24/7 Low Carb Diner

Moroccan Red Pepper Salad

2012-01-28T22:39:00.000-06:00

This is a salad I made last year, especially pretty for Valentine's Day. Last February's Diner News was devoted to special Valentine dishes, and this beauty fit the bill. All those gorgeous red bell peppers offer a wonderful sweet taste too. The spices are so different from the usual fare--they make this a really unique salad. It is definitely a star attraction on a menu, able to stand out with a steak or grilled breast of chicken.

Cumin lovers will be really attracted to this salad, too. It is so flavorful; it needs very little dressing. Being featured in wintertime, I used jarred roasted bell peppers, but you can roast your own from fresh if desired. If you are serving it for a special Valentine dinner, go ahead and peel the cucumber, and the salad will be mostly red. I was serving this for our family friends who came over for dinner and a game night. I wasn't trying to make a pretty table, since we had to clear everything off to play games anyway. It is just as delicious with the green left on the cucumber, so all was good. I am not even a huge cucumber fan, but I like this. Of course, it helps that I love red bell peppers.

So if you don't have last February's Diner News, here is the recipe. We are working on the bundles for past years Diner News, so be watching for them to be available to download soon

Morocccan Red Bell Pepper Salad

12 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers

1 cucumber

1 roma tomato, diced

3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon cumin

3 Tablespoons feta cheese

Salt and pepper

Chop bell peppers into bite sized pieces. Add all remaining ingredients to a bowl. Toss to blend flavors. Serve at room temperature.

If you are eating dairy free, this is almost as good without the feta cheese. You can also add just a sprinkle of powdered ginger if you don't have fresh. When I had the problem finding kale, the stores also seemed to have a problem stocking ginger. I got just about a pinky toe worth, and all that went in a stir fry. Yes, the cashier did laugh when I bought 14 cents worth of ginger. But then, my assortment of groceries has been know to bewilder cashiers before. Do you ever get odd comments? I do on occasion. Maybe that is the best way to spread the word about healthier choices. I do know I sometimes want to cry when I see what people load into their carts. One time I even held a nutritional intervention with the dairy guy at the grocery store. Let's just keep eating healthy and spread the word.

Among Friends Thursday - Spicy Sausage and Kale Soup

2012-01-26T15:46:00.000-06:00

Kale is everywhere these days. Except the grocery store it seems. From the press it is getting, one would think God just invented it. It is so much the buzz, I am wondering if kale has its own PR agent. I have been using it in my spoon salad for years, and have made soups with it too. But when I had it on my grocery list to make this recipe of Carolyn's from the Among Friends cookbook, I ran into problems. First grocery store I hit, I was met with sticker shock. What was 99 cents a bunch before Christmas was suddenly $2.69 a bunch. Ouch. I started to get it anyway, the dug under the mustard greens around to find they were out. Went to check the organic section. The organic farmers have always pushed fresh kale, and somehow it was priced even lower than the non organic. But, the store was out there too. Either way, I left empty handed.

Store number two does not carry kale. Granted, that was Aldi, and you never know what they will stock. Store number three had a place for it, a great price of 99 cents, but alas, no greens. Not wanting to go home kaleless, I decided to track down the Target produce guy. With my best smile and a cheerful whine (yes you can do both) I convinced him to run in the store room to check. He found some. Three bunches. We took two and left the last remaining bunch of kale to whatever shopper was as desperate as I. Who could take all three knowing the shortage? I only wish my friend NeeCee had been with me because the next day she was lamenting that there was no kale to be found in Tulsa! I wonder if it was that way all over the country? Suddenly, Americans care about their health? Is kale the new superstar veggie? Must be that it is January, with all those fresh resolutions and such.

So soup was back on the menu. Carolyn's recipe says to use spicy Italian sausage, My choice said hot or mild, so I went with the hot. Gotta say, hot it was. I had a little trouble getting the casings off my brand. I have a thing about over handling raw meat. I am just a bit squeamish there, but I finally figured out that I could twist a whole link in the center (think balloon animal) and squeeze the sausage out the ends. That was better.

The soup is really easy to prepare after that. It is so good for you, with all those veggies--especially that elusive kale. Carolyn calls for red pepper flakes. Knowing my guy's feelings about that, I halved the amount. Even with that reduction, the soup was plenty spicy. I am assuming my sausage was extra hot, because I know Carolyn's recipes are always spot on. Once I tasted it, I knew I would have to do something for the hubby. To tone his down a bit, I stirred in some cream cheese. Wow was that good! I had mine plain, true to Carolyn's recipe. If you enjoy the spice, it is really all you need. I even skipped the Parmesan cheese. Next time to make it more hubby friendly, I will choose a sweet Italian sausage instead. Either way, this soup is nutritious whole food and very satisfying.

If you don't own a copy of Low Carbing Among Friends, you really need to get a book. (see the link to the right of the page) With so many recipes, it will keep you happy in the kitchen for a long time. I know my Among Friends Thursdays will not run out for a long, long time! If any of you Diners make a recipe you recommend from the book, take a photo and I will be happy to publish your version here on the Diner blog.

Rotel Red

2012-01-25T15:05:00.000-06:00

Obviously I like chili. It is one of those foods I could eat almost every day. Summer or winter, chili always sounds good. I even tried to make chili when I was trying to eat vegetarian. This is better.

Chili is one of those foods I can change up with my mood, the ingredients in the cupboard, the time I have, etc. My absolute favorite is my 24 Hour Chili, because the extended cooking time does so much for the flavor. That is one of those recipes I like to keep handy in individual servings in the freezer. Great when I don't wanna cook. Sadly for me, I don't always have that in the freezer. Like today, when the cold rainy weather made me crave a good bowl of red.

Checking my cupboard, I discover that I MIGHT have all the ingredients for a quick pot. Forget the long slow simmer today. I am hungry. I put the lunch items I packed for hubby back in the fridge. I will eat those another day. That is what happens when chili calls. Fortunately, since he is happily dining on my orginal planned meal, I can sneak in some ingredients he won't eat. Ha! I go digging for the can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies. I always buy that, despite knowing my husband threatens to call the fire department when I add it to a recipe. Even when I dilute it with lots of other ingredients, he breaks out in a sweat. He won't be eating today, so I reach for the can opener.

This chili is thick. Really thick, because I have half a can of pumpkin leftover from a Rumple I made for dinner last night. (Remember Rumple from the November Diner News? It is nice and spicy too.) I must be on a roll with the spiciness, poor hubby. Maybe it is hormones? I love adding pumpkin to my chili because it adds a touch of sweetness and makes it look more like those cans of Wolf brand I remember from my single days. Sad to admit but yes, I would eat chili straight from the can back in college and my early working days. Who would have thought that girl would ever write a cookbook?

This is easy to throw together, and easy to change ingredients around to suit your tastes. Almost everything here is a cupboard staple. It is hard to go wrong with chili. .Never made a bad one. Never won a chili cook-off either, though. Oh well, suits me.

Rotel Red

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
10 oz. can Rotel type tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup pumpkin puree
6 oz. can of tomato paste
2 cups water or beef broth
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder ( mine was guajillo, but you can choose milder)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp powdered Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp salt or to taste

Chop onion. Brown onion and beef in a dutch oven. Drain fat if not using a lean grind of beef. Stir in tomatoes, pumpkin and tomato paste. Slowly add the can of water while stirring. Add spices and cocoa. Simmer at least 30 minutes. Check salt and serve.

The leftovers are going into the freezer so the next day I am on my own for lunch, this will be a no brainer meal that will make me happy. For more ideas on what to do with lots of chili, check this post. Come to think of it, maybe a chili stuffed omelet would be good tomorrow morning.

Coconut Curry Chicken Nuggets

2012-01-24T12:29:00.004-06:00

I hate hearing the talk about what goes into chicken nuggets. And believe me, I don't want to know about it. I love the concept of chicken nuggets, so what is a girl to do? As usual, make her own. These are not breaded and fried, and they don't need the breading to impart flavor. These have a fantastic flavor all their own. Leave the ketchup and honey to the sugarvores. We have Coconut Curry Nuggets. Kinda a take off of the Naked Nuggets I told you about in the October Diner News, but these are better.

Nuggets are fun. Fun color with the curry. Fun to pick up with your fingers. Fun to surprise your friends with the secret ingredients. All so good for you too! Great for dinner and lunch boxes too. Make a big batch and freeze them up for later. You will be so glad you did! They might even be a go to late night snack.

You can buy pre-ground chicken and mix it all in, but I prefer to grind my own in my Ninja. It really is easy.

Coconut Curry Chicken Nuggets

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast or ground chicken
1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 egg
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red curry paste

Grind your own: Trim fat from chicken breasts. Place them into the food processor and blend until coarsely chopped. Add the coconut, roughly chopped cilantro, egg, curry, garlic, curry paste and salt. Process again until ingredients are well mixed in and the chicken is smoothly ground. Proceed to cooking instructions (below)

Pre-ground: Place chicken in a large bowl. Add coconut, finely chopped cilantro, egg, curry, garlic and salt. Stir or mash by hand to incorporate all ingredients into the chicken. Proceed to cooking instructions below.

Pan Fried: Melt a tablespoon of coconut oil in a skillet over a medium heat. When hot, drop large spoonfuls of the chicken mixture into the skillet. Use the back of a spoon dipped in the coconut oil to smooth the tops and shape the nuggets in the pan. Cook a few minutes until the bottom is browned. Turn with a spatula and brown the other side. This will take just a couple of minutes.

Oven Baked: This method allows you to bake more at a time than the skillet method, sacrificing only a little bit of browning. Spritz a rimmed cookie sheet with olive oil or brush with melted coconut oil. Drop by large spoonfuls onto the sheet. Use an oiled spoon back to shape and smooth the nuggets. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

These nuggets will be yellow tinted from the curry powder. I think my guys secretly did not want to like them, as they tend to shy away from Indian restaurants and always look concerned when I say curry. It always amazes me when they announce they like a new curry recipe everytime I serve one. Never fails, like it is always a surprise to them! Oh well, at least it is a good surprise! One of these days they might admit to liking curry.

The flavor combos are great in this dish. None of the spices are overpowering, and the coconut is not too strong. They have enough flavor though, that they will hold up to be eaten at room temperature in lunch boxes or for picnics. They would be great sliced and added to a spinach salad. They could be made into meatballs too; similar to the recipe from which I adapted my version, a Mark Sisson recipe in Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals. They would also be made into full sized patties for a yummy sandwich.

This is one of the arsenal of Paleo friendly recipes I am featuring in February's Diner News. Included are several ways to flavor ground meats for make ahead Paleo fare. Even if you are not following a Paleo eating plan, this recipes serves all low carbers with a great change of pace. Delish!

Sunbuttery Salad

2012-01-20T16:10:00.001-06:00

Can you say "healthy?" I thought so. Sometimes saying that with "yummy" in the same sentence is not so easy. Easy here though! Yesterday I busied myself making some more home made nut butters. Sunflower seed butter, commercially known by its brand, Sunbutter. I put the recipe I use in the January Diner News under the blender feature. My Ninja does right by nut butters. It made a way too delicious tahini yesterday. I have to hold myself back on that stuff! (more on that one in another post, as I am still playing around with it)

There are two camps when it comes to nut butters. Raw or Roasted. Here, I am on the fence. Raw is more nutritious, especially soaked. I admit I seldom take that time. Roasted, however has a huge flavor appeal for me. So I vote to compromise. I use half and half. My version of Sunbutter is not quite as good as peanut butter, but then it is not a legume either, with more of those objectionable qualities. I like to ignore those because I doubt I will abandon my love of the peanut forever. Still, a step in the right direction is a good thing. First step, moderation. Second step, healthier substitutes.

Part of the moderation step is not to eat this stuff by the spoonful out of the jar. I tried making some coconut oil candies with it, but it just wasn't all that...at least not in comparison to my peanut butter variety. Trying to lessen sweet treats, after all, except for my daily coconut oil treats. Who needs to feed a sweet tooth to be healthy?

I switched my brain to salad, yah, that's healthy, I tell myself. Turns out I am right. This salad is terrific. Not only that, but it does not require lettuce. Do you ever get tired of lettuce like I do? Even when I have a fresh salad in jar looking down at me from the top shelf of my fridge, sometimes I just can't face another piece of lettuce. That is why this salad (and its delicious dressing) is so great. It doesn't taste like all the rest. The dressing is so good I could eat it by the spoonful and be happy, but I am also pleased with how it flavors cucumber, a veggie never known to be my favorite. That is an understatement of my feelings about cucumber, but the creaminess of the avocado makes up for it. I threw in some of my favorite leaf in the world--cilantro, so it has almost a Thai flavor here. You decide what it tastes like. I just know this fusion is good, and I will definitely make it again the next time a cucumber finds its way into the crisper drawer.

First the salad--you decide what goes in, but I added bite sized chunks of these--cucumber, roma tomato, and avocado. Onion lovers might appreciate a little red onion. Then a handful of chopped cilantro. I added some crumbled bacon, but it was kinda lost, so I would not bother the next time. Make enough for 4 large servings. Now that dressing...oh yeah.

Sunbuttery Dressing

4 tbsp sunflower nut butter (home made or the Sunbutter brand)
3 tbsp water
1 tbsp tamari or coconut aminos
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 clove of minced garlic
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp red curry paste
salt to taste if your butter is unsalted

Blend all ingredients by hand or in a bullet blender. Pour over salad greens or use as a dipping sauce.

Up the curry paste if you like. I feed a lightweight when it comes to spiciness, so just a tad is all he will eat without sweat beads popping out on his forehead. I however, once won a pepper eating contest. Just how did we get together? I digress...This is a good side for some simple grilled meat. Nothing fussy needed.

If you like the jar the dressing is in, I got mine at Hobby Lobby. These jars are perfect for small amounts of home made condiments. The tight seal keeps everything fresh. Sometimes, I use my chalk marker to write what dressing is inside and the day I made it, so I don't forget. The chalk just washes off when it is empty.

My oldest son and his girlfriend are coming for the weekend, so I had better get to my dinner preparations. I am thinking Kristen might like this salad--too bad I ate it all up for lunch!

Among Friends Thursday - A "Girly" Day with Friends

2012-01-19T12:58:00.001-06:00

Another Among Friends feature starring my hometown friends and Jennifer's Chicken Mushroom Casserole (pg. 39), that is. My friend NeeCee and two of her sweet daughters understand that having all boys, I don't get many frilly things in my life. They shipped their guys off, and invited me over last Saturday for a girly day, complete with a pretty luncheon, tea party, and a fun time doing our designer nails. What a treat! She even photographed the dishes for me.

NeeCee had told me how tasty Jennifer's casserole was. My men don't care for many mushrooms, so I had not made this recipe, refusing to allow all the mushrooms to go to waste. NeeCee made it for me though, and it was delicious. Even better on her gorgeous china. Knowing Jennifer prefers beautiful place settings, I am betting she appreciates seeing her recipe done up with style. The curry and mustard flavor the dish wonderfully; just the right amount. The almonds, which were slivers here rather than sliced, added the perfect crunch. I think either style is a great addition to the casserole. We had a nice salad on the side, and some of my Snow Capped Chocolate Muffins topped with whipped cream for dessert.

After doing our nails with flowers and butterflies, we went back for more. The girls served a delicious cinnamon tea. I will have to pass the brand along to you when I track some more down. I want a can of my own. It was great with the chocolate muffins/cupcakes that I brought. What a fun day we had--so much so that we are planning another one at my house so I can break out some fancy tableware too.

I am thinking I might try Carolyn's Eggplant Rollatini with Bechamel Sauce when the next girly day is at my house. What would you choose out of our cookbook? If you don't have it yet, just click on the photo of it to the right and it will take you where you need to go. I promise there is something for every occasion in there. Girly menus and man pleasing meals too. So gather some of your close friends and practice hospitality. It feels so good to be among friends.

Real Chocolate Almond Cake Balls

2012-01-16T17:17:00.002-06:00

For those of you who, upon my suggestions, did go get yourself a cake pop maker, I present another recipe with grand results. This weekend, I had a special tea party to attend. More on that on Thursday, since it featured a Low Carbing Among Friends recipe made by my friend NeeCee. I started by baking my Snow Capped Chocolate Muffins to take along, this time to be topped with luxurious whipped cream. While I had the batter ready, I decided to try out the recipe to see how it worked as a cake ball. They were great! Perfect little spheres, with a great consistency. I cannot believe how easy this is.

Just fill the cavities a little over the top and bake 5-7 minutes. Perfection first try. On my way out the door to the party, I threw the cake balls into a baggie and put them in the freezer. Gotta say that was a great idea. To make a good for you, super easy glaze, just grab your coconut oil. I use equal portions of coconut oil and cocoa powder melted together and sweetened. Sorry, I did not measure the sweetener, but since everyone's tastes are different, just adjust to you preference. I used liquid stevia, but powdered sweeteners would work well too. Granular erythritol has a little bit of a tough time dissolving, and may stay a little gritty. You probably know your sweetener pretty well by now, so do your own thing there.

Be sure to have the coconut oil melted. With the frozen cake balls, it will easily harden on the ball, forming a wonderful glaze with a slight crunch when you bite. Think chocolate dipped ice cream cones type crunch. As long as the cake balls are cool, these will not make a mess in your hands. I dipped mine twice, then rolled in crushed sliced almonds. The flavors go so well together. Real chocolate, plus almonds. Yum.

The recipe is here in the archives, but I will post it with changes for cake balls for ya. Loving that these are best served cold. Why? It is not necessary, but keeping them in the freezer will help me with portion control. These are a perfect dessert size for those of us who only want a small indulgence. Just give me the strength to just eat one...or two...

Real Chocolate Almond Cake Balls

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup ZSweet or plain erythritol plus 2-3 packets of stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 stick butter
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1 tbsp powdered ZSweet or erythritol

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, erythritol, baking powder and salt. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate. To the hot mixture, add eggs, one at a time. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into the cavities of a cake pop baker, filling over the top. Bake 5-7 minutes. Remove and let cool. If using a coconut oil glaze, freeze cake balls before dipping.

I am seeing these as a fun Valentine treat too. Any ideas on how to make a pink glaze? Maybe pink sprinkles will do. That I can do.

St. Louis Crusted Tilapia

2012-01-13T20:05:00.000-06:00

We have been enoying this crusted fish for a while now, but I had never blogged about it before. After it got rave reviews from a guest, I decided it was worth sharing. Last summer, I posted the recipe for the topping, called "Cheese Pourri" which I adapted from the St. Louis Herb Society cookbook--a Goodwill find. No one ever commented on that, so I assume my sprinkle over vegetables and chicken was just not appreciated as it should have been. Maybe this entree will do the trick. This really is good stuff, and just may change the minds of those who generally turn their noses up at the idea of fish. If they still don't like fish, try the same method with chicken breast pounded thin.

I choose Tilapia because it is mild. The flavors of the crust really stand out and make the dish special. To add some good fat, I first smear the filets with about a tablespoon of mayonnaise. This week, I just happened to have some home made olive oil and coconut oil lacto fermented mayonnaise. All the healthier! Then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the Cheese Pourri on the top. Easy. Better yet, if the fillets are thawed, this is a truly super quick dinner. 9-10 minutes in the oven after adding the toppings, which takes all of a minute to prep if you keep the cheese pourri on hand as I do. Frozen fish takes a little longer. Mine were in about 20 minutes at 400 before the thickest section flaked with a fork. I roasted some olive oil coated fine green beans in the oven at the same time. Still, pretty darn simple, and oh, oh, oh so yummy.

Among Friends Thursday - Coconut Flour Doughnut Holes

2012-01-12T12:10:00.000-06:00

Today, I am featuring one of my own recipes from the book, Low Carbing Among Friends. I used my recipe for Coconut Flour Doughnuts to make Doughnut Holes. We had our first snow of the season, so I decided these snowballs were perfect to celebrate. It also gave me a chance to use my new cakeball machine. These came out perfectly after baking just five minutes. Today I used caramel syrup and added a half teaspoon of vanilla butter nut flavoring. They taste like little balls of pound cake. Rolling them in powdered ZSweet makes them just sweet enough.

Being that it is wintertime brings me to an unusual experience with this recipe. When I first made it last spring, it was in a nice warm kitchen. I tried lots of variations, so it was a well tested recipe. One of our cookbook fans on the Low Carb Friends Board had a problem with the batter becoming too thick. It only took me one batch to figure out why. At first we thought it might be a difference in coconut flours, but that was not it. It was a colder kitchen! In a cooler environment, the eggs may cool the melted coconut oil too much, making the batter too thick to easily work with. It had never done that to me before, but it did in December. Brr. It is a really quick fix, though. Either let the eggs come to room temperature before adding to the batter, or heat the thickened batter 20 seconds in the microwave oven to remelt the coconut oil. Working with new ingredients certainly does have its own learning curve in a low carb kitchen! I am adding a note to this recipe in the next edition of Low Carbing Among Friends, but now you know, so make a note of the information in your book please. And if you don't own the book yet, please order it. We are getting great feedback from the public, and have a five star rating at Amazon. Click on the link at the right to order it directly, or look it up at Amazon.

In fact, I have another recipe from the book which is on my menu for tonight. It is such a great collection of recipes, that it is hard for me to choose which to highlight each week. One meal a week from this book is certainly not enough!

Browned Butter Whip

2012-01-11T17:35:00.000-06:00

Oh my heavens this is good! It is a recipe from the November Diner News. I try very hard to include recipes in the newsletter that are not published here on the blog, so you know you get your money's worth. I made this again last night, because I am thinking it will be in the next volume of Low Carbing Among Friends, and I needed a good photograph. With all the holiday indulgences, I had forgotten how spectacular this side dish is. The browned butter is incredible. At least to me. My otherwise cauliflower loving son still did not like it. But then, he hates when I maked mashed cauliflower of any type, so what kind of judge is he?

This a mixture of cauliflower and rutabaga. I chose this time to mash it just with a hand masher, so the chunky texture would be there. It is fine to puree it in a processor too though. My hubby was always a fan of country style mashed potatoes, with small, firm pieces of potato and even skin left in. I think he might have eaten too many instant potatoes in his bachelor days...you know it is really food, peeled buy someone's hands. This is like that, except for that butter, Browned butter has a nutty, salty taste all its own. I could drown myself in the stuff. Actually, if I ever had to choose my last meal, I think this would be on the plate.That is how much I like it!

Why show you a delicious side dish without the recipe, you say? We are checking in to bundling the Diner News from the 2011 and 2010, and selling them as a download document like we do the e-book. Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in. Each year bundle would cost $6 just like the yearly subscription I deliver to your email. If you are not already a Diner News subscriber, this is a great way to get caught up. It also keeps me from reusing ideas from those years in upcoming issues, so it keeps me on my toes. I could get lazy and start running repeats, if not for the loyal Diners who have been with me from the start. If we were not really living this lifestyle, I doubt I could come up with enough information and recipes to fill a 6-8 page newsletter each month.

