All Day I Dream About Food

Nutella Swirl Tea Loaf (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-30T12:40:00.016-05:00

I'm a big proponent of the idea that if you have a good thing going, you have to use it to your advantage. You have to grab the bull by the horns, and really go after it, and take that good thing to new heights. Don't let it languish, but do all in your power to make it bigger and better. I sound like I am talking about lofty ideals and ambitions here, don't I? But really I am just talking about cake. Yes, cake. My Almond-Crusted Butter Cake was so good, and turned out so well, I immediately started thinking how I could use it in other ways. Some people may say it's too early to reprise the recipe, that I should wait at least a few months. But I happily thumb my nose at such people. Good cake is good cake and deserves as much time in the spotlight as possible. And if I add Nutella to said cake, surely that changes it enough for a second go-round!

I have a lot of recipes on this blog that I love, but I don't always have the time to make them again. But really, I loved this cake so much, I knew I need to make it again, and soon. Still, being of a rather restless nature and prone to boredom, I knew I also needed to give it a little twist. I've seen a number of Nutella swirl cakes and loaves and let's face it, that delicious combination of hazelnut and chocolate is never really far from my mind. So the idea of swirling some into the batter of my new favourite cake as not difficult to come by. I left off the almonds on the outside, and I used vanilla extract instead of almond for the cake batter. I also sweetened it a bit more than the almond cake, because I thought it would complement the nutella flavouring.

The Results: Okay, so the loaf sank in the middle a bit after cooling, a constant issue with gluten free baked goods. But the reality of it is that you won't care a flying fig about the sunken middle when you taste this. Seriously, it is that good. It's definitely on the sweeter side than the almond cake was, and I truly like them both for what they are. This one was a huge hit with the all of kids and my son said it was even better than the loaf cakes at Starbucks. This is high praise from him, believe me.

You may notice that it's more of a line of nutella, rather than a swirl. I will confess that the thick batter of the cake does make it difficult to swirl in. And so the resulting layer of nutella may be part of the culprit for the sinking middle. Next time, instead of just swirling in nutella straight, I may hold back a bit of the batter to mix in first. Regardless, you can make this cake as is and you won't be disappointed.

Nutella Swirl Tea Loaf

Nutella:
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked
2 tbsp vegetable or nut oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp erythritol, preferably powdered
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cake:
3 cups almond flour
1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
30 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup almond milk

For the nutella, grind hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground and beginning to clump together. Add remaining nutella ingredients and continue to process until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides of processor with a rubber spatula as needed. If you find it continues to clump together, add more oil, a little at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved.

For the cake, preheat oven to 320F and butter a loaf pan very well. Sprinkle sides and bottom of pan with sliced almonds, pressing into butter to adhere to sides.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated erythritol and beat until lighter and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at time, scraping down beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in vanilla and stevia extracts. Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan, then dot with half of the nutella mixture. Use a knife to swirl nutella into batter. Top with remaining batter, and again dot with half of the nutella, swirling with a knife. Smooth the top before baking.

Bake 45 to 5o minutes, or until top is deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 8g of carbs and 3.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.5 g.

Apple Smoked Cheddar Mac and Cheese Balls (Gluten-Free)

2012-01-29T15:21:00.010-05:00

What is the ultimate comfort food for you and your family? In our house, it is macaroni and cheese, without question. And not the kind that comes from a box, either, but rich, creamy homemade macaroni and cheese. Mind you, I personally don’t eat mac n cheese anymore at all, but my kids and husband do. My husband makes a wonderful version, and he usually makes a large enough batch to put several trays in the freezer. It’s one of the few things I can guarantee that all three of my children will eat. A little while ago, I discovered a fun little appetizer version of mac n cheese at our local Trader Joe’s. They were formed into balls and coated in bread crumbs, and then baked. Of course, being finger food, these held great appeal for my children and I almost instantly started scheming on how to make them at home, with a healthier twist.

Naturally, that was many months ago and I never quite got around to it. Then I was invited to participate in the Macaroni & Cheese Blog to celebrate National Cheese Lover’s Day, and asked to put my personal spin on this most comforting of foods. I knew instantly that I wanted to attempt the Mac N Cheese balls, and that I wanted to see if I could make a gluten free version to fit better with the message of this blog. There simply wasn’t a way to make them both low carb and gluten free, I’m afraid, but as part of my MO is making healthier recipes for my kids, I was pretty excited about the challenge.

The Macaroni & Cheese Blog is hosted by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and is publishing a different macaroni and cheese recipe every day for 30 days (http://www.30days30waysmacandcheese.com/). Part of our challenge was to choose one main Wisconsin cheese to highlight in our recipe. There are a vast array of cheeses to choose from, since Wisconsin is such a huge producer of cheese, but it took me barely a second to choose the one I wanted to use. I have long been in love with Apple Smoked Wisconsin Cheddar, and I knew it would add a unique flavor to this fun recipe.

As both the pasta and the cheese sauce lack any gluten whatsoever, it took me a few tries to figure out how to get my balls to stick well enough together so that I could roll them in an almond flour coating. At first, I simply tried forming the balls and rolling, but they were extremely fragile prior to baking. Chilling the mixture and adding a beaten egg definitely helped, but I still thought it could use some work. Finally, I figured out two tricks that made the difference. The first was that I needed to rinse off my hands after forming 2 or 3 of the balls, because the cheese sauce was sticky and making it difficult to form the subsequent balls. The other trick was freezing the balls after they were formed and before baking, to help them keep their shape.

This post is sponsored by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. All opinions expressed are my own.

Apple Smoked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese Balls (Gluten-Free)

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 12-oz package gluten-free macaroni

3 tablespoons butter

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch

1 ½ cups Apple Smoked Cheddar

1 teaspoon mustard powder

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups almond flour

Directions:

Cook macaroni according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk arrowroot or cornstarch into heavy cream until thoroughly combined, then slowly add cream mixture to butter in the pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Stir in the cheese, mustard powder, salt and pepper. Add cooked macaroni and stir until thoroughly coated.

Refrigerate macaroni and cheese until well chilled, at least 1 hour. Once chilled, stir in beaten egg.

Spread 1 cup almond flour in a shallow dish and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Using clean hands, form macaroni into balls about 2 inches in diameter, squeezing gently to press them into shape. Roll carefully in almond flour and place on prepared baking sheets.

Place baking sheets in the freezer until macaroni and cheese balls are firm, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Turn oven to broil for 4 minutes, until almond flour begins to brown and crisp.

Serve hot.

Rosemary Grapefruit Martini

2012-01-26T18:55:00.012-05:00

I don't post cocktails on this blog very often. I think there has been one true cocktail recipe on here, and that would be my Lemon Ginger Martini. Beyond that, I posted Cranberry Ginger Mulled Wine, which didn't have much alcohol content left in it after mulling, although it does make a lovely warm winter drink. And perhaps you could count my Almond Milk Eggnog recipe, if you are the sort to add rum or whiskey to your eggnog. So this really counts as the second true cocktail recipe on ADIDAF. If you didn't know me, or you were to judge purely on the frequency of my cocktail-posting behaviour, you might think I am not overly fond of cocktails. But oh, you would be wrong! I have a long-standing affection for the cocktail hour, there is something slightly magical about it after a long, hard day. And although my drink of choice is usually either a simple glass of red wine or a dry gin martini, sometimes I get it in my head to switch things up a bit.

This particular combination was inspired by a cocktail I saw on I'll Have What She's Having. Lynn's blog has long been one of my favourites, and she and I have always been supportive of each others' work. Her recipes are always sound, her writing is wonderful and her photography is very good. And she's a lovely person, what I know of her, so I almost always make a point of checking out her latest post. Her Fresh Start Cocktail, a nod to the New Year, immediately caught my attention because I love both rosemary and grapefruit juice. And I don't think I ever would have thought to put rosemary in a drink on my own. I started scheming to convert it into a martini almost the moment I saw it.

I made my version with Swerve, an erythritol based sweetener that is made to be as sweet as sugar. I like Swerve for a number of reasons, but one of its best qualities over other brands of erythritol, in my opinion, is that there is no funny cooling sensation. I made up the rosemary syrup first, and once again, I noted this advantage when I tasted the syrup. And the syrup was plenty sweet, even though I had reduced the amount of sweetener compared to Lynn's version. Even if I was using sugar, I wouldn't make this any sweeter. Now, if you are low carb and you are using erythritol to make this drink, do keep in mind that as the syrup cools, it will begin to crystallize and harden. Sugar stays in suspension but I have not found an erythritol product that will do so. So you will need to reheat the syrup a bit to liquify it when adding it to your cocktail shaker. But as it's shaken over ice, it doesn't effect the temperature of the end result.

Hope you enjoy. Bottoms up!

Rosemary Grapefruit Martini

Rosemary Syrup:
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup erythritol (I used Swerve)
OR
1/4 cup sugar
4 to 5 long sprigs of fresh rosemary

Martini:
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
4 ounces gin (or vodka)
3 tbsp rosemary syrup

2 sprigs rosemary for garnish

For the rosemary syrup, combine water, erythritol or sugar and rosemary sprigs in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. 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 grapefruit juice, gin or vodka and rosemary syrup. Shake well. Pour into two chilled martini glasses and garnish with rosemary sprigs.

Serves 2.

Almond Crusted Butter Cake (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-22T15:30:00.011-05:00

We have quite a large cookbook/cooking magazine collection in this house. So large, in fact, that we have a whole IKEA bookshelf devoted to containing these items. It's not quite full yet, but it's definitely on its way there. The strange part is that I don't actually buy cookbooks anymore, as I get most of my recipes and inspiration from fellow bloggers. But I have won quite a number of cookbooks in giveaways and I can always count on receiving a few every Christmas from my parents-in-law. And they are always welcome additions to our collection, because I find nothing more relaxing than thumbing through a cookbook in the comfy blue arm chair just off the kitchen.

One of the cookbooks I was fortunate enough to win in a giveaway was a sweet little thrift store find by Elisabeth of Food and Thrift. It is a book devoted solely to coffee cake recipes and was in brand-new condition when it came my way. It no longer is, as I have thumbed it many a time, and it may even have a splatter of batter or two on its pages. Of course, I can't eat conventional coffee cakes anymore, so I haven't made a single recipe as is from the book. But I have taken some wonderful inspiration from it. The raspberry almond coffee cake that I developed for Low-Carbing Among Friends, v 1, was inspired by a recipe in the book, although almost none of the ingredients, nor the methods, are much the same.

I happened to pick up the book again last Saturday morning, and flipped through, when a lovely almond-crusted bundt cake caught my eye. My brain instantly started doing the low-carb, gluten-free substitution dance, and I could see just how I would make my version of this. I got out my butter to soften and began calculating in my head the proportions of the alternative ingredients I would need. I decided to make a half-recipe in a loaf pan, a variation that was suggested by the book, and turn it into a tea cake of sorts. I also decided to forego my usual base of greek yogurt, as this was supposed to be a butter cake, and I knew I needed a bit more almond flour and whey protein to help give it structure. The original cake took a full pound of powdered sugar...oh my, just thinking about that is enough to make my blood sugar rise! But I wasn't about to try and sub in exact proportions of alternative sweeteners, so I knew my version would be a little less sweet.

The Results: If you follow me on Twitter, you would have seen me crowing about this the other day. I will tell you, it turned out better than I even would have hoped. It has a lovely almond-y flavour, and it's not overly sweet. Some might like it sweeter, but I think that the way it is makes it a perfect complement to coffee or tea in the morning or as an afternoon snack. My husband was in full agreement on this one. I am also more than a little impressed by the way it looks. I love the way the sliced almonds look on the outside of the cake, it's very elegant. And it turned out to have a very fine-crumbed texture, virtually indistinguishable from cake made with flour. This took me pleasantly by surprise, as I think many nut-flour cakes don't come out looking this evenly textured. Even my other cakes haven't always looked this perfect!

Almond-Crusted Butter Cake

1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 cups almond flour
1/3 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
3 large eggs
1 tsp almond extract
20 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 300F and butter a loaf pan very well. Sprinkle sides and bottom of pan with sliced almonds, pressing into butter to adhere to sides.

In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add granulated erythritol and beat until lighter and well-combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at time, scraping down beaters and sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Beat in almond and stevia extracts.

Beat in half of the almond flour mixture, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining almond flour mixture until well combined. Spread batter in prepared pan, being careful not to dislodge sliced almonds on the sides. Smooth the top.

Bake 60 minutes, or until top is deep golden brown and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 5 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 7.1 g of carbs and 3.2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.9 g.

How To Get More Vegetables Into Your Diet

2012-01-22T07:04:00.008-05:00

I no longer bother to make New Year’s Resolutions, because I learned long ago that I am most likely not going to stick with them. When it comes to making changes in my life, I will do it when I am fully ready and not a minute before. And the start of a new calendar year is rarely enough to make me feel ready. However, receiving a diagnosis of a major health issue like diabetes is enough make me feel ready instantaneously. Although I was always an active person and a healthy eater, facing diabetes made me commit more fully to a healthful diet and regular exercise. It’s been two years and I am happy to report that for most part, I have stuck hard and fast to this resolution.

Regardless of major health issues, however, we can all use more vegetables in our diet. The old recommendation of five fruits and vegetables per day has been upped to NINE servings, and the majority of those are supposed to be veggies. Let’s face it, cramming 5 to 7 servings of veggies into our daily diet isn’t easy, even when we love them. But as someone who can’t tolerate too much of the sugar in fruits, I’ve become fairly practiced at adding more vegetables to my day. As part of the launch of a new healthy, gluten-free living website called The Balanced Platter, I thought I would share some of my tips with you, along with two of my favourite ways to serve up vegetables.

1. Start at breakfast – this may seem like a no-brainer to some people, but for me this was something of a revelation. In my head, fruit had always been for breakfast, while vegetables were for lunch and dinner. Now I try to get at least two servings of vegetables before lunch time. If I wait until the afternoon, I find myself behind the game and it’s harder to cram them all in. It doesn’t have to be difficult, just throw some chopped vegetables in an omelet or lightly steam them and eat alongside your favourite breakfast foods.

2. Eat your veggies first – Vegetables are full of fiber and water, both of which help us feel full. But when most people sit down to a meal, they eat the meats and starches first, and the vegetables afterward. This means that they are going to eat less of the good stuff, because they feel so full from the other foods. I’ve been guilty of this many a time myself. If we reverse this pattern, and eat the veggies first, we have less room for the proteins and starches.

3. Simple preparations are often the tastiest – there’s no need to come up with fancy recipes for vegetables. Many of them often taste best when raw or lightly cooked. And this is the most nutritious way to eat them anyway, as vegetables lose nutrients when exposed to heat and water. If you don’t like them raw, a quick sauté or stir-fry is the best way to cook them. Just lightly steaming them is not too bad either. The only exception to this rule is soup. When vegetables are cooked in a soup, the nutrients leach out into the broth. As long as you drink all that brothy goodness, you are still getting the best the veggies have to offer.

4. Break out of your salad rut – Ever find yourself eating yet another green salad, chewing through all that lettuce and having it seem like work? Yeah, me too. But changing things up even a little bit can bring a whole new appreciation for salad. Try switching up the kind of lettuce you use, or using a mix of salad greens to vary the flavor. I’ve just recently discovered endive, and I love chopping it up to add a bit of a sharper flavor to my salad. Switch up the toppings and add avocado, nuts, or crumbled feta. Really, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

5. Leftovers make great leftovers – Stating the obvious? Perhaps, but it’s a very useful tip. Make more than you and your family can eat, so that you have a ready-made snack or veggie dish the next day. I love adding already cooked vegetables to my morning omelet, because it removes a step when I am in a hurry. I’ve come up with some fantastic combinations, too. I added some leftover Indian Eggplant to a frittata one day and it made for an amazing dinner.

6. Double up in restaurants – Many restaurant meals comprise a protein, a starch and a vegetable side. Let’s face it, that starch is usually just filler. If you are serious about getting more vegetables into your day, ask your server to skip the starch and double your vegetables. Most restaurants are fine with this sort of substitution. As someone who now does this on a regular basis, I can tell you that you will feel satisfied by this meal. And you will have the added benefit of feeling virtuous afterward!

7. Don’t skimp on the dips, dressings and seasonings – Here I am going to depart from your typical nutritional advice and tell you to go for broke if it gets those vegetables into you. There is a great deal of evidence coming to light that it isn’t FAT that makes you fat, but starches and simple carbohydrates. And even saturated fats are not the enemy they were once thought to be. So if drowning your veggies in ranch dressing means you will actually eat them, then do it. My only caveat: use homemade dips and dressings, so you skip all the junk and fillers in the store-bought brands.

Here are two of my favourite quick and delicious vegetable side dishes. Both are incredibly simple, highlight the flavour of the veggies themselves and take under 10 minutes to make. These are so simple, I can't even call them recipes...

Steamed Cauliflower with Walnut Oil: Cut 1 head of cauliflower into 1-inch florets. Place in a large microwave-safe bowl and add 1 inch of water to the bottom. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Drain and drizzle with 1/4 cup toasted walnut oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

You can also make this with broccoli and you can change up the oils you use. Nut oils really compliment the slightly nutty flavour of cauliflower.

Spicy Stir-Fried Kale: Chop 4 cups of fresh kale, removing stems. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add kale, two cloves minced garlic, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook, stirring and tossing constantly, until kale is wilted and bright green. Serve immediately.

Crispy Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-19T15:14:00.013-05:00

Do rosemary and Sriracha sound like a funny combination to you? I confess, it wouldn't have been something I would automatically put together myself, except that I did it by accident one day. Yes, by accident. That makes it sound a little like those old Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercials. Hey, you got your rosemary in my Sriracha! Hey, you got Sriracha on my rosemary! Okay, so it wasn't exactly like that. It was more like I ran out of regular hot sauce for a recipe so I grabbed the Sriracha. And I happened to be helping my son with his homework at the same time as getting dinner ready. So before I knew it, I had added several tablespoons of Sriracha to the marinade when I only meant to add a teaspoon or two. I took a chance and just went with it. And it turned out to be amazing.

Chicken thighs have always been one of my favourite meals. I've always preferred dark meat over light, and it doesn't hurt that they tend to be inexpensive as well. But there's always a danger that thighs will turn out too rubbery, especially if cooking bone-in, skin-on thighs. I've cooked a fair bit of chicken thighs in my day and in my humble opinion, the best way to cook them is grilling or broiling. Or at least, baking them and then turning on the broiler at the end to crisp up that skin. It makes a huge difference to the overall outcome. And unlike breasts, thighs are pretty hard to overcook. My husband and I have experimented with a couple of recipes, and we've found that five to ten extra minutes in the oven, plus a few minutes under the broiler, makes them far less greasy and rubbery.

