Low(er) Carb Spaetzle

As many of you know I am Bavarian - born and raised! Spaetzle are somewhat in my veins. I don’t make them too often, but when I do, they need to be just right. There are quite a few recipes out there for Spaetzle that might be lower carb than this one, but they just aren’t all that “authentic” tasting.

In my experimentation, this recipe brought me the closest to the look, mouth feel and taste I was looking for.

My family didn’t even realize they weren’t the “usual” Spaetzle and even though a 3/4 cup serving of these has 9g of net carbs, I think they are worth it!

 

 

Ingredients:

Makes 2 servings

3 tbsp. gluten-free oat flour
1 tbsp. resistant starch maize
4 tbsp. low-carb bake mix
1/2 tsp Xanthan gum        
1/8 tsp of salt       
1 egg           
½ cup warm water       (or less!)                
   

Preparation:

In large bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together. Add eggs, salt and half the amount of water and mix well. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon or use an electric hand mixer!

Add more water until your dough is the consistency of a very thick, but smooth paste.

Bring a pot of  water with a generous amount of salt to a boil. Reduce to simmer. Place the Spaetzle Board/Grater on top of the pot over the simmering water. Spoon the dough into the hopper. Using the plastic scraper/hopper, press the dough back and fourth through the board into the simmering water.

 

 

Remove the board and bring the water to a short boil. The ½ inch long dumplings (pasta) will then float on the top of the water. Remove the pasta with a slotted ladle and pour it into a bowl.

 

Pin It

Crockpot Goulash (LC, GF, SF)

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef or pork, cubed

4 tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. mustard

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 can tomatoes, chopped

1 small onion, finely diced

1 small green pepper, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

400 ml low-carb beer (or could just use all vegetable stock)

1200 ml vegetable stock

2 tsp salt

2 tsp. ground pepper

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

2 small bay leaves

 

2 tbsp. sour cream

1/4 tsp guar gum

 

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the cubed meat and quickly sear. Add the meat and everything but the sour cream and guar gum to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Just before serving, remove the bay leaves. Then remove  about a cup of the hot liquid and in a personal blender, mix the guar gum into it. Process until smooth. Add the guar mix back into the crockpot and stir well. Add the sour cream and incorporate well. Let it warm through for a few minutes.

Serve over low-carb Spaetzle, or zucchini noodles, or miracle rice or other low carb pasta!

You could also just serve it as a hearty Goulash soup!

Pin It

Cheese Cake Pots, 2 ways (LC, GF, SF)

                                      
These little pots of cheese cake heaven are already portioned and oh so decadent. Quite unlike other baked cheese cakes, these turn out light and airy, even though they are baked!
Since the basic crust and cheese cake filling are the same, I am posting 2 versions for you. Today I actually made both by simply making the crust and the cream cheese filling for one full recipe but only half for the strawberry part and half for the peanut part.
The beauty of the separate pots is that it not only provides a cute way to serve these delicious desserts, but it makes the whole water bath baking and storing in the fridge thing so much easier. Not to mention the possibility that you could make 12 different variations of cheese cakes by just using the basic filling and crust recipe and then letting your imagination go wild!
I LOVE recipes where one effort can get you many different variations on the theme!

Strawberry Cheese Cake Pots

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries, hulled
• 3 tablespoons sugar substitute 

Filling:

• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar substitute (I used Ideal and liquid stevia)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound plus 13 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 1/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

For the crust:

• 1 cup blanched almond meal, packed
• 1/2 cup pecan meal, packed
• 1 tbsp. vanilla or unflavored whey protein powder
• 1 little pack of Truvia
• 2 tbsp.. granular erythritol, powdered
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

Finely grated chocolate for garnish (optional)
12   8-oz. canning jars with lids. (1/2 pint wide mouth)

Directions

Set cream cheese, eggs and mascarpone out on the counter for 2 hours to reach room temperature.

