Sweet & Smoky Pumpkin Seeds (LC, GF, SF, GAPS)

These little Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are an easy, tasty and incredibly addicting snack! And healthy to boot! The are coated in this sweet caramelized glaze with just a bit of salty smokiness - all covering that nutty, toasty little seed! So good!
Try them for yourself today!

Ingredients:

1 cup  Pumpkin Seeds, hulled (for GAPS/SCD crispy seeds - soaked and dehydrated)
2 tsp avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oi, or coconut oil (melted)
3 tbsp. xylitol or erythritol, divided (organic evaporated cane sugar, maple sugar and honey can also be used.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin 
1 tsp smoked paprika

Preparation:

Mix 1 tbsp. of erythritol or xylitol, salt, cumin and smoked paprika in a bowl.
Heat a large non-stick skillet on medium high heat. In a bowl, toss pumpkin seeds with oil and 2 tbsp. of the erythritol  and add to the hot pan in an even layer.
Let the seeds toast for about 4-5 min, stirring occasionally. They are done when they are fragrant, toasted and puffed, with some of them golden brown.
When the pumpkin seeds are done, immediately toss with the spice mix.
Allow to cool before serving. I find it’s the easiest and fastest to just spread them out on a lined cookie sheet to cool.
They may seem a little sticky at first, even after they cooled down. Just let them air dry for a few hours or even over night (for a larger batch)  and they will loose the stickiness and get a crunchy glaze!
Can be stored in an airtight container for about 2 weeks. Longer in the refrigerator.

The whole recipe is 26 g of carbs, minus 20g of fiber, so 6 g of net carbs.

Tips:

• If you are making a larger batch, you may want to do the initial toasting in the oven. In that case, preheat the oven to 350 F and toast the pumpkin seeds for about 6-7 minutes, then toss with the spices!
• If you have it handy, use bacon fat instead of the olive oil for a hearty variety! You may however want to cut down on the salt!
• You can also use sunflower seeds for this, but you will need to up the seeds to 2 cups. All other quantities stay the same!
• If you’d prefer them in clusters, instead of spreading the seeds out on a baking sheet after they are tossed in the spice mix, form little heaps with a teaspoon on the cookie sheet and let them dry that way!
• Toss them on a salad, top your favorite casserole or veggie dish with these seeds  for a flavorful crunch!

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Low-Carb Crockpot Applesauce (LC, GF, SF)

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post, it’s the season for chayote squash! Which means this low-carber is busy making and canning “apple” sauce!

 

 

You see, I LOVE apple sauce! Adore it even! I could eat it on a daily basis. But of course when you are on a very-low carb plan, that’s not really happening. So when chayote season rolls around, I make the most of it and stock up on yummy applesauce that’s ok for me to eat. This mock apple sauce is so close to the real thing, people usually can’t tell a difference, so I’m a happy camper.

The only thing that is slightly different is the texture. It’s closer to slightly “undercooked” applesauce, but it works for me. I hope it works for you too!

Now, I am well aware that I might have some weird and wonderful ingredients in my kitchen that others don’t. Actually there is no “might” about it, so I’m going to give you two recipes. The one that gets you a pretty good applesauce with readily available ingredients and the one that I make because, well I have those other things in my cupboard too!

So, first of all the basic recipe.

 

 

Low-Carb Crockpot Applesauce

 

Ingredients:

5 large chayote squash, peeled, cored and finely diced

2 envelopes of sugar-free spiced apple cider drink mix (gluten-free cooks, please see note at the bottom)

1/4 cup of lemon juice

1/4 cup Monin sweetener base

1 cup of water

1/4 tsp stevia extract

1 cup of unsweetened applesauce

 

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

 

Preparation:

Place everything but the xanthan gum in your crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6 hours. When that time is up, put your “apples” into a blender, juice and all, add the xanthan gum and blend until smooth. Pour the smooth mix back into the crock pot and cook for another 2 hours on low. Once the chayote has reached the tenderness you like, it’s done!

If your canning, fill into sterile jars and process in a water bath.

Otherwise, let it cool down and keep refrigerated or freeze.

 

Makes about fifteen half cup servings at 3.7 net carbs each.

 

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And here is the version I made recently, using what I had on hand. I prefer it as it seem to have a more intense apple flavor, but the difference is possibly only noticeable to me!

 

5 medium to large chayote squash, peeled, cored and finely diced

2 envelopes of sugar-free spiced apple cider drink mix (gluten-free cooks, please see note at the bottom)

Juice of one lemon

1 tsp Ascorbic Acid

1/4 cup Monin sweetener base

1 cup of water

1/4 tsp stevia extract

1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce

1 snack pack of  Freeze-Dried Apples (0.35 oz.)

