Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

Excuses, excuses. I seem to have a lot of them these days as to why I can't seem to keep up with my own life. I have three little kids, so in reality, I have three built-in excuses. But the truth is, I feel perpetually behind the eight ball and it's not really a feeling I enjoy. There are just so many things I want to give my attention to, and because of that, nothing really gets the attention it deserves. Including my family! It's a classic case of spreading myself too thin. So I could give you all my excuses, tell you how much time my kids take up, how I've taken on some marketing work that is eating up chunks of my day, how I am also writing a presentation for the Nourished Food Blogger Conference in April, as well as training for another half-marathon. But really, it's all my own fault. There is simply too much I want to do and not enough time.

This blog has certainly suffered for my being so distracted. I have not really given it much attention lately. I still whip up recipes and post about them, but I do little to promote each post and I am definitely having a hard time keeping up with other people's blogs. I'd like to give my blog more attention, because it happens to be one of my favourite endeavours, but I know I am just coasting at the moment. Strangely, it seems to be doing just fine without me, with my monthly views growing exponentially. Still, there is so much more I could be doing to help it along. So I have to send a shout-out to all of my wonderful readers and followers, for continuing to read and follow and make this blog a success. I truly appreciate it.



In that light, I wanted to let you know that March is going to be Reader Appreciation Month on All Day I Dream About Food. Both my 2nd blogiversary and my own birthday fall in the month of March, and I will be giving away some of my favourite low carb, gluten free products, starting this Friday. Be sure to check back in frequently and come help me celebrate. I hope it will be a lot of fun.

As for this little recipe, I have to say, it is a gem. I thought of it when I was spreading some sugar free raspberry jam on a piece of my Almond Cake the other day, and thinking how I might use the jam in a recipe. Thumbprints are so easy and quick to make, and they always look great too. And chocolate and raspberry is such a delicious combination, I knew wanted to make a chocolate base to hold the jam. And while I'm at it, why not drizzle a little melted chocolate over them too?



The Results: Yep, this is a little gem of a recipe. Easy, quick and delicious, and a hit with the whole family. I will say, I wanted the colour of the jam to stand out more, but with a chocolate base and chocolate drizzle, it got a bit lost. But that's just aesthetics and I still really love these little cookies.




Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Cookies:
1 3/4 cup almond flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
25 drops stevia extract

Filling:
3 tbsp sugar-free raspberry jam (I used Polaner's All Fruit with Fiber)

Chocolate Drizzle:
1/2 tsp butter or oil
1 1/2 oz very dark, gluten free chocolate (85% cacao or higher)

For the cookies, preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. Add egg, coconut oil, vanilla extract and stevia and stir until dough comes together.

Roll 1-inch balls between palms and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with palm and then press thumb or fingers into the center to create a small well.

Spoon about a 1/2 tsp of jam into the well of each cookie. Bake until cookies are set around edges but still slightly soft in the middle, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on pan.

For the chocolate drizzle, melt butter and chocolate together gently either on the stovetop or in the microwave. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes to thicken, then use a spoon to drizzle lightly over cooled cookies.

Makes 18 to 20 cookies. For 18 cookies, each cookie has a total of 5.8 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.5 g.**

**Carb count may vary somewhat based on the kind of jam and chocolate used.

Walnut Oil Mayonnaise (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

It's no secret that I like nuts, I've made that abundantly clear many times. And it's a good thing too, given that nut flours are one of the few alternatives to wheat flour that are both low carb and gluten free. I like all sorts of nuts, I don't really discriminate. But I have a soft spot in my heart for walnuts. It may be in part because I grew up on a farm called Walnut Hill. It may be in part because walnuts are often overlooked in favour of pecans and I like to cheer for the underdog. Whatever the reason, I often use walnuts in my cooking and baking. And not always in their solid form, either. I have long been a fan of walnut oil, and toasted walnut oil in particular. Ever since I found a relatively inexpensive source for it (thanks, TJMaxx Homegoods!), I've been drizzling it over veggies, using it for omelets, and even baking with it. I love the flavour, and it doesn't hurt to know that it's incredibly healthy, packed with all of those Omega 3's.

I'd never made my own mayonnaise before, but we go through a fair bit of it in this large, hungry family. It was as I was reaching for a jar of olive oil-based mayo at the grocery store that the idea of making it with walnut hit me. If olive oil mayonnaise is a healthy step up from regular, then surely walnut oil mayo is even better? But having never made mayonnaise from scratch, I had no idea if it would work. I didn't know if there would be something about walnut oil that would keep it from emulsifying properly with the egg yolk, or if it would taste a little strange. I knew it was worth a shot, though. I am always trying to find ways to get more Omega 3 fatty acids into my family's diet.



I found two recipes that I liked the look of, one from Epicurious and one from Alton Brown, and in the end, I made something of a mix between the two of them. Except, of course, with walnut oil. Both of these recipes had you whisking the ingredients by hand. I could probably have saved myself some time by doing it with the whisk attachment on my stand mixer, but I thought it was kind of fun to do it the old fashioned way. Plus it was a fabulous arm workout. The only problem being that I used my right arm the whole time because my left hand is not so coordinated and can't whisk very well. But my right bicep is now all nice and toned!




