Braunschweiger Pate

My sister-in-law gave me this recipe years ago. I just looked it up in  y e-mail and am parking it here for future reference. 

Ingredients:

·         8 oz. liverwurst or braunschweiger

·         8 oz. cream cheese, softened

·         2 small green onions, minced

·         1.5 tablespoons dried onions (or 1 tablespoon fresh onion, finely minced)

·         ¾ teaspoon dried dill weed

·         1/4 -1/2 teaspoon garlic granules (or one small garlic clove, minced)

·         Ground pepper (to taste)

·         1-2 tablespoons capers (to taste)

Instructions:

·         Thoroughly blend together all ingredients except capers.

·         Fold in capers, reserving a few for garnish.

·         Cover mixture and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for several hours before serving.

·         Garnish as desired.

·         Serve with Melba toast, crackers, or sliced baguettes (I use pork rinds or sliced cucumber or celery, when eating low carb)

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer.

Peanut Sauce, Peanut Butter Chicken

I've discovered PB2 - powdered peanuts that lets you have peanut butter without the fat and sugar! I actually ordered it awhile back and forgot I had it. I found it in the back of the pantry recently and have been playing around with it. Here's a peanut sauce I made that was fabulous!

Ingredients

8 Tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter
2 tsp Apple Cider vinegar
2 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Lime Juice
1 tsp brown sugar, packed
¼ tsp red chili sauce (I used sriracha)
3 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce


Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add water as needed to thin as desired.

One of my kids' new favorite is "Peanut butter chicken". I simply bake chicken tenders in the oven, brushed with this sauce. Temp was 350 and I don't remember how long (I'll update next time I make this). Serve more sauce for dipping on the side. Enjoy!

Blueberry Custard - Low Carb

I found the basis for this recipe online. I tweaked to make it low carb, along with a few other changes. It was delicious! The kids had no idea it was low carb. One even chastised me for "cheating". WIN!

BLUEBERRY CUSTARD

6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, picked over and rinsed

Place berries evenly in a 9x13 pan.

• Custard:

Sweetener of choice, equal to 1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp. sea salt
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla

mix together the dry ingredients. Add eggs and sour cream, beating until well blended. Pour over the blueberries (do not stir).

• Topping: 

Sweetener of choice, equal to 1 cup sugar
3/4 cup almond flour
2 Tbsp flax meal
2 Tbsp hemp hearts (use more almond meal if you don't have this)
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the custard.

Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, until lightly browned. Do not overbake!

Eat warm or chill. This would be great with some whipped cream or ice cream!

• Sweeteners: I like to mix different sweeteners when it calls for this much. I think it makes it taste better. For this, I used a combination of Splenda, erythritol, and stevia. It would be fine to use whatever you like. 

Cauliflower "Mac and Cheese"

I'm doing so well eating low carb, and I hardly ever crave carb-full food anymore. But my kids have been eating a lot of mac and cheese this summer and that's something that's hard for me to resist! I Googled for a recipe and adapted it quite a bit from the original. It was absolutely delicious. Next time I will use half-and-half instead of cream, or water it down some, because some of the comments said they used milk and it was fine. Milk is higher in carbs, but this was really too rich to use full cream as originally called for. Also, I used a Mexican blend cheese mix because I had that on hand. I want to try it with medium to sharp cheddar.

Here is the exact recipe I used tonight. I will update once I try anything mentioned above.

"MAC" 

2 bags frozen cauliflower florets (1 pound each)

Cook the cauliflower as directed until done. It should not be mushy, but more on the soft side. Cool enough so you can cut it into small pieces (I tried to mimic the size of a macaroni noodle). Cut, then set aside.

Put the cut cauliflower in a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish.

"CHEESE"

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup half-and-half
1-1/2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. sour cream
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1-1/2 cups shredded cheese (see note above)
1.2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

In a small saucepan, heat the cream, half-and-half and butter to simmering. Stir and simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in sour cream and mustard, and simmer, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cheese, stirring until melted, about 1 or 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour over cauliflower in the baking dish. Stir to combine. Be sure the cheese mixture completely coats the cauliflower.

There are two ways you can go from here - I served mine as is. It was delicious!

Or, you can turn it into an oven casserole. Top with an additional 1/2 cup of grated cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven  until browned and bubbly - about 15 minutes.

