Um...NOT! This is part of a diabetic recipe video from the Texas Diabetes Institute, Universal Health System on YouTube. Which makes it even...well, sadder...
Monday, April 18, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
"Dookies!" #lowcarb #recipe
That's what my grandson (who is 2 years old today!) calls the cookies he and I make :).
I've mentioned that I never follow a recipe for our cookies, so they're probably always a little different. We got 27 out of our batch today; I've learned to make small batches because if there's a big pile sitting there, we have more of a tendency to eat several at a time instead of just 1-2.
Mixed until smooth:
1/2c xylitol
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
Added in and beat until well blended:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Mixed in:
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/2c almond flour
1/2c oat bran
1/4c coconut flour
Dropped by tablespoons (well, not actual tablespoons, I used a cookie drop - these are really swell, if you've never used one, they are great!) onto a greased cookie sheet and baked at 350F until the edges started to brown.
VERY good!
(I would typically use half Diabetisweet Brown Sugar sub and half Xylitol but I'm out of the former at the moment, and didn't want to mess with the jar of molasses.)
I've mentioned that I never follow a recipe for our cookies, so they're probably always a little different. We got 27 out of our batch today; I've learned to make small batches because if there's a big pile sitting there, we have more of a tendency to eat several at a time instead of just 1-2.
Mixed until smooth:
1/2c xylitol
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
Added in and beat until well blended:
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Mixed in:
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1/2c almond flour
1/2c oat bran
1/4c coconut flour
Dropped by tablespoons (well, not actual tablespoons, I used a cookie drop - these are really swell, if you've never used one, they are great!) onto a greased cookie sheet and baked at 350F until the edges started to brown.
VERY good!
(I would typically use half Diabetisweet Brown Sugar sub and half Xylitol but I'm out of the former at the moment, and didn't want to mess with the jar of molasses.)
Great Supper! #lowcarb #recipe
Oh YUM! Wanted something easy tonight, I had a busy day, I was tired, and my spine (arthritis) was killing me. I'd gotten a package of sausage (Sav-a-Lot's own) out of the freezer this morning, not knowing what I was going to do with it, so this was a quick, flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kinda meal.
I made a sorta meatloaf. Into a bowl I put the pound of thawed sausage, to which I added about a cup of frozen chopped spinach, thawed, plus an egg, and a generous handful of finely shredded colby-jack cheese, and I mixed it all together. The beauty of sausage is that I didn't have to even think about seasoning. I patted it down into an 8" round casserole dish, and baked it at 350F for 50 minutes; it was fairly loose when it first came out, but tightened up nicely within 10 minutes or so...probably when the melted cheese within cooled.
The side dish is just frozen yellow squash, thawed under warm water. I melted some butter in a frying pan with some olive oil. I chopped and cooked a slice of onion (about 3/4"x2.5") until translucent, then added the squash which I had squeezed as dry as I could. On high, I stirred it around to keep it from burning until I got the color on it - and the onions - that I wanted.
This was a REALLY good dinner, very filling, low in carbs and high in fat, and most of all it was delicious!
The package of sausage was about $2.00. The spinach came from a 2.5# bag that cost $2.59; not sure how many cups in the bag, but I used maybe 1/10th of it...we'll say 30c just to be generous. The cheese was 1/4 of a $2.89 bag, so 75c there...and the egg was 11c. I had 7 onions in the bag for $2.99, and I used about 1/3 of one of them (let's see...21 goes in 3 about 1.5 times...) so we'll say 15c worth. 1T of butter @ $2.88/lb is less than a dime; hard to compute 2T of olive oil out of a gallon jug that I paid $24 for. Under $3.50 for the entire meal. 4 servings of "meatloaf" and 3 servings of squash - we will have the leftover meatloaf for lunch tomorrow, in low carb tortillas it will be great!
Cheap'n'easy low carb meal for sure! AND delicious :).
