Pancakes are a delicious way to start your day. They’re easy to make, and they provide that warming touch of comfort food. You can make them low carb with this quick mix recipe for hazelnut pancakes. I simply use hazelnut flour mixed with another low carb flour. In this case, I used Dixie DIner’s Bakesquick, which produces a light, fluffy pancake. Other types may not rise as much, but they work just as well.
If you wish, you can add a teaspoon of Hazelnut Syrup to enhance the flavor, but I find that the cooked hazelnut flavor comes through well. If you wish, double the recipe and put away a couple of pancakes for another day or make breakfast for two.
In a medium bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, and oil together until blended. Add hazelnut flour, baking mix, baking powder, and sugar substitute. Mix together well or put in the blender to mix.
Heat skillet until a drop of water skitters across the surface. Reduce heat to medium high. Spray pan with baking spray, then drop about 1/2 of the batter into the middle to make the first pancake. If you have a large pan, you can do two at once. Cook until the batter on the top looks set, and bubbles break through the surface, about two to three minutes, then turn the pancake and cook it another two to three minutes until browned.
Remove to a plate and cook the second pancake if you need to cook them separately. Butter and serve with sugar-free maple syrup or the topping of your choice.
Makes one serving.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 172.2 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 10.2 g
A favorite bread of mine is cheese bread, but on a low carb diet, it’s difficult to enjoy it as much as I’d like. Recently, I spotted a recipe for low carb cheese bread and gave it a try.
The initial recipe calls for coconut flour and psyllium husk powder, which you can buy at a health food store or order online. I happened to have some from previous baking experiments so I used it. If you don’t use it, then add 2 more tablespoons of low-carb flour.
So, I made the cheese bread with coconut flour and again with a combination of Carbquick and Bakesquick. If you like coconut flour, then try that version. It’s quite delicious. If you want to try almond flour with it, combine it with one of the other flour types to make it sturdier. I’ve included recipes for both versions; they are basically the same, just the differences in the flour.
Coconut Flour Cheese Bread
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Egg Whites (boxed version)
1/3 cup Oil
1/2 cup plus 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese, divided
2 tablespoons Psyllium Husk Powder
3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)
Spray oil or grease a glass loaf pan or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom, then spray with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg whites, oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and the psyllium powder and mix until blended together.
Add in the coconut flour, salt, garlic powder (if using) and baking soda and mix it until well combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Turn the oven to 425 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Let cool, cut into slices and eat. Makes 6 bread sticks.
Nutrition information per slice: Calories: 242 Fat: 18.9 g Net Carbs: 2.0 g Protein: 12.8 g
Low Carb Cheese Bread
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Egg Whites
1/3 cup Oil or Butter-flavored Shortening
1/2 cup plus 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese, divided
1/2 cup Bakesquick or other low carb flour
2 tablespoons Gluten Flour or Low Carb Flour
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)
Spray oil or grease a glass loaf pan or cut parchment paper to fit the bottom, then spray with baking spray.
In a medium bowl, add the eggs, egg whites, oil, 1/2 cup cheese, and mix until blended together.
Combine the flours, gluten flour, salt, garlic powder (if using) and baking soda in a bowl. Add to the wet ingredients and mix it until well combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth it evenly. Bake for about 25 minutes until lightly browned. Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over the top. Turn the oven to 425 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes.
Let cool, cut into slices and eat. Makes 6 to 8 bread sticks. I found this bread raised more and cut easily into 8 slices.
Nutrition information per slice (6 slices): Calories: 197.6 Fat: 14.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 13.4 g
Nutrition information per slice (8 slices): Calories: 148.2 Fat: 11.2 g Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 10.0 g
Eggs baked into a quiche or a frittata is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. In many ways, a frittata is like a quiche without the crust, but I think it is much more flexible than the classic dish. It’s the more rustic cousin. The possibilities for fillings are numerous, so you can prepare it often and have a different recipe each time.
I bought some Cajun sausages made almost locally in Carson City, Nevada at our grocery store. They are spicy and delectable, so I decided to try them in a frittata. They brought just enough pepper to the dish to satisfy my desire for spicy food.
Sometimes a frittata has potatoes or zucchini in it, but for this one, I went with the low carb choice of a turnip chopped up. When fresh, they have a delightful taste. A bit of sugar substitute while cooking adds a touch of sweetness to them. If you don’t like turnips, then chop up zucchini instead.
