Showing posts with label Low Carb

Perfectly Perfect Low Carb Hot Chocolate...

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, November 18, 2013

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This just might be the best hot chocolate ever.  No more nasty chemical laden Swiss Miss at my house, this is so easy to put together, it tastes sinfully delicious and this is under 40 calories a cup.   I adapted this recipe from Hershey’s Cocoa, it’s SO good, just the perfect finish to a cool winter evening. ~ jan

1 cup Unsweeted Almond Milk (I use Silk, 30 calories, <1 carb per cup)
2 Tablespoons Splenda
2-3 teaspoons Hershey’s Cocoa
dash salt
1/2-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Microwave your milk in a mug until hot, mine takes about 1.5 minutes.

Meanwhile stir the rest of the ingredients together, except for vanilla.  Add to mug of hot milk, and whisk to blend, then stir in the vanilla.  Top with whipped cream, if desired.

Note:  The first time I made this, I added a splash of half and half, the next time I didn’t.  Of course it was a bit richer with the half and half, but still amazing without.  You can also add just a dash of cinnamon to make Mexican Hot Chocolate.

This is a keeper, Almond Milk rocks, I will never look for another hot chocolate, this one, as Hershey says, is perfectly perfect...

Carb count - 5-6 carbs 

Photo courtesy of Hershey’s Chocolate

Cool Fall Days, Low Carb Recipes

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, October 16, 2013

I've lived the low carb lifestyle since May of this year, May 23rd, 9:30 am to be exact, only veering away  for a few meals, mostly pizza. and never eating sugar.  And how's it working out for me? Oh, I did gangbusters at first, dropped eighteen pounds, then stalled, and have gained and lost the same pound since the beginning of September.

I keep telling myself that it's a lifestyle, but we all know I've lost and gained back a badzillion pounds over the years and have little hope for anything long term.  But that's not the point of this post to talk about my success or lack there of with what I put in my mouth, I merely wanted to some recipes because they're really good.

oa know, it's not all that bad.  I'm sitting here sipping a cup of that wonderful Trader Joe's Ruby Red Chai tea, liberally laced with cream. It's a perfect treat on a cool fall day.

And dinner tonight?  Sausage pumpkin soup, such a good recipe,  (I'm trying it tonight with Italian sausage) you really don't taste pumpkin at all, it just thickens it and gives it depth and richness.  Also Cheddar Bay Biscuits (leaving out the Old Bay Seasoning, I'm not a fan), they're almost a dead ringer when they're warm for Red Lobster's Biscuits, except made with almond flour.

And dessert?  Warm, Brownie in a mug with a scoop of Breyers Carb Smart Ice Cream.  It's pretty awesome, too.

I know, I know, you're saying to yourself, "no wonder she hasn't lost weight."  But this shouldn't affect any weight loss, it's the way you eat on low carb, it's normal to stall for a month or two, and at least I'm not gaining.

So, do you want a look at the recipes?  Just click on the following pictures.  I've made all of these, they're  "tried 'n true."  It's what I do, I cook, every.single.day and I'm always trying something different.   If anybody is interested in low carb links and more recipes, just email me.  ~ Jan


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Soup Tweaks:  Simmer the soup uncovered so that it reduces and thickens.  Warm the cream in the microwave for 1 minute before you add it to the soup.  Cream curdles easily if you pour cold cream into hot soup, heating it prevents that.  I don't add the half cup of water at the end with the cream, I just stir in the half cup of cream and simmer it for a minute until it all blends.  If you add water, then you have to reduce it again.  Too much trouble.  I also added diced red pepper to this.  I prefer the Italian sausage to regular sausage, it gives it a really good flavor.

 

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Soup Tweaks:  Simmer the soup uncovered so that it reduces and thickens.  Warm the cream in the microwave for 1 minute before you add it to the soup.  Cream curdles easily if you pour cold cream into hot soup, heating it prevents that.  I don't add the half cup of water at the end with the cream, I just stir in the half cup of cream and simmer it for a minute until it all blends.  If you add water, then you have to reduce it again.  Too much trouble.  I also added diced red pepper to this.  I prefer the Italian sausage to regular sausage, it gives it a really good flavor.

Low Carb Pumpkin Pancakes

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, October 06, 2013

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I'm a huge fan of pumpkin pancakes, and also a huge fan of George Stella's Still Livin' Low Carb Cookbook.  His other books are good, but his latest is my favorite, he's switched from using that nasty soy flour to almond flour, with wonderful results.  Almond flour wasn't around a few years ago, and low carb eating has vastly improved because of it.

I make his Cinnamon Toast Pancakes weekly, but our family loves pumpkin pancakes in the fall, so I modified his recipe with amazing results.  This one is a keeper, it's so yummy!  ~ Jan

  • BATTER
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup almond flour (Bob's Red Mill sells it in your grocery store, I get mine at Trader Joes, MUCH cheaper)
  • ¼ cup milled flax seed (available at WalMart)
  • ¼ cup bulk sugar substitute (recommended: Splenda)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 2 heaping teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
  1. Grease a griddle or large skillet with vegetable oil spray and heat over medium-high heat.
  2. Mix all the batter ingredients in a bowl with a wooden spoon until well blended.  You may have to add a bit more water if the pancakes are too thick, pumpkin is dense.  If you think yours are too thick, just stir in a bit of water until they look right, it's not rocket science, it's just cooking… ;o)
  3. Pour approximately 6 large pancakes onto the hot griddle, and cook on the first side for 3 to 4 minutes until almost done, and then flip and cook for just another minute or so to finish. 

Awesome Low Carb Ranch Dressing

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, August 29, 2013

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This is the perfect low carb ranch dressing, so easy to make and really good!

