Tag Archives: bacon

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Delightful Bacon, Cheese, and Turnip Puffs

Photo: Turnip Puffs

Looking for a different way to prepare turnips or even potatoes? How making them into a puffed cake that is a nicely controlled serving as well as a delicious alternative to mashed or boiled vegetables.

This recipe originally used mashed potatoes, and you can still go that route if you don’t mind the higher carb count. Or you can swap them out for turnips for something a little different. Fresh turnips have a slightly sweet taste, so they bring a touch of sweet to the dish that marries well with the onions. For my version of the recipe, I use a tablespoon of low carb flour to help absorb some of the moisture from the turnips. I also added bacon because everything goes better with bacon, right? Also, if you don’t care for turnips, but want to keep the calories low, this works with mashed cauliflower.

As you’re preparing your New Year’s Eve party, or any other gathering of friends, keep these in mind. You can make them as tasty bite-sized appetizers by putting them in mini-cupcake molds. A simple topping on each adds a nice decorative touch.

Photo: Close up of Turnip Puffs

Bacon Turnip Cheese Puffs

1 cup Turnips, cooked and mashed (2 medium)
1 Egg, beaten (can use liquid eggs)
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese (Grated)
2 tablespoons Onions, chopped
2 slices Thick-cut Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/4 teaspoon Lawry Seasoned Salt or to taste
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Butter (for coating the muffin cups)

Cut turnips into 2 to 3-inch cubes and cook in boiling water until fork tender. Drain well and mash or put in the food processor to mash until smooth.

Cook bacon until done, then break into small pieces.

Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees (F.) Butter six 1/3 cup cupcake molds. I used silicone molds, but standard ones will work fine.

Put the turnips in a medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl, beat egg until mixed or use prepackaged mixed eggs. Add all the remaining ingredients and egg to the turnips and mix together until well-distributed and smooth.

Using a tablespoon, distribute the turnip mixture evenly to the muffin cups. It should come almost to the top of the cup.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the mixture pulls away from the side of the cup. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then gently remove the pan.

Top with a bit of sour cream, a sprinkle of cheese, a few slices of olives, a few chopped chives, or a tablespoon of salsa if you wish.

Makes six 1/2 cup servings.

Note: To make these as appetizers, use mini-cupcake pans or molds and put about one tablespoon in each cup. Makes 18 appetizer-sized puffs.

Photo: Nutrition Information

Recipes, Soups and Stews

Warm Up Your Meal with Pumpkin Soup

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photo: pumpkin soup in a bowl

As the days grow cooler, I begin thinking about soups and stews more. I love all the various warming dishes. I also love pumpkin, and I’m always discovering new ways to use it in my cooking. For a long time, I associated pumpkin with desserts like pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, and pumpkin cookies. But pumpkin also has a savory side and can be used in many dishes. Interesting, it has a lovely thickening property, so it’s a great way to thicken stews and other sauces.

This recipe is an absolutely delicious pumpkin soup that would be a perfect starter for your Thanksgiving meal or just a warming soup with a slice of low carb soda bread for lunch. I plan to make this often this winter. If you want to make a vegetarian version, omit the bacon and use the vegetable broth version.

photo: pumpkin soup in pot
Did I mention I love my copper clad square pot?

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

2 tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
2 medium Carrots, sliced
2 stalks Celery, sliced
1-1/4 cups Pumpkin puree
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
28 oz. Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
1 teaspoon ground Thyme
1 cup Kohlrabi, cubed
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
8 slices thick Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces

In a large pot, melt the butter then add in the onions, celery, and carrots. Sauté for about five minutes, stirring frequently. Precook the kohlrabi in a covered bowl in the microwave for about two minutes to give it a head start on cooking.

Add broth, pumpkin, and kohlrabi to the pot and stir to mix. Add seasoning and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir in the bacon and cream and cook over low heat until it is hot. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 228 Fat: 19.4 g Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 4.9 g

Beef, Main Dish, Recipes

Quick and Delish Steak and Cheese Bake

Steak cheese bake photo.