The Results: Making your own mayonnaise is so remarkably easy, it's a wonder anyone buys the storebought kind. Granted, it would have been far easier in my stand mixer, but it was actually pretty cool to do it by hand and watch it all come together with the constant whisking. As for the taste, it turned out perfectly. It tastes just like mayonnaise, but with just a bare hint of that toasted walnut flavour. I used it in some tuna salad for my kids and they didn't know the difference for a second! They devoured it and asked for more.

*Note: for anyone worried about consuming raw eggs, this is a perfect use for Safest Choice Pasteurized shell eggs.



Walnut Oil Mayonnaise

1 large egg yolk*
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup toasted walnut oil

In a medium bowl, combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard powder and salt. Whisk until well combined, about 30 seconds.

Whisking constantly, add walnut oil a few drops at a time using a 1/4 teaspoon measure. Keep whisking and adding slowly until you've added about 1/4 cup of the walnut oil and mixture is noticeably lighter in colour. Very slowly, add the remaining 1/2 cup oil in a thin stream until mayonnaise is thick and a creamy light yellow.

Cover and keep chilled. Use within a week.

Makes approximately

Lime Cardamom Martini

It's cocktail time! Actually, it's not really, because as I hit publish on this post, it's probably only 6 or 7 in the morning. And although I really do like my cocktails, I am not about to start imbibing that early on in the day. Really, I would never do such a thing, no matter how badly my kids are driving me crazy. I might start as early as, say 4:55 pm, because really, that is as good as being 5 o'clock. But not a minute earlier. Okay, well, maybe a minute. Or two. But definitely never ever at 7 in the morning. I can, however, start writing about cocktails any time of night or day. And it will be cocktail time tonight, because it's Friday and it's been a long week for me. I am sure it's been a long week for you too. Won't you come join me for Happy Hour?

It would seem that my Rosemary Grapefruit Martini caught someone's eye - and really, can you blame them? I was offered samples of a new premium vodka called Platinum 7X. It is apparently distilled 7 times and won a gold medal at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It was also rated as a Best Buy by The Beverage Testing Institute because of it affordable price. I didn't even know there WAS a Beverage Testing Institute, quite frankly, but I wasn't about to turn it down. I had to give some thought to what sort of drink I might make with it. In case you hadn't noticed, I am rather partial to anything that comes in a martini glass, so I knew it would probably take that shape. I remembered a cocktail my sister-in-law made once that had lime and cardamom in it, and although hers was a highball and mixed with soda, I thought it would make an excellent flavour for a vodka martini as well.



The Results: I will be the first to admit that I don't really know my vodkas. I don't know what makes one better than another. But I can tell you that this cocktail had fantastic flavour and a wonderful smooth taste. I can only assume that a lesser vodka would have a sharper finish. The syrup added a lovely exotic sweetness without being overpowering. And lime and cardamom together is a really wonderful combination. I think cardamom pairs perfectly with any citrus, but particularly with the sourness of lime. This is a cocktail I will definitely be making again.



Lime Cardamom Martini

Cardamom Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated erythritol (I used Swerve)
OR
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp cardamom seeds, crushed

Martini:
Juice of one lime
3 oz Platinum 7X Vodka
3 tbsp cardamom syrup

For the cardamom syrup, combine water, erythritol or sugar and cardamom seeds in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve erythritol or sugar. Turn heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a fine-mesh sieve and let cool. (If using erythritol, you will find it begins to crystallize as it cools. You will need to rewarm a bit to liquify when making the cocktail, but as you shake it with ice, this won't make much of a difference).

For the martini, fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add lime juice, vodka and cardamom syrup. Shake well. Pour into two chilled martini glasses and garnish with lime twists.

Serves 2.

Walnut Dacquoise with Coffee Buttercream (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

I can distinctly remember the first time I had a dacquoise. This is perhaps because I haven't had all that many, and so the first stands out clearly. But I do know that it was something of a revelation to me. My father had flown out to see me at university around my birthday and took me to a lovely celebratory dinner, something far finer than I could afford on my student's budget. I don't remember much else about the dinner except for the delicious chocolate hazelnut dacquoise I chose for dessert. That a cake could consist of something other than traditional sponge and icing, could have crisp hazelnutty meringue layers instead of soft, flour-based layers, was such a wonderful discovery to me. It tasted like a ferroro rocher chocolate and I was in heaven. Even the name was poetic, that beautiful French word rolling off the tongue and signifying deliciousness.

That cake has never been all that far from my mind, quite honestly, as I am sure you can tell from my introductory paragraph. And I even attempted making one myself several years ago, before I knew I was facing a lifetime of diabetes. I had come across THIS recipe for a walnut dacquoise and I gave it a go, with one major change...I topped the whole thing off with chocolate ganache, letting it drip down the sides. It was a more difficult endeavour than I thought it would be. Getting even layers of the walnut meringue was tough for a person as impatient as I am, and I think I didn't add enough sugar, as they deflated a little while baking. But the overall effect was utterly delicious. My mum and her husband were visiting from out of town and her husband said it tasted just like a Coffee Crisp chocolate bar. Those of you from Commonwealth countries will know that this was high praise, indeed!