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sweetener and toss gently to coat. Bake until strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer strawberries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Let cool completely.
2. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Stir together the dry crust ingredients with a whisk. Mix with the melted butter and vanilla extract to form a dough. Divide the crust mix evenly between the jars and press mixture into the bottoms of the canning jars to make an even layer. Place the jars into a large roasting pan and bake until crust has slightly darkened, about 8 minutes.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add sweetener and the salt. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla  and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer 5 cups cream cheese mixture to bowl with mashed strawberries; stir to combine. Pour strawberry-cream cheese mixture on top of crusts; smooth with a spoon or by gently tapping the jars against your counter. Carefully spoon dollops of plain cream cheese mixture on top, smoothing with a spoon.
5. Close each jar with the metal lids and set back in the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan and jars back in the oven. Fill roasting pan with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the jars.  Bake cheesecake until set, about 45 minutes.
6. Remove jars from water bath, and let cool.  DO NOT open the jars straight away. They will be under pressure and very hot and everything may just come busting out! Let them sit for at least 1 hr. before opening! Better yet, wait until they have been in the refrigerator for at least 2 hrs. The vacuum that the lid created during baking helps to keep the cheesecake light and airy.
7. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2-3 hours (or overnight). Unopened these will keep for quite a while as the jar created an air tight seal! I can’t tell you how long however, since ours never seem to make past a few days - they just mysteriously disappear!

 

Tips and suggestions:
- You could omit the crust completely to save on carbs.
- You could place the fruit mix in the bottom of the jar, omitting the crust, then top with the plain cream cheese mix, then lid and bake for a yummy “fruit in the bottom” cheese cake dessert! Again, if you’re doing this, the strawberries can be used hot - no need to cool them down first!
- You could use regular or frozen strawberries, cooked down with 3 tbsp. of sweetener in a non-stick pan and omit the oven roasting method.
- You can use any kind of nuts you prefer for the crust!
- You can use any kind of other fruit - doesn’t have to be strawberry! If you are using sour fruit however, remember to adjust your sweeteners!
- If you are using store bought Mascarpone your carb count will be significantly higher. The homemade is pretty much 0g of carbs (since everything that has carbs in it is in the liquid that drips out,) but the store bought tends to have fillers and additives that can run quite high!
- You could leave the cream cheese mixture plain and spoon the strawberries over the top before closing the jars to bake (like I did in this last batch - see picture!) If you are doing that, the strawberries don’t have to be completely cool!
- You can make this as one large cheese cake. In that case use a Spring form pan and make sure you double wrap it with tin foil before placing it in the water bath! Increase baking time to 1 hr. and 30 minutes.
- You could reserve the fruit and only add it after the cheese cake soufflé is baked. In that case, add 1/4 tsp of xanthan gum to your fruit mix.
- You could use sugar-free pie filling to top the cheese cake and dispense with the strawberries all together.

Peanut butter and Chocolate Cheese Cake Pots

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar substitute (I used Ideal and liquid stevia)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound plus 13 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 1/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup of natural no-stir or extra smooth peanut butter

For the crust:

• 1 cup blanched almond meal, packed
• 1/2 cup roasted peanut meal, packed
• 1 tbsp. vanilla or unflavored whey protein powder
• 1 little pack of Truvia
• 2 tsbp. granular erythritol, powdered
• 3 tbsp. butter, melted
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• pinch of sea salt

For the ganache:

• 3.5 ounces Lindt 85% chocolate or other dark sugar-free chocolate
• 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (no-stir or extra smooth ground)
• 3 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil, OR butter or palm shortening
• 1-2 packets of purevia, or splenda
  

12   8-oz. canning jars with lids. (1/2 pint, wide mouth)

Directions

Set cream cheese, eggs and mascarpone out on the counter for 2 hours to reach room temperature.

