Category: Recipe

Cookies, Dessert, Level 1, Low Carb, Recipe

Cheesecake Cookies (nut and coconut free?) – Updated

brendanolen
REALLY old picture!!!!!!

I originally made this recipe in … 2012? I am in the process of fixing all of the broken links and duplicate pages that come with merging three (at least) websites into one. The link for this recipe was broken and no matter how much searching I did online, I could not find the recipe anywhere. So, since I actually wrote this recipe in my notebook way back when, now it’s mine. 🙂 I will make these again, taking better pictures. For now, here is the recipe.

UPDATE: I made this recipe again to take better pictures and parchment paper makes the sticking worse! Use a non-stick baking pan and spray and LET COOL. These cookies are very wet! I tried 2 variations (a little almond flour and a little coconut flour). If you were to add 2 Tablespoons of coconut flour (possibly 1/4 cup), these retain their shape much better, are not as wet, and hide the coconut flavor perfectly (I really do not like coconut flour).

Cheesecake Cookies

Nut, Coconut, and Sugar-free soft cheesecake cookies
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Servings 60 Cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese one block
  • 1 egg large
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sweetener powdered
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • Either use a 1-inch cookie scoop or drop by teaspoons onto lined baking sheets, leaving a little room, since they spread.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
  • Let sit on the baking pan until the tops wrinkle, then move to cooling racks.
  • As noted above: for a less wet cookie, add some coconut flour.
Keyword cake, carb, cheese, cheesecake, coconut, cookie, cream, free, keto, low, nut
Dinner, Journal, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

My Pepper Steak

brendanolen

This was one of my mom’s staples when I was growing up. This is my tweaked version.

My Pepper Steak

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

My Pepper Steak
(For the original recipe, see Ma’s Pepper Steak)
2 pounds beef, shredded
Marinade
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine (or white wine or water)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons corn (or potato) starch
Vegetables (any vegetables can be used)
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste (or 1 teaspoon peeled, grated ginger with 2 cloves minced garlic)
6 medium bell peppers, seeded and julienned
1 large onion, peeled and julienned
1 head of cabbage, cored and sliced
Sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes (or black pepper)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional but highly suggested)
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Thickener (whisked together)
1 Tablespoon corn (or potato) starch
2 Tablespoons cold water
Leave your beef partially frozen and slice against the grain as thin as you can. Once sliced, cut it into strips, then place in a bowl with the marinade. Mix well and let sit for 30 minutes to overnight, in the refrigerator.
In a large skillet on medium-high heat, pour in 2 Tablespoons oil. Let that heat up a bit, then add all the vegetables. Sautee until mostly cooked. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon, trying to leave as much oil in the pan as possible.
Add 1 Tablespoon of oil (if needed), then brown the meat in a single layer. Once all of the meat is brown, turn the heat down to medium and add the vegetables and sauce to the pan. Mix well and let that cook until the beef is thoroughly cooked (2 to 3 minutes), then pour the thickener evenly around the pan. Mix and let simmer until sauce is thickened.
Serve over steamed rice, noodles, steamed vegetables, or by itself.
This can be pressure canned (with or without the vegetables) in quart sized jars for 75 minutes at the pressure for your altitude (mine is 12 pounds).
Breakfast, Journal, Low Carb, Recipe

Basic Egg Loaf

brendanolen

For those who don’t know, this is keto/low carb french toast! Today, I made french toast dippers in my corn stick cast iron pans (and they turned out better than I have ever made them).

This is one of the easiest recipes! It’s full fat cream cheese, eggs, and melted butter in a ratio is 2:2:1. That means it can easily be adjusted up or down!

Basic Egg Loaf

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

Basic Egg Loaf
8 ounces full fat cream cheese
8 eggs
4 ounces butter, melted
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Once all of the ingredients are at room temperature, place them all in a bowl and blend until smooth. You can use a Kitchen Aid, a food processor, a blender, a stick blender, etc.
Pour into a greased baking dish (just about any will work: loaf pan, 13×9 casserole, muffin tins, etc.) and bake 30 to 45 minutes (or until brown).

