Tag Archives: Atkins friendly recipes

Appetizers, Product Review

Product Review: Flackers Flax Seed Crackers

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I have not received any promotional items to review and no one from any of the companies whose products I review have asked me to do so. I have purchased the product and am giving my honest opinion about it. Should any company send me a product to try, I will state it up front and will still give my honest opinion.

I am always on the lookout for a good cracker that is low carb so when I saw this one on Amazon from Doctor in the Kitchen, I decided to try them.  They are a savory cracker with garlic, onion, red pepper and basil seasonings added.  The main ingredient is flax seeds.  They are sprouted, which, according to the box, makes them easier to chew,digest and absorb.  If you eat low carb, you are probably aware that flax seed is very low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, being one of those foods that can actually give you a negative number on net carbs.  They are also high in Omega 3 fatty acid, which is good for your heart.

If you like the taste of flax, you will probably find these to be very tasty and they are a good cracker for a snack or putting cheese or a little of the cranberry salsa on for a quick treat.  They are surprisingly satisfying as well.  I enjoy them although I really favor my own crackers made with flax meal and Carbquick.  The seeds tend to stick in my teeth, so I prefer the ground flax.

Developed by Dr. Alison Levitt for herself and her patients, she decided to take them to the consumers, who can now benefit from these nutritional and tasty crackers. In addition to the flax, they also contain apple cider vinegar, vegetable protein from non-GMO soy beans and the aforementioned spices.  One serving is a generous 6 crackers that amounts to 100 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 carbohydrates with 7 grams of fiber, giving you a -1 net carb, and 5 grams of protein.  On many levels, these are a win-win.

The only drawback is in the pricing.  There are 30 crackers in a box, 5 servings, for $5.69 on Amazon as an add-on item, which makes them about $1.12 a serving.  It doesn’t sound too bad unless you eat them daily.

In addition to these savory crackers, there are also Flax seed Rosemary, Flax seed Tomato Basil, Flaxseed Dill, and Flax seed  Cinnamon and Currants.  Unfortunately, this last one has a net carb count of 6 g per 6 cracker-servings, thanks to the currants.  I haven’t tried any of the others, but it appears they are all a little higher on the carbohydrates than this one.

I give these 4 cooking spoons out of 5 for flavor and good taste.

Desserts

Butternut Cranberry Pudding Is Yummy

I had about 1/2 cup of butternut squash leftover and I wanted to turn it into a dessert, using it like I would pumpkin. I hit on the idea of making a pudding with it and adding cranberries and pecans. It turned out to be a delicious combination and a fairly easy dessert to make.

I’m trying something new this time and giving you both the low carb recipe and the regular recipe that doesn’t use sugar substitute. The food is basic and it’s good, whichever way you make it.

While I’m thinking about it, don’t forget that my cookbooks, Low Carb Recipe Magic Meals for Two and Low Carb Recipe Magic Sweets by the Season are available at Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions.  They make a great gift for anyone you know who might be watching their carbs either for weight control or because they are diabetic.   Or give one to yourself this Christmas.

Butternut Cranberry Pudding

Low Carb Ingredients:

1/2 cup Butternut Squash, cubed
2 tablespoons, Cranberries, chopped
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoon Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 to 4 tablespoons Walden Farms Marshmallow Dip (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 4 1/2 cup soufflé cups by spraying with cooking spray or coating with butter.

Put butternut squash in a microwavable bowl with butter and microwave for about three minutes until the squash is tender. Mash with a fork.

In a medium bowl, put the squash, cranberries, protein powder and spices. Stir together, then add eggs, sugar substitute, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add pecans if you are using them.

Spoon or use a 1/4 cup measure to divide among the four baking cups. Place in a glass pan, then add enough warm water to the pan to come about 1/2 the way up the sides of the baking cups so they are sitting in it. This will help keep the pudding moist while it cooks.

