Tag Archives: low carb recipes

Beef, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Cheesesteak Casserole Variant

I am all about making food that tastes good and satisfies the palate and is pretty easy to make while still staying in the low carb zone. I have a recipe for stuffed bell pepper Philly Cheesesteak made with purchased roast beef.  Easy to make, but I thought it could be simplified even more and be easier to eat . So I came up with this casserole version that is absolutely delicious. I could eat this once a week and be happy.   This is prepared in a skillet and if you have a cast iron or other oven-ready skillet, then it can go from the stovetop to the oven.  Otherwise, you can put it in a deep dish pie pan or a casserole dish.

All the flavors of the cheesesteak are in this dish, except the bread. You could make a low carb pie crust if you wish and that would add about 2 net carbs to the total count. You can also vary this by using ham or chicken in place of the roast beef and it will still be awesome. I used smoky sharp cheddar slices on top and mozzarella in the mix, but you can use whatever cheese you prefer. You can also use thinly sliced steak for an different flavor.

Cheesesteak Style Casserole

8 oz. Thinly Sliced Roast Beef, ham, or chicken
6 Slices Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup Cheddar or Mozzarella Cheese, grated
2 Large Bell Peppers
1 Medium Sweet Onion – Sliced
6 oz. Mushrooms – Sliced
2 Tbs. Butter
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 Tbs. Garlic – Minced
Salt and Pepper – to taste

Preheat oven to 385 degrees (F.) Spray a pie pan or casserole dish with cooking spray or use a stove-to-oven skillet.

Cut bell peppers into strips or pieces. Slice onions. Cut roast beef, ham, or turkey into strips.

Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat. Add onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté until peppers are softened. Add mushrooms and stir in then cook a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper, then add meat strips. Stir together and continue to cook another five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese.

Pour the meat mixture into the casserole pan if you’re using one.  Smooth with a large spoon to evenly distribute the mixture. Top with the sharp cheddar cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 355 Fat: 26.7 g Net Carbs: 8.5 g Protein: 20.7 g

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Easy Pumpkin French Toast

You don’t have to go to a fancy pancake house to drool over pumpkin pancakes or French toast that’s out of your carb range.  You can make this delicious treat easily at home.  And it is so satisfying to know you can eat it and not feel guilty.

French toast variation and you will love it if you’re craving pumpkin. If you’re one of those that doesn’t care for pumpkin, you can make this without the pumpkin and have really great French Toast.

Pumpkin French Toast

1 Egg
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil or Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract.
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 tablespoon Low Carb Flour  (Baking Mix or Almond Flour)
1 teaspoon Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

For egg dip:
1 egg
1 tablespoon Cream
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Sugar-free Confectioner’s Sugar (optional)

In a microwaveable small bowl, prepare a magic muffin pumpkin muffin by mixing the egg and coconut oil together well until there are no white strings. Stir in the pumpkin, salt, sugar substitute, vanilla, cinnamon and cloves and mix well. Add the flours and vanilla whey powder and stir until mixed in well. Tap the bottom of the bowl to settle the mixture and release any air bubbles.

Microwave for one minute and let cool for about five minutes.

While the bread is cooling, mix one egg, cream, sugar substitute, cinnamon, and cloves in a bowl or shallow pan to make the dipping batter. Cut the muffin across the middle to make two evenly sized rounds. Put the bread in the pan and let it sit a couple of minutes to soak up the batter. Repeat on the other side.

Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Spread it around the pan as it melts. When the butter is slightly bubbly, put the soaked bread rounds into the pan and cook until they are browned on one side, about four to five minutes, then flip to cook the other side until browned. The cooking time varies with the temperature of the skillet, so watch them closely. If they are getting browned too quickly, lower the heat. You want the egg batter to cook all the way through.

Remove cooked rounds to your serving plate and sprinkle with sugar-free Confectioner’s Sugar. Serve with sugar-free maple syrup.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 533.4 Fat: 43 g Net Carbs: 7.8 g Protein: 23.1 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Warming pumpkin pudding for breakfast

As the days begin to get shorter and turn chillier, I begin thinking about nice warming breakfast food, like oatmeal and cream of wheat. Sadly, those are both too high carb’d for me to enjoy, so I looked for around for other warming, cereal-like options that wouldn’t overload my carb count. This recipe is one I found on the internet and adjusted a little for my tastes. It is included as a bonus recipe in my LC15 Breakfast Choices booklet.

When I first read this recipe, I was a little skeptical. But I am willing to give most things a try, so I decided to mix it up. The recipe called for ricotta cheese, but I didn’t have any so I decided to try it with cream cheese. I also added a couple of ingredients to add more flavor and this turned into a delightful, creamy pudding-like breakfast cereal, similar to cream of wheat.

If you like pumpkin, this is a real treat. If you want, you can make it without the pumpkin and use other seasonings. You can also put a tablespoon of sugar-free jam of your choice in it. Apricot, peach, orange marmalade, and strawberry work well. Or you can stir in 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar-free applesauce, peanut butter or almond butter in place of the pumpkin.