 

1/2 tsp xanthan gum

 

Prepare as above.

 

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Note for gluten-free cooks: Alpine sugar-free apple cider drink mix contains maltodextrin, so it is not suitable for a gluten-free diet. You can use 1 tbsp. of apple juice concentrate instead (adjust the carb count) or use an apple/apple cider flavor concentrates like this one or this one or this one from nature’s flavors.

All are excellent flavors and are sugar-free, gluten-free and essentially carb free, saving 8 g of carbs per envelope on on “Apple” preparations. However, the sugar-free alpine drink mix is available at local grocery stores (Wal-Mart, target etc.)

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Caramelized Macadamia And Pecan Squares (LC, GF, SF)

The remind me a lot of the Florentine cookies my mom used to make! The subtle honey flavor, the caramelized “brown sugar” flavor,  together with the toasty nuts and just a touch of chocolate to round it all out! So delicious! A real treat for sure!

 

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1/2  cup erythritol, powdered 
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup Bake Mix # 2 (or other bake mix of choice - including gluten-free)
• 2/3 cup of almond flour
• 1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp sweet dough bakery emulsion (optional)

 

For the topping:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar-free honey, runny (if it has crystalized a little, warm it in the microwave to liquid state before using)
• 1/3 cup erythritol, powdered
• 1/2 tsp blackstrap molasses
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar (makes for a smooth caramel and prevents crystalization)
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 3  cups pecans and macadamias, chopped (Or you can use all pecans, or a mix of any other nuts you prefer)
• 1/2 tsp buttery vanilla bakery emulsion or vanilla extract (optional)

For an optional drizzle:

• 2 oz Lindt 85% chocolate
• 1 tsp coconut oil or butter

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and line with parchment paper, if desired.
Mix the bake mix  and erythritol together in a bowl. Add the cubed butter and cut into the flour mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until the butter is the size of small peas. Press into the prepared baking dish and bake until it just starts to turn golden brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.

In another bowl, mix together the melted butter, honey, brown sugar substitute, and cream. Add the nuts  and stir until all the pecans are coated. Pour on top of the baked crust and spread evenly. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting! I find that I can speed up the process by letting the pan cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature and then stick it in the freezer for an hour or so. I cut the squares, then drizzle the chocolate on. The semi frozen squares set the chocolate much faster and you don’t break the chocolate drizzle when cutting the squares later.

If you’d like to go for the optional drizzle of chocolate over the top, melt the chocolate with the coconut oil. Place the melted chocolate in a small sandwich bag, snip the corner off to make a small opening and gently squeeze as you go over the entire pan of  squares in a back and forth sweeping motion.

 

 

Let the chocolate set and serve!

These also freeze really well!

 

Makes 15 generous squares. The carb count depends very much on what bake mix  and nuts you use in this, so please adjust your carb count accordingly.

With my ingredients the entire pan comes to 151 g of carbs with 85 g of fiber, which makes a net carb count of  66 g.

With my ingredients it comes to 4.4 g of net carbs per square with chocolate and 4 g of net carbs without.

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Kaiserschmarrn - or the Austrian Torn Pancake (LC, GF, SF)

 

 

I grew up with Kaiserschmarrn! It’s truly a comfort food and I made sure my children grew up with it too! As you can see it is enjoyed by adults and babies alike!

 

 

I can’t even believe that these were my kiddos almost to the day, 5 years ago!

 

 

What is it?

Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional Austrian dessert and literally translated it means “Emperor’s mishmash”, after  Emperor Franz Joseph who supposedly invented the dish.

It is an airy pancake made with eggs, flour, sugar, and butter (and optionally rum-soaked raisins.) The pancake is split into pieces while frying, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served hot with plum or apple sauce on the side.

Here’s the pretty passable low-carb version!

 

Kaiserschmarrn - or the Austrian Torn Pancake

 

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated and at room temperature

1/4 cup low-carb bake mix of choice

1/4 cup of oat flour

1/4 cup of granular sugar substitute

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla flavoring

1/4 cup of low-carb milk

1/4 cup of butter, divided

 

powdered sweetener for dusting

 

Preparation:

Melt 2 tbsps. of butter in the microwave.

Whip the room-temperature egg whites to soft peaks. Add the granular sugar substitute of choice and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the bake mix, oat flour, baking powder and vanilla.