The Results: With the amount of Sriracha in these, you'd think these would be pretty spicy. But they're not really. I'd say that these barely even register on the heat meter. My kids all love them, and like many small children, they are averse to anything even mildly hot. But somehow, that Sriracha gives the thighs incredible flavour. The whole marinade together - the yogurt, the lemon, the garlic, the rosemary and the Sriracha - seem to add up just right. I always make a double batch when I cook these thighs, because they are just as good re-heated the next day. Just make sure you reheat in the oven, and not in the microwave. The microwave is no friend to chicken thighs!

Crispy Rosemary Sriracha Chicken Thighs

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 to 5 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken thighs in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Place in refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange chicken thighs in a single layer in a baking dish or broiler pan. Spread any marinade remaining in the bag over the thighs. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Then broil on high for 4 minutes, until skin is crispy and golden brown.

Serves 4. Each serving has 4.5 g of carbs.

Black and White Muffins (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-17T12:45:00.014-05:00

So I had an interesting conversation the other day. A writer from The Globe and Mail, a national Canadian newspaper, came across my blog when searching for information about American Girl Scout cookies. It seems that my blog post about Homemade Thin Mints caught his eye. In that post, I was lamenting the difference between the vast array of delicious Girl Scout Cookies and the boring sandwich cookies I had to peddle as a Canadian Girl Guide. Apparently, I am not the only one who feels this way. He decided to write a short piece on the matter after his wife and her friends were discussing the very same thing. So he wanted to interview me for the article as someone who has lived on both sides of the border and experienced both kinds of cookies. I suppose you could call me something of an expert.

It really was a revelation to move to the US and discover just how excited everyone got for Girl Scout cookie season. The Girl Guides of Canada only offer a single box of cookies that contain both vanilla and chocolate cream sandwich cookies. And as much as I love my homeland, I have to say that the cookies really aren't very good. I don't know anyone who gets very excited for cookie season in Canada...it's more of an obligation to buy a few boxes from your neighbourhood Girl Guide than anything else. I can't imagine that it's all that successful a fund-raising scheme. Whereas here in the US, everyone has their favourite type of Girl Scout Cookie and I know people who buy boxes upon boxes and store them in the freezer, just to make them last throughout the year. Why such a huge difference between two parts of what is essentially the same organization? As my American-bred husband says, it's just because the US does it better. And as much as I am fiercely loyal to Canada, in this case, I have to agree with him.

So what does any of this have to do with these muffins? It doesn't at all, I just thought it was an interesting story and I wanted to tell you! I don't know when the article is going to come out, but if you are in Canada and you come across fit, clip it out and send it to me. I'd love to see it.

As to the muffins, I saw something similar one day on A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis. If you are not familiar with his blog, then you need to be. Dennis is truly a talented chef, and he is the king of Foodbuzz. He was the first person to ever comment on my blog that wasn't a friend or a family member. He makes it a point to welcome everyone to the foodblogging community. He's everywhere all at once and I can't figure out how he maintains his full-time job and his blog too! The instant I saw his muffins, I wanted to make a low carb, gluten free version.

The Results: Serious yumminess. That's the only way to describe this cross between a chocolate muffin and cheesecake. The muffin itself is nice and cakey, but not overly sweet. And then to have the creamy vanilla flavoured middle, it's a great treat for breakfast. These ones were a hit with the whole family, including the picky little 2 year old. I turned my back on a half-eaten one the other morning, and came back to discover that she'd climbed up on the chair and finished it off for me. Oh well, at least I can say it's good for her!

Oh, and my apologies that the recipe makes 14 muffins. Unfortunately, the cream cheese middle takes up a bit of room and I had too much muffin batter for 12!

Black and White Muffins

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
2 tbsp whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
16 drops stevia extract

Muffins:
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup chocolate whey protein powder
2 tsp instant coffee
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
6 oz Greek yogurt
2 large eggs
20 drops stevia extract
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup almond milk

Preheat oven to 325F and line 14 muffin tins with paper liners.

For the filling, beat cream cheese and powdered erythritol in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in cream, vanilla extract and stevia extract until combined. Set aside.

For the muffins, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, flax seed meal, erythritol, protein powder, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl, beat yogurt until smooth. Beat in eggs and stevia until fully combined. Beat in almond flour mixture, along with butter and almond milk, until well mixed.

Divide batter among prepared muffin tins. Using the back of a spoon or your fingers, make a well in the center of each muffin. Divide cream cheese filling among muffins and smooth the top.

Bake 22 to 24 minutes or until both filling and muffin are set. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan.

Makes 14. Each muffin has a total of 7.6 g of carbs and 3.1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 4.5 g.

Chili Round-Up

2012-01-13T16:07:00.030-05:00

I don't know about you, but it sure hasn't felt much like winter round these parts. It's very odd, but here we are, past the middle of January, and we've only had two light dustings of snow. And the majority of days have been above the freezing mark. I am not complaining, mind you, because last year we had enough snow to last a lifetime and it was miserable. And surely next year, we will be hit hard again, just to remind us that we do live in New England, after all. But for now, I am enjoying it, getting outside for runs and not having to clear our long driveway.

Turkey Chili Verde and Chocolate Pumpkin Chili

I've been planning a chili round-up for a while, but since it hasn't been that cold, I haven't been craving comfort food the way I usually do. This past weekend, however, was pretty bitter. And of course my thoughts automatically turned to soups and stews and chilis. I adore chili, with it's thick, spicy broth. We definitely have our all-time favourite chili, our Turkey Chili Verde, in this house, but there is so much you can do to vary the flavours and textures. Almost any chili is a hit in this family. So I called upon my friends to send me their chili links, because it's fun to see what other people like in their chili. ENJOY!

And if you have a great chili recipe, link it up below. I can always use more ideas for chili!

Cincinnati Chili with Spaghetti and Cheese from Creative Culinary

Cowboy Chili from She's Cookin'

Best Chili You'll Ever Eat from Farmgirl Gourmet

Skillet Chili from A Communal Table

Green Chicken Chili from Created by Diane

New Mexican Chili Verde from A Spicy Perspective

Turkey and Black Bean Chili from The Keenan Cookbook

Steak Chili from Evil Shenanigans

Pumpkin Beef Chili from Chocolate and Carrots

White Bean Chili from Burn Me Not

White Chicken Chili from Never Enough Thyme

Big Red Barn Chili from Boulder Locavore

White Bean Turkey Chili from Taking On Magazines

Chili with Bacon and Beer from Foodness Gracious

Chipotle Vegetarian Chili from Ingredients, Inc.

CHILI LINKS

Homemade Nutella Truffles (Low Carb and Gluten-Free) and a Thank You

2012-01-10T10:32:00.010-05:00

The internet is a weird and wonderful place. At times, it can be overwhelming, almost scary in its vast size and reach. But if you can carve out your own little niche and find like minds, it can become something of a community and support system. Seven or eight years ago, had you told me that some of my closest friends would be people I met over the internet, I would have laughed in your face. It just seemed like such a creepy way to meet people. But after my experience with online mothers support groups and parenting forums, I now know just what an asset the internet can be in our sometimes isolating society. And this point has been driven home to me numerous times as a food blogger. Even more so now as I go through a very hectic, somewhat overwhelming time in my life.

I am very fortunate to be a part of some amazing foodblogging support groups. Some of these are organized entities, like Foodbuzz, Boston Food Bloggers, and Foodblogs.com. Others are smaller, informal collections of foodbloggers who make a concerted effort to support each others' posts. There is no doubt in my mind that each and every one of these groups has help me grow my blog exponentially. But these groups require my effort too, and I usually pride myself in being an active member of the foodblogging community, supporting my fellow bloggers wherever I can. Over the past few months, however, I've found myself falling further and further behind. With some personal and professional issues to attend to, I've had less time, energy and motivation for my own blog, let alone supporting other people's.

I was feeling mighty guilty about this fact and struggling to keep up, when I finally hit the breaking point. I knew something had to give. So I quietly informed some of my blogging friends of my struggles, and asked them to forgive my absence and lack of support. I simply cannot tell you the wonderful, warm, caring response I received. Everyone has offered their sympathies, their support and their help. And without my asking, everyone has made an effort to promote my less frequent posts, to the point where my blog has suffered little to no slip in readership. All without asking anything of me in return. I cannot tell you how much this means to me. I was beginning to feel like my blog was a huge burden and that I would not be able to continue. Now I know I can weather this storm with the help of my friends and keep on doing what I love. What an amazing feeling.

So this recipe goes out to all my beloved blogging friends - you know who you are! I created it a couple of weeks ago but hadn't had the time to do anything with it. Nutella is adored in the foodblogging world, so what better way to toast my fellow bloggers. Of course, I can't eat real Nutella, but I do make my own low carb version and it is delicious. I decided to work it into a delectable truffle and was very pleased with the results.

Thanks to all of you. You are wonderful!

Homemade Nutella Truffles

8 tbsp butter
6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup homemade nutella (recipe below)
1/3 cup powdered erythritol
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp hazelnut or vanilla extract
25 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts

In medium saucepan over low heat, melt together butter, unsweetened chocolate, nutella and erythritol, stirring until smooth. Add cocoa powder and stir until fully combined. Off heat, stir in hazelnut or vanilla extract and stevia.

Chill mixture until firm but still scoopable, about 2 to 3 hours. Scoop into 1 inch balls, rolling between palms to form. Roll balls in chopped hazelnuts.

Homemade Nutella:

3/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and husked
3 tbsp vegetable or nut oil
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp erythritol, preferably powdered
1/2 tsp vanilla

For the nutella, grind hazelnuts in a food processor until finely ground and beginning to clump together. Add remaining nutella ingredients and continue to process until creamy and smooth, scraping down sides of processor with a rubber spatula as needed. If you find it continues to clump together, add more oil, a little at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved.

Sesame Wasabi Crackers (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-09T05:40:00.003-05:00

I can distinctly remember the first time I ever had sushi. Like many young people, I was at first horrified to hear of people eating raw fish, and resisted the trend mightily. It wasn't until I moved out to Vancouver for university, where sushi-bars were much more common, that anyone could convince me to try it. And even then, I didn't try it until my third year. A friend finally dragged me to a funny little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served, incongruously, really good chicken wings and really good sushi. Quite inexpensively too, and we had a feast on a university student's budget. I fell hard and fast for sushi then, and made a point of eating it whenever I could afford it.

But as much as I love the varied and interesting flavours of sushi, perhaps one of my favourite parts of the experience isn't the sushi at all, but the wasabi. That intensely strong, pungent green condiment has quite a hold on me. I love it, and I am known to add so much of it to my sushi that it stings my nose and the top of my head. I will squirm in my seat and press the bridge of my nose, and then just do it all over again. If it makes my eyes water, so much the better. And I love almost anything flavoured with wasabi. Those little wasabi-crusted peas? Love them. Wasabi flavoured almonds? Yes, please. And crackers, I adore wasabi-flavoured crackers. Of course, traditional wheat crackers, or even rice crackers, aren't really an option for me anymore.

Making almond flour crackers is pretty straightforward and I've made a few different kinds in the past, like my Cheddar Asiago Crackers and Homemade Graham Crackers. This time, I wanted a savoury cracker with a bold flavour, and wasabi instantly sprang to mind. And I decided to pair it with another of my favourite flavours, sesame. Wasabi and sesame go so well together in sushi, I thought they'd pair very nicely in a snack cracker. I took my basic cracker recipe, added some toasted sesame seeds, and some prepared wasabi paste. I was unsure of how much wasabi to add, but I was counting on it being fairly strong so I went with a light hand.

The Results: Well, I definitely underestimated how much wasabi to use. These have great sesame flavour and I really like them as they are, but the wasabi is almost completely lost. I would say that they need at least triple the amount of wasabi paste to get the flavour to come through, and that's how I am going to write up the recipe. If you really like the heat of wasabi, feel free to add more, I don't think you can go wrong.

Sesame Wasabi Crackers

2 cups almond flour
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp prepared wasabi paste
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 225F.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sesame seeds, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, wasabi paste and egg.

Add butter/egg mixture to almond flour mixture and mix until a cohesive dough forms.

On a large cookie sheet, roll out into a rough rectangle between sheets of parchment paper to desired thickness. Can be made very thin, but make sure that it is of even thickness all over so the edges won't burn before the middle crisps up.

Remove top layer of parchment. With a sharp knife, score into desired size of cracker.

Bake one hour or until firm and edges are crispy. Turn off oven and leave crackers in oven another half hour to an hour.

Carbs and servings will depend on how thin you roll your dough and how big you make your crackers. The total recipe has 67 g of carbs and 33 g of fiber. I made mine into about 40 small snack-size crackers, each having 1.7 g of carbs and 0.8 g of fiber.

Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cake (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-05:00

I always have grand plans when it comes to the holidays. Starting in October, my little mind starts whirring about all the things I plan to make and cook and decorate. But the closer and closer the holidays get, the more I realize that my grand plans are too grand by far, and I have to scale them back. I would make myself utterly miserable if I attempted them all, and this year that fact hit me with full force. The weeks leading up to Christmas were incredibly hectic and I scrapped many of my plans in an effort to keep my sanity. I'd like to say I think it worked, but as a mother of three, my sanity is always in question as it is. Still, it felt very good to just let Christmas happen, without trying so hard to direct and control it all. And you know what? It all went beautifully and we had a fantastic time. Lesson learned, my friends.

One of the grander plans I scrapped for Christmas was this cake. I had intentions of serving it for dessert after Christmas dinner. But we had so many goodies thrust upon us by friends and family, and I had decided already that I wanted to treat my father, who was visiting, to one of his all-time favourites, mincemeat tarts with hard sauce. So a whole huge cake on top of all of that just seemed excessive. And deciding not to make it left me with a lot more time to spend with my family. But my husband's birthday comes fast on the heels of Christmas, and I thought that making the cake for that celebration would be just the right thing.

The whole idea of this cake is based on a recipe from an old December issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It's one that I once made in its full sugar, full carb version for a friend's birthday, and I thought I could take a stab at making a low carb version. The filling in the original version is supposed to be chocolate peppermint, but as I was making it, I decided that a white filling would give a better, more interesting contrast. I also decided to add some crushed sugar-free peppermint candies into the filling, instead of just using them as the garnish.

The Results: I have to confess that cake-decorating is not my strong suit; I simply haven't the patience for it. So although I had visions of my cake all beautifully glazed and perfect, it was a little messier than that. But flavour is the most important part, and this cake lived up to my expectations beautifully. It was a great mix of both chocolate and peppermint, and everyone in the family loved it. Don't let my lousy glaze-spreading skills deter you from this tasty treat.

In fact, I made the mistake of leaving the cake within reach of my 2 year old. And I made this mistake not once, but TWICE. It was my husband who caught her both times, once before we'd even had a chance to eat any, and once on the day after his birthday. She did some serious damage the second time round, and I just had to take a picture to show you. It's like a little mouse got at it!

Regardless, it's a lovely cake and I highly recommend.

Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cake

Cake:
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup chocolate whey protein powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20 drops stevia extract
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Peppermint Crunch Filling:
6 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/3 cup powdered erythritol or xylitol
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
3 to 4 tbsp heavy cream
4 sugar-free peppermint candies, crushed

Chocolate Glaze:
7 tbsp butter
3.5 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 tbsp powdered erythritol
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp peppermint extract
20 drops stevia extract

Garnish:
4 sugar-free peppermint candies, crushed

For the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, protein powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt, breaking up any clumps with the back of a fork. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and stevia and beat until just combined. Add half of almond flour mixture and beat until combined, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife around the pan and release the sides. Flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When cake is completely cool, slice horizontally into two halves using a serrated knife.

For the filling, beat butter until smooth. Slowly add powdered erythritol until well combined. Beat in peppermint extract, and then cream one tablespoon at a time, until a spreadable consistency is achieved. Mix in crushed peppermint candies and spread filling over the cut-side of the bottom half of the cake. Top with the other side of the cake, cut-side down.

For the glaze, melt butter, chocolate, erythritol and cocoa powder together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Stir in peppermint and stevia extracts. Let cool 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened but still pourable.

Pour half the glaze over the top of the cake. Using an offset spatula, spread glaze over top and carefully down sides of cake, spreading along the sides as you go. Pour the rest of the glaze over the top and sides, spreading as you go. (Alternatively, you can simply let the glaze drip down the sides).

Sprinkle top of cake with remaining crushed peppermint candies. Let glaze set, about 1 hour.

Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 12.2 g of carbs and 5.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6.9 g.

Roasted Vegetable Greek Salad (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2012-01-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

It’s time for a party, my friends. And not just any party, but a Kitchen PLAY Progressive Party. If you haven’t yet heard of Kitchen PLAY, you are in for a treat. Kitchen PLAY is a wonderful website designed to bring food bloggers and PR professionals together through a number of means, one of them being the monthly Progressive Party. Each month, six bloggers are assigned a course and asked to create a recipe, all using the same product or kitchen tool. I participated in a Kitchen Play Progressive Party back in May, and I jumped at the chance to do it again. The initial invitation didn’t reveal what the product was going to be, so I was jumping in blindly, but I knew no matter what, it would be a fun challenge.

Well, I lucked out, let me tell you, because our assigned product was Lindsay Olives. Have I told you how much I love olives? No? Well, I am telling you now. I love olives. And not just in my martinis (I know you know I love those!). I like all sorts of olives; I am really not very picky. I love them on their own and I love them in other foods. Whenever someone I am eating with starts picking around the olives in their meal, I am the first one to ask if I can eat them. I have no shame, really, when it comes to olives. And Lindsay Olives has quite an array of varieties. I’ve seen them at all my local grocery stores and I know I have purchased their black olives before. So this was a great opportunity to have a little fun with them.

My assigned course was the salad, and I was more than eager to get going on recipe development. Olives and salad are a natural combination. Virtually any salad can benefit from the addition of the salty, tangy olive, and I’ve certainly used them to save myself from garden salad boredom. And if we’re talking about Mediterranean style salads, then it’s a no-brainer. Olives are a must. Naturally, when I signed on to this project, my mind immediately jumped to all the Mediterranean style salads I know and love. Greek salad, Salad Niçoise, that sort of thing. But those salads make me think of summer, and here we are at the beginning of the long, cold New England winter. I wanted something with all of those wonderful flavors, but that also had a warmer feel to it. Roasting the vegetables was the perfect solution. It brought out the warm earthy flavours of the salad, which paired beautifully with the brininess of the olives and the tanginess of the feta cheese.