I've often thought that a dacquoise would make a great low carb cake, since it is already gluten free. I was a little unsure of the meringue layers and whether I could get them to crisp up properly. But now that there are powdered versions of many erythritol brands, I knew I could get a good low carb buttercream to sandwich between the layers, and of course, I love my low carb version of chocolate ganache. I was intending to make this for my own birthday which is in a few weeks, but I really wanted to give it a go sooner than that.



The Results: At first I wasn't sure it would be a success, since the meringue layers still seemed so soft in the oven. But an hour with the oven off, and they were perfectly crisp. The buttercream has a nice strong coffee flavour, and using chocolate ganache on the top and letting it drip down the sides always saves me the trouble of having to try my hand a cake-decorating, perhaps my biggest weakness as a baker. My whole family loved this and happily gobbled it up for dessert. I will say, though that it is VERY rich and sweet. A small slice goes a long way, and I might almost consider reducing the amount of powdered erythritol in the buttercream.

As always when I use full strength erythritol, I chose to go with Swerve because it doesn't seem to have the cooling effect noticeable in many other brands. One other little note...make sure your butter is properly softened, or your buttercream will lump up and won't be smooth.




Walnut Dacquoise with Coffee Buttercream

Dacquoise Layers:
3/4 walnuts, lightly toasted
3/4 cup granulated erythritol (I used Swerve), divided use
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
3 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Coffee Buttercream:
1 tbsp instant coffee
1 1/2 tbsp hot water
4 oz cream cheese, softened
8 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered erythritol (I used Swerve)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache:
5 tbsp butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp powdered erythritol or xylitol
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
16 drops stevia extract

For the dacquoise, preheat oven to 250F and trace 3 9x5 inch rectangles onto parchment paper (I traced the bottom of a loaf pan). Place parchment on large cookie sheet.

Combine walnuts, 1/4 cup of the erythritol and arrowroot starch in a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.

In a large clean bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1/2 cup erythritol slowly until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in the vanilla, and then gently fold in the ground walnut mixture until fully combined.

Divide the mixture evenly among the traced rectangles and spread into an even layer. Bake until dacquoise layers are golden brown, about 1 hour (they will still be soft to the touch). Turn off oven and let layers continue to crisp up, about 1 more hour. Peel off parchment.

For the buttercream, combine instant coffee and hot water together in a small bowl and stir until coffee dissolves. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add the powdered erythritol and beat until combined. Beat in coffee mixture and vanilla extract until combined, scraping down beaters and sides of bowl as needed.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until smooth.

To assemble cake, spread one or two tablespoons of the buttercream onto a serving platter or cake plate, and lay the first layer of dacquoise on it to help adhere it to the plate. Spread 1/3 of remaining buttercream on first layer. Repeat with remaining dacquoise and butter cream. Refrigerate for at least two hours to allow buttercream to set.

For the ganache, melt butter, chocolate and powdered erythritol together in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa powder, vanilla and stevia and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and let sit 5 to 10 minutes until glaze is thickened but still pourable. Pour chocolate glaze over the top of the cake and spread with a knife or offset spatula, pushing to the edges and letting it drip down over the sides. Let set 30 minutes before serving.

Slice carefully with a sharp knife dipped in hot water, to allow for even, clean slices.

Serves 10 (at least, as it's very rich and sweet). Each slice has a total of 4.9 g of carbs and 1.6 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.3 g.

Bacon, Gruyere and Endive Quiche (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

You may recall that I am part of a campaign for California Endive called OnDiva. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this campaign for a number of reasons. First, I am among a wonderful group of bloggers, all of whom I admire and respect for the work they do on their own blogs. I also gain more exposure for my own blog through the posts and retweets of my recipes by Discover Endive and my fellow OnDivas. But I think perhaps the best benefit to being a part of this thing is that I have been exposed to a healthy, flavourful vegetable that was heretofore unknown to me. I'd heard of endive but hadn't tried it. Now, I can hardly get enough of it!



Endive really is a versatile veggie. It's reminiscent of lettuce and makes a great base for salads. I like chopping some and tossing it into our regular green salads at dinner time, as it ups the nutritional quotient and my kids don't even notice its presence. Because of the firmness of the leaves, it's a wonderful healthy stand in for chips and crackers when you are serving dips and spreads. And I am discovering just how good it is when it's cooked as well. When cooked, it loses that slight bitterness and takes on a more earthy flavour that I really enjoy. So you can see why it's a rising star in the ranks of my favourite vegetables.



My assignment for this month was to highlight endive in a comfort food recipe. I had to put my thinking cap on for that one, because I think of endive as a little more "gourmet" than most comfort foods allow. I kept trying to think how I could fit endive into the usual soups and stews that I think of as comfort food. But when I thought of quiche, I knew I had my dish. Growing up, quiche in our house was comfort food. It was easy and relatively quick, and could contain any number of comforting ingredients...eggs, cheese, sausage, ham, bacon, whatever you wanted, really. I thought that sauteing the endive in a little leftover bacon fat, and then pairing it with the bacon itself and some eggs, would make a wonderful quiche. And as far as I am concerned, I was right on the money.