Take a little of the batter and fold it into the stiff egg whites. Keep folding until all the batter is incorporated.

 

In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Pour the batter into the skillet and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until the pancake has set and the bottom is golden brown.

 

Turn over the pancake and cook 3 minutes, or until this side is also golden brown.

If you’d rather not turn the large puffy pancake, place the pancake in a preheated oven (400 F) once you see the edges sizzle a little and cook until the top is golden brown. See the movie for that. Baking in the oven does produce a lighter product as the pancake isn’t deflated by turning it!

 

 

Using a spatula or two forks (go with the spatula if you have a non-stick coated pan,) tear the pancake into bite-size pieces. Drizzle with the melted butter.

Cook the pieces a little longer until golden brown.

To serve,  sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar substitute and serve with sugar-free preserves or low-carb “apple” sauce.

 

 

 

For a visual aid in preparing Kaiserschmarrn, please view this short video! If you don’t understand Austrian, you don’t need to. Just watch the method and use the ingredients in the recipe on my blog and you’re good to go!  Oh and ignore the multiple applications of sugar - that’s a little excessive even for the original high carb version, even though the resulting caramelized side of the pancake is rather nice. At our house we never did that however when I grew up and we would be hard pressed to do it successfully with sugar substitutes anyway, so just omit it!

 

 

The carb count of this very much depends on what bake mix you use!

The above recipe serves 2 for a meal or 3 for dessert.

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Low-Carb Pita Pockets or Naan Bread (LC, SF)

 

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten  
1  cup oat flour   
¼ cup wheat bran 

½ cup golden flax seed meal

¼ cup oat fiber
1/2 tsp acacia gum (optional) 
2 tsp sugar (for the yeast) 
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. melted butter or oil of choice
4 tsp active dry yeast
1 to 1 ½  cups warm water

 

Preparation:

In an upright mixer with the dough attachment in place, place all ingredients except water.

Begin mixing and slowly add water until a dough ball forms. You may need more or less water - it depends mostly on your climate. Start with 1 cup.  The dough should be every so slightly sticky, but not wet after 2 minutes of mixing. If it’s too dry, add more water.

Knead for another 4-5  minutes then turn out into an oiled bowl. Oil top of dough ball and cover with plastic wrap or put the bowl in a large plastic bag.
Set in a warm place to rise about 1 hour or until double in size.

Turn the risen dough out of the countertop and cut 12 portions. Fold them inside out a couple of times, then roll out the dough into about 8 inch rounds with a rolling pin, about 1/8th of an inch thick. The dough will want to pull together into a smaller shape, that’s ok. Just roll them all out, then go over them again. Let them rest for about 10 minutes.

 

 

While your dough is resting, place a pizza stone or an inverted heavy cookie sheet on the middle rack of your oven and preheat to 475 F.  Once temperature is reached, let the stone/cookie sheet warm up for a further 5 minutes or so.

Spray the stone with a mist of water (or splash on some water at the bottom of your oven) and close oven door for 30 seconds. We want to get a warm and steamy environment.

Get ready to work quickly.

Open the oven and place two pitas at the time on the hot stone/inverted cookie sheet. Bake for  2 to 2 ½ minutes until puffed up in the center.
Flip pita over with some tongs and cook for another 30 - 40 seconds on the other side, then remove to a wire rack.
Spray stone/cookie sheet again and repeat process until all pitas are baked.

 

Yours didn’t puff up? Never fear! Just cut them in half and run a knife between the layers and gently carve out a pocket. They tend to come apart quite easily!

 

 

The pitas are pretty large, so I usually cut them in half and fill both sides independently.

 

{This is half a pita bread filled!}

 

If you are making Naan Bread, roll your rounds out a bit thicker, about 1/4 inch or so. Preheat the oven as above, but only to 425 F. Preheat a cookie sheet with the oven like above. Once up to temperature, place as many dough rounds as you can easily fit on the cookie sheet, then splash some water on the bottom of the oven and close the oven door. Bake for about 3 minutes, then flip them over, spray with water again  and bake for another 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown.

 

Here’s the texture of the bread:

 

 

This dough also lends itself nicely for thick or thin crust pizza and the breads or slightly pre-baked pizza bottom rounds freeze well!

 

Makes 12.

137 g of carbs, with 57 g of fiber, so a net carb count of 80 for the entire recipe. That makes it 6.66 g of net carbs per pita/naan bread ( at 11.41 g of carbs, with 4.75 g of fiber.)

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Chayote Squash and “Apple” Blueberry Crumble (LC, GF, SF)

‘Tis the season!