Want to get in on the action of the Kitchen PLAY Progressive Parties? The great part is that anyone can participate. Just make my salad or any of the other mouthwatering recipes from this month’s party, post about it on your blog, and you will be entered to win $50 plus an assortment of Lindsay Olives shipped right to you! (there are six prizes total). Kitchen PLAY is all about promoting food bloggers so this is your chance to get in there and promote yourself. Check out the details on the Kitchen PLAY Contest Page

Roasted Vegetable Greek Salad – This salad is good both room temperature and chilled.

Dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp cider vinegar

1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

½ tsp dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad:

1 medium eggplant, cubed into ½ inch pieces

1 medium zucchini, cubed into ½ inch pieces

1 red pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 green pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces

½ cup grape tomatoes

½ medium red onion, coarsely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 6-oz can Lindsay Small Ripe Black olives

1 medium head romaine lettuce, chopped

4 oz crumbled feta cheese

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

For the salad, preheat oven to 450F and place eggplant, zucchini, peppers, grape tomatoes and red onion in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss again. Spread mixture in a large 13x9 inch glass or ceramic baking dish. (Reserve bowl for tossing salad at the end).

Bake 35 minutes or until vegetables are soft and have some charred parts. Remove from oven and let cool.

Return vegetable to bowl, add olives and drizzle with dressing. Toss to coat.

Divide romaine lettuce among 8 salad plates. Top with roasted vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese and serve.

Lindsay Olives is also sponsoring a delicious giveaway at Kitchen PLAY. Simply recreate this or any recipe from this month’s Progressive Party, post about the experience on your blog and provide a link to your post on Kitchen PLAY to enter. All qualifying bloggers in each course will be entered to win $50 and an assortment of Lindsay Olives products shipped directly to each winner (valued at an additional $15). To qualify, participants must reside in the US.

The deadline is January 31, 2012. Please review the complete contest rules before entering. Good luck!

A Look Back: The Best Recipes of 2011

2011-12-30T06:45:00.000-05:00

Okay, confession time. I have been seriously slacking off on this blog for the last week. We had a wonderful holiday with a visit from some family, and my motivation took a serious tumble. Besides which, my husband always takes the week off after Christmas, and our focus has been on some much needed household projects. Our dining room is now a lovely, calming shade of moss green instead of the overly dark and formal red it was when we moved in (three years ago now!). And as always, I feel "cooked out" after Christmas, so we've been coasting on leftovers and easy meals. I do have a few recipes I've been working on, and hope to have them up soon. But in the meantime, I am going to fall back on what I see a lot of food bloggers do this time of year...a retrospective. A look back at my best recipes from 2011, both those that were most popular and those that I think are the best.

10 Most Popular Recipes of 2011

10. Pumpkin Praline Parfaits

9. Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

8. Chilled Guacamole Soup

7. Chocolate Chocolate Chip Kahlua Ice Cream

6. Blackberry Lemon Ricotta Parfaits

5. Feta and Spinach Garlic Rolls

4. Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles

3. Almond Flour Bread and French Toast

2. Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks

1. Parmesan Garlic Bubble Buns

The popularity of these recipes is determined solely by the total number of pageviews each received. And as we know, this can be skewed by a lot of factors and it doesn't always speak to the excellence of the recipe. Although I do vouch for all of the above recipes as very good ones, I also have some personal favourites that I would like to share. Although I am not going to rate mine, these are some of the recipes of which I am most proud. In no particular order...

1. Ginger Cashew Granola Bars

2. Peanut Butter Caramel Shortbread Bars

3. Sticky Toffee Pudding

4. Boston Cream Pie

5. Garam Masala Eggplant Chips

Almond Flour Bread and French Toast (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2011-12-27T07:20:00.000-05:00

If I am not mistaken, one of the first dishes I ever learned to cook for myself was French Toast. It's always been one of my favourite breakfast items, and for a kid just learning the ways of the kitchen, it's a relatively straightforward dish. Crack some eggs, whisk with cream, dip the bread and fry it up. Slather in butter and maple syrup, and you have yourself a delicious breakfast. I'd make it every chance I got, which is to say almost every weekend. I mostly just used the whole wheat sandwich bread we always had on hand, although sometimes I used my mother's amazing, dense, healthy homemade bread. That's the wonderful thing about french toast...as long as you can get that bread to soak up the eggy batter, you can use whatever bread you like best.

Obviously, conventional french toast made with wheat flour bread is no longer an option for me. But I've really been craving some of late. We've done a few breakfasts out with the kids, and I covet their thick, fluffy slices of french toast with the maple syrup dripping over the sides. I think I miss the comfort in what used to be one of my favourite breakfasts. So I decided I had to take matters into my own hands. For a while now, I've been thinking of making a plain almond flour quick bread, one that could be used for sandwiches and toast. I miss my toast slathered in peanut butter almost as much as I miss french toast, and I needed a plain-tasting bread to serve as the vessel to get my beloved PB to my mouth. The possibility of making it into french toast as well was all the motivation I needed.

One ingredient I had to purchase before I could make the bread was some unflavoured whey protein powder. Whey protein is so useful in low carb, gluten free baked goods, as it serves in part as a replacement for gluten, giving the bread or muffins some structure and helping them rise properly. But most whey protein has some added flavouring, usually vanilla or chocolate, in the assumption that it will be used in protein shakes and smoothies. I've noticed that the vanilla flavouring can be very strong, even in small doses, and can even overpower other flavours s. It's also quite sweet and I wanted the quick bread to be very plain and not sweet, so that it could pair well with savoury foods like meat and cheese. I also decided to try out some oat fiber, a low carb ingredient I've just recently purchased, in this recipe. Do note, this is not the same thing as oat flour, as it is made purely from the fibrous portion of the oats. In essence, it has zero net carbs as it is pure fiber.

The Results: I am really, really pleased with this quick bread. It is quite dense, in part I think from the oat fiber, but it holds together beautifully when sliced. And although I wanted it to be quite plain, so I could top it with my favourite things, it had a very nice flavour on it's own. It had a touch of sweetness, because almonds themselves can be a bit sweet, but it went nicely with cheese too. I really liked it just toasted with a bit of butter on it.

As for the french toast, it's lovely that way too. The trick to making this work is to really dry out the slices of bread prior to dipping them into the batter. Since the bread itself is dense and fairly moist, it won't soak up the batter as a wheat bread would, unless it is dried out first. Simply slice the bread and let the slices dry out in a warm oven ahead of time. Although it doesn't taste identical to conventional french toast, I really enjoyed it and was impressed with how the batter browned and crisped on the outside. It certainly satisfied my hankering for one of my all-time favourite breakfast foods!

Almond Flour Bread

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup oat fiber
1/4 cup unflavoured whey protein powder
1 tbsp granulated erythritol
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
6 tbsp butter, softened
4 large eggs
6 tbsp almond milk

Preheat oven to 325F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

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

In a large bowl, beat together yogurt and butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time and scraping down bowl and beaters as needed. Add almond flour and beat until well combined. Beat in almond milk until thoroughly combined.

Spread batter in prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Almond Flour French Toast

8 slices almond flour bread, about 1/2 inch thick
2 large eggs
1 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp butter or coconut oil

Preheat oven to 200F.

Arrange slices of bread on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and place in oven. Let dry out for about 1 hr.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream and cinnamon until well combined. Pour batter into a large shallow dish Place two slices of bread into and let sit 30 seconds to 1 minute to soak in mixture. Flip over and let sit another 30 to 1 minute seconds.

Meanwhile, heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add butter and cook until butter just begins to brown, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. Remove bread from batter and shake lightly to remove excess batter. Place in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer to wire rack and keep warm in oven while repeating with remaining bread.

Top with butter and sugar free syrup.

BREAD: Serves 15. Each slice has a total of 8.4 g of carbs and 5.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.9 g.

FRENCH TOAST: Serves 4 (2 slices). Each serving has 5.8 g NET CARBS.

Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2011-12-24T06:48:00.000-05:00

T'was the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring except the parents, trying frantically to finish some wrapping and cooking and all the last minute things they put off until now. Wow. Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas? Despite a marathon wrapping session the other day, I still have quite a few presents to wrap. And I have food to cook. And guests to entertain. And kids to try to wrangle and keep from getting too wild in their excitement. All of which is to say that this last post today is going to have to be a short one. No lengthy story from me. Just a few quick words and the recipe!

I saw a conventional flour and sugar version of these on The Black Peppercorn , and I loved the idea of these flavours so much, I decided I had to recreate them in something I could eat. So I set about making an almond flour version. And they are wonderful. I will say, the shortbread itself is a touch on the soft side and fairly fragile on the first day. But it does firm up nicely after a day sitting out in the open air. And as a vessel to get that cranberry/rosemary/orange flavour to my mouth, it works perfectly. That, after all, was the point! They are quite quick and easy to throw together, in case you are in need of one last treat for your holiday table.

So, my friends, followers and readers...I wish everyone a happy, safe and fun holiday. It is a busy time for me and I have family here from out of town. But I hope to see you all on the flip side.

Joyeux Noel!

Cranberry Rosemary Shortbread

Shortbread:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup unsweetened dried cranberries, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Glaze:
1/4 cup powdered erythritol
1/2 tsp orange zest
1 1/2 tbsp orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a food processor, combine almond flour, butter, erythritol, xanthan gum, stevia an. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs and just begins to clump together. Press mixture evenly and firmly into a 10-inch diameter glass or ceramic tart pan. With a sharp knife, score into 16 even wedges.

Bake 18 minutes, until light golden brown, and then turn off oven. Prop oven door open with a wooden spoon and let sit until oven is cool, about 1 hour. Carefully re-cut the shortbread along the score marks.

For the glaze, whisk together the powdered erythritol, orange zest and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over cooled shortbread in pan.

Serves 16. Each shortbread has 3.8g of carbs and 1.7g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.1g.

White Chocolate Molasses Spice Cookies

2011-12-22T07:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, so these cookies are neither low carb, nor gluten free. I apologize to those of you who were hoping that they were. It's the holidays, and as with every Christmas, I do a mix of low carb, gluten free goodies, and conventional treats. For the most part, the conventional treats get given away to friends and neighbours, but I do keep some around for everyone to nibble on Christmas Eve. This year, I really slacked off on the holiday baking, and this is one of the only conventional recipes I baked up to give away. I've spent the better part of December in complete and utter denial that the holidays were on their way. I might not have even gotten around to these, if Katrina hadn't asked me to be part of her I'll Bring The Cookies series.

You may have heard me mention Katrina and her blog, In Katrina's Kitchen, before. She is one of my favourite fellow bloggers, a wonderfully sweet person and a fantastic baker. And Katrina likes nothing more than to bake up cookies for any function or holiday. This year, she asked a whole slew of bloggers to contribute cookie recipes for her blog in advance of Christmas. It was just the motivation I needed to actually make something for giving away.

Click here to see all the amazing cookies in the series.

So check out the recipe for these cookies. They are REALLY good! Yeah, I tasted one...and then I went for a run.

White Chocolate Dipped Molasses Spice Cookies on In Katrina's Kitchen

Endive with Boursin and Smoked Salmon (Low Carb and Gluten-Free)

2011-12-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

I have a confession to make, but I am afraid it might mean that my foodie status will be revoked. Still, I feel the need to unload my burden and share with you. Come closer so I can whisper, I don't want the foodie police to hear me. Up until about a week ago, I had never eaten endives. Yes, it's true. I write a food blog and yet until recently, I'd never tasted this delicious, healthy and increasingly popular vegetable. Oh, the shame of it! Fortunately, I can now proudly state that I HAVE eaten endive. And not only that, but I have prepared it at home in several different ways. Because I, lucky girl that I am, received a large shipment of California endive to play with. I am officially an OnDiva.

What the heck is an OnDiva, you ask? Well, along with several other amazing food bloggers, I was asked to be part of a Discover Endive campaign to spread the word about this versatile vegetable. This one was a no-brainer, my friends. Vegetables are a large part of my low carb diet and getting the chance to discover a new one and develop some recipes in which to feature it is always an exciting challenge. And endive is a perfect addition to my repertoire, as it's low in carbohydrates and contains a great deal of fiber and nutrients. In fact, it was recently featured on the Dr. Oz Show as the number one vegetable that can help reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.

For my first endive recipe, I wanted to make a simple but delicious appetizer. I love appetizers and often prefer to make a meal out of small bite-sized things than a big sit-down dinner. And endive leaves, with their curled edges and firm stems, make perfect appetizer-delivery systems. One of my absolute favourite appetizers is my husband's homemade boursin cheese. It's a recipe I've been thinking of sharing the recipe with my readers for a long time, because it is so amazing. Among our friends and family, it is a highly sought-after treat and we've even given it away as Christmas gifts. Typically, it's eaten on crackers or bread, but endive leaves make the perfect low carb alternative. Smoked salmon is another of my favourite appetizers and I've paired it with boursin in the past. Putting the two together on endive leaves just seemed like a natural evolution.

The nice thing about this is that it can be put together as much as 12 hours in advance. As long as it's kept in the fridge, the endive leaves stay crisp and firm with the boursin and salmon. Alternatively, you could simply lay out the endive leaves along with a bowl of boursin and a platter of smoked salmon, and let your guests doctor their own. One small tip is simply to get the boursin out well ahead of time, so it is soft enough to scoop up easily with the endive. I will say, we like to really do up the garlic in our boursin, so much so that you have to stand several feet away from everyone else lest you kill them with your breath. But I understand that not everyone wants to be overpowered by that pungent vegetable, so you can adjust the garlic to your liking.

And if you are not a smoked salmon fan, I can also highly recommend this with thinly sliced roast beef.

Endive with Boursin and Smoked Salmon

Boursin:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp olive oil
3 to 5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 tbsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
dash hot sauce

4 to 5 heads California endive

8 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

In a medium bowl, stir together cream cheese, butter and olive oil. Add garlic, dried parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce and stir until thoroughly combined. (As long as your cream cheese and butter are soft enough, you can simply do this with a fork).

Trim the base of the endive and remove outer leaves (there is no need to wash the endive, as it is grown and harvested in sanitary conditions). Pull inner leaves apart. Spread the base of each leaf with one or two teaspoons of boursin and top with smoked salmon.

Arrange endive leaves on a platter, garnish with fresh parsley or dill, and serve.

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

Award Winning Recipes and Other News

2011-12-19T06:03:00.011-05:00

Back in September, I received a message on my answering machine from Simple and Delicious Magazine, one of the Taste of Home Magazine series. Apparently, I had won second prize in a recipe contest for easy but elegant meals to serve to company. It was the oddest thing, because I barely even remembered entering the contest and I certainly had no recollection of what recipe I had submitted. I had to call them back and ask them to clarify. Turns out, way back in January of 2011, I had submitted my Sesame Roasted Salmon with Wasabi Mayo for their consideration. It's a recipe that I had posted on this blog, long before I had much of a following, so it's one that's not received a lot of attention from readers. And I was so thrilled it made the cut with Simple and Delicious, because this is hands down one of my favourite recipes ever. I don't always remake recipes from this blog, since part of my job is to come up with new recipes all the time. But this is one we make again and again and again. Any time I see wild-caught salmon on sale, we make this. It is THAT good and it is remarkably simple to make.

I have, out of respect for the magazine, removed the recipe from this blog. Perhaps once the magazine has been out for a while, I will repost it. However, should you happen upon a copy of the December 2011/January 2012 issue of Simple and Delicious, flip it open to page 37. There you will see my lovely salmon dish as 2nd Place in the Company's Coming Recipe Contest. Yay me! And yes, I did receive a nice little cheque for my efforts, which has speedily been dispatched towards Christmas presents!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about the Nourished Food Blogger Conference. There are a lot of food blogger conferences out there, with seemingly more springing up every day. But this one is a little different. This conference is specifically geared towards those of us who have and write about special diets. It will primarily address gluten-free and other allergies and food intolerances, but other special dietary needs will be considered.

And I am thrilled to say that yours truly will be speaking as part of a panel called Beyond Gluten Free. We will be addressing how to engage a larger audience. For my part, I will touch on how to market yourself to the low carb world, a dietary preference which is rapidly growing in popularity. Let's face it, we can all use more readers and if we can tap into another segment of the food-blog reading world, more power to us. Certainly low carb and gluten free diets share some commonality, but there are some large differences as well. I plan to provide attendees with some concrete ideas and advice on how to make their recipes and writing appeal to the low carb community.

So if you are a gluten free or special diet food blogger, I encourage you to attend Nourished on Friday, April 13th in Chicago. You can check out all about the conference at the Nourished website.

Egg Nog Creme Brulee (LC, GF) and a Giveaway!

2011-12-15T05:20:00.013-05:00

Okay, time to fess up...who's afraid of homemade eggnog? Last year was my first ever attempt at making homemade eggnog and it turned out beautifully. I made it partly with almond milk, and was thrilled that it turned out as thick and delicious as regular 'nog. But I also received a number of responses from readers about the fear of bacteria from the only partially-cooked eggs. And I get that, I really do. It's hard to feel completely comfortable ingesting eggs that haven't been fully cooked, especially after the huge salmonella outbreak of a few years ago. I know all of this in my head, and yet I often take the risk anyway, because I love eggnog and pastry cream and raw cookie dough. I simply can't help myself.

This year, however, I am making my homemade eggnog worry-free, because I am making it with Safest Choice Eggs. You may have heard me mention them before, they are eggs that are pasteurized in their shell, so you can use them like any other egg. I got a chance to work with Safest Choice on another assignment back in May when I made Smoked Salmon Salad with Bearnaise Dressing, and really liked the idea of being able to make things with raw eggs and not having to worry. So I was delighted when they asked me to be a part of their 12 Days of Eggnog campaign this December. My task was simply to make some of their Classic Eggnog, and then to create a recipe using the eggnog to be highlighted on their website. Mine will be posted there tomorrow and other great bloggers have participated as well and have some wonderful recipes on there. Be sure to check them out!

