Tag Archives: low carb recipes

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Drinks, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

A Low Carb Winter Holiday

L to R: Turnips and Cauliflower au Gratin Casserole, Irish Style Kohlrabi, Classic Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Thanksgiving, then all the other winter holidays are coming up quickly.  To help find those recipes that I’ve posted over the past few years for holiday meals, I’m putting many of them on this one page.  At the beginning of December, I’ll do a similar page with Holiday Sweet Treats that will cover the cookies, candies and cakes for the holiday season.

Main Course:

Turkey – I don’t actually have a recipe for roasting turkey. Almost anyone you might find will likely be low carb. What adds the carbs is the dressing. See below. But here’s a Roast Turkey recipe from AllRecipes.com that is beautifully seasoned and not stuffed.  Rosemary Roasted Turkey

Low Carb Stuffing Bread

Low Carb Stuffing – This is an easy-to-make stuffing bread that will work well with any of your usual vegetables and/or fruits and sausage to make a delicious stuffing you can bake in your turkey or in a side casserole dish. Add some of the turkey juices to the mix to bring in the flavor of the turkey.

Side Dishes:

We need good side dishes that are still low carb. Potatoes just don’t cut it on a low carb lifestyle, no matter how much we want them to be a part of the meal. Here are a few options for potato replacements that are very tasty and may make you forget all about that other root vegetable.

Delicious Creamed Cauliflower

Creamed Cauliflower – delicious and so elegant-looking.
Turnips and Cauliflower Au Gratin – Wonderful flavor and so like scalloped potatoes (see first photo)

Ricotta Cheese Cauliflower Casserole

Ricotta Cheese Cauliflower Casserole – Absolutely amazing taste and easy to make

Smashed Turnips with Leeks

Smashed Turnips with Leeks – Pretty close to the taste of mashed potatoes and I like them better!

Other side dishes that are great:

L to R: Green beans with turnips, Brussels sprouts fritters, roaster turnips and kohlrabi

Green Beans with Turnips – Here’s a way to get your potato substitute in with the green beans
Loaded Brussels Sprout Fritters – A little different taste, but fabulous!
Irish Style Baked Celery with Kohlrabi – Don’t overlook celery when making a vegetable dish. It’s great!  (See top photo)
Roasted Turnips and Kohlrabi – This goes well with meat, turkey, chicken, and fish.

Desserts:

Maple Pumpkin Pie

Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie – just posted today! RIch, creamy and delicious custard-style pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Panna Cotta – Light dessert and so delicious!

L to R: Pumpkin Panna Cotta, Pumpkin PIe Cupcake, and Cinnamon Pecan Tartlets

Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes – A quick and easy pumpkin pie taste cupcake that is very moist.

Cinnamon Pecan Tartlets – Just for pecan pie fans, this little tartlet has all the flavor in a controlled portion size.

Rich Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars – An old favorite made the low carb way. (See top photo.)

Rene’s LV Pumpkin Cheesecake

Rene LC Pumpkin Cheesecake – About as good as it gets when it comes to the holiday cheesecake.

Breakfast Options:

Mah-velous Pumpkin Pancakes with bacon.

Mah-velous Pumpkin Pancakes – Add some pumpkin and seasonings to the pancakes.

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Pumpkin French Toast – Requires low carb bread, but is delicious.

Beverage

Hot Pumpkin Nog – Shun the rich and high carb Egg Nog and try this tasty Pumpkin Nog!

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Vegetarian

Hearty Winter Loaded Cauliflower Soup

Loaded Cauliflower Soup without the optional ingredients. First night, it was more soupy than when I reheated it and added the optional ingredients.

This recipe cmae out of a brief discussion of what warming soup to make for the weekend.  Someone mentioned Loaded Potato Soup and I countered with a cauliflower soup.  But the loaded potato sounded so good that I went to look for the recipe.  What resulted is the Loaded Cauliflower Soup.  I admit it, cauliflower will never taste like potato, but it is still a scrumptious and filling cold winter’s night soup.  It’s definitely on my do again and again list.