I made mine a crustless quiche, but this would be just as good baked in a pastry crust.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Discover Endive. All opinions expressed are mine.




Bacon, Gruyere and Endive Quiche

8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
4 heads California endive
4 oz Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
5 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a glass or ceramic pie plate well.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Drain all but 1 tbsp of bacon fat from skillet.

Cut off root end of endive and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Add endive to skillet over medium-high heat and cook until wilted and soft, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Layer endive, bacon and shredded Gruyere in pie plate. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, garlic, salt and pepper until well-combined. Pour filling over endive, bacon and cheese in pie plate. Bake 30 minutes, or until top is puffy and golden brown and quiche is set and no longer jiggles when shaken.

Serves 6. Each serving has a total of 12.8 g of carbs and 10 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.8 g.

Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Tarts (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

I am starting to come around and see the appeal of macadamia nuts. I'll be honest, until recently, I didn't really understand fuss about these highly-valued and rather expensive nuts. The macadamias that I'd tasted in my life really weren't anything to write home about. Admittedly, they were of the somewhat stale, chocolate covered variety brought home by friends and family after trips to Hawaii. But I thought that was all there was to them. Although I never turn down a chocolate covered anything, they really didn't seem to warrant the hefty price tag. So I never sought them out on my own. But as a diabetic, I work with nuts and nut flours in all capacities and for a twist one day, I decided to give the lofty macadamia another try. I got some beautiful fresh raw ones, and made some delicious, tropical-flavoured muffins (Macadamia Coconut Lime Muffins). I can't say I was immediately hooked after that, but I did gain a measure of respect for the rich flavour of macadamia nuts.

But I had plenty left in the bag and they were expensive enough that I didn't want them to go to waste. So they weighed on my mind for a while. I had numerous ideas, but the one that really stuck with me was the idea of macadamia nut tart shells. Ground nuts of all kinds make really great low carb, gluten free tart crusts, and I knew macadamias would be no exception. I thought they might even be better, with their high oil content. A lot of recipes I see that include macadamias leave them raw, but I wanted to toast them to bring out the intensity of their rich flavour. I couldn't help myself, pairing them again with their tropical compatriot, coconut. They just seem made for each other. As for a filling, I had a few ideas and one of them was lime curd. But that would have been too much like the muffins I'd made earlier. In the end, I opted for a filling that gave a nod to all the chocolate covered macadamia nuts I've eaten when friends have returned home from Hawaii!



The Results: Mmm, mmm, yummy. I think I hardly even need to say this. How can you go wrong with macadamias, coconut and chocolate? I will say, I started off with a little too much butter in the crust. The macs themselves are so oily, I didn't need it. When they were baking, I could see pools of oil at the bottom of each tart crust. It reabsorbed after I took them out of the oven, but I have reduced the butter in the recipe by half. Indeed, it might not need any at all, but I want to be certain that the crust will hold together. The chocolate filling was wonderfully creamy and the perfect complement to the rich, tropical flavour of the macadamia and coconut crust.



Chocolate Macadamia Coconut Tarts

Tart Shells:
2 cups macadamia nuts, lightly toasted
1 cup finely shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/4 granulated erythritol
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20 drops stevia extract

Chocolate Filling:
6 tbsp butter
3 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp powdered erythritol
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
20 drops stevia extract

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 24 mini-muffin or mini-tart pan.

In a food processor, grind macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse crumbs. Do not overgrind or you will end up with macadamia nut butter.

In a large bowl, whisk together ground macadamia nuts, shredded coconut, erythritol, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir in beaten egg, melted butter, vanilla and stevia extracts until dough begins to come together.

Divide dough between prepared muffin tins and press into bottom and sides of each. Bake 14 minutes, or until tart shells are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, gently loosen tart shells from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling, melt butter, chocolate, powdered erythritol and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in vanilla and stevia extracts. Spoon chocolate into prepared tart shells and let set, about 1 hour.

Serves 24. Each tart has a total of 4 g of carbs and 2.2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 1.8 g.

Andouille Beef Meatloaf with Cajun Mayo (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

Those of you who know me in real life know that I believe in calling a spade a spade. I don't mince words and I don't pull punches. So let's just acknowledge the elephant in the room here and say straight out that meatloaf is very hard to photograph well. It is perhaps the least photogenic of all food items. Because no matter what you do to enhance it, no matter how many lovely toppings like caramelized onions and fancy mayonnaise, or interesting inclusions like chopped andouille sausage and toasted pecans, the fact remains. It is ground meat in loaf form and no matter how good it may taste, it's not pretty. It is brown and ground and, well, loaf-like. Dress it up as you will, it's meatloaf. I love the stuff and I am not ashamed to admit it. But I still don't think it's particularly pretty.

As unphotogenic as it is, good meatloaf is truly delicious. I think we've all probably had dry, flavourless meatloaf in our time, and that can be enough to turn us off this wonderful comfort food. But every food deserves a second chance, and meatloaf has made a huge comeback in recent years, even being served in fancier restaurants as comfort food with a gourmet spin. As long as care is taken to keep it moist and packed with flavour, I think meatloaf deserves its place at the gourmet table.



