Category: Low Carb

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I originally made this recipe in … 2012?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
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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

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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

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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

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

brendanolen

I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/home_made_corned_beef.html

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Low Carb, Lunch, Recipe

Chile Rellenos

brendanolen

This is my mom’s recipe for chile rellenos.  She usually uses Ortega canned chiles but these are so good with freshly roasted and peeled peppers!

Chile Rellenos (4 rellenos, serves two)

  • 4 Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled (canned Ortegas work OK)
  • 3-4 oz. Monterrey jack cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you prefer)
  • Red Chile Sauce (or canned chile enchilada sauce)
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • a pinch of salt

In a large frying pan, heat  approximately 1/2-inch of oil on medium high.

Remove the chiles from the can.  Rinse and dry thoroughly (if using freshly roasted chiles, be sure to thoroughly dry them).  Stuff the chiles with the cheese.  Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff but not dry; mix salt and yolks, then fold in the yolks, being sure not to deflate the egg whites.

Dip the stuffed chile in the egg mixture, ensuring it is completely coated.  Slowly add to the hot oil.  Cook on one side until lightly brown, then turn.  Cook for another minute or so.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  To serve, place on a plate and spoon warm Red Chile Sauce over each relleno.

To make these extra wonderful, cube some pork roast, brown lightly, then stew in the Red Chile Sauce.  Spoon this over the rellenos.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    233.1, Total Fat    14.6 g, Cholesterol    267.7 mg, Sodium    458 mg, Total Carbohydrate    11.3 g (Dietary Fiber    2.8 g, Sugars    4.3 g), Protein    14.7 g, Vitamin A    75.7 %,  Vitamin C    16.8 %,  Calcium    3.5 %

Dinner, Low Carb, Preserving, Recipe

Red Chile Sauce

brendanolen

This, though we usually use canned (La Victoria), is what we use for enchiladas.  We always have.  So, when I was looking for an actual recipe to make our own and most of the recipes out there call for tomato sauce I just about flipped out!  LOL!

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/Circ533.html

Red Chile Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Red chile salsa (sauce) can be made from dried chile pods.

Select dry chile pods in optimum condition. Do not use pods with signs of mold, insect infestation, disease, or decay. (Chile pods from ristras sprayed with plastic, shellac, or insecticide are not edible and are to be used for decorative purposes only.)

Remove stems, seeds, and yellow veins from chile pods. Twelve to 14 large chile pods yield about 1 pint of chile puree. Leave the veins if a more pungent product is desired. Wash pods in warm water, lifting pods out of the water and changing the water several times.

Place washed chile pods in a pan and cover with warm water for 1/2-1 hour to allow pods to rehydrate. Add warm water as needed. Simmer pods and water for 10 minutes. Pulp should be soft, thick, and separating from the skin. Place chile pods and some of the water in a blender and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. Run puree through a sieve or colander to remove any unwanted peeling bits.
Measure:
1 c. chile puree
1 c. water
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. crushed oregano leaves (optional)

In a sauce pan mix chile puree, water, garlic, salt, and fat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano and simmer another 5-7 minutes. This yields 1 pint or enough for four servings of enchiladas of three tortillas each.  Store left-over salsa or puree in the freezer for later use.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    54.2,  Total Fat    5.1 g,  Sodium    458.5 mg,  Potassium    4.1 mg,  Total Carbohydrate    2.1 g ( Dietary Fiber 0.3 g,  Sugars 0.4),  Protein    0.2 g, Vitamin A    18.8 %, Vitamin C    3.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Low Carb, Recipe

Stevia

brendanolen

I have just started my journey with stevia.  The one plant I got a few months ago (I need more) just isn’t enough for all the experimenting I need to do in order to fully incorporate this wonderful plant into my diet.  From all the reading I have been doing, it seems the best way to use the stevia plant as a sweetener is as an extract.  This E-How article explains it perfectly:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083187_make-stevia-extract.html

It seems the key to eliminate the bitterness is to limit the time the plant material is in the alcohol.  While there are directions out there that use water instead of alcohol, it seems the alcohol pulls out the sweet elements of the plant more efficiently.

So, once I have the extract, how will I use it?  I found this conversion in this .pdf:

http://www.itascanaturopathicclinic.com/Stevia___FOS_Recipes_00000.pdf

Now, I did make a coffee drink with stevia (this is where my leaves have gone so far) but I tripled the amount of stevia called for and it still wasn’t sweet enough for me (so I added a little Splenda).  It also uses water, which from what I’ve read does not extract enough sweetness.  Here’s the coffee drink:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/bulk-herb-store/iced-coffee-sugar-free-and-delicious/10150263228642086

So, onward and upward.  I will be purchasing a few more stevia plants this week and we’ll see how things go!

Chicken, Dinner, Low Carb, Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs

brendanolen

I am finally, after 4 months, starting to really feel better.  I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, energy, and prayers.  It is very difficult to not over-do it but today I have a craving.  I made these a few weeks ago before I relapsed and they were phenomenal.  Perfect for those who are not looking to cut fat from their diet!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs

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Notes

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1 lb. package of regular cut bacon (whatever kind you like)
To taste:
  • Savory
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Equipment: Cookie sheets (with a lip) and racks to allow the thighs to sit above the grease.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the chicken thighs.  Sprinkle with as much as you want: Savory, Salt, and Pepper.  Wrap each thigh with two pieces of bacon, ensuring the entire thigh is covered.  Place the racks on the cookie sheets then place the bacon wrapped chicken thighs on the racks.  Bake for about an hour, until the bacon is crispy and the juices of the chicken thighs runs clear.

That’s it!  I will serve these tonight with homemade rice-a-roni and steamed veggies.  I figure it will make everyone feel better if there is at least one healthy item on the menu!  LOL!