Tag Archives: Atkins friendly recipes

Desserts, Recipes

Triple Peanut Chocolate Chip Bars

What could be better than a peanut butter bar?  How about a peanut butter bar with roasted peanuts and made with peanut flour?  Triple peanuts!  And low carb to boot?  Yes, if you can believe it.  It is all that and more.  It also has sugar free chocolate chips, which you can probably purchase at your local Wal-Mart if your regular grocery store doesn’t carry them.

Triple Peanut Chocolate Chip Bars

1/4 cup Low Carb Flour or Almond Flour
1/2 cup Peanut Flour
1/2 cup Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Brown Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Sugar Free Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup Roasted Peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup Sugar Free Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Prepare an 8×8 baking pan with a layer of parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar substitutes, syrup, vanilla extract and heavy cream together until well blended. In another bowl, mix the flours, a pinch of salt and baking powder together. Add the flour to the peanut butter mixture a little at a time, mixing in well before adding more. If dough is too stiff, add water a tablespoon at a time until it is easy to mix.

Stir in the roasted peanuts and chocolate chips until mixed evenly through the dough. Spoon into the prepared baking pan and smooth into the corners, making the thickness as even as possible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove and let cool for about 15 minutes before cutting. Cut into sixteen pieces. Use a flat spatula to carefully lift each piece and put on a wire rack to completely cool, unless it is eaten before it gets there. The cookies may be delicate, so store in a container with a layer of waxed paper between each layer if you stack them.

Nutrition Info per cookie
   Calories: 100.3 Fat: 8.1 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 3.9 g

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Popular Cauliflower Casserole, My Version

Just about everybody who does low carb blogs, and then some, has a version of this wonderful cauliflower cheese casserole.  I’ve made this numerous times and in various ways.  My version has a few added ingredients.  At this time of year, I like to take advantage of the asparagus that’s reasonably priced at the market.  You can also use broccoli or Brussels sprouts in it.  No matter how you make it, this is an incredibly delicious alternative to Macaroni and Cheese.

While this is a smaller version than some of the ones I’ve seen, it  serves 4 with a nice-sized portion or 2 really hungry people  and still give you a small net carb amount.

Cauliflower, Bacon, Asparagus and Cheese Casserole

1/4 head Cauliflower
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Asparagus or 1/2 cup Broccoli, chopped
4 slices Thick Bacon
1/2 cup diced Ham
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam cauliflower until tender. (Microwave in a glass bowl about three minutes.) Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces.

Cream together 1/2 of the shredded cheese, ricotta cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, onions and seasonings in a small bowl. Add cauliflower, asparagus pieces, bacon and ham to a casserole dish and mix in the cheese mixture until it is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 260 Fat: 20.4 g Net Carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 14.4 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Hints of Spring with Ham & Asparagus Egg Muffins

Lovely spears of asparagus are on sale at the grocery store, which is a sure sign that spring is on the way.  Of course, we are all hoping for a big thaw in some parts of the country and in my area, we are expecting the usual spring snow or two.  In fact, weather may be coming in this weekend, but for now, I am enjoying the sunny, but cold, days and the sight of asparagus in the grocery store.

So that’s the inspiration for this simple, very low carb recipe for ham and asparagus egg muffins.  They’re muffins only in the sense that they’re baked in muffin cups.  They make a wonderful breakfast-on-the-run — just grab one or two, pop ’em in the microwave and take them out the door with you.  One thing I wouldn’t recommend on this, and I tried it, is to use muffin papers with it.  The paper just sticks to the egg or vice-versa and it’s a bit of a mess.  Grease the muffin wells with butter or baking spray to get the entire cavity covered and they should come out fairly cleanly.

Ham & Asparagus Egg Muffins

8 Eggs
1/2 cup Ham, cubed
4 to 6 speaks Asparagus, chopped
1/4 cup Mini Peppers, chopped
3 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees (F). Prepare a 12-well or two 6-well muffins tins by spraying with cooking spray or coating with butter or oil.  Make sure to come all the way up the sides.

In a large bowl, break the eggs and add the cream, salt and pepper and ricotta cheese and mix well with a whisk. Add the ham, asparagus and peppers, then stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese.

Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop and fill each of the muffin cups to about 3/4 full  with the egg batter.

Bake for 25 minutes, then sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of each muffin and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Let cool before serving or putting into storage bags to put in the refrigerator.  Heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds or eat at room temperature, if preferred.

