Category Archives: Recipes

Desserts, Recipes

Brownie Rum Balls Made Easily

This was an experiment inspired by a recipe I saw to make chocolate covered rum balls from stale brownies.  Well, I had some stale Atkins Brownies in my pantry. By stale, I mean over two years old and usually these things get pretty hard by that point.  As it turned out, they weren’t as hard as I thought they might be, but just a little dry.

But they wouldn’t work for recipe I originally saw, so I transformed them into these delicious Brownie Rum Balls that are wonderful and the next best thing to the real version.  Plus, they are easy to make.

Brownie Rum Balls

… or Bourbon Balls or Brandy Balls

5 Atkins Brownie Bars, stale are fine (1 pkg)
5 tablespoons Almond Flour
3 tablespoons rum, bourbon or brandy (to taste)
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
3 to 4 tablespoons Powdered Sugar Substitute

Break or cut the brownies into five or six pieces each and put in a microwavable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave another 20 seconds, then stir again, until the brownies are all melted and can be blended together.

Add almond flour and granulated sugar substitute and stir together, then add rum (bourbon or brandy) and mix together until it all holds together in a dough. The dough will be moist but able to shape. If it is too moist add a little more almond flour.

Put wax paper or parchment paper down on a baking sheet. Use a teaspoon to get about 1/2 teaspoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Place on the paper. Repeat with the rest of the dough. The balls should be about 1/2 inch in size and you should get about 35 to 36 balls from the dough.

Let sit and dry a little, then put powdered sugar substitute on a saucer and roll each ball in the powdered sugar, then put back on the paper to dry.

Once dry the balls can be put in a wax paper lined box or a tin until ready to eat.  Makes  35 or 36 balls.

Nutrition Info: per ball (35 per recipe)
     Calories: 30.2 Fat: 1.5 g Net Carbs: 0.4 g Protein: 1.9 g

Tip: If you don’t have powdered sugar substitute, you can make it by putting 1/4 cup sugar substitute in a blender and blending until it is powdered. OR you can simply roll the balls in granulated sugar substitute.

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Italian Seasonings Make This Chicken Awesome

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to catch Rachel Ray’s afternoon talk show and she was making this chicken dish that is seasoned like sausage.  It sounded delicious and it also included butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, so I had to try it.  As near as I could jot down while drooling over the picture on mt TV, this is Rachel’s basic recipe.  All I’ve done is adjust the proportions a little and calculate the carbs in it.

I actually made this dish with four chicken quarters — thigh and leg – which were pretty large.   You can also use four whole chicken breasts or 8 half breasts.

Italian Seasoned Chicken Bake

Based on Rachel Ray’s recipe

2 cups Butternut Squash, cubed
1 Red Onion, sliced
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved
8 chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Fennel
1/2 teaspoon powdered Onions
1/2 teaspoon Chile Flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered Garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground Sage
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

Arrange the Brussels sprouts face down on the pan. Add the diced butternut squash and onions and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Drizzle one tablespoon of the oil over the top.

Clean, dry and oil the chicken thighs in a pan or large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together all the remaining seasonings. Sprinkle over the chicken thighs., then use your hands to turn and coat the chicken until the seasonings are distributed over the thighs. Place the thighs on top of the vegetables in the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.

Makes 4 to 8 servings depending on your appetite. I usually only eat one chicken thigh, but two per serving is okay.

Nutrition Info: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 274.3 Fat:9.3 g Net Carbs: 13.2 g Protein: 30.2 g

Nutrition Info: 1/8 of recipe
Calories: 137.2 Fat:4.6 g Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 15.1 g

Tip: To get down to the lower carb count and still eat 2 chicken thighs, cut the vegetable amounts in half. They are adding double the serving so using less still gives you about 1/3 cup of vegetables with the thighs. Using only half will bring the carbs down to 7 g.

Desserts, Recipes

Holiday Baking Booklet – Just for You

I am working on my cookbook project, which I plan to have out in March 2015, but as a bit of a teaser and as a little Holiday thank you to all my supporters and friends, I’ve put together a low carb recipe Holiday Baking booklet, called “Holiday Cakes, Cookies and Candy the Low Carb Way”.  It’s got recipes from this site and some that haven’t been posted here in a neat little booklet on a PDF file that you can download and open on your tablet or print out.  It makes a 6″x 9″ format booklet, so you would have to trim and bind it to make a booklet that size, or just print and put in a binder.

