things. I’ve found low carb tortillas and there is a great recipe for a breakfast muffin called Muffin In A Minute on the Atkins web site. And there are low carb breads, but they are pricey.

Over the past few months, I’ve started making my own easy egg bread rolls for sandwiches. These are tasty and while they aren’t a yeast bread, they are an acceptable substitute when it comes to a sandwich. This particular recipe, which is based on the Muffin In A Minute, is for a savory roll, which is great for any meat sandwich, including a hamburger. You can also make these as a sweeter roll for breakfast to replace a muffin or to toast. I use a silicon 4″ cake mold that has three molds in the cake and these are a perfect size. I bought mine at Amazon, but they are probably available in stores that carry baking molds. You don’t have to use these and you can make the dough a little stiffer and shape them or cook them in a 4″ souffle dish. You can also spread them into a 8×8 inch pan, then cut them into 4″ squares for a square sandwich roll.

About the flours used:

This recipe uses CarbQuik low carb baking mix, which I order on-line from Netrition.com, but is available from other places and might actually be in a health food store. You do not need to use the baking mix and can use just flax meal flour or a combination of flax meal and almond flours. It will change the color and texture of the rolls, depending on if you use golden flax meal or regular flax meal and if you add almond meal. Generally, I use Bob’s Red Mill (available at most grocery stores) because it is the lowest net carb count I’ve found for the meal and also a good price. NOW foods also has a low carb almond flour that is lower than Bob’s Red Mill.

Makes 3 rolls – about 1.5 carbs each

Savory Sandwich Rounds (Low Carb)

1/2 cup CarbQuik low carb baking mix
1/4 cup ground Flax meal flour
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, re-hydrated in about 1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon pepper, garlic and herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt (or regular sea salt)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 drop liquid sucralose or 1 packet of Splenda or equivalent product

Heat oven to 365 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the egg, oil and liquid sweetner. Mix well making a thick, but spreadable dough. Spray 4″ round cake molds or pans (or use 4 inch souffle dishes) with cooking spray. If you don’t have the round, you can make the dough thicker by adding another tablespoon of flax meal and shaping them by hand, flattening the top by placing parchment or waxed paper over them and smoothing with the back of a knife or a rolling pin. Spoon 1/3 of the mixture into each of the cavities in the pan. Use a spoon back to spread the dough in the mold and smooth it to even thickness.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the roll is lightly brown and springs back when pressed. Let cool, then remove from pan and slice through the middle.

The roll can be sliced and toasted or warmed in the microwave.

 

Recipes, Tips, Vegetables & Salads

Celeraic: Bargain Shopping & Root Fries

I only discovered the marvelous taste of Celery Root (Celeraic) in the past year and I wish I had known about it longer. It looks sort of like Pigpen in the Charlie Brown comic strip and like Pigpen, it does clean up nicely. Like many, I just looked at this dirty, gnarly vegetable at the market and moved on until one fateful day I decided to experiment. My first taste test was to fry a little piece and to my surprise and delight, it had a wonderful taste, a little of the celery taste to it, but a similar taste to potatoes and the texture was like a potato french fry! This is a rare thing when making root fries. The texture varies quite a bit from turnip to daikon to jicama with each making a serviceable fry, but not having that creaminess of a potato fry. Let me say here that if you don’t like the taste of celery, then stop reading now.

Of course, the celery root is also a versatile root and can be used raw or cooked in many ways, so it’s a good thing to have in the pantry, or the root cellar. And speaking of that, I need to figure out a way to do a root cellar. I may have to designate a section of my storage unit or possibly under the house for a tub of dirt that root vegetables can snuggle in. But that’s another story. What I’m talking about now is bargain shopping for some vegetables. I noticed that the price of celery root didn’t vary throughout the months at my local grocery stores, which may sound like a good thing, except they sell the vegetable by the unit, not the weight. In the early winter and fall, the celery roots are big and heavy. In the spring and summer, they are small so it is quite a bit higher to get enough celery root for a whole dish. What would cost $2.69 in the winter to make can cost over $10 in the summer.

I was excited when I saw the bigger celery roots in the store and immediately snatched up a couple. Then the roots were even bigger, so I snatched up two more. And so on. Now I have about six celery roots in the kitchen that are really big. These bad boys are about 6 to 8 inches long and 3 to 4 inches wide. My ‘fridge doesn’t hold ’em. So what to do? Something that I needed to address as the tops of the roots were starting to get a bit soft. I decided to freeze them. My first stop was to search the Internet for freezing information and then it was to work.

Celery root does freeze well so long as you prepare them properly or cook them into the dish of choice and freeze that. Preparing them for future use seemed the best route. The biggest celery root in the photo at the top is just under 2 pounds and yielded three bags of frozen cubes.

Cleaning and peeling. First, you need to wash the celery root off, using a scrub brush or plastic scrubber to get as much of the dirt off the root as possible. Then cut the top and bottom off. If you’re root is huge, you might want to try to work around the knobs of root to clean them out on the bottom. Otherwise, just slice them off. Cut off the skin and put all the cuttings in your compost tub if you have one. I usually just bag mine and take them out to the compost bin.

When you’re done, you have a large, creamy white vegetable that just needs to be cut into smaller sections, cubes, planks or shreds, depending on how you want to use them. I cut most of my first one into cubes. Meanwhile put a pot of water on to boil. When you’ve got your cubes, drop them in the boiling water for four minutes to parboil. Remove them to a colander after four minutes and let them drain well and cool down a bit. Then spread them on a double layer of paper towels to dry.

