Tag Archives: low carb recipes

Desserts, Recipes

Frozen Treats Cool Down the Heat

Summer took a while, but it has definitely arrived.  Almost 100 degree temperatures around Reno, Nevada and that’s hot enough for me.  So, it’s time for cool treats to make it better.  No, I am not racing for an ice cold beer!  Although I did pick up some Skinny Syrups for Mojitos, Margaritas and Cosmos, I am not talking about one of those either.  I am talking about frozen treats!  Ices!  Well, actually, creamy treats that make a great cool down snack or a refreshing dessert.

The recipe is simple to do, but the biggest drawback to keeping it low carb is the yogurt.  If you live in an area that has a Kroger Food Store (Smith’s Food in my area), then you have access to their yogurt-like product, Carbmasters Yogurt, which I happen to like. The other alternative is Great Value Plain Yogurt, which has about 2 more carbs per 6 oz. than Carbmasters.  So, if you can’t get Carbmasters or can’t stand the taste of it, then look for a yogurt that comes in around 6 net carbs for 6 oz.

I just recently posted a recipe for homemade Peach Jam, which is about 2 net carbs per tablespoon.  You can also use Smuckers sugar free, which is what the carb count in this is based on, or LC Foods Peach Preserves, which are about the same carb count as the homemade version.  I used silicon molds, which are easy to pop the frozen treats out, but you can use any 1/2 cup container or Popsicle molds.

Peaches and Cream Freeze

6 oz Carbmasters Peach Yogurt or other plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh peaches, crushed
2 tablespoons peach jam
2 tablespoons Cool Whip or other whipped cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Note:  If you use plain yogurt, you probably should add two tablespoon sugar substitute to add a little sweetness to the mix.  Take a taste and decide if you need more sweet.

Mixed yogurt, peaches and Cool Whip with peach jam ready to swirl in. The flour shapes are the molds I used.

Use a food processor to crush the fresh peaches. Mix all the ingredients, except the jam, together. Put the jam on top and use a knife or spoon to swirl it into the mixture. Spoon into six 1/2 cup molds. Each will hold about 2 mounded tablespoons of the mixture.

If you want to make them into Popsicles, cut a straw in 2 and insert it into the center of the mold. The mixture will hold it in place.

Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Pop from the mold and serve on a dessert plate or with a napkin or paper saucer or cup with a hole in the middle for the straw or popsicle stick to go through to catch drips.

If you keep these in the ‘fridge, then take them out about 20 minutes before you want to serve them.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info: 1 serving
Calories: 23.6 Fat: .5 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 1.4 g

Don’t stop there.  You can make this with other fruit combinations.   The carb count will be about the same.

Strawberry/Blueberry Freeze

This is like an individual version of the frozen yogurt pie.

6 oz. Carbmasters Yogurt Strawberry
1/2 cup Blueberries, pureed
2 tablespoons Strawberry Preserves
2 tablespoons Cool Whip

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into six 1/2 cup silicone molds.

Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Pop from the molds to serve on a dessert plate. Keep frozen until about 1/2 hour before you’re ready to serve.

I am also thinking that in place of the yogurt, you might substitute 4 oz cream cheese and 2 ounces sour cream plus 2 tablespoons of sugar substitute.   I haven’t tried this, but it could work.  Blend the ingredients together until they are mixed and about the consistency of yogurt,

Condiments and Sauces, Jams, Recipes

Peach Jam is Peachier Without the Carbs

I needed to clear some space in my freezer last week, so I took out the frozen peach slices that I’d done last summer and moved them to the ‘fridge.  By the time I got to them this week, they had gotten soft and there was about a cup of peach juice in the bag, so I decided to turn them into peach jam.  You can start with fresh ones, but they won’t have much juice, so you’ll need to add water.  But the flavor is great and sine they use sugar substitute for sweetening, they are low in carbohydrates and calories.