So if you think you might order the back issue bundles, please leave me a comment so we can see how much interest there may be. In the meantime, I am eating this delicious Brown Butter Whip. Aren't you jealous?

Sesame Chicken

2012-01-10T15:02:00.002-06:00

Everyone loved this one. Even my "no Chinese food" guy liked it. That is saying something. It is not sicky sweet like the version we get in restaurants around here. If you want that over the top sweetness, be sure to add more apricot jam--like half the jar? Also, it is not fried and breaded, so that is easier.

We had this for dinner last night, but with the terrible light conditions, the photo was just not good enough. I shorted everyone's plate a little bit, and kept enough for a small serving for my lunch today. I would have let them have seconds, but tried not to advertise too much. How evil is that for a mom? I had to keep that a little secret or they would have eaten it all up, I think. That photo above really is the leftovers I had for lunch! Glad to say it held up really well reheated, so I am sure this chicken would be good for a Multiply Meal. The inspiration for the recipe came from a grilling recipe I have used before. In fact, it is in the June '11 newsletter. Those Sesame Chicken Kabobs are delish, but the sauce is meant to be a marinade and grilling sauce. Last night, we were not grilling out, so I wanted to change it to an oven dish. It worked out quite well. I just lowered the amount of soy sauce so it would not be so salty. After everything was baked, I added xanthan gum to thicken the sauce.

Last night we ate this with steamed broccoli. I topped that with some melted butter mixed in with a few drops of sesame oil, and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. That was easy. Today, I used roasted cauliflower and peppers which I made on Sunday. On prep day, I chose to make a large pan of oven roasted veggies rather than my weekly salad. ( I didn't get the salad greens on my trip to the grocery and had to run get some yesterday) That is always an option. For my veggies today, I just grabbed out the cauliflower and some roasted onion. I poured some Asian dressing over the top and heated them. Easy peasy. I will be able to do that with the entire selection of roasted veggies for more meals this week. They are good with any kind of flavored butter, Italian dressing, a sprinkle of cheese, whatever floats your boat (or matches the entree you are serving)

Now back to that chicken...

Sesame Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
1 bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup white cooking wine
1/4 cup Tamari or soy sauce
4 tbsp sugar free apricot preserves
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
3 tsp sesame seeds (divided use)
1 tsp xanthan gum

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut chicken and bell pepper into 1 inch chunks and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the wine, Tamari, apricot preserves, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, pepper sauce and 1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds. Place the chicken and pepper into a large casserole dish. Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken. Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove the dish from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, push all the chicken and peppers to one side of the dish. Tilt the casserole dish by placing a folded towel under under the end with the chicken. This will collect the juices at the other end. Use a salt shaker to lightly sprinkle the xanthan gum into the hot sauce slowly, while whisking continually. When sauce is thick, remove the towel and stir the sauce and chicken together. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds and serve with steamed vegetables or riced cauliflower.

This is really good on the grill too as kabobs, but it is great to have a winter recipe too. If you want even more flavor, let the chicken marinate in the sauce for a few hours before cooking.

My middle son went back to college today, so I am missing him already. I sent quite a bit of food with him to make in his townhouse. He tries to balance carbs there, but it is tougher when eating in school cafeterias and fast food places. Cooking healthy at home requires a time commitment, no matter what the diet. Hopefully he is learning some of my tricks to save time in the kitchen. I at least know he has a few meals in the freezer now.

A "Classical" Brunch Casserole

2012-01-07T20:36:00.002-06:00

This egg casserole is a step beyond the average breakfast, yet it is simple enough for an everyday meal. I named it for the Classics, since it borrows flavors from Greece and Italy. Feta cheese is the star attraction, but it is accompanied by delicious Italian sausage, basil, oregano, garlic and spinach. It all blends so well. Not too much spinach, so it doesn't taste too much like my Philosopher's Quiche. My guys all loved it, and it is a classic beauty too.

This would be a perfect recipe to triple for a Multiply Meal. I promise that I will be doing that. Just buy the large canister of feta cheese at the warehouse club, and grab lots of eggs while you are there.

Classical Brunch Casserole

1 pound Italian sausage
1/2 diced onion
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
3 cups fresh spinach
12 eggs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
6-8 ounces feta cheese
1 Roma tomato

Slice onion and mushrooms. In a skillet, brown the Italian sausage with the onion and mushroom. Drain most of the fat and place this mixture into the base of a casserole dish. Layer the spinach leaves over the meat. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the spinach leaves.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the Italian seasoning, garlic and salt. Pour the eggs over the casserole. Push down any spinach stems that stick out above the eggs. Slice the tomato very thinly. Place the tomato slices on top of the casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting.

The feta cheese is really wonderful, but if you are dairy free, I think it would still be good without the cheese. We only had one slice leftover, so I am testing to be absolutely sure this casserole freezes well. Then I will be making this one in triplicate. Another idea would be to bake it in silicone muffin cups for easy reheating in the microwave for busy breakfasts or lunches. Yum. That is one of my favorite ways to keep this crew fed. I think I will make another small one to send back to college with my number two son. He never bothers to go to the cafeteria for breakfast, and tends to rely simply on coffee. Now if he can just figure out a way to hide these from his room mates, all will be good.

Inside Out Wafflewich Sandwich

2012-01-06T12:08:00.001-06:00

I wrote about these in the Diner News for January. Just another fun idea if you have a waffle stick machine, like I do. You could also cut standard waffles into sticks for this unique finger food. I sent these to work with hubby. He has an extra long day at work today, running the bowl game tonight. These should sustain him! The flavor combo I came up with today is really, really good.

First, start off with a batch of savory waffles. My recipe in the ebook or Among Friends uses coconut flour, yogurt and cheese in the waffle, or you could use the garlic bread waffle sticks made with almond flour too.

For each Inside out Sandwich, you will need:

mayonnaise, mustard or creamy salad dressing (nothing that will soak in and make it soggy)
a slice of cheese (room temperature is best if it is not a processed cheese slice)
4-5 very thin slices of lunch meat
1 small lettuce leaf (optional)
1 sandwich stuffer/stacker pickle slice

Begin by adding a small dollup of mayo or mustard in each cavity of the waffle stick. It is really helpful to have squirt condiments here. Begin by wrapping a cheese slice around the waffle. Warm cheese works best. Over that, add two slices of lunch meat to secure the cheese into place. Next add the lettuce leaf and the pickle slice. Alternate where the layers end so the sandwich stays closed more securely. Finish it off with 2-3 more slices of lunch meat. Secure with a food pick if needed. Mine stayed secure just fine, but I added a pick with a feta stuffed olive for fun. The ones that were packed in the lunch box did not need picks, as hubby would never eat an olive, silly boy.

The combination of flavors I used today are incredible together. I used mayo, smoked Swiss cheese, salami and a bread and butter pickle slice. I buy the Mount Olive No Sugar Bread and Butter Sandwich Stuffers, but Vlasic has a dill version of the same pickle cut. That one is a Sandwich Stacker by name. I forgot to wash and dry the lettuce this morning and had to get this lunch out under deadline, so the picture doesn't show that today.

If you try these, let me know what your favorite flavor combinations are. With so many cheeses and deli meats, these could be different every day of the week.

Among Friends Thursday -African Chicken Peanut Soup

2012-01-05T22:27:00.001-06:00

Today we tried another recipe from the Low Carbing Among Friends Cookbook. This one is from Jennifer Eloff. Although she is best known for her baking and sweet treats, this soup is wonderful! Jennifer calls for diced chicken. I used shredded because that is what I had on hand. I doubt that makes a flavor difference, although Jennifer's version may be prettier. She has a talent for making all her recipes beautiful. I try, but mostly, I am happy to get them to the table. I hoped for a better photo. It was well after dark before I got dinner on the table, so low light photography is the best I can do today. Real world strikes again.

A few years ago, my friend NeeCee made an African Chicken crock pot meal which also had chicken and peanut butter. I remember really loving that when our kids were learning about Africa. This is much the same. The flavors are unique and very interesting--curry, tomato, peanuts. It all equals yum. NeeCee's family tried this recipe too, and reported to me that they all loved it. Much better than the canned goat milk we tried during our Africa studies! I added some extra cayenne to mine, because I had to go easy with the red pepper flakes called for in the recipe. My hubby...he is just not addicted to spicy like I am! Upping the heat is easy to do with just a sprinkle after everyone has their own bowl.

The cookbook is going into the 3rd printing. If you still want to order, just click on the photo of the book on the side bar. Or you can go through Amazon. It has all been so exciting as the book launched. Trying the new recipes is great too. So many experts contributing their favorites. Just knowing that this recipe comes all the way from Africa makes it all the better. I was hoping to see how well it freezes for some lunch box ideas, but we licked the pot clean tonight. Next time, I will certainly make a double batch. Thanks for great recipe, Jennifer!

Garlic Waffle Sticks

2012-01-03T11:55:00.001-06:00

Who ever said waffles had to be for breakfast? I had all these possibilities swimming in my head and just not enough time to get them all into the newsletter. These delicious and crisp bites of garlic goodness are among them. We enjoyed them with an Italian themed dinner last night, which included my yummy Turkey Red Sauce. These were great on the side.

They taste quite a bit like focaccia bread, but they are crunchy. We like a little less rosemary than some, so I added in Italian herb blend instead. The waffle stick maker creates these wonderful little sticks which are very much like garlic bread sticks. Even better if I dare say. One problem I have with many low carb breads is the texture. I like a little crispness. I wanted this little machine, because I was hoping the extra surface area allowed by the waffle shape would be the answer to that. I was brilliant. Indeed, the sticks are crunchy outside and tender in. They are delish and so easy to put together and to bake. If you don't have a waffle stick maker, try a regular one and cut the waffle into sticks by hand, or spread the batter out in lines on the iron. That would actually be like waffle art.

Garlic Waffle Sticks

1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup cottage cheese
2 tsp olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, Parmesan cheese, herbs and spices and soda. In a small bowl, lightly beat eggs. Stir in the cottage cheese and olive oil. Add this to the dry mixture and stir to combine. Spoon the thick batter into a preheated and sprayed waffle maker. Bake until crispy brown and steaming has stopped.

We had a few leftover, which will reheat nicely in the toaster oven. I am thinking they would make an excellent inside out wrap with some salami and an olive slice in each well of the waffle. A dunk in marinara or Italian dressing would be phenomenal. I need to run to the grocery for the salami. I will try to get a photo when I put this all together, so watch for the update.

These are so going into my prep day rotation. Making a double or triple batch would be great for stocking the freezer with some quick to heat up breadsticks to go with dinners and lunches!

Among Friends Thursday- Maria's "Corndogs"

2011-12-30T00:17:00.000-06:00

I have ambitions to try out some of the recipes from our Among Friends Cookbook every Thursday. Today we were already testing some low carb fryer recipes, so we tried out Maria's "Corn" dog recipe. Granted, Maria's are much healthier because she uses grass fed, organic hot dogs and fries in coconut oil. I read on my coconut oil jar not to use it in a deep fryer, so we tried these in a little regular oil. Definitely not something to do often. They did puff up really well and fried up beautifully. They do taste a little coconutty, but it is nothing a squirt of mustard won't cover.

A couple of her followers had a little trouble getting the batter to stick on the hot dog, so I decided to make a shorter dog. Since I was using 1/3 sections of dogs and/ or some little sausages, I had less trouble there. I scooped up the batter in my spoon, placed the dog on it, then topped it with a little more of the coconut mixture. Once it hit the oil, it all stayed together really well.

I seldom drag out the fryer, but we were testing a new fryer/steamer that Pearson got for Christmas. It works great and is multi-purpose! I will tell more in the Diner News for January. Everything worked great, and we had a fun time making and eating these. In the new year, I promise it will be the healthier version.

Having been really busy working on the Diner News, I see that I did not make my midnight deadline for Thursday, C'est la vie. At least we consumed them on Thursday!

Revisiting the Cheese Puppies

2011-12-28T18:57:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite treats ever invented is fried cheese sticks. Lots of trouble to make, but delish. A couple of years ago, I invented a way to make Cheese Puppies with my pancake puff pan. Those were good, but took a little time and patience in turning them to get the perfect round ball. Then my pan became a ~~little~~ lot less non stick and I abandoned making them. Never forgot them though.

While rummaging around the after Christmas sales yesterday, I found a cake ball machine for $7.88 at Walmart. In the basket it went, along with some holiday cookie pans and some really nice standard air bake cookie sheets that were half price too. We even found a Ninja drink maker (just like mine, but only the large pitcher) SCORE! It took a great deal of inner strength not to buy a brownie maker and donut machine too.

Since my original recipe used Carbquick, but I never use wheat products in my current recipe development, I decided to use coconut flour. It worked fine. Now understand, these are not perfect spheres. They are more like half circles. Slightly taller than that, but not totally round. Still really cute on the appetizer table for New Year's Eve parties. Even better, you can turn the flat side up. With it's little crater, you have a perfect place for a dollop of marinara or salsa. Yum oh yum. I guess you could stick two halves together to make a perfect ball, but they are rich enough without adding more cheese to stick them together.

If you aren't crazy into kitchen gadgets like I am, you might try these baked in a mini muffin pan. I am thinking they would work, just lose that star quality that sets them apart from the crowd of ordinary appetizers!

Easy Cheese Puppies

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I chose Jack)
1 egg
1 heaping tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vinegar

Heat a cake pop machine. In a medium bowl, stir together cheese, egg, coconut flour and baking soda. When well combined, add the vinegar. Drop approximately 2 teaspoons of cheese mixture into each cavity. If using a cake ball machine, close the lid and bake for 5 minutes. Open lid and remove with a bamboo skewer, Let cheese puppies drain on a paper towel. Serve with marinara, salsa, or the dip of your choice.

These may work in a standard oven as well. I would probably use a hot oven, 400 or 425 degrees, and bake 10 minutes or more until browned on top. If you try it this way, let me know what works. I will be using my cake ball appliance for sure. It is so easy!

I have some interesting ideas for these. My further experiments will be on my party table for the New Year and they will be in the January edition of the Diner News as well. This month will be dedicated to the small appliance department of our Low Carb Kitchen. I will have great ideas for some of those gifts you may have received for Christmas. In the works are dehydrator ideas, fryer recipes, cake pops, waffle sticks and more. If you don't have some of these items now, I promise you will want some! (I will try to offer some conventional methods as much as possible as well)

I am so loving having my middle son home. He has helped me with the makeover on my blog. As an honor student in graphic arts, he helped me put together the retro look I have always wanted for the Diner. Cool, huh? And he didn't charge me a dime--he did it all in exchange for cheese puppies!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Waffle Sticks

2011-12-27T16:42:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season--wherever you are. Mine is wonderful this year. Christmas was spent with the whole family and some special friends as well. But the holiday week does not stop there for us. Today is my hubby's birthday. We celebrated at Red Robin last night so our oldest son could join us before he had to return to his job today. I still wanted the day to feel special for John, so we made him a fabulous breakfast this morning before he headed off to the station. Pearson handled the meat, as only a fan of Epic Mealtime could. (lots of it, that is) He made his dad sausage links, ham and eggs. I used the waffle maker I got for Christmas to make these super fun waffle sticks.After all that meat, he couldn't even finish them. I handled that for him.

I used the recipe for the Mr. Peanut Bread, which is a part of the Low Carbing Among Friends Cookbook, but is also one of the recipes I still feature here. It is just so versatile. I have a comment today saying the bread did not rise for some reason. I have never had that problem here. In fact, the batter was rising out of the waffle iron before I even got the batter spread over the entire iron base. The only advice I know is not to use too large a pan, or spread the doughy batter too thin. Perhaps adding the vinegar last might help. The reaction it makes with the soda fluffs the batter, so don't stir too much after that is added. I have used this in muffin cups, and even as artisan bread plopped directly on a cookie sheet. A follower of the Diner showed me a photo of how she used Mr. Peanut Bread in a waffle iron, so that is what I tried today. Thanks, Jillian for sharing the idea and the photo. Love when readers do that! I simply baked mine until most of the steaming had stopped. They are not super crispy, like some white flour waffles, but they are tasty and satisfying.

For toppings, we added some sugarfree blackberry Smucker's Jam. Oh, and of course the whipped cream we had left over from the trifle I made for Christmas Eve. The flavor combination will definitely bring out the kid in you. The sticks are even more fun to eat than regular waffles. You can pick the whole waffle stick up and eat it with your fingers. Yum. I have some other ideas I will be featuring in the January newsletter. Think inside out sandwiches, waffles stick chili dunkers and more. It will be fun, I promise.

Three Pepper Jelly Appetizer

2011-12-20T11:39:00.000-06:00

I have always had a thing for Jalapeno Pepper Jelly. I used to make some at Christmas time because I adore the flavor of the sweet hot jelly warmed and poured over a block of cream cheese. Then I stopped. The sugar content in my old recipe was huge. Not knowing much about making sugarfree jams and jellies, but knowing enough kitchen chemistry to bet that was a tricky process, I just gave it up. Sugarfree cranberry sauce took the place of the beloved jalapeno jelly.

Yesterday, my middle son Pearson, asked if we could have some again this year. I have such a hard time saying no to my guys, so I decided to take the challenge. We happened to be headed for Walmart anyway, so I picked up a jar of the Ball brand no sugar pectin. Then a new recipe search was on. Really didn't find much, considering I wanted to use canned pickled jalapenos I had languishing on a back shelf of the pantry. My old recipe had used canned jalapenos, and I wanted to duplicate that flavor. The recipes I found using Truvia called for fresh peppers. Others called for bell peppers. No again. Armed with some jam making generalizations jumping around in my brain, I headed for the kitchen with no recipe at all. What I ended up with is not quite what I used to make, but it is a better jam texture and it does taste like peppers. If anything, it is a little more gourmet than my old recipe, so I guess I took it up a notch. This one calls for three different forms of chili peppers. In addition to the pickled jalapenos, it has some green chilies and some chili powder. That son who asked for it, is now eating it for breakfast. I guess it passed his test.

The green chiles, which are in abundance in my freezer since I buy the giant cans, make it more jam like than many of the versions I have tried in the past. I like that, as some seem a little more like syrup at times. ( I had one sugared version that never really set up) The chili powder adds a depth of flavor missing from conventional recipes. The only thing I would do differently next time, is to lower the amount of lemon juice. The lemon flavor was a little too pronounced for me. I am going to adjust that in the recipe I am publishing here--pretty sure it will work the same. Still in? Here ya go!

Three Pepper Jelly

8-10 canned pickled jalapeno peppers OR about 3/4 cup if dicing sliced peppers
1 tbsp butter
8 ounces canned diced green chilies
1 cup ZSweet OR 1 1/4 cup erythritol
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp liquid stevia
1 1/2 tbsp Ball No Sugar Pectin

Finely chop the pickled jalapeno peppers in a food processor. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in the chopped jalapenos and the green chilies. Coat well and saute 2-3 minutes. Add the erythritol, vinegar, water, lemon juice, chili powder and liquid stevia. Stir over medium heat to dissolve sweetener. Heat to boiling. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the powdered pectin. Return pan to heat to resume boil. When the mixture boils, remove from heat and pour into three clean jelly jars. Seal and cool.

Obviously, I did not process these in a canner for long term storage. These would keep more like a freezer jam, for several weeks. I am not sure if erythritol acts as a preservative like cane sugar does. There is enough vinegar in there to do a good job in that area though. We will see. Not sure if three small jars will last through New Year's Eve around here anyway!

If you want to make some, especially here at the holidays, it would be very pretty with some red bell pepper thrown into the mix too. Now what to do? Well, the obvious, and my personal favorite, is to put some over a block of cream cheese and serve with veggie dippers and crackers. You can also spoon the jelly over ham, meatballs or chicken breast. I hear some even use pepper jelly on a sandwich. I don't know about you, but I am too busy with last minute details to be making low carb bread right now. Ours will be appetizer fare! In the photo, I warmed some leftover cheeseball and spread it into a Christmas tree dish. That is too festive! Merry Christmas, Diners.

Kent's Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-12-15T21:33:00.000-06:00

Well, I made it the first week. It is Among Friends Thursday. This week I tried the Stuffed Mushroom recipe from Kent Altena. Delicious. Lucky me, I get to eat them all, I think. Ever since I made my boys dissect a mushroom in biology class, they refuse to eat fungi. At least not whole ones. We do sneak a few onto pizza and into casseroles still. Obviously, mushrooms are not the prettiest, but these little bites are really tasty.

Kent's recipe uses baby portabellas, which I found at Aldi for a great price. I had already dug into mine for another recipe, so I may have over stuffed mine a little tonight, being short three shrooms. All the better for some extra flavor. I also forgot a couple of spoonfuls of the diced mushroom (yes, I was distracted) which were supposed to be mixed in. I added those to the top, and I think that makes them prettier. These would be excellent for Christmas and New Years Eve parties. Look for the in Low-Carbing Among Friends page 273. Click on the photo of the book to go to the order page and to see some incredible photos of the recipes in the book.

Greek Inspired Stuffed Peppers

2011-12-14T23:07:00.000-06:00

It seems like I have been posting all sweet treats lately. We really are still eating dinners, I promise. Relying on the old standards makes the busy holiday season easier, but they aren't so interesting for blogging. Tonight, I made these stuffed peppers for my youngest son, who loves bell peppers, and is feeling a little under the weather. Then at the last minute, he ended up ring shopping with his girlfriend. Hmm. Certain girls have a way of making sick boys feel better like moms just can't.

So, his portion went into the fridge for lunch tomorrow. One of these days, she will be cooking for him instead of me. I had best feed him while I can! My sweet middle son is finishing up finals tomorrow, so I am really looking forward to hugging his neck and cooking for him. After college food, they always appreciate Mom's Diner.

Tonight, I ran short in the pepper department and long on zucchini squash. Rather than make a zucchini boat, something that does not offer too much appeal for my men, I made little squatty stuffed zucchini. I liked them, and you might too. Silly boys.

Many, I say MANY recipes call for rice as a filler. I subbed cauliflower, and no one would be the wiser. I added some coconut flour so it would all stick together. It did great there. Some feta cheese gave outstanding flavor, as did the oregano and lemon pepper. These had to be the most flavorful stuffed peppers I have had. For me, I may have thrown in some cinnamon, but my guys don't rave about that either. Do what you want.

There are also two camps on the baking procedure. Some people pre-brown the meat. This certainly shortens the baking time. It does, in my opinion, make the dish messier. Packing in raw meat leaves it more like a mini meatloaf inside the pepper and less like a sloppy joe. If you are running out of time, go ahead and brown the meat first, but leave out the coconut flour. Maybe an egg as a binder? Not sure, but maybe. I know the hour and a half oven time is well worth it.

Greek Inspired Stuffed Peppers (and zucchini if you want)

4 bell peppers OR a combination of bell pepper and zucchini
1/2 large head cauliflower OR about 2 1/2 cups finely diced
1 pound ground meat (I used sausage tonight, but I suppose lamb would be more authentic)
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 ounces feta cheese
1/2 cup low sugar spaghetti sauce

Cut the tops off bell peppers and remove the seeds. If using zucchini, remove stem and base, and cut into 4-5 chunks. Use a melon baller to hollow out a cavity from the zucchini. Reserve the squash cuttings to add to the cauliflower.