I love it when a recipe jumps out at me and screams, “I’m low carb!” This easy cheese baked steak, that I found at 12Tomatoes.com did just that. It’s so simple to make and so delicious to eat. I moved it right into my make-often file.

While it calls for steak tips, I couldn’t find any at my grocery store, but they did have a lovely package of round streak cut for carne asada, which is thinly sliced and much less expense than many cuts of meat.So I took this and sliced it into smaller strips and used that to make a tender, perfectly cooked dinner. This would be awesome served with thick plank celery root fries or turnip or butternut squash fries. I served with a cauliflower rice medley from Green Giant and some red beans. It would also be great as a steak sandwich.

Steak and Cheese Bake

1 pound Steak Tips or other steak choice
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina Cheese, grated
6 slices Bacon, optional
1 medium Onion, thinly sliced or chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Herbs de Provence
Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F.) I used my stove to oven copper skillet for this, but you can transfer the steak mixture to a casserole dish.

Cook the bacon until it is almost done. It will cook more in the oven. If you didn’t cut it into small pieces before cooking, then let it cool and break it into pieces. If you cooked the bacon in a skillet, drain off most of the fat, but leave a little in the pan.

Add the steak tips or pieces and cook on high heat, turning until the steak is browned on all sides.Remove to a plate and set aside.

Reduce to medium heat,add the onions and cook until almost translucent, then add the minced garlic and cook another minute or two.

Turn heat off and add the steak and bacon to the skillet and mix it together. If you are moving it to a casserole, add the steak and bacon, then add the onions and garlic and mix it in the casserole pan. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence, about 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and pepper into the mixture and stir.

Sprinkle both cheeses over the top evenly and sprinkle a little more of the Herbs de Provence on top.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and toasty and the steak is cooked to your preference. If you prefer it pinker, then go with less time.

Let sit about 5 minutes, then serve. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 310 Fat: 20.0 g Net Carbs: 2.2 g Protein: 28.1 g

Atkins Diet Tips, Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Induction Eating Plan Day 13

Almost to the end of this crazy plan to record the two week induction menus and recipes. The plan is going great and I think I am losing weight. I haven’t weighed but my pants are fitting looser and I am feeling pretty good. So without further comment, let’s get to the menu plan for Day 13.

Food NC
breakfast Bacon Omelet with zucchini 2.9
3 Mini donuts 4.5
Tea 0
Lunch Sausage Chicken Pizza 2.9
snack 5 slices salami 1
Baby Bell cheese 0
dinner chicken cauli-mac 7.5
18.8

 

Breakfast is a yummy egg omelet. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t like eggs because they are a mainstay on a low carb diet. Luckily, there are many ways to prepare them. You can make an endless variety of omelets. This one is very good and easy to make.

Bacon Omelet with Zucchini

2 large Eggs
1 slice thick cut Bacon
1 Green Onion, chopped
1/4 cup of Zucchini, chopped
1/3 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tablespoon Butter

Cook the bacon either in a pan or by my preferred method which is on a paper towel on a bacon pan in the microwave. Get the bacon crisp but not overdone. Let it cool, then break it into pieces.

In a small bowl, break the two eggs and beat them with a teaspoon of water until they are mixed well.

In an omelet pan over medium heat, melt the butter, then add the onion and zucchini to cook for two or three minutes until they are just softened. Remove from the skillet. Add the eggs and stir them around the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula, then let them set. As they cook around the edges, lift the edge up so that more of the liquid can run under the omelet to cook. Repeat this several time so it builds the omelet in layers. When the middle is almost done, spread the bacon and vegetables down the middle then add the cheese, reserving a little for the top. Fold the omelet over the filling, sprinkle the reserved cheese on top, then cover with a lid for about one minute to melt the cheese.

