Gobble it Up! Enchilada Soup

Still got some leftover turkey? Me too! Love it. Today, I am off for a day of shopping and a movie with my guys and my mom. I made this yummy soup this morning while I was cooking breakfast for all. It always helps to use your time wisely in the kitchen, and double up when you can. With all the Mexican Spices in this recipe, the soup does not taste at all like Thanksgiving leftovers. It is smokey, spicy and cheesy and so good.

Gobble it Up! Enchilada Soup

2 cups cooked turkey, cubed or shredded
2 14 ounce cans chicken broth
1 14 ounce jar enchilada sauce (mine has 2 carbs per quarter cup)
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 bell pepper
1/4 onion
4 ounce can green chiles
1 cup black beans or black soy beans
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon Chipotle pepper powder
1 squirt lime juice
4 ounces cream cheese

Dice or shred turkey and chop all the vegetables. Make sure the cauliflower is finely diced, so it will resemble rice. Put all ingredients except cream cheese into a large pot to simmer for an hour. Add the cream cheese, allowing it to melt into the soup base. Add hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Serves 6 at about 10-11 carbs each using black beans. Soy beans would reduce the carb count further.

This is a yummy soup for all. The carby boys will likely prefer their soup with some crushed tortilla chips, and topped with some shredded cheese, but with all this flavor, who really needs the chips?

Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce with Smoked Turkey

I love leftovers. We made two turkeys this year just so I would be sure to have extra for easy meals for a few days. It is certainly a busy few days. What with Thanksgiving food prep, shopping and birthday celebrations, who wants to do even more cooking? Not me.

To make the best use of leftovers, plan some different ways to add to the traditional flavors. The recipe I am featuring today goes way beyond the cold turkey sandwich. It uses the delicious charcoal smoked turkey my hubby prepared. It was his best ever, and definitely worth getting up early to smoke.

I teamed that flavorful smoked turkey with a Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce made from the leftover traditional cranberry sauce. Sugarfree, of course. This is not for the faint hearted, but is sooooo good if you can stand a bit of heat. Good to warm up those old bones in the November chill.

Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce

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.

To make this gourmet wrap, just spread some cream cheese on a strip of Joseph's Lavash bread, cut in thirds. Top with shredded turkey. Spoon Cranberry Jalapeno Sauce over the turkey. Remember, this is spicy and a little bit goes a long way! Roll the lavash bread in a spiral, and cut the sandwich in half. Each third of a lavash serves one.

I am loving having the college boys home, even though they did have to work at their old jobs for Black Friday. Sometime this weekend, I also need to package up some home made dinners for my oldest, who has been bumming food off the neighbors in his apartment complex. I knew he would miss that cafeteria food eventually!

Thanksgiving

Busy times. Last night we got to see Mannheim Steamroller in concert. That was fun, but it took me away from the kitchen and the must do list for Thanksgiving. My brined turkey is out of the oven. Those cook faster than regular birds. Ours took only 2 hours. John is running in and out seeing to the turkey he is charcoal grill/smoking in the Smoke Cube. His is not brined and is taking longer. In the mean time, I am gathering all the side dishes I have made to take over to my mother's home for our celebration.

The picture above is the Snap Pea Salad from the November newsletter. Just for fun, I added some purple cauliflower. That will solve that yellow food problem we have. I also photographed the Rutabaga au Gratin. I think that is in the February newsletter. Creamy and cheesy. That way, I won't be as tempted to overdose on potatoes.



Happy Thanksgiving, may you all be blessed.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole

Millions of families will be eating that traditional green bean casserole this week. I always liked it--somewhat. I love french fried onions, but am not a huge fan of mushroom soup. Low carbers have other options, but making our own mushroom soup to use as a base can be a bit time consuming.

This weekend I picked up a sale bag of french style green beans with a few recipes spinning around in my head for Thanksgiving. Somehow, we always end up with almost all of our family recipes being yellow or light brown. It has become a joke. Of course, the traditional green bean casserole is still brown on top, now isn't it?

After my purchase, my mom announced that she had set aside some green beans from the garden, and stored them in the freezer to make old fashioned crock pot green beans for Thanksgiving. We share the cooking, and since I have quite a bit to do already, I was happy to turn the green beans over to her. Better yet, they won't be topped with anything yellow.

So, on with the story. Now I have these green beans. But with the amount of cooking I have this week, who wants to experiment with casseroles? I decided to do something easier--and keep it in the skillet. The results are pretty delicious, and "Diner" easy! John REALLY liked this. Really is an understatement. Maybe it is just because this is just a normal weekday meal. Maybe he is just getting into the Thanksgiving "zone." If you are looking for an easier side dish that is still creamy and decadent tasting, try this. Since it is made on the stove top, it won't compete for room in the oven. It could go straight from skillet to bowl, or could be prepped ahead and reheated in the microwave oven.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole

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.

