Secret Recipe Club: Rutabaga Chips - Low Carb, Too!

Do you know what a rutabaga is? Do you know how to cook them?

If not, you're missing out on a great tasting root vegetable that's full of vitamins and minerals - and the best part is that its relatively low carb, too!

You can cook them and serve them as mashed potatoes, chunk them up and throw them in a crock pot with a roast or cut them up and serve them my favorite way - as fries or chips!

When I received my Secret Recipe Club blog this month, Gastronomical Sovereignty, I was hoping to find a recipe that was low carb or one that I could change to make low carb. I was thrilled when I came across Kristy's recipe for rutabaga chips!

Rutabagas are relatively low carb (approx. 8 carbs per cup), especially when comparing them to the much missed potato. I discovered them on my first journey into low carbing. I get easily bored eating the same vegetables over and over again so I often grab something that's unfamiliar to me (after reading it on a low vegetable list, of course), buy it and then hit the Internet to find out how to prepare it. This was the case years ago. Since then, I've prepared them in all of the ways that I mentioned above - I love them! Often described as having a sweet taste, I think that they have more of a slight peppery taste too them - that's why I love them.

It's a super simple recipe that wields lots of taste!

Rutabaga Chips

For one serving:

1-2 small rutabagas, sliced paper thin
2 tbsp. olive oil
sprinkle of black pepper and all natural Mediterranean spices


Toss the chips with the olive oil, pepper and any other spices of your choice. Lay the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 5-6 minutes @ 450*. Turn over and bake for another 4-5 minutes, keeping an eye on them to make sure you don't burn them.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with low carb ketchup or low carb ranch dressing, if desired but I find them to be delicious on their own!

 **Tip** Eat the chips as soon as they are cool enough to handle because they will go soggy - and while they are still tastey, they're more like fried potatoes than chips.

Kristy's blog has so many delicious recipe to pick from. Definitely take some time to flip through her blog. The pictures are mouthwatering, too!

Thanks for another great month here at the Secret Recipe Club!

***I have to take a minute to thank my son for helping me to type up this post. I pulled the muscles in my right hand and arm from a fall on Friday evening. He came to my rescue to help me today!**

Don't forget to spread some bloggy love by taking a few minutes to visit all of the blogs in our wonderful blog hops!! 

Broiled Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

This delicious salad makes a wonderful lunch or light dinner.

I came up with this recipe on a night when my family was enjoying pasta with red sauce and I didn't want to feel completely left out.The roasted tomatoes and slightly strong goat cheese pair wonderfully together. Low carber or not, this salad is sure to please.

Broiled Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

1 tomato (about the size of a baseball), cut into 4 slices
1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese
olive oil
dried basil (you could definitely use fresh basil but I didn't have any on hand)
1/2 c. cooked and crumbled hot sausage
1 - 1 1/2 c. Italian salad blend lettuce
low carb vinaigrette* - recipe below
grated Parmesan cheese

Wash salad mix and set aside.

To make the low carb vinaigrette:

1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 packet Splenda
1 tsp. grainy brown mustard
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing cup or a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Pour over salad. Toss to mix. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the foil. Lay the slices of tomato on top of the olive oil. Lightly sprinkle some dried basil over the tops of the tomatoes. Flip the tomatoes over, drizzle with olive oil and dried basil.

Evenly divide the 1/2 c. of hot sausage over the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the goat cheese evenly over the sausage.

Heat the broiler to 450*  Stick the pan under the broiler until the cheese has slightly browned  - 5 to 8 minutes.

 Serve tomatoes on top of salad greens. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the salad.

Enjoy!

Twisted Chicken Salad - Low Carb, Too!

I ended up really stirring things up for my low carb dinner tonight. Some of my best recipes come from throwing together "a little of this and that". That's what happened when I decided that I wasn't in the mood for a "normal" chicken salad. My family was having chicken & cheese enchiladas so a taco salad was the obvious next move....wasn't wanting that either.

On hand I had....
cooked shredded chicken
sour cream
salsa
Monterey Jack cheese
coleslaw mix
lettuce
cucumber
cauliflower

I decided on making a taco salad with a twist - using coleslaw instead of lettuce & sour cream and salsa instead of a salad dressing.