Sunday, April 3, 2011
White Lasanga #lowcarb #recipe
Typically I use eggplant for my "noodles" in lasagna but I was making this to take to a potluck tomorrow so I decided to use Dreamfield's instead. I am hoping that all of the protective layer that inhibits carb digestion wasn't removed - or won't be as it is stored overnight in the fridge - but it if does...well, I can't do anything about it now I guess :). I'm the only one who eats lowcarb though, so it won't matter to anyone else. (There are diabetics but they are obediently watching their fat intake and counting their calories and taking their drugs...)
It's mostly about the sauce anyway. A low carb sauce for white lasagna is indeed an art! OK, maybe not, but it needs to be rich without being overpowering, and flavorful without detracting from the lovely vegetables within.
I have some frozen roasted, seasoned chicken breast strips that I cut into bite-sized pieces, along with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and mushrooms. I can't tell you exactly how much of each, I just poured some into the bowl until it looked about right, salted it, and tossed it together with my hands.
For the sauce I whipped up 2 eggs until they were very light. Then I added two 16 oz. cartons of whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1c of heavy whipping cream, a couple dashes of nutmeg, and about a tsp each of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and marjoram. (I would have used tarragon as well, if I'd had any.) And I mixed it all together thoroughly with my stand mixer. Then I put in a cup of chicken broth to thin it down a bit.
For cheese, I used a shredded italian blend and some shredded mozzarella, plus some parmesan from the can.
I assembled it by starting with some sauce on the bottom of my 9x14 baking dish, then a layer of noodles, a couple handfuls of the chicken/veggie mixture spread on the noodles, a generous amount of sauce, and a layer of the shredded italian blend...then another set of layers like the first, then a layer of noodles, sauce, and the mozzarella, with the parmesan sprinkled on top for the crispness and browning. (As you can see from the photo, I didn't spread it very evenly - lol!)
Baked in a 325 oven for 45 minutes, and 350 for the final 10.
There was enough of everything left over that I also made an 8x8 one for Pete and I at the same time. We each had some and it was delightful, although possibly could have used a little more salt. With all that cheese I was wary of oversalting but people can always salt at the table if need be too.
Anyway, here is what it looks like, I can't show you what it tastes like so I guess you'll just have to make your own - lol!
(P.S. This wasn't cheap to make, and it is easy but time-consuming. Just doing the math quickly in my head, it is probably close to $20 to make these 2 lasagnas, but of course they will serve quite a few people, quite a few servings, so per serving it is much more reasonable. I will cut it into very small servings tomorrow but I'd probably do 12 servings in the big pan and 4 in the small one if it was just for us, so that's just over a buck a serving, not bad after all I guess!)
It's mostly about the sauce anyway. A low carb sauce for white lasagna is indeed an art! OK, maybe not, but it needs to be rich without being overpowering, and flavorful without detracting from the lovely vegetables within.
I have some frozen roasted, seasoned chicken breast strips that I cut into bite-sized pieces, along with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and mushrooms. I can't tell you exactly how much of each, I just poured some into the bowl until it looked about right, salted it, and tossed it together with my hands.
For the sauce I whipped up 2 eggs until they were very light. Then I added two 16 oz. cartons of whole-milk ricotta cheese, 1c of heavy whipping cream, a couple dashes of nutmeg, and about a tsp each of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and marjoram. (I would have used tarragon as well, if I'd had any.) And I mixed it all together thoroughly with my stand mixer. Then I put in a cup of chicken broth to thin it down a bit.
For cheese, I used a shredded italian blend and some shredded mozzarella, plus some parmesan from the can.
I assembled it by starting with some sauce on the bottom of my 9x14 baking dish, then a layer of noodles, a couple handfuls of the chicken/veggie mixture spread on the noodles, a generous amount of sauce, and a layer of the shredded italian blend...then another set of layers like the first, then a layer of noodles, sauce, and the mozzarella, with the parmesan sprinkled on top for the crispness and browning. (As you can see from the photo, I didn't spread it very evenly - lol!)