The celery adds a really nice crunch, and the caramelized onion flavor is wonderful. If you want, go ahead and add a few french fried onions. It will feel more familiar that way!

This easy side dish was great with our Triple Play meal of baked ham. I also made some little cheese muffins from my coconut master mix. These were a little drier than my last batch, as I experimented with a different cheese. The taste was still really good, though. If you want to use the Herbed Popover recipe, you may want to add a little more cream if your dough is too stiff.

The big boys come back home for Thanksgiving Break tomorrow night. I am so excited to see them, and look forward to a wonderful family holiday.

Pecan Tarts

It is definitely countdown to Thanksgiving time! Today I tried out a recipe for pecan pie tarts. These have all the flavor of pecan pie, even though the texture is a bit different. I based my recipe on several at the Low Carb Friends board. I think this recipe could still use a slightly richer texture, but perhaps the difference is that my tarts have a much more shallow filling area. I might try a deeper pie crust, but then, how much pecan pie can we eat this week?

I think I will also add more molasses, because these tarts are a little too blond looking. I will go ahead and put that in the recipe in case you want to try this recipe. I would be happy with a pumpkin pie--easy to low carb. But the hubby simply must have his pecan pie. Putting that together without high fructose corn syrup is a challenge for sure. I don't like to buy specialty sweeteners too often, as they are expensive. I also try to stay away from too many sugar alcohols. The holidays are an exception, however. This recipe uses pancake syrup sweetened with sorbitol. Since we don't eat it often, not much damage is done. Sugar alcohols still tend to raise hubby's blood sugar levels. Surely, it is better than a pie filled with corn syrup and brown sugar! For the rest of the sweetener, I used a mixture of liquid sucralose and stevia.

On Low Carb friends, all the recipes said to use a maltitol based syrup. Since those are not available locally, I substituted with an easy to find ingredient. The brand I chose is Best Choice, and I think that Great Value at Walmart has the same ingredient list. Far less expensive than ordering!

Pecan Tart or Pecan Pie Filling

1 1/2 cups sugarfree pancake syrup
3 teaspoons molasses
5 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Splenda or equivalent sweetener
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans


Place the syrup in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it reduces to a very thick syrup, about ten minutes. Let cool. In another bowl, melt butter. Let cool slightly then add molasses, sweetener, and vanilla. To this mixture, add eggs, one at a time, stirring well to incorporate. Stir in pecans. Pour into prepared crusts. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes for tarts, longer for pie. Makes 6 small tarts, or one standard pie.

For the crust, I used one cup of pecan meal mixed with 3 tablespoons melted butter. You may choose to add a tablespoon of sweetener if desired. This should cover one pie pan or three tart pans. You would need to double the crust recipe to make six tarts...or half the filling recipe to make three tarts.

The rest of this week will be a baking frenzy. I plan to make some side dishes every day leading up to Thanksgiving. That way, barring any turkey catastrophes, the holiday will be more enjoyable for the cook!

Teriyaki Steak Bento

My Asian inspired lunch was so good. Even though I didn't stand in line to use the microwave to heat it up, it was still tasty. I had some Teriyaki Steak strips for my protein. That marinade recipe is in the e-book. That's the one I ran a correction for a few months ago. The ginger in the recipe should say fresh ginger. If you want to use powdered, just use 1 teaspoon.

Since stir fry veggies are not too lunchbox friendly, I added some finger food vegetables. For a dip, a cup of leftover Pineapple Glaze from the Mega Meatballs recipe. Aren't leftovers great for packing lunches? The veggies are so good dipped in this sweet and sour sauce. Today, I brought steamed cauliflower and snap peas. Love those things.

For color, I had a small serving of cranberry sauce. So, this didn't fit the Asian theme so well, but it is very pretty. It is amazing how far one recipe of cranberry sauce will go!

Tonight, I will be planning my major grocery shopping trip for Thanksgiving. We are doing two turkeys, one baked and one smoked. I am having trouble finding a bird which is not injected with a solution. I am planning to do my own brining, and just need a plain bird. Why DO they have to inject this perfectly good bird, anyway? Seems wrong to pay more for a turkey that has had less done to it! But then when did much of anything in the food industry make sense? Guess since we are paying by the pound, solution is cheaper than white meat.

Good luck on your holiday shopping!

Italian Spinach Worthy of Olive Garden

I'm not best friends with spinach. Popeye fan that I was as a child, I never could never grow to like it. That changed when I found out about lightly sauteing fresh spinach leaves. This, I like. I also love warm spinach salads, but that is a topic for another day.

