Monthly Archives: November 2014

Iced Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Desserts by

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This is a wonderful low-carb, healthy version of my family’s favorite iced pumpkin recipe from allrecipes.com (the one that contained sugar, flour and 22 carbs).  I do not have the carb count for this, but I’m estimating each cookie has approximately 4-5 carbs each.  For a lower carb count, you could cut down the Splenda to 1-1/2 cups and not add sugar-free chocolate chips.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1-3/4 cups granulated Splenda
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sugar-free chocolate chips
  • Optional: chopped almonds or pecans
  • 1/2 cup Swerve confectioners’ sugar or 1/2 cup Splenda (put into a food processor and blend until it becomes a powder or put it in a baggie then roll your rolling pin over it a few times until it becomes a powder.
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • 1-1/2 teaspoon melted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl combine coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt.  Set aside.
  3. In mixer with paddle attachment, cream butter and Splenda.  Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy. Add dry ingredients while mixer is running.  Turn off mixer and stir in SF chocolate chips.
  4. Drop on cookie sheet by large tablespoonful.  Flatten slightly.  Bake for 17 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Cool cookies on wire rack, then drizzle glaze with fork.  After glaze has set (20 or 30 minutes), sprinkle with chopped nuts.
  5. To Make Glaze:  Combine Swerve or Splenda confectioner’s sugar, heavy whipping cream, melted butter and vanilla extract.  If glaze is too thick, add a little more cream.

Buffalo Ranch Stuffed Peppers

Posted in Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegetable by

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This is a fun low-carb recipe that tastes great.  I do not know the carb count but it is obviously a low-carb, gluten-free, healthy dish from http://www.primallyinspired.com. If you are cutting Halloween faces in the peppers, do so before they go in the oven!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon each:  dried parsley, dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder
  • sea salt and pepper, to taste
  • extra butter for greasing and baking
  • 4 peppers, tops cut off and seeds cleaned out
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix your dried spices together.
  3. Place your chicken breast and sliced onions in a single layer on a greased or parchment paper lined baking pan.
  4. Sprinkle the entire pan with dried slices.  Salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Place a small pat of butter over each chicken breast.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
  7. While chicken is cooking, melt 1/4 cup butter in a pot over medium low heat.  Once melted, add in hot sauce and stir.  Set aside.
  8. Once chicken is cooked, run a knife through the chicken and onions until chicken is in small bite size pieces.
  9. Combine chicken with the hot sauce mixture.
  10. Spoon chicken mixture evenly in all 4 peppers.
  11. Place stuffed peppers in a baking pan.
  12. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until peppers are softened to your liking.

Optional:  Serve with guacamole.

Bacon Mushroom Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes by

This is an adapted recipe from http://www.asweetlife.org.  It makes around 10 lettuce wraps and has 1.48 grams of carbs.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 12 slices bacon
  • 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 small head iceberg lettuce, leaves separated and washed
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
  • Hot sauce, optional

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a large skillet, cook bacon to desired crispness.  Remove and let drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
  2. Add mushrooms to pan and saute until browned and tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.
  3. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper.  Saute until beef is cooked through, about 10 minutes, breaking up chunks with the back of a wooden spoon.
  4. Spoon ground beef into lettuce leaves, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and top with bacon and mushrooms.

Pork Chops with Mustard Cream Sauce

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes by

This is an easy and yummy recipe.  Yield: 1 serving with 2 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber and about 20 grams of protein.  It is easy to double or triple this recipe depending on how many pork chops you need.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Salt or Vege-Sal
  • Pepper
  • 1 pork chop, 1 inch think
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon dry white wine
  • 1-1/2 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard or Dijon mustard

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Salt and pepper the chop on both sides.
  2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Saute the chop until they’re browned on both sides and done through.  Put the chop on a serving platter and keep it warm.
  3. Put the wine in the skillet and stir it around, scraping all the tasty brown bits off the pan as you stir.  Stir in the cream and mustard, blend well and cook for a minute or two.  Pour over the chop and serve.