Category Archives: Recipes

Curds and Jellies, Desserts, Recipes

Applesauce Topping Is Awesome

Applesauce Topping photo

As I said last post, I had a huge jar of applesauce, so I’ve used it several ways. This one is a recipe from All Recipes that I adapted for low carb. It’s a wonderful topping for ice cream or yogurt. Use a low carb ice  cream and the lowest vanilla yogurt you can find to keep the carbs down. I use CarbMasters yogurt from Kroger Foods, but some people don’t care for the taste. I also use CarbSmart ice cream from Breyers Ice Cream.

With only four ingredients, the recipe is easy. I suspect it would be delicious over vanilla pudding, custard, cheesecake, or even as cake topping. If you don’t like pecans, substitute in walnuts or almonds, or leave them out completely.

If you have any leftover, you can refrigerate it for a few days.

Applesauce Sundae Topping

1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
1 tablespoon Swerve Brown Sugar
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 cup Pecan pieces

In a microwave safe bowl, combined the applesauce, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cook for one minute. Stir in the pecan pieces.

Alternately, put the applesauce, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small pan and cook over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in pecans.

For a slightly richer flavor, add 1 tablespoon butter to the bowl before you microwave or bake. If you like the tang of clove, add a pinch or so to the mixture.

Serve over two scoops of low Carb ice cream.  Tastes like Fall!

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info Image

 

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts

Fall is coming and so are tasty Fall-flavored Donuts

In a spur of the moment decision, I bought a 32-oz container of unsweetened applesauce. I’ve used it a couple of times to make these breakfast bars, and I made a dessert sauce with them. (Recipe for that coming soon.) I’ve even added it to a hot cereal, like this one. But I still have more applesauce.

I decided to make these deliciously-tempting applesauce donuts with another portion of the fruity sauce. They’re easy to make and they come out tender and tasty. They don’t rise as much as I’d like, but they’re still a nice breakfast treat. At a little less than 3 net carbs per donut, you could splurge with two if you’d like. For me, one fills me right up.

Applesauce Donuts

1 cup Low Carb All Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Cinnamon Apple Sauce
1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk
1 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Tablespoon Butter, Melted

FOR THE GLAZE:
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar Substitute
½ teaspoons Maple Extract
1/2 tablespoon Unsweetened Almond Milk or Coconut Milk or 1 teaspoon Cream with 1/2 teaspoon Water

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Add the flour, coconut flour, sugar substitute, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt to a large bowl and mix together with a whisk.

In a smaller bowl, add the applesauce, almond or coconut milk, egg, vanilla, and butter and combine using the whisk.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and gradually pour the wet ingredients in while you stir to mix. Beat until it is combined and you have a smooth batter. You may need to add another 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, depending on how much liquid your coconut flour absorbs. The batter should be easily spoonable, but not too runny.

Use grease or butter or baking spray to coat two 6-well each donut pans. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter into each donut ring. Fill the rings half-full.

Put the pans in the middle of your oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes. Donuts will be a light brown. If they are getting a darker brown around the edges, they are done.

Remove donuts and let them cool for about 10 minutes. Invert the pans over a wax paper covered baking pan or other surface. The donuts should fall out. If an don’t, try to encourage them by gently rocking them in the pan. If it still won’t release, then use a plastic knife to slide down and loosen the stuck donut.

You can place them on a wire rack to cool or leave them on the wax paper-covered surface.

Make the icing:

Put the powdered sugar substitute, maple syrup, and milk, adding a little at time, in a soup-sized bowl. Whisk until the glaze is smooth and about the consistency of syrup.

Dip each donut in the glaze to coat the top, then put them back on the rack or wax paper to dry for a few minutes.

Eat while fresh out of the oven or put them in an air-tight container and storage bag once the icing is completely dry. The donuts are okay for 2-3 days on the counter, then refrigerate.

Makes 12 donuts.

Note:  A single donut can be warmed in a microwave oven for about 10 seconds.

Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Italian Flavors in this Chicken & Sausage Dish

Photo of Chicken & Sausage Italiano dish

I wanted to use up a little pasta sauce I’d opened for a pizza a few nights earlier, so I came up with this variation on Chicken Parmesan. I use the extra Italian sausage in it along with two cheeses. Simple to make and delicious. You can use a premade pasta sauce or your own recipe.

I had a bear of a time getting the nutrition information for this. The website with the calculator I’ve been using shut down and the others I’ve found aren’t as robust. I finally located one that calculated about what I estimated the carbs to be, but it didn’t include the fiber, cholesterol, or potassium counts in it, so I had to hunt those down individually. I believe the final result is accurate, depending on which pasta sauce you use. I used Prego’s plain sauce. If you use a dry red wine in it, the count may be about 1 net carb higher.

Chicken & Sausage Italiano

2 chicken breasts
1/2 pound Italian Sausage
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/3 cup sliced Mushrooms
1 cup Pasta Sauce
1/4 cup Water or Red Wine
1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

In a medium skillet over medium-high burner, heat the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then add to the skillet. Brown chicken on both sides. Set aside on a plate. Add sausage to the pan and use a spatula to separate the meat. Cook and stir for about three to five minutes until the sausage is browned. Push to one side.