Here’s the link to my meal prep containers:
https://amzn.to/31czIBI

Bread, Recipe, Sourdough

Sourdough Starter and Bread

brendanolen

This all began when I read an article (which I can’t find any longer … I wish I could because it was fascinating) in which a chef stated that refrigerated old, neglected sourdough started was completely dead, so reviving it (bringing it to room temperature, then adding flour and water) was no better than starting from scratch.

So, I pulled out my 3+ year-old ignored-in-the-refrigerator starter and got busy. Then, I realized others may not have leftover starter, so I showed you how to make fresh sourdough starter, also.

Now, I had to show how to make bread! The problem was I obviously hadn’t made sourdough anything for over 3 years and it shows in the following video. I did (after failing miserably) end up making edible bread and now I need to make more! Hopefully my next loaves will be prettier. 🙂

I have this THIS POST with a ton of recipes but I just wanted to point you to King Arthur Flour. They have some fantastic recipes (and not just sourdough).

The recipe I used in this video is Extra Tangy Sourdough Bread from King Arthur Flour. I will include the ingredients below but for how to make it, please watch my video above (or go to their website).

I hope you learn to love playing with your food as much as I do!

Dinner, Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Lunch, Recipe, Soups

Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth

brendanolen

I did not grow up eating many root vegetables, so when I found a recipe for chicken soup that included parsnips and turnips I was highly skeptical. After I made it, I was hooked! There can be no chicken soup (or broth) without them! In this video, I am not only making soup but am canning broth. For the specifics on the equipment (and tools) you will need, please read my Home Canned Meat post. I am not including a nutritional analysis with this recipe. This recipe is so variable and I have no way of knowing how many carbohydrates are in the strained broth.

Chicken Soup and Canned Chicken Broth Recipe

For the broth:

  • 2 to 3 pounds of chicken (either whole pieces or leftover chicken carcass)
  • 2 parsnips, roughly chopped
  • 3 to 4 turnips, roughly chopped
  • 2 to 4 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 to 4 celery stalks, roughly chopped
  • 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , roughly chopped (optional)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
  • Water, to cover

For the soup:

  • 2 to 3 pounds chicken meat (either from the broth or fresh)
  • 2 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 to 4 celery stalks, sliced
  • 1/2 to 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (optional) 1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • Water, to cover
  • Optional ingredients for soup: 2 to 3 zucchini, spiralized 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced or 1 to 2 cups of dry rice or 1 to 2 cups of dry pasta (bow ties, rotini, egg noodles, etc.) or 1 to 2 cups of chopped greens (spinach, beet greens, kale, etc.) or Matzo balls or 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Place all of the ingredients for the broth in a large pot (or slow cooker, electric roaster, or pressure cooker). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium or medium low (you want it at a slight boil). Depending on your cooking method, let cook for 4 to 12 hours (you want everything cooked to absolute mush). Strain the broth from the solids, making sure to remove all bones.

Place the broth back in the pot. If you used whole pieces of chicken, separate the meat from the bones (once cooled enough to touch).

If you are going to can your chicken broth, you can evenly distribute your chicken meat between all of your jars and top with broth or just leave the meat out. Process in a pressure canner for the recommended pressure (and time) per your elevation. Remember that this broth can be used just like store-bought chicken broth. You do not want to over-season the broth prior to canning it to allow you the flexibility to use the broth however you wish.

Now, if you aren’t canning your broth, throw the rest of the ingredients in the broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to medium. Let it boil until everything is cooked. BAM! You have soup for days! 🙂

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

brendanolen

Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

Home Canned Meats

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

Home Canned Meats
Ingredients
Meat: beef, game, chicken, pork, fish
Pickling salt: 1/2 – 1 teaspoon per quart jar
White Vinegar
For wiping jar rims
Instructions
Wash jars and lids.
Cut meat into cubes. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Dinner, Level 1, Lunch, Recipe

Basic Meatloaf

brendanolen


I don’t typically crave meatloaf often (it’s not a dish my husband enjoys) but for some reason I had to have some this week. Why? I want a leftover, cold meatloaf “sandwich”. I want the mayonnaise and mustard, mostly. So, I am slapping a slice of this onto a leaf of iceberg lettuce and BAM! I have my cravings met! I let this cool in the refrigerator, sliced it, placed each slice between parchment paper, and threw those into the freezer.
This recipe is totally adaptable. You can add diced bell peppers, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, jalapenos, etc. As you can see in the video above, I added caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.