This particular meatloaf was actually inspired by my favourite burger recipe. Because really, burgers and meatloaf are cousins in the food world. The burger recipe is not one of my own, I can't take any credit for it, but it's one we've made over and over in this house, with some minor modifications. When I saw ground beef on sale the other day, I started thinking meatloaf. I stood in front of the cooling case, several pounds of ground beef in hand, thinking what kind of meatloaf I might like to make. When I spotted some andouille sausage further along in the case, inspiration struck. The burger version of this recipe is best grilled, and although we don't have any snow on the ground, our grill is packed away for the season. But meatloaf is a great winter comfort food and I knew I could recreate all the wonderful flavours this way.

The Results: I almost don't want to bother giving you results here, because this wasn't much of a risk for me. I knew already that this seemingly odd combination of flavours is phenomenal. All I needed to do was to figure out how I wanted to work them in together in meatloaf form. In the burger, the blue cheese is just added to the top, but I decided to put it right into the meatloaf mix and it worked beautifully. That way, we could just pile the caramelized onions onto the meatloaf slices and top it with the spicy mayo. The pecans might seem like an odd addition to meatloaf (or to burgers, for that matter), but trust me, they work. They give it an interesting texture and add a little natural sweetness to the end result. This is definitely a meatloaf worth trying!



Andouille Beef Meatloaf with Cajun Mayonnaise

Meatloaf:
2 lbs lean ground beef
12 oz andouille sausage, cubed into 1/4 inch chunks
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tbsp oat fiber or coconut flour
1/3 cup beef broth
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cajun Mayonnaise:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
juice of half a lemon
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Caramelized Onions:
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

For the meatloaf, preheat oven to 325F and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine ground beef, chopped andouille, chopped pecans and crumbled blue cheese in a large bowl and mix until everything is well distributed. Stir in oat fiber or coconut flour, then beef broth and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using hands, work ingredients in together until a cohesive "dough" forms.

Turn out beef mixture onto prepared pan and form into a low, long loaf shape. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until internal temperature registers 140 to 150F on an instant read thermometer.

Meanwhile, for the mayo, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

For the onions, heat butter or oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions to oil and stir to coat. Spread onions throughout pan and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and continue to cook 10 to 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.

Slice meatloaf and top each slice with caramelized onions and Cajun Mayo.

Serves 8. Each serving has 9.6 g of carbs and 3.7g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.9g

Cappuccino Cupcakes for Valentine's Day (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

You know, I am really not much of one for Valentine's Day. Call me a grinch, or whatever the term might be on the holiday of love, but it's not one I've ever paid much attention to. I don't even remember getting all that fussed about it as a teenager, when the throes of love were so much more intense and all-consuming than they are as an adult. This may make me a bad blogger, since food bloggers love to celebrate any and every holiday where they can create custom recipes for their readers. I try to keep up, but I am fairly certain I fail miserably. I know that it definitely makes me a bad mother. When I pick my kids up at school and their Valentine boxes are stuffed with homemade treats from classmates, whereas my kids just handed out paper cards, my cheeks burn with shame. I cook and bake for a living, after all, I should be the one out-doing them all on V-day!



Sometimes we have to just accept who we are. This is me, the Valentine's Day Grinch, love me for who I am! But this year, I did have a recipe in mind to share with you. I suppose it's not a Valentine's Day themed recipe per se. I do confess, when I thought of a cappuccino flavoured cupcake, I did so with the intention that it be presented as a V-day treat. The warm, cinnamon-iness of the recipe just screams Valentine's to me. And I love coffee, and anything to do with coffee, and Valentine's Day is about love, so it seemed apropos. Am I stretching a bit here? Perhaps. Just go with it. Humour me.

I had some thinking to do as to how I wanted to recreate the flavours of the classic coffee shop treat in cupcake form. I knew I would modify my favourite vanilla cake recipe with some coffee flavour. But how to mimic the creaminess that comes with a real cappuccino? And what about that hint of cinnamon from the light sprinkling on the top? Would a buttercream frosting be to heavy for something that was supposed to be a frothy coffee confection? In the end, I settled for a coffee-flavoured cupcake topped with sweet cinnamon whipped cream frosting.



The Results: A cappuccino in cupcake form! These really are delightful. And I am very glad I went with a whipped cream frosting, as the whole effect had an airiness that was more reminiscent of the coffee drink. These were a hit with all members of the family, which surprised me since my son claims he doesn't like whipped cream. I guess he does when it's sweetened and tastes like cinnamon!

I do think these make a lovely Valentine's dessert. They aren't particularly heavy, so if you don't want that overly-full, overly-rich feeling that comes with chocolate, these are a nice alternative. I wish everyone much love on Valentine's Day!



Cappuccino Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1/2 cup almond milk
2 tbsp instant coffee powder
2 cups almond flour
6 tbsp unflavoured whey protein powder
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
30 drops stevia extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
1 cup whipping cream, chilled
6 tbsp powdered erythritol
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 325 and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, combine almond milk and instant coffee and stir until coffee is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, whey protein powder, erythritol, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Beat in egg, stevia and vanilla until well mixed. Beat in almond flour mixture, then almond milk/coffee mixture until batter is well combined.

Divide batter between prepared muffin tins and bake 23 to 25 minutes or until tops are puffed and set, and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan.