I started with Guy Fieri’s Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup recipe  at Food Network and made adjustments to make it low carb’d.   The result is considerably different and you can make it with or without the additions of turnips and Daikon radish.

When I added Daikon and turnips at the reheat, the soup became more like a stew. You could add a little water or more unsweetened almond milk to thin it a little, but this was like eating a loaded baked potato.

Loaded Cauliflower Soup

Adapted from a recipe by Guy Fieri

4 cups of Cauliflower, chopped
1 medium turnip, peeled and diced (optional)
1 cup daikon radish, peeled and diced (optional)
6 slices thick-cut Applewood Smoked Bacon
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chicken Bullion or Better than Bullion or 1 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 Red or Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Water
3 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk (not flavored)
2 cups sharp Cheddar, grated or shredded
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
4 tablespoons Sour Cream
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Chives

Preheat the oven to 385 degrees F.

Place the bacon on a cookie rack and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until it is crisp. Let cool. Pour 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat into the bottom of a large soup pot. Add 1/4 cup onions and cook until onions are translucent.

Mix 1/4 cup of the water with the cornstarch, then add to the rest of the water, cream and almond milk.  Pour into the soup pot and stir. Add the cauliflower to the pot, turn to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender.

Crumble the bacon, set aside 2 tablespoons, and add the rest to the pot. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cheese then add the rest to the pot and stir.  Cook until the cheese is melted and the soup thickens.

Ladle the soup into bowls, put a dollop of sour cream on top, and sprinkle with remaining bacon bits, grated cheese and chives.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:  (4 servings) without optional ingredients
Calories: 436 Fat: 34 g Net Carbs: 7.6 g Protein: 23.3 g

Nutritional Info per serving: (6 servings) with optional ingredients
Calories: 341 Fat: 27.3 g Net Carbs: 8 g Protein: 14.2 g

Tip:  Leftovers can be easily reheated.  Store in the refrigerator up to three days.  Just don’t add the sour cream and bacon and cheese extras until after it’s reheated.

For Vegetarians, omit the bacon.  If you don’t use any  animal products, then omit the cheese, sour cream and cream and add more almond or coconut milk.  I’d also add some seasonings, such as rosemary, sage and thyme.

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Simple Creamed Cauliflower Is Wonderful

As I was trying to come up with something a little different and along the lines of a creamed potato dish, I hit on making creamed cauliflower. It turned out to be absolutely delicious, as well as being easy to make. The nutmeg adds a subtle flavor that really makes it special. This would go great with your Thanksgiving or other holiday turkey or with just plain roasted chicken.  I’ve tried this with both Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and while I prefer the Mozzarella, both are very good.

Creamed Cauliflower

2 cups Cauliflower, chopped
1/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded or Parmesan Cheese, shredded

If using fresh cauliflower, par boil for two minutes or put in the microwave, one cup at a time, for 1 minute each cup. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan and add the cauliflower. Add the cream, nutmeg, salt and sugar substitute and stir well. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Use the spoon to break any large pieces up into smaller pieces. When almost fork tender, add the mozzarella cheese and stir until melted. Continue cooking and stirring until the sauce is thick. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 140.6 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 5.4 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Recipes

German Apple Pancake Is Easy and Great

Back before I went to the low carb lifestyle, I used to make this pancake often and with other fruits than apples.  It works very well with pears and peaches instead of apples.  Technically, none of those fruits are on the okay list for Atkins phase 2 or phase 3, but lately Atkins has been allowing more of these “forbidden” fruits to their list.  They put out a recipe using peaches, so I think the best bet is to just be careful of the number of carbs in the total dish and not do it too often.

I use a combination of CarbQuick and almond flour for the pancake part.  You can use all almond flour or a combination of almond flour and coconut flour (use 1/2 the amount called for of coconut flour if you use it.  It expands with liquid.)  I don’t like coconut flour as well for baking because the texture is kind of gritty, but if you use a small amount, it works very well.

To make a great breakfast, serve this with bacon and eggs, or just bacon or ham.  Great start for the day.  To make a nice dessert out of it, put a dollop of whipped cream on top and/or a bit of sugar free caramel syrup.

