Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Funny I had never tried this before. Fellow Diner, Complex, asked if I had a recipe. Sadly, not. Never even thought about that one. Once, I had a recipe for cheesy chowder with hot dogs, but not a cheeseburger. Always up for such a challenge, I scoured the internet for this secret everyone else seemed to be in on. Found an entire web page devoted to such. Who knew?

Not to be outdone, I started planning. Of course, no potatoes in ours. Every recipe seemed to have those. Then I read one review that said Cheeseburger Soup ought to taste like a cheeseburger, not celery and potatoes. Come to think of it, I never have been served a hamburger topped with celery. So, I decide to make a soup that really did contain the mouth watering tastes that come on a real cheeseburger.

The guys loved it, and it is really simple.

Cheeseburger Soup Low Carb

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.

Peanut Butter Shake

I finally found something the hubby likes made with the PB2 powdered peanut butter. The standard low carb protein shake is great with a couple of tablespoons of this powder added. Very rich. It tastes just like the peanut butter milkshakes we used to order at the little hamburger/malt shop near my home. I never could get through an entire malt in those days. My sweet tooth is not so strong. In fact, having just finished my shake, I need to run get something savory. I am just weird like that.

These are very filling. The PB2 adds 53 calories and about 3 net carbs to the shake. It is worth the extra carb for the flavor; as the DaVinci peanut butter flavored syrup I had tried before is just too disappointing. To me, that tastes like chemicals. This is good.

Here's my recipe:

Peanut Butter Shake

1 cup water
1/2 cup crushed ice
2 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I found a good deal on the GNC brand, and I like it)
1/8 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 Tablespoons PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter
sweetener to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

I added some of the peanut butter powder to my home made yogurt. I really liked it, but hubby said he got tired of it too quickly. I will be trying more recipes with it soon. I think it is a really cool product. My niece who counts calories and fat may really like this one.

Beef with Mushroom Gravy and Good Intentions

Just so happens that those among us who despise the mushroom are away at college. Despite having dissected one for biology class, my youngest still has the will to partake. Found a good price last week, so tonight's entree is Beef with Mushroom Gravy. I had every good intention to make a batch of Mega Meatballs tonight. The plan is to eat one meal, and freeze the rest in meal size portions. I think my brain must still be clogged with mucus, because I forgot to thaw the meat in time. The center was still too hard, so one night's meal is all I managed.

I do have a plan, however. I have a request for Cheeseburger Soup. Nope, never tried that before, but I love a challenge. I think I will use the rest of the ground chuck to come up with a recipe for that. I already have a secret ingredient in mind. So come back later and see what I came up with.

Until then, tonight's meal. John loved the gravy. I thought everything needed more salt, but then, I guess my cloggy nose got last night's meal a bit too salty for him, so I took it easy. I have always liked my food saltier than he does. The gravy is very light--not in calories as there is plenty of fat--but somehow it is fluffy. Must be the xanthan gum. I used the bullet blender and it got mixed in very well. That must do the trick. Very yummy stuff. If you are in a hurry, and don't have the ground beef ready, it would be fine to grill up some frozen patties on the George and serve the gravy on those.

Beef with Mushroom Gravy

2 pounds ground chuck
2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound sliced mushrooms
1/4 small onion, sliced
1 cup water
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons cooking sherry
1/2 teaspoon marjoram or dried parsley
pinch of onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ground beef with onion flakes and pepper. Form into 8 patties. Brown the meat in a skillet until almost, but not quite cooked through. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Pour off all but a few tablespoons of the beef fat. Add the mushroom and onion slices. Saute until just tender. While the vegetables are softening, combine one cup hot water, two bouillon cubes and the xanthan gum in a blender. Process until thickened. Pout this mixture over the mushrooms. Add sherry, herbs and onion powder. Heat until the alcohol has time to evaporate. Stir in heavy cream and blend well until heated through. Return the beef to the skillet until everything is serving temperature. This will serve 8 at about 4 carbs each, or a hungry man with two patties at 8 carbs.

I made some steamed broccoli for the side. We still had some Herbed Popovers left too, and they reheated very well in the toaster oven. I am really happy that these keep at least three days. That way, we can easily add a popover to another meal with absolutely no fuss.

My big boy called from college, and still needs more diabetics to take his survey, so if you happen to be a type two, or know a type two, please help him out. Here is the link again.

Philly Steak Supper

This is a quick and easy way to change up some roast beef. Just add the awesome flavors of grilled peppers and onions and slap on some American cheese. Maybe not completely authentic, but delicious anyway.

There are two ways of making this a super fast meal. Number one way is to use leftover roast beef in a Triple Play meal. This is less likely to give you thin slices like they use in Philadelphia, but hey, we are losing the bun too, so why try so hard? I did use some of last night's roast in this dish. It was so fatty, that I found it hard to slice, and resorted to my Freezer Favorites. I think I will have to pick the fat out, and use the rest as Smokey Beef Spread. That is in the Triple Play section with the brisket recipes.

Speaking of Freezer Favorites, I did happen to have some frozen steak strips. These were marinated in some steak sauce already, so I didn't need to add the usual garlic and spices to the beef. I can buy my steak slices in quantity at our dock sales, but you could easily cook up a round steak or two and slice them up for nearly instant meals. I have been known to make stir fry dishes, casseroles, stews and even chili with precooked and frozen steak.

For this meal, all I had to do was slice up the pepper and half of an onion. After they softened a bit, I threw in the steak and roast beef. When it was done, I dished it up and placed some cheese strips on the top to melt in. My plate was last and didn't quite get fully melted before I took the photo. You get the idea, though. For my carby boy, I added some rice. The leftover rice will go into a freezer bag for another day when he needs it. Always save labor when you can!