No, not that season. Not yet anyway!

I mean Chayote squash season! Those funky little squashes are starting to make an appearance in the stores, which means it’s apple substitute season for low-carbers!

 

Doesn’t it just make you want to draw eyes on it and make it talk?

 

 

Anyway, I digress!

I’ll be posting a few ways to use these little squashes over the next while. They do require a tad of extra work simply because we need to soften them and give them that apple flavor, but it’s not a huge amount of effort and if you are missing apples like me, it’s totally worth it. And it’s such a yummy way to eat your veggies!

 

First of all, here’s the basic way to make the Chayote squashes into “apples”.

 

Low-Carb “Apples”

 

Ingredients:

1 Chayote squash

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 envelope of Alpine sugar-free apple cider drink mix (gluten-free cooks and carb savers: see note below)

2 tsp sugar substitute of choice

2 tbsp. water

 

Preparation:

Peel and core the Chayote. Chop into fine dices. In a non-stick saucepan, combine all the ingredients and boil until fork tender. About 15 minutes or so. Keep the lid on for the first little while to keep the moisture in, but take the lid off for the last 5 minutes until all the juice is absorbed by the squash.

 

And that is it. Makes about 1/2 cup of “apple” dices @ 6 g of carbs with 2 g of fiber, so 4 g of net carbs. If you are using a different spiced cider drink mix, please adjust the carb count!

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Now you can do whatever you like with them really. Add them to your pancakes, for apple pancakes, toss them in some butter and cinnamon for fried apples, add them to a pie etc. One of my favorite treats right now is some whole Greek yogurt, topped with some Chayote apple dices and a drizzle of  sugar-free honey!

 

 

Or you could make apple crumble!

 

 

“Apple” Blueberry Crumble

Ingredients:

• 1/2  cup erythritol, powdered 
• 1 envelopes Sweet One (or other sugar substitute)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup Bake Mix # 2 (or other bake mix of choice - including gluten-free)
• 1/3 cup of almond flour
• 1/3 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

 

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 drops of stevia extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or almond bakery emulsion)
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or buttery vanilla bakery emulsion)
• 3 large chayote squash, pealed and cut into small chunks
• 6 oz. of blueberries (or omit the blueberries and use a total of 4 squashes instead to make apple crumble)
• 1 envelope Alpine sugar-free spiced apple cider drink mix (2 if making apple crumble) - gluten-free cooks and carb savers: see note below
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tbsps. sugar-free vanilla syrup (or apple, cinnamon, unflavored, caramel - all those flavors work!)
• 1/4 cup water
• Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

 

Directions:

Place the peeled and chopped chayote into a non-stick saucepan with the lemon juice, spiced cider powder, water and sugar-free syrup. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes on boil. It helps to keep a lid on for the first 15 minutes, then take the lid off for the last 5 minutes and cook until the juice is almost all absorbed by the squash.

Place in a shallow dish and let it cool a little while you prepare the rest. Add the blueberries.

 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the erythritol, sweet one, salt, cinnamon and bake mix. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, the cream, the stevia extract and the almond and vanilla extracts.

Pour the cream mixture over the fruit/squash, and sprinkle with butter-flour mixture.

 

 

Bake until topping is golden brown and the plums are tender, about 30 -40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.

This serves 8.

The all chayote apple crumble is 80 g of carbs, 26 g of fiber,  so a net carb count of 54 g.

That makes it 6.75 g of net carbs per serving (without the whipping cream and with bake mix #2)

 

The chayote and blueberry crumble is 97 g of carbs, 27 g of fiber, so a net carb count of 70 g.

That makes it 8.75 g of net carbs per serving (without the whipping cream and with bake mix #2)

 

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Of course you could also make this crumble with all blueberries, or blackberries and blueberries, or “apple” and blackberries, all of which tastes quite delicious. In that case you would omit the drink mix, sugar-free syrup and water!

Note for gluten-free cooks: Alpine sugar-free apple cider drink mix contains maltodextrine, so it is not suitable for a gluten-free diet. You can use 1 tbsp. of apple juice concentrate instead (adjust the carb count) or use an apple/apple cider flavor concentrates like this one or this one or this one from nature’s flavors.

All are excellent flavors and are sugar-free, gluten-free and essentially carb free, saving 8 g of carbs on the crumble recipe and 2 g of carbs on the “Basic Chayote Apple” preparation. However, the alpine drink mix is available at local grocery stores (walmart, target etc)

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Sesame Crackers (LC, GF, SF)

Here’s another one of my “old” recipe that have stood the test of time. And a variation on the theme that is also gluten free!