Serve. Makes one serving.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 366.6 Fat: 28.9g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 23.3 g

Next up, I had a late morning snack of three mini-donuts. I got one of those mini-donut makers and just had to try it out. While I can’t say for certain that this is on induction, I can say the ingredients are low carb. Atkins doesn’t endorse specific brands and CarbQuick falls into an actual flour substitute item, so it might be pushing it to eat this on induction. But after you’re past the two weeks, feel free to try them.

Pumpkin Mini-Donuts

Based on and adapted from Baby Cakes mini doughnut recipe by me.

2 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Splenda Brown Sugar Blend or other brown sugar substitute
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute (Erythiol or other sugar alcohol)
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1 Egg, large
1/2 cup Pumpkin puree
3/4 cup CarbQuick
1/4 cup Protein Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Plug in the mini donut maker and let it warm while you mix. If you’re using a mini-donut pan, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.)

In a medium bowl, beat butter, brown sugar sub, and sugar substitute together. Beat in egg, pumpkin, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice. Hand beat or use a mixer to get it smooth. In another bowl, mix the flour, protein powder, baking powder, and baking soda together. Stir into the butter and egg mixture and blend well.

Use about 1 tablespoon per donut well and drop the dough into the well. Bake about 3 minutes until the steam no longer is visible from the donut maker. Use a toothpick to check; if the toothpick comes out clean, the donut is done. Lift the doughnut with a toothpick and slide onto the handle of a wooden spoon or dowel for transport to a wire rack.

Place donuts on the rack to cool and make the next batch. When cool, dip in the Maple Glaze icing.

Maple Glaze

1/2 cup Powdered sugar substitute (like Swerve)
1/2 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup

To make Icing:
Put powdered sugar in a small bowl, add sugar-free maple syrup, and cream. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix well. If it is too thick, add a little more water until it is the consistency of a thick syrup. Dip the cooled donuts into the glaze, then put them back on the rack to dry.

Makes 24 donuts.

Nutrition information per donut:
Calories: 38.7 Fat: 2.5 g Net Carbs: 1.5 g Protein: 2.5 g

Then we come to dinner and the highlight of the day. I love macaroni and cheese, but it is difficult to find a low carb macaroni and certainly not one that will work on induction. This recipe uses cauliflower as a stand in for the macaroni. It works and it’s delicious unless you hate cauliflower. Give it a try for a great one dish meal.

Chicken, Cauli-mac and Cheese

1 clove Garlic, minced
12 oz Cauliflower
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1 oz Cream Cheese
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 cup Classic Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/8 tsp Original Pepper Sauce
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, chopped

12 oz raw Chicken Breast
2 Scallions
1 slice bacon, crumbled
1 tsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 375º F.  Spray a 1 quart baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a shallow pan, precook the chicken breast for about 40 minutes until it is done and any juices from them run clear. Let cool, then slice into bite-sized pieces. Cook the bacon until it is crispy, let cool, then break into pieces.

Bring a large sauce pot with 4 cups of water and ½ teaspoon salt to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Add to the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes then drain in a colander. Spread on paper towels to dry. Alternately, you can place the cauliflower in a microwavable bowl and cook for three minutes until the cauliflower is crisp tender. Then pour off an water from the pot and spread the cauliflower on paper towels. You want it as dry as possible.

Put a medium-sized sauce pan over medium-high heat and pour in the whipping cream.When the cream is almost to a boil, add the cream cheese and powdered mustard and whisk it into the cream until smooth. Add half of the shredded Cheddar cheese, garlic, half of the salt and pepper, and the Tabasco sauce. Whisk for about two minutes until he cheese melts and is blended.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cauliflower. Then stir in the chicken, bacon pieces, and vegetables. Pour into the baking dish and top with the remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories; 564.4 Fat: 36.1g Net Carbs: 7.5g Protein: 50.2g

One more day to go. See you with another recipe then.

 

 

 

Appetizers, Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Poultry, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan Day 8

First day of the second week and I am hanging in there. I feel some of the limitations of Induction, but it isn’t bad. It includes a repeat and lunch out. PK and I went to the movies, so we stopped by Skipilini’s after seeing “Wonder Woman” and had our favorite appetizer, bacon wrapped jalapenos, along with a salad.