Low Carb Meatloaf

  • 2 pounds ground beef (88% lean from Costco)
  • 1 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup ketchup Use sugar-free if you can find it
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use either a baking sheet with baking racks or a broiler pan, to allow as much of the fat to drain away while baking. Line the bottom with aluminum foil for easier clean-up.

Place all of your ingredients in a large bowl. With your hands (gloves help), squish all of the ingredients together. You want to make sure the seasonings and onion are well incorporated.

Pour out your meat mixture onto a platter and shape it into a loaf. Place the platter into the refrigerator to let it solidify (about 15 minutes).

Now, take your meatloaf out of the refrigerator and transfer it to your baking tray. Place it in the oven and bake for roughly 1 1/4 hours (or until a thermometer reads 160 degrees F). You can serve immediately or let cool for easier, less crumbly slices.

Nutrition Per Serving (includes sugared ketchup): 193 Cal; 19 g Protein; 10 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 0 g Trans Fat; 7 g Carb; 0 g Fiber; 5 g Sugar

Bread, Breakfast, Food Storage, Recipe

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

brendanolen

My favorite biscuits are Baking Powder Biscuits from Kraft (https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/051722/baking-powder-biscuits). Out of all of the recipes I have ever tried, these always turn out fantastic. So, I thought I would try to adapt that recipe for my sprouted grain flour. I think I have a winner!

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Notes

Sprouted Grain Buttermilk Biscuits
8 – 10 biscuits
2 cups sprouted grain flour (or whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup COLD butter, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk (for quick buttermilk, add roughly 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 cup of milk)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add the cubed butter and cut it into the flour (you can use a fork or a pastry blender) until the butter is about the size of a dried pea. Add the buttermilk and mix until almost all of the flour in incorporated (do not mix too much or the biscuits will be dense).
Sprinkle flour on your countertop and scoop out the biscuit dough. Gently fold the dough until it becomes more solid (roughly 20 times), only adding flour to prevent it sticking to your hands or countertop. Pat flat so the dough is at least 1/2 inch thick.
If you want circles, cut with any item that is at least 2 inches round (a biscuit cutter, a drinking glass, an empty food can, etc.). If you want squares, just cut with a knife. Place biscuits on the parchment-lined baking sheet an bake for 8 to 12 minutes (until the edges start to brown). Let cool a few minutes, then split with a fork (use the tines of a fork to split the biscuit instead of a knife). Serve.
Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Recipe

Jerky!

brendanolen

Yes! I made jerky (and since this is low carb, I am posting this everywhere)! Join me for my first time and check out the updated recipe below. I learned a lot. The first thing I learned is it’s not as difficult as I thought it would be. The second thing is, when it comes to dehydrating, time is relative. In this video, I cut the meat VERY thin and now I know it didn’t need to be in the dehydrator for over 5 hours. This was fun and I can’t wait to try other meats (maybe some fish?).

Jerky

10-ish servings?

  • 1 1/2 pounds meat (I used chicken breast and London Broil)
  • 1/2 c soy sauce
  • 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 t lemon juice
  • 1 t smoked salt (directions below)
  • 1 t ginger powder 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t black pepper, ground
  • 1 t red pepper flakes (all dried seasonings are to taste)

First, decide what meat to use. If it is frozen, let it thaw a bit (when the outer edges are thawed, that’s good). If the meat is fresh, place it in the freezer until almost frozen. This makes slicing any meat easier.

