Hamburger and Broccoli Bake

This is what you call real comfort food.

Wonderful dish for kids and adults, nothing too spicy, just good food.

Works up fast, is a great leftover.

What's not to like?

Try it.

Soon.


INGREDIENTS:

•  1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced 
• 1 medium head of broccoli, broken into bite-size florets
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large skillet, brown the hamburger and onion, seasoning with salt and pepper Drain the fat.
2.  Meanwhile, cook the broccoli until tender-crisp; drain very well and season with salt and pepper. 
3. Put the cream cheese in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on HIGH about 45 seconds until soft. Whisk until creamy and smooth. Gradually whisk in the cream until smooth, then stir in the Parmesan cheese and garlic powder.
4.  Mix the hamburger and broccoli in a large, greased casserole, 2 1/2 quarts or larger. Pour in the cream sauce and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake at 350º for about 35-45 minutes, until bubbly and browned on top.

SERVES: 6

NOTES: You can make this entirely on the stove top if you wish. If you do as a casserole, a layer of breadcrumbs or Parmesan cheese would be nice.  Add other veggies if you desire. 

SOURCE: Adapted from Linda's Low Carb

Screaming Eagle Cheese Steak Sub

Oh homemade subs are really the best aren't they? Great for weekends, tailgating, picnics.

This is one of the better ones.

So much better than anything you can get at a shop.

Give it a go and tell me what you think.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• FOR THE CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE:
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, or more to taste
• FOR THE SANDWICHES:
• 2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, like canola
• 1 large white onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced thin
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
• 2 ½ pounds skirt steak, cut into 6 equal-size sections
• 6 large sub rolls or Italian bread cut into 6 submarine-shaped pieces of 8 to 10 inches, sliced down the center
• ½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced thin

INSTRUCTION:

1. To make chipotle mayonnaise: Combine mayonnaise and minced peppers in a small bowl and stir well. (Leftover sauce may be covered and stored safely in the refrigerator for weeks.)
2. To make toppings for sandwich: Heat a griddle or a large, heavy frying pan, ideally cast iron, over medium heat. Add oil to pan and, when it begins to shimmer, add the onion and peppers and stir to combine. Cook, stirring every so often, until they begin to soften and brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove and set aside. Wipe pan, add butter and repeat process with mushrooms. Cook until they have released their juices and are soft and glazed, about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. To make steaks: Heat griddle or frying pan over high heat until nearly smoking. Season meat aggressively with salt and pepper. Place steaks on griddle, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 3 minutes each side, until well browned but very rare. Remove to a serving platter and allow to rest.
4. To make sandwiches: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. When steaks are complete, slice them along the grain as thinly as possible. Place sub rolls in oven to warm. Return sliced steaks to griddle or frying pan, over medium heat, and add onions, peppers and mushrooms. Stir to combine, turn heat to low and cover with sliced cheese. Using tongs and a wide spatula, stir and pull to combine as cheese melts, approximately 3 minutes.
5. To serve: Remove rolls from oven and spread chipotle mayonnaise on the interior of each serving. Fill each sub with a mixture of meat, vegetables and cheese. Serve immediately.

SERVES: 6

NOTES: As always, substitute other meats like pork or chicken, or other cheeses to suit your palate. 

SOURCE: NYTimes

Kathryn Hepburn's Brownies*

Forever on the quest for the best brownie around, I've made a significant discovery.

These are really really quite good.

They do have flour in them, but I used organic and it's only a quarter cup for the entire recipe which comes down to less than one and a half teaspoons per brownie.

That's not bad for low carb!

I have no idea as to the validity of these being Ms. Hepburn's personal recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar substitute of your choice. I use half Splenda or granulated Stevia and half xylitol 
• ¼ cup flour (I used organic)
• 1 cup broken-up walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Melt butter in saucepan with cocoa and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, nuts, and salt. Add to the cocoa-butter mixture. Stir until just combined.
4. Pour into a greased 8x8 square pan. Bake 40 minutes. Do not over bake; they should be gooey. Let cool, and cut into bars.