Easy Peach Jam

3 cup peach slices with juice, if there is any
1/4 cup water if there isn’t any juice
1 teaspoon Cert-O or other canning preservative
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar substitute
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground Clove (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and stir as you bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Check a couple of time to stir and add water if needed. Check to see if the peaches are sweet enough. If not add a little more sugar substitute.

At this point you have peach compote which can be cooled a bit, then stored in a clean jar and used as topping, side condiment or even made into a peach pie.

For jam, put the cooked peaches into a food processor and pulse a few times until the jam is smooth. Put this back in the pot and simmer until the jam is thick and the consistency you like. Let the jam cool for about 15 minutes, then put into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.

Fresh jam without preservatives will keep in the refrigerator for about two months. If you made more than you can eat in that time, put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to eat it.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam or 24 one tablespoon servings.

Nutrition Info per recipe
Calories: 219  Fat: 1.3 g  Net Carbs: 46.4  Protein: 3.6 g

Nutrition Info per tablespoon
Calories: 9.1  Fat: .1 g  Net Carbs: 2 g  Protein: 0.1 g

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

Cauliflower Curry with Snow Peas

One of my favorite vegetable dishes at Indian or Thai restaurants is a cauliflower curry.   The flavors just blend so well and it is a spicy sauce without overwhelming the other vegetables.   This version is
my own adaptation using S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, the one that comes with 5 little cubes in the package.  If you prefer to mix your own curry or work with curry powder, then feel free to substitute.  I like the mix because it seems to get the right balance for me.

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

1 1/2 cup Cauliflower, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Snow Peas, fresh, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup Onions, chopped (remove)
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers (Bell or small peppers)
1/5 pkg Curry-S&B Golden Curry Sauce, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons Water
3/4 cup Coconut Milk unsweetened
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
2 tablespoons Thai Basil, fresh
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Heat a small pot of water to a boil and cook cauliflower for about three minutes, until just fork tender. Drain. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add the onions and sit until softened. Add the garlic and peppers, then cook about a minute longer. Next, add the curry pieces and stir until it melts and coats the onions. Add the coconut milk, and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a simmer. Add the cauliflower and snow peas and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cover pan or skillet and simmer, stirring a couple of times, for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 44 Fat: 1.7 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 1.9 g

Desserts, Recipes

Easy, Delicious No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Summer calls for fresh strawberries. They are everywhere right now,  calling your name and asking to be made into delicious desserts or just eaten with a touch of sugar or dipped in chocolate. They can be a real temptation for anyone trying to watch their carb or calorie in-take. Fortunately, strawberries are an allowed fruit if you’re on phase II or higher of Akins, but you do need to watch the quantity. One half cup of cut up strawberries is 3.9 net carbs, which isn’t too bad if you plan for it.

But strawberries are also delicious in other things, including salad, like this wonderful Strawberry Chicken Salad, and my so delightful adaptation of a Knox Gelatin recipe for cheesecake that I’ve jazzed up with strawberries in the mix and on top. Depending on how much will power you have, this could set you back between 2.5 nc’s (1/12th of pie) and 4 nc’s per slice (1/8th of pie).

Summer Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake Pie

Crust:
1/2 cup Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder*
2 tablespoons low carb Baking Mix*
Butter, 2 tbsp
2 tablespoons sugar substitute
Cinnamon, ground, .5 tsp

Filling:
1 envelope Knox Gelatin
2 8 0z packages Cream Cheese
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup sugar substitute
1 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon sugar free Strawberry Drink Mix or strawberry extract
1/2 cup Fresh Strawberries

 1/2 cup Strawberries, fresh, .sliced and sprinkled with a little Sugar Substitute (optional)

• You can use all almond flour instead of protein powder and baking mix.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Make the Crust:

In a small bowl, mix all crust ingredients, cutting butter through with a fork. The dough will be soft and sticky. Spray a pie tin or cake pan with cooking spray and spread the dough over the bottom of the pan. Wet your finger tips to make spreading it easier. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool while you mix the filling.