Yum! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Roasted Radishes

Another yummy surprise discovered while cooking for Dad.

ROASTED RADISHES

1 package radishes
2 tsp Olive oil
Seasonings as desired 

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put the 2 tsp. of oil in a baggie with whatever seasonings you want. Shake to coat.

Add coconut oil to a small oven-proof skillet and heat. Add radishes and saute, stirring occasionally, until brown spots form. Put skillet in oven and roast for 15 minutes, stirring at least once.

These were really delicious! Next time I'll try adding radishes to our usual roasted veggies (basically the same method with baby carrots and whole garlic cloves).

Low Carb "Stuffed Cabbage"

The family voted this a keeper. :)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef
1 medium cabbage
4 T butter
1 can rotel tomatoes
1 t salt
2 t onion powder
2 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Chop cabbage. In a dutch oven, cook the cabbage with 4 T butter and 1/2 cup water, until tender (about 20 minutes).

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef and drain well. Add tomatoes (undrained) and seasonings. Add cabbage and mix until combined.

Place 1/2 of meat mixture in a 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 the cheese. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350 for one hour, uncovered.

Italian Salad Dressing

I already knew that homemade salad dressing is better and healthier than storebought, but it's one of my last holdouts of "trash" on my grocery list. I'm going to try to find recipes for all my favorites (if anyone can duplicate the Asian Toasted Sesame, please let me know!).

This was super easy to make and keeps for a long time in the fridge. The only thing is the oil solidifies in the fridge so I have to get it out early or set in a bowl of warm water to melt. Not a huge problem, as long as I remember! It's so delicious it makes up for it.

Italian Dressing 

1 cup apple cider vinegar (honestly any type is fine, but I do try to incorporate lots of unprocessed ACV into my diet. Just choose your favorite.)
1 1/3 cup olive oil 
2 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
2 drops liquid Stevia (or about 1/2 tsp of your sweetener of choice)
1 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons sea salt

Pour ingredients into a glass jar or bottle with a tight-fitting lid (you need to shake without leaking)
Cover and shake well. I used my stick blender but I don't think it made a difference and gave me one more thing to clean.
Store in refrigerator.

* You can adjust seasonings to your liking or based on what you have on hand. Really, it would be hard to mess this up. Even with no seasoning at all it would be a tasty oil/vinegar blend!

* It also makes a great marinade. I've used on pork and chicken so far. Add a little lemon juice if you like.

*Variations are endless! 

* This makes about 2-1/2 cups - not enough for my quart jar, but too much for my Good Seasons Cruet. 

Pumpkin Hummus

I happened on this while looking for pumpkin dessert recipes. It was wonderful! It's even better the next day - so much so that I would make it ahead from now on.

I personally like it a little chunky so I mixed it by hand. Use a food processor if you like it smoother.

I would add even more garlic and lemon juice, but that's just me. Taste it first and decide for yourself.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree 

1/4 cup tahini

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

1 Tbs fresh minced parsley

Mix all ingredients together. If you like it smooth, use a food processor. If you like it more chunky, do it by hand.

Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This is SO much better the next day, that it's worth the wait to make it a day before you need it.

Shepherds' Pie, Family Size!

I was in the mood for Shepherds' Pie so I Googled for a low carb version. Of course I tweaked it quite a bit!

It is *mostly* low carb and *mostly* paleo. I did take a couple of liberties as you will see. You will be able to easily make changes to make it more exact if you want.

It filled my huge lasagna pan, and the six of us barely ate half. I have a hard time switching back and forth to the college boys being home. When they are here, it seems there is never enough! But this would be easy to adapt quantities, too.

It was liked by all, and will be a keeper.

Shepherds' Pie

4 pieces bacon, chopped
3 pounds ground beef
large onion, chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups chopped vegetables of your choice. I used carrots, yellow squash, and broccoli.

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 head cauliflower (or 16 oz. package frozen)
1 medium potato (peeled if you like. I don't peel mine.)

1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
2 T butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, brown ground beef and onion. Drain. Add the vegetables and heat for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Mix the 1/2 cup yogurt with the beaten eggs. Stir into meat mixture along with 1 cup of cheese. Spread into pan(s). I used a large lasagna pan. It's about 15x12. You could also use two 9x13 pans with no problem.