Twisted Chicken Salad
makes 1 -2 servings 

If you are serving 2, you will need
to make an extra cheese crisp bowl.

1 C. shredded cooked chicken
1/4 C. sour cream
1/2 C. salsa
1/2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 C. coleslaw mix
5 black olives for garnish
1 large cheese crisp bowl* - instructions below

Stir together sour cream and salsa. Stir in chicken, cheese and coleslaw mix. Refrigerate mixture for at least 30 minutes in a container with a tight fitting lid.

While the chicken salad is chilling, make the cheese crisp bowl:

I make my cheese crisps a little differently than a lot of people... I like to use shredded cheese instead of cubed cheese. I also microwave them instead of baking them or cooking them on a stove top. Any way you choose to make them, they are so good!

There are great examples of how to make cheese crisps on Linda's Low Carb Recipes & Menus. She posts instructions, along with many pictures. I have had much success in the past using the microwave to make them.

I doubled the amt. of cheese that Linda uses to make the large crisp in her first picture. I blotted the oils from the cheese using a paper towel after the first minute or so of cooking. It took about 3 minutes to cook this large crisp. Immediately remove the plate from the microwave (use oven mitts!!) and sit on the counter to cool for 30 seconds or until it is still hot but you can handle it. Once you can pick up the crisp, fold the sides of the crisp to create a "dish".

Fill the cheese dish half full of the chicken salad. Garnish with sliced olives.

Delicious!

Vegetable Beef Soup with Cheese Crisps - Low Carb, Too!

I cooked a big beef roast in my crockpot last week. The leftovers from that roast went into Monday's soup.

I changed the ingredients from my family's soup so that I could eat it without loading up on too many carbs. This soup turned out to be some of the best soup that I've ever eaten. 

This is certainly not just a low carb dish. Just double or triple this recipe to feed a family. 

Low Carb Vegetable Beef Soup
makes 2 hearty servings

2 C. beef broth
1/3 C shredded, cooked beef roast
1 small zucchini, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 turnip, peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 C. cooked carrots ( I used leftovers)
1 - 1 1/2 C. coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage)
1 pinch each of: lemon-pepper seasoning, basil,
garlic powder & red pepper flakes

Pour beef broth into a med-sized pot. Turn heat to high to heat up the broth. Turn the heat down to medium.

Add the remaining ingredients. Cook the soup until the turnips and zucchini are tender - about 10 minutes.

While the soup is cooking, make the cheese crisps: 

Cheese Crisps

I make my cheese crisps a little differently than a lot of people... I like to use shredded cheese instead of cubed cheese. I also microwave them instead of baking them or cooking them on a stove top. Any way you choose to make them, they are so good!

There are great examples of how to make cheese crisps on Linda's Low Carb Recipes & Menus. She posts instructions, along with many pictures. I have had much success in the past using the microwave to make them.

Rutabaga Fries - Low Carb, Too!

There's a lot of controversy out there on whether or not rutabagas are really low carb. I've seen counts from as high as 15 carbs per cup of rutabaga to as low as 9 carbs per cup. I look at it this way, I only eat it once in a while when I want "fries" and then, I only cook 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga at a time to avoid temptation to eat more. Any way you look at it, it's better than eating an order of french fries!

Many people mention tasting a slight sweet taste when eating them but I do not pick up on that. I find them to have a slight peppery bite to them - probably why I like them so much.

If you are buying them in a grocery store, the rutabagas will probably be covered in wax. You have to peel the skins off of them before eating them. I love the fact that you can store it raw for several days in the refrigerator.

Rutabaga Fries
this recipe uses 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga

1/2 raw, peeled rutabaga, sliced into "steak fries"
olive oil
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper

In a bowl, toss together the rutabaga sticks, olive oil and seasonings to taste. Spread out onto a baking sheet, making sure to not over lap or crowd the sticks.

Bake at 450* for 6 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and flip the sticks over to brown on the other side. Bake for another 6 minutes or until the sticks are tender and browned to your liking.

Other seasoning that I've used on the rutabaga fries:

Italian
Greek
chili powder & cumin
taco

Can be served with a bit of Heinz Low Sugar Ketchup, spiced up mayo, mustard or tzatziki sauce -depending on which spices you use.