Use a food processor to finely dice the raw cauliflower and zucchini. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower with the ground meat, coconut flour and all the spices. Stir in the feta cheese. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture. If making zucchini, fill those, rounding the tops with a spoon. Place the filled vegetables in a baking dish and spoon spaghetti sauce over the top. Cove the dish with foil and bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Remove the foil from the dish and bake another 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Use a meat thermometer to make certain the middle of the peppers register 165 degrees.

Add a little more sauce if you want. This is yummy stuff!

P.S. The boy came home from shopping and ate his portion anyway. Good, because that is the one I need to get some weight on!

Chocolate Mint Ribbon Cookies

2011-12-11T19:48:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I made a Neapolitan cookie, complete with the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry stripes. We liked it. Then I went all out for my competitive cookie exchange party, and made Martha Stewart's Checkerboard cookies. True, you need a ruler to make Martha's cookies. Being a bit of a pain, you really have to A. Want to impress someone, or B. Love someone passionately to want to make those! These are not so hard--even if you do make them for someone you love. This cookie will leave you time to play a game or catch a movie with them too. Leave Martha's ruler behind, and make these. The chocolate shortbread flavor is there. I made them even more fun than checkerboards with a minty green layer. I love chocolate and mint.

Just because these cookies are easy, that is not to say that these are not cute. Especially cute for a low carb treat. Those often suffer in the pretty department. Not so these. My only fault with them is that I prefer a more well done confection. But then, I also know that I am not the norm, and that most of you will find these barely done cookies absolutely perfect. Watch closely when baking; if you cut any thicker or thinner, the baking time will vary a minute here or there. I guess you could still use Martha's ruler, but I refused to go there again!

If you aren't a fan of mint, choose any flavor or color that you like. Cherry flavoring with pink food coloring would be nice. Who knows?

Chocolate Mint Ribbon Cookies

1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup granulated ZSweet (use 1/3 cup straight erythritol if you don't have this blend)
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
10 drops stevia
2 1/2 tsp melted unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp peppermint flavoring
6 drops green food coloring

In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, erythritol, coconut flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter, egg, vanilla and stevia. Add the wet ingredients to the larger bowl, stirring by hand to combine.

Divide the dough into equal thirds. In a small bowl, add melted chocolate to 1/3 of the cookie dough. Use the back of a large spoon or your hands to blend thoroughly. In another small bowl, add the peppermint flavoring and green food coloring to another 1/3 of the dough. Use a spoon or hands to blend it well.

When all the doughs are blended, place the vanilla dough onto a sheet of waxed paper. With your fingers, shape the dough into a rectangle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Each layer will be about 6 inches long, 2 inches wide. Wrap the dough in the waxed paper to create smooth, straight edges. Repeat the formation of the rectangular logs with the mint and the chocolate dough.

Working on waxed paper, place the chocolate layer on the bottom, the vanilla in the center and the mint dough on top. Wrap well in waxed paper and use your fingers to smooth the edges and blend the layers together. Chill this log for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

To bake, slice 1/4 inch slices and place on a silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Watch closely and remove cookies before the edges brown. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a flat surface to cool completely. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Once the cookies are cool, they are not too fragile, and the layers stay together very well. It is fun to try to eat the layers one at a time to taste the different flavors. Of course, it is just as wonderful to get that great chocolate mint flavor too. One big bite will do that! I think these are perfect for a low carb cookie plate for the holidays.

Maple Walnut Bundt Cake from Carolyn

2011-12-08T12:10:00.000-06:00

I am hoping you are excited about trying out all the news recipes from the Low Carbing Among Friends Cookbook. I am going to try to highlight recipes from the book once a week. I would say that I would call it Among Friends Thursdays, but my schedule might make that difficult, so no promises.

I can promise that Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food is a talented baker. She is also fighting diabetes through a low carb diet, and it is working for her too. As an avid baker, she has transformed so many sugary, gluteny recipes into incredible low carb confections. I happened to have an unopened bag of walnut meal I just retrieved from the deep freeze and thought this would be fabulous. I was right! My house smells like my favorite maple doughnuts, only this is good for us too. Wowzers. Carolyn's recipe in the book is for a bundt cake. I have this silcone bakeware which makes mini bundt cakes, so I pulled it out. The recipe, being made to fill a standard sized pan, filled those and also a small cake pan and a mini loaf pan. I had a little trouble getting my mini bundt cakes to release. Now, isn't that what is supposed to be great about this flexible type of bakeware? I have always had trouble with this particular one it seems. I know it wasn't the recipe that was the problem, because the cake came out with no problem as did the mini loaf. So the smooth surface area that is on the flat cake seems a little mottled in the mini bundt. But still, the basic shape is what I was going for, and my family gobbled up the loaf while I was still waiting for the bundts to cool.

I couldn't resist adding a tiny few non pareils to the top of the icing. It is Christmas afterall. While I can make low carb colored sugar, I have not come up with a way to make these myself. If you would like to make this cake for yourself, the recipe is on page 201 of Low Carbing Among Friends. Carolyn does not have this one on her site, so you have to buy the book. Do that here. I love pictures of recipes I am going to make. Unfortunately, if we had included photos of the hundreds of recipes in the cookbook, it would have cost hundreds of dollars! The next best thing is to view examples of the recipes on the book site, or come here to see our photos of our own creations. I left the photos up for most of the recipes that are included in the book in my section. Just type the name in the search engine and see if it comes up.

This cake is perfect for lovers of walnut--or those of us who always have adored Maple flavoring. You would never know it is low carb. Thanks, Carolyn.

Calabaza Chili for a Long Weekend

2011-12-04T15:01:00.002-06:00

Long weekend. My baby boy's stomach issues returned after church last night. We spent a few hours in the E.R., until almost sunrise, but with little benefit. The doctor basically told me that they do not consider IBS issues too important. I guess the way it goes is that he has to have multiple bouts before his condition is considered serious. As a mama, I surely don't want to let it get that far. He had been experimenting with his SCD diet a bit since Thanksgiving and was trying simplifying to just gluten free. I am guessing that was not good enough for his system. As soon as his insurance kicks in at his job, I think we may try to get some allergy testing to know the specifics. These flare up are so painful, and the medical community ignores the problem as long as they can. I suppose they will be concerned once Ulcerative Colitis sets in. No doctor has ever even suggested dietary treatments. Of course, they don't seem to understand that John's diabetes is treated with diet either.

I sent my boy upstairs because he is not allowed anything but clear fluids today. I made us a quick skillet chili. It turned out amazingly good for something so simple, so I thought I would share this nice autumn recipe with you. Yes, I served it in a Christmas bowl, and that still seems appropriate. We are trying to get the lights put up today, and baby, it is cold outside. This chili has just enough heat to warm Santa's bones too. The unique recipe has volume due to the unusual ingredients--three kids of squash. Calabaza is the Spanish word for winter squash. This has pumpkin, Delicata and zucchini. Any small diced squash would work and add a nice texture and sweetness to the chili.

Calabaza Chili

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion
1 large zucchini squash
1/2 Delicata squash (or use a whole if you like)
1 cup pumpkin puree
8 ounce tomato sauce
1 tbsp sun dried tomato strips
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp beef bouillon crystals
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp- 1/4 cup water, optional

Dice onion, squash and zucchini. In a large skillet, break up ground beef. Add the diced vegetables while the meat is browning. Drain fat after vegetables are fork tender beef is browned. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to incorporate spices. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add a little water if chili become too thick, or if a thinner souplike chili is desired.

This has a great thick texture, and does not taste at all like vegetables. I started out planning to make a chili-mac type skillet dinner, but chose to add the pumpkin to make it more like a chili. It was good both ways. I added a little jalapeno pepper salt and some Tabasco sauce to mine; the others did not. It is all gone now, so I have no more room to experiment. I made some Pepper Jack cheese crisps to sub for crackers, and all was good. Wonderful way to recover from a rough weekend. Now onto some prep cooking for the week.

Snow Capped Chocolate Muffins

2011-12-03T11:20:00.002-06:00

I was so happy to get to have my oldest son and his girlfriend come into town last night and stay over for breakfast this morning. (separate rooms, of course) They drove the 100 miles to see the spectacular Christmas lights at the nearby Rhema Bible College. We go several times a year, the lights are so spectacular. I was busy with Christmas all day yesterday, decorating the house and attending an ornament exchange last night. Too amusing that the ornament I made was a cupcake, being the low carber I am. This one was the ultimate sugarfree treat, being made with cupcake wrappers, a plastic ball ornament and topped with caulk and beads. That will keep you on the diet! Can you tell which is which?

Although the muffins I made this morning are not quite as cute, I promise they were way more delicious. My future daughter in law usually won't try my low carb creations. But since we were low on breakfast supplies, she let my boy have the last of the bacon, and she tried my muffins. I guess she approved, since she returned for more. Yeah. In fact, she told me I should sell the recipe to a coffeeshop so they could make them for customers. So look at what a deal you are getting today. I am publishing this for free! Who knows, though, they just might make it into a future cookbook. Among Friends is working on a second edition for 2012. I checked. Although there are many wonderful sounding muffins, we did not include a simple almond flour chocolate muffin in that edition. To check out what we did put in there, visit the Among Friends home page. There are some fabulous bakers in there, with their best recipes, a talent to which I could only aspire.

These are good for a simple Saturday morning breakfast, or for the muffins to last you the week when baking on prep day. I am going to give the recipe for a dozen, so be sure to double that if you want muffins for a family for a week. To get ready for holiday baking, I ordered almond flour from a new distributor. I ordered from California Gold Almonds. The service was good, despite a small address mishap somewhere along the way. I haven't baked with the flour yet, but by appearance it looks very similar to what I used to get at Nutty Guys or Bob's Red Mill. The price is certainly right. I paid $23 plus shipping for 5 pounds. Still worked out cheaper than other places I have found, even with higher shipping. It looks like the Christmas sale for sliced almonds has a nice price also. I will let you know more after I bake some more goodies with it. I am always so stingy with my almond flour since it is so pricy. Somehow when you have a 5 pound bag, it is easier to use.

Snow Capped Chocolate Muffins

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup ZSweet or plain erythritol plus 2-3 packets of stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 stick butter
1 square unsweetened chocolate
1 tbsp powdered ZSweet or erythritol

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, erythritol, baking powder and salt. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate. To the hot mixture, add eggs, one at a time. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon batter 2/3's full into cupcake liners or oiled muffin tins. Bake 15-20 minutes at 325 degrees. Let muffins cool at least 5 minutes before removing from the pan. Sprinkle powdered erythritol on the tops for the snow cap effect. (an old salt shaker is good for this) For best texture, thoroughly cool the muffins before eating. Makes 12.

Using real chocolate in these muffins really lets the flavor shine through. Of course, they would be good with other additions--coconut, walnuts, etc. But I just wanted a pure chocolate taste. Yum. After making all those ornaments, I just couldn't help dressing up these plain chocolate muffins in a little holiday attire.' Tis the season.

Cookie Time!!!

2011-11-30T13:05:00.003-06:00

I plan on making Christmas cookies this year. Cookies are tough to perfect when using regular ingredients, not to mention using low carb substitutes. I have made cookies in the past, and they were fine. Just fine. Not call your mama good. Hello Mom? These are good for a low carb cookie.

My mom thinks so too. I made a lot of test batches, and dare think I will never need to experiment again for a great low carb cookie. People all have such different preferences and this one recipe seems to fulfill so many cookie wish lists. I like crispy cookies. My friends would call it burned. But that is fine--I just call theirs dough. These cookies are versatile. With just one base recipe, you can make enough to please everyone. Really. This simple dough can make thin, fairly crispy cookies or perfect thick balls that are soft and tender on the inside. They don't spread out on the cookie sheet causing oven disasters. (at least none of the test batches had that problem with me...) They don't crumble when you take them off the sheet. So, you can mix up one batch and make 4 different kinds of cookies--or even more in one batch. My batch makes about 26 cookies. In the photo above I made these combos, all from one batch.
1. chocolate disks
2. chocolate balls
3. chocolate disks dipped in melted chocolate and crushed sugar free peppermints
4. vanilla disks
5. vanilla disks with chocolate on top
6. vanilla disks with chocolate and crushed peppermint
7. coconut disks chocolate and vanilla
8. ginger spice disks
9. ginger spice balls
10. vanilla balls rolled in cinnamon "sugar"
11. strawberry jam thumbprints
12. vanilla disks with a pecan top
13. Chocolate disks topped with chocolate and crushed coffee flavored sugar free candies
14. vanilla disks topped with chocolate and crushed coffee flavored sugar free candies

Just think of all the other great cookies you could make--I mean, I don't even have sugarfree chocolate chips in the house, but I'm thinking....

I will post some individual cookie close up shots later, but I have to run now. By the way, if I have sold you on this recipe, be sure your subscription to the Diner News is up to date. The recipe will be in the December issue going out tonight. Don't have it? Go here and fix that! Happy Baking!!!

Smoked Cheese Spread with Sunflower Sesame Seed Crackers

2011-11-22T12:45:00.001-06:00

So Thanksgiving is around the corner. This is not another post for pumpkin pie or some marvelous side dish. In fact, this has nothing to do with the holiday at all. UNLESS, you have a family like mine. We skip breakfast on Thanksgiving day so we can partake of all the yumminess. Then we arrive at Nana's starving, with a table of appetizers spread before us. Among those goodies--a party in and of themselves--lie many dangers to the low carber. Sure the dips are legal, but the crackers and chips? And my guys never avail themselves to the crudites instead. So this year we are contributing to the appetizer spread with these two great go togethers.

Somewhere on Pinterest, I found a link to really old recipes, among them an all natural, additive free cheese spread. I wrote the main ingredients down on a recipe card, along with my intended changes, but I forgot to actually pin the site. Now I can't find it anywhere...so sorry, no credits. Since I can remember that it was really old, the recipe creator has most assuredly passed on by now. Sorry. I made so many changes, it is alike in theory and kitchen chemistry only, I think. In trying to find the source, I did learn some things about why the processed cheeses melt easily rather than releasing oils. Like I said, chemistry.

This spread is thinner than Velveeta when cold, though very similar when both are melty hot. I wasn't really going for a sauce though, I wanted a spread that would hold its shape in lunch box travels. That I got. I used to add those Laughing Cow wedges. Kinda like that. My SCD boy can't have those...but he can have these! Woohoo! Why did my brain never tell me to use eggs to make this consistency? I certainly knew that eggs can be used as a thickener in sauces, but for some reason I never tried this before with cheese. Nowadays, companies just add chemical stabilizers and who knows what to our "processed" cheese. I am thinking this is better. I KNOW it is better. Even more, I was able to add some natural liquid smoke to make a great smokey flavor. You would think you were eating from a chemical and starch laden Hickory Farms basket.

This spread goes together really easily. All you have to do is be careful with the temperature. I think the original directions called for a double boiler. I was too lazy, and just stayed with the cheese and whisked a lot. Like continually. You can do it. It is worth it, I promise.

Smoked Cheese Spread

6 ounces Colby/Monterey Jack marbled cheese, shredded
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
1/2-1 tsp Wright's Liquid Smoke
2 beaten eggs

In a small saucepan, combine shredded cheese, water, mustard, salt, butter and liquid smoke. Over very low flame, stir constantly until the mixture is melted and free of lumps. Keep warm. In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Remove sauce pan from heat and remove a few tablespoons of hot cheese to temper the eggs. After the cheese is incorporated, slowly add the egg mixture into the saucepan with cheese, stirring well after each addition. When all the egg is stirred in, place the sauce back on the stove and heat gently until mixture is thick. Pour into a crock, cover and chill.

I poured some of ours into individual silicon cups so I could have lunch box servings. It stays spreadable and does not separate even if it comes to room temperature. Awesome stuff! (If you leave it sitting on the table, it will behave almost like a liquid and settle back to an even surface, but it is so slow, you can't see it happen. Does this make sense to you? I sounds like an experiment in plastics, huh?)

So now I have this delicious cheese spread, just waiting for something to spread it on. I thought about making almond thins, then remembered how low I am on almonds. I had purchased some raw sunflower nuts to try some variations on Mr. Peanut Bread. So I went a searching for cracker recipes, and found this jewel by Girl Gone Primal. In this recipe, you use raw unsalted sunflower seeds, grind them up, add sesame seeds and some water. Then you press and roll them out and bake. They taste great and hold up really well. John loved them and even took some crackers and cheese to work to feed the nutrition expert who is visiting the station today. We will see what Dr. Asa thinks! We think they are gonna be great on the appetizer table.

P.S. Dr. Asa loved the cheese and crackers, btw.

Note: I have been playing around with different cheese blends for this. I have discovered not to take short cuts. I tried a pre shredded Jack cheese, and it just stick together in a big clump in the sauce pan. I had to take the immersion blender to it, and it still resulted in a grainier spread. I think the potato starches, though minimal, interfere with the melting texture. Hand shredded from a block melts beautifully. I tried a sharp cheddar, and it worked well. It required a little more stirring than the colby/jack blend, but tasted great. I added some Bacon Salt too. Wowzers is that tasty!

Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Meatballs-Thanksgiving in One Bite!

2011-11-19T22:20:00.001-06:00

I saw the idea for these special Thanksgiving themed meatballs on Pinterest via the Family Feedbag blog. I loved the idea, but ummm, not the carbs. So I took out the bread, and made a sugarfree cranberry sauce. These are fun, and they were a hit with my guys. I made a big enough batch to have some for the appetizer course for the Thanksgiving potluck we are hosting tomorrow for our Lifegroup from church. John is charcoal roasting two turkey breasts. Mmm. I will have these heated and ready for munching while we all gather. It sounds like we will have lots of goodies for tomorrow. It should be fun.

Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Meatballs

2 pounds ground turkey

12 oz bag of fresh cranberries

1 cup finely ground Walnuts

1/2 small onion, finely diced

1 egg

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 cup erythritol or alternative sweetener

1 cup water

Grind walnuts in a bullet blender. Melt butter in a skillet. Add diced onion and saute until translucent. Stir the walnuts into the butter and onions. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, sage, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir in the nut and onion mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Form the meat into one inch balls using hands or a scoop. Push one fresh cranberry into the center of the meat and roll the meat around the berry. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat forming meatballs until all the mixture is used. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

While meatballs are baking, make the cranberry sauce. Combine water and erythritol until boiling. Add remaining cranberries. Cook over medium heat until berries pop. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Let cool.

When meatballs are cooked through, remove to a serving place and spoon cranberry sauce lightly over the tops.

The ground walnuts add to the tender texture of these meatballs, and also add the stuffing flavor. Well, maybe the herbs do that too, but hey, it is the whole package. If you are not a fan of cranberry sauce, don't think this recipe will win you over. The cranberry flavor is in there! The unsweetened berry pops with a tart blast, only to be all mixed in with the sweetness of the prepared sauce. I happen to be one that loves the blend of sweet and savory, so this dish does it for me. If you have avowed cranberry haters, make a few meatballs without the cranberry center. They are still very tasty with just the herb mix. That should please everyone! You might have some cranberry sauce left over, so take advantage of the ideas I have in the Low Carbing Among Friends Book. My recipes in there transform plain cranberry sauce into entirely new sauces flavored with balsamic vinegar or jalapenos. Who wouldn't love that?

Bacon Avocado Grilled Cheese Sliders on Coconut 2 Minute Bread

2011-11-18T19:56:00.001-06:00

Wow are these good! Of course, it would be difficult for anything made with bacon, cheese and avocado to taste bad, now wouldn't it?

Now, my baby boy does not partake of the green stuff in this case, so all the worse for him. The avocado gives this slider a sensational creaminess to counter the crispy bread. Really, the bread does crisp! And it does not taste like coconut--at least with all the bacon and cheese!

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I borrowed the slider bread idea from my friend Ginny, who posted it on her blog, Ginny's Low Carb Kitchen. Ginny is a great cook, and just happens to be a contributor to the Among Friends Cookbook. Be watching for more from her in the future. (The dessert she posted this week looks incredibly yummy, for instance) Go try her version too. But since I did have to make a couple of changes for my family, I will add my version used to make these sliders. They really are super fast and easy to put together. Ginny uses Parmesan cheese, but I ran out. In one batch, I used Asiago. In the other, I simple grated some cheddar. Both turned out fine, but the texture of the Asiago was a little better. The "wetter" cheddar left some rather English muffin sized holes in the bread. Not bad, just a little different. I also left out the xanthan gum because it is off limits for my SCD boy. Ginny says that adds to the texture, but is optional. I don't have any granular Splenda, so I added a drop of stevia. Good that this recipe is so forgiving. That is why I am thankful that Ginny did so many experiments--and is willing to share.

Ginny's 2 Minute Coconut Flour Bread with Diner Adaptations

1 Tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 egg
2 Tablespoons coconut milk
1 tsp olive oil

Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the egg, coconut milk and oil. Stir well with a fork. Let rest for a couple of minutes to allow the coconut flour to absorb the liquid. Spray the inside of a straight sided mug with cooking spray. Spoon half the batter into the mug. Tap it on the counter to remove air bubbles. Cook in the microwave for 65 seconds. If the center is steaming, but firm to the touch, run a knife around the edge and remove the bread, allowing it to cool on the counter. To make a slider bun, slice the bread in half. Repeat all these steps with the remaining batter.

I think the bread is best when crisped in the toaster. I placed our slider halves in the toaster oven set on medium brown. They would be great eaten as is....but I wanted to make grilled cheese sliders tonight. Here is how I did that.

While the breads were baking, I had the bacon frying. While the breads were toasting, I sliced the cheese and melted butter in the skillet. I added 4 slider halves at a time to the skillet. These turned out beautifully. The combination of toasting and buttery grilling gave them a fantastic crispy texture. The only problem was with my toaster oven. Because I toasted in back to back cycles, the second batch got a little darker than I expected. Not wanting to burn them, I had to give them less time in the skillet. The cheese did not get quite as melted, but still, they tasted great.

Once the cheese was melting on the slider breads, I added the hot bacon. Then the avocado slices. I transferred these to the plate and assembled the slider halves there. My dog Tinker was really hoping I would lose a few pieces of bacon in the transfer, but he only got a little crumble, poor thing.

That is it. Pretty darn easy. It would be a little time consuming for a large crowd, since you have to make one batch of bread at a time, but for the two of us who are home tonight, it was perfect! Thanks, Ginny!

Cinnamon Mocha Coffee Among Friends

2011-11-14T21:03:00.001-06:00

It has been a little cloudy and chilly today, so it is perfect for a hot drink this evening. Having more stress with the mortgage holder this morning, I never even got to my cup of coffee, so I figure tonight I am due. How is that for justification? I also have another motive. My SCD son cannot do lactose, so cream is out for him, although he loves coffee. About the only creamer he can use is coconut milk, and he is not entirely crazy about that combo. Being the good mom, I decided that some nice fall spices might mask that obvious coconut flavor. I think I hit on the right combo. This is a nice strong, spicy cup of fall delightfulness. It will be waiting for him when he gets home from his college class tonight. Okay, I will have to warm it up again, but still it is waiting.