Making the Safest Choice Eggnog recipe was incredibly simple; much simpler than my homemade version last year. Because the eggs are pasteurized, there's no need of even the small amount of cooking used in traditional eggnog recipes. You simply beat the eggs with the sweetener, milk, and cream, and away you go. You can bet I will be making all my eggnog this way with Safest Choice from now on, even if it's just from sheer laziness! I made mine with almond milk and erythritol, to save on carbs, and again it turned out perfectly. But because I know not all my readers are low carbers, and because my recipe will be posted on their site, I wrote up a version that used whole milk and sugar as well.

Making creme brulee out of it was easy as well. I simply followed the eggnog recipe, but skipped putting in the whipped egg whites at the end. Then I heated the mixture to just steaming and poured it into the ramekins to be baked in a water bath. Because of the added rum and nutmeg, the final product had that distinctive eggnog flavour, in the form of one of my favourite desserts ever. It's really a lovely dessert for the holidays.

This post is sponsored and paid for by Safest Choice™ Eggs. All opinions expressed are mine.

The Giveaway: Safest Choice would like to give one of my readers a giftbag filled with wonderful products, including some coupons to try Safest Choice Eggs free. The bag will also contain a copy of Giuliano Hazan’s Thirty Minute Pasta book, two spatulas, two “stress” eggs, a pen and more coupons for $0.75 off of Safest Choice. So if you want to try these wonderful pasteurized shell eggs, now's your chance!!!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog telling me how you like your eggnog (or whether you don't like it at all...that's okay too).

For more chances to win:
~ "like" Safest Choice on Facebook and come back to tell me you did so.
~"like" All Day I Dream About Food on Facebook and come back to tell me you did so
~ follow Safest Choice on Twitter and come back to tell me you did so
~ Retweet this giveaway and come back to tell me you did so

Open to US contestants only.

Contest will run until midnight EST Tuesday, December 20th. 1 winner will be chosen at random at that time. If you haven't left me contact information to notify you, I will choose another winner.

Eggnog Crème Brulee

8 Safest Choice™ pasteurized egg yolks

½ cup granulated erythritol OR 1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups unsweetened almond milk OR 2 cups whole milk
¼ cup dark rum, bourbon or brandy (optional)
1 tbsp vanilla extract (optional)
25 drops stevia extract (omit if using sugar)
1 tsp ground nutmeg
¼ cup granulated erythritol OR granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, beat yolks until combined. Gradually beat in erythritol or sugar until mixture becomes pale yellow and thickened.

Stir in cream and almond milk or whole milk.

Pour mixture into a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low until steam begins to rise and mixture is slightly thickened. Do not let it simmer. Offheat, stir in alcohol, vanilla and ground nutmeg.

Divide mixture between 8 small ramekins. Set ramekins into a larger glass or ceramic baking dish and pour hot water to within 1 inch from top of ramekins.

Bake until custard is just set but still wobbles when ramekin is shaken gently, about 40 to 50 minutes. Remove ramekins from pan and let cool, then wrap each tightly in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours.

Just before serving, divide remaining erythritol or sugar between ramekins, sprinkling evenly across the top of each. Heat with a kitchen torch until it bubbles and browns. Let sit for a few minutes to allow topping to harden. (You can also brown the topping under your broiler, watching carefully and turning the cups to ensure even browning).

Serves 8. For the low carb version with almond milk and erythritol, each serving has a total of 3g of carbs.

Low Carb, Gluten Free Holiday Cookie Round-Up

2011-12-14T06:30:00.004-05:00

What do you think of when you hear the words "low carb diet"? Do you picture someone gorging themselves on bacon, eggs and steak, and little else? Because I have to confess, that was certainly my impression of a low carb diet when I first heard of such a thing. And I don't think I was alone in this misapprehension, as I believe this is a fairly commonplace view of the low carb world. I remember being so very glad that my little one, the child with whom I developed gestational diabetes, would be born well before the Christmas season. I simply could not imagine having to restrict my carbs during a time of almost obligatory excess and over-indulgence. And what would become of my holiday baking extravaganza, if I couldn't use copious amounts of flour and sugar?

Chocolate-Glazed Mocha Shortbread, Chocolate Peppermint Cookie s and Cranberry Pecan Crescents

My, my, how times have changed! Here I am entering my second holiday season as a low carber with no fear of how I will survive without flour and sugar. Indeed, I have too many ideas of goodies to make and not enough time to make them. I think it's fair to say that this blog is devoted to proving that low carb, gluten free diets are more than meat, eggs and cheese. But just in case you still have your doubts, or you feel you are facing a holiday season of deprivation, I have called upon some of my low carbing friends to help me prove you wrong. I am certainly not the only one who likes to use low carb, gluten free ingredients in new, creative and delicious ways. If you don't already know these wonderful bloggers, I hope they will be on your radar now!

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti, Peanut Butter Caramel Shortbread Bars and Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

And if you don't mind, I'd like to use this platform for a quick, shameless plug about our cookbook. Some of the people included in this round-up are my co-authors, and several others contributed one or two recipes to the book, and I can attest to the wonderful, varied talents that they all have in low carb cooking and baking. If you or any loved ones are on a low carb diet or have been thinking of starting a low carb diet, believe me when I say that this cookbook has so much to offer. Check it out HERE.

And now, on to the recipes. If this collection of cookies doesn't convince you that there is no need of deprivation on a low carb, gluten free diet, nothing will!

Gingerbread House from Maria's Nutritious and Delicious Journal

Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies form Splendid Low-Carbing By Jennifer Eloff

Chocolate Mint Ribbon Cookies from 24/7 Low Carb Diner

Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Cookies from Until the Thin Lady Sings

Vanilla Cream Sandwiches with Chocolate Filling from Ginny's Low Carb Kitchen

Peanut Butter Cookies from Carb Wars (Judy Barnes Baker)

Homemade Marzipan from Birgit's Daily Bytes

Italian Chocolate Spice Cookies from Healthy Living How To

Coconut Cookies Your Way from Splendid Low-Carbing with Jennifer Eloff

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies from Ginny's Low Carb Kitchen

Cinnamon Star Cookies from Birgit's Daily Bytes

Chocolate Raspberry French Macaroons from Maria's Nutritious and Delicious Journal

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies from Until the Thin Lady Sings

Frosted Ricotta Almond Cookies by Sugar-Free Low Carb Recipes

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies from Splendid Low-Carbing by Jennifer Eloff

Macadamia Coconut Lime Muffins (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I think it would be safe to say that if nuts didn't exist, neither would this blog. If there were no almonds, walnuts, pecans and hazelnuts to grind up and use in place of wheat flour, I would no longer be much of a baker. Oh sure, I'd make the occasional treat for my family and friends, but that would be rare and certainly not worth blogging about. Suffice it to say that nuts are the basis of almost all of my baked goods and play a major role in many of my other recipes too. I simply don't know what I would do without them. And besides Brazil nuts, which I will forever maintain taste like dirt, I really haven't met a nut I didn't like. Cashews, walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts...you name it, I will eat it. Or grind it up into a flour and bake with it.

One nut I haven't had a chance to work with much are macadamias. I've had them before, certainly, in cookies and dipped in chocolate. But I can't think of when I've ever made anything with them myself. But I was contacted recently by Oh! Nuts, asking if I wanted to feature any of their products in my holiday baking. As you might guess, they are an online purveyor of premium nuts and nut products and I have worked with them before. I've always had a great experience, as well. From the moment I order something to the time the package arrives, it usually ends up being less than 48 hours. And the products themselves never disappoint. Their whole nuts are fantastic, and I think their almond flour is very good as well.

This time, I decided to break outside my comfort zone and try working with the macadamia nuts. I had lots of ideas for fancy desserts and was thinking of using the macadamias in a tart crust. Then I came across a lovely looking macadamia nut cake recipe from Technicolor Kitchen that included coconut and lime. This recipe ground up the macadamias to make them the base of the cake, along with a small amount of flour and I thought I could do an admirable job converting it to low carb and gluten free. But I changed my mind, as I am wont to do, and decided to take the flavours and make them into muffins. Because cake is always good, but muffins are a necessity. In the chaos that is morningtime with three small children, muffins are a quick, easy breakfast option that I can grab on the go.

The Results: I'm glad I did what I did here, because these flavours are fantastic in a muffin. What a great breakfast treat these were. My only regret is that I made a half-batch instead of a full (6 instead of 12). They went too quickly, especially since I let my husband have some. And now I am out of muffins and will have to come up with some other sort of breakfast item in the morning.

So many thanks to Oh! Nuts for supplying the macadamias for me to play with. A few quick notes here - macadamias have a high oil content and when grinding them, they can quickly become macadamia butter. Grind them only to the point where they resemble a coarse meal, don't try to get them any finer than that. Also, if you are looking for a quick way to toast the coconut, just put it into a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally, until it begins to get light brown all over.

Macadamia Coconut Lime Muffins

2 cups unsalted macadamia nuts, divided
2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
2 tbsp unflavoured whey protein powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lime zest
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
10 drops stevia extract
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze:
2 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup powdered erythritol

Preheat oven to 325F and line 12 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process 2 cups of the macadamia nuts until finely ground but not pasty (be careful here - macadamias contain a lot of oil and become butter very quickly!). Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in coconut, almond flour, granulated erythritol, unflavoured whey protein, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lime zest.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add macadamia nut mixture and beat until well combined. Beat in coconut oil, almond milk and stevia extract until fully combined. Stir in chopped macadamia nuts.

Divide batter between prepared muffin cups and bake 25 minutes, or until tops are set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pan.

For the glaze, whisk together lime juice and powdered erythritol until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins.

Serves 12. Each muffin has 7.1 g of carbs and 3.4 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.7 g.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-12-09T05:30:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think that the food-blogging world is a little like the universe: ever-expanding. Virtually every day I seem to discover new, interesting food blogs that I have never come across before. I love this fact, because it means that there is an endless supply of fresh ideas on how to prepare, cook, and consume food. But at the same time, it means that I can lose sight of other blogs that I've already been following. There are simply too many wonderful blogs out there and too many great home cooks. I truly wish there was time in the day for me to hit all my favourites and comment on their new recipes, while still finding time to manage my own blog, home and family. I have a rule of trying to hit my friends' blogs at least once a week. But after almost 2 years as a food blogger, I seem to have made an awful lot of blogger friends.

One of these blogger friends is Diane of Created By Diane. Hers is a lovely blog, filled with lovely creations, all created by...you guessed it...Diane. Like so many of my blogging friends, I can't actually eat most of her creations, but I can gaze at them longingly. And I find myself doing that quite often. A few weeks ago, however, she put up a creation that I knew I had to find a way to make. These little Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites were adorable and contained several of my favourite holiday flavours in one little bite.

Diane's original recipe used Pillsbury Gingerbread Cookie Dough for the cookie crust, but that obviously isn't an option for me. So I set about imagining what I would want my gingerbread cookie dough to be like. I knew I wanted a soft texture that crisped up around the edges and a flavour that had a nice gingery bite to it. I was pretty sure I could achieve the right texture with coconut oil, which always lends a wonderful tenderness to baked goods made with almond flour. I tinkered with the spices until I felt I had the right combination of gingerbread flavour without having it be overpowering. The cheesecake filling part was easy, I didn't have to adapt much about Diane's recipe except the sweetener. I did find that I needed a little more filling than she did, but it was easy to make a quick extra bit to fill the last few cookies.

The Results: These were a hit with everyone in the family except my son. To be fair, he didn't even try them because he steers clear of anything called cheesecake. But the rest of us adored them. The two girls were big fans and kept hoping they could have some after each meal. I popped one my mouth whenever I wanted a sweet treat, and my husband enjoyed them too. I really feel that my son missed out, because they weren't overly cheesecake-y at all. The flavour was a lovely sweet gingerbread, with a hint of a vanilla cheesecake, and perfect for the holidays.

And there is no question in my mind that were I to serve these to the uninitiated, they would have no idea that they were low carb or gluten free. They were just good, plain and simple, and definitely something I will be making again.

Gingerbread Cheesecake Bites

Cookie Dough:
2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup erythritol
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
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 tbsp molasses
16 drops stevia extract

Cheesecake Filling:
6 oz cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp powdered erythritol
1 tbsp whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
15 drops stevia extract

Preheat oven to 350F and line 24 mini-muffin cups with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, erythritol, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. Stir in egg, coconut oil, molasses and stevia until dough begins to clump together.

Form by hand into approx 1-inch balls (this recipe made exactly 24 for me, so if you find you've made your balls too small or two big, go back and redistribute dough). Place dough balls in prepared mini-muffin cups.

Using the end of a wooden spoon, make a well in the center of each ball, pressing dough up against sides of prepared muffin cups.

For the filling, beat cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered erythritol, cream, vanilla and stevia until fully combined. Place the mixture in a pastry bag with a large round tip, or in a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Squeeze a few teaspoons of filling into the well of each cookie.

Bake 9 to 11 minutes, or until cookie edges are lightly brown and firm to the touch and filling is set. Remove and let cool.

Makes 24. Each Cheesecake Bite has 3.1 g of carbs and 1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.1 g.

Hazelnut Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Virtual Holiday Brunch Potluck)

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Today we are going to discuss a much-maligned vegetable, the Brussels sprout. Poor Brussels has quite a bad rap, and is hated by millions the world over. See, Brussels suffers from a syndrome called "being over-cooked", a terrible, terrible malady. It is a descendent of wild cabbage, and like most other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, kale, etc.), overcooking breaks down a compound that then releases a sulphurous odor. And yes, by sulphurous, I do mean that it smells like someone has a bad case of intestinal upset. What's a poor overcooked vegetable to do? I must have had someone in my childhood who knew how to cook Brussels sprouts because I've always liked them. I've had some not so good ones, but knew an overcooked version when I saw it. My husband, on the other hand, shudders at the very thought and has all but banned them from our kitchen.

But I was invited to join a virtual Holiday Brunch Potluck organized by Julie, of The Little Kitchen, the idea being that we all post a different dishes and link them in together, as if we were attending a real potluck. I signed on a bit late and was assigned to the side dishes. This blog is focused primarily on the sweets and treats, but I do make my share of delicious sides and I took this on as a great challenge. And to add to the challenge, I thought I might whip up a batch of Brussels sprouts and see if I could get my husband to change his mind. I was put in mind of a Brussels sprouts dish that my father's wife had made on a family vacation, which included hazelnuts. My husband never got a chance to try them, as he was laid low with a nasty virus and spent the last day of our vacation in bed. But I remembered them as quite good, enough so that I had two helpings. And definitely a worthy and healthy side dish for Holiday Brunch Potluck.

I also happened to have recently picked up a bottle of roasted hazelnut oil and was casting around for ways to use it. Specialty oils like this are a relatively new love of mine and I've discovered a good, inexpensive source for them at TJ Maxx/Homegoods. I always keep a large bottle of walnut oil at the ready, and I've eyed the hazelnut oil a number of times. When I happened to see a bottle on clearance, I grabbed it. And it just seemed tailor-made for using with Brussels sprouts, the rich flavour of the oil adding a depth to the slight nuttiness of the vegetable. I found an excellent recipe for Brussels in Cook's Illustrated, which uses a bit of water in a tightly covered pan to steam the sprouts a touch and make them more tender before going on to roast them. So I followed that method for the most part, adapting it to add the hazelnut oil, some garlic and some roasted hazelnuts.

The Results: If success here is to be measured by getting a self-declared Brussels hater to enjoy them, then I am ready to declare victory. Because my husband ate them and enjoyed them, and I am now officially granted permission to make Brussels sprouts whenever I so choose. That said, he didn't go back for more than one helping. But I did. They were mine, all MINE and I happily ate them several days in a row. Interestingly, I almost liked them better on the second and third day when re-heated gently. I think the flavours had a chance to meld and develop a bit more. It's such a simple side-dish, and certainly healthy and flavourful. If you have Brussels sprouts haters in your life that you want to win over to the dark side, I'd definitely give this recipe a second glance.

Make sure you check out all the other great participants in our Virtual Holiday Brunch Potluck below. From cocktails to dessert, this is a fantastic collection of holiday recipes that you won't want to miss!

Hazelnut Roasted Brussels Sprouts

2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/4 cup roasted hazelnut oil
1 tbsp hot water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 500F.

In a large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper until sprouts are well coated. Transfer to a 9x13 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and roast for 10 minutes. Then remove foil and continue to roast until lightly browned and tender, about 12 more minutes.

Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8 to 10. For 8 servings, each serving has a total of 9.8 g of carbs 4.1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.7 g.

The Drink
Godiva Mudslide Minitini - Kristen from Dine & Dish

Main Dishes
Gingerbread French Toast - Diane from Created by Diane
Asian Fusion Omelette/Frittata - Jeanette from Jeanette's Healthy Living
Naomi from Bakers Royale

Side Dishes
Potato Casserole - Julie from The Little Kitchen
Hazelnut Roasted Brussel Sprouts - Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food

Dessert
Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle with Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce - Sommer from A Spicy Perspective Gingerbread
Almond Brickle Coffee Cake - Kathy from Cooking On the Side
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Buttercream - Cheryl from TidyMom

Party Favor/Hostess Gift
Dark Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Pumpkin Seeds and Apricots - Sylvie from Gourmande in the Kitchen

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-12-05T06:15:00.008-05:00

Cranberries, cranberries, cranberries. I seem to be on a roll here, what with the Cranberry Filled Cupcakes and the Cranberry Ginger Mulled Wine. I actually made these several weeks ago, as part of Budget Gourmet Mom's "12 Days of Allergy Free Cookies". Krista is doing a whole series of guest posts, with cookies made by various "specialized" bloggers, and she asked me if I would like to do a gluten free cookie. I was happy to oblige. Krista is a blogger that I don't know all that well, except through the power of this crazy world called social media. I think we perhaps first "met" on Stumble Upon, when one of us started following the other. But I've always enjoyed her posts and she apparently thought well enough of mine to ask me to guest post.

For years, I've been making biscotti as part of my holiday baking. Mind you, they were definitely not of the low carb, gluten free variety. I love biscotti at all times of year, but with a certain combination of flavours, they can definitely have a holiday feel to them. Cranberries are definitely one of those flavours. Since fresh cranberries only come out at this time of year, they add instant holiday festiveness to almost any recipe. And pecans, although readily available at throughout the year, are associated with the holidays in many people's minds. And chocolate? Are you kidding me? I think the holidays were invented just so we all had an excuse to eat more chocolate. It doesn't matter what holiday it is, chocolate is a welcome guest. The life of the party.