Cajun Sausage Frittata
4 slices Bacon, cut into pieces and cooked
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 cup Sweet Mini Peppers or Bell Peppers, chopped
1/4 up Mushrooms, sliced or chopped
4 large Eggs
3 tablespoons Whipping Cream
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 or 2 Cajun Style Andouille Smoked Pork Sausage
1 cup Cheddar Cheese,shredded
1 cup Turnips, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Put the cubed turnips into a bowl, add 1 teaspoon water, a pinch of sugar substitute, and microwave for 2 minutes. Turnips should be fork tender, but not falling apart. Drain and set aside.
Slice the sausage into 1/4-inch pieces.
In a bowl, mix the eggs, whipping cream, salt, and pepper together. Add any additional spice you might like, such as a little red pepper or Italian seasoning.
Cook the bacon pieces in an oven safe 8-inch skillet, such as cast iron or copper. Cook the chopped onions, mushrooms, and sweet peppers in the same skillet until just tender. Add the turnips and mix the vegetables together well.
Stir the egg mixture and add in 1/2 cup of the cheese, then pour over the vegetables in the skillet. Lift the pan to distribute the egg mixture over all the vegetables, then let the eggs cook for about three to five minutes until they are beginning to set.
Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes until the eggs are almost done. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
For a crisp topping, you can put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on appetite or if you’re serving it with a salad or fruit.
Nutrition Information per serving for 4 servings: Calories: 375 Fat: 26.6 g Net Carbs:6.3 g Protein:25.1 g
Nutrition Information per serving for 6 servings: Calories: 250 Fat:17.8 g Net Carbs: 4.1 g Protein:16.7 g
A good friend of mine recently published her mother’s recipe for a wonderful fruit cobbler. I immediately thought about adapting it for low carb. While there are challenges and I needed to make a couple of adjustments to the original recipe, I came up with a really wonderful cobbler recipe that is low in cabs and absolutely delicious.
You can find Tilla Field’s original recipe on her daughter Tina’s blog here.
I actually made two attempts at this, the first made a blackberry cobbler that was more like a cake, but the recipe below will be more of a cobbler when used with blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, or, probably, any other berry or stone fruit you can find. If you use cranberries, turn them into cooked and popped cranberries with a sugar-free substitute sweet sauce first.
1 1/2 to 2 cups Peaches, sliced
3/4 cup Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup LC Sweet Brown Sweetener or Splenda & Brown Sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
pinch Salt
1/3 cup Cream plus water to make 1/2 cup
2 tablespoons Oil
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg
2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves
Note: If you’re not using a brown sugar substitute, add an additional 1/4 cup of white sugar substitute.
Preheat oven to 370 F. (High altitude) Melt butter and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients – flour, 1/4 cup sugar substitute, brown sugar substitute, baking powder, and salt.
In a smaller bowl, mix the egg, oil, vanilla and cream plus water until they are blended.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix together until combined.
In an 8-inch cast iron skillet (or equivalent-sized deep baking pan) add the peach slices, 1 tablespoon sugar substitute, juices, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir the spices into the peaches.
Pour the batter over the top evenly. Smooth it carefully around with a wooden spoon if needed. Pour the melted butter over the top.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown.
Cool for at least 10 minutes, then serve. Add a little cream or ice cream if you wish.
Makes six servings.
Nutrition Information per serving: (Using Sweet Brown or all 0 carb SS) Calories: 153.3 Fat: 11.3 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 3.9 g
Nutrition Information per serving: (Using Splenda/BrownSugar and 0 carb SS) Calories: 185.3 Fat: 11.3 g Net Carbs: 11.0 g Protein: 3.9 g
Nutrition Information per serving: (Using Splenda powder) Calories: 153.3 Fat: 11.3 g Net Carbs: 12.4 g Protein: 3.9 g
Peach cobbler in the cast iron skillet and on the plate. The cast iron works well for cooking this.
For this recipe, I used 1/4 cup CarbQuick from Tova foods, 1/4 cup Dixie Diner Bakesquick , and 1/4 cup Almond Flour for the low carb flours. The combination made a beautiful, light, and delicious cobbler crust.