1. Preheat oven to  350 degrees. Stir together the dry crust ingredients with a whisk. Mix with the melted butter and vanilla extract to form a dough. Divide the crust mix evenly between the jars and press mixture into the bottoms of the canning jars to make an even layer. Place the jars into a large roasting pan and bake until crust has slightly darkened, about 8 minutes.
2. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add sweetener and the salt. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla, peanut butter and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes.
3. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of crusts; smooth with a spoon or by gently tapping the jars against your counter.
4. Close each jar tightly with the metal lids and set back in the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan and jars back in the oven. Fill roasting pan with boiling water until water reaches halfway up the sides of the jars. Bake cheesecake until set, about 55 minutes. Remove jars from water bath, and let cool for at least an hour.
5. For the ganache, melt chocolate, whipping cream, coconut oil and peanut butter in the microwave on HIGH for 35 seconds, stirring until completely melted. Melt for 10 more seconds if necessary. Stir in sweetener with a spatula, smoothing out the chocolate until it is glossy and lump-free.
6. Spread a little over each of the cheesecakes in the jars, smoothing with an offset spatula or spoon and reclose the lids.
7. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours (or overnight).

 

Shared this post at:

Pin It

Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (LC, GF, SF)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. of unsalted butter
1/4 cup of finely minced onion
1/4 cup of finely minced celery
1 (6.5 ounce) can of sliced mushrooms, drained and finely minced (reserve liquid)
1 tsp of sea salt
3 cups of  low sodium chicken stock (I use the drained mushroom liquid in a measuring cup and fill it up to the 3 cup mark with stock)
2 tsp of guar gum (made into a slurry with some of the stock)
1 cup half and half (or heavy cream with water)

Preparation:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion and celery over medium heat until tender but not browned.
2. Stir in the chopped mushrooms and salt; cook and stir about 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and let it come to a boil.
3. Slowly add the gum slurry/paste and whisk constantly until all the soup thickens.
4. Add the half and half and let it warm through. Remember it will get even thicker once it cools down.

The recipe makes about a quart, or roughly enough to equal about 4 cans. Use any place where you would use the commercial Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. Keep refrigerated.
Can be frozen too.

Pin It

Hot Breakfast Cereals

Years ago I came up with a hot breakfast cereal that was quite popular and I still like it now, so I thought I’d post it again. As well as the gluten free chia version I’ve recently been favoring!

 

Birgit’s Not-Oatmeal, Version I (this is NOT gluten free)

 

2 cups Crude Wheat Bran 
2 cups Flaxseed meal  (I use golden flax seed)
1 cup unflavored whey protein - or you can use flavored vanilla whey protein (I like to use the Syntrax Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte Whey Protein)

Mix it all together and keep in a lidded  jar.  This mixture is enough for ten 1/2 cup servings.

To prepare take 1/2 cup of this "not oatmeal" mix and add about 3/4 cup of water. I say “about” as the amount depends on how thick or thin you like your hot cereal! Microwave for about 2 minutes on high (depending on your  microwave) until it is thick and bubbly. Watch it closely though, as it can boil over in  a split second.  Stir and let it sit for a minute of so. Serve with  heavy cream and sugar-free syrup of choice, or cream and cinnamon and sweetener of choice, or a dab of butter, or anything else your heart desires.

I find 1/2 cup way too much and usually go with 1/4 cup of mix and 1/3 (+a couple of tbsps) of a cup of water - it is very filling!

 

Nutritional info for 1/2 cup of dry mix: Carbs 12g, Fiber 10g. Protein 18g  = 2g net carbs per HUGE serving  + whatever carbs you might serve it with!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I have also been experimenting with a second version using chia seeds, which would make it gluten free!

 

 

Hot Breakfast Cereal,  Version II (also gluten-free)

 

Single Serving:

2 tbsps. Chia seeds, ground (I use the white ones and grind them to a fine powder in the coffee grinder)
2 tbsps. Flaxseed meal (I use golden flax seed)
1 tbsps. unflavored whey protein - or you can use flavored vanilla whey protein (I like to use the Syntrax Nectar Vanilla Bean Torte Whey Protein)

1 tbsps. pecan nuts, finely chopped (you can use any kind of seed or nuts you like as chunky or finely ground as you desire)

4 tbsps. hot water

Pour hot water over mixture, stir, then let sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Serve with whatever you desire!

