Candy Corn Cookies or Autumn Leaf Cookies

Yes, my friends call me a goober. I love cuteness. I love things that fit a theme. These are cute and perfect for fall. We can't eat candy corn, but we can eat these cookies. They are really just a variation of my Chocolate Mint Ribbon Cookies. These are cut into triangles and the flavors are jazzed up a bit. They taste really good in my opinion. The orange layer is flavored with a True Orange packet. That is just the right amount of orange flavor. The brown stripe is, of course, chocolate. Maybe these will keep us away from all the Halloween candy out there. One batch, One cookie sheet. No problems.

I have included this recipe in the November Diner News. Every year, the November issue is dedicated to holiday meals which are perfect for family gatherings. Some of my all time favorite side dishes have come from these Thanksgiving issues. The new edition will be out on Saturday.

Until then, make some cookies! They are not as hard to assemble as they look. I even shaped a few from scraps with my fingers. Then I got inspired and squished the last few together on purpose. A leaf shaped cookie cutter made another adorable cookie. So either way, you have a fun fall treat.

Candy Corn Cookies

1 cup blanched almond flour

¹/₃ cup erythritol

2 tbsp coconut flour
¹/4 tsp xanthan gum
¹/₈ tsp salt
¹/₈ tsp baking powder
¹/₄ cup melted butter
1 egg
1¹/₂ tsp vanilla extract
10 drops stevia, OR 1 tbsp equivalent
2¹/₂ tsp melted, unsweetened chocolate

1 packet True Orange
 food coloring

In medium bowl, combine almond flour, erythritol, coconut flour, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder. In 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 small bowl, add melted chocolate to ¹/₃ of the cookie dough. Blend thoroughly. Add the True Orange , 3 drops yellow and 1 drop red food coloring to make orange to another ¹/₃ of the dough.  For the vanilla dough, simply add 2 drops of yellow food coloring.

When all the dough portions are blended, place the vanilla dough onto a sheet of waxed paper. Press it into a rectangular shape about 6 x 4”. Do the same with the flavored doughs.  Place the vanilla dough between the chocolate and orange doughs. Wrap in waxed paper and chill well. Use your fingers to smooth the edges and blend the layers together.

To bake, slice ¹/₄-inch slices from the log. Cut that wedge into triangle shapes and place on a silicone liner or parchment-lined cookie sheet. (Save the straight edge pieces to form into marble cookies) Bake 10 minutes at 350°F.  Watch closely and remove cookies before the edges brown. Cool 2 minutes on the sheet before transferring to a flat surface to cool completely.

48 small cookies.    35 calories    <1 net carb each

The packet of True Orange gives a great little citrus punch to the orange part of the cookie. It tastes very natural. I love to use the True packets in  my water and in cooking. They are really handy. If you don't have those, you could sub just a touch of orange extract.

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Scary Treats That Are NOT So Sweet!

I am really much more of a Christmas kind of girl, but this time of year, some of these spooky treats are fun. We have been reading Edgar Allen Poe at school, so creepy is a good thing! I do love a good scare from time to time.

I have to say the students all loved these eggs when I packed them up in my bento box this week. Yes, I eat with the kids. We don't even have a teacher lounge. I think the spiders were the biggest hit among the teens. From a distance they are totally scary. Especially since we seem to have more than our share of spiders in the old house that serves as our school.

These decorations are not my own invention, I admit to seeing pictures of similar ones floating around Pinterest. What is different about mine is the taste factor. These scary bites are not laden with food colorings, To get the creepy colors, I used pesto. Talk about a flavor boost there! That made them extra fun and extra tasty. Super easy too. Make a batch for your family this week. Or just for you to scare your co-workers!

This one is more of a process than a recipe. I didn't make a full batch of any of them. I have confidence that you can figure out the numbers and make as many of each as you like. You are smart like that.

Scary Eggs

hard boiled eggs
basil pesto (or any green pesto)
sundried tomato pesto (or any red pesto)
Caesar dressing or mayonnaise
Kalamata olives for spiders
Green olives with pimentos for eyeballs
Hot sauce
Green onion, chive or slices of green bell peppers for pumpkin stems

Hard boil eggs. I do mine in my electric pressure cooker. Easiest peel ever!
Cut the cooled eggs in half. Remove the yolks.

For Pumpkin Eggs: Place yolks in a bowl. Add 1 tsp red pesto for each full egg. Stir to combine. Moisten with Caesar dressing until creamy. Spoon the orange tinted egg mixture back into whites. Round the mixture and add a sliver of green bell pepper or green onion for the stem.

For Eyeball Eggs: Place yolks in a bowl. Add 1 tsp green pesto for each full egg. Stir to combine. Moisten with Caesar dressing until creamy. Spoon the green tinted egg mixture back into whites, making an iris. Round the mixture. Slice a green olive with pimentos in half. Place the pimento half into the yolk mixture making a pupil. Use a toothpick to drizzle hot sauce on the whites to create a blood shot look.