Tonight I made another dump meal of Mediterranean Chicken. While that went in the oven, I went to play RockBand with the kiddo of mine. Oops, I forgot about the side dish. I wanted something really quick, so I decided to saute the spinach I had left over from this week's salad. This turned out to be a cross between a sauteed veggie and a scramble. The flavors are simple and real. Nice for a side dish. Very pretty too.

Italian Spinach

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.

This is a nice side. The garlic comes through and contrasts nicely with the vinegar of the Italian dressing that marinates the chicken. John just told me this dinner was Olive Garden quality. He may have just been buttering me up to make amends for hurting my feelings a bit earlier today, but he is usually pretty honest about his food ratings. Maybe I'll try making this again soon and see if he still likes it as much!

Cozy Cranberry Hot Drink

The chill is in the air, and there is no better place to be than by the fire with a soft afghan and a cup of this Cozy Cranberry Hot Drink. This goes together almost instantly and is very flavorful. If you miss apple cider, give this a try.

Back in my college days, my sweet mama would send me care packages. I remember always requesting her Russian Tea mix. It was a dry mix, made mostly with Tang and sweetened tea mix. Gee, could I have gotten any more sugar? I loved it because I had a little hot pot that I could use in my room. No microwaves in dorm rooms then. The tea was a nice change from sodas. This tastes very similar, but has no sugar at all.

It will require a trip to Aldi, and perhaps an order from Netrition. Both good investments if you plan a long winter. The main ingredient is the Fit n Active Cranberry Drink from Aldi. I like that as a replacement for juice in the mornings too. No aspartame, which is good. The next main ingredient, I buy from Netrition. Pineapple DaVinci syrup. I use that often...when I manage to keep a bottle...it is one of my favorites.

Cozy Cranberry Hot Drink

1/2 cup Fit n Active Cranberry drink
1/2 cup water
1/8 cup Pineapple DaVinci syrup
a short squirt of lemon juice-about 1/4 teaspoon
a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

Mix everything together and heat in a cup in the microwave or on stovetop. Serves one in a mug.

Small tea cups may overflow, but my standard coffee style cup works great. I like to serve it in a clear mug so I can see the gorgeous color.

Hubby still has dinner waiting in the oven. He was not able to eat the burgers I sent for lunch until after 4 p.m. Glad that dinner was a freezer casserole, Sloppy Tom. That one will hold up well in a slightly warm oven until he is ready to eat. Now I am going to snuggle with a blanket fresh from the dryer and watch a movie with the boy. Hot drink, warm blanket, snuggly dogs. Who could want more on a chilly Fall evening? Well, it might be better if the dishes were done and the laundry put away, but I am still planning to bask in the glory of my hot drink. Better go before I drink it all here at the computer!

Cranberry Sauce for Pork

I just love recipes that make one dish, then almost magically transform into something else. On Saturday, I made a Cranberry Sauce using a blend of sweeteners to replace the sugar. That is pretty good; tasty with turkey, and very traditional. I had leftovers, and well, a girl can only eat so much cranberry sauce. The men at my house are not huge fans. I wondered what else I could do with it. This is that traditional sauce pictured below.



I ran across some recipes online for a cranberry sauce for pork. I still had some pork roast that needs to be used, so I borrowed ideas from several recipes and made my own version this morning. So glad I did, because the flavors are complex and addictive...if you like fruit and pork together. I always have.

Lisa's Cranberry Sauce for Pork

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.

Hubby has to work a basketball game tonight, so I rushed this morning to get all three meals done and packed up to send to the station with him. For breakfast, he got a sausage sandwich. Good thing I still had some coconut flour buns already prepared. For lunch he got a Taco Salad made with Mexican Minute Beef. For his dinner, which he will have to eat alone in front of the control panel, he has the pork roast with cranberry sauce, some green beans, and some Pumpkin cakes I was playing around with last night. Sounds like a good autumn meal. All that was put together in about 30 minutes. Whew! It really does save the day to plan ahead!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pudding

I made these wonderful little dessert shots to take to that Thanksgiving dinner. They are deceivingly easy to make. They have the flavor of a cheesecake, the ease of a pudding, and the beauty of a dessert shot. For the crowd I was trying to accommodate, I made a double recipe and got 14 dessert shots. The photo above is another batch made in my shot glass tonight. I still had some pumpkin puree left over, and we really like this simple dessert. For the get together, I filled those tiny disposable cups intended for rinsing your mouth in the bathroom. Not as pretty, but they travel well and dispose easily. They still look fine if topped with a squirt of canned whipped cream.

Dessert shots are great because they allow you to limit your dessert consumption--or on Thanksgiving, eat more than one dessert! At our house we often hear the ladies say, "Just give me a tiny slice." Sound familiar? The guys just say, "I'll take one of everything." This pudding made into shots makes both groups happy. Want the recipe?