   

Cubed celery root draining in a small colander and spread on a paper towel.

When they are completely dry, put them in plastic freezer bags in recipe sizes, pushing out as much of the air as possible. One suggestion was to put plastic wrap over the top of the vegetable, then roll the bag to get the air out and quickly seal. If you have one of the sealing units, it’s easy to do this and gives you an airtight seal.

Next, just pop them in the freezer to let them freeze, then label with item and date. Defrost when you’re wanting to use them.   You can take advantage of the bargain price when the roots are big and still have some come summer. They will keep about six months, so do the roots for late spring and summer in February or March. I think this technique will work with any root vegetables as well as the winter squash, although I can get those fresh at the market pretty much year round at reasonable prices.

Root Vegetable Fries


If you look at this plate of French fries, you wouldn’t know that they weren’t made from potatoes. In fact this combination fry plate is celery root, daikon radish and jicama. The jicama is shorter and darker when cooked and also stays crisper. The jicama is very neutral in flavor, so it will taste most like the seasonings. Daikon has a slight peppery taste and is a dry texture when cooked. The celery root has a celery flavor, tasting like fries with celery salt on them, and the creamy, potato-like texture.

1 1/2 cups Celery Root, cleaned and peeled
1 cup Jicama
3 1/2 inches Daikon
1/2 cup Canola Oil for frying
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt

Prepare root vegetables by cleaning and peeling. Cut into 1/2″ wide x 1/4 inch thick planks. The length will vary by the size of the vegetables. Put a pan of water on the stove to boil while you are cutting the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the boiling water and let boil for 5 minutes. Remove vegetables to a colander to drain. Let them dry for about 10 minutes, then spread on a paper towel and dry as much as possible.

In a heavy 8″ skillet, pour the oil in and heat it to a fry point. (A small piece of vegetable will sizzle when you add it.) Use a smaller skillet so you don’t need to put in as much oil as you would with a larger one. You need about 1/2 inch of oil in the skillet. Only a tablespoon or two actually remains on the food when you drain it. Add the vegetables to the oil and cook about 3 to 4 minutes per side until they are just golden fries. Remove to a double layer of paper towels on a plate to drain and dry out. Cook the next batch and do the same thing.

Storing the fries for later:

Let the fries cool down for a few minutes. When the fries are cool to the touch, you can pop them into a baggie and put that in the ‘fridge or the freezer, squeezing the excess air out, for use later.

Final cooking phase:

When the fries have cooled and dried a bit or when you’ve gotten them out of the freezer or ‘fridge to finish, then reheat the oil to the fry point, add the fries, a group at a time, back to the oil and cook for a few more minutes on each side until they are golden brown. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with seasoning salt. Repeat with the next group, until all are done.

This will give you nice, crisp fries that are absolutely delicious and fairly low in carbs. Each serving is about 6.7 net carbs as opposed to about 14 net carbs for potato fries. Makes four servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 103.4 Fat: 7 g Net Carbs: 6.7 g Protein: 1.2 g
POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 10/23/2013 1:07 PM

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 

Appetizers, Recipes

Game Day Tostados

It’s one of those days when everyone gathers around the TV set to watch a big game or the Olympics or even the Academy Awards.  Snack foods are the order of the day and grazing is the commercial pastime.  Staying on a low carb plan is a bit difficult in the face of this challenge, but here’s one that you can do in moderation… tasty low carb tostados made with Flax Corn Meal Tortillas.  They are about 6 carbs for a serving of  two 4″ tortillas.   Or if you prefer, build your tostado on a low carb flour tortilla.   Depending on your choices, the toppers will add 3 to 5 carbs to your total.

The toppers can be steak strips, shredded pork, or shredded chicken with cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo and guacamole.  Yum…  I love these!  Add a little sour cream or low carb dressing if you like.  Because there’s corn and corn meal in the tortillas, these are really a maintenance phase item, so if you add them to your menu, be aware that they might affect your next weigh-in, but it should be temporary.

Here’s the recipe for the tostado pictured above:

1/4 cup leftover or just grilled steak cut into thin strips
2 slices of onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
Olive oil
1/2 cup lettuce, shredded or chopped
1/2 tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons guacamole (ready made or your favorite recipe)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 flax corn meal tortillas or 1 large low carb wheat flour tortilla
2 tablespoons cheddar or jack cheese (not pictured)

In a small skillet, heat enough olive oil to make a thin layer.  When it is hot, reduce heat to medium and fry the tortillas, one at a time, until they are crisp.  Use a spatula to move and turn them in the oil and to remove the tortilla to a paper towel covered plate to drain.  The tortillas are delicate and a fork will tear them.

Clean out excess oil, leaving just a thin film on the skillet.  Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the onion and add the rest to skillet with the garlic and stir until onion is starting to turn translucent.  Add steak slices, coriander and chili powder and stir cook until mixed and ho, about 4 or 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and/or remove pan from the burner.

Mix onions with chopped tomato and add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.

Place a tortilla base on a plate and put 1/2 the cooked meat mixture on top, spreading it to cover.  Put 1/2 the lettuce on top of that followed by 1/2 the tomato mix.  Top with one tablespoon guacamole and  half the cheese.  Repeat with the second tortilla.

Makes two tasty tostados.  Increase the recipe to serve more.

Nutrition info for the toppings only:

Calories: 135.6  Fat: 7.8 g  Net carbs: 4.6g  Protein:  9.8 g

Original POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 5/5/2013 10:06 AM