For Spider Eggs: Place yolks in a bowl. Moisten with Caesar dressing and whip with a fork until creamy. Spoon  egg mixture back into whites. Cut olives in half lengthwise. Press one half into the yolk.  Use another half to cut legs. One half will make 4 lengthwise cuts, creating 4 legs. Repeat with another half olive. Press the legs into the yolks, forming spider legs.

Each spider egg (2 halves) has approximately 117 calories and 2 carbs. 
The eyes have 121 calories and 1 carb
The pumpkin has 113 calories and 1 carb.

I like the purple spiders, but if black olives are what you have, go for it! I used pestos from Aldi. If you don't have a low carb Caesar dressing, go ahead with mayo or ranch dressing. Like I said, a process not a recipe here.

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Halloween Tamale Pie

I got inspired by an offering on the Woman's Day site--a cute little tamale pie made to look like a Jack-o-lantern. Being the girly girl I am, I love cute food. That recipe has 4 boxes of cornbread mix in it and a special cake pan. Neither one of those was happening.

But I didn't give up on the idea. Thinking of my Mexican Cornbread...Sans Corn recipe, I decided it was worth a trial run to convert this fun dish into a low carb celebration. A few changes here and there, and I have a winner!

Halloween Tamale Pie

Filling:
1 lb lean ground beef
2 tbsp finely minced onion
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup salsa
1/3 cup shredded cheese

Batter:
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup golden flax meal
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup shredded cheese
2 tbsp water

In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain off any fat. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder until spices are evenly distributed. Add the salsa and cheese to combine, Set the mixture aside.

In a medium bowl, combine almond meal, golden flaxmeal, paprika and baking powder. Make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and mix with a fork to break the yolks. Stir to combine the eggs and dry ingredients. When no lumps remain, add the olive oil and salsa. Stir well, then add cheese.

Coat a quiche pan or large round cake pan with oil. Pour half of the batter into the dish. Using the back of an oiled spoon, spread the batter to cover the base. Form an edge similar to a pie crust. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven.

Place the beef mixture into the partially baked crust. Do not go to the edge. Smooth the meat with a spatula to compact it for easier spreading of the remaining batter. Add the 2 tablespoons of water to the remaining batter to thin it. Spoon batter over the beef. Use the back of the oiled spoon to smooth it and create an even thickness. Return the dish to the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let the pie cool for 30 minutes. Invert the contents carefully onto a serving plate. Decorate with a green bell pepper stem. Cut a bell pepper into triangles for eyes and nose, and mouth as seen in the photo. Reheat the Jack-o-lantern in the microwave oven or a warm oven to bring back to serving temperature.

Serves 6   357 calories   3 net carbs (8 total)   23 g fat

The base after partial baking. See the edge?

My Pitty Tinker hoping for some of that beefy filling.

After baking with the batter baked over the beef,

So that is pretty darn easy. Just be sure to let it cool or the bready part will crumble when you try to remove it. Yes, I discovered that the hard way. Mine tore, so I added in some more cheese and melted it back together. I let it cool, then ran my spatula under it to loosen the base. No more problems. If you don't want to mess with inverting it, just serve it in the pan. In that case, just press the face into the top layer. (And do a better job covering the beef) I have not eaten this yet, I have it saved for tomorrow night's dinner with my middle boy at home. It smells amazing and I did nibble on the beef.

Even though my boys are all grown up, I still love to have fun with food. I have several Halloween themed foods to share with you this week.  One of these days the grandchildren will appreciate the way I like to create in the kitchen. Until then, I guess being around the teenagers keeps me young at heart.

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Pumpkin Fudge Mini Loaf

It's October and I can't get enough pumpkin!

This year, I remembered a little experiment from last fall that I never got around to perfecting. Better late than never. It involved an inspiration from Chocolate Covered Katie, and her pie made with pumpkin and chocolate chips. Instead of pie filling, I used the chocolatey mixture to top pumpkin doughnuts. Very yummy indeed. Sadly, last year's experiment was made with a blend of sugarfree chocolate chips and a few real dark chocolate chips.  No, I did not plan ahead ( I love to play in the kitchen much more than truly cook.) That worked, but the carbs were too high.

So planning ahead this year, I finally made the version I promised last year. No sugary chocolate chips, no maltitol based chips to give you tummy rumbles. I used unsweetened chocolate and added my own sweeteners. Now, this is really a personal thing when it comes to sweetness and chocolate: I happen to love dark chocolate. Yours may need to be sweeter. Just don't eat the whole batch while you adjust the sweetness! Unless you are too lazy to make the pumpkin loaf. In that case, go ahead and eat all that frosting.

This year, I made a mini loaf for me and my honey. This little loaf is just right for 2. I like those mini loaf pans I pick up on sale at Michael's Crafts Store. If you don't have those, aim for two big muffins or three regular muffins.