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pudding

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar free DaVinci Syrup, vanilla or Pumpkin Pie flavor
1/2 cup pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (if using vanilla syrup)
Whipped Cream for topping

Blend everything together in a blender or use a stick blender. A hand mixer will do if the cream cheese is soft. Pour into dessert cups or shot glasses. To make a layered dessert, add whipped cream in between layers of pudding. Chill before serving. This recipe will serve 4 regular desserts or 7-8 dessert shots.

This is a variation on my Better Than Instant Toffee Cheesecake Pudding. Feel free to leave out the pumpkin and add any flavorings you like. Too easy to be so good.

Sausage and Sage

Do you have your low carb dishes planned out for Thanksgiving? I had a Thanksgiving Potluck to attend last night with a support group I am in. I chose to make the Sausage Stuffing from the 24/7 Low Carb Diner newsletter for November. I also made some cranberry sauce and some dessert shots of Pumpkin Cheesecake. I will feature those recipes later.

This is a really flavorful casserole for a stuffing/dressing substitute. There are no specialty ingredients to buy, and all the flavor of the holiday is in there! For this dish, I accidentally halved the amount of mushrooms, and it was still great. I love sage. My mom, who doesn't even like carby stuffing, had a large serving and ate it all. The rest of us, who appreciate a good traditional dressing, liked it too. It is not mushy, but still holds together well, even without any bread. Very tasty, especially with turkey. Don't leave out the nuts, they give this casserole a unique crunch. Add some pepper if you like, but careful with the salt; the Parmesan does that job!

Sausage and Sage

2 pounds sage flavored sausage
1 pound mushrooms
3 ribs celery
1 chopped onion
1 pound cauliflower
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 eggs

Slice or chop vegetables in a food processor. Be sure the cauliflower is shredded finely. Brown sausage, celery and mushrooms in a skillet. Drain off grease. In a large bowl, combine meat mixture, cauliflower, nuts, spices, Parmesan cheese and stir well. In a small bowl, beat eggs. Add the eggs to the large bowl and mix well. Transfer the stuffing to a sprayed large casserole dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.


Those newsletters are loaded with great info for low carbers. When you have purchased the ebook, you get a year subscription to the newsletter too. (Sorry offer expired) This delicious recipe was included along with more side dish and dessert recipes, hints for planning, instructions on how to brine a turkey and more. It is not too late to get yours if you buy an ebook before December. There is definitely no reason to feel deprived on Thanksgiving, and no need to turn the holiday into a carb fest either. Most of our favorites can be made lower carb. The small splurge on your absolute favorite won't do so much damage if the rest of the meal is healthy.

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.

NABS and Spirals from L & L

By the title of this blog entry, one would never know I was talking about food. Probably, lots of you know about NABS. (I did find out it was not the North American Bigfoot Society, good thing) Funny, but in my humble hills of Oklahoma, we never called those packages of cheese crackers filled with peanut butter by that name. Not that we didn't eat our share, mind you, we just never called them NABS. In fact, I don't think they have any special name at all. Maybe it is regional, the way so many of us have our pet names for our favorite (or not so favorite) caramel colored, caffeinated, carbonated beverages. 'Round here it is known as pop, but my college suite mate insisted my Dr. Pepper was a coke.

Back to the NABS. A great new friend and Diner, Lynn, shared her idea for making a low carb treat that tastes very much like the high carb counterpart. My hubby will be in Lynn's debt forever. He was always a peanut butter cracker fanatic. He really missed his office stash of crackers and his personal jar of PB. The one the boys were not allowed to get into while they were little. Now, he can have the flavor again. According to Lynn, just make cheese crisps by cutting the American cheese into fourths. Then microwave them until crisp. Spread all natural, no sugar added peanut butter on one and press them together in a little sandwich. The taste is great. The peanut butter rather dominates the flavors a bit, as is true with the carby snacks, but the crackers stay crisp. Lynn is inspired!


In addition to those, I made some Carnita Spirals for today's lunch using Joseph's Lavash bread. I cut one in fourths lengthwise making one long strip similar to a lasagna noodle. To that, I added Pork Carnitas, my sweet and smokey pork recipe from the ebook. Being very moist, the pork packs down nicely and stays put in the little spiral sandwiches. I also added one slice of cheese down the center of the Lavash strip, under the pork. Once the filling is in and patted down a bit, roll the bread in a tight spiral shape. This is great for lunches. Everything is moist and flavorful, not soggy or stale. If you have a great low carb idea to share, please do like Lynn and let me know, so we can all share.



My Bento Lunch for today featured these spirals, some cheese crisps, bell pepper strips and grape tomatoes, olives and a container of sour cream for dipping. It was just right. These bentos hold more food than it looks like. I am always the last to finish among the teachers in the lunch room. Not that we don't talk a bit too! Maybe that means that I just talk too much.