Now, this particular recipe contains some home-made dried cranberries. Sugar-free dried cranberries are pretty hard to come by. At the time that I made these, I was waiting on a shipment of sugar free cranberries from another blogging friend, Toni of Boulder Locavore, who generously offered to send me some that are made in her area. They hadn't arrived, and I needed to create my cookies for Budget Gourmet Mom, so necessity dictated that I dry my own in the oven. I've now tried two ways of doing this, and I am working on perfecting it. When I do, I will definitely share. This time, they ended up a bit too dry and crispy, but it hardly makes a difference when they are in a recipe like this. Still, I have an idea of how to make them a little better for just eating straight as a snack.

These biscotti were seriously delicious, by the way. They turned out so well, and with a touch of orange zest added to the batter, they definitely had a holiday feel. I am very proud to have these by my gluten free contribution to 12 Days of Allergy Free Cookies over at Budget Gourmet Mom. Stop by and check them out!

Cranberry Pecan Biscotti on Budget Gourmet Mom

Cranberry Ginger Mulled Wine (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-12-02T15:40:00.006-05:00

I try to treat this blog like a real job. It started as a hobby, most certainly, but it has grown far beyond what I thought it would be. To get the most out of it, I find I have to approach it as I would a regular job, one that has a schedule and a routine. To that end, I try to post recipes three times a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the occasional extra post in between these times. But like any job and any routine, it can get thrown off by other areas of life. This week was definitely one of those times for me. Between some family issues (minor, but time-consuming), errands, and the approaching holidays, I have been feeling very overwhelmed. Knowing that something had to give, I decided to take a pass on my Friday post. I had a couple of recipes in mind, but no time to execute them, and it just didn't seem right to rush it. When I finally found a few quiet moments to myself, I took the easiest of these recipe ideas and put it to the test. Fortunately, it passed with flying colours and I felt I could post about it. So, a rare Saturday post instead of a scheduled Friday one. Just a little extra time to help me keep my sanity!

I love mulled wine, but I haven't made much of it at home. I think the first time I had it was as a teenager at home, when my mother made a batch at Christmastime. And just to be clear, I was in my late teens and the drinking age in Canada is lower, so she wasn't doing anything illegal! But it was such a lovely drink, warm and comforting with the spices and sugar, and so perfect for the holiday season. Later on, in grad school, I decided to make some for a Christmas party I was hosting. And it was...awful. I used cheap wine, and I forgot to add the sugar, and no one really wanted to drink it. That was probably my last experience with mulled wine, but the memory of the lovely warm drink my mother made stayed with me.

I've been hoarding cranberries like nobody's business this fall. It irks me that this versatile berry is really only readily available in it's fresh form at this time of year. Fortunately, they freeze well and I've got a number of bags in the freezer for the spring and summer. But whenever I see them in the freezer, my mind begins to whirl and recipes spring to mind. The idea of wine mulled with some fresh cranberries and fresh ginger was one of those recipes and I knew it was a good one. It was just one of those ones that had to be made. Of course, conventional mulled wine takes sugar and that just wasn't an option for me. But there are so many sweetener options out there, it was simple to make up the difference.

For any one who's interested in trying Swerve, the new erythritol sweetener I've mentioned a few times, they are having a fun contest on their Facebook page. Just post your New Year's Resolution to win a pound bag of the granular or powdered Swerve sweetener. So far, I've only had great results with it, so I think it's a contest worth entering. Check it out HERE.

The Results: I already said that this recipe passed with flying colours. It certainly did. Unlike many mulled wine recipes, this has a tanginess to it from the cranberries and the lemon that offset the sweetness and the spices. Now, keep in mind that I like tart things, and so I kept the sweetener at a minimum compared to most mulled wines. But I truly enjoyed this, and it helped erase the memory of that awful grad school version. This is everything mulled wine should be...sweet, comforting, spicy, but with it's own tangy, cranberry taste.

Cranberry Ginger Mulled Wine

1 bottle full-bodied red wine (I prefer a Cabernet or Merlot)
1 cup fresh cranberries
1/2 cup granulated erythritol (I used Swerve)
juice of half a lemon
1 cinnamon stick
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root, thinly sliced

Garnish:
fresh cranberries
Sliced lemon

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently over low heat for 1 hour.

Pour into mugs and garnish with cranberries and lemon.

Tassimo Professional Brewer Review

2011-12-01T11:00:00.001-05:00

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

You may recall that I was getting a chance to try out the Tassimo Professional Single Serve coffee maker recently. I have to tell you, this was a really fun opportunity. My son was off from school, so we made a day of it, driving into his dad's office downtown and setting up the coffee maker for his coworkers. I certainly had some more-than-willing guinea pigs. And as one person rightly pointed out, I couldn't have chosen a better group to test things out, since it just so happens that they work in Quality Assurance. They're used to looking things over with a careful eye and giving their true opinions!

Tassimo Professional

Here's my impression of the Tassimo Professional Brewer. It's not a large piece of equipment, as you can see from the picture below. Which makes it ideal for a small office environment that doesn't have a lot of space for big machines. There is a larger model available that can be tapped right into a water supply, but the model I tested, the T-65, is the smaller version that has a refillable water tank. Still, it managed to make 6 or so drinks before the tank needed a refill, which surprised me. I thought it would run out faster than that.

Remember that if you are interested, you can have a free demo of the Tassimo Pro in your office. Tassimo Professional free demo

Since my husband's office already has a machine that makes regular coffee, there was much more interest in the mochas, hot chocolates and cappuccinos. I think that only one person requested a regular coffee. Everyone was quite impressed with these coffee-house style drinks coming out of such a small machine and said that it was a definite selling point. The machine and the T-discs were easy to use and there was little to no clean-up. And I really do think that Tassimo is onto something with the bar-coded discs...they really can't be used in the Tassimo home brewer, so there is no fear of employees pocketing them to take home.

I myself tested out the cappuccino and it was quite good. There's no question that serious coffee drinkers can be picky about their coffee, but the general consensus was that the Tassimo Pro made very good drinks for an office coffee maker. Several people declared that they would save a lot of money if they had one of these in the office, as they wouldn't feel the need to hit the costly coffee bars in the area. If your office is in the market for a one-cup coffee maker, I would certainly recommend this one. I think the ability to make specialty drinks in the office is a feature that most office coffee makers don't have and that employees truly appreciate!

So don't forget to sign up for the Free Demo for your office. Tassimo Professional free demo

Cranberry-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-29T13:47:00.013-05:00

The problem with Thanksgiving leftovers is that there are never even amounts of each dish. The mashed potatoes might be all gone, but there is still plenty of stuffing and turkey. Or the turkey is all gone, but there are outrageous amounts of green beans still left. You just never end up with the right amounts of anything to keep eating them together as you do on the actual day. Besides which, we all get pretty tired of the same dinner over and over anyway. In my case, it seems that I always have cranberry sauce to spare. I love the stuff, but it's not really a dish in its own right, it's a condiment, and as such is eaten sparingly. So I always end up with a jar languishing in the refrigerator, long after all the turkey and sides are gone or have been used up in other dishes. And what else do you do with cranberry sauce besides put it on turkey?

Last year, I ended up putting some of my leftover cranberry sauce to good use, in these Cranberry Cinnamon Pinwheels. But they weren't low carb or gluten free and this year I wanted to use up the sauce in a way that I could enjoy myself. I honestly cannot say from whence my inspiration came this time, but I just suddenly knew they'd make a great filling for chocolate cupcakes. And as I had been wanting to try adapting my basic almond flour cake recipe for a chocolate version, I knew this was the way to go.

I've made a number of filled cupcakes in my day, most of which aren't low carb. There are several different techniques for putting in the filling, but I think the best, and the least messy, is coring the cupcakes and spooning or piping in the filling. I happen to have the perfect tool for this as well, although I didn't realize it at the time I purchased it. It was only happenstance that I discovered that the 1-inch diameter biscuit cutter which came in a set was ideal for coring cupcakes. I remember holding the thing up to my husband and laughing, asking why I would bake biscuits that were so small. But a few weeks later, I came across a Martha Stewart article on creating filled cupcakes, and she used the very same thing to create a nice even hole in each cupcake. I tried it myself and it worked like a charm, pushing into the cupcake and pulling out a perfect core without breaking the cakes at all. Then I could cut the top off the core and use it to cover the filling before frosting each cupcake.

If you don't have such a tool, you can create a similar core using a small, sharp knife, but you will likely have to angle your knife to create a cone-shaped core so that you can get it out more easily. But if you do have a 1-inch diameter cookie or biscuit cutter, you will find this is a perfect use for it. I was a little concerned that it might not work as well with the somewhat denser consistency of a low carb cupcake, but my fears were groundless. My cores came out just as well as they do with regular cake. Then I filled the cakes with about a tablespoon of leftover cranberry sauce (in my case, I actually used the Chipotle Lime Cranberry Sauce because it's what I had), popped the tops back on, and covered the cupcakes in chocolate ganache. I garnished each with a "sugared" cranberry (really, just a cranberry dipped in water and then rolled in granulated erythritol).

The Results: Cranberry and chocolate are a great combination. These are so fun and pretty, and a perfect way to use up cranberry sauce. And I have to say, although you can use any old cranberry sauce, the Chipotle Lime version adds a nice little kick to these chocolatey cakes! The cakes themselves were lovely and moist, and I left a few unfilled to give to the kids, as I knew they wouldn't like the cranberry version. My rather precocious middle child knew it wasn't a "regular" cupcake almost instantly, but she still devoured hers and asked for a second, so that's saying a lot. My 2 year old was completely fooled, and called them "happy cake", singing Happy Birthday to herself while she ate.

Cranberry-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
2 cups almond flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup chocolate whey protein powder
1 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz Greek yogurt
1/4 cup butter, softened
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
20 drops stevia extract
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

Filling:
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar free cranberry sauce

Chocolate Ganache:
6 tbsp butter
2 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp powdered erythritol
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
15 drops stevia extract

For the cake, preheat the oven to 325F and line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, protein powder, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda and salt, breaking up any clumps with the back of a fork. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat yogurt and butter together until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla and stevia and beat until just combined. Add half of almond flour mixture and beat until combined, then beat in almond milk. Beat in remaining flour mixture until thoroughly combined.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes. The tops should spring back when lightly touched and a tester inserted in the middle should come out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Core the cooled cupcakes using a 1-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter as in the picture above (if you lack both of these, you can do it with a sharp knife). Make sure to give the biscuit-cutter a little twist while it's in the cake, to get the core out more easily. Set cores aside. Spoon about 1 tbsp of cranberry sauce into the hole. With a sharp knife, cut the very tops off the cores so that you have a thin disc of cake. Place a disc on top of the cranberry filling and press lightly to adhere.

For the chocolate topping, melt butter together with chopped chocolate and powdered erythritol in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously until smooth. Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla and stevia extract. Let cool 10 minutes, until thickened but still spreadable. Spread over each cupcake with a knife or offset spatula. Let set about 30 minutes, then top with a "sugared" cranberry.

Serves 12. Each cupcake has a total of 7 g of carbs and 3.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.5 g

Chocolate Pumpkin Chili (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-27T19:34:00.011-05:00

Chili has always been a staple in my diet, ever since I was a kid. We lived on a farm when I was little, and I can remember my mother making huge batches of Texas-style chili to feed all of us, including some of the farmhands. I love the typical beef and bean chili, but it was something of a revelation to discover that there were other ways of making it. As an archaeological intern in Colorado, I visited some of the pueblo feast dances and was fed "real chili", a thin green or red broth with small chunks of cubed pork, so spicy it would burn my mouth. The chili I had known growing up was considered "gringo chili". And I was slightly horrified the first time I heard of chocolate chili, but one bite convinced me how wonderful chocolate could be in savoury dishes. It must be a measure of how far I've come with regards to chili, since the idea of putting pumpkin in chili didn't phase me one little bit.

The idea of putting BOTH chocolate and pumpkin together in a chili came to me a few months ago. I was at a Boston Food Bloggers event back in September, hosted at Healthy Habits Kitchen. Healthy Habits is a new sort of food service in Wellesley, MA, that offers semi-prepared healthy meal kits for busy families. They also host food assembly parties, where private groups can take over their kitchen to put together freezer-friendly meals and enjoy a complimentary dinner in their lounge. It's such an interesting idea, and I was certainly impressed by the execution of the meal kits during our tour. We were invited to bring our own wine and to taste several of the meals while we were there.

Their menu changes seasonally, and the fall menu contained both a Chocolate Chili and a Pumpkin Turkey Chili. Somehow, these two ideas fused in my head and I kept thinking about how to bring them together. Since I'd never made either, I had to do my research to figure out exactly what I wanted. I knew early on that I didn't want pumpkin puree, as I thought that would get rather lost in the mix with the strength of the chocolate flavour. So I had to buy a pie pumpkin and roast it, so I could have nice cubes of pumpkin in the chili. I also found that most chocolate chili recipes contained both cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. A lot of them also contained sugar, but there wasn't going to be any of that in my version, of course, and I really didn't think it was necessary. I wanted some heat in mine, so I added some jalapeno and chili powder. But as I tasted, I knew it needed some spice that would complement the chocolate, so I added a touch of chipotle powder and cinnamon.

The Results: This is such a great variation on your typical chili, and it has a smoky, chocolatey flavour with a touch of sweetness from the pumpkin. It's certainly hearty and rich, though, and I found it quite filling. I skipped adding any beans, because they add carbs, but you could certainly add some in the final stages of simmering to stretch it out more.

I had worried that the pumpkin chunks would become mushy when simmered for a while like that, but they didn't. They were soft but retained their shape nicely and made for a chunkier dish, which I really enjoyed, especially in the absence of any beans.

Chocolate Pumpkin Chili

1 small pie pumpkin
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
1 lb lean ground beef
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 400F and brush a baking sheet or ceramic baking dish with oil.

Cut pumpkin into 8 wedges and scrape out pulp and seeds. Brush wedges with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until soft, then remove the skin and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeno, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and chipotle powder and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 7 to 9 minutes, breaking up clumps with the back of a wooden spoon.

Stir in the pumpkin, canned tomatoes, water, cocoa powder, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Serve immediately.

Serves 6. Each serving has a total of 15.6 g of carbs and 5.6 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 10 g.

Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks, Take 2 (No Added Sugar)

2011-11-24T09:39:00.014-05:00

I've been sitting on this post for a very long time, wondering when the best time to actually publish it was. See, the original version of these gummy fruits were a huge success. That is to say, the post itself was a huge success, ranking as my second most popular post of all time. This took me by surprise. Don't get me wrong, my original fruit snacks were very tasty, they just weren't quite what I had in mind. I wanted something like the little chewy fruit snacks you can get at Trader Joe's or from Annie's, the kind with no added sugar. My first attempt was with gelatin and I realized pretty quickly that it wasn't going to get me the results I wanted. They were delicious, but jelly-ish and required refrigeration to keep from melting into fruity goo. So I set about trying to make a more "shelf-stable" gummy fruit. And I think I managed that feat. But the original post was so darn popular, I didn't want to mess with its mojo, so to speak.

But there were quite a few people on Twitter and my blog who expressed interest in the improved version, so I finally decided to bite the bullet and post it. A lot of the comments on my original post confirmed for me exactly what I was thinking of using in my second experiment...Pomona's Universal Pectin. Unlike most pectin products, this one can be made with little to no sugar, as it relies on calcium to jell properly. I have used it before in sugar free jams, and in fact, I accidentally over-jelled some jam this summer, which is what made me realize it would be perfect for my gummy fruits. And since several readers suggested the exact same thing, I knew I was on the right track.

I studied the insert that comes in the Pomona's package, trying to decide which approach to take. They have detailed instructions for low sugar, no sugar, and alternative sweeteners. In the end, I decided to follow the instructions for the "All Fruit" jams and jellies, but with a higher pectin-to-fruit ratio to get things to solidify a little more. But I knew I needed to still do more to it, to make them drier and chewier, and more shelf-stable. So after the mixture had been spread in the pan and cooled, I popped it in the oven at low heat for a few hours, to dry it out. At first, I thought I had erred, as it began to liquify and un-jell. But I kept it in for a while to see what would happen. As it began to lose moisture, it shrunk in height and became more like what I had in mind. A cross between fruit leather and fruit gummies, much more like the storebought brands my kids love so much.

The Results: I won't say I totally nailed it, but I think I came close. The flavour was much like the original version, but with a drier, chewier texture. They remained a bit "wet" on the bottom, but I didn't want to keep drying them, for fear of turning them simply into fruit leather. But they were definitely more shelf-stable. I kept the pan in the fridge, but I could put them into my kids' lunch boxes without needing a cold pack to keep them cool. They didn't melt away into good, they stayed firm and in their original shapes. And my kids enjoyed them, which is the most important measure of success in these things. They aren't as pretty as the original version, all plump and fruity, but for my purposes, they are more functional. Function over form, in this case!

Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks, V. 2.0

*These instructions assume you have read the Pomona's Universal Pectin insert and have made up the jar of calcium water accordingly.

1 1/2 cup mixed berries
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup fruit juice
2 tsp Pomona calcium water
3 tsp Pomona pectin powder

Combine mixed berries and applesauce in a medium saucepan. Add calcium water to pan and stir well.

In a separate pan, bring juice to a boil. Pour hot juice into a blender or food processor and vent the lid. Add pectin powder and blend 1 to 2 minutes, or until all powder is dissolved.

Bring the berry/applesauce mixture to a boil. Add the juice/pectin mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring continuously. Return to a boil, then remove from heat.

Spread mixture in a glass or ceramic 7 x 11 inch pan and let cool.

Preheat oven to 170F. Bake fruit mixture for 3 hours, or until top is dry and firm to the touch.

Let cool and cut into squares or cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters.

Blogging For Those Less Fortunate Than Us (from Kidfresh and City Harvest)

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

First, let me say Happy Thanksgiving to all of those celebrating today.

As we sit down to our plentiful feasts, I wanted to take a moment to bring a wonderful campaign to your attention, and I hope you will join me in supporting it. And if you have a blog, join me in blogging about it.

Kidfresh is a line of all-natural frozen kids' meals, created with the input of nutritionists and chefs to help busy parents get some wholesome foods (veggies too!) into their picky children. And now they reaching out to bloggers and their readers to help feed children in need in NYC.

Up to December 15th, Kidfresh will donate 30* of their meals to City Harvest of New York City for every new "Like" on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/Kidfreshfoods

For every blog post covering the campaign, Kidfresh will donate 300* Meals to City Harvest. How amazing is that? If you are a blogger and you want to write a post, email me at carketch29 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I will forward you the email I received on how to do this.

