Baked Faux-tato (Cauliflower) Salad

Baked Faux-Tato Salad (Cauliflower)

This mock potato salad is sure to be a staple this summer.  It makes the perfect side dish for grilled meat and would also be great for a dish to pass.  You can even make it days ahead.

Ingredients:

4 cups (about 2 pounds) cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4+ teaspoon sea salt
1/4+ teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1 cup (3.5 ounces) shredded cheddar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  If using frozen cauliflower thaw and drain.  Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.  Roast for 25 - 30 minutes until the bottoms start to brown, turning half way through.  Let cauliflower come to room temperature.

In a bowl mix together the remaining ingredients except bacon, reserving some cheese, and herbs to garnish the top.  Fold the cooled cauliflower into the sour cream mixture.  Transfer to your serving dish and garnish with reserved cheese, herbs, and the chopped bacon.  Cover the salad and refrigerate until serving.

Nutritional Information:

This nutritional information is calculated on 10 servings and may very depending on the brands you use.

Calories: 200     Fat: 19.5g     Net Carbs: 1.9g     Protein: 4.5g

Sweet and Smokey BBQ Sauce - Sugar Free

Sweet and Smokey BBQ Sauce - Sugar Free

You don't realize how much sugar is in everything until you have committed to a sugar free diet.  Unless you are willing to buy a lot of your food online (at a premium price) or don't mind artificial sweeteners (yuck), you will likely have to make most of your convenience foods and condiments from scratch.  

This BBQ sauce has the same consistency of store-bought and is sweetened with a low glycemic, zero calorie sweetener.  You can also customize it to suit your tastes.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 roasted red pepper

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon mustard

2 cups chicken stock or broth

6 ounces tomato paste

1 tablespoon chipotle powder*

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon powdered munk fruit extract or stevia extract

Instructions:

In a large saucepan heat the butter, onion, and garlic until the onion is translucent.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Return to the saucepan and simmer about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  The sauce may splatter.  You can put a lid partly on the pan to catch the spatter, but the sauce needs to be able to reduce so give room for evaporation.

*Chipotle powder will make this sauce spicy.  You can use less if you would like it only slightly spicy.  If you would still like the smokey taste but no spice replace the chipotle powder with smoked paprika.  For no smoke or spice use paprika in place of chipotle powder.

This will store for a month a more in the refrigerator or for several months in the freezer.

Nutritional Information:

Per 2 tablespoon serving.  About 16 servings per recipe

Calories - 24     Fat - 1g     Protein - 1g     Net Carbs - 2.5g

Blue Cheese Dressing

Blue Cheese Dressing

Keto/ Low Carb/ Sugar Free

Here's the thing.  I don't actually like blue cheese, or so I thought.  When my husband and I order wings he always gets blue cheese dressing and I get ranch.  When we started the keto diet I wanted to try to make a blue cheese dressing to add to homemade wings.  This recipe is sugar free and full of healthy fats.  Oh, and it is delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

5.5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Instructions:

Mix all of the ingredients except the blue cheese until combined.  Stir in the blue cheese crumbles.  This tastes best when it is allowed to sit for a couple of hours in the refrigerator before use but is great freshly made as well.

 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I had originally tried to make chocolate cupcakes with almond flour but the texture was very disappointing.  The final version of these cupcakes came out dense but moist.  They are delicious enough to pass as a traditional cupcake too!

This recipe makes 6 cupcakes.  When I make cupcakes I like to make at least two flavors and with our family trying to reduce sweets consumption (even if they are wholesome ingredients) I would rather we didn't have too many extra cupcakes in the house.  Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple this recipe.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes:

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sweetener (see my post on sweeteners)

3 eggs, room temperature

3 tablespoons butter, melted and at room temperature

2 tablespoons almond milk

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Frosting:

4 tablespoon butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

3/4 cup powdered sweetener (see my post on sweeteners)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl mix together the butters, sweetener, eggs, almond milk and vanilla.  Add the remaining cupcake ingredients and mix for 2 minutes.  Divide the mixture in to 6 muffin tins lined with baking cups or greased and bake for 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove to a rack and allow to cool.

