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.