Serve immediately.

What's your opinion on rutabagas? 

What's your favorite ways to cook them? 

I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me!

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini

What happens when you really crave grilled veggies but you can't use your grill at the time? Gently pan fry them in a little olive oil and they will turn out better than good....really, really good.

This is such a simple side dish that took just 5 minutes to cook- yet it's so colorful and pretty enough to serve to anyone.

All low carbers can enjoy this dish!

**Note** - You won't find any breading on these veggies so if you need the crusted coating, stop reading now.

Or better yet....   Continue reading and then try the recipe. It might just change your mind. :)

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini
recipes makes 1 -2 servings

1 baby zucchini
1 baby yellow squash
olive oil
red pepper flakes
dried basil
garlic powder

In a large frying pan, drizzle oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to high to warm up the pan, and then turn the heat back down to medium-high before adding the veggies.

While the pan is heating up, slice each veggies vertically into strips. Place the veggies into the pan and turn to coat in the oil. If needed, lightly drizzle a little more oil on top of the veggies - being careful not to drown them in oil. These veggies will soak up a lot of oil so use a light hand.

Sprinkle on the red pepper flakes (I used about 1/2 tsp), dried basil (about 1 tsp) and garlic powder (about 1/2 tsp).

Once the veggies are starting to soften and the undersides are browning nicely, flip the slices over to brown the other side. Only cook until each side has slightly browned or you will end up with a pile of mushy veggies.

Serve immediately.

**Extra**

Vary the spices for a nice treat. In place of the basil, try chili powder, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, onion powder, oregano...the list goes on and on.

Turkey & Egg Cups on Spinach - Low Carb, Too!

I've seen a lot of different recipes all over the Internet for eggs and ham baked in muffin tins but I didn't see any for turkey and eggs baked this way. My local grocery had turkey breast deli meat on sale for a really good price so turkey it was, instead of ham.

I figured that it wouldn't be that difficult to put a few ingredients together to come up with something similar to the pictures I've seen. Since I was planning on making only two turkey and egg cups, I decided to use silicone baking cups instead of a muffin tin. The silicone cups worked perfectly. I ended up with these delicious turkey cups that were filled with a soft-baked egg. My decision to serve them on top of spinach came from my love of spinach in quiche and omelets. I sprinkled fresh Parmesan cheese on top of everything. This dish was delicious! (If I do say so myself!)

Turkey & Egg Cups on Spinach
recipe makes 2 cups

1 egg per serving (2)
1/2  slice of turkey breast deli meat per serving (1 whole slice cut in half)
1/4 tsp garlic powder x 2
1/4 tsp onion powder x 2
1 silicon baking cup per serving
non-stick baking spray
1 can of spinach, drained well
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400*

Set silicone baking cups on a baking tray. Lightly spray each cup with non-stick spray.

Line each cup with 1/2 slice of turkey, trimming to fit, if necessary. I used large eggs in each cup because I wasn't planning on adding anything else to the cups. The large egg filled the cup perfectly. If you want to add veggies or cheese to the cups, I would recommend using small, or at least medium-sized eggs so that you have some extra room so the egg doesn't overflow when it's baking.

Sprinkle the garlic and onion powder on top of each egg. Stick the baking pan into the oven. Bake for 13 minutes to achieve a yolk that is still partially soft and "dippy".

Drain the spinach; pour into a microwavable dish. Heat through. Divide the spinach equally onto two plates.

Top the spinach with one or two turkey and egg cups. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top of everything.

Serve immediately.

Low Carb Chicken Lettuce Cups w/ Avocado Bacon Dressing

Spring is in the air! It's the perfect time to start using one of my favorite low carb food cups - Romaine hearts. This is a perfect "cup" to hold all sorts of salad mixtures. Today I'm using grilled chicken with an avocado bacon dressing.

Chicken Lettuce Cups w/ Avocado Bacon Dressing

3 lg. Romaine hearts, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel
1 grilled chicken breast (leftovers are perfect!)
Avocado Bacon Dressing* - recipe below

To assemble: 

Lay Romaine hearts open on a plate. Slice the chicken breast into 9 thin strips. Lay 3 chicken strips on each lettuce "cup". Top with 1-2 tablespoons of avocado bacon dressing.