 

The net carb count on the above is dependent on the nuts you use and what you serve it with. The chia seeds, flax meal and whey protein are 0g of net carbs!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

And then there is of course the Glucomanan Mock Cream of Wheat I posted a while ago!

 

Pin It

Bakewell Tart (LC, SF, GF)

Following the recipe of the Blackberry Clafoutis, I was reminded of one of my favorite desserts when I lived in the U.K. - Bakewell Tart!

It’s basically a pie shell that has a thin layer of strawberry or raspberry jam on the  bottom and is then filled with delicious frangipane. It has a very strong almond taste, yet it is a moist and delicious consistency - much like a moist marzipan cake atop the fruity jam, held together by a pie shell!

Traditionally it is also often topped with a sticky layer of white icing, but I have always found that to be too much sweetness and it really doesn’t add much to the whole experience in my opinion, so I just dispensed with it in this low carb version!

 

 

Ingredients:

Pie Shell:

• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup coconut flour, sifted
• ¼ cup granular sweetener of choice
• ¼ cup palm oil shortening at room temp
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
• ¼ teaspoon guar gum

Filling:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1  1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granular sweetener of choice
• 3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk, beaten
• 1/4 tsp guar gum 
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

• 6 tablespoons low-carb/sugar-free strawberry jam (raspberry works very well too!)
• sliced almonds for garnish (optional)
• powdered sweetener for dusting

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350F.

Grease a 12”  tart dish.

Mix all the ingredients for the pie shell in a bowl. Form a ball with the dough. It should all come together easily and stick just enough so it all holds together. If it’s too dry, add 1 tsp of cold water, if it’s too wet, add a little more coconut flour.

You can either roll out the pie crust between two sheets of baking parchment and then transfer to your pie dish, or just push it in place with your hands. Make sure the crust goes up on the sides of the dish too! The crust will be pretty thin.

Prebake your pie dish for 5 minutes in the oven.

In the mean time prepare the filling by creaming the butter, guar gum and sweetener together until pale in color using an electric hand whisk. Add the beaten eggs and egg yolk a little at a time. Gently fold in the ground almonds and flavorings.

Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the crust from the oven and let it cool for a couple of minute.

Turn the oven down to 325 F.

Spread the sugar-free strawberry jam over the bottom of the crust, then spread the filling mix over the top. Sprinkle with sliced almonds if using.

Bake the tart for about 40 minutes, or until the almond mixture has become firm and golden on the outside but is still soft in the middle.

Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before serving. Dust with powdered sweetener. Refrigerate left overs.

Personally I like it best served at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream!

 

 

Pin It

Lemon Buttermilk Ice Cream (LC, SF, GF)

This was one of the first low-carb ice creams I made when we got our new ice cream maker a couple of months ago. With my first recipe I got the taste down (a lot like I remember the Haagen Dasz Five Lemon tasting) but I was having texture issues after a few days in the freezer.
This is the revised version. It no longer has texture problems and it is scoopable right from the freezer for days and weeks later - if it lasts that long!

Ingredients:

2 cups of heavy cream
1 cup of buttermilk
1 envelope of cool aid unsweetened lemonade powder 
4 purevia packages (more or less to taste)
3 tbsp Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup (lemon works too!)
1 tsp fresh lemon zest (optional  if you don't like "bits" in your ice cream) 
2 tsp liquid lecithin
3 tbsp. Glycerine
1/2 tsp of glucomanan powder

In a heat proof mug or cup, stir together the glucomanan powder and sugar-free syrup. Stir until it's mixed in thoroughly. It helps to add just a tiny dusting at the time and stir vigorously every time you add!
Microwave for 10 seconds on high, take out, stir thoroughly (it will have thickened a bit) then nuke for another 10 seconds or so, stirring it up again.

Now add all the other ingredients to a bowl and stir together, adding the glucomanan  gel last, whisking it in thoroughly to make sure there are no lumps. Taste test to adjust your sweeteners. You could also just put it all in a blender and blend until smooth.