 

2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

1-1/2 t. vinegar

1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup chopped chives

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. dill weed

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 t. pepper

 

Whisk together all ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Secure lid and store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Makes 4 cups.

 

This is thick, dip consistency, thin with a little half and half if you want thinner dressing

Buttered Coffee Keeps you from Being Hungry...

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, June 29, 2013

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Adding a tablespoon of butter to your morning coffee keeps you full until lunch.  I know, it's strange, but it really does work.  It's a low carb trick that would work for anyone.

Just melt your butter, pour in your coffee and whisk to combine and make it a bit foamy.  It's absolutely yummy, a little cream makes it even better!

Low Carb Pasta

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, June 11, 2013

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I got the niftiest little Oxo Julienne Peeler to make low carb pasta.  It's just amazing.

I posted it on my daily blog, you can read about it by clicking here.

~ Jan

Brown Sugar Blend Splenda Substitute

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, September 05, 2012

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You can save a massive amount of calories with this substitute, I can’t wait to try it!

I was reading Jamie, at Your Lighter Side, this morning, my favorite Low Carb Blog, and she is posting a substitution for Brown Sugar Blend Splenda, which I seem to never have on hand when I need it.

Her alternative looks pretty good, and so many less calories than the Blend.  If I’m correct, I believe that in the past I made a copycat Brown Sugar Blend Splenda, which was half brown sugar, half Splenda, but Jamie is saying that you can add one Tablespoon of molasses to every cup of “your favorite sweetener” which for me is Splenda, mash it with a fork to incorporate molasses and you have a wonderful substitute.

And one tablespoon of molasses is 58 calories, however, 1/2 cup of brown sugar is 415 calories, and that is a HUGE savings.

Sounds good to me, I know what I’m going to be trying in the kitchen today!

 You can read her entire article here…

This was a Delicious Ham & Veggie Frittita

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, July 23, 2012

 

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It was fast, easy to prepare and so yummy.  I use a Bullet Blender to blend my eggs and milk, I think it makes the eggs fluffier.

First, preheat the oven to 375 degrees

I sauteed the potato separately, as I’m eating low carb, and hubby isn’t, so I prepared his potato and only put it on half of the frittata.  Worked for us ;o)

I sliced a large potato thinly, added a bit of salt and pepper and sauteed it in a 12” iron skillet in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil until tender.  I put on a lid, it took about 10-12 minutes.

Then I removed the potato and and to the skillet I added a bit more olive oil. a small diced onion, half of a chopped green pepper, half of a zucchini cut into small dice, a handful of sliced fresh mushrooms, and a slice of ham, diced.

I sauteed this until veggies were tender, added a clove of minced garlic (I always add garlic at the end of cooking time as it burns easily), let that cook for a minute, then I added a large handful of fresh spinach, put on the lid, took it off the heat and let it sit for the spinach to wilt.

Meanwhile, I cracked 9 eggs into my bullet blender, added salt and pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of half and half and blended it.

Then to the skillet with the wilted veggies, I sprinkled on a cup of sharp cheddar cheese, then I poured on the egg mixture, and finally I put the sliced potatoes on hubby’s half of the frittita.

Into the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes.  Just open the oven door and jiggle the skillet handle, and when the mixture quits jiggling, it’s set and ready to eat.

This is good leftover, also good at room temperature.  You can vary the fillings, add cooked bacon or sausage, green chiles, fresh asparagus or a diced tomato, it’s so versatile and so easy, just add fruit and/or salad for a quick summer meal.  Cooking it in the oven makes it simple, too.

And it’s fluffy, the Bullet Blender, remember.  Awesome little machine!  Sorry about the picture quality, I’m an amateur, not a professional.  Sometimes I take good pictures, sometimes not, this was one of the nots.  ;o)

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Slow Cooker Refried Bean Chili

by 👩‍🍳 Cooking With a Southern Vibe in Music City USA 👩‍🍳, February 06, 2012

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If you’ve never been to Kalyn’s Kitchen website, you’ve missed out on some really great South Beach recipes.  I’ve been a fan for years, and last week when I saw her recipe for Slow Cooker Beef & Refried Bean Chili, I knew I had to try it.  The problem was I didn’t have all the ingredients, and I’m not a fan of cumin or mexican oregano, so I adapted hers, and it came out amazingly well.  A different take on tomato based chili, this one is a keeper.  So thanks for the idea Kalyn.  I’ll link to your original version at the end of the post.

I only used 1/3 pound of ground sirloin, yes that’s right, just 1/3 pound, and it was enough, but of course you can add more meat if you want.  I also didn’t add the lime juice, but I did squeeze a fresh lime on my portion, I actually prefer it without the lime.

And yes, those are pickles, I’ve eaten pickles with chili since childhood, no peanut butter sandwich for this old girl, just give me some pickles. ;o)

Ingredients:

1/3 lb. ground sirloin
1 large onion, diced
3-4 large cloves of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1-2 Tablespoons of chili powder
1 can of Trader Joe’s refried black beans with jalapenos
1 can of light red kidney beans, drained
1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1/2 box (2 cups) beef broth
1/2 jar (1.5 cups) salsa
1 can diced tomatoes (I think next time I’ll use Rotel and kick it up another notch)

Brown ground sirloin and onions, stirring in garlic at last minute.  Drain and add to rest of ingredients, simmer in covered pot for 30-45 minutes, or you could put this in a slow cooker on low for 3-4 hours.

It was thick, spicy and delicious.  I always make tomato based chili, so this beef broth based one was really different.  I loved the refried beans to thicken it, it was just a super recipe.  Be sure and compare mine to Kalyn’s, hers looks wonderful.   Oh, so GOOD!  I’ll be making this healthy chili again and again…

~ jan

Adapted from a recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen

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