For serving, I grabbed my Goodwill set of small mugs. These hold about 4 ounces, and are just right for this coffee, because it is rather strong. A slow sipper, and wonderful to be shared between two. It might make enough for three cups, but I have to admit to sipping quite a bit adjusting the sweetness. In my kitchen re-do, I stored away my big coffee pot and replaced it with a small 4 cup model. I loved the way the bright red appliance looked on my counter. I will bring out the big one when my coffee drinking number two son returns. Until then, this small one is great. Unfortunately, my coffee press got broken in the storm, so that option is out for me, but I think this recipe would work well with the coffee and spices in the press.

Cinnamon Mocha Coffee for Two

2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup ground coffee
2 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Sweetener to taste (I used stevia)

Place the coffee grounds, cinnamon and nutmeg into the coffee maker. Brew the coffee with the water. While that is brewing, combine the coconut milk, cocoa, vanilla. Heat gently. When coffee is brewed, combine it with the coconut milk mixture. Sweeten to taste and serve.

Even though events of the day have been rather irritating for me, I need to keep some bigger ideas in mind. There are always things to celebrate and be thankful for. Our cookbook, Low Carbing Among Friends, got printed more quickly than expected. Orders are being shipped and soon (within 10-21 days) we will have our hands on this impressive collection of low carb recipes. I can't wait to get mine. Yes, even as an author, I can't get my copy before it is printed. Some copies are on their way to Amazon too. Hard to believe my work is going to be sold on Amazon. Wow. I have sold curriculum before, but nothing ever on a huge scale like that. Super exciting. You can check out the cookbook from Amongfriends.us. When the books arrive at Amazon, you can order there .

As I was thinking about making a recipe for Christian, with his special diet requirements, I got to thinking about how many ways of eating this book supports. Of course, there is the general low carb community and diabetics like my hubby. But also, there are those who are gluten free. I know my son has to avoid gluten, so this book works for him. He also has to avoid starches, and regular gluten free cookbooks are usually full of starches that are forbidden on his plan. I often look through Paleo resources, since the ways of eating are very similar. That makes our Among Friends book a good buy for the Paleo/Primal community as well.

If you want to hear more about the book, listen to the podcast interview with Jimmy Moore. Jennifer and Ian Eloff, our inspiring leaders, are the second interview at the 37 minute mark. Isn't technology great? We can listen whenever we want, and we can listen over and over. Cool. This has been such a tremendous project, we are planning another volume to come out later this year. I am trying desperately to get back into the recipe development mode. Just a few more days of putting things away, and even my gameroom will be organized and ready for company. I still owe my contractor some money and he phoned me today. Unfortunately, the bank still has not released our funds. Nice man, he just laughed at my ongoing saga, and reminded me to set aside his copy of my cookbook when it arrived. After spending so much time in my house over the last three months, he is practically a member of the family. Being diabetic, he needs our book too. Among Friends is perfect for diabetics. I am thinking one book is a good trade for his patience!

Asiago Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

2011-11-11T20:05:00.000-06:00

So it is all about personal choices. Sometime dinners we eat lobster, other days, we are happy with a can of tuna. I'll just tell ya up front that I am on the fence with this pizza crust. It just may be a tuna day. No, it is not a fish pizza, that is only my metaphor. Inspired by several recipes I found online, but true to none, this crust is easy, healthy, and a great conduit for those flavorful pizza toppings we love. On the other hand, the flavor and texture does not leave me saying "Wow!" It is still a little grainy and has that slight coconut flavor. Despite trying to mask that with herbs and garlic, it is still there--at least on the edges of the crust. The good news? Once you pile on the sauce, meats, veggies and cheese, it all tastes great. So the middle is better than the edges. My boys always refused to eat the crusts of standard pizzas anyway. They called them "pizza bones" and brought them home to feed our dogs. They may have something there.

I really like the taste and texture of my soy flour based crust better, but lots of folk, my baby son included, cannot eat soy. This is an alternative that doesn't involve massive amounts of cheese, or require laborious steps in prepping veggie bases for a crust. It bakes up in less than 20 minutes, making it an easy 30 minute dinner prep. That speed figures in for most of us. I did not have to deal with trying to spread out sticky dough, and didn't have any trouble flipping the crusts. Can you tell I have had some "trials" making low carb crusts before? Yep, I have torn a few in the flip, had several stick to the pan, burned edges while the centers were goo, and had some that required a wrestling match to get them spread to the edges of the pan. Sorry if this list of difficulties sounds a bit like an infomercial. You know the ones that always make you feel the old way of doing whatever their product does is pure drudgery, but the new gadget makes it fun--and probably helps you lose weight too? Sad, but true. So, while this might not have the best flavor, it is easy. Easy is good. Have I sold it yet?

Asiago Coconut Flour Pizza Crust
4 eggs
1/4 cup plain yogurt
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup shredded Asiago cheese
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp salt

    Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt and oil. Stir in the coconut flour, making sure to blend in all the lumps until smooth. Stir in the cheese, herbs and salt. Let the mixture thicken while you prepare the cookie sheet.
    Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the pan. Secure it to the pan with a shot of an oil based pan spray. Pour about half of the batter onto one side of the sheet. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into the desired shape, a circle or space efficient rectangle. Repeat with the remaining batter.
    Bake the crusts for 12 minutes. Use that baking time to chop vegetables and prepare toppings. Remove the partially baked crusts and use a large spatula to flip them over on the parchment. Return them to the oven for an additional 5 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the crusts and add the toppings of choice. Place the loaded pizzas back into the oven until the toppings melt, about 5 minutes.

There ya go, simple. The pizzas ended up very similar to those made with lavash bread, which is really convenient, but these are gluten free. I had anticipated guests for tonight's pizza buffet. Unexpectedly, I had only myself and the kiddo. That turned out to be kinda nice anyway. But no, we did not share the "bones" with the dogs. Although it may not have been a 5 star recipe, we ate it all up.

Smoked Paprika Chicken and Paleo Grits

2011-11-08T23:08:00.000-06:00

I am still in the process of getting my house back together, and still fighting with the powers that be. One of these days, this all will be over. Between insurance agents who never phone back and mortgage bankers who hold your money hostage, life is nuts! We are all moved back in, just taking some time to get everything put away and organized. The Pod leaves tomorrow, and we will look good as new again! Hopefully, that means I will have more time again for some recipe development.

The hubby was out of the home broadcasting a basketball game this evening, so I decided to try an experiment I know would draw protests from him. My youngest, who is now doing the SCD diet for his tummy issues, was missing grits. He loves them with cheese. Dad hates them. Won't even try something that dares to be called by such an unappetizing name. But when Dad is away...

When I found this interesting take on the old Southern favorite over at Paleo Comfort Foods I hoped my baby son would like them. Paleo grits--not hominy or corn grits at all, but riced cauliflower and almond meal. I tried the recipe almost exactly as written. I did add a bit of olive oil to my pan, and I used the chicken broth from the crockpot Smoked Paprika Chicken. Since that had several lovely spices, the "grits" may have been a tad bit more flavorful than the original recipe. I thought they were nice--very satisfying and the mouthfeel was that of carbs, not cauliflower. The boy, on the other hand, thought they were just "OK" for his tastes. Since he is accustomed to cheesey grits, I tried adding cheese to his portion. That was really good, but still, he did not finish his. The final verdict from the boy is that they were good enough as a side dish, but in no way his beloved grits. Ah, to each his own.

I hesitated to share the recipe and Paleo Grits attempt, since the outcome was rather lackluster. But it might be exactly what would appeal to you. If memory serves, I think the recipe originators favored these with shrimp. That sounds interesting, I still might try a version of our Cheesy Grits Casserole, a favorite at Thanksgiving among our clan. John never eats that either! Let me know if you like this if you give it a try--or if you have made them before, let me know how you liked them.

The Smoked Paprika Chicken really doesn't need a formal recipe. I just sprinkled chicken thighs with smoked paprika, cumin, lemon pepper and salt. Yum. I let it cook all night, served some up for hubby's work lunch, then chilled the rest for dinner.

I have some really interesting recipes I want to try soon. Maybe after the last closet is cleaned out and the last picture is re-hung, I will have time to get to the grocery store for the goodies!

A Diner News Giveaway and Thanksgiving Planning

2011-11-01T11:57:00.002-05:00

Are you making your Thanksgiving plans? It is that time. Although a lot of folk look at this holiday as a time to splurge on higher carb treats, the meal does not have to be your undoing. This November, the Diner News features some wonderful side dishes that might add some new interest to a festive table. I had a request for some squash recipes, so there are several, both sweet and savory. There are also recipes which make other vegetables the stars--broccoli, brussels, and rutabagas. Maybe you want to replace the standard mashed potatoes? I have a couple of recipes to choose from. There are even super simple desserts that offer an alternative to pie. The Pumpkin Mousse and Almost Rice Pudding are gluten, dairy and nut free for those who have allergies. It is important to be able to feed everyone for this family gathering, and the fall flavors are there! I love this time of year--especially the foods.

There is so much to be excited about! In addition to the holiday, the cookbook, Low Carbing Among Friends, will be coming out 11/11/11. I wanted to share a very special offer just until that launch date. I want to get all my friends as excited about the project as I am, so I am offering a free one year subscription to the Diner News to everyone who pre-orders the book by the 11th. If you are already a subscriber, I will renew your current subscription to run through November 2012.

If you have already ordered Among Friends, that's OK too. Just leave me a comment--I will have to trust you here, but I am faithful that I can. (I don't have access to who has purchased already) If you haven't ordered this unique cookbook yet, go here and pre-order your copy now, that way you will be assured of quick delivery in the first printing. Once you have completed that transaction, leave me a comment telling me so, and I will send you this month's Thanksgiving side dish edition of the Diner News. Be sure that I have access to your email in your comment so I can add you to the Diner News list.

This is such an amazing collection of authors. Favorite recipes from so many talents is going to be an incredible value. Even a bigger value with a free monthly issue of Diner News. Every month features recipes and ideas to make the low carb lifestyle manageable and fun. You will definitely have enough new recipes to keep you busy for quite a while!

P.S. I just checked with the publisher, and they have set aside more copies from the first printing to go to current pre-orders. Chances are that if you order within the next few days, you will get delivery in November. The Low Carbing Among Friends friends site will have an announcement when those additional books are sold out. If you want it soon, order soon!

Also: If you don't want to leave your email public on the comment section, go to my profile from here and use my email at the contact link.

Cider Glazed Squash

2011-10-31T19:26:00.000-05:00

I know butternut squash is not the lowest carb food around. We do have it for a treat now and then, and it is great for the holidays. Lower in carbs than sweet potatoes anyway. While I was testing some recipes for November's newsletter, I tried this out. This month's issue is devoted to side dishes so you can have a wonderful holiday with maybe a few new treats. My, oh my, I loved the glaze! The mixture of flavors is wonderful. The apple cider vinegar really makes a statement. The squash is tender and caramelized and buttery and just a little sweet. I adore sage, so this recipe was perfection in my book.

If you don't have much oven space on Thanksgiving, this is prepared on the stove top. I am thinking, it would be fine to make it a day ahead and rewarm also. Haven't tried it though. The only drawback with this recipe is the effort involved. I generally bake or steam squash. This recipe requires the chunks to go into the skillet raw. That adds up to much more effort peeling and cutting. You decide if it is worth it. I am thinking I need some good muscle building workouts anyway, so this is just bonus. I tried peeling the butternut with my vegetable peeler. It worked, but then when I was dicing, I noticed that part of the leathery skin remained. So I ended up whacking off some extra outer skin while I was dicing. Might as well have skipped that initial peel, I think.

The squash my hubby came home with was huge. Baby Huey huge. (Am I dating myself with that one?) I only diced up half of it and filled my skillet. I did not drag out the scale for a precise measurement, so if you eyeball a skillet full of squash cubes, you are good to go. A little more of the glaze ingredients can always be added. I was out of pecans, so I didn't even add those and these were still great.

Cider Glazed Butternut Squash

If the oven is full, this flavorful dish can be made on the stovetop. Plus you get your workout peeling and dicing!

3 pounds butternut squash

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup water

3 tablespoons erythritol

2 tablespoons butter

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. dried sage

1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

Cut squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Cut off hard shell and dice into bite sized chunks.

Stir together squash, apple cider, water, erythritol, butter, salt, pepper and sage in a deep-sided, lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until liquid thickens and squash is tender. Gently stir in pecans and sage and serve.

Tortilla-less Chicken Soup

2011-10-27T20:20:00.001-05:00

I love a good bowl of tortilla soup. And I do mean love...I often have it at restaurants and fish out the tortilla strips. Having no oven yet--a wonderful friend and my hubby are installing it now as I type--it had to be a crockpot meal for us again today. The boy-o was craving burritos, which he cannot have, so I decided to make a nice warm soup to go with our first really chilly day of fall. Mmm.

I had to raid the pantry for some canned goods. With so many renovations, fresh groceries are in limited supply. Most items in this soup are pantry and freezer staples. You would never know by the flavor. The chicken cubes were frozen, but with so much slow cooking, they shredded, so frozen chicken shreds would work well too. A can of tomatoes, some salsa, some spices...and a secret ingredient, yogurt. Oh yeah. Tart and creamy goes so well with the spicy! I almost forgot the other odd ingredient. Tortillas, you say? Nope. Shh, don't tell anyone, but the tortilla strips are actually bamboo shoots. Really. Not exactly the same texture and practically no flavor, but the look is there. The carbs are low and they are filling. It's a winner for me!

Tortilla-less Chicken Soup

2-3 cups diced cooked chicken (may be frozen)
14.5 ounce canned tomatoes
2 cups water
1 cup salsa
1 small red bell pepper, diced (green would be fine as well)
1/2 onion, chopped
8 ounce can bamboo shoots
1-2 Tablespoons chili powder (I chose guajillo chili powder)
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
Avocado cubes for garnish

Combine all ingredients except yogurt in the crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Just before serving, stir in yogurt. Top each bowl with some cubed avocado.

The yogurt is an extra wonderful touch. The tang replaces the lemon juice I usually add to soups. The creaminess adds what sour cream or heavy cream would. It takes the bite off the heat of the salsa and chili powder. If you like the heat, I would suggest to add in some chopped jalapenos, rather than cutting back on the yogurt. Don't forget the avocado cubes. They are perfect. The cool creaminess with the tart spicy soup. Yum.

Well, now my gorgeous new oven is in place on my beautiful new flooring. I think the kitchen will be fully open soon. We need to get some help lined up to move all of our furniture back in. I still have the master bedroom to paint and re-carpet, but that won't take too long. And it won't keep me out of the kitchen!

Book sales are going really well. We have received so many excited comments about the Low Carbing Among Friends release. We are taking orders now, and the prints will be rolling really soon! I don't even have my own copy yet and I am so excited to see what all my other low carbing friends have in their sections. I love the idea of getting the best recipes from so many great cooks. The book will be on the Christmas gift list for lots of my friends. My contractor even wants a copy. He is diabetic, and after hearing what he ate for breakfast and lunch on the job, trust me he needs it! Maybe you know someone too.

Now the guys are done with the install--I think it is time to play with my new oven. It has been 19 years since my last new one. I can't wait.

Pumpkin Spiced Nuts

2011-10-20T17:35:00.001-05:00

Yes, I have been trying to use up some freshly pureed pumpkin, thus the plethora of pumpkin recipes of late. In fact, it is almost the only thing I have been making. ( besides alliteration, I suppose) Breakfast most mornings, before the workers arrive and take over the house. Good news is, I now have paint on the new walls and ceilings. The chimney is getting repaired, and flooring goes in next week. And the week after that I think. No need to get in a hurry right? This photo, if you look closely, shows out the window, various sections of my roof lying on the ground and on saw horses. Since I have no table in the kitchen, the window was the only flat surface! You can also see our old tractor tire sand box. Yes, my boys are way too big for such play, but I cannot part with it because it belonged to my papa. I'm holding out for grandkids.

Anyway, on one of my shopping adventures to try to stay out of the way of wall texturing last week, I found Pumpkin Spiced nuts at Target. Of course they were full of bad sweeteners, so I decided to venture out on my own. I tried a couple of batches. The second one, of course the one I waited to photograph, came out a little dark. I will be so glad to get a new oven installed. I am not so sure about accuracy these days in my 18 year old oven. The new one is waiting in the garage. Woohoo. The nuts are still great, but then, I am known to prefer my food a little over cooked.

This is a good recipe if you happen to have a smidgen of pumpkin left over from a recipe. When you prepare from fresh, it is not always so easy to portion out like it is in those cans. Try this. I used Z Sweet which left a little of the inherent coolness on the tongue. Interestingly, that sensation was more evident in the walnuts than the almonds in the mixture. Go figure.

Pumpkin Spiced Nuts

2 cups mixed raw nuts
1/4 cup salted nuts (I used sunflower nuts in the second batch, mixed nuts in the first, either is good)
3 Tablespoons walnut oil, or any lightly flavored oil
3 Tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 egg white
1/2 cup erythritol or equivalent sweetener
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine all nuts with the oil of choice and pumpkin puree. Stir lightly. To that, add the egg white, again stirring to coat the nuts. In a separate small bowl, combine the sweetener and spices. Pour these over the nuts to coat. Spread nut mixture on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. Stir 2 or 3 times while baking. The nuts will still seem a little wet, but should crisp up when cool. Watch closely to be sure they don't burn.

The combination of the lightly salted nuts really adds to the flavor. If you choose not to use them, try sprinkling some sea salt over the nuts before baking.

These are great for snacking when you want something crunchy. Just be careful, low calorie, they are not. Do you have as hard a time limiting nuts as I do?

The Big Announcement!!!! Low Carbing Among Friends is coming soon!

2011-10-16T21:34:00.001-05:00

It is so exciting!! The news is finally out. My little "Diner" has joined the ranks of some incredible low carb foodies in creating a one of a kind new cookbook. Low Carbing Among Friends features mini cookbooks from five well known cooks, myself included. Add on some experts in nutrition and medicine, and you have quite an influential group of eleven friends contributing favorite low carb and gluten free recipes. Plus, we have all invited contributions from low carb friends far and wide to make the cookbook even better. In musical terms, it is like a "Best of" album, only it is a unique cookbook with the best recipes ever! Wouldn't you like to sit around the Diner booth and hear the best advice from Jennifer Eloff of Splendid Low Carbing fame? Maybe you could learn more about nutrition from Maria Emmerich and her Nutritious and Delicious Journal, or how to shed some pounds with Ken Altena the Atkins Geek? Looking for some beautiful diabetic friendly treats? Ask Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food. One great book for less than the price of a family fast food meal--and the nutrition benefits are priceless!

Where else can you get over 300 low carb, gluten free recipes from respected and popular authors, bloggers and doctors--all in one book? Well, Diners, you can pre-order it now. Check out the site. The book is not yet finalized, but you can order early. You are going to want this!!! I personally share recipes from Bridget at Sweet Enough Personal Chef, and Lishele at Nutrish by Lish. Thanks ladies. Both are fabulous and you will recognize so many friends in this cookbook! Go see for yourself.

Pumpkin Bread Mini Muffins Construction Zone Style

2011-10-16T12:18:00.002-05:00

My grandma used to make the best pumpkin bread. She loaded it with walnuts and baked it up in one pound coffee cans. It was fun to slice a round loaf, and we kids adored it. While I have made several low carb versions that come close, today I was just throwing things together in the kitchen and came up with a mini muffin that tastes really similar. The secret ingredient is walnut oil. Yum.

I will include a recipe--sure wish I had been writing things down...so no promises on my recipe precision here. I am not currently in blog experimentation mode, as I am trying to just to survive: dodging contractors, dust and power tools. Sunday morning was quiet, although still a little messy. These were put together around cans of paint, and a little wall texturing dust. I don't think that contributed much to the flavor however, so I won't list it as an ingredient. These were baked in my Babycakes cupcake machine. They do have a little honey in them, since I was making them for my SCD/GAPS son. You can substitute any sweetener you prefer. The texture of the almond meal and coconut flour is nice, a little dense--very much like Grandma's recipe if I close my eyes. Not that pretty, but tasty none the less.

Pumpkin Bread Mini Muffins

1 cup almond meal, unblanched ( I ground my own in my Ninja)
3 Tablespoons coconut flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
***
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs (plus one yolk, but this is probably optional. I happened to have an extra yolk)
3 Tablespoons honey, optional
sugar substitute equal to 1/4-1/3 cup sugar, depending on your preference.
3 Tablespoons walnut oil

Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, stir together the wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry. Spoon batter into muffins cups and bake 10-12 minutes in the Babycakes machine or 15-25 in a conventional oven at 350 degrees. Test to make sure center is done, as these are slightly dense.

I took the photo on my makeshift dining room table. It is a pallet on top of the boxes of Allure vinyl flooring that will be going into the living and dining room and kitchen soon. I hope, soon, that is. It seems like it has been one hassle after another. I can't believe the mortgage holder is holding one of our checks for 3-4 weeks to make sure we don't cash the check and skip town. Just how far would they expect us to get on under $4,000? Really? We owe less on the house than the first check that was issued, so I really don't think we are going to abandon our home. Even if we did, the bank would be getting a sweet deal. It is crazy! At this point we hope to have it all back together by Thanksgiving. That will be something to be thankful for.

Speaking of that, look for a huge announcement tomorrow. My truly exciting news is about to break.

Curry in the Country

2011-10-10T20:01:00.000-05:00

It is crazy around here! Tonight's supper is still a work in progress, but I wanted to let you know I haven't dropped off the planet. If we eat at home it has to be from the crockpot and it has to be in the crock before 8 a.m. and eaten after 6. It needs to be held in the lap or eaten on the bed. Such fun! It has been over two months now since the storm. Ugh.

Today's meal fit the bill, although I need to tweak it because too much of the flavor cooked out. I will save the recipe for another try. Just in case you were wondering and want to tweak for yourself, here are the basics. After all, who knows when I will be back in my kitchen for good? I added a package of country style pork ribs, all the curry powder I had (about a teaspoon, and I know it needs more), 2 teaspoons of red curry paste, a can of whole Roma tomatoes and a can of coconut milk. I think next time, I will reserve half the can of coconut milk to make a sauce to pour over the rib meat. Next time, I promise.

Until then, let me tell you how happy I am to show you that we have walls and ceilings again. Woohoo. This will be the first night since the storm I will not be looking out our framework when I turn out the lights for bed. Walls and ceilings are still not all in upstairs, but their is better insulation than we had before. Plus then I don't have to see that upstairs before I turn in...do I? Trying to keep positive here. The guys are doing very nice work. I like my contractors and that is saying something. In fact today, one wanted to know more about my e-book, since he is a diabetic. I am thinking we can work a trade here...