(*up to a total of 85,000 meals)

Let me be very clear that this is not a sponsored post. I have received nothing from Kidfresh beyond the email asking me to spread the word. And with such a wonderful donation campaign, how could I not take part?

Everyone can help, whether or not they are a blogger. If you don't have a blog, simply click HERE to "like" Kidfresh on Facebook and send 30 meals to City Harvest.

Because I can't say it any better than they can, here's the full press release, I hope you will take the time to read it:

NEW YORK, NY -- (November, 15th 2011) -- Kidfresh, the New York-based Company that pioneered natural and wholesome meals for children, will donate 30 healthy, all-natural, vegetable-rich kids meals to City Harvest for each new fan on Facebook in an effort to fight hunger for children in New York City.

Like Kidfresh on Facebook to donate 30 meals now: http://www.facebook.com/Kidfreshfoods (until December,15th)

With your help, this Kidfresh donation could help feed thousands of hungry children in the city. "There are 1.4 million New York City residents, including over 400,000 children, living in households facing food insecurity today (1). We cannot sit and do nothing when 1 in 5 children don't know where their next meal will come from, right here in our community. At Kidfresh, we are committed to help children in need as much as we possibly can." said Matt Cohen, CEO and Founder of Kidfresh.

The company will donate all six nutritious meals for kids: Totally Twisted Pasta & Meatballs, a pasta dish complete with meatballs and tomato sauce hiding a half cup of vegetables, Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese, an all-time kids favorite enriched with hidden carrots in a creamy cheese sauce as well as Spaghetti Loops Bolognese, Muy Cheesy Quesadillas, Rainbow Rice & Chicken and Easy Cheesy Ravioli.

About City Harvest
Now serving New York City for more than 25 years, City Harvest is the world's first food rescue organization, dedicated to feeding the city's hungry men, women, and children. This year, City Harvest will collect 28 million pounds of excess food from all segments of the food industry, including restaurants, grocers, corporate cafeterias, manufacturers, and farms. This food is then delivered free of charge to nearly 600 community food programs using a fleet of trucks and bikes as well as volunteers on foot. Each week, City Harvest helps over 300,000 hungry New Yorkers find their next meal. To learn more, visit http://www.www.CityHarvest.org.

About Kidfresh
Created by parents for parents, with the help of top pediatric nutritionists and NYC-based chefs, Kidfresh has grown from its initial concept store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the mid 2000’s to become a pioneer in all-natural, wholesome, yummy kids meals, available in the freezer sections of leading grocery stores and supermarkets in the United States. Kidfresh offers time-tested kid favorite entrees with 100% natural ingredients, blended vegetables and key nutrients for growing children – ready in 3 minutes. Kidfresh meals are a welcome solution to today’s busy parents and the company’s founder Matt Cohen created the line of frozen meals with his family in mind and makes sure that his company also helps children in need; Kidfresh is a proud sponsor of Save the Children and has donated meals to City Harvest, a New York-based non-profit which helps to feed families in need.

To learn more, visit http://www.Kidfresh.com.

(1) Source: http://www.nyccah.org/learn-about-hunger/hunger-in-nyc

Peanut Butter Caramel Shortbread Bars (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-23T07:45:00.001-05:00

I am going to shake things up a little today. I am going to start with the results of this recipe first, and not keep you in suspense. The tagline of this blog is "Adventures in cooking, baking and eating the results", and I think you know that I try to be pretty honest about those results. I am willing to admit when a recipe just doesn't live up to my expectations, and I will even fess up to outright failures (hello, Peppermint Meringues!). So I know you will believe me when I say that these bars were nothing short of heavenly. I really mean that. I actually told husband that they just might be the best thing I've managed to make low carb and gluten free, and that's saying a lot. And I am so eager to share them with you that I couldn't work it into my usual format. These are scream-it-from-the-rooftops good.

The timeliness of this recipe couldn't be better either. Apparently, November is National Peanut Butter Lover's Month. I have to admit, I am usually a little dismissive of these food holidays and celebrations. I mean really, who is declaring all of these things and does it really make any difference? And they all come too fast and furious for me to keep track of, quite honestly. But peanut butter is a whole other matter entirely. It's much too important a substance in my life for me to be dismissive of a celebration in its name. I am just thankful that it's a month-long celebration and that I managed to see a few references to it in time to join in the festivities. Peanut butter deserves its own month. Heck, in my books it deserves its own century. I declare the 2000's the Century of Peanut Butter. Who's with me?

The idea of adding some peanut butter to my low carb caramel sauce has been in my head for a while now. At first, I conceived of it as something to drizzle over ice cream, and you could certainly do so. It would be a fantastic addition to a low carb sundae. But I didn't take any action on it at the time, and so the idea continue to grow and evolve in my head. These things always do. My brain finally seemed to settle on sandwiching the peanut butter caramel between layers of shortbread and chocolate, and from that point it didn't budge. I had a long list of other things I was planning to make, but this one kept buzzing around my brain and whispering itself in my ear. Make me, make me! And this past weekend, I did. The only question is, why the heck did I wait so long???

And now, if my evil plan works, you will all have these bars buzzing around your brain and whispering in your ear. Make me. MAKE ME! And you won't regret it. Your only problem will be resisting taking a bar every time you pass the pan. That's been my issue, and let's face it. Low carb is no longer low carb when you eat the whole pan. Whoops.

In other news, I have been visited by the Fairy Hobmother. Have you heard of this phenomenon? I am not entirely sure what it's all about, but it's someone from Appliances Online, which sells major kitchen appliances like this Beko upright freezer. This person also goes around the blogosphere, granting wishes for small kitchen appliances. I left a comment on Cake Duchess about wanting a new coffee maker with a thermal carafe and voila! The Fairy Hobmother contacted me to grant my wish. Apparently, my fairy hobmother doesn't know much about coffee, so he/she simply gave me an Amazon gift certificate to buy my own coffee maker.

If you would like a visit from the Fairy Hobmother, just leave a comment here saying what sort of small kitchen appliance you wish for. You just might get it!

Peanut Butter Caramel Shortbread Bars

Crust:
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
15 drops stevia extract

Peanut Butter Caramel Filling:
1/2 cup granulated erythritol
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:
6 tbsp butter
2 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 tbsp powdered erythritol
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
15 drops stevia extract

For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine almond flour, butter, erythritol, xanthan gum and stevia in a food processer. Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan and bake 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Set aside and let cool.

For the caramel sauce, combine erythritol and agave nectar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until erythritol has dissolved and mixture bubbles, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream. Mixture will bubble vigorously. Return to heat and boil one minute, then stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over cooled crust and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Let cool completely.

For the chocolate topping, melt butter together with chopped chocolate and powdered erythritol in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring continuously until smooth. Add cocoa powder and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla and stevia extract. Pour chocolate over cooled peanut butter filling and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Let set at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Serves 16. Each bar has 6 g of carbs and 2.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.7 g.

Chipotle Lime Cranberry Sauce and Other Thanksgiving Ideas

2011-11-21T07:00:00.006-05:00

When it comes to holidays, I am not really much of an advanced planner. This is a point that has been driven home to me recently by my many blogging friends. See, if I was a good food blogger, I would have been talking to you about my Thanksgiving menu planning since at least the beginning of November. I would be test-driving recipes and providing you with a whole host of ideas for your own Thanksgiving feast. If I were really on top of things, I might even have my Thanksgiving table all set, as my friend Lana, of Never Enough Thyme, does. Hers is beautiful, by the way, so I suggest you stop over and take a look! Alas, I am not that sort of person or that sort of blogger. Here it is, the week of American Thanksgiving, and I've barely given our dinner much thought. I simply haven't had the time, nor really the inclination. It will just be me, my husband and kids this year, a quiet family Thanksgiving on a relatively small scale. No advanced planning necessary.

The one thing I have done ahead, as I do every year, is the cranberry sauce. It's just so darn easy to pop those berries in a pot with some water and sweetener, and set it to boil. I've been making the whole cranberry sauce recipe that comes on the back of the bag since time immemorial, since it's my father's favourite. Last year, I took my first stab at making it sugar free and it was just as good. This year, I decided to shake things up a little bit, or rather spice things up a bit. Please don't tell my dad, I am sure he would be horrified! But it occurred to me how nicely the tang of cranberries would be with a touch of chipotle and lime, so I set about adapting that back-of-the-bag cranberry sauce. And this year, I sweetened it with Swerve, a new erythritol sweetener that is as sweet as sugar and can be used to replace it cup-for-cup.

The Results: I actually haven't tried this out on any members of my family yet, but I love it. I love the tang of both the cranberries and the lime, with the smoky heat of the chipotle. I kept dipping a spoon into the finished product, so I finally had to jar it and put it in the fridge so that we would actually have some left to go with our Thanksgiving turkey. I am fairly certain that my kids won't like it because of the spice, so all the more for me and my husband. I am really looking forward to seeing how it goes with turkey and all the trimmings.

Now, in the spirit of menu planning, I am also providing you with some other Thanksgiving Feast ideas. Whether you have special dietary needs or not, there are so many great recipes out there to choose from, I just couldn't help but put together a collection of great links to share, some from me and some from fellow bloggers.

Chipotle Lime Cranberry Sauce

3/4 cup water
1/2 cup Swerve Sweetener
OR 1/2 sugar
OR 1/2 cup granulated erythritol plus 20 drops stevia extract
1 12-oz bag fresh cranberries
1 to 2 medium chipotles in adobo, minced (depends on how hot you want it)
Juice of two limes
Zest of two limes, grated

Combine water and preferred sweetener in a medium pot and bring to a boil Add cranberries and bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, until berries begin to pop.

Add minced chipotle, lime juice and lime zest and continue to cook until all berries have popped and sauce is thickened, about 5 more minutes.

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas from All Day I Dream About Food

Clockwise from top left:
Cranberry Apple Crisp (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Pumpkin Praline Parfaits (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Artichoke, Sausage and Parmesan Stuffing (Low Carb)Pumpkin Bourbon Cheesecake with Spiced Pecan Crust (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

More Great Thanksgiving Ideas

Turkey:

Cranberry Stuffed Turkey Meatballs from 24/7 Low Carb Diner (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Butterflied Turkey with Cranberry Molasses Glaze from Tracey's Culinary Adventures
Roasted Turkey Breast from What Gaby's Cookin'
Extra Moist Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy from The Mom Chef

Stuffing:

Cornbread Stuffing from Maria's Nutritious and Delicious Journal (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Bacon, Bourbon, Pumperknickel Rye Stuffing from Creative Culinary
Rosemary Whole Wheat Stuffing with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms from Farmgirl Gourmet
Mushroom Cornbread Stuffing Muffins from Jeanette's Healthy Living (Gluten Free)

Sides:

Creamy Pumpkin Polenta from Evil Shenanigans (Gluten Free)
Curried Pumpkin Soup with Creme Fraiche from In Good Taste (Gluten Free)
Oven Roasted Vegetables with Sage and Thyme from Jeanette's Healthy Living (Gluten Free)
A Fresh Take on Green Bean Casserole from She's Cookin'
Radicchio Salad from Ingredients, Inc. (Gluten Free)
Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Chipotle Pecan Streusel
Traditional Cranberry Relish from Life's A Feast
Cranberry Salsa from Boulder Locavore

Sweets and Treats:

Pumpkin Muffin in a Minute from Atkins Diet Geek (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Spicy Apples with Sweet Almonds from Splendid Low Carbing (Low Carb and Gluten Free)
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie from Created By Diane
Vegan Maple Pumpkin Pie from Cake Duchess (Vegan)
Mini Apple Pies from Jenn Cuisine (Gluten Free)
Rum Raisin Ice Cream (Gluten Free)
White Chocolate Pumpkin Pie Cups from Liv Life

Peppermint Meringue Failure and My 7 Links

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

Don't these peppermint meringues look just gorgeous? Don't they look like they came out perfectly? If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen me crowing with glee about the fact that I finally made some sugar free meringues that didn't deflate. I was so pleased and all I needed to do was wait for them to crisp up. So I waited. And I waited. And I waited and waited and waited. And they never did. No, these pretty, perfect-looking peppermint-striped meringues are total failures. They remained sticky and non-crisp to the bitter end, no matter how much I baked them, how much I turned the oven up or down or off. I even let them sit in a warm oven overnight, but they were still sticky the next morning. They don't even come off the parchment properly, they just become a sticky mess. They remind me of nothing so much as marshmallow fluff. Which, by the way, gives me some great ideas for future recipes - did I just invent low carb marshmallow fluff??? But as peppermint meringues, they are abject failures. In the end, I just let me kids eat them off the pan with a spoon (they taste good!).

So, in lieu of a recipe today, I am going to play a game that was going around the food blogosphere for a while there, called Seven Links. As always, I am late to the party and so it may not be such a popular game anymore, I don't know. I am supposed to name 5 more bloggers to play it when I am done, but the likelihood is that they've all played it before and don't want to do it again. No matter, I shall forge ahead regardless! I was tagged for it by Erin of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts back in August, and by someone else but I can no longer remember who (so sorry!). And I kept meaning to play but never quite got around to it. Since I have no recipe for you, now seems as good a time as any.

1. Most Beautiful Post: Boston Cream Pie
This is a tough one. What makes a post beautiful? Is it simply the photographs? I am by no means an expert photographer, but I have managed to capture some good photos in my time. Photos of food that is. Ask me to take a good picture of my kids, and I'm at a loss. Unlike food, they don't sit still long enough for me to style them! But I chose my Boston Cream Pie because really, what's more beautiful than thick, rich chocolate pouring over the top and sides of a delicious cake?

2. Most Popular Post: Parmesan Garlic Bubble Buns
If we are judging popularity by total overall page views, then my most popular post ever was the Parmesan Garlic Bubble Buns I made for a guest post on A Little Bit of Everything. The success of that post was definitely helped out by Stumble Upon, were it received over 33,000 views in a matter of days. That was a wild ride, let me tell you! I have other posts that have received more comments, but nothing even comes close in terms of total views.

3. Most Controversial Post: Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet
I hope nothing I write here on this blog sparks much controversy. It is a food blog, after all, and is designed simply to bring people good, mostly low carb, mostly gluten free, recipes. But since I have to choose one, I choose the Turkey Taco Pasta Skillet. The recipe itself isn't objectionable, but I did get one comment regarding the use of Dreamfields Pasta and whether or not it is truly safe for those of us with diabetes. Diabetes is a very individualized disease, and what spikes one person's blood sugar might not spike another's. For example, I can tolerate red potatoes fairly well but not all diabetics can. Which is why I urged caution and moderation with the Dreamfields Pasta in my post. I seem to tolerate it all right, but I also stay well within the serving size and I eat it infrequently. I do understand that not all diabetics would have the same blood sugar response as I do.

4. Most Helpful Post: Chipotle Tilapia and World Diabetes Day
For this, I am choosing the recent post I did for World Diabetes Day. I think many in the low carb community find my recipes helpful, but in this post, I wanted to address my own story. I wanted to show that diabetes can happen to anyone, regardless of health history. It's a dangerous misconception that Type 2 diabetes happens only to couch potatoes who eat junk all day, because those of us with low risk factors can get overlooked. The truth is, we're all at risk and I am proof of that. And the comment I received from one reader, whose story is so much like mine, touched me profoundly. Sometimes just knowing you are not alone makes all the difference in the world.

5. Most Surprisingly Successful Post: Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks
One thing you quickly learn in food blogging is that it's almost impossible to predict how popular a post will or won't be. I almost didn't post the Homemade Gummy Fruit Snacks I made for my kids, because although they were good, they weren't quite what I had in mind. Well, I guess they were exactly what other people were looking for, because they were hugely popular, and they continue to bring hits to my blog. So much so that if you type in "homemade fruit snacks" into Google, my post comes up as #1.

6. The Post That Didn't Get the Attention It Deserved: Sweet Basil Panna Cotta
On the flip side of something being surprisingly popular is a post that doesn't seem to garner the attention you thought it would. I've had plenty of these, as I am sure every blogger has. You create a recipe and you think "Oh wow, I've done something really interesting here! This will make people sit up and pay attention". But it doesn't. Somehow the post just seems to escape other people's notice and you end up a little disappointed. So for this one, I am choosing my Sweet Basil Panna Cotta. I loved this dessert, I thought it was elegant and interesting, without being over-the-top, and I think I got some great shots of it too. But it just didn't quite get the reception I was hoping for.

7. The Post I am Most Proud Of: Lemon Cream Cake and Sticky Toffee Puddings
I have a lot of posts and recipes on this blog, and as far as I am concerned, there is a lot to be proud of here. My skills in low carb baking and cooking have grown exponentially as I try new things, so what I am most proud of will change at any given moment. But I get a real kick out of taking a conventional recipe and making a low carb, gluten free version that is virtually indistinguishable from the original. So I am choosing BOTH my Lemon Cream Cake and my Sticky Toffee Puddings for this question. I really think I nailed them both.

Hope you enjoyed the little trip down memory lane!

Now I have to pick 5 other bloggers to play Seven Links. I honestly don't know who's been tagged already and who has not, so forgive me if you've already done this!

Sommer of A Spicy Perspective
Lora of Cake Duchess
Jeanette of Jeanette's Healthy Living
Cara of Cara's Cravings
Diane of Created By Diane

Tassimo Professional Brewer

2011-11-17T09:01:00.001-05:00

This post brought to you by Tassimo. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am one of those people who simply cannot do anything without coffee in my system. I am not at all ashamed to admit it, in fact I would say I am rather proud of it. I just don't function well without some of that warm, smoky, delicious liquid in my bloodstream. My kids know not to talk to me until I've had at least a few sips of my morning cuppa, and when it comes to getting anything done, work, household chores, even running, I can't do it without some coffee in my system. Or at least, I don't do it very well.

I've worked in any number of professional settings in my time, and the coffee was always terrible. It was usually those big machines that made a whole pot at once, which would sit there and develop that awful burned flavour. And no one ever wanted to be in charge of cleaning out the pots at the end of the day. In one place of employment, a coworker and I started a campaign to get a one-cup coffee maker so that we could have fresh coffee whenever we wanted it. Admittedly, the campaign went nowhere because we never really got past the planning stages. But there is no question that it was a good idea. Single Serve coffee makers are perfect for offices large and small, so that the employees can have fresh coffee without the waste.

Lucky me, I am getting the opportunity to test drive a new Tassimo Professional Brewer and it's on its way as I write this. Since I no longer work in an office enviroment, my husband has happily agreed to allow me to bring it to his office so he and his coworkers can try it out. I have a feeling that I am going to be a pretty popular lady around those parts!