Next, make your smoked salt. You can either place some salt on a heat resistant pan (metal pie pans work great) and place it in your smoker. Here’s a write up all about how to do it: https://heygrillhey.com/smoked-salt/. OR you can cheat. Mix 1/2 cup of your chosen salt (I used kosher) with 1 Tablespoon of liquid smoke. It doesn’t matter what flavor of smoke you use. Spread it onto a heat resistant pan and place it in your oven. Turn the oven on warm and stir the salt to ensure it dries evenly. Once dry (and cooled) store in a container. Use to add a bit of smoky goodness to any recipe! Place all of the ingredients (except your meat) in a Ziploc bag and mix.

Next, slice your meat 1/4 inch thick (thinner will take less time in the dehydrator and give you a crisper result) and add to the Ziploc bag. Close the bag and squish the meat to ensure the marinade coats every slice. Seal, trying to remove as much air as possible. Place in your refrigerator for 1-12 hours (or more, depending on how flavorful you want your jerky).

To kill most food borne pathogens, you need to heat your beef to 160 degrees F and your chicken to 165 degrees F. To do this when your dehydrator temperature is too low, heat your oven to 300 degrees F. Pour your meat into a baking dish and heat in the oven for 10 minutes (if you aren’t sure, wrap a piece of meat around a meat thermometer). For other jerky safety tips, check out this page: https://www.jerkyholic.com/6-steps-to… Line your dehydrator shelves with parchment paper and add your meat slices, making sure the slices are not folded or touching.

Dehydrate at 145 degrees F for 5 to 7 hours (but begin checking it at the 3 hour mark). Let cool and store in an airtight container. If you are worried about shelf life (especially if you live in a warm area), store in the refrigerator.

For only Chicken Breast Per Serving: 140 Cal (22% from Fat, 71% from Protein, 7% from Carb); 24 g Protein; 3 g Tot Fat; 2 g Carb; 0 g Fiber

For only London Broil Per Serving: 166 Cal (58% from Fat, 37% from Protein, 5% from Carb); 15 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 2 g Carb; 0 g Fiber

Level 1, Levels 2 And Above, Recipe

Chortillas! (Cheese Tortillas)

brendanolen


I adapted this from the Fat Head pizza crust recipe here: https://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2013/06/30/weekend-bonus-the-older-brothers-oldest-sons-faux-carb-pizza/.


Here we have two types of Chortillas:

  • one with mozzarella and yellow corn meal and
  • the second is cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, and almond flour.

I had a lot of fun making these. The only special equipment you will need is parchment paper. Almond flour is available almost anywhere, which is truly amazing. When I started this website, it was so rare (and if you found anything, it was usually almond meal).
I hope you enjoy these! I am especially proud of these! As a bonus, I cut them up and baked them at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes and made chips! They are sturdy enough to handle any salsa, guacamole, and MAYBE bean dip (not sure about that one).

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, grated (or 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar/jack blend, grated)
  • 1 1/2 ounce cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup yellow corn meal (or almond meal)
  • 1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 12-24 pieces of parchment paper to roughly 5 inch squares. Place grated cheese and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave 1 minute, stir, then microwave 1 minute. Let the cheese mixture cool slightly, then pour the corn meal over the top, followed by the egg. Carefully mix (it will slosh around) until it looks like a cohesive dough.

On a flat surface (not a tile countertop), drop dough by Tablespoons (or use a Tablespoon cookie scoop) on 1 piece of cut parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of batter and gently flatten with your fingers. Take a flat plate, pie pan, or board and gently press down to flatten the dough. Don’t use all of your strength! You don’t want the edges too thin.

Place the parchment paper dough package on a cookie sheet (you can try to gently peel off the top piece of parchment paper so you can reuse that but it’s not necessary) and keep going. Once your sheet is filled, place in pre-heated oven for roughly 9 minutes, until there are a few brown spots. Let cool and place in a Ziploc bag to store in the refrigerator.

To serve, just heat them on a pre-heated skillet, on medium heat, just until warm.

Nutrition information: For 1 Corn Chortilla: 71 Cal; 4 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 3 g Carb; 0 g Fiber For 1 Cheddar Chortilla: 84 Cal; 4 g Protein; 7 g Tot Fat; 1 g Carb; 0 g Fiber