Make the Filling:

Puree the fresh strawberries in a food processor so they are mashed. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add sugar substitute and boiling water. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it sit a few minutes to soften, then stir it in. Continue to stir until the gelatin completely melts, about five minutes.

In a large bowl, put the softened cream cheese, vanilla extract and strawberry drink mix and mix on low speed until the flavorings are blended in. Gradually add the gelatin mixture and continue to beat until the filling is smooth and creamy, then add the pureed strawberries and mix until blended.

Pour the filling on top of the crust and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least three hours before serving.

Yes, I pulled out the fine dinnerware for this one, but really? It’s summer, isn’t it? And paper plates are so much easier than doing dishes.

To serve, arrange sliced strawberries on each slice and add a garnish of whipped cream and a sprig of mint, if you have it.

Makes 8 servings
Nutrition Info per slice
Calories: 271.6 Fat: 26.3 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 6.1 g
With berries on top:
Calories: 275 Fat: 26.3 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5.2 g

Makes 12 servings
Nutrition Info per 1/12 of pie
Calories: 181.1 Fat: 17.5 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 4.0 g
With berries on top:
Calories: 183.1 Fat: 17.5 g Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 4.0 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Summer Fresh Mixed Vegetable with Sausage Dinner

Or lunch!  I used to go to a restaurant here in Reno that served a wonderful mixed vegetable dish with a cheese sauce for brunch and I just loved it.  Add bacon and it was all you could want for breakfast or lunch.    Following a visit to the local Farmer’s Market, I came home with fresh zucchini and scalloped summer squash and I kept thinking about that great steamed vegetable dish.  So I decided to try a low carb version of it and add sausage to it.

A bratwurst, either pork or chicken, would work well with this recipe.  Just be sure to check the carb count on the links to try to get around 1 net carb for a link.   We are talking the 4 or 5 links to a pound variety, not the little breakfast sausages.  Some of the fancier sausages are wonderful and have great additions to them but run the carbs up to 4 or 5 nc per sausage and unless you have a lot to spend on this meal, it could be more than you want.  An alternative is to buy bulk sausage with no added ingredients and make mini-sausage balls to add to the dish or fry up some bacon and add that.

For a nice vegetarian dish, simply omit the sausages.

Mixed Vegetables with Sausage Au Gratin

1 cup Broccoli, fresh
1 cup Cauliflower, fresh
1 cup Summer Squash
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 Brussels sprouts, fresh, cut in half
1 cup kohlrabi, diced
3/4 cup Turnips, about 1 medium
2 tablespoons Carbquick or other low carb flour
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream or Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Butter
1 /2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 oz. Dubliner Irish Cheese
1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
2 links Chicken or Pork Sausages, sliced (look for 0 or 1 carb per serving)

Trim and cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Steam kohlrabi and turnips in a steamer until almost fork tender or in the microwave, covered, for about 5 minutes. Steam the rest of the vegetables for about four minutes, then combine with the kohlrabi and turnips and steam (microwave) another three minutes. Test that they are fork tender. If not, steam a little longer.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the low carb flour, stirring to make a paste. Add the cream and seasonings and cook while stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted. If the mixture gets to thick, add a little water to thin. Remove from heat.

In a small skillet, sauté the sausages until they are completely warmed and browned s bit.

Spoon a 1/4 of the vegetable mix into a bowl or on a plate, add 1/4 of the sausages and top with about 1/2 cup of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with a little pepper and serve.

Nutrition Info: 1 serving made with cream
Calories: 490 Fat: 39.6 g Net Carbs: 9.5 g Protein: 22.8 g

Nutrition Info: 1 serving made with Unsweetened Almond Milk
Calories: 348 Fat: 23.8 g Net Carbs: 8.7 g Protein: 22.5 g