Category Archives: Recipes

Desserts, Recipes

Rugalach for the Holidays

Photo: Close up of rugalach

Just a little late for the Jewish holiday, I made a batch of low carb Rugalach cookies. These are simple to make, although a little time-consuming, and make a delightful cookie for the holidays. After my first batch, I plan to make a few minor changes to the next batch I make, but I wanted to get this recipe up before I do that. I cut down a little on the chocolate used, and this recipe reflects that.

Rugalach Cookies

FOR THE DOUGH:
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup low carb all-purpose flour *

FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts or almonds)
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
2 ounces sugar-free chocolate, finely chopped

FOR THE GLAZE:
2 tablespoons egg whites
1 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse sugar

* For this recipe, I used Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Low Carb Flour rather than their biscuit mix. Tova Foods also has an All Purpose Low Carb Flour as does LC Foods. I have not tried this with Almond Flour, but I believe it would work fine since it is mixed with cream cheese.  You will need to make sure the dough is chilled well or it will break easily.

Make the dough first. In a food processor, place the softened cream cheese pieces and the softened butter pieces. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the cream cheese and butter are blended together. Add the flour and pulse several times to mix it in. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed to get all the flour mixed in. Pulse until the dough forms large curds.

You can mix it with a hand mixer also, but don’t let the dough form into a ball on the blades.

Turn the dough out into a bowl and gather it into a large ball. Divide it in half, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic, then put into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

Before you begin rolling the dough out, make the filling. Heat the jam over low heat or in the microwave until it liquefies. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar substitute and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the cranberries in a small food processor. In a microwavable bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the cranberries. Microwave for 40 seconds. Stir well.

Ready two baking sheets.

Pull one disc of dough from the refrigerator, place a sheet of parchment over the breadboard, and sprinkle low carb flour on it. Roll out the dough into a circle about eight or nine inches in diameter. If it is too firm to roll easily, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Spoon or brush about 1/2 of the melted jam in a thin layer over the dough and sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar over the top. Scatter 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the cranberries, and 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the jam. Cover the filling with a piece of waxed paper and gently press on it to push the filling into the dough. Remove the waxed paper, Slide the disk onto a baking pan and put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you roll the second disc and repeat the steps.

Pull out the first pan when you put the second pan in, then cut the original dough into quarters, like you would a pizza. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter for this. Try to get it separated evenly. Now, cut each wedge into three triangular slices. Starting at the outside edge, roll the dough toward the middle to form a crescent cookie and tuck the end tip under the dough on the baking sheet, curving the cookie a little. Repeat with each triangular shape, cutting each of the quarter wedges into three triangles.

Pie cut for 12 slices.

Repeat with the second round of cookies. Put the shaped cookies in the refrigerator or other cold place on their baking sheets  to firm up for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.) Position the racks in the oven to divide it into thirds.

Before baking the cookies, mix the egg white and water together and brush over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle the granulated sugar substitute over each.

Photo: One dozen rugalach cookies

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom racks and turning them from the front to the back of the oven about mid-way through the baking. Remove when they are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack until they are just warm or at room temperature.

Makes 24 cookies.

Nutrition information per cookie:
Calories:102.2 Fat: 8.9 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 3.3 g

Breads, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Low Carb, for real, tortillas

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Photo: flax tortillas with filling

Because this recipe for flax meal tortilla wraps seems so incredibly simple, I had to try it. As I’ve been experimenting with various ways to make a suitable substitute for a corn tortilla, which is too high in carbohydrates, I hadn’t found one that worked well for me until now.

This does not taste exactly like a corn tortilla, but it is close enough to satisfy my taste buds. It looks like one, acts like one, and even works in my tortilla press although it did want to stick to the waxed paper. If you want to push it a little more, you could add one tablespoon of corn meal in place of one tablespoon flax meal. This would add 7.7 carbs to the recipe or 1.9 carbs per tortilla.

As of yet, I haven’t tried to fry it after cooking it, but I will get to that soon and update this post on how well this works.

The recipe is a keto one. I found it at ketovale.com. I made an adjustment to suit my seasoning tastes, but it is basically the same.

photo: flat flax tortilla

Flax Meal Tortillas

1 cup golden Flaxseed Meal
1/4 cup boiling Water
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cajun Spice
1/2 tsp salt

In a bowl, mix flax seed meal, salt, and the spices. Add the boiling water and stir until the flax pulls together into a ball. If it is too dry, add another tablespoon of boiling water. Make sure all the flax is mixed in. It will absorb the water. Form into a ball and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

If you have a tortilla press, place wax paper or parchment paper, sprayed with cooking spray, on the bottom of the press. Divide the dough into four equal-sized balls. Place one in the middle of the tortilla press, place another sheet of waxed paper or oiled parchment over the top of the dough, Lower the press lid and press it down until the dough is flattened.

Heat a flat pan or griddle to medium heat, spray with cooking oil and cook for about 3 minutes on each side. The tortilla should be lightly browned.

If you don’t have a tortilla press or want to make a larger tortilla, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out on a bread board until it is thin. Use a plate to cut the dough to the desired size. Re-roll any excess and repeat until all the dough is gone.

