Garlic Dinner Rolls

I’m making my Garlic Dinner Rolls again to have with our Swiss Steak tonight.  They are made with my Mozzy Dough, which in flavor and texture lies somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  It makes excellent dinner rolls for serving with Italian entrees!  They are delicious by themselves hot out of the oven  with butter!  They are also good split, toasted with melted butter, a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  They make an excellent oven broiled ‘toasted’ garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile in a variety of applications.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

Dash each oregano & garlic powder

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano, garlic powder and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough dough for 6 dinner rolls with 6.26 net carbs each, or dough can be used for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with a lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, or a 12″ pizza crust!

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

San Marzano Focaccia

This is what I made for lunch today.  I’m noticing in my old age I’m liking many fewer ingredients on what I think of as basically, um….  pizza.   This recipe is yet another great new use for my Mozzy Dough.  I love experimenting with this dough!  TIP:  I make up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates.  Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags zipped up in a shoe box in my pantry.  Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball.  So easy that way.  I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for making each batch of 10. 

Boy, is this focaccia ever simple to make and yummy good!  I make mine fairly thin.  If you like focaccia thicker, make a smaller sheet than shown right (using fewer tomatoes, of course) and being sure you cut it into 12 slices so the nutritional info will be accurate.  This recipe is not suitable until you get to Phase 2 grains re-introduction level of Atkins as the Carbquik does have some flour in it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

25-27 San Marzano mini tomatoes (10 oz. bag)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil chopped)

¼ tsp. dried oregano (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)

VARIATION:   Add a few sliced black or green olives

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Line a 13″x15″ baking sheet with parchment and using your fingers, press the ball of dough out to a 9″x12″ rectangle (smaller if you like it thicker.  With a brush baste the dough with half the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the top and press it down a bit.  Now sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella over the crust evenly.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and place skin-side down evenly over the top of the focaccia sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on next and then the shredded Parmesan.  Sprinkle on the basil and oregano last.  Add olive slices, pressing them into the dough (if using).  Pop into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is browning on the edges and the tomatoes are looking cooked on top.  Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 3″x3″ squares of focaccia, each square contains.

190 calories, 15 g fat, 6.88 g carbs, 3.61 g fiber, 3.27 g NET CARBS, 12.6 g protein, 276 mg sodium

Italian Chicken Tarte

I have modified the popular Fathead Pizza Dough a bit and think it is improved with my changes.  The oat fiber I’ve added makes it taste like there’s real flour in it; the psyllium makes it a sturdier final crust.  Using two bake mixes always renders a wonderful final product for some reason.  With just 1-1½ cups of leftover cooked chicken in the refrigerator, I can make a delicious dinner for two.  You could certainly serve this with a salad, but I did not feel the need.  This recipe is suitable once you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.  Keto dieters can have this if it fits their daily number limits.

VARIATION:  For a smaller individual servings, divide the dough into 12 balls and press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides a bit of each cup in a cupcake pan.  Distribute the toppings on all 12 portions.  Baking time probably won’t change for the smaller version.  You could even divide dough into 24 balls and press into the real mini-muffin pans for party-size finger servings.  Reduce cook time a bit for those.  Another variation would be to sub in 2-3 Italian sausage links, skinned, crumbled and pre-browned for the chicken in this recipe. 

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (I used whole milk variety)

2 T. unsalted butter, pre-melted

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s GF bake mix

½ c. Carbquik Bake Mix (or other low-carb mix of choice)

1/8 tsp. each onion and garlic powder

1 T. oat fiber

1/2 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

1 egg, beaten

TOPPINGS:

1 c. fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped

¼ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (jar) (I use Classico brand with basil)

1½ c. cooked chicken, coarsely chopped

½ tsp. each dried basil and oregano leaves

½ c. additional mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place cheese in glass bowl and set in microwave.  Melt cheese on HI for around 2 minutes.  Remove bowl from.  Drizzle melted butter over the top of cheese and stir with fork.  Add in the two bake mixes, the psyllium, oat fiber, the beaten egg, onion and garlic powder.  Stir well with fork until it forms a ball and pulls away from the bowl.  Knead once or twice with hands in the bowl and then place dough into a classic tart pan (the kind where the bottom pushes up/out).  If you don’t have one, use a large pie plate.  This crust wanted to stick to the pan a bit, despite the fact my tart pan is non-stick, so you might want to lightly oil the pan with coconut oil.  Press the dough out evenly on the bottom with your hands, pushing it up the sides a bit to form a “wall” around the edge.  Pop into 350º oven for about 12 minutes to set up the dough surface. Remove when it just beings to get tan on the edges.  Remove.  Place the spinach evenly on the bottom of the tart.  Next add the chopped chicken, oregano and basil.  Top with the additional ½ c. mozzarella cheese.  Raise oven temp to 375º and pop back into oven.  Bake until lightly browned, or about 15 minutes.   Watch it, as ovens do vary.  Cut into 6 slices and serve hot.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 slices, each contains:

333 calories, 25 g fat, 10.83 g carbs, 6.65 g fiber, 4.18 g NET CARBS, 27 g protein, 549 mg sodium

Einkorn English Muffin

This is a delicious quick breakfast for one I think you’ll like. I’m re-entering this popular recipe to the site today as it seems to have vanished into cyber Twilight Zone! When I developed this recipe some years back, I was so pleased they formed the classic “holes” to catch the melting butter! This recipe disappearance has happened a couple times in the past on my site and I just can’t figure out what causes the problem. Deleting one takes several steps, so I know an accidental deletion just isn’t what happened here. ????? I’m glad this was brought to my attention today so I could reload it. If you have not yet tried this recipe, I hope you will one day. I think you’ll be very glad for having done so!

INGEEDIENTS:

1½ T. unsalted butter

¼ c. egg whites (carton ones are OK)

2 T. very hot water

3 T. almond flour

1 T. Einkorn flour

1 tsp. oat fiber (do not use oat flour!)

¼ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand from Netrition.com)

DIRECTIONS: Melt the butter in your microwave in a shallow 5″ oval or round dish to make this muffin. Add the egg whites and hot water and beat a few seconds. Add the dry ingredients in the order listed, stirring after each addition. The mixture is very “soupy” at this point. Next add the psyllium powder and batter should begin to thicken. Allow 1 full minute for the psyllium to do its job. Pop into your microwave and cook on HI for about 1 minute (should be dry to the touch in the center). Cook a few seconds longer if not quite done, as microwaves vary. Preheat your broiler.

Loosen edges with a knife to facilitate removing the muffin onto a cutting board. Cool a minute or so. Using a serrated bread knife, carefully slice laterally into 2 thin slices. Place them onto a metal pan and toast/brown the bottoms, flip and brown the tops to your liking. Serve hot with butter and/or your favorite jam or jelly. I do not recommend toasting these in a toaster as they tend to “slump” down from gravity and burn where they touch the element wires. Hope you enjoy these!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 muffin. Entire recipe contains:

314 cals, 26.5g fat, 12.2g carbs, 7.1g fiber, 5.1g NET CARBS, 11.1g protein, 354 mg sodium

Einkorn Nut-Free Pizza Crust

Shown with sausage, mushroom and mozzy cheese toppings.

I have modified my Einkorn Pizza Crust recipe to accommodate my new low-oxalate diet because of a recent calcium oxalate kidney stone. I was told to reduce my nut/nut flour intake. Who knows if maybe all the almond flour I’ve been baking with this past 14 years of low-carbing (and heavy spinach/kale use) brought on the stone to begin with?! Guess I’ll never know.

I shall call this one my nut-free pizza crust. I actually think these changes have resulted in my best pizza crust to date that also happens to be nut free! Isn’t that nice for folks who can’t eat nuts!? Almonds are very high in oxalates, so I eliminated the 1½ c. almond flour completely from the original recipe, substituted in egg white protein for the whey protein (which adds more crust structure), and also added 1 tsp. psyllium fiber for even more dough strength. My husband thought this was a much better crust than my old recipe so it’s a keeper for us. I will leave my original recipe up for people who prefer not to eat ANY flour products whatsoever, even though ancient Einkorn wheat has been shown to be much healthier for you than genetically modified modern wheat and appears to not bother celiac people very much. This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 Carb Reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. softened cream cheese

2 large eggs

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. tap water

½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (or use more mozzarella)

½ c. Einkorn all-purpose white flour (I order Jovial Foods on-line)

¼ c. golden flax meal

½ scoop (29 g.) egg white protein powder (I use NOW)

1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Line pizza pan with parchment. Soften cream cheese in mixing bowl in your microwave on defrost for about 20 seconds. Stir and add in eggs, cider vinegar, cream and water. Beat and blend well. Add shredded cheeses. Measure in the dry ingredients on top and stir well with rubber spatula to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Transfer to parchment lined pan and spread with water moistened spatula to rectangular or round shape. Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 13 minutes to dry off the surface of the bread and partially cook it.  Remove and top with your favorite toppings.  Place back in oven and continue baking for about 20 minutes, but check it at 15 min. as ovens vary. Cut into 8 slices and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 slices, each contains:

167 cals, 11g fat, 7g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g NET CARBS, 10g protein, 284 mg sodium

Italian Herb Bread

Click to enlarge

I developed a nice quick Italian ‘bread’ when I first started low-carbing 15 years ago.  We love it as a great compliment to Italian food. It’s a little spongy right out of the oven, but gets more bread-like as it cools off.  This bread doesn’t rise very much, so it’s easiest to just spread butter on top of the flat pieces of bread, rather than attempting to slice it.

The flavor on this bread is quite nice.  Since the oat fiber is basically a carb wash at 26 g carbs and 26g fiber per 1/3 cup, I would think you could try this at any rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL unless you find you do not tolerate even this tiny amount of oat fiber without setting off cravings.  I’ve been cooking with it for a year now and have not found that to happen after eating anything with a bit of it included.  It greatly enhances texture, but too much is drying….so don’t increase it in my recipes.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. riced, steamed cauliflower

2 small eggs

1½ c. mozzarella, grated

1 T. Parmesan cheese

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 T. chopped parsley

¼ tsp. oregano

Sprinkle each garlic and onion powder

2 T. heavy cream

3 T. golden flax meal

2 T. oat fiber (substitute 2 T. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix for gluten free version)

1 T. olive oil for oiling muffin cups

VARIATION:  Omit the herbs for a plain cheese bread.  Change it up and use cheddar cheese for the mozzarella.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Using grater or food processor, rice cauliflower until fine and scrap into into a medium bowl.  Microwave (covered) on HI for 3 minutes, stopping and stirring after each minute.   Add mozzarella and Parmesan cheese to the warm cauliflower.  Beat in the eggs.  Add all remaining ingredients except the olive oil.  Stir well to blend ingredients.  Oil 12 muffin cups and scoop about 2T. batter into each muffin cup.  Repeat with any remaining batter to distribute amongst the 12 muffins.  Pop into 350º oven and bake about 25 minutes or until nicely browned.  Cool a few minutes before removing from pan and serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 rolls/servings, each contains:

81.5 cals, 5.81g fat, 3.1g carbs, 1.92g fiber, 1.28g NET CARBS, 5.41g protein, 217 mg sodium

Einkorn Herb Biscuits

Herb BiscuitsThese biscuits were inspired by a recipe for Garlic Butter Keto Bread at Eatwell101.com. I made some changes in ingredients, amounts and how I baked them.  The final product was so good I felt compelled to post it on my blog for you all to try some time.  This recipe with my modifications is not suitable until you are adding back grains during Atkins Phase 2.  These were very filling and we could only eat one, which is good, because they are a little higher in carbs than most of my breads.  But they were delicious!  I served them with lobster tails and salad tonight.

Many of my recipes are showcased in Volumes 8 and 9 of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  As always, included in both editions are tasty new creations of Chef George Stella and my dear friend, Jennifer Eloff.   You can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leave a review here.Herb Biscuits - up close

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. butter

2 T. parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. poppy seeds (optional)

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour (omit for slightly lower carbs)

1½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. psyllium husk powder

2 oz. cream cheese

2½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

3 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:  In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave for 1 minute.  Stir in the parsley, garlic and poppy seeds (if using).  Set aside for now.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Lightly oil a 9″ cast iron skillet (I used an ebilskiver pan) or 7 slots of a large-muffin pan.  Beat the eggs in a small bowl and set aside.  On a paper plate, measure out the dry ingredients and stir.  Set aside.  In a large glass bowl, place the mozzarella and cream cheese.  Microwave the cheeses on high for 1-2 minutes to melt well. Remove and stir well with a fork.  Add the eggs and dry ingredients all at once and stir rapidly to mix the dry ingredients with the eggs and cheese.  Knead a few times if needed to blend well.    Spoon up about 1/2c. dough and slightly roll.  Place a ball of thick dough into each of seven slots of your pan. Press smoothly down into the slots.  If using a cast iron skillet, place 6 of the biscuits around the outside of the oiled skillet.  Place the 7th roll in the center.  They will be touching when done if not before cooking.

With a fork, dip the melted butter-parsley mixture onto each roll top, pressing slightly down into the rolls with the tines of the fork.  Pop into a 350º oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Turn oven up to 450º and bake for another 5-6 minutes to brown the tops to your liking.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 7 biscuits, each contains:

354 cals, 28.4g fat, 9.55g carbs, 3.14g fiber, 6.41g NET CARBS, 19.4g protein, 355 mg sodium

Spicy Cheese Cornbread Loaf

I was asked by my husband to cook a pot of pinto beans and ham with some cornbread tonight.  I don’t like to eat such a carb-y meal, so I only ate a couple boiled eggs and 1/2 avocado during the day in plans for the carb-y dinner tonight.   I modified my Jalapeno-Cheese Bread recipe that has been on my website for years now and changed things up a bit.  I added onion powder and a hefty amount of cayenne pepper, along with a small amount of actual cornmeal.   We both LOVED the result!  This bread is not suitable until you reach Maintenance Phase of Atkins, since it has real cornmeal in it.   

This would probably make up nicely as muffins, too.  Muffins will only take about 15-20 minutes to cook.

The corn flavoring I use is, frankly, whatever brand I can find.   Select Products (who bought out Superior Flavors and then shut down their on-line website later.  Superior Products website will still open for me and may accept orders on certain products.   I use their “Fresh Corn” in their Regular Shop, but you have to get the 8 oz. bottle.   I succeeded in ordering 6 small bottles last time OK.  If you have no success placing an order at that site, try this corn flavoring (I have not personally tried):  https://amoretti.com/products/sweet-corn-extract-ws, or try the corn flavoring at Naturesflavors.com (I hear it’s good, but I haven’t tried it yet).

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. coconut flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

1 T.  baking powder

1½ c. shredded cheddar cheese (or other hard cheese)

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. granulated onion powder

1/3 c. cornmeal (I use white, but yellow is just fine)

5 eggs, beaten

2 T. coconut oil, melted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. cider vinegar

1 T. + 1 tsp. Fresh Corn flavoring (optional) selectflavors.com

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a loaf pan well and set aside.  I highly recommend using a piece of parchment to cradle the batter, as my bread is inclined to stick on the bottom at times, even in a non-stick pan!  I can easily get 10 very thick slices out of this loaf.  For those that use over-long size loaf pans (4″x12″) I have had luck with this recipe using both the extra-long loaf pan, as well as a regular loaf pan.  The longer size will back a flatter loaf; the regular will make a slightly taller loaf.    

Measure all dry ingredients and cheese into a medium measuring bowl, stir and set aside.  Add cheese and stir all dry ingredients together to blend.   Add all liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to blend.    Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into greased, preferably parchment-lined also,  loaf pan and pop into preheated oven for 40 minutes in a 5×8″ pan (only 30 min if using a 4″x12″ pan).  Ovens vary, so check center with finger for a dry touch and also do a toothpick test.   Remove and cool in pan a few minutes before attempting to tip out & slice.  Run sharp knife around edges to loosen and gently tip out onto a cutting board. Slice into 10 servings.  