I prefer the second one these days, especially with some fresh garden herbs and fresh garlic! They are buttery and light, while being crunchy. The toastiness of the sesame seeds together with the crunchiness from the browned cheese - totally delicious!

 

 

Original Recipe for Sesame Crackers

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds, ground

6 oz. grated cheese (1 1/2 cups)

2 tbsp. vital wheat gluten

¼ cup oat flour 

2 tbsp. wheat bran

1 tsp baking powder

4 oz. softened butter (1 stick)

1 egg

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder
1/8 t salt

 

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a kitchen machine, pulsing until you get a stiff dough. Form dough into a sausage, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm. Cut thin slices off the sausage and lay on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 F, about 15 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy.

Let them cool on a rack and store in an airtight container in a cool place.

 

Makes 40 crackers. The whole recipe is 32 g of carbs with 6 g of fiber, which comes to 26 g of net carbs. That makes it 0.65 g of net carbs per cracker.

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Now on to Version II.

I love taking these crackers along with me when I need to go to places where I am not sure if there are (m)any low-carb choices.

Or you could make several really thin sausages and cut rounds the size of mini peperoni for a great snack at the movies.

If you are planning on using them with something on top, back off the seasonings a little, to produce a more neutral cracker! Oh, using up left-over garlic butter is mighty fine in this too! And for an even lower carb version, you can omit the almond flour.  It still makes some great crackers. I discovered that by accident the other day when I was rushing through the recipe and only realized when I was eating them that I forgot the almond flour. The texture is a little different, but they are still very good!

 

Gluten-Free Sesame Cracker Version ii

 

 

Makes about 50 crackers

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds  (just nuke them in the microwave on high for 2 minutes or so)
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tbsp. unflavored whey protein powder
1/4 cup gluten-free oat flour 
2 tbsp. golden flax meal

1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. garlic powder  (or 2 cloves of fresh pressed garlic)
1 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. seasoned salt 0f choice
1 stick butter (4 oz)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 cups of shredded cheese (I like to do 2/3 cup grated parmesan, 2/3 cup of  Mexican blend and 2/3 cup Mozzarella cheeses)

2 tbsp. of chopped fresh herbs (optional)

 

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a kitchen machine and pulse until combined.

Roll into a log, wrap in cling film and chill until firm. You can also place it in the freezer for a little while to speed things up a bit. Don’t let it freeze all the way through however, as you won’t be able to get a smooth cut without crumbling if the dough is completely frozen.

Cut into very thin slices, about 1/8th of an inch or so.

 

 

Bake on parchment paper 12-14 min. at 375 F. until golden and crispy. Cool on a rack.

Store in a cookie tin in a cool place.

 

Makes 50 crackers. The whole recipe is 42 g of carbs with 15 g of fiber, so 27 g of net carbs. So that’s 0.54 g of net carbs per cracker! And without the almond flour each cracker is 0.4 g of net carbs!

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Almond Semifreddo (LC, GF, SF)

When I was young, my mother used to make a special occasion dessert she called “Brandy Surprise”. It was a light, semi-frozen, creamy dessert that had ground almonds and candied cherries in it with a hint of alcohol. I’m not sure if there ever was a recipe. I have no recollection of it and if there was, I never found it. I do however, remember at least two occasions where this was served!

This is my low-carb recreation of that dessert!

 

 

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar substitute (I use 1/2 cup of erythritol, and a couple of drops of stevia extract)

3 tbsp. sugar-free Amaretto or 2 tbsp. Brandy (if you’d like to go without the alcohol, just replace with sugar-free syrup)

3/4 cup almond flour

3 egg yolks

1 egg

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1/8 tsp glucomanan powder

 

Preparation:

In a double boiler combine the egg yolks, egg, alcohol and sugar substitutes and under constant whisking gently cook until thick and pale. Be sure to go around the edge frequently, so your eggs don’t scramble!

Set aside to cool.

In the mean time, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and while still whipping, drizzle in the glucomanan powder. Beat to stiff peaks. Gently whip in the almond flour.

Fold in the cooled egg mix until well combined.

Turn the mixture out into a glass serving dish, loaf pan or shallow bowl. Smooth the top as evenly as you can.

Freeze overnight. 

To serve, dip the bowl/serving dish into a little hot water or run a sharp knife around the inside edge of the dish. Invert the dish onto a bowl and garnish with some fresh fruit  or a sprinkle of unsweetened cocoa powder. Or both!  Let it sit out for 10-20 minutes, then slice and serve.

