Tag Archives: low sodium

Desserts

Easy Microwave Brownies

Microwave Brownie with Hazelnut Cream Topping

A few weeks ago, I splurged big time and bought a microwave brownie baker at my local dollar store. What the heck? It might turn out to be a shortcut to one of my favorite treats, you know. (By the way, you can buy one just like it or a Betty Crocket one for $5 to $10 dollars!)

The kit includes a plastic pan for the microwave and an odd little measuring box. It has separate compartments and markers to put in your ingredients. Then you dump them all into the baking pan and mix them together. So I guess you could call this a measuring box.

I tried it once as written, cooking them in the microwave for 3 minutes. My brownies came out a little too done and not gooey as promised. So, I changed the recipe a little, using another similar one but used butter in place of oil. I cut the time back by 15 seconds. Brownies were a little less done but lacking the texture I was hoping to get. On the third try, I cut the time back to two minutes. Whoops. Still not in the gooey mode. The fourth time, I cut them back to 90 seconds. This time, they weren’t quite done in the middle. So, the most recent attempt was one minute and forty-five seconds. Success! While the brownies looked a little underdone when I first removed them from the microwave, they cooked a little longer and are now perfect.

The moral of this tale is that you may have to play with the time in your microwave. Since my unit is 1000 watts, a 1200-watt one might need only 90 seconds, while an 800-watt unit might need two minutes.

Alternately, you can abandon the microwave and simply cook them in an 8×8″ pan in the oven. Instructions are below.

I used a combination low carb flour of 6 tablespoons Bakesquick and 2 tablespoons Almond Flour.

Microwave Brownies

1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 cup All-Purpose Low Carb Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

Wet Add-ins:
1/2 cup Butter, melted and cooled
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Optional Topping (ices two brownies):
1 tablespoon Sugar-Free Hazelnut Spread
1 tablespoon Butter, softened
2 tablespoons Cool Whip or other toppings

Brownies:

Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together.

Melt the butter and let cool for a few minutes.

In a small bowl, add the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk together until the eggs are completely incorporated.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and stir together until all the flour is moist. Add nuts and stir them in. If you wish, you can add 1/3 cup of sugar-free chocolate chips to make them even richer. Pour batter into a microwavable 6″x6″ pan to microwave or into an 8″x8″ baking pan for the oven.

To microwave, cook 1 minute 30 seconds to 1 minute 45 seconds and let cool. With luck, this will produce a moist, gooey cookie. If it’s not quite as you like it, cook it more or less the next time you make it.

To bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Bake 20 to 22 minutes, checking with a toothpick to ensure it doesn’t get overcooked.

To bake in the oven, let cook for 20 to 22 minutes, checking to make sure it doesn’t get overcooked.

Makes about 6 to 8 brownies.

For the topping:
It’s best to make only enough for what you’re going to eat at the time. This recipe makes enough for two brownies.

In a small bowl, add hazelnut spread and butter. Mix together, then add Cool Whip (or even whipped cream if you prefer.) Stir together until it is blended, then spread over the top of the brownies.

If you have friends over and you’re eating the whole pan at once, simply triple the amounts for the topping.

Low Sodium Brownies

For my friends who need a low sodium intake, this recipe works with almond flour and coconut flour.

To make low sodium brownies, use these ingredients:

1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

Wet Add-ins:
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
2 Eggs
3 tablespoons Egg Whites
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cook in the microwave as described above.

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

Photo: Stir-fry Brussels sprouts

A member of the cabbage family, Brussels sprouts have some of the same flavors, but still have a unique taste of their own. They pair well with most meats and fish and can be cooked in many different ways, from boiled to roasted to baked or fried. This recipe combines the sprouts with another of my favorite flavors, celery. Add in a little onion and stir fry the whole dish, and you have a delicious side dish. If you want to add a bit more, then cook a couple of slices of bacon and crumble them into the mixture. Yummy.

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

2 cups Brussels Sprouts, shredded or sliced thinly
1 large stalk Celery, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1/2 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean and slice the Brussels sprouts thinly or shred or chop them in a food processor. Clean and slice the celery stalk. Cut the onion into thin slices.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the onions and garlic. Cook for about two minutes. Add in the sprouts and celery slices and stir fry them about 8 to 10 minutes until the sprouts are cooked. Add seasonings and stir into the dish.

Makes 4 servings.

Image: Nutrition Info: Brussels sprouts

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Easy Chicken with Riced Cauliflower Dish

Photo: Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

This is a quick-to-make one skillet dinner that tastes like comfort food, especially on chilly winter nights. Based on a Green Giant recipe, it is adapted for low carb and for low sodium.  The changes to the recipe for the low sodium are listed after the regular recipe. You add extra chicken to make six servings instead of four and also get a little less cauliflower to keep the sodium under 100 mg.

This is flexible if you want to add another 1/2 cup of vegetable to it. Mushrooms, carrots, or shredded cabbage would work well in it. Carrots will pop the carbs up a one or two, so use them in sparingly.