This cornbread should make an outstanding “Cornbread” Stuffing for your holiday turkey, I’m sure.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes ten 1/2″ slices, each slice contains: 

284 cals, 22g fat, 9g  carbs, 3g  fiber, 6 g  NET CARBS, 11g  protein, 272 mg sodium

Peppered Bacon Cheese Bread

My husband really liked a new bread creation I came up with.  The peppered bacon and cheese are  memorable in this bread.  This recipe is not suitable until you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL carb re-introduction ladder in Phase 2.   It is suitable for Primal diners, if you eat occasional cheese.   Omit the cheese to make this suitable for Paleo.  This batter cooks up nicely as biscuits or muffins, as the crust is particularly nice on this.  Muffins or biscuits will only take about 15-20 minutes to cook however.

You’ll find many more delicious bread recipes in our Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks, a series by Jennifer Eloff and other talented low-carb kitchen gurus.  You can order them from Amazon or direct .

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. almond flour

2 T. coconut flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

1 ½ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. white or cider vinegar

1 c. grated cheese

4 oz. lean bacon, chopped (preferably peppered bacon)

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper (or just use Wright’s peppered bacon)

5 eggs, beaten

2 T. coconut oil, melted

2 T. olive oil

1 T. cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.  I used a NON-standard sized loaf pan that is 4½” wide, 2½” deep and 12″ long.

Baked in an abnormal-size loaf pan 4½” x 3″ x  12″ (Italian import)

Measure all dry ingredients and cheese into a medium measuring bowl, stir and set aside.  Chop bacon and brown in skillet with black pepper shaken all over it (I didn’t measure the pepper, but I’d guess about ¼ tsp. total).  When bacon is done, set aside to drain/cool on paper towels a few minutes.  While it cools, add all liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to blend.  Add cooked bacon and stir one last time to blend bacon evenly throughout batter.  Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into non-stick, greased or parchment lined loaf pan and pop into preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.  Ovens vary, so check with toothpick test.  Remove and cool in pan a few minutes.  Run sharp knife around edges to loosen and tip out onto a cutting board. Slice into 10 servings and serve warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 10 large slices, each contains:

293.6 cals, 26g fat, 6.16 g carbs, 3.18 g fiber, 2.88g NET CARBS, 11.24 g protein, 481 mg sodium

Seeded Dinner Rolls

These delicious rolls are made with my Peggy’s Sliced Bread batter.  I simply sprinkled on a topping of my seed/spice mixture and chose a square muffin pan.    I topped mine with my 8-Seed version of Victoria Gourmet’s 7-Seed Crust spice blend:  http://www.vgourmet.com/7-Seed-Crust/p/VIC-00143&c=VictoriaGourmet@SeasoningBlends plus a few nigella seeds.  Sometimes I even add a few sunflower seeds on top if I have some on hand, just because I love them on breads & crackers. 

For perspective on rise, the wells in my non-stick pan are 3/4″ deep, but rise is minimal, as with so many low-carb breads.  I don’t like to use paper liners with high-egg content breads as they just won’t get that tasty brown bottom crust when you do.  Therefore I have to gently coax these out of the pan with the help of a knife tip after a bit of cooling, to prevent tearing up the bottoms.  Alternately, you could just drop these by heaping spoonsful (20 mounds) onto a non-stick baking sheet to achieve a biscuit appearance, as the inside texture is very similar to a biscuit.  These are not suitable until the grains rung of OWL due to the flour products in the Carbquick.  Even on the Victoria Gourmet website, I was unable to get nutritional info for the spice blend I used, so I calculated 1 gram of each the higher carb seeds listed in the ingredients on my bottle.  Don’t fret about the topping, as you’re getting few carbs there, considering you divide that mix into 20 portions.

These would also make lovely little finger sandwiches for parties with your favorite meat fillings!  I just made the best mini-BLT’s for my lunch with two of these. Lots of possibilities!

INGREDIENTS: 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/im-very-excited-to-unveil-my-splendid.html

½ c. Carbquik bake mix (substitute ½ c. more Jennifer’s mix for gluten-free version)

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

1 T. seed/spice mix of your choosing (I use my 8-Seed Spice Blend)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Oil the cups of a non-stick square or round muffin pan.  Soften cream cheese in medium bowl and beat the eggs in until fairly smooth.  Add in all dry ingredients and stir until well blended.  Using a 2T. measuring cup, dip batter (rounded in the cup) into the muffin cups.  Batter is real thick, a bit sticky,  and you will have to scoop the batter out with your finger.  There should be enough batter for about 20 rolls and nutritional stats below are calculated on that number.  I took a round butter knife and tried to spread batter evenly into the cups.  Pop into 350º oven and bake about 20-22 minutes.   Check at 20 since ovens vary.  You don’t want to overly brown these or they will dry out.  Remove and cool a bit before gently coaxing them out of the pan with the help of a knife.  If the first one tears up a bit on the bottom, wait a little longer before removing the rest.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 20 rolls, each contains:

86.75 cals, 7.59g fat, 3.68g carbs, 1.96g fiber, 1.72g NET CARBS, 5.37g protein, 141 mg sodium

Barley Flour Crackers

Since my kidney stone ‘adventure’ in December, trying to accommodate the doctor’s request to follow a low-oxalate diet, has become a priority. One of the things I must avoid is most wheat product from my diet (this means even my lower carb beloved Einkorn flour). So now I’m starting to experiment with barley flour. Today, I tried a new cracker experiment that we both loved. My picky husband kept coming back to the kitchen for a couple more.

The crackers around the outer edge of the pan that typically brown too fast, at least did not taste burned as with all almond flour and flax meal crackers. I did not feel compelled to remove them early from the pan for the first time ever with low-carb crackers. These crackers are more crunchy/crisp than my other low-carb crackers, too! They suspect they will hold up nicely to dips or any toppings. I did encounter more difficulty pressing the base recipe’s dough out, finding barley flour drier, so it requires more water and a little more oil than my other cracker recipes. Even with those additions, I still wasn’t able to get the dough all the way to the edge of my 11×17 pan. I managed a sheet of cracker dough about 8×14 in each pan, which, after scoring, rendered 42 crackers in each pan (cut into 7 rows x 6 columns). I’m very pleased with this new cracker. I’ll start trying out different seasonings and additives in future batches.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. barley flour

1 c. almond flour

½ c. golden flax meal

2 T. oat fiber

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese (I used Kraft)

2 tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 1/3 c. warm water

3 T. extra light olive oil

VARIATIONS: Add 2 tsp. seasoning choice: my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning, my Cajun seasoning, coarse black pepper, Everything Bagel blend , or my Ranch Blend.

DIRECTIONS:  Line two 11×17 sheet pans with parchment, cut to fit.  I use plastic food-service gloves to press dough into pans.  You can use a third sheet of parchment if you don’t have any or a plastic sandwich bag on your hands.  Preheat oven to 350º.

Stir warm water +olive oil together in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients. Stir well with a fork. Add the water and oil mixture and stir well with fork to moisten the dough.  It will be clumpy and crumbly.   Divide the dough roughly into two portions and using hands crumble half the dough over each pan.  Press or roll the dough to about 8″ x 14″. I use a small piece of parchment under my hands so it doesn’t stick to my fingers while working. With a knife blade, cut/straighten up the edges as best you can for straightest edge possible.

Place pans in your freezer for about 12-15 minutes to help with scoring. Remove and press knife scoring gently into dough to form rows of 6 x 7 crackers, for 42 crackers per pan).  Lift the knife blade slowly to avoid messing up the cracker shapes.  If using a top seasoning, add it now. Pop pans into 350º preheated oven for about 18-25 minutes. Ovens will vary.  You don’t want to brown them too much, but they are most brittle when nicely browned.  Remove pans from oven and cool.  Separate into crackers with a knife point.  These crisp crackers are best when 100% cool. Store in lidded cracker container or gallon zipper plastic bag.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 84 crackers. One serving of 4 crackers contains:

104 cals, 5g fat, 13g carbs, 3g fiber, 10g NET CARBS, 4g protein, 235 mg sodium

Barley Flour Hot Dog Buns

I have been experimenting today with my Gluten-Free Hamburger Bun recipe.  Having had my first kidney stone in December, the diet they gave me to follow to help prevent formation of future stones says I need to reduce my intake of foods high in oxalates, which includes nuts, nut flours and wheat products.  Well, I already use minimal wheat products.  When I do, I use Einkorn wheat, which is not genetically modified.  But I’m starting to test replacing almond flour, CarbQuik and Einkorn wheat from my baked goods with barley flour, which is a better choice for me.  Bob’s Red Mill has small bags and Honeyville carries it in bulk.  Another plus with barley flour is it is neutral in flavor.  It is also low in oxalates that I must now try to eliminate everywhere I can.  My husband has also had one kidney stone, so this low-oxalate diet is a must for both of us now.    Hardest part for me to reduce is spinach……probably the highest oxalate food there is.     

My favorite hamburger bun recipe contains almond flour, so I baked it today subbing in the barley flour for the almond flour and the whey protein in that recipe.  Sandwich buns are a staple in my kitchen.  A quick sandwich is our preferred lunch most days.  Creating a bread that is moist, sturdy, tasty and meets my husband’s strict requirements, being a staunch bakery fan, has been difficult.  These are very neutral in flavor and absolutely do not drown out the flavor of your grilled burgers like so many low-carb breads do.   They are so sturdy they do not break apart under the heat of the hot franks inside.  That says a lot right there!  They achieve this sturdiness NOT at the price of “moist” either.  They are not the slightest bit dense, “dry” or difficult to swallow.  These are very soft just like real hamburger buns!    

For those familiar with my Gluten-Free Grain Free Focaccia Bread recipe, that batter is my inspiration for these.

These buns are not suitable for Atkins Induction, but are acceptable once you get to Phase 2 OWL nuts and seeds level of the carb re-introduction ladder.  They are also suitable for other Ketogenic diets and Primal followers if dairy is occasionally consumed.  These buns are not suitable for a Paleo lifestyle due to multiple dairy ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. barley flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

2 tsp. baking powder

3 T. plain yogurt (or softened cream cheese)

2 large eggs

1½ c. mozzarella cheese shreds

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 tsp. dry yeast + 1 tsp. sugar (consumed by yeast) dissolved in 2 T. warm water

Poppy or Sesame seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese (if using) in medium mixing bowl in microwave or add the yogurt to the bowl.  Add the dissolved yeast/water mixture.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar.  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well.  Fold in the mozzarella cheese with a rubber spatula until well mixed.   It will thicken as you fold.  Divide batter evenly amongst six hot dog mold slots.  I use a silicone mold for my hot dog buns, so no need to grease it.  

Using a 1/3 c. measuring cup, scoop up 1/3 c. batter and fill each of your 6 molds, spreading the batter evenly with the back of a fork to fill the slots level.  You’ll need to use your finger or a tiny rubber spatula to get all the batter out of the measuring cup, most likely.  Batter will be about ½” thick in the molds.  If you run short of batter, even it out to make 6 total.  Sprinkle on sesame or poppy seeds if you wish before baking.  Pop pan into a 350º oven and bake 20-22 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and lightly browned on tops.  Cool a few minutes.  Slip them out of the molds with a knife tip.  When totally cooled, slice carefully for receiving your cooked franks.  Store any leftover in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 hotdog buns, each contains:   (doesn’t include seed topping, if used) 

228 cals, 10g fat, 18g carbs, 3g fiber, 15g NET CARBS, 11g protein, 347 mg sodium 

Cheese Thin Buns (Gluten-Free)

Cheese Thin Buns

Man, oh, man, when you can get a breakfast bun down to 2 net carbs per bun………..I don’t think anyone can top that, do you?  And the key ingredient here is …………..drum roll………….glucomannan powder!  Ages and ages ago I saved a recipe for a cheese bread that was posted on the once named Low Carb Friends forums (sadly Netrition abruptly shut down the forum June 1st, 2018 with little notice).   Many of the great cooks there refused to stop sharing their low-carb cooking experiments and migrated to a new location, creating a new forum called Low Carb Neighborhood.  A member at the original forums named Marcea posted a cheese bread recipe made from glucomannan (no flour) once that intrigued me and I had to explore that one for sure.

Shocked by the forum closure, it was quite some time before I found her recipe and tried the original.  I found it was indeed like a bread (which astounded me), but I thought I might be able to improve on the texture a bit with a little experimenting.  What can I say, I’m a veteran recipe tweaker.  My changes created a bread my husband and I both found even more bread-like, with improved flavor as well!  My creation made for some delicious sausage, egg, breakfast “sammies” (shown above).

Due to the fiber that glucomannan is, these are so filling, slicing the thin buns is the only way to go with glucomannan baked goods.  One adult large bun will fill most people right up!  The hubs wanted an extra slice of cheese on his but did not ask for seconds as he said he was bloat-0 from just one!  All I can say is these are super yummy!  This gluten-free bread has been a regular at breakfast ever since this experiment.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal Blueprint, and clearly for a gluten-free diet.  Clearly it is not suitable for Paleo due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS: 

4 T.  plain whey protein isolate (I use NOW brand)

1 T.+1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1 T. baking powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 eggs, beaten

1 T. olive oil

1/4 c. tap water

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all wet ingredients and add eggs to a medium mixing bowl.  Beat with hand or electric mixer.  Leaving mixer on as you work, with your free hand, slowly dust in or sprinkle the glucomannan onto the wet ingredients until it forms a smooth waffle-like batter.  Will lump a bit with first addition but will quickly smooth out.  Do not rush this step.  When all glucomannan powder is incorporated, turn off mixer and remove/scrape down beaters.  Add in baking powder, garlic powder, shredded cheese and whey protein powder.  Stir well with rubber spatula to blend uniformly.   Now it should be a pretty thick bread batter.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl of batter as you go.

Line a baking sheet  or pan with parchment.  Spoon batter onto sheet in 6 equal 4″ mounds.  I flatten mine out a bit with the spatula to get this size and to eliminate a thick mound in the middle.  If you are making the smaller buns, spoon your batter onto the parchment in 12 smaller mounds (no need to flatten).    Pop pan into 350º oven and bake the larger buns for around 15 minutes; smaller ones take around 9-10 minutes.  I don’t over brown these or they tend to dry out.  Slightly cool and slice to make your favorite lunch or breakfast sammies (cheese included).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 large buns or 12 smaller buns.

Larger adult-size buns (6) each contain:  139 calories, 10.55 g fat, 5.33 g carbs, 3.36 g fiber, 1.97 g NET CARBS, 10.5 g protein, 522 mg sodium

Smaller child-size buns (12) each contain:  70 calories, 5.27 g fat, 2.66 g carbs, 1.68 g fiber, 0.98 g NET CARBS, 5.25 g protein, 261 mg sodium

Bite-Size (24) each bite contains:   35 cals, 2.64g fat, 1.33g carbs, 0.84g fiber, 0.49g NET CARBS, 2.73g protein, 130 mg sodium

Peggy’s Original Dumplings

dumplins

For those who miss Chicken and Dumplings, here ya go!  Only took me 4 years to develop these since requested of me by Dano, a member of the Atkins forums at one time! This one’s for you Dano!  Besides, I just have to have me some Chicken and Dumplings once in awhile.  It’s a Southern U.S. thing.  What can I say?  🙂

When you can’t have flour, it’s really really hard to make dumplings that will hold together during cooking. I’ve used almond flour, coconut flour, flax meal and a variety of alternate flours.  You name it and I’ve probably tried that alternate flour to make a dumpling.  This is no easy low-carb feat.  I wanted a similar taste and similar mouth feel as the dumplings I made before my low-carbing days.  All attempts thus far have been mediocre, at best.