Add mushrooms and cook about two minutes. Add pasta sauce and water or wine and stir sausage and mushrooms until mixed. Return chicken to the pan and spoon sauce over the top. Cover pan and reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes until chicken is tender. Sprinkle Parmesan over the chicken and sauce, then cover with mozzarella cheese. Cover the pan again for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Makes two servings.

Image: Nutrition Information

Short Non-Cooking Message:

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Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Oh, So Good Sweet Potato Scones

Photo: Sweet Potato SconesTrue confessions here. Recently, I had dinner at a BBQ restaurant in town and they served a “sweet potato crunch.” These are what we call Thanksgiving sweet potatoes, a puree of potatoes with brown sugar, and pecans. Very rich tasting. I brought home almost all of it and decided to use it in scones. After checking two of three recipes, I combined a couple and made these scones.

Now, the carb count on the ones I made is higher because that crunch had real sugar in it. This version is made using sugar substitutes as well as flour substitutes that are low carb. For my flour choices, I used Carbquik, DCC All Purpose Flour, and Anthony’s Gluten Flour. You can use any low carb flour combination you like, but this selection worked out well for me. For the brown sugar and confectioners (powdered) sugar, I used Swerve, which has the best taste and measures like regular sugar.

For those who want to make this with nut flours, the measurements for those will follow this recipe.

1 cup Sweet Potato Puree
1 cup Low Carb Baking Mix (Carbquik, Bakesquick)
3/4 cup Low Carb All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Gluten Flour
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped
5 tablespoons Butter, sliced into pieces
1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Maple Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar substitute
3 tablespoons pure Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

If you need to make the sweet potato puree, bake or microwave a large or three small sweet potato and scoop out the flesh. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet with a parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, add the baking mix, all purpose flour, gluten flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and finely chopped pecans and whisk together. Using a pastry cutter or your clean hands to cut the butter into the flour until mixture is like crumbles.

In a separate bowl, add the sweet potato puree, egg, milk, white sugar substitute, and vanilla extract and whisk until combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir with a large spoon until the ingredients are completely mixed together. The mixture will be thick, so use your hands to pull it together and knead it in.

Dump the dough in the center of the baking sheet and shape it into an 8″ circle. It will be about 1″ or more thick. Using a knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into 8 even wedges. No need to cut all the way through unless you want to separate each scone to get a crust on the sides.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the scones are golden brown and cooked all the way through. If they brown too quickly cover the top with foil to prevent burning.

Prepare the glazes while the scones are baking. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar substitute, sugar-free maple syrup, and cinnamon. Stir together until it is smooth and completely blended. Drizzle or spread the glaze over the scones.

If you wish, sprinkle a few chopped pecans on top of each scone. Makes 8 scones.

Hint: In either recipe, you can substitute 2 teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice or All Spice for the cinnamon, ginger, clove, and nutmeg.
You can also substitute Unsweetened Coconut Milk for the Almond Milk, or you can use milk or cream.

Nut flour version (Gluten-free):

1 cup Sweet Potato Puree
1 cup Almond Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar Substitute
2 Eggs, plus 1 Egg White
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped
5 tablespoons Butter, sliced into pieces
1/3 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Maple Glaze:
3/4 cup powdered sugar substitute
3 tablespoons pure Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

The instructions to make are the same as above. You may have to add a tablespoon or more liquid if the dough is too dry. The extra eggs and egg white should provide enough to hydrate the coconut flour. The extra egg white will help the dough rise.

Makes 8 scones.

Asian Recipes, Beef, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

A Taste of Asia with an Eggroll Filling

Photo: Eggroll in a Bowl

I haven’t been posting much this month. It’s a writing month for me, so I have been working on two books needing their final chapters, plus editing a book for Amazon’s new episodic format called Vella and another book’s final edit. Then it seems like a dozen other things happen that need your attention immediately.   And now the Olympics have started and I’m trying to watch while writing this. Consequently, I haven’t been cooking much this month either. But this recipe is a winner! It comes together quickly and tastes great.

An eggroll filling makes or breaks the eggroll, but often there’s just not enough in the wrapper. But for those who don’t need a wrapper, here’s a great low carb filling that you can eat without the rice or add a serving of cauliflower rice.

Eggroll in a Bowl

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound lean ground turkey, sausage, or beef
1 1/2 cups sweet onion finely diced
1 cup carrots shredded
1 15-oz can Asian Baby Corn, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste or minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed or 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
1/4 cup chicken broth
5 cups shredded cabbage
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon pepper to taste
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Toasted sesame seeds, optional
Green onions, optional

First, begin by cooking your meat. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

Cook the turkey or beef until nearly cooked through (about 5-6 minutes).

Push the meat to one side of the pan and add the onions and another tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Then, add the carrots, garlic, and ginger. Saute for 2 minutes and stir the veggies and meat together.

Then, add the chicken broth to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan.

Add in the cabbage, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Combine and cover, reducing the heat to medium-low. Cook for 12-15 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked to your desired tenderness.

Add the toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, and green onions before serving. Makes 4 servings.

Tip: I wrapped about a cup of this mixture into a warmed low-carb spinach tortilla and it makes a great fusion wrap.