Avocado Bacon Dressing 

1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and chopped into medium pieces   
1/4 tsp no salt cajun seasoning
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Frank's hot sauce
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 C. celery, chopped into very small pieces3 pieces of bacon, fried crisp and broken into crumbles
**note** Do not add any salt until you do a taste test first. I found that there was plenty of salt in it from the bacon that I used. 

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer. Stir in celery & bacon.Spoon immediately on top of the chicken lettuce wraps.

This dressing can also be used as a dip for vegetables. If a thicker dip is desired, mix in more avocado to the recipe above. Adjust seasonings, if needed.

                                                 

Leftover Broccoli? Make (Low Carb!) Soup!

The chilly weather here is perfect for soup! Since I'm trying not to waste veggies as much as have been in the past, I decided to use the leftover broccoli that was sitting in the frig to make soup. It was much more interesting that eating it with melted cheese or a splash of red wine vinegar. It's a great soup whether you are a low carber or not.

Lately, there's times when I swear that I'm going to turn into a green vegetable. I have eaten so many of them in the past couple of months. It's a good thing that I really like them...right? Talk about suffering if I didn't.

This soup is quick and easy. Perfect for using up leftovers!

(Low Carb) Broccoli Cheese Soup
makes 1-2 servings

2 C. chicken broth
1 C. heavy cream
1 1/2 C. cooked broccoli, chopped into medium-sized pieces
1 C. shredded sharp cheddar cheese - jalapeno cheese would be great, too. 
1 - 2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 -2 tsp garlic powder
1 -2 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt and black pepper

Add 1 C. of chopped broccoli to a mini food processor. Process until smooth, no chunks left. Set aside.

Warm chicken broth in a medium-sized pot. Stir in heavy cream, warm through until hot.

Add cheese and stir until the cheese has melted. If necessary, add a little more chicken broth or cream to thin it out a bit. (I didn't need to add any more because I like thick soups).

Stir in the broccoli from the food processor, along with the seasonings. (Note: I like my food to be seasoned on the heavy side so I used 2 teaspoons of red peppers, garlic and onion powders. If you don't usually like as much seasoning, taste it with just one tsp of each and then add more if necessary.)  Continue cooking until hot.

Before serving, stir in remaining 1/2 C. of broccoli pieces.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Pepper #2

I made this delicious sloppy joe casserole for dinner last night for my family. While they gobbled it, I was also enjoying my low carb version of a sloppy joe stuffed into a green pepper.

If you've been following my low carb recipes, you might realize that I already have a recipe for sloppy joe stuffed peppers posted on my blog. While they share the same name, the sloppy joe mix is different. I like both recipes but I favor this one a little more. I will keep both of them in the rotation, though, because I'm easily bored eating the same thing all of the time. You can see the original sloppy joe recipe here. Believe me, this recipe really is just as good in the low carb version as it is in the original recipe.

Low Carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Pepper # 2
makes 1-2 servings

1 green bell pepper, cut in half
enough sloppy joe mix to fill both halves of the bell pepper (recipe below)
1/4 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Par boil green pepper halves until fork tender. Remove the peppers from the water and dry them off well with a paper towel. Fill the peppers with the sloppy joe meat mixture and place in an 8 x8 baking dish. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top of the peppers. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Turkey Sloppy Joes - Low Carb version in bold below

olive oil

1/2c. celery, sliced (I omitted)

1/2c. onion, chopped

1/2c. red & green peppers,
chopped (I now use all green to
save $$)

2c. ground turkey, browned - I used 1 lb hamburger & 1 lb ground turkey because that's what I had here

1c. ketchup - I used low sugar Heinz Ketchup. It's sweetened with Sucralose and low carb
3 Tbs. white vinegar

1Tbs. brown sugar, packed - I used Splenda Brown Sugar Blend - check this, I thought that it was sweet enough with only 1 tsp of brown sugar. Sweeten to your liking

1/2 tsp dry mustard-this is needed
but I did use regular spicy brown
mustard in a pinch and it worked
fine - I've come to find that I like regular yellow mustard with this now

1/2 C. water

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Low Carb

There's been a lot of chatter lately in the low carb world about roasted Brussels sprouts. The pictures and recipes that I've seen look delicious. Until now, I've never cooked raw Brussels sprouts, only frozen ones. I decided to give it a try to pan roast some for my dinner last week. The results were heavenly -- yes, I said that about the "dreaded little cabbage heads" that most people won't touch! You don't know what you're missing.