Somewhere on the net a year or so ago, on some forum (probably Low Carb Friends, but not sure), someone mentioned they made dumplings with glucomannan powder.  Not being at all familiar with this product, I ordered some from Netrition.com and began to experiment.  Its gel-like, fibrous qualities when wet lend themselves to a dumpling, providing structure and texture.  It is also useful for thickening gravies, sauces and puddings.  I’ve even found a tad of this stuff enhances low-carb cake, cookie and bread baking results, both in volume and texture.  I’d love to give credit to my inspiration on this recipe, but I must admit I failed to write down the name of the person who’s ingenious idea this really was.  But I’m thankful they triggered off some experimentation that has paid off!

If you’re not familiar with glucomannan powder, it comes from the Konjac tuber, and is used to make shirataki noodles seen in Asian menus.   It can be used as a binding agent in some recipes.  It is virtually a zero carb food, in that the fiber content is so high, it virtually negates the few carbs it contains as fiber is indigestible and passes right out of the system with zero blood sugar impact.   Most importantly, glucomannan adds the structure and elasticity needed for dumplings and noodles.  So I began experimenting.

I’m getting more comfortable using this tricky ingredient and have finally come up with a “dumpling” that feels and almost tastes like my dumplings of old.  This will now be my go-to dumpling recipe.  As you can see in the pic above, they hold together nicely during very gentle simmering (unlike all previous attempts), and the glucomannan powder also slightly releases in to the broth to thicken it as well!  NICE!

For you “experimenters”  under no circumstances, increase the oat fiber!!  I did one time and they came out just awful, hard as a rock, plus they did not absorb any flavor from the chicken broth because of the density.  Trust me, you DON’T want to go there!  This balance of ingredients it really pretty special and all attempts to “improve” them have just not turned out as good.

The batch of Chicken and Dumplings shown above was the best batch I’ve had in 4 years!  My husband gave these dumplings two thumbs up today, and he’s pretty picky about faux foods.  They don’t have much taste, but instead pick up the flavor of whatever broth or sauce they are simmered in.  The carb count for these dumplings is simply amazing!  Guilt free dumplings at last!!

The recipe posted elsewhere on my site for chicken and dumplings is good, don’t get me wrong.  But you have to bake the rolls separately for that recipe.   With this dumpling recipe, I can stir the ingredients together, drop them into the broth, and the dumplings are simmering immediately!  Much easier!  And you regular readers know I’m really into EASY cooking.

These dumplings formed smaller work nicely in  soups and I have made them into small, oblong shapes for marvelous gnocchi served in rich cream sauces.  Some more adventurous cooks at Low Carb Friends forums are even using pasta extruders and coming up with all kinds of noodle shapes for this dough!  But I don’t own an extruder and probably wouldn’t go to that much trouble anyway.  Just being honest.  I’m a lazy cook. 🙂

These dumplings are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins OWL carb re-introduction ladder due to the oat fiber, but omitting it is just not an option for these to cook right.   I’m very proud to have developed a dumpling recipe that many who have tried freely admit fills void in their low-carb lifestyles.  🙂

My Lobster Linguine recipe is the first time I tried rolling and cutting it into noodles and the final dish was quite good.

This recipe isn’t 100% gluten-free due to the oat fiber, which CANNOT be omitted or subbed out with anything except perhaps my suggestion below.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1½ T. glucomannan powder (Konjac powder)

1½ T. oat fiber (For gluten-free version, try substituting oat flour ground from 100% gluten-free oats, but I’m not making any promises that will work.  It might work.    Carbs will be only a tad higher.)

1/8 tsp. salt

¼ c. +2 T. water

1 extra large or jumbo egg, beaten

VARIATION:  Add 1-2 T. finely chopped parsley to the dry ingredients

DIRECTIONS:   Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork.  Add the water and beat until well blended.  On a paper plate or in another bowl, mix the dry ingredients well.  Slowly sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring with a fork or whisk.  Switching to a rubber spatula, stir and begin to fold the slowly thickening mixture over and over itself until it is a contiguous batter and eventually turns into a thick, almost dry dough.  I let mine sit by the stove 2-3 minutes.  Then, using a teaspoon, dip 3/4″-1″ dollops of the dough into your palm.  This step is important:  roll them gently in your palms into a ball shape.  I set the balls on my counter or a silicone sheet until all are made.  If you just drop them directly into the broth from the spoon without rolling, they tend to fall apart in the broth during cooking.  Or using your hands, roll the dough into ropes on plastic wrap and cut into short lengths for gnocchi, if that’s your pleasure.

I recommend removing the cooked chicken and vegetables to a platter before adding the dumplings to cook.  This allows ample room for the dumplings to rise and swell up without beating each other.  Have your soup/broth boiling.  Drop the round dumplings/gnocchi into slowly simmering broth and immediately turn fire medium-low so it will only gently simmer.  This is IMPORTANT, as you don’t want to “rough up” these delicate babies.  Cover with tight lid.  From the time you cover the pot, set timer for exactly 10 minutes for dumplings (8 minutes for smaller gnocchi).   DO NOT LIFT THE LID or disturb the pot during cooking.  After 10 minutes  (8 minutes for smaller gnocchi), lift the lid and VOILA!!  They’re done!  You may have to thicken the stock further depending on your personal preference, but the dumplings themselves usually take care of thickening, as some of the glucomannan in then sloughs off into the broth, thickening it right up.   Place chicken and veggies back into pot and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 medium-large 1½” dumplings (24 gnocchi), each contains:  (halve the numbers for each gnocchi)

7.17 calories, 0.49 g  fat, 1.38 g  carbs, 1.29 g  fiber, 0.1 g  NET CARBS, 0.61 g  protein, 55 mg sodium

Focaccia #2

One cannot celebrate Italian food without thinking of their iconic focaccia bread.  Oh, the sandwiches one can create with it!  It is so versatile it is used in many ways but quite honestly, is delicious buttered right out of the oven with nothing else.  My inspiration for this 8-seed garlic version of my focaccia bread recipe was a photo of a seeded bagel recipe I saw somewhere on the net.  The texture of this sheet focaccia is soft, and it is very much like real focaccia.  Not at all grainy or coarse as is the crumb of many low-carb breads.  If serving to company, I like to skip the baking pan conformity and with a rubber spatula, shape the dough thicker into a smaller, somewhat irregular-edged oblong shape for a more ‘haphazard’ thrown-on-the pan look.  That makes calculating nutritional almost impossible, as the pieces will be irregular in shape/size.  But hey, it’s for company, so I cut a few corners on such occasions.

This recipe is not suitable until you are well into Phase 2 (OWL, Ongoing Weight Loss) of Atkins due to the ingredients in the bake mix.  This recipe is OK for other Keto diets if it can fit into your daily macro number limits.  This sheet bread can be cut differently (like bread sticks for hummus or soup).  Take the “entire recipe” numbers and divide by the number of portions you get for the particular cut on the sheet to get your ‘per piece’ (estimated) nutritional numbers.

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz. cream cheese

2½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. blanched almond flour

1 T. baking powder

½ c. my new Buttoni’s Low-Carb Bake Mix

2 large eggs, beaten

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

TOPPING:  1 T. melted butter brushed on and then sprinkle on 1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or my  8-seed blend)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil an 8″x11″ metal baking pan. Set aside for now.  Measure out onto a paper plate the almond flour, bake mix and baking powder.  Stir them together well and set aside.  In a glass or ceramic bowl, place the mozzarella and cream cheese.  Place bowl in microwave and cook on HI for about 2 minutes.  Stir, adding a few more seconds of cooking if cheese is not fully melted.  Remove from microwave, add flour mix, minced garlic, and beaten eggs.  Stir quickly with a fork (while cheese is still hot and pliable).  When it begins to form a single ball of dough, moisten hands with a bit of water or oil (as it is sticky if you don’t) and knead into a smooth ball.  Press into oiled 8×11 pan as evenly as you can.  Sprinkle on the 8-seed blend.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown (to your liking) on top. Remove and brush with the tablespoon of melted butter over the top.  Cut into 8 portions and serve at once.  This would make delicious sandwiches so I am providing numbers below for entire recipe for alternate baking pan size or slicing methods.  You will need to re-calculate nutritional “per serving” numbers if you change the indicated slicing suggestion.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 small slices.  1/8 recipe contains:

265 calories, 20g fat, 6.92g carbs, 2.21g fiber, 4.71g NET CARBS, 16.3g protein, 379mg sodium

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  2118 cals, 161.8g fat, 55.4g carbs, 17.7g fiber, 37.63g NET CARBS, 130.1g protein, 3032 mg sodium. Dived these by the number of cut servings you get a per serving value.

San Marzano Focaccia

This is what I think I’ll fix for lunch today, with the addition of some sliced olives.  I’m noticing in my old age I’m liking many fewer ingredients on what I think of as basically, um….  pizza.   I’m trying my hand at growing San Marzano tomatoes this year!   

This is yet another great new use for my Mozzy Dough.  I’m having so much fun trialing new applications for this dough.  TIP:  I make up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates.  Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags zipped up in a shoe box in my pantry.  Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball.  So easy that way.  I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for making each batch of 10. 

Boy, is this focaccia ever simple to make and yummy good!  I make mine fairly thin.  If you like focaccia thicker, make a smaller sheet than shown right (using fewer tomatoes, of course) and being sure you cut it into 12 slices so the nutritional info will be accurate.  This recipe is not suitable until you get to Phase 2 grains re-introduction level of Atkins as the Carbquik does have some flour in it.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

25-27 San Marzano mini tomatoes (10 oz. bag)

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ shredded Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 T. fresh basil chopped)

¼ tsp. dried oregano (or 1/2 tsp. fresh)

VARIATION:   Add a few sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the Mozzy Dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Line a 13″x15″ baking sheet with parchment and using your fingers, press the ball of dough out to a 9″x12″ rectangle (smaller if you like it thicker.  With a brush baste the dough with half the olive oil.  Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the top and press it down a bit.  Now sprinkle 1/2 c. mozzarella over the crust evenly.  Slice the tomatoes lengthwise into halves and place skin-side down evenly over the top of the focaccia sheet.  Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on next and then the shredded Parmesan.  Sprinkle on the basil and oregano last.  Add olive slices, pressing them into the dough (if using).  Pop into oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is browning on the edges and the tomatoes are looking cooked on top.  Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 12 3″x3″ squares of focaccia, each square contains.

190 calories, 15 g fat, 6.88 g carbs, 3.61 g fiber, 3.27 g NET CARBS, 12.6 g protein, 276 mg sodium

Taco Shells

Right out of the oven.

For Tacos or Chalupas.

I like tacos in the summertime because I don’t have to have the oven on so long to make dinner.  My low-carb taco shells are somewhere between a browned pie crust, a cracker and a tortilla in texture.  Useful as a corn tortilla substitute.  They are quite tasty with chili as well.  As you can see in the photo, they can be folded over nicely for a “taco shell” while still warm.  You can also use them flat for making chalupas!  They are ever so slightly chewy in the very center 1″(from the psyllium, no doubt).   You could try browning them more for a crisper center, but be aware the edges are likely to over-brown and taste overdone accordingly.  I plan to do some further experimenting with this recipe.

There is just a hint of cheese taste in these.  Any more and I don’t think you could form this into a workable dough, quite frankly.  You can go down that experiment road if you feel inspired.  FYI, cheddar is much harder to work into your dough than mozzy in what is essentially a modification of the Fathead Pizza Dough recipe.  So if you increase cheese, my recommendation would be to increase the mozzy and not the Cheddar.

FYI, these can be fried, but when I fried some in oil they didn’t taste one bit better, were no crisper and were definitely greasier.  So my preference is to bake these.  This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction Phase.

Cheese Crisps

INGREDIENTS:

Perfect with chili, too!

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 T. olive oil

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik

1 T. oat fiber

1½ tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

We used a spoonful of this for our tacos! Yum!

Dash each onion and garlic powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.  Place mozzarella and Cheddar shreds in a large glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 2 minutes to thoroughly melt.  The key to success with this dough is to work quickly every step of the way, while the cheese is soft and pliable.  Remove bowl from microwave and quickly blot excess grease (from Cheddar) off the top with paper towels.  Stir quickly with a fork to blend together to blend.  Add the olive oil and stir again.  Add the dry ingredients and then beaten egg last.  Quickly stir to bring the wet cheese and flours to form a ball of dough, making sure to scrape all cheese/dough off the sides of the bowl as you do so.  Knead with your hand 5-6 times right in the bowl to be sure all ingredients are uniformly mixed.  When it is a smooth ball of dough, form a large log of the dough.  Divide the log in half.  Divide each half in half once again.  And finally, those pieces into halves making a total of eight (hopefully equal) balls of dough about 1½” round.  Roll and press onto your parchment-lined pan, pressing with the butt of your palm to about a 5″ circle (you want it very thin but not tearing anywhere).  Pop pans onto two racks in a 350º oven for about 7-10 minutes or until browned as shown above in the photo.  Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 taco or chalupa shells,  each contains:

164 cals, 13g fat, 8.15g carbs, 4.92g fiber, 3.23g NET CARBS, 12g protein, 287 mg sodium

Garlic Dinner Rolls

I’m making my Garlic Dinner Rolls again to have with our Swiss Steak tonight.  They are made with my Mozzy Dough, Which in flavor and texture lies somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  It makes excellent dinner rolls for serving with Italian entrees!  They are delicious by themselves hot out of the oven  with butter!  They are also good split, toasted with melted butter & topped with a sprinkle of Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.  They make an excellent oven broiled ‘toasted’ garlic bread!  This dough has good elasticity, flavor and is so versatile in a variety of applications.  This recipe is not suitable until you get closer to goal weight on Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

1/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder

Dash oregano

1 T. dry grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line baking sheet with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzarella cheese shreds, minced garlic and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a single ball of dough, scraping it down off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Divide into 6 equal portions and roll smooth into a ball.  Place them spaced out on parchment-lined pan.  Press slightly flat if you like, but not really necessary.  Sprinkle tops with oregano and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned as shown.  Remove and serve hot with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough 6 dinner rolls which have 6.26 net carbs each, or dough can be used for a 9″-10″ pie-crust with a lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, or a 12″ pizza crust!

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this dough for)

Einkorn Heavenly Biscuits

EinkornHeavenlyBiscuits

When you make these biscuits you’ll think you died and went to heaven!  These biscuits are some of the best I’ve made in 12 years of low-carbing.  Every experiment that preceded these turned out either dry, hard as a rock, crumbly, soda-tasting, too cheesy, too coconut-y, or just plain mediocre.  Well, I’ve finally gotten one that even my husband says tastes (and feels) just like a real flour biscuit in his mouth.  Not crumbly, browned nicely, soft, smooth-textured and no odd aftertaste in your mouth when you’re through eating one.  Definitely a keeper for us!  🙂

This one will truly WOW you.   If you’ve already purchased some Einkorn flour (made from anceint wheat that is not hybridized or modified like modern wheat)…….. get thee to thy kitchen and try this recipe ASAP.  These are unbelievably good!!  Truly heaven to your taste buds. I used an Ebelskiver pan to make mine, as the batter is not real thick and needs “confining”.   A muffin-top pan or even a regular muffin pan should work, too.

These are not suitable until you are near goal in Atkains Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance.  They’re a little carb-y for Keto, but if you want one bad enough, you might be able to fit it into your daily numbers occasionally.  These are not Primal-Paleo appropriate.

