Category Archives: Recipes

Desserts, Recipes

Simply Lovely Strawberry Mousse

As I was clicking through the Atkins recipe site a few days ago looking for Phase I desserts for someone on the “New Atkins for a New You” Facebook support list, I ran across this really easy to make Chocolate Mint Mousse recipe and promptly tried it.  Of course, I didn’t have all the ingredients for it and made a substitution or two and reduced it to make only two servings instead of 8, but basically, it came out really good.

But why stop there?  Strawberries are on the vine in my front yard and suddenly a strawberry mousse sounded wonderful to me.  So this recipe was born.  It’s a variation on the one from Atkins, but different enough to say it’s my own take on it.   Incidentally, you can make it with raspberries as well.

To stay strictly legal for phase I, don’t add the fresh strawberries in it or on top of it.

The unadorned version without toppings.

Strawberry Mousse Dessert

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Vanilla or Strawberry Whey Protein Powder scoop
1/4 teaspoon Strawberry Extract
1 drop of red food coloring (if you’re using Vanilla powder)
2 tablespoons cut Strawberries in own juice*

*Use 1 cup fresh or unsweetened frozen strawberries. Cut into quarters and add 1 tablespoon of sugar substitute, mix well, cover and put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to make a juice and chill the berries.

An hour before serving, put the cream into a small bowl and whip with an egg beater until peaks form.   Reserve two tablespoons for garnish later.  Add the strawberry extract and mix in, then add the whey powder and 1 tablespoon of strawberry pieces. Beat with the beater until the mixture is smooth and the strawberries are blended in.

Spoon into two 1/2 cup serving dishes, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill.

Before serving, spoon 1/2 tablespoon strawberries on top of each, reserving two pieces to go on top of the whipped cream. Put 1 tablespoon of reserved whipped cream on top of each serving, then top with the reserved strawberry pieces.

Nutrition Info per serving (with fresh strawberries)
Calories: 246.3 Fat: 17.8 g Net Carbs: 3.2 g Protein: 6.7 g

(without strawberries)
Calories: 232 Fat: 17.0 g Net Carbs:1.9 g Protein: 6.7 g

Drinks, Recipes

Refreshing Pomegranate Cream Soda

As the temperatures gradually rise, or in some cases – leap, into summer, a nice cooling drink is always welcome.  This is a great one to take out on the patio while you BBQ or just sit and enjoy the day.

It’s a little like an Italian cream soda, but not quite and it’s so simple to make.  Obviously, this would also be great with orange syrup, pineapple syrup, or almost any flavored fruit syrup.   You could get addicted…

Pomegranate Cream Soda

3 tablespoon sugar free Pomegranate Syrup*
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 can sugar free Ginger Ale
1 cup of crushed Ice

In a blender, add the syrup, vanilla, ginger ale and half the crushed ice. Pulse several times to mix together. Add the rest of the ice and pulse again  until the ice is mostly crushed in. Add the cream and pulse once or twice to blend it in.

Pour into 2 glasses and serve.

*  Don’t have flavored syrups?  You can use the squeeze bottle drink flavors/ liquid water enhancers, like Mio, Crystal Light or whatever brand your local store carries.  Use 4 to 5 squeezes to add the flavor.  I tried it out with Blueberry Pomegranate.  Delicious. 

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 54.8 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 0.3g Protein: 0.3 g

Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Cupcake-sized Egg Puffs for Breakfast or Snacks

This recipe makes six cupcake-sized ham and cheese egg puffs with an optional bit of low carb tortilla in them. You can bake them and keep them in the ‘fridge for quick breakfasts or snacks later in the week. I usually only eat one for breakfast, but someone who needs a little more sustenance than I do can eat two without stressing the carbs for the day.  Add a tablespoon of red salsa for a bit of spice with your eggs.  It’s only 1 net carb per tablespoon.

Ham and Cheese Egg Puffs

4 Eggs
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1/2 cup diced Ham
1 low carb Tortilla (optional)
1/4 cup chopped Green Pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon crushed Mexican Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 365 degrees. Prepare the muffin cups by buttering or spraying with cooking spray. (I tried mine with paper cups, but the egg sticks to the paper too much.)

In a medium mixing bowl, break the eggs and stir with a fork or a whisk. Add the mayonnaise and heavy cream and continue to whisk until it is blended together. Add seasonings and stir them in.

If you’re using the tortillas, cut the tortilla into sixths, then tear the sections into smaller pieces to go in the muffin cups with 1/6th of the ham and peppers (if adding) in each cup.