Process in your ice cream maker according to instructions!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A word about containers: When I first started making our own ice cream, I used our regular plastic containers to freeze our ice cream in. I did however soon get tired of that. It just wasn’t working very well! I have since then switched to these laminated paper/card ice cream containers from Amazon and I LOVE them! They keep the ice cream just perfect, exactly like the ones from the store! I write the name of the ice cream on them with a sharpie pen and I find that I can reuse them several times as long as I wash and dry them straight after we finished a batch!

And they allow you to decorate your homemade frozen desserts any way you like - either for yourself or as a gift! And that’s always a good thing!

Pin It

Blackberry-Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt Ice Cream (LC, GF, SF)

This is by far my kid’s favorite homemade ice cream! Don’t get me wrong - they like pretty much ALL ice cream there is, but when this one runs out, it won’t be a day before I get the requests for more!
Good thing it’s so quick and easy  to make!

Ingredients:

2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1 cup Whole Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup of  Sugar-Free 'Monin Blackberry Syrup *
1/2 cup of Sugar-free Monin Pomegranate Syrup
2.5  Tbsp. Glycerine
2 tsp liquid lecithin **
1/4 tsp glucomanan powder (you can also use xanthan gum or guar gum)

Preparation:

Whisk everything together and process in your Ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

You can also use the basic formula above to use any other syrup flavor. Strawberry is particularly good too, especially with the addition of 1 tsp of strawberry unsweetened cool aid powder! It kicks up the strawberry flavor nicely!

* If you are using syrups other than Monin you will need to also use a thickener since other sugar-free syrups are much thinner.
** Lecithin really helps with the emulsifying (dispersing fats in water) and mouth feel here as we are not using egg yolks! I have successfully use the supplement capsules that you can get at walgreens, walmart etc (just cut them open and squeeze out the lecithin, but since I’m making ice cream regularly now I am getting the 16 fl oz tub from Lorann Oils.) If you want/have to avoid soy altogether, netrition carries a Sunflower based Lecithin that is soy free!

Pin It

Chocolate Ice Cream (LC, SF)

Ingredients:

3 cups heavy whipping cream (divided)
2 cups Low-Carb Milk (divided)
1/2 cup Erythritol (or other sweetener of choice)
2-4 little packets of Purevia or equivalent (depends on how sweet you like it!)
1/2 tsp Guar gum
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I use the double dutch cocoa powder for an extra chocolate punch!) *
1.5 tbsp. Nesquick “no sugar added chocolate milk” mix
3 tbsp. Glycerine (ensures scoopability straight from the freezer - it will NOT do that without Glycerine!)

Preparation:

Mix 2 cups of cream, 1 cup of milk, sweeteners, guar gum, cocoa powder and nesquick with a whisk until all the lumps are dissolved. Then add to a double boiler and heat.

Separate eggs and in a small bowl, whisk the yolks, then add about a 1/4 of a cup of the hot mix to the eggs and stir quickly (this is called tempering the eggs,  so they don't curdle.)
Once that's done, add the egg mix to the double boiler and heat it all through under constant stirring. The mix will thicken a bit to a thin custard consistency.

Transfer into a cool bowl, or if you did this in a water bath, set your bowl with the custard mix on ice and stir until it’s cooled down a bit.

Add the remaining cream and milk and stir in evenly. Now you can transfer the mix to the refrigerator to cool down completely.

Once cooled, process in your ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.

* The ice cream is a much darker brown when using the double dutch cocoa powder, but I was out. The ice cream in the picture was made with regular unsweetened cocoa powder!

The ice cream in the picture above scooped like that straight out of the freezer - NO thawing necessary!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A word about containers:
When I first started making our own ice cream, I used our regular plastic containers to freeze our ice cream in. I did however soon get tired of that. It just wasn’t working very well!
I have since then switched to these laminated paper/card ice cream containers from Amazon and I LOVE them!
They keep the ice cream just perfect, exactly like the ones from the store! I write the name of the ice cream on them with a sharpie pen and I find that I can reuse them several times as long as I wash and dry them straight after we finished a batch!