In a bowl whip together the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy.  Top each cooled cupcake with frosting and enjoy.  These can sit at room temperature for a couple of hours but should be refrigerated if you are making them in advance.

Nutritional Information

6 servings
Calories: 324     Fat: 27.5     Net Carbs: 5g    Protein: 10g  

Nutritional information calculated from SparkPeople.com

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Blueberry Frosting

Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Blueberry Frosting

Low Carb/Keto/Gluten Free/ Sugar Free

My husband's birthday just passed and I wanted to make a low carb cupcake that could pass as a regular cupcake.  I wanted to crumb to be just right and the frosting to taste like more than just a sugar bomb.  These cupcakes did not disappoint.  Not only did my husband and I enjoy them, but the children and adults not following kept enjoyed them as well and didn't know they were low carb until I said so.  I wanted until my mother in-law was done eating her cupcake to tell her that they are made with coconut flour!  For years I have been trying to get her to eat coconut oil and she can always tell when I've snuck some in.  Not this time though, she loved them as well.  I did attempt to use almond flour in my chocolate cupcakes but I ended up pitching them and starting over with coconut flour.  Coconut flour gives it the genuine cupcake texture, you need to use far less, and it is less expensive.  That's a win all around!

I love making cupcakes probably even more than I like eating them.  I have made so many variations and I always get raving reviews on how much my frosting tastes like real fruit.  Well friends, that's because it always is real fruit!  I usually simmer the fruit on the stove until it is concentrated but I have lost may batches that way.  If you leave them for a couple of minutes they will burn quickly.  This time I decided to roast them in the oven and I will never go back to my old method again!

This recipe makes 6 cupcakes.  When I make cupcakes I like to make at least two flavors and with our family trying to reduce sweets consumption (even if they are wholesome ingredients) I would rather we didn't have too many extra cupcakes in the house.  Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple this recipe.

Ingredients:

Blueberry Puree:

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 lemon, juiced

Cupcakes:

1/3 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup sweetener (see my post on sweeteners)

3 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup butter, melted and at room temperature

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 lemon, juice and zest 

Frosting:

3 ounces room temperature cream cheese

1 tablespoon butter, softened

3 tablespoons blueberry puree

1 cup powdered sweetener (see my post on sweeteners)

1/2 lemon, zest

Instructions:

Zest one lemon, set aside.  Juice 1 lemon and divide in 2.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In an 8x8 baking dish add the blueberries and 1/2 lemon juice and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until most of the juice from the blueberries has evaporated.  Allow to cool and blend into a puree.  Set aside for the frosting.

In a bowl mix together the butters, sweetener, eggs, and vanilla.  Add the coconut flour, baking powder, sea salt, and juice and zest of half a lemon and mix for 2 minutes.  Divide the mixture in to 6 muffin tins lined with baking cups or greased and bake at 375 degrees for 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove to a rack and allow to cool.

In a bowl whip together the frosting ingredients until light and fluffy.  Top each cooled cupcake with frosting and enjoy.  These can sit at room temperature for a couple of hours but should be refrigerated if you are making them in advance.

Nutritional Information

6 servings
Calories: 205     Fat: 17.5g     Net Carbs: 3.1g    Protein: 6g

Nutritional information calculated from SparkPeople.com

Sugar Free Sweeteners

Sugar Free Sweeteners

There are many sugar free sweeteners but I am only going to talk about the ones that I use.  When I am looking for a sugar substitute I look for something that it natural, will not spike blood sugar levels, and is also cost effective.

Lakanto Monkruit Sweetener

This one is my favorite.  It has the closest taste to organic cane sugar.  This sweetener measures 1:1 with regular sugar, meaning you would use the same measurement when cooking.  Monk fruit also called lo han guo is extracted from the seeds and skin of a fruit grown in Southeast Asia.  Monkfruit is 100 - 300 times sweeter than sugar (check your concentration...we will talk about that in a minute) so to give this sweetener the bulk to be a 1:1 substitute it is added to Erythritol.  This blend is not very economical though, it runs about $1 an ounce.  Find it on amazon here. This blend does contain 4g of carbs per teaspoon, but as the carbs come from sugar alcohols which our bodies can't digest, they don't affect blood sugar levels.