SERVES: 9

NOTES: It is important to not over cook, as this dries them out. Of course if you don't want them moist and gooey, by all means cook longer. I'd start testing at about 30 minutes and go from there.

SOURCE: NYTimes

Cheesecake Fluff*

Oh this stuff is magical.

It becomes a mousse to decorate with fruit or literally anything.

It becomes a frosting.

Flavor it with anything you like.

Eat it, roll in it, sleep in it. It's that good.

It's fairly low carb. (depending on the fruit of course).


INGREDIENTS:

• 8oz cream cheese
• 4oz heavy cream
• 4T sour cream
• 4T Torani Sugar free Syrup. Or use any extract flavor you desire and add some sugar substitute to that.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add all ingredients to a mixer and whirr on high until it's well mixed and thick. 

SERVINGS: 6

NOTES: This is just a base recipe. You can add cocoa, peanut butter, or any extract flavorings you wish. Add nuts or fruit. This would work up for a holiday easily. 

SOURCE: Screwed on Straight

Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits*

Biscuits are something I discovered as an adult. No more Bisquick for me! I realized that real biscuits were absolutely wonderful.

Along came diabetes and I had to change my tune to foods with lower carbohydrates. Flour is bad.

So if you don't severely need to restrict your carb intake, you might want to skip this one. These do not taste like wonderful flour biscuits. They are unique in themselves.

They are tasty but very different. So be advised not to expect a true biscuit. You might find you really like them anyhow, so do try it once and see what you think.

I'm presenting two ways of "ricing" your cauliflower. Use the one you like best.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups finely riced, raw cauliflower **
• 2 Tbsp minced jalapeno
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup coconut flour

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine the cauliflower, jalapeno, eggs, add melted butter in a medium bowl. Add the grated cheeses and mix well. Stir in the onion flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder, baking powder and coconut flour until thoroughly combined.
2. Divide the batter evenly between 12 greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 375 degree (F) oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Turn off the oven and leave the muffins inside for one hour to firm up. Remove and serve warm or cold.

*Cauliflower rice: 

       1. Chop your cauliflower roughly and add to a heavy-duty blender (a Bullet is excellent). Fill almost to covering with water. Whirr until the consistency of rice. Drain well in a colander and then place in a tea towel and twist to squeeze out water until what you have left is fairly dry and lumpy. Then use in the recipe.

       2. OR: Chop cauliflower roughly and place in a heavy-duty food processor. Whirr up until it is rice-like. Then remove and place in a tea towel and twist out any excess water. Then use in the recipe. 

The point of both methods is to get out all the moisture you can. 

SERVES: 12 muffins

NOTES: Add other cheeses if you wish, omit the jalapenos if you wish. Add bacon or Canadian bacon or other diced meats. 

SOURCE: I Breathe, I'm Hungry

Green Chile Stew

If you are here in New Mexico, you are very familiar with this dish.

It's a staple here. We are chile people. We put it in everything. This is so standard a dish, that most recipes are simply family ones. The variations are broad. The central notion is chiles. Hatch if you can manage them, Anaheims for the rest of ya.

Do make it. You will love it.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, diced
Kosher salt
1 large white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups diced Hatch or Anaheim chile peppers
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
2 15 -ounce cans white corn, drained and 
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Flour tortillas, warmed, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the pork with 1 teaspoon salt. Working in batches, cook the pork, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard the fat from the pot.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in the pot. Add the onion, chile peppers, bell peppers and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes. Return the pork to the pot along with the chicken broth; cover and bring to a boil. Transfer to a slow cooker and place on medium and cook for about 6 hours. 

Increase the heat to medium high and bring the stew to a low boil. Add the potatoes, corn and enough water to cover the pork and potatoes. Add half of the cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the stew is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir into the stew along with the remaining cilantro and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens, about 5 more minutes. Serve with flour tortillas.

SERVES: 6

NOTES: Poblanos could also be used. Omit the corn, add hominy. Really you can add carrots and celery if you like. Substitute the pork for chicken. 

SOURCE: Inspired by Food Network 

Walnut & Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies*

These are good.

These are good.

These are good.

I really, really mean it.

Seriously.







INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 C almond flour
• 1.4 c granulated sugar substitute of your choice
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 lg egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 c coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/8 tsp stevia extract or 2 tbsp granulated sugar of choice
• 2/3 c chocolate chips, sugar free or very dark chocolate
• 1/3 c dried cranberries
• 1/3 c chopped walnuts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Whisk together almond flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and xanthan gum. 
2. In a second bowl , whisk together egg, coconut oil, vanilla and stevia extract until well combined. 
3. Add the almond flour mixture and combine until it forms a dough. 
4. Stir in balance of ingredients.
5. Using a ice cream scoop, place 1" balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten slightly with palm of hand. 
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 7-10 minutes. Let cool in pan where they will firm up. Finish cooling on a rack. 

SERVES: 1 1/2 dozen

NOTES: Swap out the cranberries for blue berries or apricots, etc. Change the nuts, and if you wish, change to a different chip, such as mint or peanut butter.

SOURCE: Low Carbing Among Friends (Carolyn Ketchum

Sweet Ricotta Pie*

Oh, you will not miss a bit with this low carb pie. It is utterly perfect just as it is.

The possibilities are endless in terms of turning this into a show stopper for company. Just add any topping you wish, from whipped cream, to a fruit compote, chocolate shavings to peppermint pieces. Just anything will do.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups almond flour, sifted

• 3 tablespoons sugar substitute, I used Swerve
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 cup sugar substitute, I used Swerve
• 2 tablespoons xylitol

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In deep dish pie plate, mix together almond flour, 3 tablespoons equivalent sugar substitute and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
2. Pour in butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
3. Mix until dough forms.
4. Press into pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
5. Set on rack to cool slightly.
6. In a large bowl mix 4 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ricotta cheese, coconut flour, 1 cup equivalent sugar substitute and 2 tablespoons xylitol.
7. Beat until smooth.
8. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.

SERVES: 8

NOTES: plain or fancy this will work. If you wish you might also work with changing the vanilla out and substituting some other flavoring, and then making a topping that compliments that. 

SOURCE: Lo Carb Yum

Corny Carbonara With Crab

This is such an elegant dish. It's pretty darn rich too. It's perfect for company.

You can eliminate the bacon if you desire.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 ounces spaghetti or linguine
• Kosher salt
• 4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 6 ounces), cut into 1/4" strips
• 4 ears of corn, kernels cut off (about 3 cups), cobs reserved
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 lb crab meat
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces), plus more to serve
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, divided

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Fry up the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper toweling and set aside. 

2. Cut the kernels off the corn, reserving the cobs. 

3. Go over each cob, and scrape down, getting any additional "milk" from them. Place this with the cream, salt and pepper and 2 tbsp of reserved bacon fat into a blender. Add 1/2 of the corn kernels and whirr up until smooth.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. 

5. Place the drained pasta in a large serving bowl, add the corn sauce, 1/2 of the Parmesan, the basil and the crab meat and remaining corn kernels. Toss until well mixed. Add the crumbed bacon on top. Dust with additional Parmesan. 

SERVES: 4

NOTES: Omit the bacon if you wish. 

SOURCE: Adapted from Epicurious

Chorizo Chicken Bake

This is one rich dish, so I'd suggest that you serve sides that are less so, simple in fact.

Makes for a lovely company dish too.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lg chicken breasts or 4 boneless thighs
• 10 ounce package pork chorizo
• 4 ounces light cream cheese or Mexican crema
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 C light sour cream
• 2 Hatch chiles (Anaheim will work too), roasted, skinned, seeds removed, chopped
• 1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass pan with nonstick spray. Lay down the chicken evenly in the pan.
2. In a large skillet, brown the chorizo over medium high heat for about 7-8 minutes. Add the drained tomatoes, cream cheese and sour cream and mix until it is all blended. Spread the mixture over the chicken breasts, sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered for about 45 minutes depending on the size of your chicken breasts. There will be enough pan juices to serve over some rice if desired. Or slice the chicken and serve it inside a tortilla topped with your favorite toppings.

SERVES: 4

NOTES: Use any chicken parts you desire. 

SOURCE: Adapted from My Kitchen Escapades