Author Archives: MichelleW

New York-Style Ricotta Cheesecake (Stella Style)

Posted in Desserts by

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I will admit that Tom, Andie and I had this for breakfast.  I did follow George Stella’s 2005 recipe without realizing he had made some changes to it in his 2014 cookbook.  The 2005 recipe was great so I’m sure the newest recipe is even better.  Net carbs: 4 grams (doesn’t include the strawberries that I added).  Here is the 2014 recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup extra fine ricotta cheese (make this smoother by using a hand mixer or food processor)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar substitute (I used Splenda but next time I’ll try Swerve, just to see if any difference)
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 large egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:

  1. PLACE the oven rack in the center position, and preheat to 400 degrees.  Spray an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Wrap the entire outside of the springform pan in aluminum foil to prevent water from seeping into the cake.
  2. MAKE a water bath so the top of the cheesecake won’t split as it bakes:  Pour about 1 inch hot water into a shallow roasting pan big enough to hold the cake pan, and place it on the center rack of the oven to heat.
  3. WITH an electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar substitute for about 1 minute, until well blended.
  4. IN  a separate bowl, whisk together the cream, vanilla, lemon juice, eggs and yolks.
  5. TURN the mixer on medium speed and slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture.  Beat just until blended; be careful not to over-whip.
  6. POUR the batter into the greased springform pan, and smooth the top with a spatula.  Place the pan in the heated water bath, and bake for 15 minutes.
  7. LOWER the oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Continue baking for about 1 1/2 hours, until the top is a light golden brown and the cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan.
  8. REMOVE from oven and let cool on counter for 1 hour, and then refrigerate at least 8 hours before slicing to serve.

Iced Lemon Sugar Cookies (Low Carb)

Posted in Desserts by

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I had a craving for something sweet and lemony and found this delicious recipe from Carolyn Ketchum.  They were a big hit in my family.  Makes about 40 2-inch cookies or about 28-30 medium-sized cookies.  Servings: 2 with 2 net carbs per serving.

INGREDIENTS:

Sanding “Sugar”:

2 tablespoons sugar substitute (I like Swerve)

1 drop yellow gel food coloring

Dough:

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar substitute (I like Swerve)

1 large egg, room temperature (or run it under warm water)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Zest of one lemon

Glaze:

6 tablespoons powdered sugar substitute (I like Swerve powdered sweetener)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

  1. For the sanding “sugar,” combine granulated sweetener and gel food coloring in a small bowl.  Use the back of a spoon to work food coloring into sweetener granules.  Set aside.
  2. For the dough, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a medium bowl.
  3. In a large bowl, beat butter with sweetener until well combined.  Beat in egg, lemon juice and lemon zest.  
  4. Add almond flour mixture and beat until dough comes together.  Turn out dough onto a large piece of parchment paper.  Pat into a rough circle and then top with another piece of parchment.  Roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness.  Place on a cookie sheet and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line another baking sheet with parchment.  Cut out cookies into desired shape and lift carefully with a small, offset spatula or knife.  Place cookies at least 1/2 inch apart on prepared baking sheet.  Reroll your dough and cut out more cookies (if your dough gets too soft to work with, you can put it in the freezer for a bit to harden up).
  6. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until just golden brown and firm to the touch.
  7. Let cool on pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. For the glaze, stir powdered sweetener and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth.
  9. Spread a thin layer of glaze over each cookie and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Chicken Caesar Salad

Posted in Lunch, Main Dishes, Salads and Soups by

This is an easy recipe adapted from djfoodie.com.  D.J. uses his own Caesar dressing, but I just used Marie’s Creamy Caesar.  I also skipped the grilling of chicken step in this recipe as I already had some cooked chicken leftovers.  🙂  Servings: 6.  Net carbs: 2.58 per serving.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce, washed and cut into ribbons
  • 1 1/2 cups garlic croutons (see recipe)
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 2 tablespoons light olive oil for grilling
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. PREHEAT a grill.
  2. In a large salad bowl, mix together the salad dressing, romaine lettuce and croutons.  Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  3. Coat your chicken breasts with the oil and evenly season with salt and pepper.
  4. Grill the chicken until cooked through
  5. Divide your salad onto 6 plates.
  6. Slice your chicken and place on top of each salad.
  7. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.
  8. Serve!

 

Garlic Croutons

Posted in Lunch, Main Dishes, Salads and Soups by

This is another great recipe from djfoodie.com.  While D.J. used his own low-carb bread recipe, I cheated and used Chompie’s low-carb bread.  These came out great!  Servings total 12, and there are .96 grams of net carbs (using D.J.’s low-carb bread).  I think it would be very close to the same carb count using Chompie’s.  I added these little cubes of deliciousness on Chicken Caesar salad (another djfoodie.com recipe that I will be adding to my blog).

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
  • 4 each garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups low-carb bread, cut into cubes
  • salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a saute pan.  While the butter is still melting, add the minced garlic.  
  2. Add the bread and saute, seasoning with a little salt and pepper.
  3. Saute until the bread is nice and golden brown.
  4. Once they are golden brown and cooked to the desired doneness, remove them from the heat and spread them on paper towels.  Spread them evenly, so they don’t steam one another.
  5. Let them cool completely, before using or packaging.  

Chicken Salad

Posted in Lunch, Main Dishes, Salads and Soups by

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I love chicken salad so I spent a lot of time looking for a great low-carb recipe.  This one is great and comes from djfoodie.com.  The serving size is 4 and it has 3.79 grams net carbs.  Please note that the highest carb count item is the almonds so if you want lower carbs, cut the amount of almonds.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 pounds of cooked chicken meat, diced
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
  • 1/2 cup real bacon bits
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon celery seed
  • salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. MIX the stuff in a bowl!
  2. EAT!