For the frosting, beat whipping cream, powdered erythritol, cinnamon and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa powder.

Serves 12. Each serving has 5.9g of carbs and 2g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.9g.

New Wallaby Organic Greek Yogurt (Review)

I don't normally post a product review without a recipe to accompany it, but today I am going to make an exception. I think this product is good enough to warrant a stand-alone review, I really do. Plus I actually ate all of the product before I could bake anything with it, so that makes it kind of hard to post a recipe!



In case you haven't noticed, I am a Greek yogurt devotee and I have been for quite some time. I had heard of it and even tried it a few times back in the day, but it wasn't until I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes that I realized just what an amazing food it really is. Much higher in protein and lower in carbs than regular yogurt, it made the perfect snack for a hungry pregnant woman and I came to love the plain yogurt with a few berries and nuts sprinkled in. And once I realized that my blood sugar issues weren't going to resolve themselves, I made a point of keeping Greek yogurt in my refrigerator at all times.

So you can see why I jumped at the chance to try the new Wallaby Organic Greek Yogurt. I've seen their products before, but have had to pass them over because they were regular yogurt and too carby for me. They sent a variety pack and I instantly claimed the plain as mine, and allowed my husband and kids to eat the flavoured varieties. And I am going to tell you right now that all varieties were a hit. This is really good Greek yogurt. I added a few chopped strawberries to mine, but I am being very honest when I say I could have eaten the plain yogurt without any sort of accompaniment at all. It was incredibly rich and creamy and I was impressed from the first bite.


It didn't take me long to discover why I liked it so much. A quick look at the package and I saw that this is "Low-Fat" yogurt, not "Non-Fat" yogurt. And you know what? That is a VERY good thing and I know all the low-carbers out there will agree with me. Once again, I am going to say that fat is not the enemy in our diet. It's a way of thinking that took me a while to accept, but it is very true. We would all do better with more fat (yes, even saturated!) and less carbs in our diet. I won't proselytize here, but I do believe that eventually, conventional nutritional advice will catch up with this idea. Fat adds flavour and helps us feel satisfied by our foods, so that we aren't reaching for another snack an hour later. So I say more power to Wallaby Organic Greek Yogurt for keeping some of the fat in their product to create a rich, creamy, satisfying treat.

I will definitely be on the lookout for this product in stores in the near future. If you like Greek yogurt, I can give this one my full recommendation.

*Disclosure: I received free samples of Wallaby Organic Greek Yogurt to try. However, all opinions are 100% mine and not influenced by this sponsorship.

Maple Walnut Biscotti (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

I hate most chain emails, but I've always had a thing for those "You know you are from (insert location here)" lists that people send around. Those crack me up. Even if I am not from said location and don't always get the joke, I still manage to find them funny. Or at the very least intriguing, since it piques my interest to know why people from a certain place do or say such-and-such a thing. And when you actually are from said location, then they have a way of making you feel included. Because you do get the joke, and you love it that not everyone else will. The ones for Canada tend to go something like this:

You know you are Canadian when...

You're not offended by the term "Homo Milk".

You know that Thrills are something to chew and "taste like soap."

You understand the sentence, "Could you please pass me a serviette, I just spilled my poutine."

You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.

You can do all the hand actions to Sharon, Lois and Bram's "Skin-a-ma-rinky-dinky-doo".



I could go on and on with these things, I really could. Another one I saw said something about being able to eat more than one piece of maple candy without feeling nauseous. I don't know about other Canadians, but for me this is absolutely true. I have long had a passion for anything maple-flavoured. I could chug maple syrup out of the bottle, quite frankly. I refrain, but it's tempting. For years, I used to buy my mother a bottle of "maple butter", which is maple syrup that is further reduced and then creamed for a spreadable consistency, for her Christmas stocking. And every Christmas morning, that jar would be on the table for spreading onto our waffles or scones or whatever treat we were having. I know that on more than one occasion, I spooned it straight from the jar.

But maple syrup is sugar, plain and simple. And sugar and my body are not very good friends any more. What's a maple syrup loving Canadian diabetic to do? Thank goodness for extracts! Long before I had diabetes, I kept a bottle of maple extract in my baking cupboard, as it's incredibly useful for flavouring cookies and desserts. Maple syrup is expensive stuff and you don't always want to be loading it into your baked goods when you want a maple flavour. And for those of us who can no longer eat maple syrup with abandon, maple extract is a godsend. I can get all of the flavour I adore so much, and keep the carbs at a minimum. As one of my favourite combinations has always been maple walnut, it wasn't hard to make the leap to a maple walnut biscotti. There is something I've always loved about the slight bitterness of walnuts with the sweetness of maple together. For this recipe, I decided to amp up the walnut flavour with toasted walnut oil. It certainly doesn't hurt that it makes it that much more heart-healthy for you!



The Results: I hardly need to tell you that these are good. If you are a maple walnut lover, you already know that these are good! I had concerns early on that the consistency of the oil would effect the crispness of the biscotti. But it didn't do so at all. In fact, out of all the low carb, gluten free biscotti I've made thus far, these were the easiest to cut into slices and held together beautifully. And the flavour is perfect. They are great on their own, without the drizzled glaze, but let's face it, the drizzle makes them that much more tempting.