You can also let this dessert defrost completely and serve as a mousse. It holds together pretty well even when no longer frozen!

 

Serves 5. The whole recipes has 34 g of carbs, 13 g of  fiber, so 21 g of net carbs, which makes it 4.2 g of net carbs per serving.

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Sugar-free Honey (LC, GF, SF)

So, lately I’ve been obsessed with honey. Or should I say the recreation thereof.

I’ve tried so many honey flavorings and been disappointed that I’ve lost count. I’ve tried a host of sugar-free honey substitutes and have either been disappointed in the flavor and texture or couldn’t tolerate them (the mighty maltitol!)

I love the consistency of  Honey Tree’s Sugar Free imitation honey (available in grocery stores. I got mine at Wal-Mart I think) - it’s thick and sticky and the taste even though not intensely like honey, could count as close enough. But it’s essentially maltitol syrup and I can barely cope with tiny amounts, never mind the amount I might need to have some honey on toast or a little in tea or drizzled over some yogurt.

I also tried a commercial xylitol honey substitute and well, let’s just say that the only thing that actually reminded me of honey, was the bear squeezy bottle it came in!

Honey is just not an easy thing to imitate, especially while also keeping it low-carb and the gastric distress to a minimum.

So, I thought I’d try and use some of the real thing for flavor, borrow some of the texture of the commercial imitation honey and fill the rest with a more acceptable sugar substitute.

 

The result was quite good!

 

 

It tastes a LOT like actual honey, the carb count is much reduced, and the texture is like thick runny honey! And considering that I only use a couple of  teaspoons  full here and there, the gastric side effects are non-existent!

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup xylitol

1 tsp raw honey (get one with a really intense flavor)

2 tbsp. HoneyTree’s Sugar Free Imitation Honey

1 packet of Sweet One  (optional)

 

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Let everything melt and keep on stirring it. It will start to bubble quite vigorously, go with it! Let it bubble for about 2 minutes, then take off the heat.

Let cool for about 10 minutes and then pour into a glass jar.  Let it cool completely! It will thicken quite a bit!

 

{See all the thick sticky goodness?}

 

Makes about 1/3 of a cup of sugar-free “honey”. The carb count depends on how much you count for the sweeteners and what kind of honey you used! 1 tsp of honey usually ranges in the 6-8 g of carbs area.

Tips:

• If you don’t want to use the maltitol and can take the higher carb count, you could also just use the raw honey and xylitol, melt it in the saucepan and “stretch” the honey a bit that way! It will make for a slightly darker product but it has a nice intense honey flavor!
• If you happen to have some of those xylitol imitation bottles in your pantry too and you are looking for a way to use them up, add 2 tbsp. to the recipe above and boil it with the rest of the ingredients. It gives you even more of a “honey” yield, and it takes on the honey flavor and texture of the other ingredients!

 

Note:  Much like regular honey, once this cools down and sits in the jar for a day or two, there will be a little recrystallizing. It isn’t hard like erythritol however, it is more like creamy white honey and a quick nuke in the microwave, or a dip of the jar in some boiling water to warm it up gently, will take care of that.

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Flour Replacement Formula (Bake Mix #2) (LC, SF)

Here’s another bake mix recipe I devised years ago. It is a little higher in carbs than my other bake mix, but it is a pretty good and straight forward flour substitute when converting high carb recipes, especially in the cake/bar/muffin type recipes.
The beauty of ratio recipes is that you can do them in any amount you want, as long as the ratio stays the same, it will work!
It is however a little “carby” so this definitely needs to be used in moderation if you are on a very low-carb eating plan!

Combine in a bowl, in these proportions:

4 parts whole grain oat flour 
2 parts unflavored whey protein powder 
2 parts almond flour 
1 part vital wheat gluten


Sift the mixture AT LEAST 4 times to thoroughly combine and “fluff”.
Store in a closed container and use cup for cup as a flour replacement.

This comes in at 22 g of carbs with 4 g of fiber, so 18 g of net carbs per half a cup.

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Barbeque Quick Pan (LC, GF, SF)

Some nights I just don’t feel like cooking much. Shocking - I know!

On those nights I’m really glad for stand by recipes like this one. Quick to throw together, the whole family enjoys it (I serve theirs on wholegrain buns like sloppy Joes) and I get to have yummy barbeque sauce goodness in a bowl. And nobody even notices just how many veggies are in there!