The Tassimo Professional Brewer is quite the machine, it would seem. It doesn't just brew single-serve coffee, but it also makes cappuccinos and lattes using Gevalia coffee and real milk creamer. I'm a sucker for a good cappuccino, so that's the feature I am excited to try. The Tassimo Brewer also brews Twinings Tea and Suchard Hot Chocolate. With such premium brands available in their T Discs, I don't see how this machine won't be a hit. I wish it had existed back when we were trying to get a coffee maker like this into our office, I might have campaigned a little harder!

If this sounds pretty good to you, you can actually sign up for a FREE DEMO of the Tassimo Professional Brewer for your office. Tassimo Professional free demo

I have to say, the folks at Tassimo are pretty smart about creating single serve coffee makers for the workplace. They've designed the Tassimo Pro Brewer so that the T Discs cannot be used at home. Each T Disc has a double bar code that makes it incompatible with home Tassimo Brewers, meaning that employees can't pocket the discs. The brewer also has an LCD display for clear instructions for brewing and maintenance, and brews specialty drinks in under 2 minutes.

It certainly looks like a great machine, and my husband's officemates are looking forward to my visit. If you are an employer thinking of adding a single cup brewer to your office, make sure you sign up for the Tassimo Professional free demo And even if you are not the employer, consider starting a campaign to get one in your office.

Browned Butter Cacao Nib Cookies (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-15T11:54:00.010-05:00

I have discovered the joy that is browned butter. Over the past year or so, I have seen so many delicious recipes that contained browned butter, and the idea of cooking butter until it darkens in colour and deepens in flavour has always appealed to me. I have quite the love affair with butter as it is, so this was not an out-of-character step for me. I first tried it in a savoury dish, when I developed a recipe for our cookbook, Low-Carbing Among Friends, with fish topped by a browned butter sauce. And oh, it was just heavenly. I am not going to share that recipe with you, though. Sorry, folks, but that one is in The Cookbook and will remain in The Cookbook only! You will simply have to buy the book to get at it.

And speaking of "The Cookbook", I have a few pieces of news on that front. Bear with me here:

~ The SOLD OUT first printing of the book has now been shipped to those who pre-ordered it, much earlier than expected. Those of you who ordered your copy during the pre-order process should be seeing it by December 7th at the latest. If it doesn't arrive by then, please be sure to email EUREKA.PUBLISHING@GMAIL.COM with your order details.

~ If you plan on ordering your copy through Amazon, several hundred copies are on their way and should be stocked by this weekend. You will find Low-Carbing Among Friends at http://www.amazon.com/shops/eureka_publishing

~ This book has turned out to be such a hit in the low carb world that we are already planning Volume 2 and 3, and I and my collaborators will be contributing a whole new set of recipes, along with expert advice for following a low carb diet. Right now, Volume 2 is planned for a July publishing date, which means I need to get my butt in gear and start developing some great recipes for you! I can't give away the whole deal, but do expect some surprises and some new voices and experts for these upcoming volumes.

~ Our team leader, Jennifer Eloff, and our publisher, Ian Eloff, have been interviewed by Jimmy Moore for his amazing Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show. You can listen to the full interview at the following link. Be sure to forward to the 37 minute mark, because there is a previous interview in the first half. http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/5439/515-dr-lauren-noel-and-jennifer-ian-eloff/ It's a wonderful interview, and really gives some great background about the book, the low-carb lifestyle and our collaborative team as a whole.

For more information on the cookbook and how to order, visit AmongFriends.us

Okay, back to the joy that is browned butter. Not only does it make a fantastic addition to savoury dishes, but it's wonderful in baked goods as well. I've seen any number of cookies, bars, cakes and even icings made with browned butter, and I decided I had to give it a go. I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do with it, but these lovely Cocoa Nib Cookies caught my eye, and I thought that a low carb version, made with browned butter, would be a good place to start. I thought long and hard about how to make them, what flours to include and how to make them hold together. And I tried two ways of forming them...one roll-out version, and one slice-and-bake version.

The Results: First, let me tell you that roll-out cookies are the way to go with these, no question. In the absence of gluten, the slice-and-bake approach just didn't work very well, the dough log started to crumble apart even after a good length of time chilling in the fridge. But rolling the dough out between sheets of parchment worked beautifully and they held together very well as I cut them with cookie cutters and lifted them out.

As for the cookie itself, they are good, but I think they need a little tinkering. The deep brown butter flavour didn't come through as much as I would like, and I fault the coconut flour. Coconut flour absorbs so much liquid, and in my personal opinion, tends to overwhelm other flavours sometimes, even when used in small quantities. So the browned butter got lost here, to my disappointment. I think I need to increase the amount of browned butter and decrease the coconut flour, but that may make them too fragile. We shall have to see.

But I really do like the crunch of the cacao nibs, and they way they add a nutty chocolate flavour without adding sweetness. My kids loved these cookies, though and fought over the heart-shaped ones, goodness knows why! So in that regard, they are a hit. And they sure are pretty!

Browned Butter Cacao Nib Cookies

Cookies:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup almond flour
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup granulated erythritol
1 tbsp arrowroot starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cacao nibs
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
20 drops stevia extract

Chocolate Drizzle:
1 1/2 oz high % cacao chocolate, preferably gluten free, chopped fine
1 tsp butter

For the cookies, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 3ooF.

In a small saucepan or skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, swirling pan frequently, until colour darkens and butter has a nutty aroma, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, erythritol, arrowroot starch, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt and cacao nibs. Add browned butter, eggs, vanilla and stevia extracts and stir until dough begins to come together. It will still be somewhat crumbly, but should hold together when squeezed in the palm of your hand.

Turn out half the dough onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and use hands to form into a flattened disc. Top with another sheet of parchment or waxed paper and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and lay on prepared baking sheets.

Bake cookies 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the chocolate drizzle, place butter and chocolate together in a small microwave safe bowl.
Microwave on high at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Use spoon to drizzle lightly over cooled cookies. Let set for at least one hour.

Makes approximately 40 2-inch diameter cookies. Each cookie has 2.1 g of carbs and 1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 1.1 g.

Chipotle Seared Tilapia with Homemade Pico De Gallo (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-14T07:30:00.001-05:00

Did you know that November is Diabetes Awareness Month? And did you know that today, Monday, November 14th, is World Diabetes Day? If you don't have diabetes, you may be thinking "who cares?". Well, you should care, and here's why: 25.8 million people in the US have diabetes. That's 8.3% of the population. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States, and is a major causal factor for heart disease and strokes. And here's the kicker: another 79 MILLION PEOPLE have pre-diabetes, and if they don't take control of it now, it will almost inevitably lead to full-blown diabetes. Not to get all fearmongering on you, but you may be one of those people. I was, and I didn't even know it. And if I hadn't gotten accidentally pregnant with my third child and been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, I might not have found out until it was too late.

Now, you may be thinking to yourself "yes, well, I live a healthy lifestyle, I am fit and eat well, and I have no family history of diabetes, so I am really not at risk". Guess what? Me too! Based on my lifestyle, slender physique and family history, I had NO RISK FACTORS. None. Nada. Nyet. Nein. My body type and health status set off so few alarm bells in my doctors that I'd only ever had my blood glucose tested during pregnancy, as is standard in most areas. And it was a surprise to everyone when gestational diabetes turned up with my third pregnancy. An even bigger shock came a few months after my daughter was born, when I noticed a disturbing upward trend in my glucose levels. Everyone expected the gestational diabetes to disappear, especially as I made a serious commitment to healthy eating and exercise. But to my dismay, both my fasting glucose and my post-prandial (post-meal) numbers remained stubbornly in the pre-diabetes range. What??? But I was being so good, avoiding sugar and eating lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains! It wasn't until I dropped my carb levels drastically that I gained any measure of control over my glucose levels.

Far be it from me to preach to other people about how they eat and the amount of exercise they get, because goodness knows I don't always stay on track. But Type 2 diabetes is on the rise in our society and it behooves us all to pay attention. I consider myself lucky. I caught my disease in the early stages and because of this, I was given the opportunity to control it through diet and exercise and stave off medication as long as possible. So far, it's working, but diabetes is a progressive disease and I know there may come a day when I need to rely on modern medicine. Technically, I am pre-diabetic, but I suspect this is simply because I am so vigilant about what I eat. Were I to go back to what is considered "normal" healthy eating (fruits, veggies, whole grains), I think by now I'd definitely be a full-blown diabetic.

Strange as it may sound, there are good things that have come out of my diabetes, and this blog is one of them. I started it prior to diagnosis as a lark. I am fairly certain that I would never have stuck with it if it hadn't become an outlet for me to experiment with low carb cooking and baking. And the blog in turn has led to some wonderful opportunities and connections. One of those connections is to a wonderful online diabetes magazine called A Sweet Life. Started by husband and wife team Jessica Apple and Michael Aviad after they were both diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in adulthood, A Sweet Life posts informative, thought-provoking articles, personal accounts, and healthful recipes. They approached me last February, asking if they could post my Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Truffles on their site. They also asked if I wanted to do a feature article on how diabetes has changed my approach to cooking, baking and eating (Rebirth of a Baker). In time I became a contributor, posting some of my best, healthiest recipes to their site. I also have come to consider Jessica a friend, as we have shared our experiences with diabetes, parenthood and life in general in much of our correspondence.

A connection such as this is invaluable to me in helping me navigate my own way around this disease. And I am so honored that for World Diabetes Day, they are featuring another of my recipes as well as doing a little write-up about my own experiences with diabetes. This is such an easy dish, I almost hesitate to actually call it a recipe. I came up with it over the summer when the tomatoes and cilantro from our garden were so plentiful, I was making jar after jar of Pico De Gallo. I was stumped one evening for dinner when my eye fell upon a jar of this beloved salsa in the fridge. I quickly defrosted some tilapia fillets, sprinkled them with chipotle powder, and cooked them in some butter. I sprinkled them with shredded cheddar when they were hot, to let it melt, and then topped them with the fresh Pico De Gallo.

And the results were so good, I was blown away. The flavours all worked so perfectly together, the fresh cold salsa complementing the warm, spicy fish. It quickly became something I made over and over during the summer and well into the fall, when the tomatoes were still ripening. My husband likes to put his into a tortilla, like fish tacos, but I like to eat mine just with a salad. I really can't say enough about how good this recipe is.

So please, head on over to A Sweet Life to check it out. You won't regret it.

Chipotle Spiced Tilapia with Homemade Pico De Gallo on A Sweet Life

And please take a moment to think about diabetes today, on World Diabetes Day, and to think about what it means for you and your loved ones.

Almond Flour Yogurt Waffles (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-11T06:45:00.003-05:00

Let me ask you a question: how do you bring good living to your life? In the chaos that is modern day existence, it can be so easy to forget to enjoy what life has to offer. I am often guilty of this. With three small kids and a chronic disease like diabetes, all of which require a lot of managing, I can lose sight of what matters to me. That's when I have to take step back and remind myself to take the time for good living. And by "good living", I don't mean anything that requires a lot of money. Good living, to me, means taking enjoyment in what I do, who I am, and the people, places and things around me. It can be as simple as stopping to take in the scent of woodsmoke and the colour of the autumnn leaves. It can mean leaving the dishes sitting in the sink so I can play with my children. And it often means food, lots and lots of good, healthy, flavourful food shared with family and friends.

After being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it didn't take long for me to discover Greek yogurt. With a lot more protein and a lot less carbs than regular yogurt, it quickly became a staple in my diet. I learned that the plain variety, with the addition of some chopped nuts or berries, makes an incredibly satisfying, healthy snack. And as I started to experiment with low carb, gluten free baking, I discovered that Greek yogurt was a godsend in that department as well. In the absence of gluten, Greek yogurt helps provide protein to give my baked goods structure, while also making them incredibly moist. Since it's in so many of my recipes, I think it's safe to say that Greek yogurt is a part of good living, for me.

FAGE Total Yogurt is among the best known brands of Greek yogurt here in the US, and it just so happens that they are giving away three trips to Greece for legal US residents. The trips are all in the name of the Greek tradition of "good living". I encourage you to enter HERE. I've always wanted to go to Greece, so I think it's an opportunity not to be missed.

When a reader requested that I come up with a waffle recipe, I knew from the get go that they would contain Greek yogurt. Some of the best homemade waffles I've ever had contained yogurt, and it was automatic fit for my attempt at making a low carb, gluten free version. I had to give this one a lot of thought though. I've had some low carb pancake recipes fall pretty flat on me, and getting the waffles to hold together was going to be the real challenge. I waffled back and forth (ha, ha, get it?) on how many eggs to add, how much almond flour, and I had one batch that tasted great but came apart when I pulled up the top of the waffle iron. With a little tinkering, I think I may have worked it out.

The Results: I am pretty excited about these because they really taste like regular waffles. And they made my whole house smell like waffles all day. Even after coming back from running errands all morning, I could smell that wonderful, rich breakfasty smell of waffles. My kids didn't know the difference, they gobbled them up happily. I topped them with butter and maple syrup (in my case, sugar free), but they'd be great with any number of toppings. I am thinking of whipped cream and berries for them next.

Now, I will confess that they aren't as crispy as I would like, but I suspect that this is more due to my waffle iron than to the recipe. My waffle iron is a cheapy, and has a tendency to steam the waffles. It did the same thing with some conventional waffles made with flour that I made for my kids this summer. I don't think almond flour waffles will ever get as light and crisp as they can be when made with flour, but when made with a better waffle iron, I think they'd turn out a bit crispier. Perhaps a reader with a good waffle iron can give it a go and let me know? The leftovers did crisp up a bit more when I put them in the toaster the next day. But the flavour was so good, I really didn't care too much about the crispiness.

Almond Flour Yogurt Waffles

1 1/3 cups almond flour
2 tbsp granulated erythritol
2 tbsp vanilla whey protein powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
4 large eggs
6 oz FAGE Total Greek Yogurt
3 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup almond milk

Preheat waffle maker and grease well.

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

Separate the whites and yolks of two of the eggs. In a clean dry bowl, beat the whites until they form stiff peaks.

In another medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, egg yolks and remaining eggs until combined. Stir in almond flour mixture, then add melted butter and almond milk, and stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in beaten egg whites.

Spread approximately 1/4 cup of batter on each 4-inch section of the prepared waffle iron (my waffle iron is two 4-inch square sections. For round waffle irons, use your best judgement on the amount of batter needed). Close iron and let cook 4-5 minutes, or until waffles are golden brown. Remove waffles and repeat with remaining batter.

Makes 10 4-inch square waffles. Each waffle has 4.2 g of carbs and 1.3 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS per waffle = 2.9 g.

As part of the Foodbuzz Featured Publisher program, I have been entered for the chance to win a trip to Greece courtesy of FAGE. You too can enter to win one of three trips to Greece by entering the FAGE Plain Extraordinary Greek Getaway here: http://www.fageusa.com/community/fage-greek-getaway

Pumpkin Praline Parfaits (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

It is a wonderful thing, when you think your choices are extremely limited, to discover that you have a lot more options than you thought. Even better, that those options appear to be increasing all the time. This is how I felt when I first found that my gestational diabetes was here to stay, that I was a diabetic for life. I thought that for baking, my sweetener options were limited to artificial products like sucralose and aspartame, neither of which I have ever much liked. What a delight, then, to discover a whole world of alternative sweeteners that were naturally derived and had little to no effect on my blood glucose levels. Ever cautious, I first approached them with some trepidation. Could they be for real? How could there possibly be all of these sugar alternatives that I'd never even heard of? Could they really sweeten my foods without causing a blood sugar spike?

For someone with a true passion for baking, these alternative sweeteners have been an absolute godsend. Notice I use the term "alternative sweeteners" instead of "artificial sweeteners". This is because sugar alcohols like erythritol and xylitol, and other plant-based sweeteners like stevia, are all naturally occurring substances. Sure, they have to be processed out of the plants in which they occur, but it also takes a lot of processing to get sugar out of sugar cane. And guess what? Even if you never knew it, you've been consuming erythritol and xylitol all the time, because they are both naturally occurring substances in many fruits and vegetables. This fact alone makes me feel a lot better about using them in my low carb baking.

What's especially heartening to me is that producers of these sugar alternatives are constantly striving to improve them. Recently on Twitter, I noticed a new follower going by the name of @swervesweetie. Intrigued, I clicked on their profile and discovered a new erythritol-based sweetener called Swerve. My new follower and I struck up a little correspondence, and they asked me to try out the product in my baking. So what's different about this one? Well, they have formulated their product to be used cup-for-cup to replace sugar. Plain erythritol is only about 60-70% as sweet as sugar, but Swerve has been designed to be exactly as sweet as regular sugar. That's pretty great news for anyone want to take a conventional recipe and make it sugar free.

For my part, I knew instantly what I wanted to make with it. I'd seen a recipe in the King Arthur Flour catalog that I wanted to make low carb, and I knew it would be a good match for the Swerve Sweetener. The King Arthur version, a Pumpkin Mousse with Salted Pecans, was anything but low carb, being made with their pastry cream mix. But I've had such success with pastry cream lately, I knew I could revamp the recipe to my specifications. And instead of salted pecans, I decided to use the Swerve Sweetener to its best advantage, and make some pecan pralines.

The Results: Okay, I officially declare this the perfect fall dessert. Really, it is amazing, like rich, thick pumpkin pie filling without the crust. And the pralines are to die for! Sweet and pecan-y, they add the perfect bit of crunch to the rich pumpkin pastry cream. If you haven't decided what to serve for dessert on Thanksgiving Day, may I enthusiastically recommend this? I may be making a second batch for our Thanksgiving!

And how did the Swerve perform? Perfectly. I used it cup for cup in both the pastry cream and the pralines, and was very pleased with the sweetness of both parts of the dessert. And here's an added bonus that the Swerve people didn't even mention; there was none of the mouth-cooling sensation that is typical of other erythritol sweeteners. This is big to me, because I know a lot of people are put off by that when it comes to sugar alcohols. I think the Swerve folks need to make this a selling point, because it certainly is to me!

Pumpkin Praline Parfaits

Pumpkin Pastry Cream:
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup Swerve Sweetener
pinch salt
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter, cut into two pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pralines:
1 cup Swerve Sweetener
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp molasses
pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups pecan halves

For the pastry cream, whisk together whipping cream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks with Swerve sweetener and salt, then whisk in cornstarch until mixture becomes pale yellow and thick, about 30 seconds.