Makes 12 egg muffins

Nutrition Info per muffin:
Calories: 129 Fat: 9.6 g Net Carbs: 1.3 g Protein: 8.9 g

Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes, Sandwiches

Sassy Salmon Spread for Tea Sandwiches

As I mentioned last week, I was helping with a tea party for a dear friend’s 90th birthday, which was on Saturday, Valentine’s Day. What a great party it turned out to be!

I posted the recipe for the Curried Chicken Sandwiches last week and this week, I am bringing you the recipe for the Smoked Salmon Spread. This is a fantastic and easy sandwich spread that incorporates the salmon into cream cheese to produce a lovely pink colored spread. I added a little dill to it along with a bit of red pepper. The result is delicious and has just a hint of bite. I forgot to take a photo as soon as the sandwiches were set out, so my photo shows most of the top layer of the carrier gone. I didn’t get any photos of the ones on my low carb focaccia bread, btu I can tell you, they were wonderful! You can use the spread on vegetable rounds, like cucumber or zucchini, instead of bread. Or you can put it on low carb crackers or Oopsie Rolls cut into finger-sized sandwiches.

Smoked Salmon Spread

4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
3  tablespoons chopped Cucumber
4 ounces  cold Smoked Salmon, thinly sliced
1/2  teaspoon  Lemon Juice
1/4 teaspoon dried Dill
1/8  teaspoon  ground Red Pepper
12  Low Carb Bread slices or 24 slices of thinly cut zucchini
1/4 cup Green Onions, chopped

Reserve 1 oz of the salmon for topping.

Process cream cheese and cream in a food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.

Add the chopped cucumber, 3 oz. of salmon, lemon juice, red pepper and dill; process until well blended.

Use low carb bread of your choice or thinly slice two or three large zucchini’s to use as a base. You could also serve on sliced cucumber rounds. I used low carb focaccia bread for my sandwiches. You could also use Oopsie Rolls as a base – make them into bread-sized squares.

Spread each slice of bread with the filling. Slice the bread into triangles or cut in half.  Top each sandwich with a small piece of smoked salmon and a sprinkling of green onions. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Makes 24 finger sandwiches.

Carb counts don’t include the bread or vegetable base, so that needs to be added.

Filling Only:
   Nutrition Info per recipe:
     Calories: 587  Fat: 49.8 g  Net Carbs: 7.3 g  Protein: 30.2 g

   Nutrition Info per sandwich – 24 yield:
     Calories: 24.5  Fat: 2.1 g  Net Carbs: 0.4 g  Protein: 1.3 g

Desserts, Recipes

Rich Chocolate Valentine Treat – Low Carb and Flourless!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here’ s super easy and totally fantastic-tasting small chocolate cake that is low carb, gluten free and flourless!  Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?  But it is the best!  I scored this recipe from All Recipes latest magazine and I only had to make a couple of changes to make it into low carb deliciousness.  I add vanilla whey powder to mine, which is gluten free in case you’re wondering (although check to be sure the brand you use says it’s gluten free), but it isn’t required.  I just like the extra taste and texture that it brings to the cake.  So, feel free to omit it.  I also added a little espresso coffee powder, which kicks up the chocolate flavor a little.  I topped it with miniature orange slices, but a few raspberries would be great on top also.

By the way, if you have valentine heart molds, this recipe would be super-special made in  heart shapes, then topped with a bit of sugar free raspberry jam and a teaspoon of whipped cream.  If I had thought of this sooner, I’d have done it!

For other Valentine’s Day ideas, try:  Valentine Torte. Raspberry Cream Gelatin, Valentine Candies

Espresso Flourless Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips
1/2 teaspoon Espresso Powdered Coffee
2 tablespoon Heavy Cream
2 1/2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Powder (optional)

Prepare two small cake molds, 3 1/2″ each, with parchment paper on the bottom, then spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter for about 20 seconds and stir together. Stir in the powdered coffee until it’s dissolved, then add the remaining ingredients and mix together well.

Spoon batter into each of the prepared molds. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until cake pulls away from the side of the molds and a toothpick comes out almost clean. Cool in the molds for 10 minutes, then turn onto a wire rack to continue cooling.  Serve with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar substitute on it or a dollop of whipped cream.

Serves two or four. This cake is so rich, one half a cake really is enough, but if you want the whole thing, it’s still low carb. Omit the orange slices to save carbs.

Nutrition Info per cake (without orange slices):
Calories: 233.5 Fat: 23.2 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5 g

Nutrition Info per 1/2 small cake (4 servings to a recipe):
Calories: 116.7 Fat: 11.6 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 2.5 g