After the kitchen gets back together, it is definitely time to get stricter with the diet. Too many cheats for me eating out. I don't feel as good. I am trying to keep my kitchen routine going, but it is very hard to eat at home when your kitchen is a disaster area! It is even harder to rely on fast food for healthy choices. Come on, contractors! Here's a snapshot of what it looks like today.

Triple Play Cajun Chicken Soup

2011-10-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

Progress is progress. I will have a full cedar fence tomorrow. Woohoo. My pups can play outside again. I do have a roof now, but still nothing done on the inside. Nothing except moving everything out into the pod so workmen have room to do it all right. The city has been giving me fits about that. Frustration is putting it mildly. When did our free nation become a place where it is illegal to have both a trash dumpster to discard of storm debris and a pod to store belongings away from the damaged house? It is ridiculous how the greedy fingers of bureaucracy are everywhere! I am tempted to get on my soap box now, but I will save that for a letter to the editor. Let's just say they are ready to fine me for having storm debris, then fine me for having a dumpster to clean it all up, yet neither the neighborhood inspector nor city hall could read me the law. I should have gone to law school like my mom wanted me to!

Tonight's dinner was actually home made. We aren't getting many of those these days. I had made Cajun Chicken in my crockpot and had plenty of leftovers, making it prime for a new Triple Play recipe. The second meal used just the chicken thighs and was sent to lunch along with salads. This last meal finished up the remaining chicken and the baked cabbage from the original dish. It, like many of my Triple Play meals, is a delicious soup. Because the main ingredients are already baked, it goes together really fast if you use canned or dried veggies like I did tonight. I don't have too much fresh produce while the house is under construction because I never know when I will have access to the kitchen. Although it is pretty stripped bare, I can still manage a few simple meals. This certainly is simple, but really tasty. Home made tastes so good.

If you don't have leftovers, you can always start from scratch.

Cajun Chicken Soup

4 Cajun spiced chicken thighs, cooked and diced or shredded
1/4-1/2 head cooked cabbage
1 can dice tomatoes
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup dehydrated zucchini or 1 fresh diced zucchini
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Cajun Spice blend (if starting with fresh chicken add 1 1/2 tsp)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

If not using pre-cooked chicken, bake or poach chicken. Cube or shred meat. Combine all ingredients except for cream in a 3 quart pan. Simmer until vegetables are soft. Stir in cream. Adjust seasonings and serve.

The cream makes such a wonderful addition to this soup. It is spicy and creamy all at once. I used dehydrated zucchini, which I like to keep on hand in the winter months to add to last minute soups like this. Even though I usually save soup for cool weather, we are in the 80's this week in October. While I wish it was a little cooler--my house is still always hotter than the outside temps--I love the ease of a throw it all in a pot kinda soup, and I adore leftovers. I can't believe so many turn their noses up at leftovers. They personally make me quite happy, and I love feeling resourceful.

My oldest son's new job is going well, and we moved him to Arkansas this weekend. It seems to be a great job God has blessed him with. Sadly, the move was a little complicate. Things usually are in the Marshall family. Things just seem to happen to us. While we were there, our old truck, Papa's truck, started spewing oil all over the place. We made it to a dealership for repair, but had to leave it there. So glad we all fit into a station wagon my mom brought. Thankful to make it home, we then got the news that my brand new accountant boy fell ill after we left. He thinks it might be food poisoning from the symptoms. Bet you can guess what those are. So his first night in his new apartment was spent--well, in the bathroom. Good thing he had put his bed together before it hit. Poor guy. The mom in me wants to be there to nurse him, but I can't do it. His girl friend is checking in on him and bringing him medicine at least. I think he is sure his new boss will be disappointed. Sick on the 4th day of work? We Marshalls are no excuse kind of workers, but it is hard to tough it out through a stomach bug. Hopefully we will have better news on him soon. At least my youngest is doing better, and I got a chance to visit my middle boy while we were there. Andrew is working in their college town, so both brothers and the girlfriend are nearby. I hear I may have college guests next weekend coming into town for the state fair, so that might be interesting. Who knows how much of a house I will have by then?

Big ole' Pork Tenderloin

2011-09-27T14:22:00.001-05:00

We were at Sam's Club the other day, and found they had pork tenderloin for $1.99 a pound. It was big. Feed a crowd big. Feed the masses big. It went home with me. You see, I knew I need to feed a crowd. Afterall, I was begging help from my friends to get our house and property ready for the big afterstorm makeover. I had instructions to get all the undergrowth and debris from what was left of out privacy fence. We found all sort of things growing in the Vinca that lined the fence and house. Bad idea--don't let that stuff get out of hand like we did. That is another story. It was a tough job even before we found the neighbors had been dumping things in the space between our fences. Guess who got to clean that up? My friends. You really do know who your friends are when they show up for that job! They even took down our old swingset and hauled the pieces off for to be recycled. What a crew!

I wanted to be able to feed everyone, carbies and low carbers alike. So, I took that giant hunk of pork, cut it up and plopped it into my dual crockpot. With my kitchen less than workable, the crockpot did a fine job sitting on the concrete slab in the kitchen nook. The lid kept any remaining insulation at bay, and my guests dined in style--well, they dined in an emergency situation type style, anyway. I contend, that is a style of sorts. I made one side with the sugary barbecue sauce for the carbivores among them. I made one side with a homemade sauce for the low carbers and my GAPS boy. The sides were simple, fruit pickles and cheese. For the carbies, I had buns and chips too. Okay, so not gourmet, but I did manage to give them strength and keep them here working long into the evening hours. What troopers! I even had some leftovers. It was a huge ole piece of pork.

Sorry, this is another of those no real recipe, just a method posts. Just slow cook a 3-4 pound chunk of pork tenderloin with about of cup of low carb barbecue sauce. Cook 10 hours. Let cool a bit, shred the meat and let the liquid reabsorb. Stir in another cup of sauce and serve. On a good day, I would have some coconut flour buns ready, but these are difficult kitchen times, so we just ate a scoop on a plate. Just as good and less work. Not so easy to eat with your fingers, however.

Now my yard is clear and almost barren. The furniture is all moved into a pod in my driveway. It echoes in here.Trucks keep driving into my backyard. That takes some getting used to. My poor dogs are so confused. I am hoping the fence goes up soon because my neighbors have taken in some houseguests and between them all, they have 7 dogs--with no side fence. That makes 10 dogs to be watched for potty breaks.Come on fence guys!

I kept my fridge and stove connected, but those will have to be gone soon enough for the new floors to go in. My mom is trying to convince me to replace my leaky, non igniting burners stove. I dunno. Insurance won't pay for that, and cookbook sales are a little slow these days. Hoping a new project in the works will fix that soon.

So many difficult things have been happening to my family lately. There certainly have been trials. I do feel that our dark cloud is lifting. My home repairs are underway. My youngest son is feeling better now that he is not eating starches and additives on the SCD/GAPS diet. My oldest son just landed an amazing job! That is the best news ever. 2100 plus applications. Interviews. No calls. He was even willing to be a teller, but no one would hire him there. Thing sure can turn on dime. He got a call last Wednesday to come interview back in his college town in Arkansas. By yesterday, he was hired and asked to start work tomorrow. One week and he is not only employed, but also second in command of an accounting department and over three people. He will earn more than his dad. Not that Christian radio, his dad's job, pays much, but still, for his first job out of college... We are so proud, not only that he got a great job, but of the strength and character he displayed through the year and three month job search. It is tough out there, but he never gave up.

We are persevering through some trials, and the blessings are now headed our way.

Balsamic Brats and Peppers

2011-09-18T16:15:00.001-05:00

This was today's lunch. It was so delish, I made extra as freezer meals. We stopped by Sam's Club on the way home from church. I know my kitchen is a wreck and will just be getting worse, but I trying to prepare as many meals as I can. I just couldn't help buying some things for some homecooked foods. These we will have in the freezer so John can take them to work and grill them up on the George grill there. I am guessing we could even grill them up when we take refuge from the construction in the bedrooms...as long as we take a grill in with us.

I also got some meats to cook in the crockpots. Those can travel to any room in the house, right? We are going to need some help from friends this week to empty all the damaged rooms. Furniture, wall decor--everything has to go. We are still not sure where it is going to go, but it can't stay here. Yikes! I am thinking I could feed my volunteer crew pretty easily with some barbecue pork. I can just set my crockpots up on the back patio and add buns and some salads from the deli for my friends. We can have pork and coleslaw. It has been raining here, so work may be delayed. But here's to hoping.

Back to this recipe. It is so easy and so delicious. I adore sauteed onions and peppers. They are a little carby, but if you are watching, throw some zucchini in there too and that will help. Today, I threw everything in the skillet because I only had the three of us to feed. No carby boys today. If I was adding them, I think I would serve these with some rice or on a crusty bread.

I used the long red peppers from Sam's Club. They are called Ancient Sweets. Odd name, and from Holland no less? Combined with Bratwurst, this really is an international dish. In my freezer packets, I also added a regular green bell pepper. The sausages are Zia brand. Only one carb per link, and they were really good. I would definitely buy them again. Of course, being at the wholesale club, I had to buy 5 pounds of them, so we will certainly be serving them again. With this hectic week, they are going into the freezer, but I am thinking an autumn inspired brats and cabbage dish will on the menu soon. My usual menu planning is difficult during construction.

I am going to include the instructions for the skillet dish, then the individual freezer packets.

Balsamic Brats and Peppers

5 bratwurst links
3 Ancient Sweet red peppers, or 1 regular red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup Asiago cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop vegetables into bite sized chunks. Cut sausages into 3/4 inch slices. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add garlic, sausage and vegetables. Saute until meat is cooked through. Season to taste. Sprinkle with grated Asiago cheese.

To make 4 freezer packets:
Dice 1 onion, 1 large green bell pepper and 3 Ancient Sweets red peppers (or 1 large red bell pepper)

Into a plastic sandwich bag, add
1 1/4 sliced bratwurst link
1/4 onion
1/4 green bell pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
a sprinkle of garlic powder

Layer in the meat and vegetables. Add garlic, oil and vinegar. Squish with fingers to coat everything in the bag. Freeze.

I use the inexpensive fold over sandwich bags. Because these do not seal well, I put them inside a larger freezer bag. This keeps like food together, and saves money by using fewer of the costlier freezer bags. You can also seal them inside Foodsaver bags.

Barbecue Skillet Dinner

2011-09-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

So it is nothing fancy, but it is one of the few dinners I have managed to make in my less than amazing surroundings. No repair work has started YET. More than a month since the storm, and all we have had is stop gap quick fixes. One check is in, but we can't spend it yet. How is it that funds instantly come out of my account when I use a debit card, but my 13,000 some dollars from the insurance needs a week? This is pretty amazing how it goes out but not in. The best news is a cool front. Even though I still have plastic sheeting everywhere and missing walls and ceilings, at least it is not 95 degrees in the kitchen. I grabbed some veggies at Aldi the other day, and I am taking advantage of the cooler temps. I know the rebuilding will be starting in earnest next week, and the house will be a major construction zone, certainly not a place to cook. Unless I could convince the guys that drywall dust is parmesan cheese, that is.

The other bad news is that my youngest is suffering through a relapse of his IBS issues. He is undergoing some major life stress with a new full time job, full time college hours, and a house that is...ummm..( guess I have complained enough there) I can't wonder how he is stressed. He is working as an assistant teacher at a Head Start program. Who would not be stressed with twenty 3 and 4 year old kids all day? Two teachers only. That is a stresser enough!

We are putting him back--on his own request--on the GAPS/SCD diet. It eliminates starches and most sugars while adding in healing bone broths and probiotics. That means mom has some major work ahead in the kitchen. Keeping up with an organic when possible, all home prepared regimen occupies a few hours in the day. I will probably have to move my food prep over to my mom's house during the home fix. Eating out at restaurants is such a gamble. Even small food additives lurk everywhere and can ruin his healing progress. Eating clean is a job in itself. I will share some of my recipes I prepare for him. Even though his diet is often more strict that the low carb routine we generally follow, they do often overlap. Tonight's skillet supper is an example. The ingredients are the same, he just needed his cooked longer for digestibility.

It is basically just a round up of vegetables, fried up with ground beef and seasoned with some garlic and home made barbecue sauce, a touch of mustard and some crumbled bacon. Embarrassing to post on a food blog, but it is what it is. Even the photo had to be taken on the stove because my only source of natural light is covered in a plastic tarp. Appetizing? Not so much. It did taste like home cooking, though. We have missed those folksy meals.I won't make you laugh at the "recipe" so just know that we dined on cabbage, onion, zucchini, tomatoes and sauce. My sauce is wonderful made with Wright's liquid smoke and it is legal for my kiddo's plan. My friend Maria blogged about a prebiotic sweetener that will be good for Christian to use. I am buying that soon. I will bake up some goodies and let you know our review. Check out her post of fudge cookies. Mmm. Maria is a wealth of information...if only I knew half of what she does! Good to have friends, though.

Tired of chicken salads, I have cheated on my low carb more times than I care to admit lately. I have proven that the Diner system is fabulous, but a working kitchen is required to keep it up! My Mulitply Meals are all eaten up, as are many of my Freezer Favorites. I use my Babycakes machine for easy breakfast muffins before it gets too hot. I still have uncooked meat, waiting to become the next homecooked meal, but it only works when the kitchen is open. John found insulation in his tea the other day. Wonder how many cancers that can cause!?!

Can't wait for things to get back to normal. I have even been suffering the loss of my computer for a few days. It is back, although it is still an old hand me down from my oldest. Slow but connected at least. A normal home is still weeks away, but the roof will be going on soon...then the wall and ceilings, the fence, then painting, the flooring, then putting it all back together. We are still trying to figure out where to put all the furniture during the repairs. I have most of the new things chosen, but then I know it is going to make my old stuff look even worse. I have the most awful countertops and backsplash. They came with the house and can't seem to be registered on the color wheel. Next to gray, they look beige. Next to beige, they are gray. The wallpaper is coming down, no one wants to hang new paper, and I can't find a color to match. Such details are making me crazy--almost as nuts as I am trying to deal with the insurance company. Still, we are very grateful to have been covered, and to get some updates we could not otherwise afford. In the end it will be worth it...I think...If I keep finding more things that really need to be updated this could be an expensive storm indeed. Keep in touch, Diners. I will be back in force soon. Hope things are good for you.Maybe I will do a kitchen reveal like they do on the decorator blogs. Or maybe not. I will still have those countertops...

Berry Cobbler

2011-09-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

Thank you Father for a break to our heatwave! It has been glorious the last few days here. I actually turned on the oven for the first time in a month. Not that my kitchen is back together. It is not. But I am making do on a small scale. We are getting rather accustomed to drooping plastic ceilings, concrete floors and old bedspreads over sheet rock free walls. Good news is, the check should be in the mail today. They are granting us about $20,000 in repairs. I am worried that is not enough--especially since our fence estimates alone are around $5000. We are DIY challenged, so I don't know how many short cuts we can take. The whole process with insurance is so confusing. I can't wait to get my house back in order.

Baking, even though it was just one little dish, was comforting. I really wasn't planning to make a cobbler, so this just kinda happened. My wonderful, talented and creative middle boy decided to come home from college over Labor Day for his birthday. My older son's girlfriend, a student at the same school, bribed him with the offer of a birthday cake if he would ride back with her. Now this was a pretty big sacrifice for the boy seeing that this was his 21st birthday--one you usually don't want to spend with your mom. But he is not your typical guy. No one would ever call him a wild party animal. So he chose to spend his special day with his family. Collective 'Awww' inserted here.

Kristen did make him a cake--well a pan of brownies. She was disappointed I didn't have any birthday candles. Too many years since the party era for us I guess. They family gobbled them up so fast! They were supposed to last for the day with Nana on Monday, but they didn't. We were left without a dessert for the family get together. Since Pearson is my insulin resistant son, I sure didn't want to put another dessert full of sugar and white flour in front of him. So, I made a low carb cobbler that we all could eat. Everyone liked it, low carb or not. There ya go! The texture is not quite the same as a traditional cobbler, but if you are a fan of coconut flour baked goods, this will delight you.

Feel free to play around with the sweeteners of choice. I used what was open and close at hand. Add more berries if you please, I used the end of my bag and didn't bother to measure them out. The amount or type of berries is not that important.

Brown "Sugar" Berry Cobbler
Berry base:
2-3 cups frozen berry blend or blueberries, blackberries or raspberries
1/2 cup Ideal sweetener (brown sugar blend optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon glucomannan powder (xanthan gum will work too)
Batter:
1/2 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup Ideal Sweetener (brown)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder

In a sprayed baking dish, combine fruit, sweetener, spices and thickener.
In another bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, vanilla and sweetener. To this, quickly stir in coconut flour and baking powder. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes. Spoon over the fruits. Bake at 375 until the top is golden, about 20 minutes.

If you look at the photo and think that I must have left mine in a little too long, I did. It is tricky to share my tiny, storm damaged kitchen with my future daughter in law. She is not a low carber, and makes her own carbivore breakfasts when she visits. To each his own, but I love that she is willing to get in there and make her own rather than expecting us to eat all that sugary stuff. Maybe we will win her over in time. So our cobbler got a little brown while the other breakfast was in the works, but it was still tasty. At mom's, we added some whipped cream. Home made vanilla ice cream would have been amazing. The coconut flour batter tastes buttery and stays cakey, not gooey like some traditional cobblers I have had in the past.

I can't wait to get my house back to normal. It is still a few weeks away, but with cooler weather, I can get a little more done in the kitchen. When the new ceiling floors and wallpaper goes in, though, it will be impossible again. Until then, I will do what I can with what I have.

Salad in a Jar Deluxe -The Balsamic Beef Salad

2011-08-31T23:28:00.000-05:00

You know I love having a prep day once a week to make the rest of life easier. That idea is the backbone of the Diner system. Here is another idea I have developed that follows up on the Salad in a Jar technique I already blogged about. I had already added some grape tomatoes to my jars, then it dawned on me that full meal salads might work too. I researched it and found some blogs talking about a similar system--none of them low carb, of course! But how cool is it to put together 4-5 days worth of entree salads in one day?

So even though my kitchen is still not operational, I came up with some combination recipes. I have tried a couple of them, but I know the system works. I will give you one idea here, but the rest of the recipes are in the September newsletter. There are a few guidelines that must be followed if you don't want to eat a soggy mess. Those are in the newsletter too.

Choose a quart size jar. It can be a canning jar, but doesn't have to be. The salads can be vacuum sealed, but if eaten soon enough, just a regular jar will do. Layer the ingredients in the order listed, but you can choose the amount.

The Balsamic Beef Salad

1. Balsamic Vinaigrette--pour a little in the base of the jar

2. Italian Minute Beef (or browned beef with tomatoes and Italian spices, cooled)

3. grape tomatoes

4. mozzarella cheese,

5. lettuce

6. Pepperoncini (optional)

7. Italian seasoning blend sprinkled on top.

When lunchtime rolls around just empty the contents of the jar into a big salad bowl and toss. Pouring the dressing in the bottom keeps it away from the lettuce and prevents wilting. Just don't turn the jar on the side when you pack it up.

I have six more recipes for salad in a jar in the newsletter, so if you want more, look in there. It also gives some advice on prepping a work week's worth of salads in one cooking session. That is Diner style for sure!

PBJ Muffins for Breakfast

2011-08-29T11:01:00.000-05:00

I wanted a nice breakfast for my honey on our anniversary, so I managed to make these mini muffins in my Babycakes cupcake maker. Even in our less than functional house, these were yummy. I kinda winged it on the recipe, but they turned out nicely. So here ya go. A taste to make you feel like a kid again. I could use that on number 25!

PBJ Muffins

3/4 cup peanut flour
1/3 cup whey protein powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Zsweet or equivalent sweetener
1 egg
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Sugarfree fruit jam or preserves

Stir together all dry ingredients. Combine egg, almond milk and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients. Add a bit more almond milk if the batter is too thick. ( aim for brownie consistency, not cake batter) Place liners into muffin tins or Babycakes machine. Bake until browned and a toothpick comes out clean. The Babycakes machine finished these in 5 minutes. Let cool and add a 1/4 teaspoon of jam on top of each muffin. Makes14-16 mini muffins.

My ZSweet jar was running low, so I actually used half ZSweet and half brown sugar style Ideal Sweetener. The batter tasted much sweeter than the finished muffin, but they were still plenty sweet for us. We used apricot and blackberry sugarfree jam made by Smuckers on ours. Even the carby boy liked these.

Side note: For any of you with a Babycakes Cupcake maker, I did use the standard mini muffin cups with these. While they are a little small for the well, they bake up just fine. A few get a tiny bit lop sided, but the lack of clean up is worth it. I got my liners at Michael's yesterday with my 40 % off coupon. Way cheaper than ordering the correct specialty size from the company!

Hubby and I will be dining out tonight for our true anniversary. Steak, I think. It will probably be an early night with him back to work after a week's vacation. In addition to that, it stormed here last night, and my poor sweet Golden Retriever, Gracie, was scared to death. Well, not to death, but close when she decided to stand on John's head in the bed. Given the damage done to our house a few weeks ago, she had the right to be scared and wake us up. Hoping the hurricane on the east coast doesn't hold up our repairs any longer...as the company hinted at today when we called to see if anything is ever going to get underway. I am terribly sorry for all you east coasters too, but the unbearable heat is getting to us. I am cranky when I am hot, and I actually miss cooking dinner.

Summerberry Tea

2011-08-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

So there is not much I can do in my kitchen these days. It is hot with no ceiling! Breakfasts are about the only meal tolerable to cook. I have plastic sheeting up for the ceiling.(sort of a ceiling, more like a tent) That catches most of the exposed insulation. But since our weather remains around a hundred, we all clear out of the house during the daytime hours. Needless to say, my cooking adventures are very limited. Probably by the time we get ceilings and the weather cools off, the insurance money will be in and we will be getting new floors and wallpaper in there, also making it unfit for cooking. Not fabulous news for a food blogger.

It is hard to keep me down, and tonight I did venture into the heat to make this cooling beverage. I am copycatting a drink served to me at Wendy's the other day. Yes, we are eating out a lot of meals. That time I had their chili and side salad. I figure the beans wouldn't hurt too much compared to french fries. We are concerned with just how much our insurance will cover in the meals out expenses, and they are being vague. We are trying to be careful on that point. When the tea was a suggested sale, I asked the manager what was in it, and he promised it was simply pureed fruit with no added sugar. I liked the tea, sweetened it a bit with the pink packets they had available...and made some plans to try some at home.

Today as most days, I stayed out all afternoon to avoid the heat. It is amazing how much time one can spend in Michael's when you just want to stay in the air conditioning! I did get some ideas for fun fall goodies--but I will save that for later...like when it is fall. Please Lord, send fall! When I got home I was thirsty and it was hot, so I got busy with this recipe in mind.

