Category Archives: Recipes

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches

Low Carb Pancake Chicken Sandwich

I recently saw a post that featured pancakes used in various ways, including the “dutch baby” pancake, which is like a giant popover. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to me to use a pancake to make a sandwich. By making the batter savory, you can easily cook a pair of sandwich-bun-sized cakes and make a delicious and satisfying sandwich. I made two–a chicken sandwich and a ham sandwich to test out the recipe. Wonderful and easy to do!

So, if you’re looking for an easy bread substitute, you might want to try this one. I used DCC Baking Mix, Carbquick, and flax meal in mine, but you can also use almond flour, coconut flour, soy flour or any other low carb flour to make them. I suggest at least two varieties of flour to give them more strength. Coconut flour breaks easily, almond flour a little less, so combining them makes it sturdier. You also need to let them cool before using them to make your sandwich as that allows them to set up better.

Pancake Chicken Sandwich

A twist on the chicken sandwich adds a savory pancake in place of the bread.

For pancakes:
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
1 tablespoon Golden Flax Meal
1 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Onion Powder
Pinch Red Pepper
Pinch Salt
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream or 2 tablespoons Almond Milk
1 tablespoon Water (don’t add if using Almond Milk)
1/4 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Butter

For the sandwich:
2 slices Bacon, cooked until crisp
Sliced Chicken (however much you prefer)
Piece of Lettuce
1 slice Cheese of choice (optional)
2 slices Tomato (optional)
Mayonnaise or Mustard to preference.

In a small bowl, add egg, olive oil, and sugar substitute and mix well with a whisk or a spatula. Add the cream and water (or almond milk) and stir or whisk. Add the flour and flax meal along with the Parmesan cheese and seasonings. Mix together.

Put a skillet over medium heat burner and heat until a drop of water skitters across it. Add butter and melt it, then put three tablespoons of batter in the pan. If there is room for two, do the second one, otherwise, cook them one at a time. The batter should spread out to form about a 4″ thin circle. It will be thicker than a crepe, but not as thick as a regular pancake. Let cook until the top looks dry around the edges and little bubbles break through. Turn and cook another couple of minutes until lightly browned.

Put on a plate, then do the rest of the pancakes. This recipe makes about three, but you only use two for the sandwich. Put the other one away to use with your morning eggs.

Assemble your sandwich. Put mayonnaise or mustard on both pancakes, then put lettuce on one, topped by the cheese and the chicken. Put the bacon on top of the chicken, then the other pancake on top. It will hold together pretty well while you’re eating it. I had uneven slices of chicken that tried to escape, so this would work better with even slices. You can also make a ham sandwich with it.

Makes one sandwich.

Nutrition information per sandwich;
Calories: 526 Fat: 31.6 g Net Carbs: 4.7 g Protein: 19.2 g

Per Pancake only:
Calories: 139.4 Fat: 13.3 g Net Carbs: 0.8 g Protein: 4.1 g

Ham and cheese sandwich. This could probably be popped into the microwave for about 20 seconds to melt the cheese.

The only thing that changes for the ham sandwich is a slice or two of ham, depending on the thickness, instead of the chicken and no bacon.

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

Spring Delightful Strawberry Tea Cake

Photo: Spring Strawberry Cake

Here’s a simple and simply delicious cake that is perfect for a tea or brunch or with coffee in the morning. It’s also great as dessert. It only uses five ingredients and to be honest, when I first saw it I kept wondering where the butter or oil was in it, but it works just fine without it. The original four-ingredient recipe is at Leylita.com.

I adapted it to low carb flours so it isn’t carb-laden. I used a combination of DCC’s Bakesquick, Carbquick, and almond flour. You can use whichever flours you choose. Although the textures may vary, the cake should work with any of them. If you use coconut flour, use 1/2 the amount called for and add an extra egg to get the rise and possibly additional water as the coconut flour gobbles up liquid. Whether you are using all nut flours or soy flour, it’s better to use a combination for both flavor and texture.

Strawberry Tea Cake

Photo: Close up of slice

Easy to make. Try it with fresh cut up peaches also.

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
2 Eggs
1-1/2 cup Fresh Strawberries, quartered
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a 6×6-inch baking pan by greasing and flouring with low carb flour. I put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom, which makes it much easier to remove.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, sugar, and vanilla and whisk or beat with mixer with blended and creamy-looking. Add the flour two or three tablespoons at a time and stir in gently until all is mixed in. The batter will be thick, but if it is too hard to stir, add about a tablespoon of water.

Save a few berries back for the topping and stir the rest into the batter. Top with saved berries. Pour into the prepared baking pan.

Bake 5 minutes at 400 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes until lightly browned. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean if it is done.

Cool about 10 minutes, then flip it onto a serving plate. You should be able to turn it over or flip it onto a different plate if it seems like it will break if you try to turn it.