And they allow you to decorate your homemade frozen desserts any way you like - either for yourself or as a gift! And that’s always a good thing!

Pin It

Homemade French Dressing (LC, SF, GF)

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar substitute of choice
2 teaspoons salt
1 pinch of paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tbsp. grated onion (or 1 tsp of onion powder)
1/2 cup vinegar (I used organic apple cider vinegar)
2/3 cup sugar-free ketchup
1 cup light tasting oil of choice

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except the oil into blender and mix. With the blender running, pour the oil in in a steady stream. Blend until emulsified.
Store in jar in refrigerator.
Shake before using.

Pin It

Blackberry Clafoutis (LC, GF, SF)

Well, strictly speaking it’s not a Clafoutis unless it’s made with cherries. 
So really it’s a blackberry flaugnarde! Whatever you want to call it though, it’s a delectable, delicious desert where the combination of the slightly tart, dark berries with the decadent creamy custard with just a hint of almond, definitely steal the show in any meal!

You can also use blueberries, strawberries or raspberries for an equally delicious variety! Or a mix of all three! Personally, I am particularly fond of the blackberry  and blueberry variety!

And it’s not just delicious, it’s also really quick and easy to make!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar substitute of choice (I use Ideal bulk sweetener)
3 extra-large eggs
1 tbsp. coconut flour 
5 tbsp. of almond flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or coconut cream)
1/2 tsp gluten-free cake enhancer (optional)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest (orange zest works really well with the blackberries and blueberries too!)
1 pinch of salt
2 tbsp.  sugar-free syrup (vanilla, or almond, or rum, or lemon, or triple sec etc) I use Monin Amaretto sugar-free syrup
2 cups of blackberries (fresh or frozen)

1-2 tbsp. powdered “sugar”  for dusting (I usually mix an equal amount of powdered erythritol and Ideal bulk sweetener)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter a 10 by 3 by 1 1⁄2-inch round baking dish.

With a hand or stand mixer, beat eggs, sweetener, coconut flour, almond flour, vanilla extract, lemon zest, sugar-free syrup and lemon zest on medium for about 3 minutes.

Set aside.

Arrange the blackberries in a single layer, in the baking dish. Pour the batter over the berries and bake until the top is golden brown and the custard is firm, about 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with powdered sugar substitute, and creme fraiche, whipped cream or low-carb vanilla ice cream.

It's also really good cold for breakfast by the way :)

Pin It

Favorite Low-Carb Cheese Crackers (LC, GF, SF)

These are my favorite crackers. When living low carb, cracker like things with a pleasant crunch that hold up to a dip are somewhat hard to come by.

Here is a quick and easy “cracker” that does all the above and it tastes so good too! My daughter requests these on almost a daily basis and I’m happy to oblige

 

All you need is Provolone cheese, some parchment paper and a microwave. And some kitchen towels for blotting!

 

1. Place 2 slices of provolone cheese on a piece of parchment paper that is cut/torn so it fits nicely on your microwave turn table. You want to place the slices on top of each other!
2. Now microwave on high for about 1.5 - 2 minutes. Your cracker should be more of a bubbly light brown than a yellow white at this point.
3. Remove the cheese by pulling on the parchment paper, and dab the excess oil from the cracker. I generally just lay a double layer of kitchen towel over the whole thing and press down. So far none of the cheese ever stuck to it.
4. Peel off the cheese cracker and set aside for a minute or so. It will harden a lot.
5. Then break it apart into more bite sized pieces and dip away! Or make a few more  

 

They keep in an air tight tin for a few days too!

Not that they ever last that long around here! My girl can eat these like it’s her job

 

 

Yum! See all the crispy, bubbly goodness!? This cracker stands up to just about anything you might want to put on it, dip it in or throw at it! Ok, maybe not the throwing part!