And dinner is made in no time at all with hardly any clean up! Some days I just love the simplicity of one pan meals!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef  or pork
1-1/2 cups finely shredded cabbage (get the Angel Hair Cabbage in the bag for even faster preparation)
1 small onion, chopped

1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup low-carb ketchup 

3 tbsp. Ideal Brown Sugar Substitute *

1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tbsp. vinegar

2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper

Dash of liquid smoke (optional)

Preparation:

In a large skillet, cook the beef, cabbage, onion, celery and green pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar substitute, lemon juice,  Worcestershire sauce, mustard, paprika, vinegar, liquid smoke,  salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

Makes 8 servings.

The whole recipe comes to 35 g of carbs, with 5 g of fiber, so 30 g of net carbs. That’s  3.75 g of net carbs per serving. Please adjust the carb counts according to what low-carb ketchup you use!

 

*Seems that the Ideal brand sweetener is back in the stores. I found it at Fry’s today under the Kroger brand name! It’s in a purple pack however!

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Quick and Easy Sugar-Free Amaretto (LC, SF, GF)

 

There are two ways to go about this.

There’s the quick and easy way which gives you a “close enough” kind of result, or you could go all out.

It really depends what you are aiming for. If you need a bit of Amaretto for a recipe and color and subtle taste differences are not of that much consequence, you can go with the quick recipe. In fact, this one you can throw together on a “need it now” basis!

The other however, takes many weeks and if you are somebody who really used to enjoy the liqueur as a drink,  savoring the full depth of let’s say a DiSaronno Amaretto, then you may find it worthwhile taking this a step further (or actually several steps.)

 

Since the more involved recipes takes many weeks,  I’ll leave you with the recipe for the quick and easy one and update you further once the other one is ready and I can see/taste how close the flavor got to the real thing and if it was worth all the extra trouble!

 

Quick and Easy Sugar-Free Amaretto

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Monin sugar-free vanilla syrup (Almond and Amaretto sugar-free syrups work nicely too - if using, also add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and reduce almond extract to 2  1/2 tsp.)
• 1/4 cup erythritol, powdered (or other sugar substitute)
• 1/4 cup Ideal brown sugar substitute
• 1/8 tsp guar gum or glucomanan powder  (if not using Monin syrups)
• 3/4  cups vodka
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 tbsp. almond extract

 

• 1/2 tsp buttery sweet dough bakery emulsion (optional, but gives a certain depth of flavor)
• 1/4 tsp butter vanilla and/or almond bakery emulsion (also optional, but as above, the different notes add depth and help with the thickness too!)

Preparation:

If you are using Monin syrups, this is really easy. Place everything in a 1 pint jar, cap it tightly and shake until everything is dissolved. Store in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator.

 

If you are not using monin sugar-free syrups, you’ll have to add a little more thickness which requires adding the gum. So here’s the method for other sugar-free syrups:

 

Combine the sugar-free syrup and guar gum either in a blender or by whisking , then add erythritol and brown sugar substitute  in a saucepan over medium heat. Heat until it thickens and all the erythritol  is dissolved. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for about 10 minutes. Pour in vodka, brandy and almond extract, together with the bakery emulsions if using. Mix well and store in a sealed bottle in the refrigerator.

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Homemade Grand Marnier the sugar-free way (LC, GF, SF)

Since we are starting to go into fall and the holidays are ever closer, it’s time to set those things that take a long time to “age” going, so it can be ready when we need it. One of those things is a homemade Grand Marnier. I don’t generally drink alcohol, but for cooking, baking and for that extra special something, I love to use a little alcohol! And filled into a decorative bottle,  it makes a really nice gift too!

I have tried this with xylitol before, but never with erythritol. I am not sure how or if  the re-crystalizing properties of the erythritol result in separation of floating chunks of crystalized zest, but I am hoping that the alcohol may inhibit that. The glycerine will certainly help too!

So this year I am making half with xylitol and half with erythritol and by about Thanksgiving time, we’ll know for sure if erythritol is a good substitute or not!

{Here’s the mix, ready to go steeping in my closet for 1 month!}

Ingredients:

6 oranges, organic (since we’ll be using the zest!)

3/4 cup xylitol (or 1 cup erythritol, powdered - see note above)

1 Vanilla Bean

2 1/2 cups brandy

1 cup vodka

2/3 cup Monin unflavored sweetener base or triple sec flavored sugar-free syrup

1 tbsp. vegetable glycerine, optional (creates a finished product with a more velvety feel in the mouth and it inhibits recrystallizing)

Preparation:

Wash and zest the oranges, making sure there is no white on the zest. It will make the liquor bitter! Using a rasp works best and the quickest in my experience!