Bologna Bowl

Talk about old fashioned. My mom used to make these when I was a little girl. I thought the bologna was cute all curled up in a bowl shape. I remember trying these for my boys, only to find that bologna no longer curled. When hubby bought this all beef bologna at Aldi, I thought I would give it another try. Look, it worked. Must be the different meat content--maybe bologna didn't have quite as many fillers--or as much chicken back in the old days. I dunno, but I am nostalgic enough to photograph it.

So the recipe is really easy. No gourmets today, please. Okay, no gourmet types would ever be comfortable at my house, but I digress. Fry up a piece of good quality bologna. Once it cups, remove it from the skillet and scramble and egg or two. Place the bologna bowl on a plate and top with scrambled egg. Voila! John had two slices of bologna and three medium eggs, scrambled. He doesn't like cheese melted on, but the kids would have wanted that too.

For dinner, we are feasting on Italian sausage links braised on the stove top. To that I am adding some sauteed cabbage. I use pre-shredded cole slaw mix because it is so much easier than chopping cabbage. Most convenience foods are too expensive, but this is a bargain at Sam's club. I will throw in some bell peppers for added flavor and a bit of tomato sauce. That carby boy will get some pasta. Lots to do today, so I am glad dinner is easy.

Mexicali Meatloaf and More

It is fiesta night at our house tonight. Mexicali Meatloaf. This meal is not complicated, just a regular meatloaf with taco seasonings added. Very yummy. With it I served grilled mixed vegetables seasoned with a cilantro cube. We also enjoyed a Joseph's pita split into the thin halves, toasted and topped with Jack cheese. Pretty darn close to a tostada for just 2 net carbs for half a pita.

Mexicali Meatloaf

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.

Meatloaf is great in the freezer. When ground beef goes on sale, buy a lot. Make a basic meatloaf blend and squish it all together in a really big pot, or even in a clean plastic pail. (One book said to clean the sink and mix it in there, but I could never get used to that idea) Then you can divide up the loaves into entree sized servings. Keep one or two plain, to serve with sugar free ketchup. Add the Mexican spices to a couple more. You can even add the Italian seasonings to another part of the batch. If you lay some plastic wrap or foil into your loaf pan, you can form the meat there, then lift it out and carefully wrap it, uncooked, for the freezer. Then on cooking night, just unwrap it and thaw it in the loaf pan. When it is thawed, just bake it and it will be as fresh as ever. You can make 3-6 meatloaves and only get your hands yucky once. That is a winner of an idea for me. And do try the chia seeds, they help bind the meat and make it really moist. No one will know they are in there.

I love Mexican food, but sometimes it is tougher to prepare for my hubby. He is a northerner by birth, and our definitions of hot are in no way the same. It can also be a challenge to come up with side dishes when the standard beans and rice are a no no. The man doesn't care for guacamole. Not sure he liked the grilled veggies tonight, but I really liked them. The Knorr Cilantro cubes added a unique flavor that took them a step beyond the standard grill. I think he might have been mad that I slipped in some leftover squash cubes. Those are not his favorite. Still, it was pretty and tasty. I loved the combination of flavors and mix of texture.

I have been seeing an ad on TV for a cheeseburger taco. I think the leftovers of this meatloaf would be awesome made that way. May just have to try it and see.

Pineapple Meatballs

You can tell I have my new bottle of Pineapple DaVinci Syrup now, because I keep coming up with ways to use it. It has gone into home made Greek yogurt,Pina Colada Muffins, Pineapple Dipping Sauce and now, my Pineapple Meatballs. This flavor is very versatile.

The sauce is tart and sweet, very similar to a regular sweet and sour sauce. Unlike other sauces, it is very diabetic friendly. Sorry, no new recipe tonight. The "how to" is already in the ebook. You will find it with the Mega Meatballs recipe in the Freezer Favorites section. If you miss a good Chinese buffet, this is just what you need. Be sure to make the extra meatballs for the freezer, because you will have about two cups of sauce. Of course, it is also good with chicken or pork, especially fried. But then, that is a lot more trouble, and as you know the point of the Diner system is to spend less time in the kitchen. Still, if you have a free afternoon, this sauce would be awesome coating fried chicken.

Keep this idea handy if you plan to have any holiday parties. These meatballs could easily be made in a cocktail size and kept warm in a small crock pot or chafing dish. You might even like a little touch of hot sauce added in.

I tried a new recipe I found online today for coconut flour crackers. Not so good. They had cheese in them, but the cheese did not incorporate well into the dough. When I baked them, little balls of cheese erupted all over the top. They looked rather diseased, as if they had blisters. Guess what? I am not publishing that recipe! Once I got past the appearance, they failed the taste test too. They seemed quite thin, about as thin as I make the Almond Thins which I dearly love, but they stayed rather chewy. I am just not a fan. Somehow, though, I will find a way for us to eat them. They are too expensive to let go to waste. I am thinking about giving them a whirl in the bullet and using them to top a casserole. Frugal. I know.