Carefully pour or spoon the egg mixture over the filling in the cups, dividing it equally. It should almost fill the cups.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Use a toothpick inserted in the center to insure that it is done. Toothpick should come out clean. If you want to store these and reheat them later, you can undercook just a little, but make sure they aren’t runny.

Let cool a few minutes, then remove from the pan and serve or store.

Nutrition Info: (with optional items) 1 egg puff
Calories: 146.8 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 1.8 g Protein: 9.4 g

(without optional items) 1 egg puff
Calories: 135.2 Fat: 10.9 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 8.5 g

Without the tortillas, this is suitable for Phase I of Atkins.

Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Brunch Time Skillet Frittata

I often hear people say that they get so tired of eggs, which are just a mainstay in the low carb lifestyle.  The egg is super low carb’d, nutritious and very versatile.  There are so many ways to prepare eggs and they are ingredients in many things where they aren’t the star.  If you don’t like the taste of eggs,  then there isn’t much that will hide the egg flavor unless you bake them into custards, flan, cakes and muffins.  But dishes like this one change the basic taste and many more ingredients enhance the experience.

A frittata is like a quiche or an omelet, but is made in a skillet.  It’s the Italian version of a Spanish omelet that is not the same as an American omelet.  Typically, an American omelet is a fluffy, folded over egg with filling ingredients in the middle.  The European version has the ingredients baked into the eggs to make a skillet egg cake, which is essentially what the name means. The flavor is different from the American version and is just as versatile with the added filling ingredients.

Often a frittata will use potatoes or even pasta in the mix.  This version replaces the potatoes with diced turnips, but you can also use Daikon radish, kohlrabi or celery root in it to keep it low-carb’d.  If you aren’t too worried about the carbs in the potato, then use the potato.  You can get creative with the frittata and it makes a great breakfast or brunch dish.  It even serves up well cold or at room temperature so it can make a great summer dinner meal with a berry salad on the side.

Skillet Italian Frittata

3 or 4 Eggs
1 link Italian Sausage, removed from casing
1/4 cup sliced Sweet Peppers
1/2 cup diced Turnips, Daikon Radish or Kohlrabi, pre-cooked
2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Herb Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the sausage until it is browned, separating it into small pieces as you cook. Don’t overcook as it will cook more in the frittata.

If the turnips (or other vegetable) isn’t already prepared, peel it, dice it and cook in boiling water for about five minutes. The little cubes should be fork tender when you poke them.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, add seasoning, salt, pepper and heavy cream and beat with a fork until well mixed and frothy.

Over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter in an omelet skillet, then add the sweet peppers and sauté about five minutes. Add the turnips, pico de gallo and sausage and stir to mix into the peppers and butter. Stir the eggs again, then pour into the skillet.

Cook as for an omelet, letting the eggs set, the lift the edges to let the liquid egg in the middle run underneath to cook. Repeat until most of the liquid egg is set. Turn the heat to low and put a cover over the skillet and let cook about three to five minutes. Check to see if the eggs look set in the middle. If so, then sprinkle the cheese over the top and put the cover back on for two or three minutes. Turn off the heat (if using an electric range, move off the burner) and let sit a couple of minutes.

Cut the frittata in two and serve.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 388 Fat: 30.5 g Net Carbs: 4.6 g Protein: 21.9 g

 

Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Quick Breakfast – or Any Time – Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

This is a quick, low carb solution to the desire for pizza. It can be a great little breakfast pizza with an egg on top or leave off the egg, add more toppings and make it a lunch pizza. It uses a low carb tortilla for the base. If you can’t find them at your supermarket, you can order them from Netrition.com or you can make your own.

2 low carb Tortillas
1 Italian Sausage
4 tablespoons Pasta Sauce (look for low carbs – mine is 5 nc for 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Mozarella Cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 eggs (optional)
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Peppers (optional)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray or butter. Put on a baking pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the tortilla is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a skillet, breaking it into small pieces. When the tortillas are done, spread 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce on each tortilla. Add 1/2 of the sausage, spread evenly on top of the sauce. Mix the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and crushed red peppers, if you are using it, together and distribute 1/2 of the mixture onto each tortilla. Tope with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is just toasted.

While the pizza is baking, prepare the eggs. I used fried eggs, but you can make them how ever you prefer or leave them off.

Top each pizza with an egg, season and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories:358 Fat: 24.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 24.9 g