Hot Pumpkin Breakfast Pudding

1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese, Small Curd Cottage Cheese,  or Cream                     Cheese
1 Egg
3 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree’
1 to 2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
2 T Golden Flax Meal
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 tablespoon Cream
1 pinch Salt
5 Pecan or Walnut halves, broken into pieces (optional)

If you’re using cream cheese, measure it into a microwave safe bowl and heat it for 15 seconds to soften. Add 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to mix the water into the cream cheese. It should be very liquid at this point. Add a little more water if needed. Stir in the egg, mixing very well so that the white is completely stirred into it.

Add pumpkin and seasonings at this point and stir them in.

In a non-stick skillet add 1/2 the butter and melt over medium heat. Spread the butter around the skillet, then add the egg & pumpkin mixture. Stir as it cooks so that it doesn’t form a pancake. Stir harder than you do for scrambled eggs.

As it begins to thicken, add the flax meal and nuts, if you are using them, and continue to stir until it is thick and looks done, about 30 to 40 seconds more.

Serve in a bowl with the rest of the butter and a little cream.

Makes one large serving. (While this is one serving, I find only half of it is enough to fill me.)

Nutrition Information:
Calories:358 Fat: 29.7 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 14.3 g

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Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Apple Bread with Cinnamon

I’m continuing my celebration of the tastes of Fall with a real treat. Another staple of the fall season, although it is available year round these days, is the apple. If you’ve had an apple languishing in your kitchen for a while, it begins to get soft as it ripens and that’s the perfect time to make apple bread that tempts you with chunks of apple in the spiced dough.

You can make this with a combination of low carb flours, but don’t use all almond flour or all coconut flour as they tend to crumble. My recipe uses 1/4 coconut flour, which doubles in volume when it’s moistened,but use 1/2 cup with any other flour. I also used vanilla protein powder, which adds taste and texture, but you can substitute any other low carb flour for it.

1/2 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup Apples, diced (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Vanilla Whey Protein Powder  (optional)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
3 large Eggs
1 tablespoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp Clove, ground
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 cup Sugar Substitute

Core and chop the apple and it should yield about 1 cup. It’s not necessary to peel unless it has a tough skin. I used a Gala apple.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease or spray a small loaf pan with baking spray.

In a bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – flours, protein powder, coconut flour, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate larger bowl, mix the liquid ingredients – eggs and coconut oil – with the white sugar substitutes and the vanilla. Mix in the flour. If the batter is too thick to stir easily, add enough water to stir the ingredients. Then stir in the apples and nuts. Spoon into the prepared bread pan.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, then test with a toothpick inserted in the middle. The toothpick should come out clean. If not, bake another 5 minutes and retest. You want it to be moist, but not undercooked. Let cool for about 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack or a plate.

Makes about 12 slices.

Nutrition Info per slice:
Calories: 188 Fat: 15.7 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 6.1 g

Recipes

For variety, try a curried chicken and pumpkin pizza!

Continuing my celebration of Fall and the delicious foods that reflect the season, I decided to expand on my pizza-making skills and create a pizza that combines Asian flavor in curried pumpkin and chicken with a delicious crust to create an Asian style pizza. Don’t scoff! It’s really good. I used mozzarella cheese on top, but I think other light white cheeses might be equally good with it.

Pumpkin is variable in the recipe. I actually used Butternut squash although you can also use Kobacha, acorn squash, Hubbard, or any other orange winter squash in it. They are all in the same family as pumpkin. In fact, the Kobacha is the squash usually used in Asian cooking when they refer to pumpkin. My preferred curry mix is S&B Golden Curry in cake form because it seems to impart the most flavor to my cooking and it thickens easily. You can mix your own curry together or use a curry powder from the store.

Curried Chicken and Pumpkin Pizza

1 cup cooked Chicken, chopped or shredded
1/2 cup Sweet Pumpkin or Butternut Squash, cubed
1/4 cup Onions, chopped or sliced
2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo or chopped onions, tomatoes, green chili and cilantro
1 cake S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix (1/5 pkg)
1 cup Chicken Broth or Chicken Bullion
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 Apple, cut into pieces (optional)
1/2 large Pizza Crust or 1 small 8″ crust

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Cook the cubed pumpkin or squash in a microwave safe bowl for about 2 minutes to soften to fork-tender. You can also parboil them until a fork penetrates easily. This may vary with the size of the cubes, so the smaller they are, the faster they will cook.

In a medium pan, add chicken broth, onion, and curry mix, Add additional curry powder if you like a stronger curry. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken. Add chicken and pico de gallo. Stir and cook for about five minutes. You want it fairly thick so that it spreads easily and stays put on the crust.

Pizza with all toppings except apples and cheese.

Put foil over the bottom of a baking pan or use a pizza stone. Spray the foil with cooking spray and put the pizza crust on top. Spread the chicken curry mixture over the top evenly. Top with pumpkin cubes and apple pieces. Spread mozzarella cheese over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes, then cut and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information for topping only (including apple) per serving:
Calories: 202.7 Fat: 8.9 g Net Carbs: 6.8 g Protein: 21.7 g

Depending on the type of pizza crust you use, it can vary from 1 net carb per slice to 2 net carbs. LC Foods Pizza Crusts are about 2 net carbs for one slice while the homemade one that makes 4 servings is about 1.5 net carbs. Cauliflower and other vegetable crusts vary in carbs, but if you figure on 2 net carbs, you’ll be safe with most low carb crusts.

LC Foods Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Chicken Pizza Crust

Flax Meal Pizza Crust