German Apple Pancakes

1 tablespoon Butter, unsalted
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Carbquick
2 tablespoons Almond flour
2 tablespoons Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 medium Apple, cored (peeling optional)
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground,
1/4 teaspoon Clove, ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Put 8 inch pie tin into the oven to heat.

In a bowl, beat together the flours, eggs, coconut milk, 2 teaspoons sugar substitute and salt.

Cut the apple in half, then slice into thin pieces. Put slices in a small bowl, add cinnamon, clove and 2 tablespoons sugar substitute

German Apple Pancake cooked in a cake tin.

Remove the pie tin and put the butter in the hot tin and swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Be sure to use a pot holder when holding the tin. It will be hot enough to melt the butter.

Layer the apples over the bottom of the buttered tin then pour the flour and egg mixture over the apples carefully.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the pancake is golden brown. It will puff up while cooking. Cut into quarters and serve immediately. Add a little whipped cream topping if you wish.

Makes 4 or 6 servings, depending on how many carbs you have to spare.

Nutrition Info – 4 slices – per slice
Calories: 120 Fat: 8.1 g Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 4.8 g

Nutrition Info – 6 slices – per slice

Calories: 80 Fat: 5.4 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 3.2 g

 

Recipes

Warm Up With A Welsh Broccoli Bacon Soup

An unseasonably cold weather front moved into the Reno area on Saturday with high winds and lots of chill, so the idea of a nice, warming soup was really appealing. I had been thinking about a broccoli cheese soup for a few days anyway, so this was the ideal time to do it. For my soup, I used a Welsh White Cheddar Cheese, hence the name Welsh Broccoli Bacon Soup. You can use any strong Cheddar if Welsh isn’t available at your grocery. An Irish White Cheddar would be very close to the same flavor. I find the Irish and Welsh cheeses do have a stronger flavor than American cheddar.

Another unusual ingredient in this soup is Daikon Radish, which is standing in for potatoes. It’s probably not something that you ever thought about using in a soup (or maybe you’ve never tried it at all), but it does a really good job at pretending to be a potato. The cooked texture is similar and the taste is mild, with a hint of pepper. In case you’re not sure what a Daikon radish is, it’s the big, long white root that looks like a huge tuber, which it is. It has a mild pepper taste and is very versatile from using it raw in salads, to roasting, boiling, frying or even making hash browns. I often mix it with turnips and cauliflower to make a mashed vegetable in place of mashed potatoes. The Herbs de Provence add a unusual flavor to the soup with a hint of lavender and fennel in it.

Welsh Cheddar, Broccoli and Bacon Soup

2 cups Broccoli, fresh, chopped
1 cup Daikon Radish, diced
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
4 cups Chicken Broth or 4 teaspoons Better than Bullion Chicken and 4 cups Water
2 oz Welsh White Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Mushrooms, fresh, chopped
3 slices Thick Sliced Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1/4 teaspoon Dried Celeraic leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

I used the food processor to chop the broccoli into very tiny pieces, but if you would prefer to see larger pieces, by all means don’t chop them finely.

In a large sauce pan, add the chicken broth or bullion, the herbs, the broccoli, onions and daikon cubes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Add the mushrooms and bacon. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Stir a couple of times.

Add heavy cream, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. Reduce heat to a low simmer and let it cook another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If it isn’t thickening up, you can continue to cook it until it gets thicker or add 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch or Thick-It-Up.

When adding thickener, mix the thickener in a cup with enough water to make a paste. Add a couple of tablespoons of the soup mixture and mix it in, then add more of the soup mixture and blend it in. Repeat until the cup is mostly full of blended soup mixture, then add it to soup pot and stir well to mix it. This will prevent the thickener from forming lumps in the soup.

When the soup is the consistency you prefer, it’s ready to serve.

Makes four 1- 1/3 cup servings

Nutrition Info per serving: (a little higher with corn starch)
Calories: 205 Fat: 17.2 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 7.0 g