Baked in a 325 oven for 45 minutes, and 350 for the final 10.
There was enough of everything left over that I also made an 8x8 one for Pete and I at the same time. We each had some and it was delightful, although possibly could have used a little more salt. With all that cheese I was wary of oversalting but people can always salt at the table if need be too.
Anyway, here is what it looks like, I can't show you what it tastes like so I guess you'll just have to make your own - lol!
(P.S. This wasn't cheap to make, and it is easy but time-consuming. Just doing the math quickly in my head, it is probably close to $20 to make these 2 lasagnas, but of course they will serve quite a few people, quite a few servings, so per serving it is much more reasonable. I will cut it into very small servings tomorrow but I'd probably do 12 servings in the big pan and 4 in the small one if it was just for us, so that's just over a buck a serving, not bad after all I guess!)
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Tonight's Supper
Really though this is about my first time posting on Blogger from my new DroidX...and if all goes well my firtst time adding a picture I took with my new DroidX!
So let's see what happens...gonna tap Publish now...excitement is building...
Friday, April 1, 2011
Cheesy Turnip Casserole with Bacon #lowcarb #recipe
I had 3 turnips in my crisper and needed something to round out a meal, so I peeled and cubed them, and boiled them until soft in heavily salted water that also had about a tsp of xylitol (something sweet mellows the "bite" that turnips can have). When they were drained I mashed them well, then mixed in about a half-cupful of finely chopped cooked bacon and a half-cupful of shredded colby-jack cheese, with about 2Tbsp of heavy cream. Topped it off with a generous layer of more colby-jack cheese, and put it in the oven at 350. About 10 minutes later the cheese was all melty and had started to brown in a few spots. This made about 6 servings, at approx. $0.70 per serving. (I will leave it in the oven longer next time, to get browner on top!)
I also had some asparagus (the frozen package of 8 oz. was $2.25 but I didn't buy it, my daughter brought it to me) that I sauteed in butter and olive oil (less than a quarter total, I'm sure!), and seasoned just with salt and a little onion powder. This served my husband and me, with one spear for my almost-2YO grandson, so that was $1.50/serving.
And I roasted 6 large chicken leg quarters (nearly 5# total!) that were on sale for $3.98, or 67c each. I brined them, and to the salty water I added powdered ginger, garlic, and onion in liberal amounts. Even if I count 25c/serving for the seasonings - and it wasn't NEARLY that much - the chicken was <$1/serving.
My own meal was less than $3 (but I wouldn't have bought that asparagus for that price, we'd have had a less expensive green vegetable instead), low carb, and extremely filling, healthy, and delicious! Hubby's meal was a little more, because he eats more than I do...but he also took some to work in his lunch, and had another meal of chicken and turnip casserole the next day. Now THAT's thrifty!
I also had some asparagus (the frozen package of 8 oz. was $2.25 but I didn't buy it, my daughter brought it to me) that I sauteed in butter and olive oil (less than a quarter total, I'm sure!), and seasoned just with salt and a little onion powder. This served my husband and me, with one spear for my almost-2YO grandson, so that was $1.50/serving.
And I roasted 6 large chicken leg quarters (nearly 5# total!) that were on sale for $3.98, or 67c each. I brined them, and to the salty water I added powdered ginger, garlic, and onion in liberal amounts. Even if I count 25c/serving for the seasonings - and it wasn't NEARLY that much - the chicken was <$1/serving.
