Pumpkin Cheddar Cauliflower Mash

 I just made my first two Thanksgiving side dishes. They are not for my family, but for a luncheon at school tomorrow. Not all of my students will have a nice big meal on Thursday. So we as the staff are providing some love in the form of food. I think it will be fun, and then we can play some games. Being a small school, we are a lot like family.

This pretty dish is from the October Diner News. That issue featured all things Pumpkin. This dish is tasty and easy to prepare. This is a rather light version, as I am a little calorie conscious these days. For a holiday feast, feel free to up the butter and cream cheese.

Pumpkin Cheddar    Cauliflower Mash

1 head cauliflower

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

1 oz cream cheese

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp salt

Steam cauliflower until tender. Drain very well and pat dry with paper towels. Mash lightly. Stir in pumpkin puree, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, butter and salt. Whip with an electric beater until smooth. Or, for extra smoothness, blend with an immersion blender.  Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with fresh or dried herbs.

Serves 8 : 148 calories  5 net g carb

This is a  nice alternative to mashed potatoes. With the addition of pumpkin--canned is fine--it is so pretty too. If you are still looking for Thanksgiving recipes, be sure to look in both the October and November issues of the Diner News. If you don't have s subscription, by all means get one now. If you want the November issue too, just drop me a line on the webpage after you make your order and I can arrange that. Need to see what's in each issue? Check the blog posts here and here. To order the Diner News, visit our webpage.

As you may know, my husband was recently laid off from his job of 27 years. I have always tried to keep this blog just about my efforts to keep my diabetic husband fed and healthy. Of course, I have promoted my own e-book and the Among Friends series. I do give so many recipes away for free, though. To earn a little money back, John and I decided to become Amazon Associates and open a 24/7 Low Carb Diner A-Store. Click on the link at the right and you will find products I use and find very helpful in my low carb kitchen. Any purchase you make there will help our family weather this tough time and offset the costs of the blog and online ordering system. Right now, I only have kitchen items listed, but I will be planning food and pantry items soon. 

If you want to know why I like each item, check the Things I Love page. 

But for now, I am off for more Thanksgiving cooking and getting the special Christmas issue of the Diner News ready for next week. I fed one of the party desserts to my son tonight and he loved it. Keep watching and check out that Diner A-Store. Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I am thankful for you, my readers and so much more.

Thanksgiving Sides Round-Up

Thanksgiving is almost here. The biggest food holiday of the year---at least for Americans. Some may choose to throw the eating plan out the window for the day, but you certainly don't have to! Low carbing is easy! Maybe not as easy as ordering the complete holiday meal package from the deli or restaurant, but cooking it yourself says "love" don't ya think? (unless you are one of those grumpy cooks, then by all means take it easy as you can)

I am fortunate enough to be friends with some wonderful and talented cooks at Low Carbing Among Friends. I don't think any of them are grumpy cooks either. George and DJ are professionals chefs, so they certainly love to cook. I would venture to assume that the rest of us get our giggles by creating new recipes, so we must love it to. Why else would we do this?

The main dish is pretty straight forward. Turkey and ham recipes abound. But the sides. Well, those might get ya. That is why this Round-Up is all about side dishes. These would grace any table with style and flavor. Low carb or not! Check out our blogs and websites for even more ideas. And of course, we have tons of recipes at our Facebook Pages.

https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends/

and

https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbHitParade/

Order our book series! Here. We have a sale going on now. Be sure to own every volume before the holiday season is over! Now on to some of my favorites! It really hard to choose!

Jicama Eggplant Stuffing

From Peggy at Buttoni's Low Carb Recipes

Creamed Brussels Sprouts

from DJ Foodie.com

Roasted Delicata and Cranberries

From 24/7 Low Carb Diner

Mock Sweet Potato Casserole

From Jennifer at Splendid Low Carbing

Mock Garlic  Mashed Potatoes

From George Stella at Food Network.com

Crispy Oven Fried Garlic Mushrooms

From Stacey at Beauty and the Foodie

Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole

From Jennifer at Splendid Low Carbing

Sausage and Sage Dressing

24/7 Low Carb Diner

Broccoli Salad with Carrots, Cranberries and Bacon

from DJ Foodie.com

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

From Ginny at Ginny's Low Carb Kitchen

Twice Baked "Potatoes"

From Peggy at Buttoni's Low Carb Recipes

I am packing up some supplies and traveling over to Arkansas to have a wonderful holiday with my oldest son and his sweet little wife. She is new to a glutenfree low sugar life and we are having a wonderful time sharing recipes and ideas. We are going to tackle the meal together! I can't wait.

Roasted Delicata and Cranberries

This dish featured in the Thanksgiving issue of the Diner News. I love it.

The squash is sweet and creamy, but the cranberries. They surely MAKE the dish. Roasted cranberries are tart, yet so very interesting. I adore how they blend with the squash. And the cheese--well that just takes it over the top. I just don't have a large enough vocabulary to describe this one. You really must try it for yourself. I ate it as leftover three times and loved it each time. Maybe even a little bit more with every bite.

Besides being a taste sensation, it is gorgeous to behold. Can't you just see this on your Thanksgiving table? I chose Delicata squash because you don't have to peel it. The skin is tender once baked, and it is so much easier to cut. You can certainly use any winter squash for this recipe. The variety available in the market now is one reason why I love fall! The trick is waiting for the cranberries to arrive. As soon as they did, I created this dish. I had some frozen berries from last winter, but used them all up. My discovery of roasted cranberries was a turning point for me this year. Cranberries are definitely more popular in my kitchen this year than ever!