If you prefer a biscuit without any wheat flour at all,  not even Einkorn flour, you will want to check out my Peggy’s Fluffy Biscuits.  They’re yummy!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix (I order Einkorn Flour @ Jovial Foods )

½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

2 T. coconut flour (I use Honeyville Grains)

¼ c. cream

¼ c. water

1 T. olive oil (to oil pan)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  Lightly oil pan slots with the olive oil and set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, measure out 2 c. my bake mix.  Though it helps to let the mix come to room temp, you still need to rework shortening lumps with a fork until the mix is again the texture of cornmeal.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.  Let batter sit on counter 3-4 minutes to “thicken” a bit.  Using a ¼ c. measuring cup, dip out 7 portions of batter and drop ¼ c. into each oiled pan slot.  If any remaining batter, evenly distribute it.  Pop pan into 375º oven for 15-17 minutes or until browned to your liking.  These rise up nicely baked in a pan this way.  If you try to do them like drop biscuits, I fear they will spread out and cook much differently than mine above.   You could reduce the water and try them as drop biscuits, but that’s YOUR experiment.  I’m happy with these. 🙂  Serve hot with butter and your favorite jams.  Leftovers should keep nicely for a week in the fridge in a ziploc bag or in the freezer for a month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 7 large biscuits.  Each one contains:

297 cals, 25.5g fat, 10.68g carbs, 3.20g fiber, 7.48g NET CARBS, 12.4g protein, 191mg sodium

Air Fryer Croutons (low-carb)

I just discovered I can make low-carb croutons in my air fryer (Power XL 7 qt 1700 watt basket style).  Using my familiar Einkorn English Muffin as the base, it was a piece or cake, or perhaps I should say a piece of “toast”. 🙂  This time I coated them with my spice mixture, but next time I’m going to put it right into the batter when making the muffin just for ease.  Doubt it will make a bit of difference in the end result.  We both thought these a tasty substitute for high-carb commercial croutons.  To lower carbs, you could use some other low-carb bread or merely eat less of them on your salad.

Croutons

INGREDIENTS: 

1 recipe my Einkorn English Muffin

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

¼ tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper

Dash sea salt

VARIATION:  Use other seasoning blends to change things up a bit

DIRECTIONS:  Make the English muffin by that recipe’s instructions (linked above).  DO NOT slice the muffin laterally but rather into 1/2 cubes.  The croutons will toast better if not larger than ½” size.  Let cubes rest on cutting board for 1 hour to totally dry out.  Turn them over once to try to get them dry to the touch on all surfaces.

When about ready to get meal together, toss them into a medium bowl with 1 T. olive oil.  If adding spices to surface, mix it into the olive oil in the bowl and then toss in your cubes.  Stir well to coat.  Place them in the basket of your air fryer (or in a pan if you have the shelf type.  I place a small round cake cooling wire rack on mine to be sure they didn’t fly around during cooking.  Cook at 375º for about 6 minutes, checking often and shaking to get all sides brown and toasty.  Add more time if needed to get them to a firm and toasty state without them burning.  All fryers are different and the time is variable with each brand/model.  Cool completely before serving.  If you don’t have an air fryer, you can toast these in a 375º conventional oven on a sheet pan.  Will take about 13-15 minutes on the middle shelf, turning and tossing with a spatula a couple times during cooking to achieve even browning.  Remove and cool, serving fairly quickly while they are still crisp.

Low carb breads do not keep their crunchy quality for long, but if you have some leftover (I did) put remainders in a ziplock bag and reheat in the air fryer at 375º for 2-3 minutes to toast them right up again.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes enough to garnish 4 salads.  Each of the 4 servings will contain:

114 cals, 10.4g fat, 4.6g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 2.35g NET CARBS, 3.33g protein, 94 mg sodium

Olive Bagels

I’m currently following the lowest carb diet I have ever done.  Not quite an Atkins Fat Fast, but pretty darn close.  I’m only eating protein, cheese, eggs, fat, olives and avocados for awhile.  So my creative hat kicked into gear today.  I know a lot of low-carb breads and pancakes are made with just cream cheese and eggs, so I thought I’d go down that road to create a bagel for lunch.  I was going to eat the olives “on the side”, but decided to incorporate them into the bagel, as my husband and I have always enjoyed a good olive yeast bread.  Well, these are far from a yeast bread, but they did come out quite good.

I used a doughnut pan to make these, but if you don’t have one, you could use a muffin-top pan, or make them shallow in the bottoms of pans for making large muffins.  Who says they have to have holes in the middle?  🙂

This recipe is suitable once you get to Atkins phase 2 since there is almond flour in them.  Many more of my tasty recipes are in Jennifer Eloff’s LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks.  Chef George Stella and other great low-carb cooks have participated in this on-going project.   Special complete 10-volume set pricing is going on right now. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe or two, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. cream cheese, softened

1 beaten egg (I used extra large)

2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

10 black olives, chopped very fine

1 T. olive or coconut oil (for batter)

1/8 tsp. each garlic and onion powders

1T. almond flour (or some low-carb bake mix if allergic to nuts)

1 tsp. my 8-Seed Spice Blend (or similar bread-topping blend)

1 T. olive or coconut oil (to grease pan)

VARIATION:  You could omit the olives, reduce or omit onion & garlic powders for a plain bagel. 

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  With a basting brush, oil the 6 slots of your pan with 1 T. olive oil.  Set aside while you mix up the batter.  Soften cream cheese in microwave in a medium ceramic/glass mixing bowl.  Add in all other ingredients to the cream cheese and blend well for a few minutes with a rubber spatula to try to distribute the cream cheese evenly throughout the mozzarella.  Spoon the batter equally into the 6 pan slots, pressing it down with your spoon or fingers to compress batter tightly in the slots.   Pop into 375º oven and bake for 20 minutes or until browned on top.  I pulled mine out a tad too soon at 15 min., as the browner ones were the tastiest.  Allow bagels to almost completely cool before attempting to remove from the pans with a knife point to help lift them.   If you try while they are hot, they will tear up, as my first one did.   Serve with salads, Greek foods, Italian food or just by themselves.  Mmmm, they are GREAT!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Make 6 bagels, each contains:

220 cals, 18.3g fat, 2.53g carbs, 0.40g fiber, 2.13g NET CARBS, 11.7g protein, 286 mg sodium

Einkorn Jumbo Cinnamon Muffins

I’ve been wanting to try my delicious Einkorn Dinner Roll recipe as a sweet muffin and this morning was the day.  Tried using my brand new jumbo muffin pan for the first time, too.  The pan cups here were filled 3/4 full and rose nicely!  Being jumbo, these are a bit carb-y, so you might want to make 12 regular-size muffins to cut the numbers below in half per muffin.  Alternately, you can use liquid sweeteners and cut carbs even more.  The psyllium and flax meal make these VERY filling, so not even the heartiest sweets eaters will ask for a second one.  Place those leftover muffins in a plastic bag and as with all low-carb baked goods, keep refrigerated until you want them again.  Should keep about a week.

This recipe is not suitable until you are near goal weight (Pre-Maintenance).

DRY INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour

½ c. egg white protein powder

2 T. oat fiber

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. baking powder

2 T. golden flax meal

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. psyllium husk powder

½ c. Splenda (or equivalent sweetener of choice)

WET INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 2 T. warm water + 2 tsp. sugar (consumed by yeast)

5 large eggs, beaten

3 T. olive oil

2 T. melted butter

¼ c. egg whites (I use carton variety)

½ c. boiling water (added at very last)

TOPPING:  3/4 c. ch. pecans, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 3 T. melted butter, 2 T. Splenda

VARIATION:  Add a little brown sugar substitute to the topping mixture

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil a jumbo muffin tin with a brush and set aside.    Dissolve yeast in 2 T. warm water and add a 2 tsp. sugar (consumed by the yeast).  Set aside for now.  Mix topping ingredients in another small bowl, stir and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, measure out all dry ingredients.  Stir well.   In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add oil, melted butter and egg whites.  Beat until uniform and smooth.  Next add the dissolved yeast mixture and stir well.   Now pour  wet ingredients into dry ingredients and beat well with rubber spatula until all is moistened smooth. Add in boiling water all at once and beat well 15-20 times with spatula until smooth.  Using half-cup measuring cup, spoon batter into greased muffin pan slots, evenly distributing the batter as best you can.  Cups will be about 3/4 full.  sprinkle on topping evenly on the 6 muffins.  Pop in preheated 350º oven for around 20-22 minutes.  Check at 20 minutes as ovens vary.  If not firm and dry to touch center top, cook 2-3 minutes longer.  Remove from oven and cool 3-4 minutes. Gently lift out with knife tip and serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 jumbo muffins, each contains:

457 cals, 37.7 g fat, 18.83g carbs,  8.36g fiber,  10.47g NET CARBS (use liquid sweetener to lower), 19g protein, 497mg sodium (halve these numbers if you make regular-size muffins)

 

 

Sour Cream Grilling Bread (low carb)

click to enlarge

Shown on a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Sadly, most low-carb breads made with alternate flours simply do not toast well.  They just won’t get…….ummmm……………toasty!!!  😦

This individual serving bread recipe I developed I think is particularly suited for grilling sandwiches.  It toasts up better than any other low-carb bread I’ve tried toasting in 10 years of low-carbing and bread experimentaation. Not sure which ingredient is facilitating that toasty quality though.  Likely it is the oat fiber, but am VERY glad whatever ingredient is doing that!

You can bake this in any microwaveable square container.  I have a plastic bread-shaped container (which isn’t so healthy to cook in actually), so I have switched to using my 4″ square glass dish.  I have not tried baking this bread in a conventional oven, but suspect it would need 350º for around 10-15 minutes.  One recipe can be sliced laterally into two thinner slices after cooling to make 1 sandwich, as shown in the photo above. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.  It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo lifestyles.

INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. + 1T. flax meal, preferably golden flax meal

1 T. butter  (plus dab more for skillet or panini pan grilling)

2 T. sour cream

1 egg, beaten

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. oat fiber, no substitutes! (omit for gluten-free)

Pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:   Melt the butter in microwave in a small mixing bowl.  Add beaten egg and sour cream. Add all dry ingredients and stir well.  With a rubber spatula, scrape batter into a 4″-5″ square microwaveable container and zap on HI power for 70 seconds or until dry to touch in center (microwaves can vary). Cool a minute and tip out onto cutting board.  Laterally slice as evenly as possible with a long-blade  knife to form two thinner slices.

When ready to construct your sandwich, melt a little butter or olive oil on a non-stick griddle and baste one side of each slice of bread.  Place one slice on griddle, buttered side down.  Add slice of your preferred cheese or meats and top with second slice of bread, buttered side up.  Brown well on both sides for best, “toastiest” results.  Slight over-browning is a GOOD thing here! 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 thin slices after cutting.  Entire recipe contains: (does not include sandwich fillings)

425 cals, 37.4g fat, 14.1g carbs, 11.3g fiber, 2.8g NET CARBS, 13.8g protein, 497mg sodium

Cheese Puffs

I decided to modify my Cheese Thin Buns recipe by adding some Carbquik to the ingredient line-up.   What a marvelous change that makes!  These tasty little snacks are less than 1 net carb per puff!  We both love snacking on cheese bread, but what we buy at the store isn’t exactly low-carb.  This is my answer to a late night snack that is suitable on a very low-carb diet.  These are easy to make and I’m certain they’ll be a hit with your family.  If you don’t like things spicy, omit the cayenne; if you do like things spicy, you may even want to increase the amount of cayenne!  🙂  These are suitable once you get to the end of Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, beaten

½ c. water

2 T. olive oil

2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese

1 T. + 1 tsp. glucomannan powder (there is no substitute for this)

¼ c. whey protein powder (plain, unsweetened)

1 T. (3 tsp) baking powder

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional, but greatly enhances flavor profile)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 c. Carbquik (use a gluten-free bake mix if needed)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir well to evenly mix.  In a separate medium mixing bowl, beat the wet ingredients with an electric mixer or whisk.  While you are whisking the egg mixture, slowly add in the dry ingredients until all is well blended into a batter resembling pancake batter.  Stir in the cheese and mix it well.  Let the dough stand a few minutes as it will thicken/stiffen up a bit.

I used a non-stick mini-muffin pan.  The cheese will bleed out some oil, so you shouldn’t have to oil a non-stick pan.  But if yours is NOT non-stick, oil the cups of your mini-muffin pan lightly with a brush.  Using a measuring spoon, put 1 level tablespoon of batter into each cup raking it out with a finger to get it all.  Will make exactly 34 muffins, so a second baking will be necessary unless you own two mini-muffin pans.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for 17 minutes or until browning on top.  We found browning enhances flavor, so you may want to even bake yours a bit longer.  Remove from oven and cool a couple minutes.  If cooled a bit, they will come out of the pans with a knife tip’s help without tearing apart.  If removed too hot, you are going to tear them up.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 34 Cheese Puffs, each contains:

50.6 cals., 4.52 g fat, 2.13 g carbs, 1.43 g fiber, 0.70 g NET CARBS, 3.06 g protein, 138 mg sodium

Einkorn-Carbalose Sandwich Buns

I continue to tweak my Einkorn Sandwich Bun recipe in an attempt to make it whiter and to eliminate the “damp” feeling on the inside.  Suffice it to say I’m getting there.  With today’s experiment I got rid of the “slightly damp” interior that bothered my husband and I both.  When cooled, these were not “damp” feeling inside (just a normal level of bread moisture you would want).  I believe reducing the psyllium husk powder is what dried the interior a bit.

They are also now lighter in color with the addition of a little bit of resistant wheat starch.  Now I admit freely that this isn’t the lowest carb bread recipe out there folks, and clearly not suitable until you’re at or near goal weight.  But if you’re looking for a better low-carb yeast-tasting bread that is really, really good, that is sturdy enough to hold up to hot roast beef with juice for a delicious sandwich, with a very neutral flavor, you NEED to try this recipe. 🙂   Even my husband ate one and said he could learn to eat this bread regularly.    Not suitable until nearing goal weight when slightly higher carbs and grains are permissible occasionally on Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.

For hot-dog buns, form into 6″ “ropes” and slightly press flat on the pan before baking.

NOTE:  This bread, gets a little “tough” when toasted if care is not taken to avoid over-browning.  If only lightly toasted, that doesn’t seem to happen.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/2 tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. very warm tap water

3/4 c. Carbalose flour

1/4 c. Einkorn flour

½ c. almond flour

2 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. sea salt

3 T. vital wheat gluten

1 T. arrowroot powder

1 T. Resistant Wheat Starch

1 T. coconut flour

3 egg whites (I used ½ c.+1 T. egg whites from carton)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition to the warm water listed above)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  In a small bowl dissolve the yeast, sugar with the 1/4 c. warm tap water.  Set aside while you continue.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork, add the proofed yeast mixture, stir to blend and add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a uniform thick dough.  Now pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with the fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform consistency.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold the dough as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the bowl and with your rubber spatula portion off 5 equal portions of dough. Scoop up each portion and roll in your palms into a round ball.  Place each ball on a non-stick, silicone-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down slightly to about 5/8″ thick and 4″ round.  They don’t spread much during cooking so they can all fit on one sheet pan.  Make 6 portions for smaller buns with lower carb count.

Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until golden as shown above.  Cool partially before attempting to slice laterally as shown or bag to store.  Like all low-carb cakes and breads, I store these in a gallon ziploc bag in the fridge. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  I’ll provide for both size buns:

5 buns: each will contain:  180 cals., 5.72g fat, 22.32g carbs, 10.6g fiber, 11.72g NET CARBS, 10.4g protein, 469 mg sodium

6 buns: each will contain:  150 cals., 5.6 g fat, 18.6g carbs, 8.83g fiber, 9.77g NET CARBS, 8.66g protein, 391 mg sodium

 

 

Einkorn Melba Toast

I made some delicious “Melba Toast®” today from a loaf of Maria Emerich’s Amazing Bread (slightly modified).  Given the moisture level of the interior of this bread, I wasn’t sure it would work………………… BUT IT DID!   I used these crisp cracker-like toasts to serve the leftover Smoked Steelhead Trout Spread I whipped up yesterday for lunch.  They were a delicious vehicle for the spread!  My husband was out of town yesterday and didn’t get to taste my delicious spread.  My husband loves Melba Toast® and said these were almost as crisp and tastier than the original!  And the spread was a hit, too!  Can’t wait to try these melba toasts with marmalade in the morning!  This recipe is not suitable (with my modifications) until you are nearing goal weight at the final grains rung of the carb-ladder of Phase 2.