My Mom would cook Brussels sprouts when I was a child and I would be the only one in the family to eat them with her. My sister wouldn't touch them with a ten ft. pole. hahaha! I still like them today--and once again, I'm the only one in my family who will eat them. That's ok...they're low carb so I can enjoy them all to myself.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 lb of raw Brussels Sprouts, trim ends & remove any wilted leaves
butter
minced garlic

Add sprouts to a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well.

Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir in 1 tsp minced garlic. Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise and add flat side down into the pan. Fry for 1-2 minutes and then gently turn to coat in the butter. Fry until the tops are nicely browned. Flip over to the flat sides once again and continue cooking until the sprouts are nicely browned, too. Keep a close eye on them while they are cooking so that they do not burn.

Serve immediately.

I like to splash on a bit of red wine vinegar right before eating them.

Greek Turkey Burgers - Low Carb, Too!

To understand where my idea for these burgers originated, you need to read my post on Greek Turkey Meatballs. I doubled the meatball recipe to make 6 big burgers with plenty of meat left over to make mini meatballs for soup.

I added grilled portobello mushrooms on the sandwiches, too. This was my low carb "bread"!

 These burgers were very good, although they lacked some flavor. Don't get me wrong... the meatballs are full of flavor but I think that when I changed the little meatballs into larger burgers, more of a "kick of flavor" needed to be added to them. I used provolone cheese - boring - some sort of spicy cheese might have given it the kick I was looking for. I would also add some Montreal Steak Seasoning. (Yes, I know that I have an obsession with this seasoning.)  My husband and kids (yep, kids!) poured on some steak sauce and loved it. Steak sauce is not low carb so I need to make up for that flavor in some other way. I'm open to any suggestions.

I broiled these burgers. They were very moist with a nice chewiness to them. Be careful not to overcook them or it will dry them out.

I will definitely play around with this recipe until I come up with the perfect combo for this burger.

Please let me know if you make these burgers and what you think of them.

Mexican Pasta Skillet + Low Carb Fish Taco Salad

I love it when our nightly dinner recipe turns out to be something that my family really likes, plus I'm able to make it low carb for me with just a few adjustments.

The original recipe for this Mexican Pasta Skillet comes from Betty Crocker. I left out the corn, used ground turkey instead of ground beef and added a low carb taco spice blend to my recipe makeover. I reserved 1/4 C. of the sauce mixture for my fish taco salad. Then I added cooked elbow macaroni to the remaining sauce for my family.

My recipe makeover looks like this:

Tami's Mexican Pasta Skillet

1 lb ground turkey
16 oz salsa - I used "hot"
16 oz tomato sauce
1 1/2 C. water
1 lb. cooked elbow macaroni
1/2 C. shredded mexi blend cheese
low carb taco seasoning blend* - recipe below

Brown turkey; drain off grease, if necessary. Return turkey to skillet.

Stir in low carb taco seasoning blend, salsa, tomato sauce and water.

Reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in cooked elbow macaroni and heat through.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the pasta. Cover with a lid to allow the cheese time to melt - 2 minutes.

Serve with warm bread and a side salad.

Low Carb Taco Seasoning

1 t. chili powder
3/4 t. paprika
3/4 t. cumin
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. salt
3/8 t. garlic powder
pinch cayenne

I doubled this amount for the recipe above.

I cannot take credit for creating this great spice blend. You can see the original recipe here.


Now for my low carb fish taco salad........

Last night we had Red Pepper & Parmesan Talapia. If you are fond of fish - and even if you are not - you should try this recipe. It's delicious. I also sprinkled a little cajun spice on the fish to give it a little "kick".

There was one piece of fish left over from last night so I decided to add it to my salad. Win-Win-Win! It's low carb...it's delicious....I used up the leftovers instead of throwing them out.