My own meal was less than $3 (but I wouldn't have bought that asparagus for that price, we'd have had a less expensive green vegetable instead), low carb, and extremely filling, healthy, and delicious! Hubby's meal was a little more, because he eats more than I do...but he also took some to work in his lunch, and had another meal of chicken and turnip casserole the next day. Now THAT's thrifty!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Great Week! And a GREAT Sandwich Roll Recipe! #lowcarb
I haven't eaten anything out of the ordinary this week but it all tasted so good! Probably my favorite meal was tilapia that I fried in butter on the griddle, and served with whole green beans that I'd sauteed in a frying pan with butter and olive oil, seasoned with onion powder and sea salt, plus some cubed roasted butternut squash. Was pretty too, all those colors on the plate...and cheap! Under $10 for the 3 of us.
I've been eying yet another lowcarb "bread" recipe for a while now but never made it. I cook by gut instinct, and don't follow recipes, but knew I could do something with this one. And a couple of days ago I found a lovely muffin top pan in excellent condition at our local thrift store for 50c (I'd been wanting one for several years but couldn't justify the expense) and was looking for an opportunity to use it, so I thought I would go for it with my revised (is it revised if you change almost everything in the recipe, one way or another?) version of the above-referenced recipe.
I made these earlier this evening, and just had a fried egg, ham, and cheese sandwich on 2 of them, and I am HOOKED! They don't fall apart, they aren't sticky, and most of all they are deliciously great! I will tell you how I made them, and if you want to further revise, please feel free, and let me know about it ok?
8 oz. soft cream cheese (full fat)
3 eggs
4 drops (equal to 4 tsp sugar) liquid sucralose
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2c low carb baking mix*
1/2c wheat protein isolate**
1/2c full fat plain yogurt
I mixed the cream cheese in the mixer until it was smooth, then added the eggs one at a time and let them blend in, scraping the bowl as needed. Added the liquid sucralose with the last egg. Stopped the mixer when it had become very smooth, and added the remaining ingredients in no particular order, then mixed on low speed until blended, and on medium speed until smooth and almost glossy.
Put a glob of batter into each WELL-GREASED well of the muffin top pan, and spread it from the middle to the sides; it filled the wells only halfway. (I did try a few more full but they made a heavier sandwich roll than I care for.) Baked them in a 325 oven for 10 minutes on the middle rack. (The fuller ones I tried took 13 minutes.) They puffed up to the top of the wells. Let them cool slightly - until they pulled away from the sides and unpuffed - before removing them to a cooling rack.
I got 14 out of the batch, but had made 4 heavier ones, so I probably could have gotten 16. And I will tell you that, as much as I have bragged about the lovely bread in the breadmaker, I like this much better for a sandwich! Not sure how they'd toast, I'll probably use the lovely bread for that, but I will go back to eating sandwiches now that I have these. They are DELICIOUS!!! (NOTE: I had my sandwich on 2 thin ones and I feel like I ate 3 sandwiches - very filling, you have been warned :).)
Oh yeah, about those asterisks...
* I have Bob's Red Mill, don't much care for it but I'm trying to use it up.
** I happen to have the 5000 on hand. Don't know if/how the 8000 would work.
About 2gN per, or thereabouts. (I always tell people to do their own math, there are variables in brands for example, so don't trust anybody else's math especially if your carb count needs to be exact.)
You gotta try these!
I've been eying yet another lowcarb "bread" recipe for a while now but never made it. I cook by gut instinct, and don't follow recipes, but knew I could do something with this one. And a couple of days ago I found a lovely muffin top pan in excellent condition at our local thrift store for 50c (I'd been wanting one for several years but couldn't justify the expense) and was looking for an opportunity to use it, so I thought I would go for it with my revised (is it revised if you change almost everything in the recipe, one way or another?) version of the above-referenced recipe.
I made these earlier this evening, and just had a fried egg, ham, and cheese sandwich on 2 of them, and I am HOOKED! They don't fall apart, they aren't sticky, and most of all they are deliciously great! I will tell you how I made them, and if you want to further revise, please feel free, and let me know about it ok?