Here’s the menu for the day:

Day 8
Food NC
breakfast Cloud muffin 2
Sugar–free Jam 2.5
Coffee with creamer 1
Lunch Caesar Salad 2.8
Chicken 0
2 1/2 Jalapeno Poppers 1.7
Iced tea 0
Dinner Tilapia 0
GG mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar 4
sauteed greens 2
dessert pumpkin mousse 3
19

 

Breakfast was the Atkins cloud muffin from Day 4, but I toasted it and put 1/2 tablespoon of Smuckers Sugar-free Apricot Jam on it. Bliss!  For lunch, we had the aforementioned salad with the poppers. I’m including the easy to make recipes for these for home use. I had iced tea with liquid sucralose so 0 carbs on that.

For dinner, I made seasoned tilapia and served 1/3 cup of Green Giant mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar cheese with it. I also sauteed some greens, namely spinach and beet leaves with 1/4 cup of grated daikon radish. Recipes follow.

Your alternate breakfast option is:

Bacon and Avocado Omelet

3 or 4 large Eggs
1/2 Haas Avocado, cut into slices
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
4 tablespoons Southwest Style Salsa (optional)
4 slices thick Bacon, broken into pieces
Dash Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Water

Break eggs into a bowl, add water, seasoning salt and pepper. Beat until foamy. Heat a medium-size round bottom pan or omelet pan with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.

Add eggs and let cook for a couple of minutes until the egg sets on the bottom, then begin lifting the edges with the spatula and tilting the pan so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat, working your way around the pan. Keep lifting and tilting until most of the liquid egg is gone. This builds a fluffier omelet.

Evenly distribute the bacon and most of the cheese down the one-half of the omelet. Use the spatula to lift and fold the omelet over the top. Reduce heat to low and put a lid over the pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes in order to melt the cheese.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over the top. Cut the omelet in half and serve each half with 2 tablespoons of salsa and half the avocado slices. If you wish, you can heat the salsa before serving.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Info per servings
Calories: 430 Fat: 35.3 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 23.5 g

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers

These are Skipolini’s bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers, but the recipe is similar. They can also be grilled rather than broiled.

Jalapeno Peppers, 5 pepper (remove)
2 tablespoons Cream Cheese, softened.
5 slices of thin Bacon
1/4 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning of choice

Set broiler to 485 degrees (F.)

Cut the peppers open on one side and remove the seeds if you don’t want them too spicy.

In a small bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning to the cream cheese and stir until it is completely mixed in.

Put the bacon on a paper towel on a plate and put in the microwave for one minute to partially cook. This will make it easier for it to get crisp without over-cooking the pepper.

Stuff each pepper with the cream cheese mixture, then wrap with the partially cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Put on a sheet of aluminum foil under the broiler and cook for three to five minutes per side until the bacon is crisp.

Let cool a couple of minutes, then serve. Makes two servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 185 Fat: 16.5 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 6.5 g

Caesar Salad

One of the best spots for good recipes is AllRecipes.com, so I am going to give you the link to a good Caesar Salad recipe.  However, omit the croutons. They are not on the low carb diet at this point and quite possibly never again.

Broiled Tilapia Filet

The beet leaves are intent on dying everything pink.

PK and I weren’t all that hungry after our late lunch, so I split one filet down the middle for dinner, but feel free to make a full filet per person. They are carb free.

2 Tilapia Fish Filets or other white fish of choice
1 tablespoon of Butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Sprinkle of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Rinse and dry the fish, then use a spoon to pour butter and lemon juice on the top. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the broiler pan then place the filets with the butter side face down. Spread the lemon butter over the side that is now exposed to the flames.

Broil for about 5 minutes, then turn and broil for another 5 minutes on the other side. Test for doneness with a fork. The fish should flake, but not be dry.

Use a pancake turner (spatula) to move to a warm serving plate. Add vegetables and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:134.2 Fat:7.3 g Net Carbs:0.1 g Protein: 18.1 g