Cole Slaw

You know it's warming up outside when I start making cole slaw. This is hands down my favorite recipe.  We love this with BBQ and it's great (in fact, best) to make a day ahead if you're traveling to a summer party.

Two notes: 

1) this recipe as written makes a very saucy, wet cole slaw. If that's how you like yours make it as-is. I don't like mine quite so wet and I double almost all recipes, so I increase the mayo to 1 cup, but leave all the other ingredient amounts the same. Then I double the amount of slaw to 2 bags. Just play with it to see what you like.

2) the recipe uses Swerve, but I use birch xylitol or pure erythritol. Use whatever 0 carb sweetener works best for you.

Using my recipe and ingredients a 2.5 oz (70g) serving is 1.75 net carbs.

http://www.cutthewheat.com/2013/08/creamy-coleslaw-marzetti-knock-off-low.html

"Mama's Stew"

OK, this really isn't a stew. The kids sometimes get tired of meat and 2 veggies on the plate. Truth be told, so do I. But I'm not willing to compromise on nutrition or carbs though. So I created Mama's Stew. This dish is whatever I was going to serve them, but chopped up and all mixed together and made into a "stew". I add some seasonings (usually Italian or Old Bay) and top with a few tablespoons of heavy cream and cheese. In fact, I add more veggies when I make this than if I were just to put it on a plate <insert evil Mama laugh>. The kids love it because it's "special".

Today's "stew" was cauli rice, broccoli, green beans, salmon (with Old Bay). Coconut gummies are refreshing after a rich dish.

Taquitos!

The kids thought these were fun to dip in their salsa and sour cream and they were less messy for them to eat than tacos.

Warning: you either need silicone gloves or hands that can tolerate heat because the cheese gets HOT and you roll these by hand.

Tips:
* Get your meat ready for one taquito. I did 1 oz each so they're pretty fat.
* Put provolone on parchment and cook in microwave so it's still very pliable. (I use Costco's larger provolone and 1 minute 10 seconds was perfect; smaller pieces would probably be about 45 seconds.)
* Working SUPER fast, pull cheese out, dump meat on and roll as tight as you can, crimping the ends as you go so your meat doesn't fall out.
* Repeat. I get a system going and can get them made pretty quickly.
*Right before serving, I microwaved the whole batch about 20 seconds to reheat. You could probably put in a warming oven as you make them too.

Whole meal with Spanish cauli rice is 4 net carbs.

Homemade Gummies

These gummies are SO easy you'll wonder why you ever bought the sugar-laden ones from the store! This entire batch is only 2 net carbs. Not each... the WHOLE batch! (I get 63 gummies using mini-molds.) Samuel only eats a few so I don't even need to count these towards his insulin bolus.

2 ingredients! Bai (or other LC drink) at room temp and a box (4 packets) of plain gelatin.

(Optional... you can add a little sugar-free syrup for more flavor (ex: vanilla, almond, blueberry, etc.), but definitely don't have to.)

*Put half the Bai (9oz) in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer.
*Put other half of Bai (9 oz) in a mixing bowl, add the 4 packets and whisk well.
*Add Optional sugar-free syrup if you're using it.
*Add the simmering Bai to the mixing bowl and whisk for about 1 minute.
*Pour into molds or into a Pyrex dish and cut into blocks when gelled.
*Refrigerate several hours or freeze for about 45 minutes. (May take longer if freezing in a Pyrex dish.)

Low Carb Fudge!

This take a bit of time and effort, but it's really easy.  And it's REALLY, REALLY good.

This is actually 2 recipes. First you make a low carb sweetened condensed milk. (Sounds like an oxymoron, right?) This step takes me about 30 minutes (a little longer than the recipes says).

Then you go on to make the fudge which is super fast, but you freeze it which takes some time to set up. I make individual pieces in ice cube trays, freeze, then run the bottom of the tray under hot water for a few seconds to pop out.

My batch made 32. 2 NET carbs each.
NOTE: if you're diabetic and don't have to dose insulin for heavy cream, these are only 1 NET carb each.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: http://mymontanakitchen.com/2016/10/06/3-ingredient-sweetened-condensed-milk-thm-s-low-carb-sugar-free/

Fudge: http://mymontanakitchen.com/2016/11/11/2-ingredient-fudge-low-carb-sugar-free-thm-s/

Union Oyster House in Boston

Oysters, mussels, calamari (peeled the breading off!), and clam chowder at Union Oyster House in Boston on a business trip. (No baked beans for me.)

Dubliner in Boston

Broiled fish, scallops, and Parmesan crusted shrimp with broccoli at Dubliner in Boston during a business trip. (Didn't eat the mashed potatoes!)

Burger King at the Airport

LC at the airport. Burger King couldn't do a lettuce wrap because their lettuce is shredded, so just discarded the bun. Half pound cheeseburger with bacon, no onion, no ketchup!

 

Chicken Nuggets Lunch

Simple lunch of chicken nuggets, buttered cauliflower rice, avocado with just salt and pepper. Yum! 

4 net carbs.

Ice Cream Sundaes

Homemade LC ice cream, Walden Farms 0 carb blueberry sauce, Hershey's sugar free chocolate syrup, homemade LC whipped cream. 4 net carbs

Parmesan-crusted sautéed fish

Parmesan-crusted sautéed fish over cauli rice and asparagus with spicy cream sauce. 

 4 net carbs.

Slow cooked ham

Slow cooked ham roast over a bed of cauli rice and a side of green beans. Drizzled with Walden Farms 0 carb Honey BBQ sauce. 4 net carbs.

Roast tip: marinade/brine the whole roast for 1-2 full days then cook in slow cooker for 8 hours on low. The long marinade/brine makes it super flavorful!