Our latest three volumes of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you.  Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is hot off the press with more delectable goodies.  Early orders can be delivered by Thanksgiving.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order today.  You can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leave a review at this site.

INGREDIENTS:  (my 2 minor changes to Maria’s recipe in blue)

1 tsp. dry yeast + ½ tsp. real sugar dissolved in:

¼ c. warm water

3 c. almond flour

½ c. Einkorn flour

10 T. psyllium husk powder

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

5 T. apple cider vinegar

6 egg whites, beaten in a bowl with a whisk until frothy

1½ c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  You’ll need to first bake the loaf of bread these are made from (unless you already have a loaf baked and ready).  Lightly oil the ends of an 8×4″ loaf pan.  Lay a sheet of parchment (cut to fit) into the bottom that rolls up the long sides of the pan.

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the ¼ c. warm water with the sugar.  Let it sit on your counter while you measure out your other ingredients.

In a medium mixing bowl, measure out all listed dry ingredients.  Stir well to make sure they are uniformly mixed.  Into the yeast/water mixture, add the beaten egg whites and cider vinegar.  Stir well to blend.  Now add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients bowl and stir a few times.  All at once,  pour the boiling water over the mixture and stir quickly and briskly with a fork to pull it together into a contiguous ball of dough.  Switching to a rubber spatula, scrap the sides of the bowl down to get all of the dough.  Spoon the dough into your oiled/papered pan.  Pop into 350º oven for about 1 hour.  Check often after 50 minutes as ovens vary.  When toothpick stuck into center comes out dry and clean, it’s done.  Remove and chill in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours overnight before proceeding.

Preheat oven to 350º.  When the loaf of bread is completely chilled, remove from refrigerator and slice into 40 very thin slices ½cm or 3/16″ thick.  Lay them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Pop pan into oven and bake on first side for about 15-20 minutes (again, ovens vary, so keep an eye out on these so as not to over brown).  Remove from oven, turn each toast over and pop back into oven for about another 10 minutes only.  When you are satisfied they have dried out and are lightly browned, remove them and cool.  Serve as is with your favorite jams, jellies.  They will likely lose their crunchiness when stored, but just reheat on low oven setting (300º) awhile, or make fewer of them for immediate consumption.

NOTE:  *For party spreads and cheese balls, you might prefer a smaller, cracker shape.  Just cut the “toasts” in half before baking.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 40 “Melba Toasts”, each contains:

57 cals, 3.86g fat, 4.77g carbs, 2.62g fiber, 2.15g NET CARBS, 2.4g protein, 118mg sodium

  • If cut in halves, recipe makes 80 square crackers with 1.07 net carbs per cracker.

 

Spinach Mini Pizzas

I went to make a little spinach pizza today and decided to make a couple minor tweaks (less cheese and less oil) to my versatile Mozzy Dough recipe.  Good thing!  These minor changes really improved it!  Those changes have been post to the original post now, with adjustments to the nutritional stats that reflect those changes.  I think you will be pleased with my changes next time you bake that dough.  We sure were.  Anyhow, these little lunch treats were quite tasty.  I ate 2; the hubs ate 3.  I think 1 tsp. jar low-carb Alfredo sauce on the dough before adding the cheese/spinach toppings would be a plus, but I didn’t have any in the house.  I’m going to add a dab next baking.  🙂  And there will be a next baking!  Of that I am certain!  These gems are not suitable until you reach Phase 2 of Atkins.

Our latest two LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks, Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is coming out soon as well.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order.  Or you can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leaving a review at this site

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Mozzy Dough

1 scant cup (14 Tbsp.) Parmesan cheese shreds

3 oz. frozen chopped spinach

DIRECTIONS:  Boil the spinach 1-2 minutes, drain and dry on paper towels.  Set aside for now.  Make the Mozzy Dough by that recipe’s instructions.  Divide dough into 7 equal portions (a ball about 1½” round).  Press each portion of dough evenly either into 7 slots of a muffin-top pan, a similar ebelskiver pan, or on a parchment-lined baking sheet to about 2-3″ in diameter.  Top each crust with 1 T. Parmesan shreds.  Evenly distribute the spinach on the 7 pizzas.  Finally, sprinkle 1 T. Parmesan shreds on the top.  I thought about some mozzarella at this point, but there is so much in the dough itself, none is really needed on the tops.  Pop pan into a 350º oven and baked for about 15-18 minutes or until golden around the edges.  Serve at once.

VARIATION:   Make these up even smaller, in 28 slots of mini-muffin pans for bite-size party/appetizer version.  Just distribute the toppings out over the 28 equally as possible and divide the numbers below by 4 to get the stats fsor 28 bite-size morsels.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 Spinach Mini Pizzas, each contains:

202 cals, 15.8g fat, 9.02g carbs, 5.8g fiber, 3.22g NET CARBS, 15.9g protein, 400 mg sodium

 

White Bread Sandwich Rounds

White Bread Sandwich Rounds

This recipe is a slight modification of my new Toasting Bread recipe.  I merely added some psyllium to the original batter.  They came out soft, neutral in flavor and resilient to handling.  Made GREAT roast beef sandwiches for our lunch today.  The husband really liked this one!  So a thumbs up on this one from both of us.  This recipe is not suitable until you are in Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance on the Atkins plan.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix or Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. CarbQuik Bake Mix

½ tsp. each baking powder & baking soda

1½ tsp. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.  Set aside.  Prepare the batter. Soften cream cheese in a medium glass mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat with a whisk until smooth.  Add in eggs and olive oil and whisk until smooth.  Add in the rest of the dry ingredients listed and whisk smooth.  Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.  I didn’t use a measuring cup, but used my spatula to spoon up about into 4 well-spaced piles on the papered pans.   If more batter left, evenly distribute into the 8 piles total.  Smooth out fairly thin with your spatula or back of a spoon.  Aim for roughly 4″ rounds with 3/4″ space between them.  Pop into 350º oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden.  I intentionally under-browned one pan of mine so that I could re-heat them without overly drying them out or over-browning.  Ovens vary, so keep an eye out!  When as golden as you like, remove pans from oven and cool.  Enjoy with your favorite sandwich fillings.  Store extras in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 thin round breads.  Each bread round contains:  Takes two to make a sandwich as I find them too thin to slice, so each person is eating 8.3 net carbs plus your sandwich fillings.

195 cals, 15g fat, 11.02g carbs, 6.87g fiber, 4.15g NET CARBS, 11.7g protein, 219 mg sodium

Toasting Bread

I believe this is the very best bread for toasting I have made to date.  The one in my Grilled Cheese Sandwich is still good, mind you, but this one tasted more like regular white bread toast of times past.  Both I and my husband thought so.  So this one is going to earn the name of Toasting Bread, and rightfully so, until I find/create one that is better.  So this is where I’m stopping on “toast” for now.  I can’t wait to try this for grilled cheese sandwiches!  This recipe, although very tasty, must be delayed until you reach Atkins Pre-Maintenance Phase 3, the grain level of carb reintroduction.  But it is certainly worth the wait.  Depending on whether you slice your breads into 2 or 3 slices, these tasty, filling breads topped with warm butter and marmalade make a delightful breakfast for you morning coffee, and for only 4.1 net carbs (plus the topping you use)!  By the way, buttered as a muffin, unsliced, these make pretty darn tasty biscuits, too!

Many more simple, tasty low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Volume 9, due out in October, once again has mostly my recipes with a sprinkling of George Stella’s and Jennifer Eloff delights.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Order here for estimated October delivery:  https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php  Order any of the team’s cookbooks from Amazon  or here: amongfriends.us/order.phpLIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER:  Currently we have a special offer on a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this incredible bargain!  And please, if you’ve already bought Volume 8, we sure would appreciate your taking a moment to stop by this page and leave your personal review:

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 large eggs, beaten

1 c. (see note below) Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. CarbQuik Bake Mix

½ tsp. each baking powder & baking soda

1 T. olive oil to grease pan slots

NOTE:  I was nearly out of my made-up batch of Jen Eloff’s bake mix, and in a hurry this morning, decided to just go on and use ½ c. her mix and ½ c. my at-the-ready Einkorn Bake Mix.  No difference in carb counts for ½ c. of both mixes.  Therefore you could use all my Einkorn Bake Mix if you prefer.  🙂  As to whether that change made the bread toast better?  Who knows?  I plan to try it with all Jen’s mix next time and see.  I’ll post back my findings. 

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  I bake these in 8 12 oz. canned chicken cans I have been saving for some time.  You can use mini round cake or pie pan tins.  Last resort, you could use the oversize muffin pans, but it will take 8 slots/portions (probably two separate bakings unless you have two of the 6-slot large-muffin pans) in order for the numbers below to be accurate. With a brush, lightly oil the bottoms and sides of your pans.  Mine did not stick, but if you’re worried, cut some small parchment rounds for the bottoms of your pans.

Soften cream cheese in a medium glass mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat with a whisk until smooth.  Add in eggs and whisk until smooth.  Add in the rest of the dry ingredients and when whisked smooth, scrape down the bowl with a rubber   spatula.  I didn’t use a measuring cup, but used my spatula to spoon up around ¼ cup of batter and fill each of the 8 oiled round pans.  I distributed the remaining batter as evenly as I could among the 8 pans.  Tap each pan on the counter to eliminate bubbles/air holes.  Set pans on a baking sheet and pop into 350º oven for 20 minutes.  Ovens vary, so keep an eye out.  Remove pan from oven and cool a minute or so.  Run a knife tip around the sides, lifting the bread as you do so.  Invert and tip the bread out of pan (only 1 of mine tried to stick to the pan).  Slice laterally into 2 or even 3 thinner slices and toast lightly in your toaster.  Serve with soft butter and the jams/jellies of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 round breads.  Each whole bread (unsliced) contains:  (Divide  these numbers by 2 or 3, depending on how you slice them for toasting.)

195 cals, 15g fat, 11.02g carbs, 6.87g fiber, 4.15g NET CARBS, 11.7g protein, 219 mg sodium

Iranian ‘Noon-Sangak’ (Flat Bread)

I miss Iranian flat bread they cook on pebbles in huge open ovens.  Bread is called ‘noon’ in Iran and the particular 2-foot sheet-bread I recall is called ‘sangak’, as it is cooked on an open-front, kiln-like oven directly on the surface of blazing hot pebbles therein.  I found a wonderful video on this bread making I will share:  https://thecaspianchef.com/2020/03/28/naan-sangak-persian-flatbread/.  They used much smaller pebbles in the Teheran bakeries and also used a long-handled wooden paddle to reach in the ovens to flop the oiled bread dough onto the pebbles, and long tongs for flipping the sheets over to cook the second side.  They picked off the burnt-on pebbles cursorily and quickly flopped it onto a sheet of brown paper for carrying home.         

This recipe for bread I have been working on for quite sometime.  It is finally where I want it both in texture (somewhat chewy) and flavor.   Though not true ‘noon-sangak’ by any stretch of the imagination, as a low-carber can’t eat a lot of whole wheat flour.  But it is similar in flavor and texture for serving with my Middle Eastern foods.   It is excellent right off the griddle hot with butter and will work well with your favorite curry recipes.  It also works for rolling and filling with eat mixtures or just for dipping into some hummus or Syrian Za’atar herb/oil mixture well-known throughout the Middle East.  I think any way you decide to serve it, this bread, for me, comes close to a ‘noon-sangak’ experience, minus the pebble part, that is.

This recipe is not suitable until you are at the grains rung of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder as there is some flour product in it.  But I found this little bit of flour absolutely necessary.  All trials for flat breads to dat attempting to use coconut flour alone, almond flour alone or any combination have come out just awful in my opinion.  This bread is one step closer in the right direction.   

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. low-carb CarbQuik bake mix (or other low-carb mix)

1 c. almond flour

½ c. Einkorn whole wheat flour (from Jovial Foods)

3 T. psyllium husk powder

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

2 T. olive oil

1¼ c. boiling water (added slowly, as all may not be needed)

1 T. olive oil for browning on griddle

DIRECTIONS:   Bring a kettle of water to boil and pour off 1¼ c. into a measuring cup (preferably one with a pour spout) and have by your work bowl.  Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well to blend ingredients evenly.  Drizzle the 2 T. olive oil over the dry ingredients.  With water in your left hand and a fork in your right, slowly pour most of the water (1 c.) over the dry ingredients whisking with your fork continuously as you do so.  All should begin to come together into a single mass of dough.  It will firm up as you work the dough.  Only add the remaining water (in small increments) if the mass of dough seems too dry to knead.  Dough will be a little sticky at first, but it dries slowly as you work it.  Use a silicone spatula to help you work the dough into a contiguous ball of dough and to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get all the dough.  Let dough sit on counter for 12-15 minutes or until you can hand knead it.

Knead the dough 8-10 times.  You can dust your hands with some low-carb flour to help you with handling if need be, but if the dough has set long enough, it should be getting dry enough extra flour dusting should not be necessary.

Set dough ball on a silicone sheet (or a piece of plastic wrap “glued” to your counter with a swipe of water), form a log shape with the dough.  Cut the log into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each into a smooth ball of dough with your palms and set on the edge  of your silicone sheet while you work.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel if you are a slow worker so it won’t dry out.  Heat a non-stick griddle to medium-high heat.  The remaining 1 T. olive is for oiling the griddle.  With your spatula, dot the griddle lightly between batches as you cook the breads, much as you do when making pancakes.

I cook 2 round flat breads (or 2 oblong one) on my griddle (spans 2 stove burners).  Using your palms and fingers, press 1 ball of dough on your silicone sheet into a 5-5½” circle.  Again, you can dust your hands with low-carb flour if need be, but I found it wasn’t necessary.  Lifting the silicone sheet, tip the flat dough round onto your free hand and transfer to hot, oiled griddle.  Brown to a golden color on both sides.   Remove to a serving platter and set near stove to keep warm while you cook the remaining sheets.  Serve at once with butter, za’atar herb/oil mix or your favorite Middle Eastern foods.  

Let’s get to that Noon Sangak flatbread I mentioned in my last  post.  How I miss Iranian street bread!  They cook in on pea gravel or pebbles in huge open ovens.  Bread is called ‘noon’ in Iran and the particular 2-foot sheet-bread I recall is called ‘sangak’, as it is cooked on an open-front, kiln-like oven directly on the surface of the white hot pebbles therein.  I found a wonderful video on this bread making I will share:  https://thecaspianchef.com/2020/03/28/naan-sangak-persian-flatbread/.  He uses much larger rocks, but you get the idea from his nice video.  The Teheran bakeries used a size pebble we call pea gravel here in the U.S.  The also used long-handled wooden paddles to reach in the ovens to just flip the oiled bread dough onto the pebbles, and long tongs for flipping the sheets over to cook the second side.  They picked off the burnt-on pebbles cursorily when it came out of the oven and quickly flopped the sheet onto awaiting brown paper for carrying home.         

This recipe for bread I have been working on for quite sometime in my attempts to replicate their bread with minimal flour.  It is finally to a nice point both in texture (somewhat chewy) and flavor.   Though not true ‘noon-sangak’ by any stretch of the imagination, as a low-carber that can’t eat a lot of whole wheat flour, it is similar in flavor and texture for serving with my Middle Eastern foods.   It is excellent right off the griddle hot with butter and will work well with your favorite curry recipes.  It also works for rolling and filling with eat mixtures or just for dipping into some hummus or Syrian Za’atar herb/oil mixture well-known throughout the Middle East.  I think any way you decide to serve it, this bread, for me, comes close to a ‘noon-sangak’ experience, minus the pebble part, that is.

This recipe is not suitable until you are at the grains rung of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder as there is some flour product in it.  But I found this little bit of flour absolutely necessary.  All trials for flat breads to dat attempting to use coconut flour alone, almond flour alone or any combination have come out just awful in my opinion.  This bread is one step closer in the right direction.   