Tami's Low Carb Fish Taco Salad

1 - 1 1/2 C. Italian salad mixed greens
1 piece of leftover red pepper & parmesan talapia
1/3 piece of an English cucumber, roughly chopped
1/4 C. taco meat sauce from mexican pasta skillet recipe (above)
2 TBSP sour cream
2 TBSP shredded mexi blend cheese

Layer in order:

greens
cucumber
fish
taco meat sauce
sour cream
cheese

This new twist on salad will be added to my list of favorites! The recipe makes a big salad that could easily have been divided into 2 salads if you wanted to serve another vegetable with it. I couldn't finish the whole thing by myself.

Greek Turkey Meatballs

I love, love, love, Greek food. I have a favorite Pork Soulvaki recipe that I turn to over and over again. Now I've found a second favorite recipe, Greek style meatballs, a recipe that I'm sure I will use over and over again.

Although the original recipes uses ground chicken, I used ground turkey. These meatballs are full of flavor and would be delicious made into burgers, as well. I didn't make the tzaziki sauce to go along with the meatballs but I know that it would be a delicious sauce on them.

These little gems are low carb, too! I can't wait to make this recipe into burgers and try them on an oopsie roll! (another recipe that I still haven't tried yet.)

Another excellent point was that my son and my husband thought that they were delicious. No way was my 6 yr. old going to try them but I'm thrilled that the other two liked them.

Here is the original recipe with any of my changes in bold next to it.

Spanikopita Chicken Meatballs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, grated
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (I used 1/2 of a 750 g bag of Europe's Best) (I used 1/2 of a 12 oz bag of frozen spinach - no specific brand...whatever happened to be on sale that week. )
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional) (I left it out but I'm going to try it next time)
1 lb ground chicken (I used 1 lb. ground turkey)
1 tbsp grill seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Defrost the spinach in the microwave, then place in a kitchen towel and squeeze to remove all the excess water. Place in a large mixing bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix really well. I didn't use feta because it made the recipe more expensive and I knew my husband and I wouldn't miss it. I've tried it with and without and both are delicious. If you too want to cut costs, don't worry...it's totally amazing without.

Roll into about 18 (1 1/2 inch) meatballs (I made 15 golf ball-sized meatballs) and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil and place in oven and bake for about 12 minutes, turn over and bake for another 10-14 minutes or until the meatballs are golden brown and cooked all the way thro.

**my notes**  This recipe would be great to make mini meatballs for soup or to make into burgers for oopsie rolls or low carb tortillas...or just plain on a plate with all of the fixins. Freeze any leftovers. 

Low Carb Chocolate Cheesecake

After reading how some of my fellow low carbing friends eat cheesecake for breakfast, I was determined to find a recipe for a low carb chocolate cheesecake that would serve as dessert for Valentine's Day and as breakfast, too. Debbie, who I met from FamilyCorner.com, posted this low carb cheesecake recipe for me. It sounded great so I decided to add some cocoa to it to see if the chocolate taste would come through enough to satisfy my cravings.

It worked just fine.

Here is the original recipe with my changes printed below it:

Low Carb Cheesecake
3 packages (1 and 1/2 lbs) cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/3 cups worth of artificial sweetener
1/4 cup sour cream

Crust
1 cup almond meal
2 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp artificial sweetener


Heat oven to 375 F.Combine ingredients for crust, and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, till fragrant and beginning to brown. Raise oven heat to 400 degrees, or lower to 350 degrees if you're using a water bath (see below).Put cream cheese in mixing bowl, and beat till fluffy. Add other ingredients, scraping the bowl and beaters each time (this is very important), fully incorporating each ingredient. When all ingredients are combine, scrap one more time, beat one more minute, and pour mixture into pan over crust.

Instructions for water bath: Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan in foil, put it in a baking pan and pour boiling water around the sides. Bake at 350 for 60 to 90 minutes, checking often. When the cake is firm to touch but slightly soft in the center, or the center reaches 155 degress, remove from oven.

Instructions for non water bath: For this method, you start the cake at a high temperature, and it slowly drops. If you have stoneware, bricks, etc, this allows it to happen at a slower rate, and I get better results in less time. Put the cheesecake on a sheet pan in case of drippage. After putting the cheesecake in the oven at 400 degrees, turn the oven down to 200. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes, checking often after an hour. When the cake is firm to touch but slightly soft in the center, or the center reaches 155 degrees, remove from oven.
Chill completely. Top with fruit.Makes 16 servings.