Maple Walnut Biscotti

Biscotti:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup Stevia in the Raw
OR additional erythritol
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup toasted walnut oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 tsp maple extract
1/2 cup walnut baking pieces, toasted

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
1 1/2 tbsp almond milk
1/2 tsp maple extract

Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, granulated erythritol, Stevia in the Raw and xanthan gum. In a medium bowl, stir together walnut oil, egg, and maple extract. Add walnut oil mixture to almond flour mixture and stir until dough comes together. Stir in walnut baking pieces.

Turn dough out onto baking sheet and form into low, flat log, 10 x 4 inches. Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250F.

With a sharp knife, gently cut into 15 even slices. Place slices back onto baking sheet cut-side down and bake for 15 minutes, then flip each slice and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let sit inside until cool.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered erythritol with the almond milk and maple extract. Drizzle over cooled biscotti and let set 30 minutes.

Serves 15. Each biscotti has a total of 5g of carbs and 2g of fiber.

I Love Avocados (and Chilled Guacamole Soup)

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you read this blog regularly, you know that I have a tendency to get obsessed with certain foods.  A particular flavor will appeal to me for a time and I will think about it constantly, dreaming up ever more creative ways to use it.  Oftentimes, that obsession will run its course and I will move on to other flavors and foods.  But there are some foods that I adore so much, they never fade from my mind.  Peanut butter for one.  And chocolate.  And avocados.  Yes, I am serious.  I love avocados that much.  I could eat them morning, noon and night, and in multiple ways.  I love them on salads and chilis and I love them spooned straight from the skin.  I love them mashed up as guacamole, which I can also eat straight with a spoon.  And lately, I've been adding them to my morning omelet with brie cheese.  I know it sounds like a bit of an odd combination, but trust me, it's fantastic!

In my opinion, one of the best recipes that I developed for this blog is my Chilled Guacamole Soup.  It was very popular and was picked up by a number of other blogs and websites.  In honor of the I LOVE AVOCADOS campaign for Avocados from Mexico , I am going republish the recipe in this post so you don't need to go digging it up.  It's a wonderful take on the traditional guacamole and it makes a fantastic starter to any  meal!

But before I do, I encourage you all to check out their Facebook page, I love avocados on Facebook  They've got a lot of fun things going on over there.  I downloaded the Avocados from Mexico theme song in Spanish as a ringtone to my new smartphone, for fun.  All I had to do was scan the barcode below and voila, a new ringtone! 

They also have blogger badges like the one below, as well as virtual gifts to send to friends and avocado-themed wallpaper and screensavers.  If you love avocados as much as I do, you will want to Like them on Facebook!  I love avocados on Facebook

 

  

 

Follow Avocados from Mexico on Twitter at @guacgrl and connect with other avocado lovers (like me!) by using the hashtag #iloveavocados

Chilled Guacamole Soup

2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 avocados, peeled and pitted
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped
¼ cup red onion, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ cup whipping cream
2 tbsp sour cream
6 tbsp cheddar cheese, shredded

In a food processor combine 1 cup of chicken broth with avocados, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice and cilantro. Puree until smooth. Add remaining 1 ½ cups broth, salt, pepper and cayenne and blend. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in whipping cream. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.

Divide soup among 6 bowls. In the center of each bowl, dollop 1 tsp (5 mL) of sour cream. Sprinkle each with 1 tbsp shredded cheese.

Serves 6 (1/2 cup servings). Each serving has a total of 7g of carbs and 2g of fiber.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

You may or may not recall that I am a member of something called the Secret Recipe Club. It's been a few months since I participated. December was simply too busy, so I skipped that month. And then the whole club took a break for January while some changes were enacted. See, the Secret Recipe Club is pretty darn huge, and the administration duties for its founder, Amanda, have been enormous. She and her group of volunteers have done an admirable job keeping the club going. I don't think she ever realized how popular her little brainchild would be, but there are hundreds of members now. Talk about a blogger success story!

This month, I was assigned a blog that I have actually heard of before, although I don't often read. Meet The Swans is a blog run by husband and wife team Krista and Brett, and it contains a great deal more than food. They post about everything from their home remodeling project to ideas for weddings. Fortunately, the blog also contains plenty of great recipes and I had no trouble finding inspiration. The minute I saw a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars that Krista adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, I knew I had to recreate. I adore rhubarb and have had some in my freezer that I've been hoarding since last June so that I could bring a little taste of summer into our lives in the middle of winter. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.



I really should be calling these Rhubarb Strawberry Crumb Bars, as they contain much more rhubarb than strawberry, but that doesn't quite roll of the tongue as easily. Like Krista, I upped the amount of rhubarb because I love the flavour and tartness, and kept the strawberries to a minimum. I did add a little arrowroot starch to the filling to help thicken it, as the absence of sugar means it doesn't thicken up as much as the original recipe. Of course, I couldn't make my version with flour and oatmeal, so I created a crumb-like crust with almond flour and erythritol. I did add a touch of ground ginger to the filling, as in the original BHG recipe, but again like Krista, I skipped the ginger icing because I just didn't think the bars would need it.