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. low-carb CarbQuik bake mix (or some other low-carb bake mix)

1 c. almond flour

½ c. Einkorn whole wheat flour (from Jovial Foods)

3 T. psyllium husk powder

1½ tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

2 T. olive oil

1¼ c. boiling water (added slowly, as all may not be needed)

1 T. olive oil for browning on griddle

DIRECTIONS:   Bring a kettle of water to boil and pour off 1¼ c. into a measuring cup (preferably one with a pour spout) and have by your work bowl.  Measure dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir well to blend ingredients evenly.  Drizzle the 2 T. olive oil over the dry ingredients.  With water in your left hand and a fork in your right, slowly pour most of the water (1 c.) over the dry ingredients whisking with your fork continuously as you do so.  All should begin to come together into a single mass of dough.  It will firm up as you work the dough.  Only add the remaining water (in small increments) if the mass of dough seems too dry to knead.  Dough will be a little sticky at first, but it dries slowly as you work it.  Use a silicone spatula to help you work the dough into a contiguous ball of dough and to scrape down the sides of the bowl to get all the dough.  Let dough sit on counter for 12-15 minutes or until you can hand knead it.

Knead the dough 8-10 times.  You can dust your hands with some low-carb flour to help you with handling if need be, but if the dough has set long enough, it should be getting dry enough extra flour dusting should not be necessary.

Set dough ball on a silicone sheet (or a piece of plastic wrap “glued” to your counter with a swipe of water), form a log shape with the dough.  Cut the log into 8 equal pieces.  Roll each into a smooth ball of dough with your palms and set on the edge  of your silicone sheet while you work.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel if you are a slow worker so it won’t dry out.  Heat a non-stick griddle to medium-high heat.  The remaining 1 T. olive is for oiling the griddle.  With your spatula, dot the griddle lightly between batches as you cook the breads, much as you do when making pancakes.

I cook 2 round flat breads (or 2 oblong one) on my griddle (spans 2 stove burners).  Using your palms and fingers, press 1 ball of dough on your silicone sheet into a 5-5½” circle.  Again, you can dust your hands with low-carb flour if need be, but I found it wasn’t necessary.  Lifting the silicone sheet, tip the flat dough round onto your free hand and transfer to hot, oiled griddle.  Brown to a golden color on both sides.   Remove to a serving platter and set near stove to keep warm while you cook the remaining sheets.  Serve at once with butter, za’atar herb/oil mix or your favorite Middle Eastern foods.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 8 servings, each piece contains:

195 cals, 14g fat, 17g carbs, 10g fiber, 7g NET CARBS, 6g protein, 303 mg sodium

VARIATION:  If making to use as tortillas, divide the log of dough into TEN portions and roll it out much thinner, as thinly as you can.  Each tortilla will have 126 calories, 11g fat, 13.37g carbs, 7.7g fiber, 4.8g protein and 180 mg sodium

Cheese Flat Bread

Cheese flat breads for your dining pleasure.  Nice with dinner (baked in a muffin pan) as a roll; nice baked flat for sandwiches.  This recipe is quick to pull together with my Einkorn Bake Mix at the ready, so what are you waiting for?  Get in that kitchen and whip up a batch of these to serve with dinner tonight!  Suitable once you get to Phase 2 grains level of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (or use all cheddar, but result will be greasier)

½ c. my homemade Einkorn Bake Mix

2 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a baking sheet with either parchment or a silicone sheet.  If you would prefer a muffin shape, use a non-stick muffin pan, a silicone pan or oil the slots slightly. I like the flat ones so any leftovers can be used to make sandwiches.  🙂

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the two cheeses and the bake mix and stir well until it is uniformly forming a moist ball.  Divide into 6 equal portions and slightly form into balls.  Place on lined baking sheet and slightly flatten (or make into muffins, filling muffin cups with 1/6 of the batter).  For making dinner rolls, you might want to use a muffin pan with large slots for higher rise.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for about 17-18 minutes (20-22  min. if done in muffin pan for rolls) or until they are golden.  Remove and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 portions, each contains:

205 calories, 15.5g fat, 4.46g carbs, 0.76g fiber, 3.7g NET CARBS, 13.3g protein, 353 mg sodium (you can lower carbs by using another low-carb bake mix)

 

Einkorn Onion-Dill Biscuits

My mother used to make a yeast bread recipe for Onion-Dill Bread when I was in high school.  We loved it!  I was thinking of that today and wondered if it could be done as a biscuit.  Thought that might be good with our dinner tonight, so I took my Einkorn RWS Biscuit recipe and tweaked it a bit to add the requisite cottage cheese and flavorings this bread is famous for.  Well we both gave it a thumbs up!  A definite keeper.  Slathered in butter these are divine!  These would not be suitable until you are in Pre-Maintenance or are near/at goal weight due to the Einkorn and Carbalose flours in them.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself, is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new creations by Chef George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.  Order your copy (or any of our  cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix

½ c. shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

4 T. Resistant Wheat Starch 75 (I order at Netrition.com)

¼ c. cottage cheese

½ tsp. each dried dill weed and onion powder

2 T. Carbalose flour to help form shapes

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place parchment or a silicone sheet on your baking pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, measure out 2 c. my bake mix.  Stir well with a fork rework any shortening lumps until the mix is again the texture of grainy cornmeal.  Add all remaining ingredients but the Carbalose flour.  Stir dough with a rubber spatula and form into a ball.  Dust the dough and your hands lightly with Carbalose flour and knead the dough 4-5 times.  Form dough into a log and cut into 7 equal portions (about ½ c. batter each).  Form the seven dough into smooth balls (dust Carbalose on your hands again if needed) and set them on pan spaced evenly.  Slightly flatten the tops to create a 1″ tall x 2″ wide biscuit shape.  Pop pan into 350º oven for 15-17 minutes or until dry to touch in center and lightly browned.  These rise up nicely and spread modestly during baking.   🙂  Serve hot with butter. Leftovers should keep nicely for a week in the fridge in a plastic bag or in the freezer for up to a month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 large biscuits, each contains:

276.3 cals., 20.3g fat, 15.1g carbs, 7.17g fiber, 7.93g NET CARBS, 216 mg sodium

Rind-Korn Biscuits

These biscuits were inspired by a recipe of Widget (on Low-Carb Neighborhood forums).  She developed a biscuit that uses almond flour and pork rind flour.  I have been meaning to try them for ages but simply have not.  So this morning was the day.  But I decided to put my experimenting cap on.  First off, I added a little Einkorn flour for the flour-y flavor and texture it brings to baked goods.  Second, I could tell that they were going to be way to sweet for our taste, so I reduced the sweetener by a whopping 2/3!  I also got 7 biscuits and surprisingly had to cook them quite a bit longer.  The only other change that I WISH I had made, was to not use a silicone muffin pan.  I like my biscuits brown on top and bottom.  So I encourage you to use a metal pan if you try these.  These are so delicious I will definitely be making them again.  I also like that the recipe only makes 6 biscuits, as I personally don’t care for re-heated low-carb biscuits.  They dry out too much in my opinion and sometimes give off a taste of the leavening with reheating.  These biscuits are not suitable for those still on Atkins Induction or very early in their weight-loss journey.  That said, you can eliminate the Einkorn flour, making them more like her original recipe, and enjoy them as soon as you get to the nust level of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself, is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes! Chef George Stella and Jennifer Eloff have also included several tasty new creations! Order your copy (or any of our earlier cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour

1/4 c. ground (½ oz.) pork rinds

2 tsp. Splenda (or 2 tsp. sugar equivalent of other sweetener)

1 tsp. baking powder

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil 7 cups of a muffin tin.  Soften cream cheese and whisk it smooth.  You don’t want any lumps in it.  Whisk in the eggs until the mixture is creamy smooth.  Add in all dry ingredients slowly, whisking between additions.  Spoon the batter into 7 oiled cups equally (about 3 T. batter per slot).  Tap pan on counter to release any air bubbles.  Pop into 350º oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (ovens can vary) or until lightly golden on top.  Remove and serve hot with butter and your favorite jams or jelly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 7 biscuits, each contains:  161 calories, 13.7 g fat, 4.85 g carbs, 1.42 g fiber, 3.43 g NET CARBS (without Einkorn flour, 2.43 NC), 7.12 g protein, 179 mg sodium

Einkorn RWS Biscuits

I just whipped up a batch of these this morning.  They’re my go-to recipe now.  These biscuits are the ones I’m most proud of in 14 years of low-carb biscuit experimentation.  Being a southern girl, I just have to have some good biscuits a couple times a month.  My trials of low-carb biscuit recipes I found around the internet have so often come out overly dry, hard as a rock, crumbled up on my plate, tasted like baking powder, were too cheesy, too coconut tasting…….in other words, disappointing.

Well, I finally achieved a biscuit that even my husband says tastes and has the mouthfeel of a real flour biscuit.  Soft, and with no funny tastes.  🙂   One added note:  using mozzarella in lieu of the Monterey Jack cheese in these will make the cheese flavor come through more, just to let you know.  I definitely prefer the jack cheese taste here as it is more neutral.    

Einkorn flour is ground from an ancient strain of wheat that is not genetically modified like most modern wheat.  I think the Einkorn and the Resistant Wheat Starch (RWS) are what make this recipe stand out amongst all my others.  I order my RWS from Netrition.com and the Einkorn flour direct from Jovial Foods website.  These biscuits are not suitable until you near goal weight as there is real flour in them, so wait until Pre-Maintenance phase of Atkins to enjoy these.  

If you prefer not eating wheat at all, you will want to try instead my Peggy’s Fluffy Biscuits.  

INGREDIENTS:  (all available at Netrition.com and elsewhere on the internet)

2 c. my homemade Einkorn Bake Mix

½ c. Monterey Jack Cheese (or mozzarella), shredded

2 large eggs, beaten

4 T. resistant wheat starch (or ¼ c. more bake mix if unavailable)

¼ c. cream (or milk)

about ¼ c. water, added last and slowly

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place parchment or a silicone sheet on 13×15 baking pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, measure out 2 c. my bake mix.  Though it helps to let the mix come to room temp, you still need to rework shortening lumps with a fork until the mix is again the texture of cornmeal.  Add all remaining ingredients but the water and stir well.  Add water slowly but only enough to form a thick dough.  Let dough sit on counter 2-3 minutes to set up a bit. 

Dip up 7 equal portions (about ½ c. batter each).  With floured hands, form into balls and set them on pan spaced evenly.  Slightly press to a height of 1″  (will be around 2″ diameter).  Pop pan into 350º oven for 15-17 minutes or until dry to touch in center and lightly browned on surface.  These rise up nicely.   🙂  Serve hot with butter and your favorite jam.  Leftovers should keep nicely for a week in your refrigerator in a zippered plastic bag or for a month in the freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 7 biscuits.  Each one contains:

283 calories, 23.11 g  fat, 11.82 g  carbs,  4.62 g  fiber, 7.2 g  NET CARBS, 12.11 g  protein, 190 mg sodium

Mozzy Dough

Italian Chicken Tart

Used in a pizza-like Italian Chicken Tart

I’ve begun experimenting with a dough that is somewhere between the Flathead Pizza Crust recipe on the Diet Doctor’s website and Jennifer Eloff’s Miracle Dough recipe.  But the final result is a little less delicate when rolling/handling.  This dough has good elasticity and flavor and numerous possible applications.  I can see I’ll be using this dough recipe a lot.  I have made a couple minor changes since my original version, noted below in ingredients, reflected in the revised nutritional stats.

TIP: As a time saver, I’m now making up 10 batches of the dry ingredients pre-measured on paper plates. Then I fold and pour each into a sandwich bag and store the bags in a shoe box in my pantry. Very convenient…..as then all I have to do is grab a bag, melt the butter, add the beaten egg, melt the cheese and make my dough ball. So easy that way. I store the paper plates and baggies and re-use for the next batch. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 T. cream cheese

1½ T. melted butter (slightly less than my original recipe)

1 egg, beaten

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Gluten-Free Bake Mix

½ c. Carbquik (or another ½ c. gluten-free mix)

1 T. oat fiber

3/4 tsp. psyllium husk powder (for rolls, only use 1/4 tsp)

Dash each onion and garlic powder (omit for dessert applications)

DIRECTIONS:  Measure out all dry ingredients in small bowl, stir well and set aside.  Place mozzy cheese and cream cheese in glass or ceramic bowl and microwave on HI for about 1-1½ minutes to melt it.  Remove and stir quickly with a fork.  Add the egg and melted butter and stir again.  Quickly pour in the dry ingredients and stir quickly with a fork to form a congruous ball of dough, making sure to get it all off the sides of the bowl.  Knead or stir a few minutes to be sure all is uniformly mixed.  Proceed to make a 12″ pizza crust (moisten hands with water to avoid sticking to fingers), pie crust, hand pies, sweet filled pastries, dinner rolls (omit onion/garlic powder for sweet applications) or whatever application you dream up.  For pizza bake at 350º until dry to touch.  Remove, slide parchment paper out from under pizza, add toppings and bake 15-18 minutes longer to desired brown level.

Mozzy Dough Ball

Formed ball once all ingredients kneaded together.

CORRECTED NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes enough for a large pie-crust with lovely fluted edge, 4 hand pies, a small 12″ pizza or 7 dinner rolls or mini pizza rounds.

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1140 calories, 95.8 g fat, 58.6 g carbs, 37.6 g fiber, 21 g NET CARBS, 81.2 g protein, 1542 mg sodium (divide by number of servings/pieces for the specific application you use this for)

 

Gluten-Free Grain-Free Focaccia

Click to enlarge

Now that I don’t use Carbquik much anymore, this new gluten-free bread has become my go to bread for sandwiches.  It has blown away all my previous sandwich bread recipes (but maybe one)!  It has a lovely bottom and top crust and is not crumbly like so many low-carb breads.   A piece hot from the oven with butter is amazingly good!  It toasts OK, but not great. But then what low-carb bread does?  It makes great deli-style or grilled cheese sandwiches!  No flax taste at all!  I will definitely explore other uses, both savory and sweet.  Already found out it makes a wonderful pizza crust  and great sandwich buns as well.   It makes wonderful “bagels”, muffin top buns and muffins, as seen below.  You can even make sweet things with this batter, like blueberry bagels and cinnamon donuts!

TIP:  If you are not gluten-free, I find 1 T. oat fiber improves this bread’s texture greatly.  But remember, if you add it, OAT FIBER IS NOT GLUTEN FREE.

click to enlarge

  Before Slicing

Click to enlarge

Made as slider buns, cinnamon donuts and herb muffins

This recipe is suitable for Phase 2 Atkins, Keto diets, Primal folks if consumed only occasionally.  This bread would not be suitable for Paleo.

Many more delicious gluten-free bread recipes for bread and baked goods await you in Jennifer Eloff’s latest cookbook series:  Low Carbing Among Friends.  You can have your very own set (or individual volumes) of this fast-selling 5-volume collection of recipes by some of the most talented low-carb cooks on the internet.  Order at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

1 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1 T. warm water (optional, for flavor only)

Spices or seeds of your choosing sprinkled on top before baking.  I often use this mixture:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/peggys-8-seed-spice-blend/

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar, both cheeses and dissolved yeast (if using).  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan either with parchment paper or silicone sheet.  Scrap the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a rectangle that is roughly 10″x13″.  Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Sprinkle on spices if using any.  Pop bread into 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until done to the touch in the center and lightly browned around the edges.  Cool a few minutes and cut evenly into 9 “slices.  When totally cool, store in plastic bag in your refrigerator.

NOTE:  This can also be baked in a small 8×4 loaf, which will take about 30 minutes to cook:

Baked as a Loaf

   Baked as a Loaf

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 9 large slices, each contains:

149 calories, 11.5 g  fat, 3.5 g  carbs, 2.1 g  fiber, 1.4 g  NET CARBS, 10.1 g  protein, 204 mg sodium

Sausage Cheese Biscuits

 

How about a pan of these delicious hearty biscuits for breakfast in the morning?  They are tasty, very light and are not at all crumbly like so many low-carb bisctuits turn out.   Better yet, they are very simple to make!  This is certainly a breakfast treat suitable for Atkins Induction or other Keto diets if the numbers will fit into your daily menu limits.  