Bake for about 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Top with marshmallow cream if desired and bake another 5 minutes to heat. Let cool a few minutes, then serve warm. Or refrigerate and serve cold with whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition info per serving without optional ingredients:
Calories: 162.6 Fat: 13.8 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 5.4 g

With optional ingredients:
Nutrition info per serving:
Calories: 214 Fat: 19.2 g Net Carbs: 3.6 g Protein: 6.0 g

Using Regular Ingredients

1/2 cup Butternut Squash, cubed
2 tablespoons, Cranberries, chopped
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tablespoon Flour
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 to 4 tablespoons Marshmallow Creme (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 4 1/2 cup soufflé cups by spraying with cooking spray or coating with butter.

Put butternut squash in a microwavable bowl with butter and microwave for about three minutes until the squash is tender. Mash with a fork.

In a medium bowl, put the squash, cranberries, flour and spices and stir together. Add eggs, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add pecans if you are using them.

Spoon or use a 1/4 cup measure to divide among the four baking cups. Place in a glass pan, then add enough warm water to the pan to come about 1/2 the way up the sides of the baking cups so they are sitting in it. This will help keep the pudding moist while it cooks.

Bake for about 40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean. Top with marshmallow creme if desired and bake another 5 minutes to heat. Let cool a few minutes, then serve warm. Or refrigerate and serve cold with whipped cream.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition info per serving (without optional ingredients):
Calories: 255 Fat: 13.8 g Net Carbs: 29.1 g Protein: 3.9 g

Nutrition info per serving (with optional ingredients):
Calories: 326 Fat: 19.2 g Net Carbs: 34.5 g Protein: 4.6 g

Beef, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Cottage Pie is Comfort Food

When winter is howling at the windows and the temperatures are dropping into the red zone of the thermometer, it’s time to look for warming, hearty food dishes that make you feel secure. One of those is the Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie. The basic difference between the two is the meat used for the filling. Strictly speaking, if it’s lamb, you have a Shepherd’s Pie. Any other filling is a Cottage Pie.

This Cottage Pie is made with minced up beef or ground beef. I found a package of chopped carne asada, which is basically steak meat cut in tiny pieces, at my grocery store or you can it into small bites yourself. Instead of using potatoes, I used a combination of cauliflower, turnips, and kohlrabi to make the mashed vegetables to top off the stew-like filling. You can use all cauliflower or any combination of the vegetables that you prefer.

This dish tastes wonderful and it fills you up with a warming winter dish that won’t add unwanted pounds.

Cottage Pie

1 lb ground or minced Beef
2 slices of thick-sliced Bacon
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 large Carrot, diced
1 cup Green Beans, diced, cooked
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup diced Turnips
1 cup Cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup Kohlrabi, chopped
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 cup Beef Broth
2 tablespoons Butter
Seasoning Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder, optional
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees(F.)

Cook turnips, cauliflower and kohlrabi in a pan of water until tender. Drain well, then mash with a masher or in a food processor. Add cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet, drain on a paper towel. Pour off most of the bacon fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon, then add the garlic and onion and lightly brown. Add the beef and stir fry until lightly browned. Stir in the mushrooms and cook a few minutes. Mix the low carb flour into the beef broth and add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Break the bacon into pieces and add to the pan along with the cooked carrots and green beans and cook until the mixture thickens.

Pour into an 8×8 baking pan. Smooth the turnip and cauliflower mixture over the top to form a top crust. Sprinkle optional cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Let cool about five minutes, then serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:480 Fat:35.9 g Net Carbs:4.6 g Protein: 31 g

Desserts, Recipes

Introducing Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

The other night I wanted to do a pumpkin cake that was a little like a cheesecake but was still more like a cake. I came up with this option which has a cake texture but keeps the cream cheese and pumpkin flavors blended together. Like a cheesecake, they come out of the oven nice and puffy, then sink in the middle when they cool. This is an excellent place to put a tablespoon of whipped cream or even a scoop of low carb ice cream. One of the extra ingredients in this is Sugar-free butterscotch pudding. I use one tablespoon of the dry mix, which keeps the net carb count on these low at a total of 2.5 net carbs per cupcake. Making them cupcakes controls the serving size and they cook quicker.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Cupcakes