Pork Roast with Cream Gravy

Our Triple Play meat for this week is a huge pork roast. It was so big, that it flooded out of my crock pot and all over the counter. Despite two cleanings, my kitchen counter is still a bit slick! It is worth it though, because this roast is very tender, like only a slow cook can accomplish.

I tried a new flavoring rub on the roast, but it didn't make enough of a difference--probably because this baby was so huge. Because it wasn't a pronounced flavor, I decided to go ahead and make a gravy to serve with it for our first meal.

This is an easy process, and doesn't require any specialty thickeners. Just the humble egg will do the trick.

Cream Gravy
1/2 cup roast drippings
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup broth or water
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, whisk eggs. Add drippings (cool a few minutes if they are still hot, or blend with the other liquids before adding to the egg). Stir in cream and broth. Use a whisk to stir this mixture continuously over medium heat. Continue to heat and whisk until the gravy thickens, about five minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste. Serve immediately, as reheating can cause some separation.

I like this gravy better than the sour cream gravy in the ebook. It is milder. You can even make a white gravy/cream sauce by substituting the meat fat with butter. Eggs are the only thickener, and no blender is needed to be lump free.

For this meal, I served some mashed cauliflower and some canned green beans. Tomorow, this same roast will be a major ingredient in a Southwestern Pork soup. John has to be out of the house really early tomorrow, so that will get prepared tonight. Our third meal will come later in the week, with some Carnita style roll ups. This roast is so big, I may have enough left over to add some pulled pork to the freezer.

Mock McGriddles

Yum. If you like the sweet and savory combination, you will love these. I know McGriddles are not everyone's favorites, but I like these. (Never eaten a true McGriddle, but love the concept)

All you have to do to duplicate my breakfast is to make a batch of coconut master mix buns and add a touch of sweetener, maple flavoring and vanilla extract instead of garlic and Parmesan cheese. The buns are fairly sweet; I added the equivalent of about 2 Tablespoons of sugar. This time, I used stevia powder, which worked well. You can add more or less sweetener to taste.

To assemble the sandwich, I first grilled the sausage patties a bit. Then I scooted them to the side of the skillet and fried an egg for John's. I left the egg off of mine. Once the egg was set, I removed the filling to the plate and put the buns in the skillet to warm just a bit. My sandwiches went together in this order.

Version #1: bun, egg, sausage patty, a drizzle of sugarfree maple syrup, and the top bun. You could put cheese on here, but my hubby is not that big a fan, so I left his off.

Version #2: bun, sausage patty, drizzle of syrup, slice of American cheese, bun.

We used two buns for each sandwich, but if you are not a big breakfast eater, I think one will do. You could eat it open faced or cut the bun and sausage in half and stack them higher. The egg version might be a little too tall this way, but you could always turn it sideways. I know food somehow finds its way into my mouth.

We used hot and spicy sausage, but this would work with any flavor. The spiciness was extra nice with the sweet flavor to contrast. I need to buy more whey protein powder. When I do, I plan to make several batches of these to freeze. That way breakfast will be even quicker.

Pita for Breakfast

This is a super quick version of a breakfast burrito. Instead of a tortilla, I used a half of a Joseph's Pita bread. Low carb, but only for those who can tolerate a bit of wheat. I have another recipe using my master mix that can make a breakfast sandwich for those who use no wheat products, but since you have to bake the bun, it takes the super quick appeal away. Either way, it is cheaper and better for you than a trip through the drive through.

To save the most time, use pre-cooked sausage patties, and just cut them up as they heat up. Hubby likes these nuked; I prefer pan fried. You can do either. Once you have a little sausage grease, add some eggs. this will work in either a skillet or in a microwave container. Cook the egg with the sausage. When it is set, add a sprinkle of cheese and salsa if you like it. Put it in the opened pita and you have a hot breakfast in hand. Microwaved eggs and sausage will be a little fluffier, but you may have to stop and stir a couple of times while they cook.

If you need to make a low carb wheatless bun, use my master mix to make these. If you do that, don't cut up the sausage patty, and leave the egg in a layer, not totally scrambled.

Today for prep day, I made a batch of buns using the coconut master mix. Instead of adding the savory flavors, I added a touch of stevia powder and some vanilla and maple flavoring. Tomorrow, we are having our version of McGriddles. I'll post a photo once they are cooked.

In the Dumps

This is when it is good to be in the dumps. We are all a little sleepy around here after last night's all nighter. I was out shopping today, but still came home to an easy dinner. Remember back when I told you how cheap that chicken was that was on sale? Well, it was cheap enough that we have been eating lots of the tasty bird the last couple of weeks. What is really good, is when you have enough secrets in your recipe arsenal that it doesn't take like the same old meal over and over. A SUPER easy way to do that is to package up meal sized portions as "dump" meals. Not a new concept, these meals are so named because all you have to do is to dump marinades into a freezer bag, add the chicken, squish it around a bit then freeze until the meal comes up on your meal plan.