8 oz. soft cream cheese (full fat)
3 eggs
4 drops (equal to 4 tsp sugar) liquid sucralose
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2c low carb baking mix*
1/2c wheat protein isolate**
1/2c full fat plain yogurt
I mixed the cream cheese in the mixer until it was smooth, then added the eggs one at a time and let them blend in, scraping the bowl as needed. Added the liquid sucralose with the last egg. Stopped the mixer when it had become very smooth, and added the remaining ingredients in no particular order, then mixed on low speed until blended, and on medium speed until smooth and almost glossy.
Put a glob of batter into each WELL-GREASED well of the muffin top pan, and spread it from the middle to the sides; it filled the wells only halfway. (I did try a few more full but they made a heavier sandwich roll than I care for.) Baked them in a 325 oven for 10 minutes on the middle rack. (The fuller ones I tried took 13 minutes.) They puffed up to the top of the wells. Let them cool slightly - until they pulled away from the sides and unpuffed - before removing them to a cooling rack.
I got 14 out of the batch, but had made 4 heavier ones, so I probably could have gotten 16. And I will tell you that, as much as I have bragged about the lovely bread in the breadmaker, I like this much better for a sandwich! Not sure how they'd toast, I'll probably use the lovely bread for that, but I will go back to eating sandwiches now that I have these. They are DELICIOUS!!! (NOTE: I had my sandwich on 2 thin ones and I feel like I ate 3 sandwiches - very filling, you have been warned :).)
Oh yeah, about those asterisks...
* I have Bob's Red Mill, don't much care for it but I'm trying to use it up.
** I happen to have the 5000 on hand. Don't know if/how the 8000 would work.
About 2gN per, or thereabouts. (I always tell people to do their own math, there are variables in brands for example, so don't trust anybody else's math especially if your carb count needs to be exact.)
You gotta try these!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
What I 8 Today - 3/20/11
Didn't eat before church so by the time I got home I was starving. Had some tuna salad, using Dreamfield's macaroni. No recipe really, just tuna and macaroni, hard-boiled egg, mayo, a squirt of mustard, some chopped green onions, and seasonings to my own taste - and a deviled egg. Several hours later at my daughter's new apartment I had a lovely salad, some roasted chicken, lots of asparagus with butter, and a small baked potato (scooped out most of the middle, the skin is the best part anyway!) loaded with butter. Wonderful afternoon there!
After I got home and took a nap, I ate a couple of deviled eggs, and made some chocolate bark. Again, no real recipe...melted down a couple of 85% cacao bars with some coconut oil and butter, roasted and chopped some raw almonds and some coconut chips and added them in, plus a mixture of xylitol and liquid sucralose, a dash of cinnamon, a touch of salt, and some oat bran (because I love oatmeal in my bark). It is cooling now.
I'm still hungry so I will probably eat something else, not sure what yet, but if I don't I will eat too much bark tonight! Right now I'm thinking a slice of buttered toast and a couple of fried eggs on top...guess I'd better go eat it before I get so hungry I eat too much!
After I got home and took a nap, I ate a couple of deviled eggs, and made some chocolate bark. Again, no real recipe...melted down a couple of 85% cacao bars with some coconut oil and butter, roasted and chopped some raw almonds and some coconut chips and added them in, plus a mixture of xylitol and liquid sucralose, a dash of cinnamon, a touch of salt, and some oat bran (because I love oatmeal in my bark). It is cooling now.
I'm still hungry so I will probably eat something else, not sure what yet, but if I don't I will eat too much bark tonight! Right now I'm thinking a slice of buttered toast and a couple of fried eggs on top...guess I'd better go eat it before I get so hungry I eat too much!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
What I 8 Today - 3/19/11 (Plus Some General Discussion)
Today was a delicious day from beginning to end! I started my day with a grilled cheese sandwich, using bread from the lovely loaf recipe I posted yesterday, and american, swiss, and provolone cheeses. Lots of butter of course, and < 10gN for the whole meal which left me quite full so I wasn't really hungry again until suppertime.