Makes six servings.

Nutrition Information per servings:
Calories: 97 Fat: 6.3 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5.7 g

Will you give this recipe a try? You won’t regret it. Post your comments below if you make it.

Desserts, Recipes

Quick Dessert with Cranberries and Pecans

Cranberry Pecan dessert photo

I cannot believe March is almost over! Where does the time go? I seem to be way behind on everything this month. But I did manage to try out a quick recipe for a wonderful dessert like Pecan Pie.

I’ve seen several recipes for “Impossible” pies that use the same technique as the Bisquick recipes that work so well to mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour them into the pie shell, and they separate while they cook to give you a crust on the bottom and sometimes a topping layer. So far, I haven’t been able to duplicate this using low carb flours.The food tastes great, but the crust doesn’t seem to come out on the bottom. This is another one of those recipes. It seems more like a very low flour cake than a pie, but the taste is wonderful.

The original recipe came from Dixie Carb Counters, but I made a few adjustments. I used the DCC All Purpose Flour to make this, but I think it will work equally as well with almond flour, soy flour, or coconut flour (use 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of water). The recipe uses a small amount of flour, so the crust isn’t very thick.I used my cranberries whole, but they might be distributed better if they are chopped.

Cranberry Pecan Pie Cake

Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/3 cup fresh or frozen Cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F.). Prepare a pie tin or an 8-inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. I also like to line mine with parchment paper, then spray the paper.

In a small bowl, add the sugar, flour, and baking soda and mix together. Set aside. In a larger bowl, add the eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk together until blended. Stir in the flour until it is all mixed in. Add 3/4 cup of the nuts and the cranberries and stir them in.

Pour into your prepared pan, smoothing until even. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 20 to see if the edges are getting too browned. If so, cover with foil and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Makes 8 Servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:162 Fat:15.7 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.7 g

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Enjoy Buttery Shrimp for St. Patrick’s Day

West of Ireland shrimp picture.

I call this West of Ireland shrimp because I’m a long way from Erin’s shore and I don’t have any Dublin Bay prawns where I live. The recipe is in the style of an Irish prawn recipe I have and I deem it suitable for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for those who might want a change from corned beef and cabbage. Get big plump shrimp for this, about 20 to 24 per pound.

It’s terrific with my low carb Irish Soda Bread to soak up the delicious butter sauce. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all who celebrate. Incidentally, I made my soda bread in a muffin pan so it makes even-sized servings with a nice crust all around it.

1 lb. Large Shrimp in shells
1 stick Butter
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce or Chili Oil
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Peppers
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
Pinch of crushed Celeriac

Peel and devein shrimp, rinse, and put in a sealable quart plastic bag. Add Olive oil, crushed red peppers, and garlic. Seal and turn the bag over several times to coat all the shrimp.

In a saucepan, add the Chili Oil or Olive Oil, Tabasco sauce and Irish Whiskey. Stir and cook until the liquid is reduced by about 1/4. Add butter and Celeriac and stir together until it looks creamy.

Lower heat to a simmer and add shrimp with the oil. Cook until you can see the pink on the bottom side, then turn them over and cook the other side. About two to three minutes.

Transfer shrimp to serving dishes. Add a bit of parsley to bring a touch of color if you wish. Serve with cauli-rice, zucchini pasta, or Irish Soda Bread. Makes about 3 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 446.3 Fat:32.3 g Net Carbs: 0.4 g Protein: 32.0 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Yummy Roasted Vegetables

Even in winter, we have a lovely selection of vegetables that are simply scrumptious when roasted. This recipe is based on one Yummly sent in my email, but I’ve made changes to only include low carb vegetables in the mix. No potatoes or carrots in it. I did go a little overboard when I prepared my vegetables and ended up with enough to feed ten to twelve people. Good thing I love these veggies. So, I scaled it down to half that size and this should make enough nice side servings for six.

Hearty Winter Roasted Vegetables

2 small Golden Beets
1 cup Kohlrabi
1 cup Turnips
1 cup Cauliflower flowerets
2 stalks Celery, medium-sized
1 medium Yellow Squash
1 large Zucchini
3 small Sweet Peppers
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut all vegetables into about 1-inch pieces. Try to keep them close to the same sized pieces for even cooking. Keep the softer vegetables (celery, squash, peppers) separate from the harder ones (beets, kohlrabi, turnips, cauliflower).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Add water about two-thirds up a large pot and bring to a boil. Add hard vegetables and boil for about five minutes to partially cook them. Drain and run cold water over them.

In a large plastic bag, mix the olive oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic salt, garlic powder,and pepper. Stir or slosh it around in the bag until combined. Add the vegetables to the bag, seal and turn a few times to coat all of them.

Spread the vegetables out on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 125 Fat: 9.4 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 2.3 g