Pumpkin Fudge Mini Loaf

Quickbread base:
1/4 cup ground golden flax
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp erythritol blend or equivalent sweetener
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
4 tbsp pumpkin puree
1 tbsp butter

Fudge frosting:
1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp pumpkin puree
2 tsp erythritol blend sweetener or equivalent

In a medium bowl, blend flaxmeal, coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, spice and salt. Stir in eggs and pumpkin puree. Melt butter in the loaf pan to coat sides. Pour the remaining butter into the batter until incorporated. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 22-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

While that is baking, melt the chocolate in an ovenproof bowl or in the microwave. When chocolate is liquified, stir in pumpkin puree and sweetener. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

Remove loaf from oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes. Spread the chocolate fudge mixture over the top of the cake.

Serves 2.    287 calories   7 net carbs   21 g fat

Those goodies from last year are worth another look too.

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Broccoli Cheese and Chicken Soup

This is a recipe from the October Diner News. I don't share all the recipes from my newsletter here on the blog and at Low Carbing Among Friends. This one was going to be just for my newsletter subscribers, but I was enjoying the leftovers so much, I just had to share. This soup is seriously delicious.

I love the addition of the tender chicken. That makes it an entire meal, and it is filling too. Creamy and cheesy. Pure comfort for a fall day. (even though we are still sweating with upper 80s here in OK)  I promise that this is one of those dishes that will make your carbivore friends jealous. The October Diner News is 8 pages of recipes and ideas for the low carb cook. It is a bargain at just $6 a year. Order here: http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com/html/newsletter.html

 Broccoli, Cheese and Chicken Soup

4 cups water

6 cups fresh broccoli flowerets

8 oz chicken breast

8 oz cream cheese

1 cup half and half

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar

Salt and pepper to taste

Break broccoli crowns into flowerets. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces while heating water In a Dutch oven. When water comes to a boil, add the broccoli crowns and diced chicken. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Remove half of the broccoli flowerets and  a cup of broth. Puree and return to the pot.

Reduce heat to simmer and stir in the cream cheese and half and half. When that is melted, add Parmesan and shredded cheddar. Stir until all cheese are incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6:    357 calories   8 g carbs   28 g fat

This recipe makes a really thick soup. Feel free to 

add more water or chicken broth if you prefer a thinner soup.

Look at some of the other recipes featured in this month's Diner News:

Chicken Parmagiano Meatloaf

Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Casserole

Euro Chicken

Orange Chicken

Bacon Ranch Chicken

Yummy, huh?  Those are not even all the new recipes in this month's Diner News, so order yours today!

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A Table for Two here.

Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Shots

So it is fall. Yippee, my favorite time of the year! It is about time I came up with a new fall recipe.
Pumpkin. Oh yeah.
Salted caramel. Yes.
Cheesecake?  You bet!
Easy. Of course.

What I love most is the no bake part. No, I think I love the taste the most. You try it and decide. Now I did use a couple of specialty products here. One reason is that I simply don't have tons of time in the kitchen these days. So you can make some substitutions, or you can make sure you have these two products on hand.

1. Walden Farms Caramel Dip. You could make your own, but that can be a tad complicated. This works. It is super sweet to me, so I cut back on the sweetener in the cheesecake portion.

2. Gingerbread flavored sugar free syrup. Mine happens to be Jordan's Skinny Syrups. You can use any brand you can find--Da Vinci for example. It doesn't have to be gingerbread flavor, but that certainly was nice. It makes the almonds taste like a crunched up cookie.

These are dessert shots. Very rich and no big portions. Just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Salted Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Shots

4 oz neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp erythritol blend
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 tbsp almond meal
1 tbsp sugarfree Gingerbread syrup
4 tbsp Walden Farms Caramel Dip
pinch Kosher salt

Combine neufchatel cheese and pumpkin puree. Stir in erythritol blend and pumpkin pie spice. Mix with hand blender until smooth. In a small bowl, combine almond meal and gingerbread syrup. Spread onto a cookie sheet and toast for about 5 minutes until browned and lightly crisp. (I used my toaster oven at about 350.)

Divide the almond crumbs among the bottoms of 4 small dessert cups or shot glasses. If using narrow shot glasses, transfer the pumpkin cheesecake mixture into a sandwich bag. Snip the end and fill the glasses half way with the cheesecake. Spoon about 1 1/2 tsp of caramel sauce over the cheesecake. Use the remaining cheesecake mixture to fill the glasses, reserving enough for a decorative dollop for each. Top with additional caramel dip and sprinkle with a very tiny pinch of kosher salt. Add the decorative dollop of pumpkin mixture. Chill and serve.

Serves 4:     110 calories   4 net carbs    9 g fat

You might want to top these mini desserts with whipped cream, but I didn't have any. If I was making them for a festive meal, I would definitely do that. These are good enough for company, I'd say. Hubby liked them and he is not a huge pumpkin pie guy. I still have a lot of the caramel dip. It is not as sticky and gooey as the full sugar variety, but the taste is better than I expected. It definitely lends a great flavor to this dessert.

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