For supper we had simple broiled chuck steak; I took the half with the most fat of course. And I made some amazingly perfect rutabaga steak fries. I sliced them into wide sticks, then fried them in olive oil and real butter, simply seasoning them with sea salt when they were done. (NOTE: I like these cooked really well, and hopefully I'll even get a few black ones in the end! A little carbon puts hair on your chest!) Total carbs for supper were about 12gN for the rutabaga but there is a wide variety of opinion when it comes to these; every source has a different carb count, so they could be anywhere from 8gN to 15gN. I just picked the number 12 as a good guess for the amount I ate. And a couple for the low carb ketchup. (see photo below)
After supper Pete dished us up some no sugar added bunny tracks ice cream. He gave me probably 2 servings, maybe a little less, so that's 40g total carbs, less 6g fiber, and there are also 14 grams of Sugar alcohols. Whether or not to count them is up to you; since I'm not really counting carbs at the moment I don't care :).
Why am I not counting carbs? Well first I am dropping weight. I still don't want to lose weight, and I still hate what it is doing to my body (I am lighter than I have been in probably over a decade, which means I have more saggy flabby hanging skin than I've ever had - UGH!), but I told my surgeon that I would lose weight. I believe that my post-surgical weight loss - common and expected after a fundoplication - had stopped about a month ago, but I could be wrong; most people continue to lose for 5-6 months from what I've read. But I'd stopped for a couple of weeks, during which I was eating a little carbier than usual...this leads me to believe that I'm losing again because I'm eating normally again.
The other reason that I'm not counting carbs is that I haven't done so after my first year of eating low carb. I only buy foods that I know aren't carby, and I prepare and eat only what I buy. If I'm eating plenty of fat, and my intake is primarily non-starchy vegetables, meat, eggs, and some dairy, with only low carb ingredients in my baking, and adding as much fat as I can stand, and I'm good. As once again evidenced by my current rate of loss. I don't keep track, but once or twice a week I step on the scale - which isn't very accurate when compared to my doctor's scale but is good for showing trends - and the needle is lower every time. Plus, by the fit of my clothes and the size of my body and the amount of saggy disgusting gross skin I've got hanging off my frame everywhere, I know that I am losing even though I have no clue what I weigh.
So that's my report for today...and some rambling too :).
Friday, March 18, 2011
That LOVELY Bread - My Tweaks
UPDATED June 16, 2011 - ^ indicates ingredient changes (mostly amounts), resulting in a consistently more beautiful loaf, and also carb count reduced by almost 25% for the loaf!
As I've posted previously, I found this recipe for bread, made it, and it was the best one I've ever tried! But of course, after the first time, I had to mess with it. When I follow a recipe at all, I never follow it exactly, and almost always add more tweaks with each successive making of it. This has been no different. I've made the bread probably a dozen times since the first, and now I have a loaf that I like the best. It isn't as spongy (although there is still some sponginess to it) as the original, and I like the texture and the flavor better. So here is my revision of that wonderful original recipe!
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tsp yeast
- 3/4c hot water
I sprinkle the first 2 ingredients across the bottom of my pan, then add the water fairly slowly, all around, so that it mixes as it lands, then close the lid. As the yeast is getting happy, I prepare the remaining ingredients.
Into a medium mixing bowl I whisk together
- 3/4c vital wheat gluten^
- 3/4c wheat protein Isolate^
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2/3c baking mix*^
- 1/2c ground flax
Into a smaller dish I whip together until frothy:
- 2 eggs
- 2T plain full-fat yogurt^
- 10 drops liquid sucralose
In another small dish I melt
- 2T real butter
By this time, my yeast is mixture is foamed up and singing drunken sailor songs. I gently stir in the egg mixture with a spatula, then the butter. Then I add the dry ingredients. I set the machine to 1.5# loaf, light color, basic cycle (3 hours), and start it. Then I wash up the dishes I'd used, except the spatula, and by that time it is mixed pretty well, except for a fair amount of dry ingredients around the sides. The paddle and my spatula dance as I scrape that back into the dough, then I close the lid and leave it alone to consummate the loaf.