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. whey protein, unflavored, unsweetened

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

4 oz. pork breakfast sausage, cooked

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. coconut flour

1 T. almond flour

1 T. oat fiber (for gluten-free biscuits, omit or substitute 1 T. certified gluten-free oat flour)

Pinch garlic powder

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. melted butter, unsalted

3 T. cream

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Brown sausage in non-stick skillet, crumbling it up well.  Melt butter in mixing bowl in microwave.  Add cream and beaten egg.  Add sausage and cheese and stir.  Measure out all dry ingredients on top and stir all together just until ingredients are well mixed.  Using a 2T. measuring cup, scoop out rounded scoops (about ¼ c.) into 8 greased muffin cups (I use a silicon muffin pan).  If any batter is left in the bowl, top each off equally with the remaining batter.  I used a square muffin pan and this amount of batter made eight that rose nearly double, but did not mound very high, as you can see in the pic.  Bake at 350º for about 12-15 minutes, but check at 10 minutes as ovens vary.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 biscuits, each contains:

106 calories, 8.6 g  fat, 2.06 g carbs, 0.84g fiber, 1.12 g  NET CARBS, 8.79 g  protein, 189 mg sodium

Einkorn Buttermilk Biscuits

einkorn-buttermilk-biscuits

My latest biscuit experiment came out delicious!  The hubs said he really liked these.  I decided to see what a little Einkorn flour would bring to my new Buttermilk Biscuits recipe posted last week.  I’m pleased with the results!  The texture didn’t change dramatically, and they took a wee bit longer to cook, but I love the added buttermilk taste of these!  This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains level of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.  With the addition of the Einkorn flour, these are certainly not my lowest carb biscuits.  So browse my other biscuit recipes if you are looking for a lower carb count. I have a number of them now. 🙂

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 c. CarbQuik bake mix

1/4 c. Einkorn flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 T. egg white protein powder (optional rise booster)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten (use 2 eggs if you omit the egg white protein above)

4 T. sour cream

4 T. melted butter

1 c. 2% buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 425º.  Oil an ebilskiver or turnover pan, muffin pan, muffin-top pan, or parchment line a baking sheet.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir in the cheese shreds.  In a small bowl, beat the egg, sour cream, butter and buttermilk together with a whisk.  Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry and mix/wold well with a rubber spatula to form a nice ball of dough that is mildly wet.  Form into eight equal portions, shaping them taller than flatter if using s sheet pan.  Place into oiled pan slots or equally spaced on your baking sheet.   Pop into 425º oven for 16-18 minutes. Watch them closely after the 12 minute mark, as ovens do vary.   Slice and butter or serve with jams of your choosing.

NUTRITONAL INFO:   Makes 8 biscuits, each contains:

143.5 calories, 12.9 g fat, 11.08 g carbs, 5.17 g fiber, 5.91 g NET CARBS, 7.2 g protein, 307 mg sodium

Chicken and Dumplings

Click to enlarge

Man, this Induction-friendly dish is real winter comfort food for us.  It tastes even better than it looks!  Just what you need on a chilly day.  A cyber friend said it is snowing today where she is this week!  So I thought I’d share this American classic in two versions.  First one is Atkins Induction-friendly based on the dumpling recipe used.  It’s a marvelous use of Oopsie Rolls and I was astounded they held up to 20 minutes of broth simmering!  The spongy, egg-like quality of Oopsie Rolls is just perfect for this application!  Just as an FYI, you can also cut the rolls up into smaller pieces for adding small “dumplings” to other soups.   🙂   If you want to double or triple this recipe, it definitely freezes well.

For more traditional dumplings, slightly higher carbs but still low-carb, try this recipe sometime but just substitute in my Peggy’s Original Dumplings for the Oopsie Rolls listed in the above recipe.   You will not be sorry, as even my husband thinks this version of low-carb chicken and dumplings are a pretty good imitation of his mom’s chicken and dumplings.  She made hers with cut up canned biscuits.   His mom wasn’t fond of cooking and never made such things from scratch with flour.  She always took shortcuts when cooking (who doesn’t occasionally).  How that version cooks up is shown below: 

 INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken breast (large, about 8 oz.)

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth (plus enough water to cover chicken well if needed)

3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

3 large stalks celery, chopped coarsely

1 chicken bouillon cube

Dash black pepper

2 Oopsie Rolls (also called Improved Revolution Rolls)

¼-½ tsp. xanthan gum to thicken

DIRECTIONS: Cut chicken breast in half for two servings.  Place in stew pot.  Cover with all remaining ingredients except Oopsie Rolls and xanthan gum.  Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Break or cut up rolls into quarter-sized “dumplings” and drop into broth.  Continue to simmer for 15-20 more minutes.  Do not disturb with spoon too much and the “dumplings” will not fall apart at all.  Right before serving, dust xanthan gum over surface and gently stir, waiting between successive dustings to allow to thicken.  When you get to the desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

350 calories, 16.2 g  fat, 5.9 g  carbs, 3.5 g  fiber, 2.4 g  NET CARBS, 41.5 g  protein, 1500 mg sodium

Made with my “Peggy’s Original Dumplings” recipe for the dumplings (not suitable during Atkins Induction Phase I).

Buttermilk Biscuits

Buttermilk Biscuits

Well these certainly came out delicious!  The hubs said he really liked them.  I wanted the taste of buttermilk in a biscuit and had not tried that to date.  I’m pleased with the resulting biscuits, which are not grainy, crumbly or dense like so many low-carb biscuits.  These are actually pretty light.   This recipe was inspired by one posted by “EnglishLit” on Low Carb Friends forums.  I have changed it up quite a bit, but the basic flour she begins with is unchanged in this version.  This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains level of the Atkins carb re-introduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. CarbQuik bake mix (or other low-carb mix)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 T. egg white protein powder (optional rise booster)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1 egg, beaten (use 2 eggs if you omit the egg white protein above)

4 T. sour cream

4 T. melted butter

1 c. 2% buttermilk

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 425º.  Oil an ebilskiver or turnover pan, muffin pan, muffin-top pan, or parchment line a baking sheet.

Mix dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir in the cheese shreds.  In a small bowl, beat the egg, sour cream, butter and buttermilk together with a whisk.  Scrape the wet ingredients into the dry and mix/wold well with a rubber spatula to form a nice ball of dough that is mildly wet.  Form into eight equal portions, shaping them taller than flatter if using s sheet pan.  Place into oiled pan slots or equally spaced on your baking sheet.   Pop into 425º oven for 12-15 minutes. Watch them closely after the 12 minute mark, as ovens vary.   Slice and butter or serve with jams of your choosing.

NUTRITONAL INFO:   Makes 8 biscuits, each contains:

127.4 calories, 12.9g fat, 8.58g carbs, 5.46g fiber, 3.12g NET CARBS, 6.7g protein, 307 mg sodium

Flax-Whey Protein Bread

Click to enlarge. Sprinkled with 8-Seed Crust blend

Sprinkled with 8-Seed Crust blend

This bread is my previous Low-Carb Flax Bread that is evolving for the better.  I’m not so fond of the taste of flax and have made some further changes to my first Atkins Induction-friendly recipe.  Those changes are reflected below.  The result has a lovely taste and texture, although not as good as my gluten-free focaccia recipe…….but I can’t have that right now as I’ve returned to an ULTRA low-carb regimen.  Just replace 1/2 cup of the golden flax with the dark flax and sprinkle some caraway seed on top for a rye version.  Although not particularly low-calorie, this bread has only 1.05 net carbs per slice!  Better yet, a slice is thick enough to laterally slice into two thin slices for toasting at breakfast!

If you’re not familiar with oat fiber (please don’t confuse with its carbier cousin oat bran!) it has 26 grams carbs per serving and nearly 26 grams fiber, so it’s a wash on the carbs after subtracting the indigestible fiber.  Technically it comes from the oat grain’s husk, and grains aren’t allowed during Induction.  You CAN omit it here, but it adds much flavor and texture to this bread.  Oat fiber comes from the outer husk of the oat.  I have never gained eating small amounts of it, so I include it in most all of my baked goods.  Your mileage may vary, so tread carefully the first time you consume oat fiber. If you gain or find it stirs carb cravings, then by all means, do not eat it again until you get to the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb ladder.

I prefer baking this bread in a large sheet pan, because I can easily cut into 16 uniform slices, with more crust, too!  It also is pretty easy to slice each portion laterally if you wish even thinner slices for toasting.  I just can’t slice real thin slices with a loaf of most low-carb breads…….I just can’t, without botching the slice totally.

Here’s one happy customer’s reaction to this bread:

I am so happy I found your site. I have made this recipe 3 times. and it is so good. My pan is 10X13, but it works find for me. We both think it taste like cornbread.
So I have added some stevia to make it a little sweet. And I use coconut oil instead of olive oil and increased it to 1/4 cup.
I have not had any bread for the last few years. And I can’t seem to get enough of this since I have been making it.
I really like that it slices, and stays together.
I will have to try the Low-Salt Sandwich Bread and see how it is with out cheese. I bet it is just as good.
I like it because it is Low Carb and have alot of protein.
Thank You

 

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon  or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. golden flax meal

1/3 c. oat fiber

2 T. glucomannan (konjac) powder

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 1/3 c. warm water

1½ c. plain whey protein

¼ tsp. salt

1T + 1 tsp. baking powder

7 eggs

1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack

4 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all dry ingredients and cheese in large bowl.  Add eggs, water and oil, beating eggs well until batter is well blended.  Line 11×17 sheet pan with parchment.  With a rubber spatula, scrape batter onto parchment.  Using the back of a dinner fork, spread batter from the center out to the edges of the pan, as evenly as possible.   I sprinkle caraway or other spices seed over half the sheet bread.  Bake for around 18 minutes until center is dry and springs back when touched.  Avoid over browning.  Cool and cut into 16 equal slices.  I store this bread in a gallon plastic bag in the fridge until ready to use.  It keeps about 2-3 weeks.  Can be toasted or rewarmed in a low oven.  This recipe rises enough (3/4″ thick) that you can actually slice it laterally and get a sandwich (2 slices) out of each 1/16th slice of this bread!  That really helps keep you within your daily carb limits!  This bread freezes well but remember to never freeze bread longer than a month, ANY bread, low carb or otherwise, as it dried out beyond edibility.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 16 portions, each contains:

195 calories, 14.77 g  fat, 7.27 g  carbs, 6.22 g  fiber, 1.05 g  NET CARBS, 14.6 g  protein, 237 mg sodium

Einkorn Dinner Rolls

Einkorn Dinner Rolls (2)

These are my best dinner roll recipe to date without all the cheese in them!  Soft inside; slightly chewy crust and a marvelous flavor.  And they rise up nicer than any low carb rolls I’ve made so far!  You can bake this dough in a loaf pan for slicing bread also.

My husband even liked this bread, and he’s real hard to please when it comes to bread.  These have a nice mouth feel one finds in good traditional yeast bread, not the typical coarse, dense crumb of low-carb breads.  I even included some dissolved yeast for that added flavor.

These make very nice sliders, too.  Here’s a close-up on the smooth texture:

I order my non-GMO Einkorn flour direct from Jovial Foods.  Some have found it at Safeway and other stores, but I’ve not been so fortunate.  Einkorn is real, ancient wheat, that has not been hybridized.  I use only the tiniest amounts in the occasional baked goods recipes.  It brings so much texture and flavor for little carbs if used sparingly to enhance alternate flours.  This recipe is not suitable until you are near goal weight (Pre-Maintenance).

VARIATION:   Sprinkle some of my 8-Seed Blend or Everything Bagel seasoning on tops of rolls before baking:

DRY INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

2 T. Einkorn flour

½ c. egg white protein powder (I use NOW brand)

2 T. oat fiber

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. baking powder

2 T. golden flax meal (dark flax or a mixture can be used for a darker, nuttier-tasting bread)

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. psyllium husk powder (I use NOW brand)

WET INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp. dry yeast dissolved in 2 T. warm water + pinch sugar (consumed by yeast)

5 large eggs, beaten

3 T. olive oil

¼ c. egg whites (I used the ones in a carton)

½ c. tap water, boiling (added last per directions)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease or oil a standard muffin tin and set aside.    Dissolve yeast in 2 T. warm water and add a tiny pinch sugar.  Set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, measure out all dry ingredients.  Stir well.  In another medium bowl, add the first 5 wet ingredients (all but the boiling water) and beat with a fork.  Add the dissolved yeast mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with fork.   Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and beat well using a rubber spatula. Slowly add the boiling water to the batter and stir to blend. Batter will be lumpy.  Now, using a whisk, beat until batter is smoother (about 15 times is all it should take).  Spoon batter into greased muffin tin cups 3/4 full evenly distributing the batter as best you can.  I actually used a silicone muffin pan.  Bake at 350º for around 30 minutes, but check them at 20 minutes as ovens vary. If not firm and dry to touch on tops, cook 5 or so minutes longer.  Remove from oven and in a few minutes, lift out with knife tip or tip onto board to finish cooling.  Serve warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 12 dinner rolls, each contains:

123 cals, 8.56g fat, 6.53g carbs, 3.93g fiber, 2.6g NET CARBS, 4.85g protein, 222 mg sodium

Spinach Cheese Bread

Spinach Cheese Bread

Not quite wanting pizza for lunch, I turned to an old, simpler approach yesterday.  This was created with my best pizza crust recipe, modified it a wee bit, added more cheese and some spinach and MAN!  Was this ever good!  And look how low-carb it is!!!!!    Even my husband said “This is really, really good, Peggy!  Be sure to upload this onto the blog!”  And it is so easy to put together.  You can enjoy this delicious treat once you are at Atkins Phase 2 and beyond.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. whey protein powder, unflavored

¼ c. golden flax meal (or more whey protein powder)

1 tsp. baking powder

2 T. oat fiber (not the same thing as oat bran!)

4 T. (2 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 tsp. dry yeast, well-dissolved in 2 T. warm water

2 c. shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese

1 c. frozen chopped spinach (I did not thaw)

VARIATION:   Remove from oven before fully done, spread a few tablespoons Alfredo sauce and some more sprinkles of spinach on top.  Dust with Parmesan and pop back into oven for more of a true spinach pizza result.  (variation not figured in the nutritional numbers below)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a medium mixing bowl, measure out all dry ingredients but the yeast.  Stir well.  Dissolve the yeast in the 2 T. water.  Add to bowl with dry ingredients.  Add in the beaten eggs, cream, vinegar and softened cream cheese.  Beat the wet ingredients into the dry a few strokes.  Add the Jack or mozzy cheese shreds and un-defrosted spinach (break up clumps as you go) and stir to form a thick batter.  Line a 9″ x 12″ sheet pan with silicone or parchment.  Spread batter evenly to fill the pan.  Pop into 350º oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and dry to the touch in the center.  Remove and cool a few minutes.   Cut into 12 pieces and serve.  If you eat it while still real hot, you will need a fork.  It gets easier to handle in your hand (and tastier) as it begins to cool a bit.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 12 servings, each contains:

154 cals, 12.3 g fat, 3.75 g carbs, 2.49 g fiber, 1.26 g NET CARBS, 9.5 g protein, 232 mg sodium

Ham-Spinach Alfredo Pizza

Ham-Spinach Alfredo PizzaI’m taking a lot of shortcuts in the kitchen these days dealing with back issues that make it difficult to stand for long periods of time.  So today’s lunch, a quick and simple pizza, was made with a Joseph’s Flax-Oat Bran Pita bread, at 4 net carbs per piece.  They make pretty good pizza crusts but I’d not used one for a crust in a pretty long time.  I forget how good they are.  Of course, making one of my own pizza crusts would be a few less carbs, but like I said, I’m taking short cuts these days.    This pizza was quite tasty, with just a hint of basil.  Fresh basil doesn’t agree with my stomach, so I can’t use more than 1 leaf in anything, but it was quite good here.   This pizza isn’t suitable until you get to the grains level of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote them because these are GREAT cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:  

1   Joseph’s Flax Meal and Oat Bran Pita bread round

1 T. cream cheese, melted

1 oz. mozzarella cheese shreds

1 T. grated Parmesan cheese

¼ c. chopped spinach leaves

1 basil leaf, chopped

½ oz. red onion, sliced as thin as possible

1 oz. cured ham (I used ½ slice of Cure 81 ham)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place pita on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment.  With the back of a spoon, smear the melted cream cheese onto the crust.  Sprinkle with Parmesan and most of the mozzarella shreds.  Evenly spread the spinach on top.  Then add the red onion and finally, the ham.  Sprinkle basil on top.   Finally sprinkle the rest of the mozzarella on top.  Pop into 350º oven for about 15 minutes to allow all the cheeses to melt and flavors to blend.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 1 pizza which contains:

277 calories

16.6 g fat

11.1 g carbs, 4.9 g fiber, 6.8 g  NET CARBS

23 g protein

985 mg sodium

 

 

Sausage Breakfast Focaccia

It's gluten-free, too!!

