Category Archives: Recipes

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

1 Comment

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

Desserts, Product Review, Recipes

Product Review: DCC Double Chocolate Brownies & a Recipe

Photo: DCC Double Chocolate Brownie

Product Review: DCC Double Chocolate Brownies

Every now and then, when you go out to dinner at a place that offers gooey brownies topped with ice cream, you may be tempted to get one. Especially if you’re like me and you miss the chocolate deliciousness of a brownie. I actually have a pretty good brownie recipe, but the ease of having a mix that is so simple, you can put it together in five minutes is pretty alluring.

I recently bought a package of Dixie Carb Counters (DCC) Double Fudge Brownie mix to give it a try. First, it is a snap to get this ready to go in the oven. The easy to follow recipe walks you right through it. Before you begin, grease an 8″x8″ pan.

First problem, I can’t find my 8×8 pan, so I settle for my 6×6 pan. Okay, so my bars will be thicker than they would be in an 8×8, which means cook them a little longer. Also, I cut a piece of parchment paper to put on the bottom so they won’t stick. That takes a minute to do, so not an issue. Then spray the parchment with baking spray.

Next, melt one stick of unsalted butter and the contents of package 1, which is chocolate, together in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave. Works great. After one minute, I have melted chocolate and butter that I mix together.

Next add in 2 eggs, the flour and cocoa mixture in the second packet and mix well. Pour into your baking pan and cook for 15 to 18 minutes until they are done and spring back when you touch them. Cut into 16 pieces and you’re done.

Easy to make. But you don’t end up with the little beauty at the top of my page. Nope, that is my variation on this mix. While the mix will yield a 2×2″ brownie that is 52 calories and 2 net carbs, it isn’t iced and nutty like mine. To make my version, read on.

Caramel Pecan Brownie

Photo: Pan of Caramel Pecan Brownies

1 package of Dixie Diner Double Chocolate Brownie Mix
2 Eggs
1 Stick Unsalted Butter
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Pecans, chopped
9 Russell Stover Sugar-free Chocolate Carmels, cut in half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare an 8×8-inch baking pan with baking spray or cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom and spray with baking spray.

In a medium microwavable bowl, add the butter and packet 1 from the mix (chocolate bar), then microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to mix together and make sure they are melted. (If not, put back in the micro for another 30 seconds.)

Add the baking mix in packet 2, vanilla extract, and the eggs. Mix together using a spoon or whisk until all the flour is incorporated. Add the pecans and stir to distribute.

Pour the batter into the pan and tap it down to make sure it is even. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the brownies look done but still soft when you touch them. Turn off the oven, then put the caramels on top of the brownies in rows of 3 across and 3 down. Leave the brownies in the oven another 5 minutes, then remove and spread the melted chocolate caramel over the top like an icing.

Remove and let cool so the caramel sets before cutting into 16 – 2 inch brownies.

Nutrition Information for 1 brownie (16 yield)
Calories: 84.3 Fat: 5.8 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 1.5 g

If you make them in a smaller pan, like a 6×6″ one, then cook them about 20 minutes before checking, then follow the rest of the instruction, but cut them into 8 slices rather than 16.

Nutrition Information for 1 brownie (8 yield)
Calories: 168.7 Fat: 11.5 g Net Carbs: 5.0 g Protein: 3 g

Based on my experience with the Brownie mix, I’d give it five cooking spoons of deliciousness.

Tip: If you refrigerate your brownies, take them out about an hour before you want to serve them to allow them to come to room temperature and for the caramel to soften before cutting.

Poultry, Recipes

Think Middle Eastern with Tahini Chicken

Photo: Tahini chicken dish with riced kohlrabi

A few months back, I bought a large jar of Tahini when I made my Beet Hummus with Tahini. Since I had it on hand, I decided I should try another tahini dish. This recipe is adapted from one on AllRecipes.com. It makes a very nice chicken dish, but I do find tahini a little on the bitter side. I added extra sugar-free honey to my version, and I added in onions, both of which help to curb that bitterness.

I served it with green beans, sliced beets, and a scoop of riced kohlrabi, which is a delicious rice alternative. We found a bag of Green Giant frozen kohlrabi at our Wal-Mart, but if you can get fresh kohlrabi, use a medium-sized vegetable then peel it, cut into large cubes, and pop it into a food processor for about 5 or 6 pulses to rice it.

Tahini Chicken

1 cube chicken bouillon or Better Than Bullion with 3/4 cup Water
or 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Tahini (sesame paste)
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons sugar-free Honey
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/2 small Onion, chopped
2 teaspoons Ginger Paste
2 teaspoons Butter, or as needed
2 to 3 large skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds (optional)

Dissolve bullion in 3/4 cup of boiling water and stir to mix. Or use 3/4 cup of chicken broth.

Mix broth with tahini, soy sauce, sugar-free honey, and ginger paste in a small bowl until combined. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium heat, add the garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes, then add the chicken cubes. Stir until the chicken is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

Add tahini sauce to the chicken and stir to mix, then cook until the sauce is heated and the chicken is done.

Serve over riced Cauliflower or riced Kohlrabi. Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 244.8 Fat: 4.0 g Net Carbs: 4.0 g Protein: 22.1 g