The Results: It really is nice to bring the flavours of summer into a dull, wintery day. These bars are lovely and soft and crumbly, with a not-to-sweet, strawberry rhubarb flavour. That said, I do think that next time I would make more filling, as I found the filling to crust ratio a little on the skimpy side. But I am a rhubarb fanatic and I always want my rhubarb desserts to have an intense rhubarb flavour. On the whole, I think these bars are an excellent treat.



Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars

Filling:
2 cups sliced rhubarb
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup water, plus 2 tsp
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 tsp ginger
10 drops stevia extract
1 tsp arrowroot or corn starch

Crust and Topping:
2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and cut into chunks
20 drops stevia extract

For the filling, combine rhubarb, strawberries, 1/4 cup water, erythritol and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture bubbles and fruit is soft enough to be mashed with a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in stevia extract.

In a small bowl or cup, dissolve arrowroot starch in remaining 2 tsp of water. Add to hot filling and stir to combine. Let sit to thicken up.

For the crust, preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8x8 inch pan.

In a large bowl, combine almond flour, erythritol, xanthan gum and salt. Add butter and stevia extract and cut in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press half of mixture into bottom of prepared pan and bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until edges are just golden brown.

Spread filling over bottom crust and sprinkle with remaining almond flour mixture. Bake 20 minutes, or until topping is golden and filling is bubbly. Cool in pan.

Makes 16. Each bar has a total of 5 g of carbs and 1.7 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.3 g.

Tiramisu Chocolate Cups (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

Chocolate - it's what all women really want, right? Well, to my surprise, I have found that this is not always the case. Through my ever-expanding blogging community, I have discovered that there is a segment of the female population that doesn't really like chocolate. In fact, some of them even go so far as to say they downright dislike it. I am horrified, quite frankly. I mean, isn't some of our femininity tied up in loving that dark, sweet, smooth confection? Chocolate is a dear friend and I can't imagine not loving it with all my heart. It's been there for me during good times and bad, and it's a very reliable companion. Chocolate is always hanging around my cupboard, just patiently waiting for me when I need it. And I need it often. I am not afraid to admit that I need chocolate almost daily. And sometimes more than once a day.

Thankfully, chocolate itself is not particularly high in carbs. It is the fillers, the milk additives and the sugar, that make most commercial chocolate high carb. And chocolate is surprisingly high in fiber, too, an added bonus for us carb counters. So it simply takes a little ingenuity to be able to get my chocolate fix. Sometimes I simply go for a piece or two of 90% cacao chocolate, but that wouldn't make for a very interesting low carb baking blog, now would it? So obviously I have to come up with some more elaborate chocolate creations from time to time.



This one is inspired by a cookbook my husband gave me on our first Christmas together, called "The Cook's Encyclopedia of Chocolate". I wouldn't say it's the definitive book of all things chocolate, but I have come across some great ideas from it. And the idea of creating a sort of deconstructed tiramisu in free-form chocolate cups is a wonderful idea indeed. The original version had chocolate cups made with semi-sweet chocolate, sweetened mascarpone, and crumbled Amaretti cookies soaked in coffee. It was fairly easy to reconstruct the chocolate cups with unsweetened chocolate and a little erythritol. But I wasn't sure what to do about the coffee-soaked cookies. I considered making some low carb cookies just for the purpose, but that was an added step I didn't want to take. So I decided to add the coffee right into the mascarpone, and then to add some toasted almonds for a bit of crunch. Okay, so real tiramisu doesn't have crunch...I know that, but I wanted to add the almonds anyway.



The Results: This really is a lovely, elegant little dessert. Mascarpone has such wonderful flavour on its own, I really tried to keep the sweetener at a minimum to allow that to come through and I think it did. The coffee flavouring was present without being overpowering, and the toasted almonds did add a nice textural difference to the cheese and the chocolate. My husband loved this dessert so much he left a note for me on the kitchen counter telling me so. How sweet is that?

I don't know that I would do anything differently for this. Perhaps I might use a bit more whipped cream to lighten the mascarpone and make it creamier, but overall, I think it was wonderful as is.

Tiramisu Chocolate Cups

Chocolate Cups:
2 tbsp butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
2 tbsp powdered erythritol
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
10 drops stevia extract

Tiramisu Filling:
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 tbsp instant coffee
2 tbsp powdered erythritol
8 oz mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Garnish:
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tsp cocoa powder

For the chocolate cups, cut out four 6x6 inch pieces of parchment or waxed paper. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter, chocolate and erythritol together until smooth. Off heat, stir in vanilla and stevia extracts.

Using a spoon, divide chocolate mixture between pieces of waxed paper, spreading into a rough circle. Drape each piece of waxed paper over the bottom of a small juice glass or tea cup, so that the edges ruffle, and refrigerate until set. (Tip: if it feels like the paper is going to slip off the cup, use a folded piece of tape to secure it to the bottom).

For the filling, combine cream, coffee and powdered erythritol together in a medium bowl. Beat cream until soft peaks form. Add mascarpone and fold together until well combined. Divide mascarpone mixture between prepared chocolate cups. Sprinkle with almonds and dust with cocoa powder.

Serves 4. Each serving had 7.3 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5g.