Roasted Delicata

and Cranberries

1 large Delicata Squash

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

1 tbsp granulated erythritol/stevia blend

   mixed with 1/8 tsp cinnamon

2 oz crumbled feta cheese

Dice the Delicata squash into bite sized pieces. Toss with olive oil and distribute evenly on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and add cranberries. Bake an additional 10 –15 minutes until berries are soft and bursting. Remove from oven and sprinkle with sweetener/cinnamon mixture.  Toss gently before removing to a large serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top.

Serves 6:  82 calories    7 net g carb

You really do want to try this dish. If you want even more Thanksgiving sides, be sure to be a subscriber to the Diner News.   http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com/html/newsletter.html

And don't forget, we have lots of ideas for the holidays.  Get more great  low carb recipes at Low Carbing Among Friends.

 https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles, A Table for Two here. 

Skinny Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

My poor mama had to have three teeth pulled yesterday. She will be on soft foods for awhile. But that doesn't mean bland foods. We both love a little spicy heat, so I made this chipotle pumpkin soup. Now that is not an original idea, but I made this a skinny version. Just a touch of cream. I got added creaminess from Silk Cashew Milk instead. I am trying out a JUDDD style eating plan, limiting calories every other day. It seems to be working, albeit really slowly. This soup is really low calorie and lower fat, while still being low carb. It is very flavorful, though! We both just loved it. If you aren't cutting calories, feel free to substitute cream or half and half for the cashew milk, and add some cheese. (I added cheese for my mom)

My husband did not even try this--he just won't do much of anything with chipotle peppers. I left him on his own for lunch. It was odd having him home on Friday (our school has a job training program on Fridays so I don't teach). Unfortunately, he was laid off last week. The radio station he had worked at for over 25 years was sold, and now he has to start over. Prayers would be greatly appreciated! If he doesn't find another position, he and I plan to do some creative things with the blog and e-books while he draws unemployment. It is a little scary, but we have faith that God has a plan. I am so glad we have my part time teaching to help provide!

Skinny Chipotle Pumpkin Soup

1 small red onion
2 tsp coconut oil
14 oz can pumpkin puree
2 tbsp diced chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
2 tsp granulated erythritol/sweetener blend
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Adobo seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup unsweetened cashew milk
1/4 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot)
2 tbsp lime juice
6 tbsp cream
1 tsp Hormel Real Bacon Sprinkles
Optional garnish: shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Dice onion very finely. Saute in a non stick skillet with coconut oil. When onions are lightly browned, transfer to a soup pot or Dutch oven. Stir in pumpkin, sweetener and spices. Slowly stir in chicken broth a little at a time. Add cashew milk and salsa. Simmer for 20 minutes. Before serving, stir in lime juice. Top each bowl with a tablespoon of cream and bacon sprinkles.

Serves 6:  101 calories   8 net g carb

This was so tasty. Spicy enough to satisfy. I would suggest a salad alongside. Maybe a small chicken breast. Perfect low calorie, low carb, meal. You could go higher or lower in fat for the eating plan you follow. I understand that fat is not the enemy, I just don't need many calories these days. Sad but true. With this, I won't feel deprived at all!

Get more great  low carb recipes at Low Carbing Among Friends.

 https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles, A Table for Two here. 

Thanksgiving Planning and Garlic Cream Kale

November is here! That means we really ramp up the planning for the biggest food holidays of the year--Thanksgiving and Christmas. So much to do.

This November issue of the Diner New has lots of new recipes for side dishes to make your celebration meals special. One of my new favorites is this creamy, delicious side. Garlic Creamed Kale. Alone, kale doesn't have much flavor. This way, it tastes all decadent with garlic and cream cheese. Oh yeah. And this couldn't be simpler to put together, You really should add it to your holiday meals!

Garlic Cream Kale

1 large bunch fresh kale

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp refined coconut oil

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 tsp minced garlic

8 oz Neufchatel cheese or regular cream cheese

1/3 cup cashew milk

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Trim thick stems from kale. Steam for 5 minutes.  Chop into bite sized pieces.

In a skillet, melt butter and coconut oil. Sauté onion over low heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 5 minutes. Add kale, cream cheese and cashew milk. Stir gently to melt the sauce. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6: 185 calories   7 net g carb

This recipe tastes luxurious. Definitely like it took much more time to prepare than it does. Plus, it keeps very well too. I even took it in my lunch bag to school. Everyone was asking what smelled so divine. I love the way kale doesn't totally wilt to nothing like spinach. Not being the biggest fan of cooked spinach, this is perfect to me. I will bet you like it too.

Plus, check out all the other great recipes featured in the Diner News this month: 

Roasted Delicata and Cranberries

Roasted Garlic and Asiago Cauliflower Whip

Whiskey Glazed Kuri Squash

Brussels with Bacon and Pecans

Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash

Cauliflower Crown with Pumpkin Cheese Sauce

Maple Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Pecans

Three Cheese Jicama Bake

Frenchy's Green Beans

Roasted Cranberry Brussels Salad

Cranberry Chayote Salad

Old Fashioned Cran-Orange Jello Salad

Coconut Spiced Rum Cake

Cranberry Vinaigrette

So look at all those yummy recipes...and that is not even all of them. Better order a year's subscription of the Diner News so you don't miss out.

http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com/html/newsletter.html

Get more great  low carb recipes at Low Carbing Among Friends.

 https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles, A Table for Two here.