Category Archives: Recipes

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Honey Ginger Pancakes

Looking for a special breakfast meal this holiday season? How about something with a yummy honey flavor along with the seasonings of gingerbread? I came up with this recipe and just loved it. It’s not the lowest carb’d breakfast you can serve, but it is still about 8 net carbs and is really filling. Add a couple of slices of bacon or sausage and it will last you until dinner.

Honey Ginger Pancakes with Pecan Sauce

2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoons Coconut or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Cloves, ground
2 teaspoons Ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Ginger, Crystallized, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Sugar–free Honey
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Bakesquick or Carbquick Mix or other Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

Honey Ginger Pecan Sauce

1/4 cup Butter
2 tablespoons Sugar Free Honey
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup Pecan pieces

In a medium bowl, add ricotta cheese, oil, and eggs and beat together with a whisk or a rubber spatula. (I use the small end of my double-sided spatula for this.) Add the seasonings — cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and ginger paste– and add the sugar substitute and sugar-free honey. Hold on to the ginger crystals for now. Mix it into the egg mixture well.

In a small bowl, add the low carb flour of choice, the vanilla whey powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix together. Add to the egg mixture and stir until fully mixed in. The batter should be thick, but easy to spread in the pan. Chop the candied ginger into little bits and stir into the batter. If the batter is too thick, thin with a little water.

Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water skittles across it. Lower to a medium high head and spoon two heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Spread to form about a 4 to 5 inch pancake. If there is room, add a second pan cake. Cover and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the top no longer looks wet and the spatula slides easily under the cake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until browned on the bottom.

Remove to a warm plate and keep warm in a low oven while you prepare the rest of the cakes.

Look at how thick these pancakes are!

For the Ginger Pecan Sauce:
In a non-stick pan, melt the butter. Add the ground ginger, ginger paste, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the chopped pecans and honey and toast for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Pour over the pancakes and serve.

Makes 2 servings of 2 pancakes each.

Pancakes only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 286.7 Fat: 21.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 15.6 g

Sauce Only:
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 418 Fat: 44.9 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 3.0 g

Note: Want to cut the calories some? Just use sugar-free maple syrup in place of the Ginger Pecan Sauce or use 1/4 cup of pecan pieces instead of 1/2 cup. That will lower the calories by 100 per serving. Or only eat one pancake and 1/4 of the sauce.

Desserts, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Cranberry Cream Parfait

Last month, I was all about the pumpkin, but this month my passion is cranberries. They really are a wonderful fruit that keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and even longer when frozen. I buy at least a dozen bags when they’re available in late Fall. They can be made into so many things.

This is a variation of the pumpkin parfait I posted last month and it is sooooo good. It makes a light, creamy-tasting dessert to follow up a heavy meal like prime rib and turkey. And it is so easy to make. You can put it into dessert dishes or just leave it in the bowl and spoon it out into a little bowl or plate to serve.

Cranberry Parfait served with a half-slice of pumpkin bread.

Cranberry Orange Cream Parfait

Cranberry Topping
1 cup whole Cranberries
2/3 cups Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Water

For the Cream cheese filling
8 oz . Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Cranberries, chopped
1/2 package Orange Drink Mix
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Prepare the Cranberry topping first. Put a small pan on the stove with the water and bring to a boil. Stir in sugar substitute and reduce heat to a low boil. Add the cranberries and stir. Wait for the berries to pop, then stir well and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and chill.

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and ricotta cheese and mix with a hand mixer until they are smoothly blended. Add 1/2 cup sugar substitute, the orange drink mix, and the chopped cranberries and mix together.

In a small bowl or blender, add the cup of heavy cream and beat until it begins to thicken. Add 1/4 cup sugar substitute and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream is thick enough to spoon out with it holding its shape.

Reserve 1/4 cup whipped cream and stir the rest into the cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon of the cranberry sauce into the bottom of a 1/2 cup dessert glass, add 1/6th of the mixture (about 3 tablespoons), then add another teaspoon of the cranberry sauce on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 285 Fat: 28.4 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 4.3 g

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season – Asparagus Pinwheel Appetizers

For my second holiday party last weekend, I made these tasty little appetizers that are so easy to put together. If you want to be nice to non-low-carbers, you can make one portion with low carb tortillas and the other three with regular or flavored tortillas. I used the tomato spiced tortillas for mine for the party and made mine with low carb flour tortillas. Either way, these are a delicious and colorful snack.

Asparagus Pinwheels

Low carb version with low carb flour tortillas.

1 (8 ounce) package Cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 Green Onions, finely chopped
4 large Low Carb Flour Tortillas
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
8 to 12 stalks Asparagus, depending on the length
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim asparagus spears and par boil for 3 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cream. Beat with a mixer until blended and smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese.

Warm the tortillas to make them more pliable. Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture on the tortilla, be sure to go all the way to the edge on the side that will be the end of the roll. Sprinkle 1/4 chopped onions, 1/4 peppers, and 1/4 celery evenly over the tortilla. Place two stalks of asparagus down the center of the tortilla, about 1″ apart. Make sure they go the full length. If they aren’t long enough, cut extra from the additional stalks you prepared.