We put this on toasted low-carb bread for lunch.  It would also be great on lettuce or just as is!!!

Deviled Eggs

Posted in Appetizers, Snacks by

 

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This is my own recipe.  I’m sure everyone has their own way to hard boil eggs, but I like Martha Stewart’s recipe.  Just a quick summary of her recipe: (1) cover six eggs with cold water in a pan, cover and boil water; (2) as soon as water boils, remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 12 minutes; (3) remove eggs and put in an ice bath for 2 minutes; and (4) remove and peel.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6 hard boiled eggs
  • 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar (or 1 teaspoon if using regular mustard)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or salt substitute
  • pepper, to taste
  • cajun spice, to taste (optional)
  • paprika

DIRECTIONS:

  1. SLICE the eggs in half, and carefully remove the yolks into a mixing bowl.
  2. MASH the yolks with a fork.  Stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and cajun spice, and mix until creamy.
  3. SPOON the mixture back into the hollows in the egg whites.  Sprinkle with a little paprika for color.

Each egg half has less than 1 net carb each. ♥

Almond Joy Pancakes (Gluten Free)

Posted in Breakfast by

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This is a recipe I adapted from LizDellaCroce (The Lemon Bowl).  It is my favorite low-carb and gluten-free recipe so far.  The recipe says it serves 12 (but I like to make pancakes a little larger).  I got 10 normal-size pancakes.  Each pancake is 4 net carbs each or if you like them a little larger like I do, they are probably about 4.5 net carbs each.  Chocolate, coconut and almonds — what more can you ask for??

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup sweetener of choice
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt (or salt substitute)
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 cup toasted, slivered almonds
  • 2 ounces 85 – 90% cacao chocolate, finely chopped
  • Additional oil for the pan

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together coconut flour, shredded coconut, sweetener, baking powder and salt. 
  2. Stir in eggs, coconut oil, 1/2 cup of the almond milk and the almond extract.  Add additional almond milk as needed.  Your batter should be thicker than traditional pancake batter, but not so thick that you can’t pour it and spread it around the pan.  Coconut flour batters also tend to thicken up as they sit so you can add additional milk partway through, if needed.
  3. Stir in toasted almonds and chopped chocolate.
  4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brush with additional coconut oil or another cooking oil.  Scoop about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter onto skillet and spread into a 4 inch circle.  Repeat until you can’t fit any more pancakes into skillet (you should get 3 or 4 in).
  5. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is set around the edges. 
  6. Flip and continue cooking until second side is golden brown.  Remove from pan and keep warm.  Repeat with remaining batter.  

Ultimate Mock Mac and Cheese Casserole

Posted in Casserole, Main Dishes by

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This is another George Stella keeper. The first time I made it, I used chicken. Tonight I used turkey ham (yes, there is such a thing).  Both times were fabulous!  Net carbs: 3g.

  • 1 large head cauliflower, chopped (small)
  • 1 cup chopped broccoli
  • 1 cup cooked cubed chicken (or ham)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 6 ounces cooked bacon, chopped
  1. PLACE the rack in the center position and preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9×9-inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.  (I don’t have a 9×9 so I use my 9×13.)  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. COOK the cauliflower and broccoli in the boiling water for about 5 minutes, or until crisp yet tender.  Drain well; pat between layers of paper towels to dry, and transfer to the prepared baking dish, along with the cooked chicken (or ham).
  3. BRING the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese, mustard, salt, pepper and garlic powder.
  4. STIR in 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and whisk for just a minute until melted and combined. Remove from the heat and pour over the ingredients in the casserole dish.
  5. SPRINKLE the cooked bacon over all, top with the remaining 1/2 cup if Cheddar, and bake for 15 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.  Let cool for 5 minted before serving.

Enjoy♥

Foolproof Rib Roast

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes by

This is probably not a new recipe for some of you, but for me — an amateur cook — it is a new winner.  It is a rather expensive meal so not part of my weekly or even monthly menu routine, but will be great for holidays.  I took this one from Allrecipes.com.  Servings per recipe:  6; net carbs per serving 0.5 (woohoo)!!  For those of us who love horseradish, this is definitely a recipe for this condiment. Be aware:  Cook time is 5 hours.

  • (5 pound) standing beef rib roast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:

  1. ALLOW roast to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
  2. PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine the salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small cup.  Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan so that the fatty side is up and the rib side is on the bottom.  Rub the seasoning onto the roast.
  3. ROAST for 1 hour in the preheated oven.  Turn the oven off and leave the roast inside.  Do not open the door!!!!  Leave it in there for 3 hours.  30 to 40 minutes before serving, turn the oven back on at 375 degrees to reheat the roast.  The internal temperature should be at least 145 degrees F.  Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before carving into servings.

Ginny’s Taco Salad

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes, Salads and Soups by

While my family does get a little sick of salad, this recipe is great and everyone loves it.  One of the ingredients is “2 cups of Black Soy Bean Chili” (which is a recipe I had previously posted).  Another great (and easy) recipe from George Stella.  Please note this recipe only yields 2 servings.  They are large servings though!

  • 4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (or 50-50 mix)
  • 2 cups Black Soy Bean Chili (previously posted)
  • 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese (you may substitute any cheese you prefer)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
  • 1 Roma tomato, diced
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon sliced black olives
  • 1 tablespoon sliced green onion (scallion) tops (this one is option, in my opinion)
  1. DIVIDE the shredded lettuce between 2 bowls and pile it high.
  2. IF the chili isn’t hot already, warm it in the microwave.
  3. TOP each bowl of lettuce with 1 cup chili and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
  4. TOP the salads with the tomato, sour cream, sliced olives and scallion tops.  Serve immediately, while the chili is hot and the salad is cold.