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
1 large Egg
2 tablespoons Sugar-free Instant Caramel Pudding Mix
2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/4 cup Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat Oven to 365 degrees (F.) Spray a 6 cup muffin pan with baking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese and sugar substitute. Beat with a mixer until the sugar is creamed into the cream cheese. Add pumpkin, egg, pudding mix, whipping cream, vanilla, and seasonings and mix together until thoroughly blended.

In a small bowl, stir together the lc flour, baking powder, and vanilla whey powder. Add to the creamed cheese mixture about 1/3 at a time, mixing with the mixer until all the flour is incorporated.

Spoon into the muffin pan, filling to about 2/3rds full. Bake for 25 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before serving with whipped cream on top. The cake will collapse, but it makes a nice well for the whipped cream.

Makes 6 cupcakes.

Nutrition Information per cupcake:
Calories: 136 Fat: 5.1 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 7.6 g

Tip: Don’t like pumpkin?  Try this with baked and mashed butternut squash or sugar-free applesauce.  Or you can omit them altogether and make the recipe without the added puree,  You may need to add a little water to the mix.  Unsweetened applesauce will raise the net carbs to 4.5 g.  You could use sweet potato puree, but it will add about 3 net carbs to the count, bringing it to 5.5 nc.

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Condiments and Sauces, Pork, Recipes

Brunch with Biscuits and Pumpkin Chorizo Sausage Gravy

Halloween is almost upon us and I am still celebrating pumpkin. If you’d like to make a special breakfast or brunch meal for Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas or traditionally for New Year’s Day, you can’t go wrong with biscuits and gravy. And yes, they can be made low carb.  In fact, this dish, using one biscuit, is less than 4 net carbs when made with CarbQuick.  It may be a little higher with other low carb flours.

Boy-oh-boy, this is a favorite dish of mine, so I have been working to get a really good recipe for them. I use CarbQuick for my low carb flour baking mix choice, but you can also use Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix or Dixie Carb Counters or LC Foods. It might work okay with almond flour, but it’s best to try to mix another flour in with it. This recipe for biscuits is the tastiest one I’ve come up with so far. The gravy has a fall twist to it and also a bit of a spicy touch as I add pumpkin puree and chorizo sausage along with the regular sausage. It is a great flavor combination. Be bold. Give these a try.

Best Savory Biscuits

1 cup Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Shortening
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
Pinch Salt
Pinch ground Thyme
1 to 2 tablespoons Cold Water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, salt, thyme and sugar substitute and mix together. Add the shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles crumbles. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix it into the dough. If it doesn’t pull together easily, add a little more water. You want the dough stiff but completely mixed.

Mix in the cheddar cheese until distributed. Divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a 3-inch round about 1/2-inch thick and place on the baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Makes 4 biscuits.

Nutrition Info per biscuit:
   Calories: 152.5 Fat: 12.8 g Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 6.4 g

Pumpkin Chorizo Sausage Gravy

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
4 oz. Pork Sausage
2 oz. Basque Style Chorizo Sausage
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Puree

In a medium skillet, brown the sausage and chorizo, breaking it into smaller pieces as you cook it. When lightly browned remove to a paper towel on a plate to drain. Stir the low carb flour into the grease in the pan to make a paste. If there isn’t enough, add a little oil to the pan.

Stir in the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of water, the Worcestershire sauce and the cayenne pepper and mix well. Then stir in the pumpkin puree and the cooked sausage. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Split the biscuits in half and pour 1/4 of the sausage gravy over each biscuit.

Makes 4 servings or 2 hungry-man (or woman) servings.

Nutrition Information for both biscuit and gravy per serving:
   Calories: 327.4 Fat: 23.9 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 12.4 g