In a mid-sized to large shallow bowl or a mortar, sprinkle half of the xylitol over zest and mash together with the back of a spoon, or with a pestle.

Continue mashing and adding a little xylitol at a time until paste-like texture is formed.

Put the mashed zest, brandy, vodka and the vanilla bean in a glass container, like a large mason jar. Add the sugar-free syrup and glycerine to the orange mixture. Cover and steep  for about four weeks in a cool and dark place. Shake the jar up about every week or so.

{Here they are after things settled down a bit, about a week in.}

After four weeks, strain through a fine-mesh stainless steel strainer into a large measuring cup or a bowl with a spout.  Discard zest and put vanilla bean aside. *
Rinse the strainer and jar that you used to age the liqueur.

Line the mesh strainer with cheesecloth, a clean tea towel, or a paper coffee filter and pour the liqueur through coffee filter within fine mesh stainless steel strainer. This can take some time and you can speed up the process by frequently changing the coffee filters!

Pour everything back into "aging jar”, close  jar tightly, and continue aging for an additional 1-3 months & up to 5 months in your refrigerator!

I’ll post some photos once the sugar-free Grand Marnier is ready!

*You can reuse the vanilla bean in spice mixes or scenting/flavoring some granular erythritol. Just let it dry, then add it to a container with granular erythritol to give you a lovely orangey vanilla flavor. Or dry the bean completely and use it in the Delicious Pinch Spice Mix.

And here is the finished product on December 16th, 2011.

It doesn't get to the clear, dark-brown stage with this method and these ingredients that are the mark of the real thing, but the flavor is very good and it works in all the recipes just like the real thing! I hope you will try it too! Let me know how it turns out for you!

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“Delicious Pinch” Spice Mix

Yes, I know it’s a good thing that my job isn’t naming products in new and innovative ways, but that’s what I ended up naming the spice mix below. Why? Because it really is delicious - a pinch (or a lot more) of it here and there! And since the season for spices is almost upon us - my pinches will increase no doubt!

Well, and because I have no imagination when it comes to naming things and that was the obvious choice!

This mix reminds me of my favorite spice mix from Germany, Delifrut.

It can be used in anything where you might usually use cinnamon, for that extra something! Try it with some fruit too! So good!

I wish we had  smell-a-blog,  the aroma of this is amazing! You must have this in your life, especially with fall just around the corner!

 

Delicious Pinch Spice Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Cinnamon, ground
• 1 tbsp. anise seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander, ground
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom, ground
• 1/2 tsp cloves, ground
• 1 fresh vanilla pod, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (or 3-4 dried, empty Vanilla Bean Pods)
• 1/2 tsp ginger, ground

As an optional addition for a citrus note (optional):

• 2 tsp dried lemon zest
• 2 tsp dried orange zest

 

Preparation:

Place half the cinnamon and everything else into a coffee grinder (make sure it’s a dedicated spice grinder! Otherwise your coffee will taste of spices and your spices will taste of coffee!) and grind until a fine powder results. Mix with the rest of the cinnamon until thoroughly combined! Keep in an airtight jar.

 

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Sweet and Sour Zucchini Pickles (LC, GF, SF)

This recipe is a great way to tame the zucchini bounty, share it with friends and just have your zucchini  with a little pep  all year round!

 

 

Ingredients:

4 medium sized Zucchini

1/2 small onion

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup unflavored sugar-free syrup or sugar substitute equivalent

2 cloves of  garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)

1/2 - 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp sea salt

 

Preparation:

Quarter the zucchini lengthwise and slice off the spongy middle section.  Slice each quarter in half length wise again and then cut 2 inch sticks.

Place in a sauce pan. Finely slice the onion and the garlic. Using a mandolin gets you the most slices, which means you get the most flavor out of less onion/garlic. If you don’t want to spring for a big one, check out your local Asian store. I got this one there for something like $3 and it slices onions and garlic literally paper thin!

 

 

Anyway, place everything in the sauce pan and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

 

Once the zucchini have softened a little, rinse your canning jars if you haven’t already, place the zucchini in them, then ladle the pickling liquid complete with spices over the zucchini right up to the rim of the jar.

Wipe the rims, place on the lids and screw on tight. Turn the jars upside down and let them cool that way.

Once cooled, the lids should be “sucked” in. If there is still give while pushing on the middle of the lid, you didn’t get a seal and those need to be refrigerated and eaten within the next few days.

The other ones can be stored in the jars for several months!

 

 

The whole recipe is 21 g of carbs and 5 g of fiber. So 16 g of net carbs!

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