Tag Archives: ricotta cheese

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

Desserts, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Creamy Italian-style Lemonade Ricotta Cheesecake

Photo: Ricotta Cheesecake

It’s Fall here in Reno, and it’s welcome as this is my favorite time of year. I love watching the trees turn, attempting to salvage any pears from my tree before the birds get them, and tasting all the wonderful flavors that come with the season. Pumpkin is back in all the restaurants, but there are other fantastic seasonal squashes coming up as well. I plan to be experimenting with more new recipes over the next few weeks, so look for that.

In the meantime, I spent most of September in Las Vegas house/dog sitting for my friends who jetted off to their home they are renovating in France. Sounds so posh, doesn’t it? The house in the country in France. I may even get over to see it when they are completely through with the massive renovation. Anyway, I didn’t do much creative cooking while I was there, keeping mostly to the basics and trying to get my body reset to a tight low carb diet.  However, I did experiment a little with this wonderful recipe for an Italian Ricotta Cream Cheesecake. It is adapted for a smaller cake and I use sugar-free lemonade mix in it to give it a very lemony flavor that is sensational. As a bonus, I created it in both a baked form, and as a quick microwave version that serves two. Both are delightful.

Italian-Style Lemonade Ricotta Cheesecake

Adjusted to low carb and adapted from the original recipe by Rene Averett. Find the original at All Recipes.

6 oz. Cream Cheese
1/3 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Sugar-free Lemonade mix
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
3 tablespoons Butter, softened
1/2 cup Heavy Cream or Sour Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit a 6″x6″ cake pan and spray with cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and ricotta cheese until well mixed. Add the sugar, eggs, lemon mix, vanilla, flour, and butter. Mix until smooth and creamy. Stir in the heavy cream or sour cream last.

Pour the mixture in the cake pan and smooth.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave for another 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to cool before serving.

Place a plate over the top and flip the cheesecake onto the plate. Cut into six slices. Tastes delicious with a tablespoon of sugar-free strawberry jam on top or top with whipped cream.

Makes six servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 272.8 Fat: 26.8 g Net Carbs: 2.6 g Protein: 6.7 g

Photo: Microwave Ricotta Cheesecake

Microwave Lemonade Ricotta Cheesecake

2 oz. Cream Cheese
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
3/4 teaspoon Sugar-free Lemonade mix
1/8 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1 tablespoon Butter, softened
2 tablespoon Heavy Cream or Sour Cream

In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and ricotta cheese together, blending as much as possible. Stir in the sugar, egg, lemonade mix, vanilla, and butter. Mix well, then add the flour and cream. Stir until mixed in.

Spoon 1/2 of the batter into a microwave safe 1/2 cup ramekin, then spoon the rest into another one. Put one ramekin in the microwave and cook for 30 seconds. Remove and stir the batter to smooth any lumps from it. Put back in the microwave and cook another 40 seconds. Check to make sure the cake is baked all the way through. If not cook, another 15 seconds.

Repeat baking with the second ramekin. Once cooked, cover both with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. Serve in the ramekin.

Makes two servings:

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 276.4 Fat: 26.4 g Net Carbs: 2.8 g Protein: 8.1 g

I hope you try this and love it as much as I did. I took the photos in Las Vegas and had to adjust to available cooking pans, but I  hope to make it again soon and will get better photos then.

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Enjoy the taste of Hazelnut in your pancakes

Photo: Hazelnut Pancakes

Pancakes are a delicious way to start your day. They’re easy to make, and they provide that warming touch of comfort food. You can make them low carb with this quick mix recipe for hazelnut pancakes. I simply use hazelnut flour mixed with another low carb flour. In this case, I used Dixie DIner’s Bakesquick, which produces a light, fluffy pancake. Other types may not rise as much, but they work just as well.

If you wish, you can add a teaspoon of Hazelnut Syrup to enhance the flavor, but I find that the cooked hazelnut flavor comes through well. If you wish, double the recipe and put away a couple of pancakes for another day or make breakfast for two.