To quote the bard, “a sausage biscuit by any other name……” would taste as sweet.  🙂  A tasty new way to use my wonderful gluten-free focaccia bread recipe.   You’ll be happy to know you CANNOT taste the flax meal in this bread either!

TIP:  If you are not gluten-free, I find 1 T. oat fiber improves this bread’s taste and texture greatly.  But remember, if you add it, OAT FIBER IS NOT GLUTEN FREE.

This recipe is suitable for Phase 2 Atkins, Keto diets, Primal folks if consumed only occasionally.  This bread would not be suitable for Paleo.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends. Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for book promotions. I do so because they are GREAT cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

BREAD INGREDIENTS:

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. golden flax meal

¼ c. plain whey protein powder

1 tsp. baking powder

3 T. cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs, beaten

1 c. grated Monterrey Jack cheese

½ c. grated Mozzarella cheese

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1 T. heavy cream

1 T. water

1 tsp. yeast dissolved in 1 T. warm water (optional, for flavor only)

1 T. oat fiber (optional)

TOPPING:   5 oz. browned sausage + 1 c. more shredded cheese of your choice

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften cream cheese in medium mixing bowl in microwave.  Beat in the eggs, cream, water, vinegar, both cheeses and dissolved yeast (if using).  Measure and add in all the dry ingredients and stir well with a rubber spatula. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  You can also use a non-stick pan.  I would not recommend silicone, as this won’t brown as nicely on your Silpat.  Scrap the batter onto the prepared pan, spreading it as evenly as possible with the spatula into a rectangle that is roughly 10″x13″.  Batter will be about ¼” thick.  Sprinkle on cooked sausage and then the mozzarella shreds.  Lightly press down on the toppings so they embed slightly into the batter.  Pop pan into 350º oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until dry to the touch in center and lightly browned on the edges.  .  Cool a few minutes and cut evenly into 9 slices and enjoy!  When totally cool, store in plastic bag in your refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Entire sheet contains:  2113 calories, 164 g fat, 30.6 g carbs, 13.8 g fiber, 16.8 g net carbs, 142 g protein, 3334 mg sodium  (divide by number of servings you cut)

If cut into 9 portions, each serving would contain:

235 calories

18.2 g  fat

3.4 g  carbs, 1.53 g  fiber, 1.87 g  NET CARBS

15.73 g  protein

370 mg sodium

Einkorn Cracklin’ Cornbread

Crackling CornbreadI truly had forgotten about this fun cornbread my paternal Granny used to make in a cast iron skillet.  Hers was pretty coarse, as she made her own cracklin’s which were quite tough to chop up.  But thanks to modern inventions 😉 I used a food processor and created a tasty little crackling bread.  It’s high in sodium because of the pork rinds, but nobody makes those unsalted to my knowledge (and I just won’t make them from scratch). This bread came out delicious!! It was so moist. It tasted very much like regular cornbread and definitely like the Cracklin’ Cornbread my Granny used to make.  Make yourself a batch and slather it in butter!  This is not suitable until you are quite a ways along in your weight loss efforts and nearly to goal weight (pre-Maintenance or Maintenance), due to the hominy.  Makes a nice foundation for holiday turkey stuffing, too.

INGREDIENTS:  

½ c. Juanita’s Mexican hominy, drained well

4 eggs

1 T. + 1 tsp. Fresh Corn Flavoring

3/4 c. buttermilk (2% is what I used)

4 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

1 c. my Einkorn Bake Mix  (or other low-carb mix)

2 tsp. baking soda

1 T. psyllium

1 c. pork rind flour (rinds crushed fine)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of a 9″ round cake pan.  Grease the sides of the pan with oil. Place the hominy, buttermilk and eggs in the food processor.  Add the food coloring and corn flavoring.  Process until fairly smooth.  Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.  Measure all dry ingredients on top and stir until if forms a smooth batter.  It will be a thick batter (you can add 1-2 T. more buttermilk if you think it is too thick. With a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with the spatula.  Pop into preheated 350º oven.  Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out dry and clean.  Ovens vary, so yours may take 5 minutes or so more cooking time.  Remove and slice into 8 pieces.  Serve warm with butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 slices, each one contains:

190 cals, 12.4g fat, 8.61g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 6.31g NET CARBS, 12.37g protein, 578 mg sodium  (from the pork rinds)

Einkorn Focaccia

Einkorn Focaccia

Einkorn Focaccia

This is basically just my Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Bun recipe baked in a focaccia style sheet, cut into more portions.  The original psyllium/hot water technique was inspired by Maria Emerich’s bread recipe so many have experimented with.  I like a lot of crust on sandwiches, so I’m fond of making sheet bread for my sammies.   I did add my 8-Seed Spice Blend on top, but you can use whatever herb/spices you like, or none at all, if that’s your pleasure.  This doesn’t rise up very much, but if sliced carefully, you can slice it laterally/horizontally for a real thin bread, thus using only one portion for a sandwich. Men may want to use TWO portions/slices for their sandwiches.  This bread, with its psyllium, is extremely filling, so women may want to only use one slice and slice it horizontally for a real thin layer of bread on their sandwiches.   This bread has a wonderful flavor and elasticity I think you’ll like.  This bread is not suitable until you are nearly to goal weight as it has 3 T. REAL wheat flour in it. Not a lot per serving, but still not allowed until the last level of the Atkins OWL carb reintroduction ladder. Save this recipe for Pre-Maintenance or the Maintenance phase of your diet.

Note:  Most any brand of psyllium husk powder will work, but do NOT use Konsyl brand unless you want disastrous results. Been there; done that.  That one just doesn’t work right.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/3 tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c very warm tap water

1½ c. almond flour

3 T. Einkorn flour

1 T. coconut flour

4 T. psyllium powder (I use NOW brand)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 T. arrowroot powder

3 egg whites (whole or from carton)

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition tot he 1/4 c. above)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to  350º.  Line a 9×13 cake pan with parchment paper and set aside.  Put a kettle of water on to boil while you make your bread dough.

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast, sugar and warm tap water.  Allow to sit and develop while you mix the other bread ingredients.  In a large mixing bowl, measure out and mix all the dry ingredients.  Stir well until uniformly mixed.  In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites and vinegar together.

Combine the yeast mixture with the egg mixture and stir gently.  Add this egg-yeast mixture all at once to the dry ingredients and quickly with a fork, stir it briskly into a uniform thick mixture.  Immediately measure out and pour the ½ cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with your fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform dough.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold the dough, scraping the sides of the bowl as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.  Scrape the dough onto the parchment-lined pan and with the rubber spatula or plastic-gloved hands, press it out to the edges fo the pan.  You must work quickly as the psyllium will continue to swell/thicken, making the dough more difficult to spread out.  If using spices, sprinkle now with 1-2 tsp. of any herbs/seed mixture you like and slightly press it into the dough with your hands.  Pop pan into preheated 350º oven and bake for 30-33 minutes (ovens vary) until the edges are just beginning to brown a wee bit.   Remove and cool slightly before slicing into 8 equal portions/slices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 servings/slices of bread, each slice/serving contains:

156. calories

10.8 g  fat

12.48 g  carbs, 6.32 g  fiber, 6.16 g  NET CARBS

6.53 g  protein

193 mg sodium

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

Einkorn-Arrowroot Sandwich Buns

I continue to improve my Einkorn Sandwich Bun recipe in an attempt to make it whiter and to eliminate the “damp” feeling on the inside.  Suffice it to say I’m getting there.  With today’s experiment I got rid of the “slightly damp” interior that bothered my husband.  When cooled, these were not damp feeling inside (they are when hot however).  The coconut flour addition corrected that issue.

Also they are now lighter in color with the addition of a little bit of arrowroot powder.  Now I admit freely that this isn’t the lowest carb bread recipe out there folks, and clearly not suitable until you’re at or near goal weight.  But if you’re looking for a better low-carb yeast-tasting bread that is really, really good, you NEED to try this recipe. 🙂   Even my husband ate one and said he could learn to eat this bread regularly.    Not suitable until Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance of the Atkins or Keto programs when slightly higher carbs are permissible.

For hot-dog buns, roll the 5 portions of dough into 6″ “ropes” and slightly press flat on the pan before baking.

Interior view

Interior view

INGREDIENTS: 

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/3 tsp. real sugar (consumed by the yeast)

¼ c. very warm tap water

1½ c. almond flour

4 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

3 T. Einkorn flour

1 T. arrowroot powder

1 T. coconut flour

3 egg whites (I use ½ c.+1 T. carton variety)

2½ T. cider vinegar

½ c. boiling water (in addition to the warm water listed above)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Put a kettle of water on to boil.  In a small bowl dissolve the yeast, sugar and warm tap water.  Set aside while you continue.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork, add the proofed yeast mixture, stir to blend and add the mixture all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a uniform thick dough.  Now pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the top of the dough and with the fork, stir very quickly until it comes together into a uniform consistency.  Switch to a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up to form a single ball of dough.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the bowl and with your rubber spatula portion off 5 equal portions (by eyeball) of dough. Scoop up each portion and roll in your palms into a round ball.  Place each ball on a non-stick, silicone-lined or oiled baking sheet.  Press them down slightly to about 1″ thick.  They don’t spread much during cooking.

Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 45 minutes.  Cool partially before attempting to slice or they will get pack-y inside just like regular flour bread when sliced too hot.  Like all low-carb cakes and breads, I store these in gallon ziploc bags in the fridge. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 5 buns, each contains:

250 calories

17.24 g  fat

19.98 g  carbs10.12 g  fiber, 9.86 g  NET CARBS

10.46 g  protein

309 mg sodium

 

 

Einkorn Pizza Crust

Einkorn Pizza Crust

Today I took my Einkorn Sandwich Bun bread dough and rolled it into a pizza crust.  The flavor was great, as expected.  The texture was great.  I had to use two hands to hold it for the first couple bites of the slice but then I could hold it in one hand for the balance of the slice.  But we liked this crust enough to definitely make it again.  Tastes like real yeast pizza crust!  Smells like it cooking, too!  🙂  It browned nicely on the bottom and almost too much on the edge.  But that was my fault as I was trying my new convection oven and had it set too high on the crust pre-cook phase.  Next time I’ll use my conventional oven and it won’t brown that much.  This recipe is not suitable until you get close to goal weight and in Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance Phase.

I order my Einkorn Flour from Jovial Foods.com.  I order my NOW brand psyllium husk powder from Netrition.

NOTE:  For a lower carb crust, use my Gluten-Free Pizza Crust recipe instead

INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

¼ tsp. sugar (consumed by yeast)

¼ c. Einkorn Flour

2½ T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites

3/4 c. boiling water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork.  Add the boiling water and stir.  Add all the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients.  Stir quickly with the fork, to make a thick dough.  Transfer to using a rubber spatula and continue to stir and fold as it thickens up.   Roll the dough between two silicone sheets or 2 sheets of parchment paper.  I did this right on my pizza pan.  Remove top piece of silicone or parchment.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes to dry off the surface of the bread and partially cook it.  Remove and top with your favorite toppings.  Place back in oven and continue baking for about 20 minutes. Cut into 8 slices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 slices, each contains: (numbers are for crust only!)

156 calories

10.6 g  fat

13.13 g  carbs, 6.98 g  fiber, 6.15 g  NET CARBS

6.53 g  protein

193 mg sodium

 

 

Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls

I’ve been wanting to start some experimenting with my best bread dough to date.  That is a dough inspired by Maria Emmarich’s Healthified Sub recipe (scroll down her page).  I eliminated the coconut flour and added Einkorn flour to her recipe instead. I decided today was a GOOD day for baking and here are the fruits of my labors!  Made some delicious cinnamon rolls for breakfast and even my picky husband enjoyed them!!  Not quite as good as all-flour buns, but it came in a close second!  🙂

Man, the house smelled like a bakery while these were baking!!…..you know that yeast-y smell?  These rose nicely, have a chewy crust and a soft texture inside.  I squirted a cream cheese glaze  on them, but you could also spread that around more like a frosting.  These were simply DELICIOUS!!  I got 8 cinnamon buns from this recipe.   Being made with psyllium, these are VERY filling and you will likely find one is all you can eat. I see that as a GOOD thing! built-in portion control. 🙂

It goes without saying this recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins carb reintroduction ladder in  Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance due to the Einkorn Flour.

I order my Einkorn Flour from Jovialfoods.com.  I order my NOW psyllium husk powder from Netrition.  It bakes up a darker final baked good than Jay Robb psyllium that Maria uses.  But I’m a tightwad and won’t spend $30+ when I can spend <$10 for something that works and tastes just fine to me.

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DISCLAIMER: I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

BASIC INGREDIENTS:  

1½ c. almond flour

5 T. psyllium husk powder (I used NOW brand)

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. dry yeast

1/8 tsp. sugar  (consumed by yeast)

¼ c. Einkorn Flour

2 T. apple cider vinegar

3 egg whites (I use the kind in carton: ½ c.+1 T.)

3/4 c. boiling water

CINNAMON MIX:  Mix in a small bowl the following and stir well.

1 T. ground cinnamon

2 T. granular Splenda

2 T. erythritol

Dash stevia extract

GLAZE/DRIZZLE:

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 T. melted butter

2 T. Splenda (I used granular)

3/4 tsp. vanilla

Dash stevia extract

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all the dry ingredients (dry yeast too) in a large mixing bowl.  Stir well to be sure it is uniformly mixed.  Mix/whisk the egg whites and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add boiling water and stir again. Add wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients, stirring quickly with the fork as you do so. As it begins to thicken up into a solid dough, switch to a rubber spatula and scrape down sides of bowl into the ball of dough, folding the dough several times to blend it well.  Roll dough between 2 silicone sheets or or 2 parchment sheets roughly into a rectangle that is 10 x 13″.  Gently with a knife, cut the rectangle into 8 long strips of dough without removing them from their position.  Brush strips with some water to moisten them (or butter if you’re feeling totally decadent, but water is calculated in numbers below) and sprinkle on all the cinnamon mixture as evenly as possible.  Now roll each strip into a tight, coil-like roll and set them cut side down onto a non-stick or lightly greased baking pan.   Pop pan into preheated oven and bake for about 40-45 minutes.  They don’t spread much but will rise quite a bit and then fall a bit when cooled.  Not to worry, this happens every time.  Drizzle glaze on tops with piping bag or sandwich bag with tiny hole cut in the corner.  If preferred, spread the glaze smooth like frosting with the back of a spoon.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 iced cinnamon rolls, each contains:

262 calories

21.6 g  fat

14.61 g  carbs, 7.9 g  fiber, 6.71 g  NET CARBS

7.48 g  protein

226 mg sodium