It is fruity and healthy, made with green tea. Berries are good for us low carbers too. My berries are a combination of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry.You may want to strain out the seeds, but I am drinking it as is because I was getting overheated just waiting for the water to boil for the tea. Did I mention it was hot?

Summerberry Tea

1 quart boiling water
4 green tea bags with lemon
1 cup frozen berry blend
1/2 cup ZSweet
1 tube raspberry flavored Splenda
1 cup ice, plus more in pitcher

Prepare tea with the boiling water. Let steep while preparing the fruit. Into a food processor blender--I use my Ninja--add the fruit, sweeteners and ice. Blend well. My mixture remained a little chunky. Pour the tea into the frozen fruit mixture and blend again. Pour into a serving pitcher and add ice to fill. Add more sweetener if desired.

If you don't have the flavored Splenda, it doesn't make too much difference. A couple of packets of another sweetener will do. Of course, this recipe can be easily adapted to whatever sweetener you prefer. Also, my green tea happened to be lemon flavored. I like the slight tartness, so if you only have plain tea, add a squirt of lemon juice or a packet of true lemon.

We went out of town last week on a trip to Branson paid for by my hubbie's station. It was fun, other than riding there and back with no air conditioning. Yes again, me complaining about being hot. We used the trip to celebrate our 25th anniversary, although it is actually tomorrow. Wow. 25 years went so fast! We will probably go out for a steak to celebrate again, although eating out is not such the treat it used to be.

Remember, I am still looking for reader contributions for the newsletter. With all this mess, I just cannot get in there to test new recipes for you this month. I would love some more contributions, and it will get you 6 free months of the newsletter. What a deal. One might even say it was a hot deal.

Jamie V. Guest Posts for the First Day of School

2011-08-22T08:28:00.000-05:00

Hey Diners! It is an exciting day around here. Nope, still no work done on the new kitchen, but fun none the less. At the Marshall house, all the boys have a big day. First day of college and first day teaching at the Headstart for my youngest. Taking the middle son back to college today for his senior year. He did fabulous at his internship this summer and is now ready to take the final classes on his way to his brilliant career. Oldest son has a very important job interview today that would be perfect for the future business partnership he is praying about. John and I are getting ready to go on a small getaway to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this week. Exciting times for us.

If that wasn't enough, we here at the Diner are uber happy that our friend and ultra famous low carb guru, Jamie VanEaton, aka Cleochatra is today's guest blogger. How cool is that for us? Her guest post is all perfect for the first day of school too. So study her words hard, and it is fine to laugh out loud a bit. I get the feeling Jamie is the class clown.

Back to school: Making the grade with a healthy lifestyle

What can the educational institution, with its share of cooties and hand sanitizers, crayons, crashes and crushes, teach us in terms of living the best lives that we can? Follow along, and put your own luscious lesson plan together, based on these tenets:

Recess. Get more sunshine. Even as days grow shorter and more brisk, it’s important to make the effort to get outside and absorb Vitamin D.

Extra credit: Wear a hat to protect your face from the elements. Lemonade should be freckled, not you.

Lunch. Eat your vegetables. With micronutrients aplenty, you can skip the multivitamins (or at least some of the necessity) with healthy, full-bodied flavor.
Extra Credit: Choose colorful, robust, in-season veggies for maximum nutritional value. Who knows? You might not be able to dance, but you can keep the beet.

Naptime. Naps aren’t just for the very young. Those late nights make you tired, and lethargy can hinder making the right , healthy decisions
Extra credit: Even 20 minutes of shut eye is enough to recharge those batteries. (And no, you don’t have to sleep on a floor mat.)

Gym: Unlike the days of old, when running laps in fashionably questionable gym shorts was the order of the day, playing and working out regularly burns fat and keeps those muscles toned.
Extra credit: See your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. It’s also a good excuse to compare his/her scale with yours at home.

Math. Keep track of what you’re eating with a reliable food journal. Free programs like fitday.com (or even your Hello Kitty pen and paper) keep you accountable.
Extra credit: Track how you feel to pinpoint possible trouble foods and food intolerances (Sore throat, itchy skin, and a runny nose are possible indicators).

Reading. Check the labels before you buy. Low fat and/or gluten free foods might up the sugar content. Never assume frozen fruits and vegetables don’t contain sugar and starch, unless you read and investigate for yourself.
Extra credit: Learn the other names for sugar. They usually end with the suffix –ose. You’re sweet enough without it.

History. Do you eat when bored? Put off exercise? Set yourself up for success by making new habits and hardwire your brain to the new routine. Even something as simple as putting on your gym shoes will change your mental mode from one of coming home from work to exercise.
Extra credit: It takes 21 days to make a habit, so start today. Like right now.

Science. No need for beakers here. Make sure to get ample amounts of dihydrogen oxide in your diet and beverages, and burn more O2 when you move to keep those Bunsen burners in good shape.
Extra credit: Feeling weak and tired? Consider adding a little NaCl to your dishes.

Music. Music makes us cry, builds us up, and soothes us, so put it to work for you to clean the cupboards, walk the dog, get on the bike, or even to decompress during stretching exercises.
Extra credit: Find your anthem and let it motivate you through the hardest part of workouts.

Show and Tell. Has your lifestyle been one of weight loss and health gain? Let your light shine for others. Just like the cute puppy you brought to class ages ago, your brilliant, healthy smile is enough to make people feel fuzzy inside.
Extra credit: Pay your lifestyle forward to friends. There’s nothing more rewarding than the shared benefits of health. Besides, you can have each other’s back during the rough moments, and laugh when your baggy pants fall down.

Jamie VanEaton is the author of Your Lighter Side, and has acted as the National Low Carb Examiner since 2008. From her bat cave in Denver, Colorado, she spends her days keeping the dog from eating the dirty laundry, coveting bacon, and writing recipes as a thinly veiled excuse for snacking. Her four kids say she is so old she owes Sophocles a buck. She can be reached at YourLighterSide@gmail.com.

Be sure to tell Jamie thanks for the advice!

Storm Damage Update and Newsletter Challenge

2011-08-20T02:26:00.001-05:00

The adjuster finally made it out today. The good news is that which we were covered. The bad news is--the amount of work that needs to be done and the speed--or lack thereof--of the integral workings of the insurance and contract labor professions. It may be a couple of weeks before we see any money or further authorizations for work. In the mean time, we live without flooring in half the kitchen, and much of the living room. The gameroom had the pad yanked out from under the carpet and all the furnishings and books cast in piles on one side of the room. Too hot to deal with that now. That is not too bad, since we avoid that room in the summer time anyway.

I don't have ceilings most of my kitchen and half of my living room. That is a pain because these rooms dump dust and insulation on us, and stay incredibly hot. We tacked a giant sheet of plastic up as make shift ceilings, so it is just lovely to look at. I will get new paint and wallpaper. Now to find wallpaper. I think hardly anyone uses it anymore,but I loved the scrubable vinyl I had. My bedroom is getting new carpet since they had to rip it away from the doorway. I am really happy about that one! A couple of bathrooms are getting new paint jobs, at least on the ceiling. The gameroom gets new walls and ceilings too. Can you imagine the number of workers that are going to take over my home soon? Even better, nothing can be done inside until the roof is repaired. Well, maybe the fence, but we don't have any money for that one yet.

I am worried about the newsletter for September. I just don't have the ability to get in the kitchen and try out a lot of new recipes. I may have to get creative. I may borrow my mom's house to get some cooking done. In the mean time, if you wonderful Diners have any ideas... it would be really fun to feature a theme-- kind of like the "Chef's Special" where I could publish favorite recipes sent in from the readers of the blog and facebook fans. What do you think? If you have a favorite recipe to share, send it to me. I will add my email link to make it easier to find me.
moty2000@sbcglobal.net

If you aren't already a subscriber to the Diner Newsletter, it would be a great chance to check it out, as I will give every contributor a 6 month subscription, or additional months on a current subscription. Remember, I am still looking for guest bloggers too. I have one promise from a low carb guru you will all be thrilled to hear from! Be watching.

Loretta Guest Blogs

2011-08-15T09:40:00.001-05:00

Loretta has been a favorite Diner of mine for quite a while. She is a natural encourager, a sweet spirit, and I sure wish we lived closer together because we would have great visits at each other's kitchen tables. When I put out the call for guest bloggers, she sent me this email that really lifted my spirits. What a jewel this woman is!

Just Sayin' Thanks

When I read that Lisa's home was hit by catastrophe and she asked for guest posters, I decided this was a great way to say "thank you" to Lisa. Without realizing it, she has helped me tremendously in making my Low Carb way of life PERMANENT.

How, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked...let me tell ya!

When I first started, I had what I will politely call "resistance". My normally sweet and supportive husband got ruffled when I explained that I wanted to stop eating sugar and flour.

He looked me right in the eye, and emphatically declared: "I love my carbs... I am NOT giving up my carbs!"

Okie dokie then! Right from the start... it was a challenge. I pouted. I felt sorry for myself. I felt sabotaged. I thought "if he really loved me" he would support me. You know... all the self-serving stuff we tell ourselves when we want to be Right!!

But then a great thing happened... *I* changed. Yep, I changed my thinking. I was made to realize... after much whining and complaining to God (disguised as Prayer) that I had a choice. I could continue to have a Pity Party... or I could take this as AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET STRONGER.

Holy cannoli... I hadn't thought of it that way before. And so... I changed my mind, as solidly as I changed my menu. And when I found Lisa's 24/7 Low Carb Diner blog, I felt encouraged. Here she was, cooking for a whole crew with mixed nutritional needs... and she was making it work! And generously sharing her ideas on this blog.

So I became a copy cat. I would make meals like she suggested, with the heart of it being low carb stuff that I could eat. And then just make add-ons for my man. And the funny part... he never guessed. He didn't realize that slowly but surely, he was eating less and less sugar. Less and less starchy stuff.

I didn't overdue it, or push it, or preach it. I just did it. In other words, folks, sometimes it pays to keep your mouth shut, LOL! This year, after almost 2 years, and after a medical diagnosis of diabetes, he made the choice to officially join me in eating Low Carb. And it is now easier. I'm not perfect, and it isn't always easy. But it's doable.

But because of that initial resistance, I was forced to make a choice: In or out. Yes or no. And thankfully, I'm all IN. And part of my success is due to seeing how this low carb healthy lifestyle can be lived in the real world, in real life situations, as Lisa shows on her blog. So, thank you, Lisa!

Enjoying the journey,

Loretta

http://lorettasjourney.blogspot.com/

Loretta, I am so glad my efforts have made a difference!

Update on the storm damage: Some meteorologists are now admitting we were hit by a small tornado. Because the warning system never went off, they aren't willing to admit much...

We have had the emergency work completed, but the adjusters are just too busy to bother with us it seems. We won't see one until Friday. My hubby is really stressed out trying to pay for eating out plus our other bills. We only have a plastic sheet for a ceiling, no insulation in that area (Except that which falls into our food when we try to eat at home), missing walls and concrete floors. At least all the noisy blowers have been moved out, so we can hear each other now. Unfortunately, the temps are going back to the upper 90's outside, which seems to equate about 10 degrees hotter than that in the uninsulated areas of the house. Hardly habitable, but the insurance won't promise to pay for a hotel. We just aren't sure how to handle it all.

Kitchen Disasters and New Successes

2011-08-12T22:28:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone. Those of you who follow me on Facebook must know that my life has been turned upside down a bit by a non-tornado weather event this week. My house was really damaged in a storm with some freaky winds which left a 30 foot hole in my roof--near my kitchen of course. We also lost all of our privacy fence, the windows in my van, my favorite tree and my almost new custom made paper bag flooring. Wah. All that work from the spring on that floor.

In the mean time, we have these giant fans trying to dry the house. It is almost unbearably loud in here, and the temperatures are rising fast. I have tried to cook a little, but the breakers blow all the time, it is hot, and insulation keeps falling into the food. Not a good mix, so the insurance promised (as much as they ever "promise") that they will pay for us to eat out. Better than cooking, but I know our healthy diet will suffer some. Even my Diner system can't save us from that. You can only eat so many chicken salads...

I know there are a few other choices, but we have 6 mouths to feed right now, and no up front money from the insurance company. It is getting challenging. Meantime, I am keeping busy choosing new flooring and paint for the kitchen. I think I will even rearrange things a little. Not much I can do with my tiny work space, but I am trying. Have any of you used that new flooring the is a floating floor that is vinyl? We are thinking about that but I don't know anyone with it.

I got a nice comment from a reader who has reinvented the most popular recipe on this blog. The Mr. Peanut Bread. Jen has turned it into a muffin with lots of yummy stuff...blueberries and chia. Since I am not baking these days, I thought I would send you over to Jen to see what she has done. Hope you don't mind I am reposting the photo of the muffins here. Read her variation here. Thanks, Jen. I did try my regular Mr. Peanut recipe as muffins today in my Babycakes machine and they were great. I made them sweet with a fourth cup of ZSweet. If you don't mind a little yellow fuzzy topping, aka insulation, they were perfect!

If any more of you have great ideas, please let me know because I could sure use some guest bloggers the next couple of weeks. To make it easier to find me, email me directly at moty2000@sbcglobal.net. My computer space was compromised too, so I am not able to check as often. Wish me luck or send up some prayers that this will be an easier fix than they are anticipating....and a cool breeze would be great too.

Triple Berry Coconut Cream Parfaits

2011-08-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

This recipe, while certainly delicious, was birthed in failure. You see, I am trying to come up with a good cookie pie crust to be made in my Babycakes cupcake maker. This was not it. I saw a recipe for a low carb shortbread type cookie, so I tried it. No. The nuts in the dough just burned in the machine and the whole lot stayed wet and goopy. Burned, yes. Crispy? No.

So after that failure, what to do? I placed the rest of the dough--which tasted wonderful uncooked by the way--onto my stoneware toaster oven pan. I baked it for about 30 minutes, and it still seemed wet. Granted it was the toaster oven, and my temperature numbers rubbed off years ago. In the mean time, I checked out the burned piles of "crust" I had discarded from the cupcake machine. To my amazement, the leftovers had hardened up nicely and were even almost crisp. Pearson, my avowed nut hater, even tasted and approved. So maybe the project wasn't a wash altogether...

I turned off the oven and left the crust overnight to cool. This morning, I had a nice, sturdy, shortbread type crust. I had scored the dough, and it even managed to break along score lines. The only problem was that it was decidedly too sweet after baking. That and the cooling effect of the ZSweet was a little noticeable. I have reduced the sweetener for you to try.

To counter the sweet, I knew I did not want to leave these as cookies, but rather, return to my original idea of pie fillings. Parfaits filled the bill. I made sure to make the cheesecake layer a little less sweet than I normally would to compensate for the crust. A few taste tests, and I had the right ratio. These really do taste like a berry cheesecake pie. Mmmm.

The next step involved a new idea I learned about on Pinterest. Whipping cold coconut milk into a whipped cream substitute. I had wanted to try it out, and this seemed like the perfect occasion. I read a few blogs and most seemed the same. Chill the full fat coconut milk, scoop out the fat solids, leave the watery part behind. Then whip as if using cream. My first challenge came with the fact that I couldn't find the difference between the fat and the water in the milk. The pictures I had seen looked obvious. My can was not. Perhaps there is a difference in brands. I choose those with no gums as additives. They might make a difference. My product whipped a bit--not super fluffy, but nice. I tried the slightly watery remnants in the can and they seemed to whip the same. I even tried adding a little xanthan gum. I don't know if it helped or not. So I am no expert, but the end result was good, even if it was not huge in volume. Maybe if you all try this, you can let me know which brands work best? I might have waited to blog about this recipe, but it might take a while before I make it again, so I decided to go ahead. Just the heads up that your mileage may vary on the coconut cream portion. Maybe yours will be even better.

So here is the recipe with every effort to make it intentional, mistakes corrected. I would make it again, just not now. I have too many other things to try...and I am going to try another brand of coconut milk whipped. Trust me, even the mistakes are terrific, and I am pretty sure this will work for you too.

Triple Berry Coconut Cream Parfaits

Crumble Cookie Crust:
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup powdered ZSweet (I used more and it was tooooo sweet)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons coconut oil

Grind walnuts in a food processor. Add in coconut flour, salt, sweetener and butter. Mix until the butter is distributed in pea sized chunks. Stir in coconut oil by hand. Mixture should then be easily formed into a ball. (assuming the coconut oil is liquid and warm.) Press dough onto baking sheet and bake in a 325 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and crumble, setting aside to layer when the other steps are completed.

Coconut Cream Layer
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tablespoon Granular ZSweet

Chill coconut cream several hours or over night. Open can and remove the solidified fats, reserving the watery liquid for another recipe. Add vanilla and sweetener. Beat with hand mixer until the coconut milk is whipped and fluffy, about 2-4 minutes. Reserve one cup of the whipped coconut to stir into the cream cheese mixture.

Berry Cheesecake Layer
8 ounce cream cheese
1 cup frozen berry blend or Raspberries, blueberries or blackberries
4 Tablespoons granular ZSweet

Use a mixer or food processor to combine thawed berries and softened cream cheese. Stir in sweetener. Gently fold in the reserved cup of whipped coconut until just combined.

Into small individual dessert cups, layer the nut crust, then the berry layer, then the coconut cream layer. Repeat the layers. Fill all dessert cups and chill. Serves 6.

If creating recipes comes from salvage operations and winging it, then these are a good thing. We who cook and bake 24/7 usually learn to make do, rethink and "fix" kitchen mistakes. Sometimes, just sometimes, they are still worthy to share.

Sausage Breakfast Bites

2011-08-07T13:16:00.001-05:00

These are pretty much a variation of the breakfast casseroles I have done for years. This time, baked in my Babycakes cupcake baker. Yes, I know I am on a roll here. These will work in any muffin tin you choose as well, so there. No complaining about my specialty gadget.

My oldest boy said making these in the machine took them up a notch. You see, he and I love corners. We want the edges of baked goods, casseroles, etc. He even eats all the pizza crusts that others leave behind. As my friends will often attest, we don't like underdone anything. Cookie dough. No. Marshmallows anything less than blackened? Umm, no. Is it any wonder he loves this casserole made into mini muffins? More surface area equals more browning equals happy boy. That is about as mathematical as I get.

It might be just as quick to make this as a standard casserole and cut it into squares. It might be just as easy to pour the batter into muffin tins or silicon cups. But I love my new gadget, and it does cook these in a flash. About 5 minutes for each 7 bites. I made the whole batch and saved some for breakfasts later in the week. That is how I do it at the Diner. If you don't want to cook ahead, you could even make up the batter on the weekend and keep it in a jar to make fresh muffins each morning during the week. I haven't tried that, but I have heard that it works.

Sausage Breakfast Bites

1 pound pork sausage
12 eggs
1 1/2 cups shredded Jack cheese
4 ounces green chilies
3 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Brown sausage and drain off grease. In a large bowl, beat eggs with salt and pepper. Stir in chilies, cheese, coconut flour and sausage. Spray muffin tins or cups with cooking spray and fill each with the egg mixture. Bake until set and lightly browned.

Any of the savory muffins in the e-book would work as well. I just used what I had this morning. I often add some cream cheese to help with the texture baked eggs sometimes get, but I was saving that for some work on some mini-pies later this afternoon. I'll keep you posted on those, but how does a blueberry cream cheese mini pie sound to you? Yeah, me too. Check back soon!

Blueberry Mini Muffins

2011-08-06T10:02:00.001-05:00

In my new Babycakes Cupcake maker...because it is too hot for an oven. So far I like all the low carb treats I have made in this machine. Only the Jiffy Mix muffins was an epic failure. The good stuff works great.

More later, but I am out the door for some back to school shopping for my college boys.

Blueberry Mini Muffins

1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/2 cup ZSweet (or alternate sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 eggs
1/4 cup coconut oil
3-4 fresh blueberries per muffin

Mix dry ingredients well. Combine eggs and coconut oil and stir unto dry ingredients. Fill muffin tins and place 3-4 blueberries on top of batter. Bake until lightly browned.

I got 14 mini muffins from the Babycakes appliance.These go together really quickly, and bake up even faster with this little machine! Since the so called quick mix, full of sugar and wheat did not perform nearly as well, I think I will just keep to the good stuff for all my guys, low carb or not!

Portabella Pizza

2011-08-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

Pizza love. I can't get past it. Using portabella mushroom caps instead of crust makes them easy peasy. Not that these are my idea--I am just a fan. I have some mushroom haters living at my house, so they didn't get one of these beauties. Too bad for them.

Just a few little hints, since these practically make themselves. Of course, you can customize them with any toppings you want.

Hint 1: If you like softer onions and peppers, saute them separately in a skillet before filling the cap.
Hint 2: Save time by using pre-cooked toppings like my Minute Beef or Minute Sausage. If you froze the packages flat, it is easy to break off just enough meat crumbles to top a mushroom or two.
Hint 3: Since these are best eaten with a fork, not the fingers, use the mini pepperonis to avoid the inevitable top slide when you try to cut a large pepperoni. You may wish to forgo the preservatives in pepperoni, but that is not one of the foods I am willing to give up for life!
Hint 4: Use a toaster oven to save energy. Small food, small oven. Can't do that with the standard pizza!
Hint 4 1/2: If you do use the toaster oven, be sure to place mushrooms on a pan with small sides. They can release a little moisture and make a mess in the bottom of the oven.

We are still trying to avoid the heat here, so dinner is AGAIN in the crockpot. It is usually a skillet meal, but not today. Yesterday it was 113 here. My air cannot keep up and it is over 90 in my house even with the unit running all the time. I am so cranky when I sweat. And lazy too.

Southwest Scramble and Green Chili Day

2011-08-03T21:44:00.000-05:00

Scrambles are some of the easiest and tastiest breakfasts around. They are even delish for lunch or dinner--especially this one with the spicy green chili peppers. I am in the process of freezing up my big can of chilies, but set aside a cup for breakfast this morning. Yum. Even my hubby, who doesn't share my passion for peppers, likes these. Maybe because they seem to remind him of his mama. The only slightly spicy thing she liked was green chili. Or so he tells me. Sure wish I could have met his power packed pint sized mom, but he lost her in college. All the more reason to watch our health! Amazing that they used to tell us eggs were the enemy to a healthy life.

Southwestern Scramble

6 eggs
3 Tablespoons cream
1 cup green chilies
8 grape tomatoes sliced in half
1/4 diced onion
1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Beat eggs and cream together. In a skillet, saute tomatoes and onion in oil until onion is translucent. Add the green chilies and stir. Stir the egg mixture into the vegetables and scramble until set. Serves 3-4.

These were easy, fast and good. What more could you want--except that 66 ounce can of chilies like I have! If a small can is all you have, that will do too. I used a cup because I have lots of chilies. We had Green Chili Pork made in the crockpot tonight, but the boys ate it all up before I got home from my appointment. Sorry, no photo for my green chili day. Guess that means it was good!