Herbed Popovers with Coconut Master Mix

We had roast and root veggies for dinner tonight. The roasts were inexpensive last week. Good thing, it was quite fatty. I added some veggies to the crockpot to serve alongside. I added one potato for my carby boy. I thought leaving the red skin on would make it simple to tell which veggie was which at the end. I added a rutabaga, onion, and a package of radishes as well. It was still hard to pull the potatoes out without plopping them on my plate. Potatoes are one of those foods I miss. The radishes just didn't do it for me. Edible, but that is about all.

I did make some lovely cheese and herb popovers, for lack of a better term. No these aren't exactly popovers, but they were nice as a dinner roll substitute, and very easy to put together. Because I am experimenting with the Master Mix (recipe in the previous blog entry), I wanted to just play in the kitchen with no recipe at all. After eye-balling the batter, I baked them in mini muffin cups. They rose nicely and had a fluffy texture. Wish the roast had turned out as well.

You could play around with the cheese and herb combination. I couldn't taste the coconut or the egg at all. By using protein powder in the mix, you don't have to use as many eggs as you need with coconut flour alone. Jack cheese was very mild. I think it would be awesome to add some really flavorful cheese, such as feta, as well. Just a tablespoon or two, not to replace the Jack or Cheddar.

I think I might try a batch in a regular muffin tin. The bigger popovers just might make excellent mini buns for burgers or sandwiches. That would be fun in my Bento lunches. Oh the possibilities.

Herbed Cheese Popovers

1/2 cup Coconut Master Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded mild cheese
1/4 scant cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon herb or herb blend

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into greased mini muffin cups and bake at 400 until puffed and golden brown.

Simple, so simple. Especially when the master mix is already waiting. Just another idea to get us through the dinner rush without reaching for the Wonder bread.

Rettakat's Coconut Flour Buns

My online friend and fellow Diner, Rettakat, asked for a bun recipe made with coconut flour. Well, my order from Netrition finally came in, but then we promptly got the mother of all cold viruses. I have been operating on a slower tempo the last few days, constantly stopping to sneeze, cough or wipe my nose. When my nose was literally dripping on my computer keyboard, I decided the blog could wait. Too much information, I know. But hey, at least it is not H1N1, and you can't catch it from me online!

Now back to these buns. I tried the master baking mix yesterday with coconut flour. Amazing! I like these better than the soy batch. The master mix is guess work. I just looked at all of my coconut flour recipes and "guestimated." I have only tried the buns so far, but I will keep you posted on other adaptations to use with the master mix.

Coconut Flour Master Mix

1 cup unflavored whey protein powder
2/3 cup coconut flour (Aloha Nu)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Blend everything together and store in an airtight jar or bag.

With this mix, I made the best buns using my muffin top pan. This is a really useful gadget. I used a Bed Bath and Beyond coupon to get mine. They didn't carry it in the store, but ordered it for me and even shipped it to my house for free.

These buns are lighter textured than the soy buns. They take on the flavor of the seasonings, so add what you like. We ate ours as hamburger buns last night. Pretty darn good. Because Rettakat can't eat soy, I hurried up and made these. Wish she lived close enough to drop them by her house. (maybe not, I'd probably share this cold virus too) But I can name them after her, and think about her every time I make them. You might want to read her inspirational blog too.

Rettakat's Coconut Buns

3 ounces cream cheese
3 eggs
1/2 cup Coconut Master Mix
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Beat cream cheese and eggs well. Stir in parmesan, onion and garlic. Add coconut flour and mix well. Let the batter rest for five minutes. Spoon into greased muffin top pan. Bake at 350 until golden brown. Makes 6 buns.

Like the soy buns, these probably spoil rather quickly, so store them in the fridge or freezer. I then heat them up again in the toaster oven.

Another Diner, Kathy, made buns using gluten free garbanzo/fava bean flour. Can't say I have ever tried that, but it sounds interesting. Low carb is nothing if not an adventure into thinking outside the box!

Suprise Bento Lunch

For this bento lunch, I had planned the Deli Delights. The rest was just a surprise from the goodies I keep on hand. My favorite new thing is the cheese crisps. That is the find from the grocery store last weekend. Usually, I make my cheese crisps from the American/Swiss cheese we buy at Sam's. But I saw this processed cheese at the grocery store and John told me to go ahead and try it. We both knew he wouldn't like it and because it is CHIPOTLE flavored.

Oh my heavens these are good. For a girl who really misses her Doritos, this does the trick. In the past, I had tried adding a jalapeno to the microwave baked treats, but the pepper always made the cheese stay wet and leathery. These, however, are crispy through and though. Even better, they take only 45 seconds in the microwave oven to have a batch ready. I cut each slice into 16 pieces, so I get lots of little crisps. Warning. These are spicy and these are addictive.

Each slice has one carb and 60 calories. The brand just seems to be called Chipotle Pasturized Processed Cheese Food Slices. The real sign is on there. I got mine at Food Pyramid.

Now on to the rest of the lunch I have packed. I found these fun skewers at the dollar shop. They make deli roll ups feel like a party. Those are just ham wrapped around pickle spears and string cheese. Red bell pepper and olives are on the kabob too.

I also packed some home made vanilla butter nut yogurt. Too good to believe. There is a brownie made with the master mix I made last weekend. Next to the cheese crisps are some leftover green beans sprinkled with lemon pepper.

That is better than a Lunchable any day!