Tag Archives: ricotta cheese

Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Easy Chorizo and Eggs Brunch

Here’s my second Cinco de Mayo recipe suggestion. This is a great breakfast or brunch meal and it’s easy to make.

A simple dish, but delicious and satisfying. This used the Mexican-style chili sauce chorizo that is very moist and cooks into the egg well. If you buy the chorizo in a long tube, it is usually 12 oz. folded in half in the grocery. Use 1/4 of the tube for the recipe. The secret ingredient in this is ricotta cheese , which adds a little more substance to the scramble.

Pork Chorizo image
This is the pork chorizo type that I used in this recipe. You can also get it in beef or a combination.

Chorizo and Eggs Deluxe

2 Eggs
3 oz. Chorizo
2 tablespoon Ricotta Cheese
1 teaspoon dried Onion Flakes or 1 tablespoon chopped Green Onions
1/4 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 low carb Tortilla, cut in half

Heat a small skillet and add the chorizo to cook down over medium high heat, stir until it melts. Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add dried onions to soften. (If you’re using green onions, do not add them at this time.)

Tear one half of the tortilla into small pieces and set aside. Cut the other half into two pieces, butter, and place under the broiler to lightly toast. This won’t take long, about a minute, so watch closely so it doesn’t burn.

When the chorizo is melted, add the eggs and ricotta cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon so the dish is blended as the eggs begin to cook. Add the cheese and seasonings and cook until the egg is cooked to your preference and the cheese is melted. (If you are using green onions, add with the cheese or use them as topping.)

Put the toasted tortilla on the plate and serve the eggs on top.

Makes two servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 306 Fat: 23.1 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 20.4 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Joy of Spring Cheese Pie

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I am pretty sure those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are beginning to get antsy for Spring to arrive. This is especially true as I look out my window watching snow come down after three days of almost balmy, sunny weather.  Yep, typical for Reno.  Lure those plants to begin to bud, then freeze them. So I needed something cheerful and comforting to brighten my day.

This wonderful sausage, leeks, asparagus and cheese pie is just the ticket to remind you of the wonderful tastes of the season.  I love cheese pies.  They’re easy to make and the possibilities are endless.  With St. David’s Day just past and St. Patrick’s Day just ahead, this particular pie celebrates the lovely sharp cheddar cheeses from Wales and Ireland.  You can use American cheddar, but it’s not quite the same, so check your market for one of the imports.  It’s worth it.

A note about the spices, they are changeable.  The ones in the recipe are the ones that I particularly like, but if you want to substitute in others, feel free. And, if you don’t want to eat meat, you can leave it our and it still tastes great!

Sausage, Asparagus & Leek Cheese Pie

1/2 lb Ground Country Sausage
1 Leek
1/2 lb Asparagus Spears
1 tablespoon Butter
4 large Eggs
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground Sage
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried Parsley, crushed
1/8 teaspoon dried Celeraic
1/8 teaspoon ground Thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste
12 oz. Irish or Welsh Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

This may be made crustless or in a pie crust.

Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F.) If making it without a crust, spray a deep dish pie plate with baking spray and set aside. If using a crust, prepare and pre-bake for about 10 minutes to partially cook it before adding the mixture so you won’t have a soggy bottom.

Cut or break the asparagus into one inch pieces. Clean the leek and slice into thin rings. Use the leek as far up the green tops until they get tough. Heat a skillet, add the butter and stir it around until it starts to melt, then add the leeks and sauté until they are just tender. Remove to a bowl. Add the sausage, breaking it into little pieces and stir until lightly browned. Mix the sausage, leeks, and asparagus together and spread evenly over the bottom of the pie plate.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk, add the cream, ricotta cheese, and seasonings and mix until completely combined. Stir in the cheddar cheese and pour over the sausage mixture in the pie plate.

Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until it is golden brown and a knife or toothpick in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes, then serve with a salad.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Crustless Pie:
Nutrition information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 47602 Fat: 37.6 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 29.7 g

Nutrition information per serving (8 servings):
Calories: 357.2 Fat: 28.2 g Net Carbs: 3.2 g Protein: 22.2 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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Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Rich and Comforting Cauliflower Cheese Casserole

I love the richness of this cauliflower dish with ricotta cheese added in. It’s like the best part of a lasagna dish, but it’s made with Cheddar Jack cheese instead of mozzarella. The flavors blend well and it is a beautiful side dish.

Ricotta Cauliflower Casserole

2 cups Cauliflower, frozen
2 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 large Egg, fresh
1/2 cup Cheddar jack shredded cheese
2 tablespoons Green Onions
1/4 cup Mushrooms, pieces or slices
3 tablsepoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded or thinly sliced
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 tsp Italian Herb blend
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat the cauliflower in a microwave (or drop in hot water for a couple of minutes). Put in a small casserole dish , add butter and mix. In a bowl, mix ricotta cheese, egg, chopped green onions, mushrooms, seasonings and heavy cream. Add a pinch of salt. Stir in half the cheddar jack cheese. Add to the cauliflower and mix well. Spread Parmesan cheese over the top, then sprinkle the remaining cheddar jack over the top.

Makes 4 servings

Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is a golden brown. Let it set for about ten minutes before serving.

Nutrition Info: Calories: 310 Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 15.5 g

Posted on 12/8/2012