This booklet is no longer available as a download.  Hope you got it downloaded and have enjoyed some of the recipes in it.  I will be updating it this year and it will be coming out as a Kindle Book via Amazon in October, 2015.

This  cook booklet is free to you from now until January 15th.  At that point, it will no longer be linked to this page, so download it right away so you can enjoy all these sweetly delicious ways to celebrate the holidays.  Please do not share the booklet file itself or post it on your own pages, but feel free to direct others to this site to download it and maybe sign up to receive notices when the site is updated.  Of course, I hope to add more subscribers to the site, but I also want people to enjoy a low carb, guilt free holiday.

holiday Cookbook-coverSo, click on the cover picture  to download the book.  If you are on your tablet, you can download the file and open it with Adobe Reader (or any other reader) or with a Kindle application.

I think having recipes on your tablet is really a great way to cook without having a bulky book in your hand or having to print out paper.  I keep thinking you could make a tablet holder on one of your cabinets by putting four large clips or brackets on the cabinet positioned to hold the tablet.  So, then you have it where you can see it and still be hands free.  Haven’t tried this yet, but it’s on my to do list.  If you do it before I do, send me a photo and tips on how you did it and I’ll feature it on this site.  Or if you have other ideas for making a holder for your Kindle or tablet, send those along.

Please let me know if you try any of the recipes – and I hope you do – and how you like them.

Happy Holidays to All!

Desserts, Recipes

Light and Delicious Pistachio Cheesecake

When it comes to a festive-looking, easy to make, no-bake cheesecake, this Pistachio cheesecake is great.  It’s a twist on the pudding cheesecake that is delectably delicious and low carb.

No Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

16 oz Cream Cheese
1 pkt unflavored Gelatin Mix
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 oz. Sugar-free Hazelnut Syrup (optional)
1/2 pkg Sugar Free Pistachio Pudding Mix
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

Crust
1/2 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Baking Mix or LC Flour
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger

Make the Crust:
In a small bowl, mix all crust ingredients, cutting butter through with a fork. The dough will be soft and sticky. Spray an 8×8″ cake pan with cooking spray and spread the dough over the bottom of the pan. Wet your finger tips or the back of a spoon to make spreading it easier. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool while you mix the filling.

Make the Filling:
In a small bowl, add sugar substitute and boiling water. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it sit a few minutes to soften, then stir it in. Continue to stir until the gelatin completely melts, about five minutes.

In a large bowl, put the softened cream cheese and vanilla extract and mix on low speed blended. Gradually add the gelatin mixture and hazelnut syrup, if using, and continue to beat until the filling is smooth and creamy.

Mix 1/2 box of the Pistachio pudding mix with whipping cream and almond milk. Us a mixer to beat the ingredients together. Let stand for about five minutes until the pudding begins to set. Add 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture to the pudding and stir together with a spoon.

Pour the remaining cream cheese mixture onto the top of the baked crust and smooth it out evenly. Pour the pistachio pudding over the top and smooth without mixing it into the lower layer. Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Cut into 12 servings, 4 slices one direction by three across the other way.

Serve with a tablespoon of whipped cream and a few chopped pistachio nuts, if desired.

     Nutrition info per serving
        Calories:246.7 Fat: 24.2 g Net Carbs: 3.6 g Protein: 4.5 g

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Hot and Sour Soup at Home

A soup that can warm you up from the inside out on these cold nights is the Chinese Hot and Sour Soup.  You don’t need to go out for it because it’s easy to make at home.  If you have rice wine vinegar and soy sauce at home, then you have a good start toward the soup.  I made it with what I had in the house — chicken bullion instead of broth, turnips instead of mushrooms, and celery added for a bit of crunch.  Instead of scallions, I added dried minced onions and chives and I also added some mixed, chopped greens.   The original recipe called for shitake mushrooms, but I’ve substituted regular mushrooms for a lower carb dish.  This is a delicious soup with or without other Chinese food on the menu.

Hot and Sour Soup

4 cups Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper
1 cup fresh Mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1 deli Smoked Pork Chop, diced
1 stalk Celery, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
3 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup mixed greens, torn or chopped

Prep all vegetables before starting as this will cook quickly.

In a large pot, combine broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, ginger and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium hea, then add celery, pork and mushrooms.

Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Whisk together 3 tablespoons vinegar and cornstarch. Add to pot; simmer, stirring, until soup is thickened, about 1 minute.

Drizzle egg into the soup and stir to form ribbons. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute. Taste; add additional vinegar, if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info: per serving
Calories: 57 Fat: 1.9 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 5.6 g