I had a mini prep day this morning while it was cool--relatively cool that is. (Sunday I was a little busy with the newsletter and didn't get it all done) I got two additional pork chop meals prepped for later crockpot dinners. I also made 4 bags of Minute Beef regular and 2 Italian Minute Beef packages. Instead of a breakfast casserole, I made a huge batch of Sausage Jicama Hash. That will be perfect to warm up quickly on busy mornings.

Crockpot Cheesecake

2011-08-01T22:50:00.001-05:00

The newsletter is out with lots of great crockpot ideas. This is one of them. I saw the original idea over at A Year of Slowcooking blog. I tried it--with a few low carb substitutions--and we liked it. It is really about the same amount of work as a regular oven baked cheesecake, but the method is interesting. It would be helpful at times when the oven is full. In addition, I must admit this is the only cheesecake I have ever managed that had absolutely no crack. Woohoo. The only problem being that my cheesecake pan will not fit into my crockpot, so the cheesecake is stuck inside a cakepan. Not the prettiest presentation. I may just have to find a small springform pan that fits inside my crock. This is a smaller cheesecake than I usually make, but that means it is better for everyday eating. No one needs all the calories that are in my 5 bricks of cream cheese New York Style dessert. So this is good. It will even be very pretty once I find a small springform pan. I am thinking tomorrow's servings will have some blueberries. My goal is to get some better photos then. For now, this will do. The cheesecake was not ready to cut in time to be included in the newsletter, so if you were wondering, here it is.

The crockpot bakes the cheesecake in a waterbath, and I guess the smaller cooking space regulates the heat to prevent the cracks. Just be sure to observe the cooling procedures. Also, mine is in an older crockpot that seems to cook on a lower temperature than newer models, so mine took a little more than 3 hours to be done. Just test it with a finger poke in the center. I think I made mine a little more firm than Stephanie did on the original recipe, but we like a firm New York Style.

Just a note on sweeteners. I developed my version of this recipe to use ZSweet. The nut crust uses granulated, and the cheesecake filling takes advantage of their wonderful powdered version. Unlike Ideal, ZSweet does not add starches to make the powdered version. The texture really does prevent the gritty sweetener problem we get with straight erythritol. I love this stuff for that reason....just take care in adding it to the mix. That powder does fly! I stirred it in by hand before using the mixer. Problem solved. I also love the fact that they have added in stevia to balance the tastes. I used to have to do that myself. Now I can confidently use only one sweetener.

Now all this, and you may say, give me the recipe. It is in the newsletter. If you are a Diner subscriber, you have it. Now aren't you glad you are--or don't ya wish you were? It is never too late! We have another car in the shop again, and I'm guessing I would only need to sell about 100 newsletter subscriptions to get it fixed. Hint. Hint. I do have some exciting projects in the works at my little Diner, but time will tell on those. Until then, we are living lean. Well, I did use a little of my Diner earnings to buy a Babycakes Cupcake baker. Walmart has them on clearance for just $15 online. I can't wait to try it out. Cupcakes, muffins and low carb pies are in the future. Having given up turning on my leaky oven during the heatwave, it has been a long time since we have had any baked goods around here. Since the heatwave shows no signs of imminent demise, I must prepare for temperatures in the hundreds plus teens. I think my oven is becoming kitchen storage for August. I will dream tonight of miniature pumpkin pies, complete with coconut flour crust, baking in my new red little cupcake machine. Can' wait for fall. Until then, this cool and creamy cheesecake is summertime dessert heaven.

Cilantro Chile Pesto....Meets Tuna

2011-07-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

I have been wanting to open my #10 can of green chilies and get them all divided up and into the freezer. I am doing that, although it takes me a good portion of the day if I only use ice cube trays. While I had this process going on today, I grabbed some of the chilies to make this divine pesto. In the photo, the pesto is the green stuff under the Cherub tomatoes--also a family favorite.

It seems wrong to call it pesto. It is an herb mixed with olive oil and nuts--which I love, don't get me wrong here. But this flavor. Green chile peppers combine with a fresh jalapeno and take pesto to a strange new world. New, but wonderful none the less. I have seen lots of such pestos around, so why not add my own mix? My middle boy and I really liked it. My northerner hubby goes out of his way to avoid jalapeno peppers. Pearson and I decided a tuna salad would be a nice way to go for a light Sunday supper. I really really really didn't want to cook. With temperatures well over 107 outside, my kitchen is an oven. Salad is good. Tonight I didn't even want to make a lovely omelet. While I don't doubt an egg dish would certainly show off this gorgeous green condiment, even that was too much fire. 111 later this week assures us of more salads--unless I decide to scramble eggs on the sidewalk.

So here is a fun, unusual pesto to enjoy, no matter the weather. Beware. it packs its own heat

Cilantro Chile Pesto

1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup green chilies
1 fresh jalapeno. most seeds removed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp minced garlic

Remove most large stems from the cilantro. Place the leaves into a food processor or Ninja blender. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until combined. You may need to remove the lid once and push down the contents with a rubber spatula.

For the tuna salad,mix one pouch of tuna with 1 teaspoon mayo and 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons of the pesto. Serve in lettuce cups or over torn greens.

Now I need to go dish up some more of those chile peppers. A #10 can is a lot of chilies. But 99 ounces of flame roasted peppers for under $10 is worth the effort. These are mild enough, even my hesitant hubby likes them.

Summertime Rutabaga Fries

2011-07-28T20:40:00.000-05:00

Cleo at the Lighter Side reminded everyone that it is National Hamburger Day. If you count cheeseburgers, I think that is the third one this year. I swear there is a holiday for every food out there. I wonder where you find that calendar that names them all? And who gets to decide anyway? I would like to be on that committee. We had burgers on the menu anyway. It was going to be for tomorrow's Burger Buffet, so I just switched the menu around. Good to be flexible for such special occasions, huh?

I had my Honey Roasted Barbecue Sauce, my copycat recipe from Chick-Fil-A. I love that stuff! But burgers are pretty self explanatory. Fries for low carbers--well that is another story.

I really do like my rutabaga fries, but I hate waiting for them to soften up while frying, so I generally pre cook them to soften them up. My kitchen is so hot when it is over 100 outside---like it has been for about a month here. As I was cleaning out my crockpot after breakfast, I decided to peel my rutabaga and toss it in to see what happens if it slow cooks.

I knew you could do baked potatoes in foil in a slow cooker, so I gave it a try. After peeling, I wrapped a good size rutabaga in foil and placed it inside. No water, just the rutabaga on low. It baked about 6 hours and came out tender, but not falling apart. Perfect for slicing then adding to my cast iron skillet with some coconut oil. It is so hot in my kitchen that all my coconut oil is liquid all the time now. Have I mentioned how much I am looking forward to fall? Anyway, it fried up evenly and quickly so I could have dinner under the fan with the guys. They are not big rutabaga eaters, so more for me and Dad!

My crockpot is getting a workout this summer. I wonder what I will try out tomorrow?

Turkey Crusted Crockpot Breakfast

2011-07-28T09:33:00.000-05:00

This recipe is a combination of several things I love. For one, I love my slow cookers. Yes, I love them so much that I own three. Even in my tiny kitchen. Three. One standard crock. So well used that I have worn the glazing off the bowl, making it a bear to clean. I even had to repaint the outside because it was so beat up. Can't hide it away though. It stays on the cabinet all the time. It has earned that spot.

I also have a dual crock slow cooker. That was a "suggested" birthday gift from my attentive and always thoughtful middle son, Pearson. Gotta love him. Not only is it great for holidays and potlucks because it hold a lot of food, it is also wonderful for those on special diets. I can make a batch of chili--regular cheapo black beans for non dieters. Expensive black soy beans for us. No wasting pricey specialty ingredients on those who will be downing Twinkies later. Of course, it is also wonderful for cooking two separate foods at once, as long as the timing is the same. Meat on one side, veggies on the other. That way, not everything has to have that dreaded crockpot stew characteristic. You know what I mean.

Lastly, I have a cheap little crockpot. It doesn't hold much, and that is the charm. It is just the right size for hot dips Mmmm..queso. It is also perfect for meals for two. Mine hold two chicken breasts and sauce. When my niece got married, I gave her a small crockpot with recipes just for two. How romantic. I hope she is still using it now that her family has 4. She seems to be repeating my pattern by spitting out adorable baby boys. I love having boys.

You may be wondering what happened to that recipe. Just one more reminder that the Diner Newsletter for August will be devoted to slow cooking. If you aren't a subscriber, now is the time to order. Perhaps that is why I am singing these praises today. In a hot kitchen, slow cookers are a huge benefit. In a busy life, they are huge blessings.Okay, enough for crockpot appreciation day.

My other favorite things in this breakfast casserole are red bell pepper. Red is my favorite color so I love these even more. The milder sweetness of the flavor, though has always been a favorite. It shines through in this recipe. I also am a big fan of low fat ground turkey. I found a dollar off coupon at Walmart for this hormone free natural turkey, so I tried it. For this recipe, I think it is important to make sure you have a low fat grind. With no pre-browning, you don't want a greasy or wet dish, and you certainly don't want the turkey crust to shrink! A turkey crust? Really? Really. Super easy. Just mix the spices into the turkey in the crock, then use a spoon for form a crust. Worked like a charm for me.

Turkey Crusted Crockpot Breakfast

1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash
1 chopped red bell pepper
1/2 chopped onion
6 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Place the raw turkey into the pot. Stir in the garlic, onion, sage, fennel and Mrs. Dash. Stir to blend. Using the back of the spoon, spread this turkey mixture evenly over the bottom of the crock and up the side about 2 inches.Chop the vegetables and layer them over the turkey.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Stir in the cottage cheese, salt and pepper. Pour this over the turkey and vegetables. Top with shredded cheese. Bake overnight on low. Makes 6-8 servings.

If you prefer, you can use low fat turkey sausage as the crust. This was easy to put together, though. I am going to have another crockpot breakfast in the newsletter as well. That one has Southwestern flavors. I hate that most breakfast casseroles call for bread. It takes a little creativity, but the crockpots can serve up really tasty morning meals that are ready when we are.

Ten Days of Salad...or More!

2011-07-25T11:02:00.000-05:00

I shared this fantastic discovery in my July newsletter. I am so happy with it that I have to share it here too. This amazing process, brought to me through the Salad in a Jar blog, has changed the way I prepare our salads for the week. I have retired the old Tupperware system, although the container will still be useful for salad for a crowd. This amazing process will allow you to prep lettuce and a few veggies for 10 or more days worth of salads with no wilting, sogginess or brown spots. You will need some specialty items, which some of you may already own. I happened to own a Foodsaver system. Any model with an accessory port will work. In addition to that, you need a good supply of wide mouth canning jars--loved those already. Lastly, the piece de resistance--the wide mouth jar attachment sold separately by the Foodsaver company.

Interestingly, I think it is a rather strange move for the company to sell this attachment. It is definitely costing them bag sales from my home. I love sealing all sorts of foods in these jars. Since they are totally reusable, there is no waste. My unit, which I got as a Christmas gift a few years ago, came with a durable plastic container with a special lid which could be vacuum sealed. While I loved that container, it came with only one, and additional ones were far too expensive for me! I am so stingy, I found myself hating the waste of throwing away the sealable bag. I hated trying to wash them even more. I will still use them for sealing freezer meals though. When making freezer dinners, I use the roll form of "bag" and make it bigger than I need, so I can cut the top off, then wash and reseal with a smaller portion next time.

Now getting back to the salad in a jar.This attachment costs less than $10. I ordered mine online, since I could not find it locally. It is so worth it. I does a great job creating a tight seal. After vacuum sealing salad greens, they stay fresh. My experimentation has shown that they last at least 10 days. Of course, your time may vary depending on the freshness of the produce to start with. I have experimented with different lettuce mixes too. Here is my favorite greens combo.

1 head read leaf lettuce
1 head iceberg
1 bag spinach
1/2 onion, sliced into rings
3-4 grape tomatoes per jar

Just wash, dry, tear and combine all the ingredients in the largest bowl you have. Then hand pack the mix into quart sized wide mouth jars and vacuum seal. How easy is that? I love only needing to wash salad once a week. Plus seeing the beautiful greens on the top shelf of the fridge reminds us to eat them. It makes it so easy to grab a quick side salad when I would do without if I had to prep it. If I don't use the whole jar, I can just hand seal, or reseal the vacuum way in just a few seconds. The jars can even go straight into the lunch bag to open at lunchtime at the office. You could eat out of the jar, but you would need a pretty long fork. I just send a bowl along. The jars pop open with the help of the rim of a spoon or knife. I love to hear that freshness pop.

I tried the pre-cut lettuce from Sams. How easy would that be? I was not as happy with the results. Maybe it got too hot in the car ride home--it is sweltering around here these days. It was a little less crisp by the time I packed it. I think the days in processing did too much damage before I got to seal it. I have also tried adding one small bag of prepared salad mix complete with red cabbage and carrot strips. That worked fine and did add some color, but the lettuce that came in the bag did not seem as fresh as that I tore by hand. Once I tried a gourmet blend which was pre-bagged. Most of the lettuces did fine, but one got a little limp. I will probably be leaving the field greens behind and keeping with the head lettuces.

A few pointers. Use a plastic lettuce knife or tear by hand to avoid browning. It doesn't appear in the jar, but browns quickly after removal if cut with a knife. (Yes, I did experiment with that) Don't use cut veggies except onion or bell pepper if you like it. I add grape tomatoes, but would never use diced tomatoes or cucumbers. It is easy to add those in fresh.

I am so happy with the canning jar system, the Foodsaver appliance is out of the pantry and has been returned to the kitchen counter for everyday use. As small as my kitchen is, an appliance must really be useful to earn a spot! This is a picture of my older model. If you don't already own one, I can still recommend the investment. Just thing about how much you will save by not throwing away those soggy bags of salad. If you are like me, you will be putting everything in jars. Leftovers, soups, sauces and more. I am really thinking about ordering the regular mouth accessory too, so I can seal spices and small portions. Most of all, however, I love how this idea goes along with the prep day idea of the Diner system. Prep once, eat again and again with no extra effort.

Asian Sesame Turkey Burgers

2011-07-22T11:54:00.001-05:00

Here is the recipe for the Asian themed turkey burgers we had yesterday. I just robbed my herb garden and the condiment shelf in the fridge, but you may have to head to the store to duplicate the exact taste. It is truly a layering of flavors. Not difficult to put together, just a bit unusual perhaps.

One odd ingredient is the Wasabi Sake Mustard. I got mine at Target, their Archer Farms brand. Alone, I am not a fan. It packs a punch for sure. Great in the burger, but not so popular as a dip or sandwich spread around here. Another ingredient to check the shelves for...red curry paste. Mine is made by Thai Kitchen. Just a little bit is necessary, but the flavor is there.

That curry paste has the lemongrass flavor too, but I upped mine with some fresh Lemon Balm from my herb garden. That made the burgers pretty. If you don't happen to have any of that, substitute some cilantro or parsley and maybe add a few squeezes of lemon juice and a touch of zest.

I know it sounds complicated, but it really is not! Pearson said it was the best turkey burger yet. Gotta love that review. Man approved. Yeah.

Asian Sesame Turkey Burgers

This is one of the recipes included in my new cookbook project, Low Carbing Among Friends.

This recipe is available in the book, along with over 60 additional 24/7 Low Carb Diner recipes. By ordering the book, you get more than 300 favorite gluten free recipes from four other well known low carb cooking experts…Jennifer Eloff of Splendid Low Carbing cookbook fame, Kent Altena, the Atkins Diet Geek and You Tube star, nutritionist and author Maria Emmerich of Maria’s Nutritious and Delicious Journal, and popular blogger and food stylist, Carolyn Ketchum of All Day I Dream About Food. Unlike any other cookbook you may own, this one is a compilation of mini cookbooks featuring the talents of these well known low carbers. Think of it as a “best of” project.
Low Carbing Among Friends also features recipes from numerous other talented low carbing friends and recommendations from the medical community who recognize the health benefits of low carb, gluten free living. To preorder your copy, visit http://www.amongfriends.us The official release date is 11/11/11, so pre-order now for a discount.

We like these so much, I plan to multiply the recipe to make a Freezer Favorite meal. The next time ground turkey goes on sale, a big batch of these is going into the freezer for sure. The meat mixture would be great as meatballs too. What an awesome appetizer that would be!

Sesame Cucumber Salad

2011-07-21T15:11:00.000-05:00

I don't normally love cucumber. I like a little in a salad--but a whole salad of cucumber? Pardon me Larry Boy, but no. This is different. It is packed with flavor. Flavors other than cucumber, that is. It makes a fabulous side dish in this heat. I had planned to put some sesame oil in the dressing too, but forgot that I had loaned my bottle to my mom for some sesame cookies she was experimenting with. But I discovered, that it is not necessary at all. The taste of toasted sesame really comes through when you don't overpower the tastebuds with too many other flavors.

I used my spiral slicer, but it is not required. Just cut thin slices or strips. The ribbony spiral cuts were rather fun to eat though...they can be swirled around a fork like spaghetti. Yes, I am still a kid like that. I let mine marinate a little too long and lost some crunchiness in the heat, but the salad was still great. (I was busy playing with the turkey patties I made to go with this. I will have that recipe tomorrow.)

Sesame Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber
1/4 cup rice vinegar, unseasoned
1 1/2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos or Soy Sauce
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 packet sweetener
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted

Slice the cucumber into thin slices. Combine the vinegar, Braggs or soy sauce, onion powder and sweetener. Pour over the cucumber slices and marinate for 20 minutes. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet or toaster oven until lightly browned. Let cool. When ready to serve, drain and discard marinade and sprinkle seeds over the cucumbers. Serves 4.

Served alongside a turkey burger, this makes for a great low cal lunch. Fast and lots of flavor. That is the Diner way!

Herbal Vinegars

2011-07-19T10:54:00.000-05:00

I am one of those who likes the tang of vinegar. These are among my latest projects. I gave up gardening and stuck to herbs this year. With the heat wave we are having, I am glad I did. I hear tomatoes are no longer fruiting and cucumbers are deformed around here. I could make that happen without excessive heat, knowing my "green" thumb. My herbs are doing fine though, so I am enjoying these. My first batches are ready to use. They impart a nice herbal flavor, not overpowering, but definitely there. I am using them for vinaigrettes and in uncooked tomato sauces.

All you need to do is place cleaned sprigs of herb into bottles of vinegar. Let them age for about two weeks, at room temperature, then use. I plan to give some as gifts, but right now we are enjoying the blends. One is basil and oregano, the other is lemon basil. More will come. I am buying more vinegar today. Just use a mild vinegar so the flavor will stand out. I experimented with a plain white, and the flavor is a bit too tart. My favorite is the rice vinegar in the small bottle. Just be sure to get the unseasoned or you will be getting sugar.

I have been blending my vinaigrettes with MCT (medium chain triglyceride) oil for the added health benefits, but any oil will do. Just use flavored vinegars in the ratio of vinegar to oil that you prefer. Try leaving the additional seasonings out until you taste the herbal flavor. Then adjust for more garlic or salt and pepper. I use chalk marker on my bottles, so I can change the label when it is empty. The chalk will wash off with water, but stays on while using.

If you have fresh herbs, give this a try. It is too easy. I plan on making some tarragon vinegar later today.

Spicy Kabobs with Cajun Ketchup

2011-07-17T16:46:00.000-05:00

To get our Triple Play Meals in today, my hubby fired up the grill and made several meals worth of charcoal good entrees. We had chicken, pork and burger patties today. I appreciated the help from him, since I managed to injure my arm last week. I am not supposed to be active with that arm. Not so easy to leave the right arm hanging and get much of anything done. Not to mention, I shouldn't be trusted wielding a sharp knife with codeine in my system!

These chicken kabobs were lunch. So simple, but really packed with flavor. I used Paula Deen's Cajun seasoning, since I ran out of my own mix a few weeks ago. I happened to have this 20% off coupon for Big Lots today, and picked up a jar today. It is really good...and what? Something from Paula with no butter or sugar? Just the good stuff. After I tasted that, I decided to make a Cajun Ketchup to go with it.

Cajun Ketchup is really spicy, and would make a great dipping sauce in place of cocktail sauces or regular ketchup. I made mine the super simple way--with prepared low carb ketchup, but you can easily sub your own ketchup recipe. Beware. A little goes a long way!

Cajun Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup
1 teaspoon Paula Deen's Cajun Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Tabasco Sauce

Mix everything together in a small bowl and let the flavors blend thirty minutes. Serves 2-3.

Notice the paper plates? I am trying to avoid washing dishes with this arm too. These great wicker paper plate holders were a Goodwill find. I really like the way they sturdy a paper plate, but they were so much bigger than the standard white paper plate. This morning at Big Lots, I found these blue party plates which are bigger. They are just the right size, but far more expensive. My solution is to double layer them. We should be able to get a few meals out of each blue plate as long as we are using a white one on top. That keeps me thrifty while my shoulder heals up.

Mojito Marinated Tilapia

2011-07-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

We are not huge fish eaters. In this heat, though, something that works in the microwave is great. I came up with this idea today, and really liked it. I have a nice supply of mint growing in my herb garden, and I love lime. Not much of a drinker either...I've only tasted a real Mojito once, but I do happen to have some rum flavoring in the cupboard...

Mojito Marinated Tilapia for Two

2 Tilapia fillets
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons water
1 packet stevia
1/2 teaspoon rum flavoring
Optional: Lime salt, aka beer salt

In a bullet blender, add mint leaves, juice, water, stevia and rum flavoring. Blend well. Marinate the fish fillets in this mixture for an hour or more. Place fish on a microwave safe dish. Pour marinade over the fillets. Cover with waxed paper or microwave safe plastic wrap. Cook 1 1/2 minutes on a high setting. Turn fish and cook another 1 1/2-2 minutes until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with lime salt for extra zing.

For lunch, I served this with a salad. If you are headed off to the job, you could pack a frozen fillet with the marinade, then cook in the office microwave. It is that easy. If you don't like microwaves, just place it in foil in the toaster oven and bake about 15-20 minutes. This is so light and low cal, it is the perfect lunch when you are planning for a bigger dinner.

Sparkling Lemonade

2011-07-10T18:24:00.000-05:00

It really truly is 108 degrees at my house today. It is really hard to like summer when the entire forecast for the next 8 days is filled with triple digit heat. I get really cranky when I am hot. This was my little treat for this afternoon. Cool and sugarfree, yet fancy and delicious. I used my Ninja blender to make 4 tall servings.

Sparkling Lemonade

4 cups ice
1 packet unsweetened lemonade powder
4 Tablespoons Zsweet
water to bring the mixture up to the 4 cup line in the blender
12 ounces diet lemon lime soda

Add the ice to the blender. Sprinkle in the drink mix and sweetener. Add cold water to fill the blender up to the 4 cup mark. Process until slushy. Immediately pour in the diet soda. Stir with a spoon and serve.