I don't touch it again until it beeps that the mixing/rising is done, when I wash my hands and lift out the dough to remove the paddle. I pat the dough back into the pan so that it's even all around, and let it finish.
NOTE: The dough won't be as risen as it will eventually get at this point. It will continue to rise as it bakes.
Once the bread is done, I remove the pan and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a plate, where I leave it, uncovered, overnight. This isn't an essential step, but it lets the crust dry out a bit and makes it easier to cut in the morning. I get 14 slices, about 1/4-3/8" each, out of each loaf, and that lasts us about 4 days. It is fine as bread but even more wonderful as toast :).
* I don't like Bob's Red Mill baking mix very much, but I like soy flour even less, so I'm using up my BRM until it is gone. I've also used a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of oat flour and oat bran which works just fine. I don't think I would use carbquik with it since it has so much leavening in it, but if you try it and it works, let me know ok? :)
The parts of the sum (in net):
sugar - 5g (but I won't count these in the total since the yeast eats 'em up)
yeast - 6g
vital wheat gluten - 18g^
Carbquik baking mix - 4g^
wheat protein isolate - 0g
ground flaxseed - 0g (negligible, pretty much all fiber/oils)
eggs - a little less than 2g
yogurt - negligible, let's say 1g
sucralose - 0g
butter - 0g
Sum total of the parts is about 31gN or a little less, which is a little more than 2gN per slice when cut into 14 slices.
I hope that this works in other bread makers as well as it does in mine :). It sounds complicated when I write it out so completely, but like anything else, once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly. About 10 minutes, start to finish, twice a week is a small price for me to pay to have bread as lovely as this as part of my low carb life!
As I've posted previously, I found this recipe for bread, made it, and it was the best one I've ever tried! But of course, after the first time, I had to mess with it. When I follow a recipe at all, I never follow it exactly, and almost always add more tweaks with each successive making of it. This has been no different. I've made the bread probably a dozen times since the first, and now I have a loaf that I like the best. It isn't as spongy (although there is still some sponginess to it) as the original, and I like the texture and the flavor better. So here is my revision of that wonderful original recipe!
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tsp yeast
- 3/4c hot water
I sprinkle the first 2 ingredients across the bottom of my pan, then add the water fairly slowly, all around, so that it mixes as it lands, then close the lid. As the yeast is getting happy, I prepare the remaining ingredients.
Into a medium mixing bowl I whisk together
- 3/4c vital wheat gluten^
- 3/4c wheat protein Isolate^
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2/3c baking mix*^
- 1/2c ground flax
Into a smaller dish I whip together until frothy:
- 2 eggs
- 2T plain full-fat yogurt^
- 10 drops liquid sucralose
In another small dish I melt
- 2T real butter
By this time, my yeast is mixture is foamed up and singing drunken sailor songs. I gently stir in the egg mixture with a spatula, then the butter. Then I add the dry ingredients. I set the machine to 1.5# loaf, light color, basic cycle (3 hours), and start it. Then I wash up the dishes I'd used, except the spatula, and by that time it is mixed pretty well, except for a fair amount of dry ingredients around the sides. The paddle and my spatula dance as I scrape that back into the dough, then I close the lid and leave it alone to consummate the loaf.
I don't touch it again until it beeps that the mixing/rising is done, when I wash my hands and lift out the dough to remove the paddle. I pat the dough back into the pan so that it's even all around, and let it finish.
NOTE: The dough won't be as risen as it will eventually get at this point. It will continue to rise as it bakes.