Tonight, I had a thawed bag of Steakhouse Special chicken dump waiting in the fridge for me. All I had to do was grill it on the contact grill, my favorite kitchen helper, my George. With a side of broccoli, dinner was ready. The carby boy got some extra sides, but we were happy. Chicken like this did not taste at all like the chicken we had in last night's casserole. There are lots different tastes in the dump recipes in the ebook. Moroccan Chicken is great, as is Teriyaki Chicken or Mediterranean Chicken. No need to get bored. They are not the same old bird.

Porky's Bento

Yesterday was a full day! It was one of those days, that if you can stay low carb through this schedule, you can do it anytime. We were out the door early for classes, managed to be home for dinner just an hour before teenagers invaded our home for a movie night and sleepover (little to no sleep involved).Although I do admit to succumbing some carby snacks from time to time, I was able to keep my diabetic hubby on the straight and narrow. After all, he wasn't the one who had to pop the popcorn and bake the pizzas for the teenagers. I promise to get back my discipline today.

Yesterday's bento lunch was so yummy, and easy to put together in a snap. I used canned luncheon meat--okay almost like Spam, just the Aldi brand. I have heard that Spam is really popular in Hawaii. So I took that lead and made a wonderful little pineapple sauce to go with it. That was just mayo and pineapple DaVinci syrup stirred together. It was great with the ham chunks and with cubes of butternut squash too. Besides those dippers, I took along a low carb brownie and a hard boiled egg. The egg was especially good with the piggy theme, since it was a bacon stuffed egg. I just made a deviled egg as usual, but added bacon bits to the yolk mixture, and sprinkled it with bacon salt. Tasty stuff.

With all the teenagers on their way in the evening, I was so glad that I already had a casserole prepared in advance. We feasted on a Mama Mia chicken casserole from the Multiply Meals section of the e-book. It is rich and good. Amazingly, dinner went from fridge to plate is less than ten minutes. On days like that, my meal planning system is truly a survival tool!

Taquitos and Taco Cubes

I had some extra time this afternoon, so I took the chance to play around with the Mexi-Minute Beef I am planning for dinner. A few weeks ago, my mom purchased a specialty pan on QVC. It has fluted squares with a removable base in each well. That makes it easy to pop out crusts. Well, it is a no brainer to use crescent rolls or pie crust as a base, but a low carb option is a bit trickier.

I am trying to come up with low carb appetizers for the upcoming party season. These would be great, and if you don't want to buy a special pan, they would be just as tasty in muffin cups. My test batch did not fill every cup, so I will have to adapt the proportions a bit. I will publish that in the December newsletter. In case you want to experiment too, here is what I did. I think it would be about right for six muffin cups.

Taco Cubes

1 cup Mexi Minute Beef or prepared taco meat
1 cup Jack or cheddar, shredded
1 egg
1 tablespoon coconut flour
salsa, sour cream or other taco toppings

Mix cheese, egg and coconut flour. Press into the wells of a muffin cup. Bake at 350 about ten minutes. Remove from oven and press the bottom of each cheese cup with a spoon to flatten it a bit. Return to oven and watch closely until perfectly browned. They will crisp as they cool. Fill with warm taco meat and topping of your choice.

I was also inspired to create another dish. I miss taquitos--especially the soft and cheesy ones I used to get at QuikTrip, a popular convenience store in these parts. They had chicken and beef and were just a buck. I remembered the cheese roll ups I sometimes use instead of garlic toast with soup. They are really just fried cheese, browned, then rolled up while still hot. To my delight, the same procedure works very well with taco filling rolled inside. Ole! If you want a tutorial for the cheese roll ups, visit Linda's recipe. These are tasty, and will be excellent with a big salad alongside. Wish the guys liked guacamole. Now I really should get ready to teach my class tomorrow!

Easiest Tandoori Chicken

I picked up a new low carb cookbook over the weekend--from the bargain bin at Big Lots. Sad, what that says about the popularity of our way of eating. The recipes are a little too fancy for us, even though they are supposedly made with only three ingredients each. A recipe for Tandori Cornish hens caught my eye. I didn't have little hens, but I do have chicken breast. Tweak time.

One of the three ingredients happens to be tandoori paste. I didn't even know such a thing existed. I did, however, find a recipe online. I adapted it a tiny bit, and changed the other recipe a lot. Just the procedures are changed, though, not the taste itself. I think...

I like it, but then I have been known to eat at the Indian restaurant in town. The guys are eating it, but it will not be their favorite. I am the adventurous one.