I have a soda machine, so my diet sodas are sweetened with sucralose. I am still working on making a syrup base with Zsweet or stevia, but I am not quite satisfied yet. You can use any lemon lime soda if you aren't avoiding aspartame. This is really extra lemony. If you like it with a little less WOW, it would be light and refreshing with club soda too. I, however, vote for the super lemon flavor!

I have been a devotee of lemon soda since my tour of Europe in high school. I spent the month there drinking lemon Schweppe's and always wished I could get it here as easily. This is really similar and I love it! Besides this, we have been doing a lot of grilling to avoid heating the house. That and lots of salads like I featured in the July Newsletter. How are you staying cool?

Smoked Paprika Chicken Burgers and Freezing Ground Meats

2011-07-06T20:35:00.000-05:00

Today was chicken prep day. These smokey burgers were one of several chicken dishes I made. I love chicken burgers--especially in the summer time. I grind my own chicken in my Ninja food processor. It makes light work of it. With the milder flavor of chicken over beef, the seasonings stand out so much more in chicken burgers. Once they are all browned, I pop the patties into individual plastic bags and freeze them. That makes it so handy for quick meals. Just add a salad or veggie and you are ready to eat.

I have used a very pricey smoked paprika before. It was so expensive, that I was a little shy to use it. The other day, however, I found a bottle in the Mexican food section of one of my favorite grocery stores. At just over $2 for a 2 ounce bottle, I grabbed it fast. I have to admit this is better than my teeny tiny bottle that cost over $4....and yum. It has a much more pronounced flavor. Win. Win.

Smoked Paprika Chicken Burgers

1 pound ground chicken
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Wright's liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon salt

Grind trimmed chicken breast in a food processor. Add seasonings and process to combine well. Using a large spoon, scoop the chicken mixture onto a hot oiled griddle. Use the spoon to press the chicken into a patty shape of uniform thickness. Brown on both sides until chicken is cooked through.

I haven't served these up yet today. We ate the chicken chili I also made with ground chicken. We will have them tomorrow. The most delicious way to serve them would be topped with a grilled red pepper and a dollop of sour cream. Doesn't that make you mouth water?

Just a hint if you want to try grinding your own chicken. I always process a huge batch at once. It is not so bad when you only have to clean the food processor and cutting boards one time. I usually add a different seasoning blend to each pound or pound and a half of chicken. That way, we still have a lot of variety, and it isn't any more trouble.

If you don't have time to pre-cook, here are some more pointers. Take a ziploc bag and place a serving size blob of chicken inside. Use your hands to squeeze out the air. Then use your fingers, a can, or if you want to be a Martha, a real rolling pin to squish the meat flat and thin. Freeze those bags. When it is time to cook, the thin meat will thaw very quickly, and can even go directly in a contact grill or skillet. If you are feeding a larger family, use this same idea to press meat into a gallon size bag. With just a little thawing, it will go into the skillet and cook up in no time. After pressing the ground meat thin in the bag, I use a skewer to score the pressed meat into fourths to make for even easier handling. If you score the raw meat, you can break it into halves or fourths after freezing. That way, you could choose to use only part of the package and return it to the freezer. Or, by breaking it apart, fit it easily into a skillet. Flat disks store easier in the freezer too.

Orange Mint Iced Tea

2011-07-05T20:33:00.000-05:00

Sooo very hot here. This kind of iced tea hits the spot though. When I was out with my family for a holiday dinner, I ordered an unsweetened flavored iced tea. I liked it, and decided to make my own at home. Normally, one just uses a flavored tea, brews it up and pours it over ice. That is fine, but I wanted more flavor. At the grocery the other day, I found this box of Twining's Orange Bliss tea on sale for just 50 cents. Of course it went into my cart. I tried it brewed then iced, but then, thinking about the tea from Logan's, I started in with a little kitchen chemistry.

I have this wonderful little electric tea pot that I use all the time. It heats the water really quickly and doesn't take too much room on the counter. It will make a quart of tea in no time, much faster than waiting for the kettle to boil on the stove. I used a quart canning jar to steep four bags of the orange tea with one peppermint tea. Once the tea bags were out, I added the sweetener. This time, I used 3 Tablespoons of ZSweet granular. It dissolves very easily in the hot liquid. Although I am generally an unsweetened tea drinker, I can remember watching others stir and stir, trying to dissolve sugar into iced tea, only to be left with gritty white residue in the bottom of the glass. Since I am the dishwasher in the house, I knew I didn't want that! Drink snobs will tell you to make a simple syrup to blend sugar into cold drinks. I could do that, but instead, I just sweetened it while still hot. Clever--or lazy--me.

To up the flavor even more, I added two packets of True Orange. What an amazing difference that made! This is a concentration intended to be diluted a bit. I like about 3 parts tea to 1 part water. If it is still hot.most of that will be in the melting ice. But it is good to place the lid back on the canning jar and keep the remainder in the fridge. My hubby refuses any sweetened tea, but I actually got one of my boys to sample and like it. Maybe his tastes are maturing. This is definitely a step up from orange Koolaid! Maybe it was that little spring of fresh mint that made all the difference....or not.

Salad Sundae

2011-07-01T15:15:00.000-05:00

When it is hot I like salads. Sure, I like ice cream sundaes too---but seldom for lunch.

We have this cut little sandwich shop here in Tulsa town that serves scoops of salads like a triple dip sundae. I love the idea, even though I can't eat their salads. It is hard to find a good low carb salad out there that doesn't have sugars or illegal fruits added. So, as usual, I made my own. This month's newsletter has a number of recipes that would be excellent for scooping. This one happens to have minted cottage cheese, Egg Salad with Tarragon, and Chicken and Blueberry Salad. Here on the blog, I will share my favorite--the blueberry one. For the others, and lots of other great salad recipes, be sure to order the Diner newsletter.

Chicken and Blueberry Salad

2 poached chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 packets stevia

1/2 tsp lemon juice

4 ounces blueberries

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Poach chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Cool. Stir together yogurt, vinegar and sweetener. Pour over chicken and stir. to coat. Add blueberries and pecans, stirring gently.

This salad is wonderful. I always like the sweetened fruity chicken salads, but had never thought of replacing the grapes in my old recipe with blueberries. The taste is fresh and fruity, with a light sweetness and a touch of lemon. Definitely worthy of a nice presentation.

I like the three scoops idea served in a sundae dish. I found my dish at Goodwill for 50 cents. A plate lined with greens would do just as well. Just like three scoops of ice cream, it is fun to bounce between the flavors. The sweet blueberry, the creamy cottage cheese and the sophistication of the tarragon. Mmm. Try it with your favorites. Preparing several different salads to sample is a terrific idea for parties and family get togethers. Let me know what you serve if you try it.

Dueling Peppers Chicken

2011-06-30T22:33:00.000-05:00

My oldest son tells me they put green chile peppers on most everything in New Mexico. They ought to like this dish then. My son's girlfriend is from Albuquerque, and while she loves green chiles, she does not do jalapeno peppers. For me, I would have had an all out battle with all sorts of peppers in this sauce, but since it is just the two, it must be a duel. Add more heat if you want, but that might hide the green chile flavor.

The sauce is flavorful, but not spicy hot. The cream cheese and green chile powder blend so well. Good stuff--and quick. One of the musts for hot summer weather! This goes together really fast if you have chicken cubes thawed. With all the painting and room changing we have been doing, I didn't do any prep work last weekend. I need to restock the freezer there. I bought a lot of chicken at the grocery this week, so I will get to that soon. It sure helps in the summer. But for tonight's dish, the chicken was poached from fresh. Add some cooked rice if you are serving carbies.

Dueling Peppers Chicken

1 1/2- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 sliced green bell pepper
8 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons green chile powder (or use a can of diced chiles)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

Poach the breasts and pepper slices in the broth in a covered skillet. ( If using chicken cubes, simmer the chicken in the broth to heat and cook the bell pepper) Remove chicken from pan and cut into thick slices. While cutting the chicken, place cream cheese into the skillet to melt. Add chile powder and stir the sauce to incorporate. To thicken sauce, put xanthan gum in a salt shaker and sprinkle over the sauce, stirring as you sprinkle.

This sauce would be great with diced green chile peppers as well. I special ordered the powder from New Mexico, but it is a little hard to find. I recommend buying the really large cans of green chile peppers, and then freezing them in ice cube trays. That makes it really easy to use and is so much cheaper than buying those little cans!

I am busy getting the newsletter ready to mail out tomorrow. With all this heat, it features many new salad recipes. I have been researching all month, trying to find some new ideas to make cold salads a feature on our summer menu. If you would like my recipes, be sure to order the newsletter from the website. I even have a great new kitchen gadget that is going to make it easy to have fresh, crisp salads everyday for over a week. It really works and is really easy too.

Layers of Lemon Dessert and Z- Sweet

2011-06-26T23:20:00.006-05:00

Citrus lovers need to get ready for a tastebud roller coaster ride! I made the first attempt at this recipe last week, but found the time to perfect it today. It is a fabulous summer dessert. No heating up the oven--that is a winning idea. Even better is the contrast between the creamy white layers and the eye opening tartness of the lemon curd. Because this dessert is made with creamed cottage cheese, it offers a good protein boost too.

When the nice folks over at Z-Sweet offered free samples on their Facebook page, I jumped at the chance. When I explained about my blog, they sent all three of their products for me to review. I admit that I am sold. Before trying ZSweet, when I used erythritol, I had to play around with combinations of stevia and other sweeteners. I depended on the dish, but erythritol generally needs a boost from another sweetener. So far, though I love the blend available in this product. They have added stevia to the erythritol for me. I have been able to substitute cup per cup without tasting to check the sweetening power. And don't you just hate tasting the finished product to find that is is not sweet enough?

This week, I have been busy. We are redoing one room for an extra bedroom for my number two son. It is just too hot to sleep in our gameroom, and he and his older brother seem to not like the idea of sharing a room any longer. Just that college boy independence. So, we have been throwing away old stuff, and painting, decorating, cleaning, organizing and such. Pearson chose a chocolate brown paint, so I have been craving chocolate since every brushfull of paint looked like melted dipping chocolate. I think we will forever call it the chocolate room now. So-- that is what I have been doing instead of inventing new recipes. My freezer meals and crock pot dinners have been very handy! I have enjoyed the packets of ZSweet in my coffee. It is good both hot and iced. I have made blueberry brownies, and they were tasty...recipe later. I accidentally added an extra scoop of coconut flour to that one and made them a bit too dry. It is so hot here, I have not summoned the courage to turn on my leaky old oven to try out that recipe again since. And despite some early problems with the first recipe for this lemon dessert, I now have the formula! No oven required!

The only problem is something that is common to all erythritol products I have ever tried. Crystalization. It seems to take a chemist to overcome gritty desserts. In some recipes, the granular formula is fine. It was great in the creamy cottage cheese layer of this dessert. For some applications, making a simple syrup with water and erythritol does the trick. I tried this with another brand for the chocolate coating for my Cheesecake Dibs and it worked fine. I have been experimenting with some simple syrups with ZSweet, but I am not sure if they are necessary. The trick I found to making a smooth lemon curd for this recipe is to use the ZSweet Powdered version. It blended easily into the egg yolk. The crystal version did not blend as well, despite to heat applied in making the lemon curd. Although it did blend, it recrystallized upon chilling. I tasted great, and we still ate it all, but the texture was wrong. That is why I needed to make this recipe again. With the powdered sweetener, it is perfect. My lemon curd stayed smooth and glossy.

Layers of Lemon

White Layer:
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
3 Tablespoons ZSweet granular
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest, divided use
Lemon Curd:
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup Powdered ZSweet
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons butter

Begin by making the white layer. In a food processor, or bowl with an immersion blender, process cottage cheese until smooth. Add the sweetener and lemon juice and process again until creamy and smooth. Stir in one teaspoon of lemon zest. Chill this mixture while making the lemon curd layer.

To make the lemon curd, or yellow layer, Set up a double boiler, and begin to simmer the water on the stove. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Set the whites aside for another use. In the top unit of the double boiler, or in a separate heatproof bowl, combine the yolks with the powdered sweetener, mixing until well incorporated and free of lumps. Add the lemon juice and stir until the mixture is smooth. Place the bowl over the simmering water, stirring continuously. Heat and stir until the egg mixture thickens well enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat immediately and stir in the butter. Let the lemon curd cool to room temperature, then chill.

When ready to serve, choose 4 small dessert dishes, or 6-8 cordial glasses for dessert shots. The glass in the photo is sized for a votive candle. Begin with the white cheese mixture, then layer lemon curd. Repeat the layering procedure until all cups are filled. Top each with a sprinkling of fresh lemon zest.

If you don't want to cream the cottage cheese, you can substitute ricotta cheese instead. This is the perfect sweetness for me, but your mileage may vary, so feel free to substitute. I love the contrast between the super charged sweet and tart flavors in the curd and the ultra creamy cheese layer, only lightly sweetened and lemony. It is very rich and a little will go a long way! Unless you do like I did, and grab a spoonful every time you cruise by the fridge...This recipe serves four at 141 calories, and 4 carbs. Be looking for more recipes from me using ZSweet. Since it is 0 carb, 0 calorie, it makes low carb living easy. Check it out at http://www.zsweet.com

This is one of the recipes included in my new cookbook project, Low Carbing Among Friends.

Low Carbing Among Friends also features recipes from numerous other talented low carbing friends and recommendations from the medical community who recognize the health benefits of low carb, gluten free living. To preorder your copy, visit http://www.amongfriends.us The official release date is 11/11/11, so pre-order now for a discount.

Coconut Apricot Chicken

2011-06-20T21:30:00.001-05:00

Sweet and savory combos have always been my favorite. If you like fruity sauces, you are gonna love this one. All my guys did. Serving it to carby boys, I just added some rice.

I purchased some sugarfree apricot jam to make the basting sauce shared by my friend Bridget over on Sweet Enough Personal Chef. We loved the flavors in that baste, so I figured I could do more. I had seen some similar recipes several places on line. All those recipes use sugary jams and flour to fry the chicken, so I did some adaptations to suit our low carb lifestyle. Personally, I think my version is better--easier and healthier too.

Coconut Apricot Chicken

This is one of the recipes included in my new cookbook project, Low Carbing Among Friends.

This recipe is available in the book, along with over 60 additional 24/7 Low Carb Diner recipes. By ordering the book, you get more than 300 favorite gluten free recipes from four other well known low carb cooking experts…Jennifer Eloff of Splendid Low Carbing cookbook fame, Kent Altena, the Atkins Diet Geek and You Tube star, nutritionist and author Maria Emmerich of Maria’s Nutritious and Delicious Journal, and popular blogger and food stylist, Carolyn Ketchum of All Day I Dream About Food. Unlike any other cookbook you may own, this one is a compilation of mini cookbooks featuring the talents of these well known low carbers. Think of it as a “best of” project.
Low Carbing Among Friends also features recipes from numerous other talented low carbing friends and recommendations from the medical community who recognize the health benefits of low carb, gluten free living. To preorder your copy, visit http://www.amongfriends.us The official release date is 11/11/11, so pre-order now for a discount.

I did the nutritional analysis. In Mastercook, for 5 servings, I get 210 calories per serving with a net carb of 4 grams. French cut green beans on the side for us, no rice. Delicious stuff.

I am busy working up some fancy desserts. I nudged my way in the door at Z-Sweet and got them to send me some samples of their sweeteners. I am impressed so far, but I am still working out a way to get rid of the crystallization you get with erythritol. I heated a lemon curd, but it recrystallized as it cooled. Still a work in progress, but be watching for some good stuff really soon! Now back to the kitchen. The lemons are calling.

Coconut Almond Black and Whites

2011-06-16T15:24:00.003-05:00

I do love contrast--both in color and flavor. I think these black and white treats are really awesome! Very rich and wonderful right out of the freezer. Being based on coconut oil, they will melt in your fingers a bit, especially in the summer heat, so be sure to keep them cold! They are really pretty though, and look great on the stand I just made out of burner covers from the Dollar Tree. (Yep, it is summer and I have time to indulge the crafter in me)

Coconut Almond Black and Whites

This is one of the recipes included in my new cookbook project, Low Carbing Among Friends.

This recipe is available in the book, along with over 60 additional 24/7 Low Carb Diner recipes. By ordering the book, you get more than 300 favorite gluten free recipes from four other well known low carb cooking experts…Jennifer Eloff of Splendid Low Carbing cookbook fame, Kent Altena, the Atkins Diet Geek and You Tube star, nutritionist and author Maria Emmerich of Maria’s Nutritious and Delicious Journal, and popular blogger and food stylist, Carolyn Ketchum of All Day I Dream About Food. Unlike any other cookbook you may own, this one is a compilation of mini cookbooks featuring the talents of these well known low carbers. Think of it as a “best of” project.
Low Carbing Among Friends also features recipes from numerous other talented low carbing friends and recommendations from the medical community who recognize the health benefits of low carb, gluten free living. To preorder your copy, visit http://www.amongfriends.us The official release date is 11/11/11, so pre-order now for a discount.

24 ought to be enough to satisfy a sweet tooth for quite a while! I don't have to think about dinner tonight because we have buy one get one free salads at our favorite pizza place. What to do with all the extra time--except to make these of course!

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

2011-06-13T13:00:00.003-05:00

This is just the fix for a very hot, very frustrated hubby. I made this for my darling after he spent the afternoon working on the van. ( I think I mentioned our vehicle challenges yesterday) He liked it--full of rich chocolate and coconut flavors. Kinda like a Mounds bar...but cold. That is extra nice considering that he was toiling in 97 degree heat. This time, I added some delicious coconut oil chocolate chips. They remind me of the tiny little chocolate pieces in the chocolate chip ice cream I always ordered as a child. In fact, they are so small, you can't even see them in the photo. But take a bite, and you will know they are there. They add the perfect contrast in texture. They almost crisp on the tongue, and give an intense burst of chocolate coconut flavor. That coconut taste will come through if you choose an unrefined coconut oil. The refined type will not carry that coconut flavor, but would work well if chocolate is the star. You can make tiny chunks like I did, or let the chocolate chill in a bowl to create thicker, larger chunks. This time, I just wanted small, flake like chips like I remember.

Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream

1 can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup sweetener ( I used a combination, as I always do with chocolate, it eases the bitter tendencies)
4 egg yolks
Chips:
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 packet sweetener

Whisk or blend the xanthan gum into the coconut milk. Stir in the cocoa powder and sweetener. Adjust the sweetener to your preferences, remembering that it will taste less sweet once frozen. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks. Stir them into the ice cream mixture until well incorporated. Transfer this mixture into an ice cream freezer and process until it reaches a soft serve consistency.

While the ice cream is processing, make the chips to add in. Melt the coconut oil in a small bowl. Combine the cocoa powder, coconut oil and sweetener. Pour onto parchment or a silicon mat. Freeze. When fully frozen, break into small chunks and keep cold.

When ice cream reaches the soft serve stage, add in the chocolate chunks and stir in. You may enjoy it at this stage, or transfer it to another container and freeze until it is firm enough to be scooped. This took about an hour in my freezer.

What a great treat in this heat. I am so glad I picked up a Cuisinart Ice Cream maker at Goodwill. No cranking anymore for me. I waiting until today to post so I can report on how this recipe performs once the ice cream is frozen overnight. I still love it. After removing it from the freezer, I popped it into the microwave for thirty seconds, and that did the trick. Perfect consistency again. Maybe the egg yolks help. I might try it again without for those who are leary of uncooked egg. Perhaps I will make another batch without the chips to make frozen fudgesicles. That will make summer better!

The Mac Attack Burger

2011-06-12T15:41:00.001-05:00

The hubs grilled out today. Love that man! He knows I am in a bad mood and wanted to give me a break in the kitchen. Not that he shouldn't be in a bad mood too. My car broke down for the third time in two weeks. All three different problems too. No wonder I am a grouch. We just paid the repair bill of over $500, and that was with the work done at a discount...if not free. (It is good to have friends, yes?) This time, it is still road worthy, but ummm... I will have to be desperate to get somewhere. The air conditioning went out. That is bad news during summers in Oklahoma. Worse, two of the windows do not roll down. That is just downright mean, and brings us to a family with 5 vehicles, none of which have working air. I tease my hubby that he is road rage man, but if I have to drive in a 130 degree car, I am betting I would become road rage woman in no time! Yes, we do make a habit of driving clunkers. Getting out of debt is more important than having a good car! Sometimes, it is no fun, though. I am thinking this will be my summer of being a hermit. Good news is, I will have more time in the kitchen. Bad news is, I may never have groceries.

So on to the comfort food. The guilty pleasure of a McDonald's Big Mac. The taste is all there. Now if you are having a Mac Attack too, and don't have any secret sauce, here it is. Guiltfree.

Mac Attack Sauce

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 teaspoon low sugar ketchup
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 packet sweetener

Stir it all together and spoon it over a burger.

I ate my double patties over lettuce, and added cheese slices, sliced onion and some bacon crumbles. Better than the real thing.

Pepperoni Cups

2011-06-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

Another quick What's for Breakfast solution. I used the extra large pepperoni (I get mine at Dollar Tree). Just line a muffin cup with the pepperoni. I use one egg per two cups. Today I stirred in some pesto, black olives and a bit of cheese. Cured a pizza craving! Baked them up and topped with a little more cheese. I do love cheese. I like mushrooms in there too, but the fridge was bare today.

These are fun. I have always liked eating breakfast with my fingers! Of course, they are good for snacks, lunch or even a dinner with a nice salad.

Fried Chicken

2011-06-08T16:54:00.000-05:00

Take 2. I am still trying to update my blog, but I seem to have managed to delete half of my last entry. Yesterday I wrote about two plain meals and how hard it is to get seen out there on the blogosphere. Today I loaded the new editor, tried to upload a new photo, had problems with my computer, and managed to lose half that blog...probably just as well, as I was just whining anyway! Thanks to those of you who commented with support. Those messages did make me feel better. Just don't stop commenting, you here?

I actually was just trying to add this photo. So I will put it here anyway. Some on Facebook had asked how I fried the chicken, so I will give you my method for this dinner. I know I have put some similar recipes in the newsletter, but I can't recall which one right now. I get hand me down computers from my kids, and I have Diner newsletters stored on three different machines. Real life again. The kids call my laptop "ghetto" if that explains anything.

Easy Fried Chicken Nuggets
(NOT a recipe just a method)

Chicken Breast, cut in chunks
mustard to coat
a sprinkle of paprika, salt and pepper
Coconut flour to coat

First I coat the chicken with mustard and sprinkle it with spices. Then stir in several tablespoons of coconut flour to coat. Fry in coconut oil.

Really that is all. I have a deep fryer, but these were just the skillet version. While I was frying them, hubby came home and dropped a double 18 pack of eggs in the floor. Needless to say, I made an extra large batch of pancakes last night too. And having an egg loving Schnoodle helped clean the egg goo from the floor. Yep, that is real life. But it was nice to have maple brown sugar coconut flour pancakes already to go for breakfast this morning!

Still working on the invisible thing. I'll let you know if I figure it out. Until then, be sure to send your friends over here. I do love company.