Once the bread is done, I remove the pan and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes, then turn the loaf out onto a plate, where I leave it, uncovered, overnight. This isn't an essential step, but it lets the crust dry out a bit and makes it easier to cut in the morning. I get 14 slices, about 1/4-3/8" each, out of each loaf, and that lasts us about 4 days. It is fine as bread but even more wonderful as toast :).
* I don't like Bob's Red Mill baking mix very much, but I like soy flour even less, so I'm using up my BRM until it is gone. I've also used a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of oat flour and oat bran which works just fine. I don't think I would use carbquik with it since it has so much leavening in it, but if you try it and it works, let me know ok? :)
The parts of the sum (in net):
sugar - 5g (but I won't count these in the total since the yeast eats 'em up)
yeast - 6g
vital wheat gluten - 18g^
Carbquik baking mix - 4g^
wheat protein isolate - 0g
ground flaxseed - 0g (negligible, pretty much all fiber/oils)
eggs - a little less than 2g
yogurt - negligible, let's say 1g
sucralose - 0g
butter - 0g
Sum total of the parts is about 31gN or a little less, which is a little more than 2gN per slice when cut into 14 slices.
I hope that this works in other bread makers as well as it does in mine :). It sounds complicated when I write it out so completely, but like anything else, once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly. About 10 minutes, start to finish, twice a week is a small price for me to pay to have bread as lovely as this as part of my low carb life!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
A Great Food Day Today, Too! #lowcarb
My beloved Petey made us ham and cheese omelets for breakfast today, really hit the spot!
Midday meal was tilapia, oven-fried in some olive oil and butter at a high (425F) temp until crispy around the edges and tender in the center, and green salads with shrimp and ranch dressing.
Supper was some Dreamfield's spaghetti with butter, just enough low-carb pasta sauce to turn it pink, and parmesan cheese.
Really a lovely day, with simple, inexpensive, but delicious food!
Midday meal was tilapia, oven-fried in some olive oil and butter at a high (425F) temp until crispy around the edges and tender in the center, and green salads with shrimp and ranch dressing.
Supper was some Dreamfield's spaghetti with butter, just enough low-carb pasta sauce to turn it pink, and parmesan cheese.
Really a lovely day, with simple, inexpensive, but delicious food!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Leftover Cauliflower: A Recipe
I had about 2c of leftover cauliflower with cheddar melted on it in the fridge and wanted a side dish to go with my pork. So I whipped up a couple of eggs, pulsed the cauli/cheese in the processor until it was like rice (cold cheese chops up just fine), and added "bread crumbs" (my standard crumbs are 2 parts ground porkie to 1 part parmesan from the can). Mixed in some onion and garlic powder - it had enough salt already - and let it sit so everything would come together.
With the resulting mixture I first fried patties in bacon fat by dropping it by several spoonsful into the hot fat and pressing it down with the turner, flipping them once the bottom was brown and crispy (about 4-5 minutes) to let the other side also brown and crisp up. That used up half the mixture, so I did the rest as if it was hash browns; I added a little more bacon fat to the pan, then the cauli mixture, and stirred it around every few minutes.
I personally like the patties better, but the "cauli browns" were also very good!
Meanwhile I fried up some pork cutlets I had, also in bacon fat, seasoned with just sea salt and garlic powder.
I will make sure that, when I have cauliflower from now on, I will make enough to have leftovers so that I can make these again!
With the resulting mixture I first fried patties in bacon fat by dropping it by several spoonsful into the hot fat and pressing it down with the turner, flipping them once the bottom was brown and crispy (about 4-5 minutes) to let the other side also brown and crisp up. That used up half the mixture, so I did the rest as if it was hash browns; I added a little more bacon fat to the pan, then the cauli mixture, and stirred it around every few minutes.
I personally like the patties better, but the "cauli browns" were also very good!
Meanwhile I fried up some pork cutlets I had, also in bacon fat, seasoned with just sea salt and garlic powder.
I will make sure that, when I have cauliflower from now on, I will make enough to have leftovers so that I can make these again!
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