With regular cream cheese, each servings has 1.5 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams protein, and 174 calories.

My changes/additions: 

I added 4 TBSP cocoa to it to make it chocolate.

I made it in a 10" spring form pan to make the slices bigger but not as tall. For a regular cheesecake, you would probably want to use an 8" pan.

I used the non-water bake method to bake this. It took just 60 minutes to bake.

Also, this cheesecake is not really sweet, especially with the cocoa added to it. I like it this way but if you like it on the sweeter side, I would suggest adding another 1/3 c. of sugar substitute to it. The texture is firm, yet creamy. The almond crust is a nice treat but I bet that this could be made without it if you chill the cheesecake really well before slicing it.

Make sure to keep scraping the bow (including the bottom of the bowl), as suggested. After a lot of beating, I still had a few white spots in my cheesecake -- I didn't mind it at all. The next time I will add the cocoa in 1 TBSP at a time and then mix it well afterward.

I sliced it into 8 pieces instead of 16 because I'm going to eat most of it for breakfast and with the low carb count (you have to add in the carb count for the cocoa), I figured that it was ok for the bigger pieces. lol! (Don't you just love my reasoning?)

 

 

My husband liked this, too. He had some Cool Whip on his.

I stored the slices in a plastic container in-between layers of waxed paper. Make sure to use a lid that will seal tightly. Cheesecake can also be frozen.

Enjoy! 

Red Pepper & Parmesan Talapia - Low Carb, Too!

This was another great dish that my whole family really liked. All of the ingredients are low carb, too!

If you're not found of fish, I suggest giving this a try. It has a very mellow flavor and the Parmesan cheese adds a nice crunch around the edges.

Red Pepper & Parmesan Talapia
taken from the Taste of Home Busy
Family Recipes 2010 magazine

I doubled this recipe

¼ cup egg substitute
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon pepper
4 tilapia fillets (6 oz. each) - The fillets I used weren't 6 oz. each, they were smaller

Place egg substitute in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the cheese, Italian seasoning, pepper flakes and pepper. Dip fillets in egg substitute, then cheese mixture.

Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. -- Do not skip this step or the cheese will stick to the pan. 

Bake at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Shown here with a side of sauteed squash w/ roasted red peppers. YUM!

Delish and only 1 carb per serving!

Atkins Spicy Baked Chicken

My whole family enjoyed this new chicken recipe. I found this recipe here on the Atkins website. The overall taste was pretty good, although it was a little salty for me. The next time I will leave out the salt altogether. The changes that I made are next to the ingredients in bold. 

 Spicy Baked Chicken
serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme - I omitted it because I didn't have it on hand
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt - I would omit next time
1/2 teaspoon pepper - I used Montreal steak seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 chicken legs with thighs, rinsed and patted dry - I used 9 bone-in thighs

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix oil and spices.

Rub chicken legs with spice mixture; arrange on a baking sheet.

Refrigerate 30 minutes.

Bake chicken 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked through. My chicken was still a bit frozen even after thawing overnight in the frig. I didn't refrigerate the chicken before baking it. It took about 10 minutes longer than the suggested time to bake.

Net Carbs: 1.0 grams
Fiber: 1.0 grams
Protein: 46.0 grams
Fat: 37.5 grams
Calories: 535

This recipe is a definite keeper. I had mashed fauxtatoes to go along with it.

Stuffed Burgers - Low Carb, too!

My son's favorite meal is a cheeseburger. He was so happy when I told him that I would be adding it to our menu this week because I can eat them, too. My husband and daughter are ok with eating cheeseburgers as long as it's only once in a while.

I decided to stuff all of the toppings into the burgers so we didn't have a mess with everything falling off of them when we were eating. I find it to be a pain when toppings fall all over the place and you don't get to eat them with the burger.

I pan fried these because it's been raining and very windy here for the last two days - not good for grilling.