Pin It

Low Sodium Pizza Sauce ( SF, LC)

This pizza sauce is from my (very) low sodium days. If you don’t watch your sodium as much, do feel free to add a little sea salt to taste.

It’s quite tasty one way or another

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 1 whole Clove Of Garlic - Finely Minced (optional)
• 1/4 cup Finely Chopped Onions
• 2 teaspoons Vegit Low Sodium Seasoning Mix
• ½ teaspoons Mrs Dash Table Blend
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 whole Bay Leaf
• 1-½ teaspoon Splenda / Sugar substitute
• 8 ounces, weight No-salt Added Crushed Tomatoes
• 6 ounces, weight Tomato Paste (no Salt Added)
• 12 ounces, fluid Water
• 6 ounces, fluid diet Root Beer (I Use Hansen's Sugar Free No Sodium Root Beer)

Preparation:

Melt butter with olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are transparent.

Add everything else, bring to a boil and simmer on low for about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf if desired.

I usually like to run my pizza sauce through a blender before I use it, but that is optional too.

Can be canned or frozen for future use or keeps in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Enjoy!

Pin It

Printing Recipes and Tutorials

I have just embedded the capability for you to view my blog posts as PDF's or print them from the blog.

Now you can print the recipes you use most use and put them into your cooking binders or computer folders! !

And you can print instructions and tutorials to safe offline too!

Check out the “Print and PDF” button at the bottom of each post!

Pin It

Homemade Marzipan (LC, GF, SF)

Many years ago, I wrote a recipe for sugar-free, low carb Marzipan for the Lowcarbl Luxury online magazine.

 

Even though Marzipan often seems like a holiday item , it is pretty much a year round ingredient, decoration and sweet in Germany. I have revised my basic recipe a little since, improving the ingredients and pliability a little.

Since Marzipan is somewhat forgiving and can accommodate many different ingredients, I noted many options. My goal is mostly authentic taste and good workability in the “normal” marzipan applications!

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Fine Almond Flour, divided
• 1 cup Powdered sweetener (* See Note)  (I use a combination of 1/3 Erythritol, 2/3 Ideal  Bulk Sweetener+1 Purevia Package)
• ⅛ tsp. Almond Extract (or 2 drops of bitter almond oil if you can find it!)
• 1 Tbsp. Rosewater (optional but lends authentic taste) **  Could also substitute flavored sugar free syrup!
• 1 whole Egg White (OR Equivalent Amount Of The Pasteurized Liquid Egg White OR powdered egg white & water as stated on package)
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla oil or vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp. Acacia Gum OR 1/4 tsp. Glucomanan (optional, but advisable for extra pliability, especially if you are planning on modeling with the marzipan or covering a cake!) 

* Note on the sweetener: You can use any of the sugar free sweeteners you like as long as they are granulated to start with (we need some bulk) and then you just grind them in a coffee grinder to make powdered “sugar”. They need to be the kind of sweetener substitute that measure spoon for spoon as sugar too. Suggested sweeteners: Erythritol, Splenda, Ideal, xylitol, etc. This recipe won’t work with liquid sugar substitutes.

Also note: Using all erythritol leaves a little bit of a cooling sensation, so I would recommend either a combination of sweeteners or no erythritol. If using Erythritol, be aware that you also need some extra sweetness as erythritol is not as sweet as sugar.

IMPORTANT: Measure your 1 cup AFTER you ground the sugar substitute to a fine powder!

** Rosewater is optional but if you can get it (international/asian food markets) use it, as it really adds to the distinct marzipan flavor!

 

Preparation Instructions:

 

Mix the sweetener with the gum to disperse the gum properly.

Place 2.5 cups of the almond flour and all other ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all is combined smoothly. Sprinkle some of the remaining almond flour on your work surface and turn the marzipan out. Knead it through. Should it be a little to sticky, add more of the remaining almond flour until it is nice and pliable.