Slowly whisk about half of the hot cream into the yolks to temper, then return the yolk/cream mixture back to the saucepan and cook until thick and glossy, about 1 1/2 minutes, whisking continuously. It thickens up suddenly and quickly, so watch carefully!

Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla. Transfer to a small bowl and press plastic wrap flush to the surface. Chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours.

For the pralines, combine Swerve with the cream, butter, molasses and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until Swerve dissolves and mixture boils. Continue to cook until mixture reaches 280F on a candy thermometer and just begins to darken. Remove from heat.

Stir in vanilla extract and let cool 5 minutes. Stir in pecans and mix vigorously, then pour into a parchment lined baking pan. Let cool and harden.

To assemble parfaits, take about a quarter of the pralines and place in a heavy-duty plastic ziploc bag. Crush with a heavy kitchen mallet until broken into small pieces. Set aside.

Divide half of pumpkin pastry cream into 6 dessert dishes or ramekins. Sprinkle each with about 1 tablespoon of crushed pralines, then top with remaining pastry cream and sprinkle each with 1 more tablespoon of crushed pralines.

Garnish with lightly sweetened whipping cream, if desired, and 1 pecan half.

Serves 6. Each serving has 8.1 g of carbs and 2.2 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.9 g.

Cheesy Sausage and Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am showing my age again by telling you this, but back when I was in high school, Ontario still had Grade 13. They were the only province that still had it, and they phased it out about a decade after I graduated. It was an interesting system, because you could actually graduate from high school by the end of Grade 12, as long as you had 30 or more high school credits. But you couldn't go to university unless you had 6 or more Ontario Academic Credits, or OACs as we called them. By the time I finished Grade 13, I had 9 OACs, mostly in the liberal arts like English and the Social Sciences. But I did have a Chemistry OAC as well. It wasn't my most spectacular grade, but it wasn't my worst either (that dubious honour belonged to Calculus). As the sciences went, I enjoyed Chemistry, the mixing of several ingredients with known properties and expecting a certain result. I suppose it's why I also like cooking, although cooking has the added advantage of producing something edible, and presumably delicious, at the end.

Apparently this view is shared by my assignee for this month's Secret Recipe Club, whose blog is aptly named The Cookin' Chemist. I couldn't find her real name anywhere on her blog, so for the purposes of this post, she will forthwith known as The Chemist. Or perhaps the Pharmacist, as that is her listed occupation. Whatever she is called, she has a great blog, with lots of wonderful recipes to choose from. When I found out my assignment, I poked around a little and had tons of ideas from that first foray. I was very tempted by these Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas, and was scheming how to sub in thinly sliced eggplant for the tortillas. But then I made a return visit, and the minute I saw this recipe, I knew it was the one. Chicken breasts stuffed with cheese and basil...easy to put together, delicious, and something the whole family would love.

But you know I couldn't leave well enough alone, I had to change up the recipe in a few ways. First of all, the bread crumb topping had to go, being neither low carb nor gluten free. I considered replacing it simply with almond flour or other ground nuts, but then the idea of sliced almonds popped into my head, and I knew that would do very well. The idea of adding sausage to the filling was just plain old fashioned last-minute inspiration. And although cherry tomatoes would have been lovely, I couldn't justify buying a pint when I had some of the last of my summer tomatoes ripening on my counter. So I quartered and seeded those to use instead.

The Results: I am so glad I took the time to go back to The Cookin' Chemist before I decided what to make! Because if I hadn't, I would have missed this little gem entirely. It is so, so good, and it's a basic enough recipe that many people have the ingredients on hand at any given moment. It's pretty easy to throw together, too, so it makes for a great weeknight meal.

Although it's not part of the original recipe, I highly recommend brining the chicken breasts beforehand and have added that step into the instructions. This recipe may be very good regardless, but I guarantee you it is a little better with this step included. I've made a lot of chicken in my day, and breasts baked in the oven can get dry, no matter what goodies they are stuffed with. Brining the breasts for an hour makes them juicy and tender, every time. But don't brine too long...they can get too salty if you leave them for more than an hour or so.

Cheesy Sausage and Basil Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 chicken breasts
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cooked, crumbled sausage
2 tbsp fresh basil, minced
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper to taste
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup tomatoes, coarsely chopped and seeded

To brine the chicken, fill a large bowl halfway with water and add the kosher salt. Stir until most of the salt has dissolved. Add chicken breasts and refrigerate for one hour (don't let it sit too much longer, the chicken will get really salty).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine the shredded cheese, sausage, basil, cream, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Remove each breast from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Cut a pocket in the thickest part of each breast. Stuff with cheese/sausage mixture and seal using a toothpick to help keep the slit closed (I found I had to use two toothpicks per breast). Transfer the stuffed breasts to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Spread mayonnaise evenly over the tops and sides of the prepared breasts, then sprinkle with sliced almonds, salt and pepper.

Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange the tomatoes in the baking dish in and around the chicken. Bake until sliced almonds are light golden brown and chicken is cooked through (165F in thickest part of breast).

Serves 4. Each serving has 5 g of carbs (including the tomatoes).

Check out all the great posts for this month's Secret Recipe Club!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Kahlua Ice Cream (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

2011-11-03T09:01:00.008-04:00

Something strange has happened to my blog. Usually so devoted to bringing you delectable low carb sweets, I have now published three savoury posts in a row! It is almost unconscionable, and this is obviously a situation I must remedy immediately. I assure you that it is just a random fluke and I won't let it happen again. It was just an unlikely set of circumstances, wherein I fell a little behind in recipe creation because of my vacation. And I was offered a few sponsored posts that required savoury recipes and that ended up coming out right around same time. So, you see, just a fluke and now I will pull out all the stops with a rich, chocolatey treat. I will lure you back to the dark side with a dessert so sweet and creamy, you will forget I ever did anything else.

As an aside, I would like to acknowledge the sponsored posts, since this has been on my mind for a bit. Food blogging is a surprising amount of work. Those of you who are also food bloggers know what I am talking about. Between recipe creation, testing, photography, writing and editing, posting new recipes each week amounts to a part-time job. But it's not a part-time job that pays very well. In fact, it pays very poorly. So I will confess that I am not above finding ways to make it a tad more lucrative. Because for the amount of effort I put in, and the amount of attention it diverts from my family, I'd like it to be a little more profitable. I have been testing out ways to do this, but I am also devoted to not letting these things interfere with what this blog is really about: good recipes. I tried out one method for a few days, in which keywords in my posts linked to advertising, but I hated it and quickly got rid of it. I hated the way the highlighted words distracted from the writing and the recipes, and it simply wasn't worth it to me. As for sponsored posts, when the right offer comes along, I will do them. But let me be very clear that I will only ever accept a sponsored post for a product I would actually use myself and that I feel comfortable recommending to my readers. In the past, I have actually turned down a number of offers that just don't fit with the theme of this blog. So I assure you, if it's not something I would feed my own family or use in my own home, I won't post about it. That doesn't always mean low carb or gluten free, because you may have noticed that I like to treat my family once in a while, but it does mean quality products that I truly like!

Now that I've cleared the air there, let's get down to the business of this ice cream. I really did need to remedy the situation and come up with a fantastic dessert, and it just so happened that I was craving ice cream. Odd, given that it was very wintery here over the weekend and there are still spots of snow on the ground. But let's face it, ice cream makes a great dessert no matter what the weather is doing outside. And ever since I made my Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream over the summer, I've been scheming on how to amp up the chocolatey-ness of the ice cream base. So this go round, I added some unsweetened chocolate to the custard itself. But I wanted something a little more exciting than plain chocolate ice cream. It didn't take long before I was adding some coffee powder, some Kahlua and some chopped chocolate pieces. Now we're talking!

The Results: First let me tell you that I made and tasted this when I had a really bad head cold. But even through some serious congestion, the rich chocolate flavour came through. It is chocolatey with a capital C! The problem is, I am not sure the Kahlua really came through as much as I wanted. I didn't want to add too much because Kahlua is very sweet and has a fair bit of carbs, so I stuck with 2 tablespoons (15 g of carbs). I think the amount of chocolate in this ice cream overpowered the Kahlua flavour. But I will tell you, if you are looking for a seriously good, chocolatey low carb ice cream, this recipe is perfect! Leave out the Kahlua to save a few carb and enjoy.

If, on the other hand, you really want the Kahlua flavour to shine, I'd say leave out the unsweetened chocolate. It's essentially the same base ice cream as my Chocolate Peanut Butter recipe, with a little coffee powder and some Kahlua added. Your choice...seriously rich chocolate ice cream or chocolate Kahlua ice cream. Either way, you can't go wrong!

One final word of review...this one was a huge hit with my 5 year old daughter. She went bonkers over this. I gave her a few spoonfuls when it came out of the ice cream maker, and she begged for more. She was even willing to forego the mountain of Halloween candy she'd collected the night before, to be able to have this for dessert. She's not always a fan of my low carb creations, so it's safe to say that you would never know this was a low carb treat!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Kahlua Ice Cream

2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 cup cream
1/4 cup granulated erythritol
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee
4 large egg yolks
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped fine
2 tbsp Kahlua
25 drops stevia extract
3 oz high % cacao (I used 85%), chopped

Set a medium bowl in a large container of ice water. Whisk cream, almond milk, erythritol and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan until cocoa powder is mostly dissolved. Over medium heat, stir occasionally and heat until mixture is steaming but not simmering, or 170F on a candy thermometer.

Whisk egg yolks in a small bowl until smooth. Very slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot cream mixture to temper the yolks. Then slowly whisk tempered yolks back into cream mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook until very hot, 175 - 180F.

Add unsweetened chocolate to custard and let sit 1 minute. Whisk briskly until thoroughly combined. Pour custard into bowl set in ice bath, and let cool 10 minutes. Remove and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours.

Stir in Kahlua and stevia and extract, then pour mixture into an ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's directions. When mixture reaches soft-serve consistency, transfer to an air-tight container and stir in chopped chocolate pieces. Freeze until firm but not rock hard, 2 to 3 more hours.

Serves 8. Each serving has 8.5 g of carbs and 2.5 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6 g.

Soup-soup-a-doop, soup-a-doopa-doopa-doup

2011-10-30T16:34:00.012-04:00

Tortellini and Kielbasa Soup and Spicy Green Tomato Soup

Have I just totally dated myself with that title? Did you catch the reference at all? I'd like to tell you that this song was popular when I was in elementary school, but I would be lying. It was a hit when I was quite a bit older. Like university-student older. Oh well. It's just what this post wanted to title itself, I really had no choice. Every time I thought of doing a soup round-up, this little ditty popped into my head. So there you have it. I am old and I am a slave to my blog.

The time seems ripe for a soup round-up because it is suddenly, irrevocably, unequivocally soup weather now. See, we went away on our vacation when New England was still seeing temperatures in the high 60's and low 70's. We were only gone for a week, but when we came back, we were greeted by cold, wet weather. Two days after we arrived home, it snowed. SNOWED! The leaves are still on the trees, and there is snow on the ground. It's very disconcerting, and the only remedy for it is soup. Soup, soup and lots of it...warm and comforting, just the thing to take the chill out of your bones. Especially when you turn on the heat for the first time this fall and discover that the heater for your upper floors isn't working, and the workmen can't come for several days.

Vegetable Barley Lentil Stew and Curried Carrot Pumpkin Bisque

It was quite a shock to the system, particularly given the wonderful weather we had on our vacation. I actually plan to tell you more about this vacation, but I haven't had the time to write it up just yet. I have so much to say about it, because it not only exceeded my expectations, but it blew those expectations out of the water. It was THAT good. It was so good that coming home has been a little difficult for all of us. And to go from the wonderful Florida sunshine to the bitter Boston cold hasn't helped.

So you can see why I have soup on the brain. I ransacked my own archives for my best soup recipes to share. I also collected a few great soup links from some of my favourite bloggers. This is by no means an exhaustive list, because when it comes to soup, the possibilities are endless. It can be rich and hearty or light and refreshing. It can warm you up or cool you down. And when it comes to healthy foods, many soups top the charts, full of healthy vegetables and rich in nutrients. Indeed, soup may be one of the healthiest ways to prepare veggies, as many vegetables lose nutrients during the cooking process. When cooked in a soup, the nutrients that leach out during cooking remain in the broth. So don't be shy about slurping up every bit of that soup, or even lifting the bowl to drink the remaining dregs...it's good for you! Viva la soup!

Broccoli Cheese Soup and Cauliflower Smoked Cheddar Soup

Check out these great soups from other food bloggers...

French Vegetable Soup from Gourmande in the Kitchen
Easy Black Bean Soup from Created By Diane
Super Easy and Healthy Warm Lentil Soup from Ingredients, Inc.
Potato Leek Soup from What Megan's Making
Fresh Beet and Apple Soup from Jeanette's Healthy Living
White Bean and Roasted Mushroom Soup from She Wears Many Hats
Roasted Tomato and Pepper Soup from the Black Peppercorn
Spinach Lemon Orzo Soup from Bake Your Day
Pumpkin Coconut Lime Soup from Verses From My Kitchen
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup from Let's Dish
Thai Coconut Milk Soup from Rachel Cooks Thai
Spicy Mushroom Miso Ramen from La Fuji Mama
Roast Zucchini Soup with Stilton from Six Course Dinner

Link Up Your Favourite Soup Recipes Here! I can always use more ideas...

(sorry folks, I haven't ever done a link up before and my first attempt was without thumbnail pictures. Trying again...)

Pesto Pizza Bread and Carapelli Olive Oil

2011-10-28T15:01:00.005-04:00

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

It’s funny to look back and think what foods I love now that were not a regular part of my diet growing up. Foods that I’d never heard of, that weren’t even a part of my food vocabulary, if you will. Avocados come to mind, and things like couscous and tabouleh. And although I don’t think of myself as particularly old, even olive oil was not really a regular component of my diet until my early teens. I may have had it on the rare occasion that we ate in an Italian restaurant, but as a child, food at home was cooked in butter or vegetable oil. Now there is hardly a kitchen in the western world that doesn’t keep a bottle of olive oil at the ready. I know I certainly couldn’t do without my extra virgin olive oil.

When I was invited to taste Carapelli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, I knew I had to come up with a great recipe to showcase it. As part of this campaign, I learned things I never knew about olive oil. For one, I had no idea that good olive oil should be sipped and tasted much like wine. Master tasters use special small round blue glasses to gauge the quality. The round shape of the glass allows the taster to warm the oil in the palm of their hands, and the blue conceals the oil’s colour, as colour is never a good indicator of quality. Then the oil is swirled in the glass to release the oil's esters, and then sniffed for aroma. It is sipped with a slurp to bring in a bit of air while tasting, to help emulsify the oil and spread it around the mouth. When swallowed, good olive oil should leave no aftertaste. I had no round blue glass, but I poured some of my Premium 100% Extra Virgin into a shot glass, and followed these four S’s. I warmed the glass in my palm first, then I swirled to release the aroma. I sniffed the glass and found the oil had a robust olive scent that seemed both fruity and slightly salty at the same time. But when I slurped it in, it was incredibly smooth, with no salty or peppery flavour present. And once I swallowed, there really was no aftertaste or even oiliness in my mouth. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted olive oil this way, and I really have nothing to compare it to, but it was surprisingly good on its own.

$1.00 OFF coupon at www.CarapelliUSA.com

I am so intrigued by this process and would love to attend a true olive oil tasting. Carapelli has three varieties of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, including their Premium 100% Italian, the Il Numerato, and the Organic line. It would certainly be a real treat to try to distinguish the subtle flavor differences of these first rate oils. Carapelli, located in Florence, Italy, is a leader in quality olive oil and was the first to promote bottled extra virgin in Italy. They also instituted a quality certification program that actually exceeds the strict requirements in both Europe and the United States. They have been producing olive oil since 1893, and it’s hardly a surprise that they now rank as Italy’s top producer of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

After my little taste test, I had my husband whip up a batch of his special pesto. All of my kids adore this pesto, and I can get even my pickiest eater to consume a big meal if I slather it on pasta or pizza. Since pasta isn’t exactly a regular part of my diet these days, I began thinking of what low carb items I might make with the homemade pesto. Pesto has long been our favourite pizza sauce, and I’ve seen some wonderful recipes for breads with pesto lately. A cross between pizza and bread was what I really wanted, so I decided to create an almond flour bread that was topped with our favourite pesto pizza toppings.

The Results: This bread is fantastic and is infinitely versatile. It’s very much like pizza, but with a thicker, more bread-like base, and the toppings are only limited by your imagination. I originally wanted to go with prosciutto, mushrooms and sundried tomato, but I knew that the mushrooms and tomato wouldn’t appeal as much to my kids. So I went with the basics, and stuck with cheese and pepperoni. It was a hit with everyone. I knew as I put it into the oven that it would be. As long as the base turned out well, I couldn’t really go wrong with those ingredients.

Now, I will tell you that besides the wonderful Carapelli Olive Oil, my husband’s pesto recipe does contain a secret ingredient. Which is not going to be so secret anymore because I am going to give you the recipe here. It’s a little trick he picked up from Cook’s Illustrated to keep the pesto looking fresh and green, and I really think it helps to intensify the flavor. I suppose you could use any old pesto for this bread, but I personally give my stamp of approval to this particular recipe!

Pesto Pizza Bread

Pesto:

¼ cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ cup Carapelli Premium 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 cups packed fresh basil leaves

1 cup packed baby spinach (the secret ingredient!)

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 ½ ounces grated parmesan cheese

6 tbsp mayonnaise (optional, for creaminess)

Bread:

2 cups almond flour

¹/₄ cup flax seed meal

2 tsp baking powder

¹/₂ tsp baking soda

¹/₂ tsp xanthan gum

¹/₂ tsp salt

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup Carapelli Premium 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Pizza Toppings:

¼ cup sliced pepperoni

½ cup shredded mozzarella

¼ cup finely grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 350F and grease an 8x8 inch square pan.

For the pesto, toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place nuts, garlic, basil, spinach, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. Add parmesan cheese and mayonnaise, if using, and process until thoroughly combined. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.

For the bread, whisk together almond flour, flax seed meal, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl, breaking up clumps with the back of a fork. Add eggs and olive oil and stir vigorously until thoroughly combined. Spread batter in prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.

Spread ½ cup pesto over top of the bread. Sprinkle with pepperoni and cheese. Bake 28 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Serves 12. Each serving has a total of 6.25 g of carbs and 2.7 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.6 g.