Stuffed Burgers
makes 6 - 8 burgers

2 lbs 80% ground beef
3/4 C. chopped mushrooms
3/4 C. shredded cheddar cheese
2 TBSP Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder

I divided the 2 lbs of meat into 6 burger. If you like smaller burgers, you can easily divide it into 8.

Mix the steak seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder into the meat. Be careful not to over mix or it will make the meat tough. 

Divide each burger into 2 pieces.

Divide the mushrooms and cheese evenly among the burgers, laying the toppings on one of the two pieces of each burger.

 

Place the second half of the burger on top of the cheese. Pinch the edges together all the way around the burger to seal. Pan fry until cooked to your liking.

The family had fries with their burgers. I had a side of sauteed kale with mine. (above photo)

Marinated Flank Steak with Peppers & Onions - It's Low Carb, too!

Yesteraday, while shopping at Bloom, I found a really nice flank steak that had been reduced to a great price. Now, I'm not one to buy reduced priced beef unless it looks absolutely perfect with no brown spots on it - even if the expiration date is ok. This flank steak looked fresh, plus the expiration date was still 4 days away. I knew that I was going to marinate it and cook it today so I went ahead and bought it. I'm glad that I did. It was delicious.

I searched for a low carb marinade that both my family & I would like. I didn't find anything right away but I did find this recipe and I knew that it would be easy enough for me to make some changes so that it would be low carb.

I enjoyed the steak and peppers with a side salad and 4 small pieces of avocado.  My family enjoyed it in soft tacos, along with some cheese. I served rice and green beans on the side for them.

My version of the recipe is posted below. If you would like to see the original version, click on the link above.

Marinated Flank Steak 

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce - I omitted it. You won't miss it.
1 tablespoon grainy brown mustard
2 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
1 TBSP cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In a medium bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, Montreal steak seasoning, cumin and red pepper flakes. Place meat in gallon size Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over the steak, turning meat to coat thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours. << Marinate this long to really allow the marinade to sink in.

Slice peppers & onions into thin strips.

Preheat a wok on medium - high heat. Add peppers & onions to the wok. Pour in 1/4 C. water. Cover with a lid and allow the peppers to cook until fork tender but remove them while they still have some crunch. Remove to a warm plate. Cover and set aside.

Remove the steak from the marinade. Slice steak, against the grain, into thin slices. (using an electric knife makes this job really easy.)  Discard marinade.

Cook 5 - 8 pieces of steak at one time. Do not crowd the meat. It will take only 20 -30 seconds to cook one side of this meat. Flip the meat over and cook for another 20 -30 seconds. Remove it to a warm plate. Cover. Finish cooking the rest of the meat.

Fill soft tortillas with the steak, peppers & onions, along with your favorite toppings.

or

Serve with a side salad and some fresh avocado to keep the carbs low.

Low Carb Kitchen Sink Crustless Quiche

I love to make quiche to use up leftovers. Serving a "crustless" quiche is great way to enjoy this recipe but still stay low carb. Since I have a lot of different veggies, meats and cheeses leftover from various recipes, I made a "kitchen sink" crust-less quiche. I used what I had on hand but you could easily swap the meat, cheese and veggies for something that you like better.

Kitchen Sink Crust-less Quiche

1/2 C. Cajun turkey breast deli meat, chopped - watch carbs!
3 deli sliced Swiss cheese
3/4 C. shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 C. steamed broccoli florets
1/4 C. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp onion powder
red pepper flakes to your liking
4 eggs
1/4 C. heavy cream
1/4 C. water
1/4 C sour cream

Preheat oven to 350*

Spray a 9" or 10" pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Layer 1/2 of the meat into the pan leaving a space between the meat and the edge all the way around the pan.

Top the meat with1/2 of the cheddar cheese and 1 1/2 pieces of the Swiss cheese that has been torn into pieces.

Layer on all of the broccoli florets, cutting any of the big pieces into bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle mushrooms on top of the broccoli.

Shake seasonings over top of everything.

Repeat the layers of meat and cheese.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs, cream, water & sour cream until smooth and creamy. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, making sure the egg flows all the way to the edges of the pan. With a spoon, spread the meat, cheese and veggies out in the pan.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the center of the quiche is set and the top is light brown.

Let the quiche set for 15 before slicing.