Easy Skillet Chicken & Riced Cauliflower

This yummy skillet dish is based on a Green Giant recipe. It’s easy, delicious, and a snap to make.

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small Onion, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 cups Riced Cauliflower
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Kohlrabi or Broccoli stems, chopped
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Oregano
Seasoning Salt to preference
Pepper

Put chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle seasoning salt, salt and pepper on it, then mix the seasonings into the chicken.

In a large non-stick, deep-sided skillet, heat oil over medium heat, then brown the chicken, stirring to make sure both sides are browned. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add onion, stir, and cook about 3 minutes until it is softened. Add cauliflower and garlic and continue to stir and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the peppers and kohlrabi or broccoli stems, then stir in broth.

Bring the pan to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer and cook about 5 more minutes until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is completely cooked. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and fresh oregano.

Makes 4 servings

For Low Sodium, substitute the following quantities:
1 1/2 pounds boneless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Low-Sodium Chicken Broth, or make your own
Mrs. Dash Seasoning of choice

Image: Nutrition Information for Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Desserts, Recipes

Easy Cranberry Cake for the Holidays

1 Comment

Photo: Cranberry Nut Cake

… or any other time you feel like eating it. I even like it for breakfast.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and adapted it to both low carb and low sodium. The original recipe is called a Cranberry Pie, but it’s really a very moist cake. I’ve made it three times now, varying the third version to use 1 cup of apples in place of 1 of the cups of cranberries. I believe it will also make a great blueberry, raspberry, peach, or pear cake. The carbs will vary depending on the fruit you use. I also used pecans instead of walnuts, but either will work well with it, and I suspect almonds or macadamia nuts would be good also.

As a cranberry cake, it’s festive and delicious for an easy holiday meal dessert. Warm it up a little, then top it with a little whipped cream or ice cream.

Photo: Slice of Cranberry Cake

Low Carb Cranberry Nut Cake

1 cup Low Carb Flour
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 cups fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/2 cup Butter, melted
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.). Prepare a 8″ pie pan or a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, then spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour, sugar and salt and whisk together. Add the cranberries and nut, then stir to coat them with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then add to the flour mixture along with the melted butter and almond extract. Stir to mix the liquid into the flour, making sure to get all the flour mixed in. The batter may be thick, but if it is too thick to spread, add a little water.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even it. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

Makes 8 servings.

Photo: Nutrition Info - Cranberry Nut Cake

Photo: Low Sodium Cranberry Cake

Low Sodium Cranberry Nut Cake

1/2 cup Almond Flour, finely ground
1/4 cup Coconut Flour
1 cup Sugar Substitute
2 cups fresh Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil or Coconut Oil, melted
2 Eggs
1 Egg White
2 to 4 tablespoons Water
1 teaspoon Almond Extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.). Prepare a 8″ pie pan or a cast iron skillet or other oven-proof pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, then spraying the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the almond and coconut flour, and sugar then whisk together. Add the cranberries and nuts, then stir to coat them with the flour.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and egg white, then add to the flour mixture along with the oil and almond extract. Stir to mix the liquid into the flour, making sure to get all the flour mixed in. The batter may be thick, but if it is too thick to spread, add a little water. a tablespoon at a time to get the mixture to a spreadable consistency. When using coconut flour, it will absorb a lot of liquid, so add liquid, mix it in, then let it sit and add more if necessary.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth to even it. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle. Let cool at least 10 minutes before removing. Nut flours are delicate and might break when you lift them out of the pan.

To flip to a plate, let the cake cool completely, then put the plate on top of the pan and turn it over. The parchment will allow it to release easily. Remove the parchment, then put another plate over the cake and flip it to get the top up. Serve with a low sodium whipped topping.

Makes 8 servings.

Photo: Nutrition Info - Low Sodium Cranberry Nut Cake

Breads, Recipes, Sandwiches

Can you make a good low carb yeast bread?

Image: Honey Wheat Bread

Nothing tastes as wonderful as homemade yeast bread directly out of the oven. It’s one of the things that isn’t found easily on a low carb lifestyle. So, I was excited to find a few recipes to make a loaf. While it requires some ingredients that aren’t available at your local grocery store and probably not even at a health food store, it’s worth the effort to order the special baking options to make a wonderful low carb yeast bread.

This recipe is actually a combination of two low carb ones I found – one for Carb Counters Low Carb Honey Wheat Bran Bread and one for  Keto bread. I played around with the ingredients to get the best -tasting balance and made a few rolls until I arrived at a bread I really like. Then I changed it a little to get a low-sodium version so my friend could have bread that works with her restrictions.

I’m including both recipes to make a loaf and halved it to make four sandwich rolls. I used vital wheat gluten, Carb Counters All Purpose Low Carb Flour, flax meal, and oat fiber to make the bread loaf, but I made the rolls without the all purpose flour. For the low sodium, I didn’t use any of the Carb Counters flour, but more of the wheat gluten and other flour.

If you are not eating gluten, you could substitute LC Foods Gluten-free Baking Flour or soy flour for the Vital Wheat Gluten,  but the net carbs will go up about two per slice on the latter.  I have not tried this with either almond flour or coconut flour, but I don’t think they will hold together sufficiently to work. Also, the dough might not rise as much with the substitutions.