Hazelnut Pancakes

1 tablespoon Hazelnut Flour
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute

In a medium bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, and oil together until blended. Add hazelnut flour, baking mix, baking powder, and sugar substitute. Mix together well or put in the blender to mix.

Heat skillet until a drop of water skitters across the surface. Reduce heat to medium high. Spray pan with baking spray, then drop about 1/2 of the batter into the middle to make the first pancake. If you have a large pan, you can do two at once. Cook until the batter on the top looks set, and bubbles break through the surface, about two to three minutes, then turn the pancake and cook it another two to three minutes until browned.

Remove to a plate and cook the second pancake if you need to cook them separately. Butter and serve with sugar-free maple syrup or the topping of your choice.

Makes one serving.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 172.2 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 2.7 g Protein: 10.2 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Light and Delicious Ricotta Pancakes

A light and delicious breakfast treat, these little pancakes are satisfying in the way toast and jam is. I used homemade sugar-free cranberry sauce as a filling, but you can also use strawberries or blueberries in them. The carbs come out about the same.

1 tablespoon Butter, melted
1 Egg
3 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 cup chopped Nuts (Pecans, Walnuts, Almond)

In a medium-sized bowl, add the melted butter, egg, ricotta cheese, cream, vanilla extract and sugar and whisk together well. Mix baking powder and flour together and gently stir into the egg mixture. Add chopped nuts and stir them through the batter. Add a tablespoon of water if the batter is too thick.

Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium high heat until a drop of water sizzles on it. Reduce the heat a little. Put two tablespoons of batter on the griddle for each pancake. They should be about 3 inches across. Unless you have a large griddle, you can cook two at a time easily. Cook for about 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until bubbles break through the pancake and the batter appears to be set. Turn to cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes until it is lightly browned.

Remove to a warm plate to keep warm. Prepare the remaining batter into two more pancakes. Butter and serve with syrup or jam.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 246 Fat: 21.9 g Net Carbs: 3.4 g Protein: 8.9 g

With Cranberries/no nuts
Calories:252.6 Fat: 22.0 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 9.0 g

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Cranberry Cream Parfait

Last month, I was all about the pumpkin, but this month my passion is cranberries. They really are a wonderful fruit that keeps for weeks in the refrigerator and even longer when frozen. I buy at least a dozen bags when they’re available in late Fall. They can be made into so many things.

This is a variation of the pumpkin parfait I posted last month and it is sooooo good. It makes a light, creamy-tasting dessert to follow up a heavy meal like prime rib and turkey. And it is so easy to make. You can put it into dessert dishes or just leave it in the bowl and spoon it out into a little bowl or plate to serve.

Cranberry Parfait served with a half-slice of pumpkin bread.

Cranberry Orange Cream Parfait

Cranberry Topping
1 cup whole Cranberries
2/3 cups Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup Water

For the Cream cheese filling
8 oz . Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Cranberries, chopped
1/2 package Orange Drink Mix
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Prepare the Cranberry topping first. Put a small pan on the stove with the water and bring to a boil. Stir in sugar substitute and reduce heat to a low boil. Add the cranberries and stir. Wait for the berries to pop, then stir well and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook another 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and chill.

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and ricotta cheese and mix with a hand mixer until they are smoothly blended. Add 1/2 cup sugar substitute, the orange drink mix, and the chopped cranberries and mix together.

In a small bowl or blender, add the cup of heavy cream and beat until it begins to thicken. Add 1/4 cup sugar substitute and the vanilla and continue beating until the cream is thick enough to spoon out with it holding its shape.

Reserve 1/4 cup whipped cream and stir the rest into the cream cheese mixture. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon 1 teaspoon of the cranberry sauce into the bottom of a 1/2 cup dessert glass, add 1/6th of the mixture (about 3 tablespoons), then add another teaspoon of the cranberry sauce on top. Add a dollop of whipped cream and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 285 Fat: 28.4 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 4.3 g