Meanwhile, cut the potato into chunks and cook with cauliflower in boiling water for about 12 minutes until very tender. Drain well. Put the cauliflower, potato, 2 T butter, 1/2 c yogurt and 1/4 c cream into a food processor. Process until smooth. Adjust seasoning if necessary, then spread over the meat mixture in the pan(s). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on the top.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

NOTES:
* To lower carbs and make it more "legal", leave out potato. It added more authentic taste and texture for not a lot of carbs per serving, but would be fine without it.

* You can cut this recipe in half and use either a 9x13 pan, or a 9x9 pan (will be thicker). We could easily have fed 6 on one pan of this.

* Add whatever veggies you like, in whatever quantity you like, or none at all. The beauty of something like this dish is it's great to use up what you have languishing in the fridge! It would also be a great way to sneak something in that the kids usually don't eat. For instance, I had a few kale leaves that needed to be used, not enough to make kale chips (which the kids will eat), so I chopped it up and stuck it in. :)

* I think in the future I would like the meat mixture to be a little creamier, so if I cut the recipe in half I would use the same amounts of egg and yogurt. If I made the large recipe, I would double that. Just my personal preference.

Italian Sausage

One of my favorite things is Italian Sausage. Since we've been low-carbing I've wanted to cook some, but I am also an avid label-reader these days and what I founf there surprised me! I found that Italian sausage has a bunch of crap in it like sugar (???????????? ) and artificial ingredients (If you NEED sausage and are buying it, bratwurst seems to have the least offensive ingredients - be sure you read as brands may vary). I was really sad because I love Italian sausage. Coincidentally that same night Alton Brown made some on Good Eats. Yay! I made it myself and it was EASY and YUMMY.

Well, his recipe was a tad more complicated. It had you grinding your own pork and stuffing into casings. If you want to do all that, just Google for "Alton Brown Italian Sausage" like I did. Here is my dumbed down / equipment challenged / (almost) immediate gratification version.

But did I say OMG YUM??!??!??!?!? I will NEVER buy Italian sausage premade again. Just saying.

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 pounds ground pork

Directions

Crush the fennel seeds: in a blender, coffee grinder, or just put in a baggie and hit it with a hammer.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Form into patties or meatballs.

Cook as you would regular patties or meatballs.

ENJOY! I know I will!

Fauxtato salad

Another low-carb gem for our tailgating picnic. This was billed as "just like potato salad! No one will ever know the difference!" We didn't agree with that, but it WAS very good. I slightly undercooked the cauliflower - I think it would have a more potato-ish consistency if it had been thoroughly cooked.

The kids liked it too. M couldn't get enough of it - he said it tasted just like deviled eggs (which he would devour by the dozen if we let him).

It's much better if you make it the day before you eat it, and is even better the day after that!

3 cups cooked cauliflower
4 cooked, chopped eggs
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup diced dill pickles
1 rib celery, chopped
2 TSP diced onion
2 TSP pickle juice
Yellow Mustard to taste
Salt and pepper to taste


How To Prepare: Cook the cauliflower and eggs, drain VERY well, then add all the ingredients and put in the refrigerator overnight.

Parmesan Chicken

A few weeks ago we traveled to Older Son's college for a football game. We wanted to have a tailgate picnic but had been told we could not use a grill in the parking lot. We adults have been on a low-carb diet for a few months so I went searching for recipes. This was a big hit, hot or cold!

The original recipe calls for wings. I used legs due to the cost. How long have wings cost twice as much as legs??

** It's imperative that you put foil on the pan - and grease the foil! Even when reheating. Trust me.


Make a dry mixture from:
1/2-1 cup powder-style parmesan cheese (such as Kraft - or put the grated style in the blender)
2 t. paprika
1 T each of dried parsley, oregano, and basil
1 t garlic powder
salt and pepper

Dip raw wings (or legs) in melted butter then coat with dry mixture.

Bake on FOIL LINED cookie sheet for 45 minutes to an hour at 350.

This recipe is enough for 10 chicken legs, so I guess about 20 wings. I had to make another batch and had only the grated parmesan to use the second time. The powder coated much better. It's crispy and delicious. It's also very yummy cold. If you're worried about using butter you could use olive oil or just a milk dip first I guess.