Lankanto Liquid Monkfruit Sweetener

This is a very concentrated liquid so only a couple of drops will get the job done.  It is easy to travel with and can be mixed into hot or cold beverages which is also convenient.  This is great for using where your recipe doesn't require the bulk of "sugar".  This option is also more economical.  Find it here on amazon

Lankanto Pure Monkfruit Extract

As I stated above, monk fruit is highly concentrated.  This brand sells 30% Mogrosides and 50% Mogrosides.  The 30% is 150 times sweeter than sugar while the 50% is 300 times sweeter than sugar.  I chose to use the 30% for ease of measuring.  I have also tried other brands of monk fruit extract and I believe the Lankanto brand to be of higher quality.  With 1/2 teaspoon being the equivalent of 1 1/2 cups sugar, a little of this goes a long way and it is very reasonably priced.  Find it on amazon here

Erythritol Granules by Anthony

Erythritol is made from sugar alcohols.  It is a zero calorie low glycemic sweetener.  It does contain 4 carbs per teaspoon but these aren't counted as they aren't digested.  I am very sensitive so smell and I do think this has a faint acetone smell when you first open the bag.  Some people do also report a cooling sensation (like menthol) after ingesting.  I have found that both of these issues can be resolved with a quick whirl in a blender.  This breaks up the crystals and there is no longer a smell or aftertaste (in my opinion anyway).  Erythritol is only 70% as sweet as sugar, so that is something to be considered as well.  Find it on amazon here

Pure Stevia by KAL

Like monk fruit, stevia is much sweeter than sugar (100 - 200X).  Stevia is an herb and is extracted from a plant that looks very similar to mint.  Stevia is zero calories and does not affect blood sugar but it does often have a bitter aftertaste.  This can be avoided by blending it with another low glycemic sweetener (monk fruit, erythritol...).  Stevia is easier to find than monk fruit and usually more economical.  When looking at stevia blends be sure that they are blending with a quality sweetener.  Find it on amazon here

Whole Earth Sweetener

This is a blend of Erythritol, Fructose (which is somewhat questionable), Chicory Root Fiber, Stevia Leaf Extract, and Monk Fruit Extract.  They are convenient for travel.  It is zero calorie and 2g carbs though it does not say how many are from erythritol.  Because the stevia is blended with other sweeteners it does not have a bitter aftertaste.   Find it here on Amazon

Caramel Stevia by Vitacost

This is a blend of stevia extract, water, vegetable glycerine and natural caramel flavor.  If you find natural flavoring to be questionable, this isn't the product for you.  I like to blend this in my bulletproof coffee with some of my own blended sweetener (recipe below) and it gives me a caramel latte taste.  If you don't mix this with another sweetener it does have a bitter aftertaste though.  This is very economical.  I have had it for over 2 years and I still have half a bottle.  I also appreciate that it comes in a glass bottle with a dropper.  5 - 10 drops is all you need for a sweet latte.  Find it on Vitacost here

Making Your Own Sweetener Blend

1:1 Sugar Substitute

You can use either stevia or monk fruit (or a combination) for this sweetener.  It tastes very much like regular sugar.  The measurements will depend on your concentration but for the products that I have I use 4 cups erythritol and 1/2 teaspoon monk fruit (or 4 teaspoons stevia).

Add the ingredients to a blender, stir to incorporate and then blend on low just long enough to make the crystals a little smaller.  It should resemble table sugar.

Store in an airtight container and use as you would regular sugar.

Powdered or Confectioners Sweetener

In any quantity you wish, place the sweetener blend in a blender and process on high until powdered and fluffy.  Store in an airtight container.

Brown Sugar Substitute

In a mixer (not a blender) or by hand combine 2 cups sweetener blend with 1 teaspoon organic unsulphured blackstrap molasses.  It will be difficult to mix in but it eventually will.  Store in an airtight container. 

Blackstrap molasses does contain 20 calories and 4.7 carbs per teaspoon (which is pretty negligible once combined with the sweetener blend) but it does also contain significant amounts of calcium, vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Vanilla "Sugar"

I love giving the sugar version of this for Christmas gifts and people love receiving it.  It gives a really special taste to coffee or sprinkled on top of baked goods.

Mix together 1 cup sweetener blend and 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla powder.