Dessert Leftovers

When you make delicious German Chocolate Brownies, but your husband is anti-chocolate cake/frosting (crazy, I know!), he gets cookies from the freezer and a blob of whipped cream for dessert.

Moral of the story (besides not to marry a man that doesn't like chocolate cake!) is to keep some goodies the freezer to pull from if needed. I'm not a short-order cook, but I make an exception for dessert since we only have it once a week.

 

German Chocolate Brownies

I'd wager you could fool any anti-low carb sugar-lover with this dessert. The combo of the brownie and sweet coconut topping is fantastic! I made my portions a little bigger than the recipe said and had fun adding LC whipped cream and Lily's chocolate. My serving is still only 3.5 carbs.

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2016/01/low-carb-german-chocolate-brownies.html

Fish Tacos

I make the provolone taco shells ahead of time to get that task out of the way.

Cut tilapia (or any fish you like) into strips. Season with taco seasoning (be sure it doesn't contain sugar... most do!). Saute in butter or bacon fat... about 6 minutes total.

This is one of our family favorites!

NIghty, night

BG ran a bit higher than I'd like today and he was a little subdued so I have to wonder if he has a little bug. But overall not too shabby. And we at least leveled off to a nice "83" at bedtime. 

Flan (aka Baked Custard)

A simple, yet classic dessert.  I often make this when I need to make a dessert ahead of time.  Cover and it can be stored in the fridge for a day or two.

Be sure to grease your ramikens so they unmold easily. Be sure to strain your mixture so it's smooth & creamy.

Be sure strain your mixture as your pour it in so it's creamy and smooth.  Otherwise, egg protein will make it grainy...

You can add the water for your water-bath on the counter and carefully transfer to the oven. Or set on the oven grate and then pour in...

Let it chill and you have an easy, delicious make-ahead dessert. This is great for busy holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Recipe...

Cauliflower Tots

Okay, you're not gonna fool anyone into thinking these are potato tater tots. Mine are sorta big and more like cauliflower balls, but, whatever. If you go into this not expecting potatoes these are really good!! We dipped them in ketchup just like tater tots. The kids loved them! 

Cheesy Bacon Brussel Sprout Bake

This is SO good!! I serve small portions because it's quite rich. 3 net carbs per serving.

Pizza Pull-Apart Sliders

There's a video on FB for a high carb version of this, which is where I got the idea. 

I used my Rustic Faux-Wheat bread recipe and made rolls. Swedish bread/rolls work well too. (You can make these ahead of time.) Slice in half. Put pizza sauce (my favorite in the 'Store-bought' album) on bottom, then mozzarella, then meat (pepperoni & sausage, etc), more mozzarella or provel if you're in STL. Put top roll on and brush with herb butter. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie

 We thought these were okay.  Maybe not our favorite, but still good.

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2017/01/low-carb-snickerdoodle-skillet-cookie.html

Reduced Sugar Ketchup

Actually tastes really good. My only complaint is that it needs to come in bigger bottles!

Sugar-Free Hershey's Syrup

It tastes a little "flat" to me when making chocolate almond milk so I add a splash of vanilla SF syrup and a TINY pinch of salt. Shake well.  1 net carb per serving.

Sandwich Cookies

Takes a little time, but so fun.  Lots of filling options.

 

Kentucky Butter Cake

Made Kentucky Butter Cake today and since I couldn't find my bundt pan, I used a smaller pan, so I had leftover batter. I made a new concoction... Chocolate Pecan Kentucky Butter Bars (uses Lily's low carb chocolate chips). Both are really good and very rich. The cake by itself is sort of... simple, I guess would be the word, so it lends itself to toppings. We did caramel sauce, whipped cream and butter cream frosting (all low carb). About 4 net carbs per serving.

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2017/02/low-carb-kentucky-butter-cake.html

Strawberry Milk

0 carbs and 45 calories!

1.5 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2 Tbsp Walden Farms strawberry syrup
2 tsp vanilla sugar-free syrup
Shake well and serve!

Pie Crusts

Pie crusts are easy to make without wheat flour. The crust below is walnut meal, but you can also use almond flour, other nut flours or even coconut flour to avoid nuts. Here's a link to 12 grain-free low carb pie crusts.

And they're not just for sweet fillings.  These are great for making savory pies.



https://communitytable.parade.com/571240/brendabennett/12-easy-sweet-or-savory-low-carb-gluten-free-pie-crust-recipes/

Zoodles! Aka... zucchini noodles

We love zoodles! They're super versatile - they can be a simple side with Italian dressing, sub as spaghetti noodles, or work like lo mein noodles. A Veggetti Pro makes it super easy to spiralize or make ribbons.

Roasted Radishes

Radishes can be roasted just like baby new potatoes and even taste a little similar. They lose almost all of their bitterness and get a little sweet.

Cut in half; I season with olive oil, Italian seasoning, pepper and a good amount of kosher salt. Roast at 450 for 25-30 minutes.

I don't use grapeseed oil often, but after they're done roasting I drizzle a little flavored grapeseed oil on the top and mix.

Slow Cooker Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cake

Cake made in a slow cooker!

https://asweetlife.org/slow-cooker-peanut-butter-chocolate-swirl-cake/

Salami & Cream Cheese Roll-ups

Roll out 8 oz cream cheese between plastic wrap, then remove top layer of plastic wrap. Top with salami, overlapping edges. Top with plastic wrap again and press salami into cheese. Flip over so cheese is on top, peel off plastic wrap. Season cream cheese - I use Old Bay, dill, curry, pepper, mustard powder, etc. Top with veggies of your choice... here I just did spinach, but dill relish, olives, peppers are all good; just be sure to drain well. Roll up into a tight log using the bottom plastic wrap to help. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap and chill a few hours or overnight. Cut into pinwheels.

Minimal carbs depending on your ingredients.