Most all of the ingredients are available through Amazon, although better deals might be found at other online sources, such as Netrition.com, LC Foods, and other places that sell health food products.

Honey Wheat Bread and Rolls

Bread Ingredients

2 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons Sugar-Free Honey
2 Eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons melted Butter
1/4 cup Oat Flour
1/4 cup Wheat Bran
3/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
1 cup DCC All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Flax Meal
1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute

Prepare a small bread loaf pan by putting parchment paper on the bottom, then spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, add warm water, yeast, and honey and stir. Let sit about five minutes for the yeast to bloom. If it doesn’t look frothy, then your yeast is dead. Get more yeast and start over.

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk together. If you want to add garlic powder, or other seasoning to the bread, add it with the dry ingredients. If you want a sweet bread, add more sugar substitute and cinnamon.

Add the yeast mixture, eggs, and oil to the flour and stir to mix it in. If the dough is too dry to absorb all the flour, add a little more warm water. Once you mix in all the flour, knead the dough for two to three minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the bread pan. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed on one side with baking spray and put the spray side facing the dough. Put in a warm place to rise. Let rise from 40 minutes to an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Bake bread for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and the bread is firm when you press on the middle. Let cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.

Makes 10 slices.

For the Sandwich Rolls:

1/4 cup Carb Counters™ All Purpose Low Carb Flour
1 cup Gluten Flour
2 tablespoons Flax Meal
1/4 cup Oat Fiber
1 tablespoon Xanthum Gum
1 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons Sugar-Free Honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning (optional)

Follow the instructions above for the bread, except omit the eggs.

Prepare four wells of a muffin-top pan by covering each round with parchment paper, then spray the bottom and edges. Or you can also use pot pie tins to make the rolls or free shape them on a parchment-paper-covered baking sheet.

Mix the bread and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Separate the dough into four equal-sized pieces. Shape the first piece into a round for the roll and put in the middle of one of the pan wells or on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other four pieces. Set in a warm place to rise, cover the dough with plastic film that has been sprayed with baking spray.

Let dough rise about one hour until doubled. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.) Bake rolls for 12 to 15 minutes until they are browned and firm in the middle. Let cool about five minutes, then remove the rolls from the pan.

Picture: Wheat bun for sandwich

If you want to make hot dog buns, then shape the rolls into 1-1/2 inch wide logs about 5 inches long. Let rise as above, then bake.

Makes 4 rolls or buns.

Nutrition Info: Honey Wheat Bread & Buns

Photo: Low-sodium yeast buns

Low-Sodium Honey Wheat Bread

This is the same basic bread recipe without the salt and the eggs. Add more water to make up for the egg.

2 teaspoons Sugar-Free Honey
2 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup Oat Flour
1/4 cup Wheat Bran
1 1/2 cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
1/4 cup Flax Meal
1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons melted Butter
1 Egg

Prepare a small bread loaf pan by putting parchment paper on the bottom, then spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, add warm water, yeast, and honey and stir. Let sit about five minutes for the yeast to bloom. If it doesn’t look frothy, then your yeast is dead. Get more yeast and start over.

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk together. If you want to add garlic powder, or other seasoning to the bread, add it with the dry ingredients. If you want a sweet bread, add more sugar substitute and cinnamon.

Add the yeast mixture, egg, and oil to the flour and stir to mix it in. If the dough is too dry to absorb all the flour, add a little more warm water. Once you mix in all the flour, knead the dough for two to three minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in the bread pan. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed on one side with baking spray and put the spray side facing the dough. Put in a warm place to rise. Let rise from 40 minutes to an hour until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Bake bread for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown and the bread is firm when you press on the middle. Let cool a few minutes before removing from the pan.

Makes 10 slices.

Low Sodium Wheat Rolls

3/4 cup Warm Water
1 tablespoon Active Dry Yeast
1 teaspoon Sugar-Free Honey
3/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten Flour
2 tablespoons Ground Flax Meal
1/4 cup Oat Fiber
2 teaspoons Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
2 teaspoons sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning (optional)

Prepare four wells of a muffin-top pan by covering each round with parchment paper, then spray the bottom and edges. Or you can also use pot pie tins to make the rolls or free shape them on a parchment-paper-covered baking sheet.

Mix the bread and knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Separate the dough into four equal-sized pieces. Shape the first piece into a round for the roll and put in the middle of one of the pan wells or on the baking sheet. Repeat with the other four pieces. Set in a warm place to rise, cover the dough with plastic film that has been sprayed with baking spray.

Let dough rise about one hour until doubled. Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.) Bake rolls for 12 to 15 minutes until they are browned and firm in the middle. Let cool about five minutes, then remove the rolls from the pan.

If you want to make hot dog buns, then shape the rolls into 1-1/2 inch logs about 5 inches long. Let rise as above, then bake.

Makes 4 rolls or buns.

Information: Low Sodium Bread and Rolls