Or you can break the dough into balls, and roll each ball out to the size you want, cut around the plate, and set the excess aside. This way, you aren’t working the dough too much.

Use immediately or wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Makes four 6 to 7-inch tortillas

Nutrition Information per tortilla:
Calories: 122 Fat: 9.0 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 6.1 g

Breads, Recipes

Celebrate Fall with a Plum Bread

Photo: Loaf of plum bread

This fall, a friend gifted us with some fruit from her garden. She included plums, not enough to make jam, but sufficient for a plum bread. So I found this recipe, which is versatile enough to substitute in nectarines or peaches. I adapted it to low carb and tried it out.

First, I didn’t put it in a bread pan big enough for the dough and foolishly poured it all in when I saw it was overfilled hoping it would rise to a nice tall loaf. Unfortunately, the batter wasn’t thick enough to stand on its own while it cooked, so it oozed over the side of the pan, as you can see from the photo.

However, the flavor is wonderful and eating lumps of it didn’t bother me at all. But for this recipe, use a standard-sized bread pan. This bread us very moist and can be a breakfast or dessert bread.

I use a mixture of low carb flours fours for my bread. In this case, I used Bakesquick for 1/2 cup of the flour, 1/4 cup CarbQuick, and 1/4 cup Almond Flour. If you use Coconut Flour, use 2 tablespoons for 1/4 cup of flour and add an extra egg or egg whites.

Photo: Slice of plum bread

Plum Cake

1 cup chopped Plums (Nectarines or Peaches can also be used)
1 1/2 cups Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup Butter
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
6 ounces Vanilla Low Carb yogurt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees (F.) Cut a parchment paper liner for the bottom of your loaf pan, spray with baking spray.

Remove the pits from the plums and chop them.

In a large bowl, use a mixer cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat into the mixture.

In a separate bowl, add flour, salt, cream of tartar, and baking soda and stir together.

Add 1/2 of the yogurt to the butter mixture, then add 1/2 of the flour mixture. Repeat mixing in the remainder.

Stir in the chopped plums. Pour into your prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm. Reheats easily in the microwave.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (8 per loaf):
Calories:245 Fat:21.3 g Net Carbs: 6.2 g Protein:8.1 g

Nutrition information per serving (10 per loaf):
Calories:196 Fat:17.1 g Net Carbs: 5.0 g Protein: 6.5 g

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out and how you liked it.

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Delightful Taste of Celery and Kohlrabi

Photos: Braised Celery and Kohlrabi

While I’ve posted a recipe for a celery and kohlrabi dish before, this is a different version of one. It is delicious and beautiful with all the color in it.  It makes a wonderful side-dish for almost any meal.  Celery is a low-carb and low-calorie food that should find its way into our meals more often, but it is easily overlooked when we’re planning out meals.  If you try this recipe, I think you’ll want to include in the menu more often.

Can’t find kohlrabi in your store? Apart from asking them to order it, you can substitute in turnips or cauliflower.

Braised Celery and Kohlrabi

6 stalks of celery, trimmed
1 medium Kohlrabi. peeled and chopped
2 to 3 mini peppers
2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Chicken Bullion
1/4 cup Water

Put chopped kohlrabi in a microwaveable bowl and cook for one minute to partially cook it.

Cut celery into 1-inch slices on the diagonal. Cut peppers into pieces.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add celery, kohlrabi, and seasonings and cook 10 minutes.

Mix chicken bullion with 1/4 cup hot water. Add broth and peppers to the celery mixture, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes more until the celery and kohlrabi are fork tender.

Serve immediately.

Makes four servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories 77.7 Fat: 5.9 g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 1.4 g

If you enjoy my recipes or have any questions about them, please comment below. I’d love to hear from you.

Recipes, Soups and Stews

Warm Up Your Meal with Pumpkin Soup

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photo: pumpkin soup in a bowl

As the days grow cooler, I begin thinking about soups and stews more. I love all the various warming dishes. I also love pumpkin, and I’m always discovering new ways to use it in my cooking. For a long time, I associated pumpkin with desserts like pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin cookies. But pumpkin also has a savory side and can be used in many dishes. Interesting, it has a lovely thickening property, so it’s a great way to thicken stews and other sauces.

This recipe is an absolutely delicious pumpkin soup that would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal or just a warming soup with a slice of low carb soda bread for lunch. I plan to make this often this winter. If you want to make a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use the vegetable broth version.

photo: pumpkin soup in pot
Did I mention I love my copper clad square pot?

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
2 medium Carrots, sliced
2 stalks Celery, sliced
1-1/4 cups Pumpkin puree
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
28 oz. Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
1 teaspoon ground Thyme
1 cup Kohlrabi, cubed
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
8 slices thick Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces

In a large pot, melt the butter then add in the onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Precook the kohlrabi in a covered bowl in the microwave for about two minutes to give it a head start on cooking.

Add broth, pumpkin, and kohlrabi to the pot and stir to mix. Add seasoning and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir in the bacon and cream and cook over low heat until it is hot. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 228 Fat: 19.4 g Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 4.9 g