Tandoori Paste

1 cup plain yogurt
3 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric

Blend all ingredients together and let sit for 30 minutes. Use this to marinate chicken pieces, then bake.

Easiest Tandoori Chicken

4 chicken breasts, sliced
1 recipe tandoori paste
1/2 head cauliflower flowerets
5 drops red food coloring
1/2 to 1 cup yogurt

Coat chicken and cauliflower with the tandoori paste. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir food coloring into yogurt. This is optional, but helps make the dish less bright yellow, thus more appetizing. Use half a cup of yogurt for a spicy dish, a full cup to make it family friendly. Stir the yogurt into the chicken mixture. Serves 4.

With all the talk on the low carb boards about quinoa not raising blood sugars, I decided to test it on my hubby. I made a batch to eat as the base to this dish. I am not too crazy about it; not sure if it is worth the expense. We should know the results in an hour or two--or three! If it doesn't raise his blood sugar too much, I might try to make a tabouli with it.

I used frozen chicken strips, but I think the timing would be right for fresh chicken as well. The original recipe call for the hens to marinate for 12 hours. I might try that sometime too.

Salsa Cream Chicken

Oh the wonders of a well stocked freezer. Tonight's dinner went together in a flash. I was talking with my friend and fellow Diner, NeeCee, on the phone this afternoon. I confessed that I had no idea what to blog about today, that our meals were just run of the mill recipes I have featured before. The morning started with a trip to the freezer for Breakfast Bonanza in individual servings. That was easy, just a short trip to the microwave and the meal is served. I packed up Pizza Soup for John's lunch. That was made on prep day. Even the brownies I made yesterday still need a tweak before I publish the recipe. What to do? Dinner was still a problem.

Now on to that freezer story, as I understand confession is good for the soul. I was in a quandary as to my dinner plans and that never happens. Almost never. You see, we had a freezer mishap. No lightning strike this time. There was a great sale on chicken breast a couple of weeks ago. Hubby bought two big packages. I had him bring one in to thaw and bake, which I did. Lots of Chipotle Chicken Shreds. The other package was to go in our second garage freezer. When I asked hubby to go get it yesterday,(the garage is man territory in our house) he said there wasn't any. I was perplexed. I sure thought he had purchased two...did I already cook two? Stupid me, my inventory sheet for the inside freezer is current, but I let the garage freezer slip, so I really wasn't sure. SO, I changed the menu plan, and asked him to retrieve a pork roast. I asked him to let it thaw in the garage fridge. That is when he found the chicken. Needless to say it was a little ripe having spent two weeks in the fridge rather than the freezer. EEuuw! I hate wasting food. Let this be my lesson to remind you to use that freezer inventory sheet in the e-book.

So, now that giant roast is still thawing, and my weekly Triple Play meal plans have changed. For tonight's dinner, I just went to the freezer and grabbed some cooked Chicken Cubes. John's supper--he's working late--was marinated steak strips and Asian veggies to nuke at the station. The boy and I needed to use chicken cubes from the freezer, so we ate a new dish inspired by our shared love for spicy food. Hubby can't tolerate heat, so I invented this dish on a day he would not be home. It still isn't too spicy, and oh so good!

Salsa Cream Chicken

Chicken cubes equivalent to 4 breast halves
3/4 cup salsa
4 ounces cream cheese

Heat chicken in a skillet. Pour salsa over and stir it in. Add cream cheese in chunks and stir to melt.

How simple is that? I served Christian's in tortillas. I ate mine plain with a salad topped with ranch and more salsa. I'll even have some leftover for another lunch, but this would be easy to make for one or two; just reduce the amount of salsa and cream cheese. I'd be completely happy if it wasn't for all those other chickens who died in vain. I can only hope someone smarter than me ate their legs!

Strawberry Slushy

I have long been a devotee of Sonic's Lemonberry Fresh Fruit Slushes. Kills me that they are full of sugar. Last night, while hiding out from the trick or treaters at my mom's house, we played with her new kitchen gadget. A Ninja Master Prep blender/ processor. I made a treat that rivals my formerly favorite slush drink, and it is legal.

The Ninja is a neat blender because it has two sets of blades. That does a fantastic job of really chopping the ice finely. We even made soft serve ice cream with it just using frozen strawberries and milk cubes. If it was just for us low carbers, I would have used a water/cream mixture rather than the milk. This little machine sure did the trick, though. It costs a lot less than the Vita Mix machine I always drool over. The ice cream is always what won me over, and you can do that with this machine.

Here is the super easy drink. We all liked it, and Diet Rite has no aspartame. This is two large servings or three small ones.

Strawberry Slushy

5-7 frozen strawberries
1 can Diet Rite white grape soda
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Combine everything in a blender and process until smooth. Serve immediately.

I'd offer a photo, but ours looked just like the picture above!