Beginning at the side you did not spread to the edge, roll the tortilla tightly into a long roll and press the opposite side to secure with the cream cheese edge all the way to the bottom. If you didn’t get enough cream cheese on the edge, use a little extra on the edge to make it stick.

Wrap the roll tightly in aluminum foil. Repeat with the other tortillas.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Remove and use a bread knife to cut about 1/2 inch at each end off, then cut the rest into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. It should make about 10  slices per tortilla.

Arrange on a party tray and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Recipe makes 40 pinwheels.

Nutrition Information per pinwheel (based on 40):
Calories: 36.5 Fat: 2.9 g Net Carbs: 1.2 g Protein:1.7 g

Note: It helps to have a container of spreadable cream cheese handy in case you don’t have enough on the edges after you roll the tortilla.

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Holiday Cheeseball

If you’re like me, you can be sorely tempted at a holiday party this time of year.  When you have several to attend and you can bring a side dish or appetizer, you can at least make sure something you bring is low in carbohydrates. This past weekend, I had two parties to contribute a dish and I made two easy to make options that didn’t stress my low carb allotment, although a couple of the other goodies at them did make it tough. I’m posting the recipe for one of them today and I’ll put the other one up later in the week.

This one is based on a recipe from All Recipes with a couple of changes to suit my tastes, such as adding taco seasoning to give it a bit of spice.  It looks really cute on the table and is as delicious as it is attractive.

Seasoned Yule Tree Cheeseball

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion or 3 tablespoons fresh minced onion
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper, freshly ground

1/2 red bell pepper
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds (optional)

If using dehydrated onions, add the minced onion to about 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let sit until most of the water is absorbed. If you use three tablespoons of fresh minced onion, omit this step.

In a large bowl, add cream cheese and use a mixer to whip until creamy. Add cheese, minced onions, taco seasoning and garlic pepper and mix until completely combined. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to pull the cream cheese together into a ball.

Cover a plate with plastic wrap, then form the ball into a cone-shaped tree. Put in the refridgerator to chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to decorate, cut the bell pepper into short strips and cut out a top decoration, such as a star or a circle, or whatever you would like. Chop the parsley sprigs or pull them off for longer greenery.

Press the parsley into the cheeseball tree to give it a lush green tree look. Add pieces of the bell pepper to form decorations or garlands on the tree. Top with the your topper choice. Add a few sliced almonds to make additional decorations.

Chill until ready to serve, then carefully use a wide spatula to slide under the cheeseball and move to a serving platter. Serve with low carb crackers or vegetables to keep the treat low carb.

Makes about 20 servings.

Nutrition Information per 1 serving:
Calories:106.2 Fat: 10.0 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 3.1 g

Tip: If you’re having a small party or a family dinner, this recipe can be halved easily to serve 8 to 10 people.  Or make a full recipe, split it in half and make two trees for different parties. 

Other appetizer recipes for the holidays – click on the images:

Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Tomato Spinach Cheese Puffs

 

Tamale Pie ‘Shrooms

 

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Think cookies are not in your holiday celebrations? Well, you can have your cookies without worrying about over-doing your carb in-take if you make your own. They can be surprisingly low carb, like this little cookie. The trick is to not eat too many of them at one time.

Based on a chocolate crinkle cookie recipe I ran across, this low carb version replaces the flour with low carb flour and sugar substitutes. I used Bakesquick and a little coconut flour when I made them and they worked fine. I believe almond flour will work, but might benefit from a little coconut or soy flour with it. These do not create the distinct crinkles you get with regular flour and the powdered sugar substitute melts into the chocolate while cooking where the regular stuff won’t do that, apparently, but the taste is excellent. Just sprinkle a little more powdered sugar substitute on each cookie after they cool a little. Best of all, each cookie is about 1/2 net carb each! How can you beat that?

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

3/4 cup LC all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon Peppermint Extract or Syrup (adjust to taste)
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg
2 tablespoons Egg Whites
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar substitute, as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small microwavable bowl, place broken pieces of bakers chocolate and microwave in 20 second intervals until the chocolate can be stirred with a spoon. Takes about one minute, depending on the microwave. Or you can put the chocolate in a double-boiler of simmering hot water until it melts.Let cool a little.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and melted chocolate. Beat in egg, then egg white, and add peppermint extract. Mix until well blended.

In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into the batter bowl in 3 to 4 batches, mixing each batch in before adding the next one.

Set the dough aside to rest 15 minutes. In a small bowl or cup, add about 1/2 cup powdered sugar substitute.

Use a spoon to scoop about 3/4 tablespoons of dough and form into a ball, then roll in powdered sugar to coat. Set on the parchment papered cookie sheet and repeat until you’ve used all the dough.

Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be just set in the center. Remove and let cool a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.Sprinkle a little more powdered sugar over the top.

Delicious served at room temperature or slightly warmed, but also good cold.

Makes 18 to 20 cookies

Nutrition Information per cookie:
Calories: 53.6 Fat: 4.8 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 1.8 g