Use it like you would any other marzipan in recipes that call for marzipan. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

Tip: Should your marzipan be too crumbly/dry, add some more egg white or a tiny splash of water at the time. Knead thoroughly before adding more. It can turn into too much very easily!

 

I’ll be posting all the things you can do with Marzipan (other than eating it as is, which is a treat in itself) over the next little while, so watch out for that

Pin It

Mexican Cheese Dip – Queso (LC, SF, GF)

This is one of my favorite decadent cheese dips, especially for parties with chips, crackers, vegetables etc. I generally serve it chilled, but it is also a lovely warm on a variety of Mexican dishes!

And it’s really quick and easy to make too! It's a hit wherever I take it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Whipping Cream
• 1 cup Sour Cream or Creme Fraiche
• 1 teaspoon Chicken Base Or Stock Granules
• 2 tbsp. bottled Jalapenos, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp. Guar gum
• 1 tbsp. Juice Of Bottled Jalapenos
• 2 oz. Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese

Preparation Instructions:

Mix the whipping cream, jalapeno juice and guar gum in a sauce pan. Whisk to make sure you have no lumps! Add the rest od the ingredients and cook on medium to low heat under constant stirring until everything is melted and  smooth and the sauce thickened.  Serve hot or cold. Keep refrigerated.

Makes about 3 1/4 cups of dip.

The entire recipe has 27 g of carbs, 1 g of fiber.
 

Pin It

Pumpkin Fluff (Dip or Dessert) LC, GF, SF

This pumpkin stuff is an absolute hit every time I make it! Last year I served it with cinnamon sweet potato chips, apple wedges and gluten-free molasses cookies as nibbles before our Christmas dinner and young and old were equally delighted!

It is also really nice served with ginger snap cookies, low-carb tortilla chips or simply as a dessert or parfait,  layered into a fancy glass with some crumbled cookies or nuts!

Ingredients:

1 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup brown ideal  sugar substitute (or other brown sugar equivalent)
3 - 4 drops of stevia concentrate (or equivalent)
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon  or pumpkin pie spice mix
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation:

Whip the cream with the sweeteners to soft peaks.
Add the rest of the ingredients and whip until well combined.
Refrigerate before serving.

Pin It

Nut Thins (LC, GF, SF)

I love these little crackers. And they are so easy to make too!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup ground nuts or seeds
1 egg white
1 pinch salt or seasonings of choice (you could also make these sweet and add cinnamon or other spices)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the nut flour, egg white, and salt until it forms a ball of pasty dough. It’ll be a bit sticky.
(I used a variety of seeds in this one in the picture. Sesame seeds, shelled hemp seeds, almonds and fresh herbs.)

Place on a large piece of parchment paper – about the size of a cookie sheet.

Top with another piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin  roll out the dough as thin as you can get it. Try to make it take up the whole cookie sheet if you can. And I REALLY mean super thin! The dough will look almost transparent in places!
**DON’T try and do this without the parchment paper! It will all turn into a sticky mess on everywhere and you’ll be chipping cracker bits off your cookie sheet for hours to come!**

Peel off the top layer of paper.

Score the dough with a knife or Pizza cutter into whatever size crackers you want.  Slide the parchment paper with the scored dough onto a cookie sheet.

Bake in the 325 oven for 10 minutes and then check on the crackers. You are looking for them to color ever so slightly. A little color means crispy, toasty nutty flavor and holding together nicely, but a lot of color means burned nut taste.

Remove the crackers that are done, usually the ones around the edges are done first.  Place the others back in the oven until desired color. Really keep an eye on those crackers. It can go really fast at this stage. Sometimes not even a minute or two more before the next ones come out!

Keep doing this until they are all done!

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Here’s a close up shot to show HOW thin they are once baked  …

… and how well they still hold up even with thick and heavy dips like this spinach, artichoke and parmesan dip. YUM by the way! 

You can of course use all sorts of combinations of nuts, seeds, spices and seasonings. Find your favorite combo and enjoy!

The carb count will depend on what nuts or seeds you used!

Pin It