Blackberry Cobble Cake
Blackberry Cobble Cake is a happy mistake. Actually, just a fail of the original recipe, but still delicious.
This is my blackberry fail. Not that it didn’t taste good, but that it didn’t work exactly right. The original recipe calls for the butter on the bottom, the batter next–not stirred in–then the fruit on top. When using regular flour or even Bisquick, the flour will combined with butter and rise to the top so the fruit is under the crust and you get a nice crust. With this and the impossible pies I’ve tried with low carb flours, I’ve only had it work property once, but I thought I would try it. The result is more like a blackberry cake than a cobbler. But it does taste good.
For this cobble cake, I used the same recipe as above for the peach cobber, only using 1-1/2 cup of blackberries. For the flour, I used 1/4 cup Almond Flour and 1/4 cup Coconut Flour. I also added 1/4 cup Egg Whites, and about 1/4 cup water. The coconut flour hydrates to double its size or more. I did not put in any ground clove in this one.
I’m confident that if you put the berries on the bottom, the batter mix on top, then pour the melted butter over the top, it will produce a lovely baked cobbler.
Give these a try. You won’t regret it. Thank you to Tina Fields – love ya’, girl – for allowing me to share this wonderful recipe.
Ever have the urge for a corn dog? One of those batter-covered frankfurters on a stick dipped in mustard or mayo can be a wonderful taste of comfort food. Unfortunately, corn bread batter is one of those things that can really pack on the pounds.
My alternative to it is this tasty hot dog in a pot, a personal-sized batter-covered frank made with low carb flours and golden flax meal. While it doesn’t replicate the corn dog, it is similar and satisfies my cravings for this simple summer fair food. Give it a try. With this flexible recipe and you can add several variations. I haven’t tried the sauerkraut option, but I don’t see any reason it won’t work.
Frankenpot in a one cup ramekin. Run a thin knife around the edge and flip upside down to remove to a plate.
Frankenpot
Recipe by Rene Averett
This is a simple, low carb version of a corn dog, except it doesn’t use cornmeal. Instead, I’ve substituted in golden flax meal. It has the texture and a bit of the taste of the corn dog although it is baked instead of fried, so it isn’t quite the same.
If you want to try to fry it, I suggest baking it part way, then dropping it in a fryer for a couple of minutes to brown the exterior. I’d also leave off the cheese topping until after it’s fried.
Per 1 person serving
1 Hot dog or frankfurter
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon ground Golden Flax Meal
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
Pinch of Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
Pinch of Black Pepper, if you wish
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional)
Mayonnaise and/or Mustard for dipping
Additional add-ins you can try:
1 tablespoon Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Green Chilies, chopped
2 tablespoons Chile Con Carne, no beans
1 tablespoon Sauerkraut, drained
Preheat the oven to 365 degrees (F). Spray a one-cup ramekin with baking spray. (You can also use an oval ramekin that fits the uncut frankfurter or any other shape you want.)
In a small bowl, add egg and oil and whisk until blended. Add sugar substitute, baking powder, salt, pepper, flour, and flax meal. Stir until completely blended and smooth. Put 1/2 of the batter in the bottom of the ramekin. Cut the hot dog into 1/2 inch rounds and layer them over the mixture.
At this point, add any of the additional add-ons you wish to include. Sprinkle 1/2 the shredded cheese over the top and spoon the remaining batter over the top, smoothing it out. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool and eat with a dipping sauce of mayonnaise and mustard or use either alone. I love this with a mayonnaise and cranberry mustard sauce.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 538 Fat:46.9 g Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 22.1 g
With onions, add 0.6 grams of carbs to the count. With green chiles, add 0.5 grams With chili con carne with beans, add 3.4 grams With sauerkraut, the count is the same as with onion.
Loaded with onion, chiles, and chile con carne, the total net carbs are 10.9 g.
Hint: For a simple dipping sauce, I mix 1 tablespoon Mayonnaise and a teaspoon of Cranberry Mustard together. You can also use regular mustard. For a touch of sweetness, add a little sugar-free sweet pickle juice or a drop of liquid sweetener.
Looking for a more savory sauce? Use a couple of tablespoons of Ranch Dressing or a Sugar-Free Honey Mustard Dressing.
Give this a try and if you come up with some other good add-ins, let me know.
