Oh my gosh, ADD THE PEANUT BUTTER!! I warmed about 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter in the microwave and added it to the butterball batter, and it tastes awesome! Might need to add a bit more stevia though; if you use regular peanut butter it'll probably be sweet enough on it's own, but beware - it has sugar in it.
Also, I added an egg this time. I think it gives it a more cookie-dough texture, and it definitely adds fat and protein. I might even add two next time; I love eggs. Eggs and butter are best friends.
~~~
Butter on, faithful readers!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Crustless Quiche
Who needs a crust? They're a pain to make, God alone knows what's in the pre-made ones you get from the store, and they just add needless carbs. Eggs bake just fine without a crust, which was good news for me when I developed a craving for quiche but wanted to stick with low carb. No more boring breakfasts for me!
Hearty Crustless Breakfast Quiche
8 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp onion powder (or you can use real onions, 1/2 small, chopped finely)
1/2 small tomato, diced
1 cup broccoli florets
6 slices bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
Start with a large pie pan, the deeper the better. Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, and seasonings together. Add the swiss and half the cheddar; stir together. Add in the broccoli and the tomato - I like to squeeze the diced tomatoes out thoroughly to get rid of as much excess water as possible. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon in, and mix all together thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture into the pie pan. You shouldn't need to grease the pan, but you could smear it with a little butter if you like. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the remaining cheddar on top; bake 20-30 minutes until the middle is set. Add the remaining cheddar in the last few minutes.
It will puff up like a souffle, and then will shrink as it cools. But don't worry, it'll taste simply awesome when you're done.
~~~
If the above toppings/seasonings sound kind of boring, here are some other things I've tried: ham or sausage instead of bacon. Sun-dried tomatoes and basil, with either feta or some REALLY sharp cheddar. I'm even plotting a pizza quiche, with pepperoni, provalone, italian seasonings and tomato; if it comes out well, I will take pics and post the results.
The possibilities are pretty endless, so have fun!
Hearty Crustless Breakfast Quiche
8 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 tsp onion powder (or you can use real onions, 1/2 small, chopped finely)
1/2 small tomato, diced
1 cup broccoli florets
6 slices bacon, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
Start with a large pie pan, the deeper the better. Preheat the oven to 375.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, and seasonings together. Add the swiss and half the cheddar; stir together. Add in the broccoli and the tomato - I like to squeeze the diced tomatoes out thoroughly to get rid of as much excess water as possible. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon in, and mix all together thoroughly.
Pour egg mixture into the pie pan. You shouldn't need to grease the pan, but you could smear it with a little butter if you like. Sprinkle about 1/2 of the remaining cheddar on top; bake 20-30 minutes until the middle is set. Add the remaining cheddar in the last few minutes.
It will puff up like a souffle, and then will shrink as it cools. But don't worry, it'll taste simply awesome when you're done.
~~~
If the above toppings/seasonings sound kind of boring, here are some other things I've tried: ham or sausage instead of bacon. Sun-dried tomatoes and basil, with either feta or some REALLY sharp cheddar. I'm even plotting a pizza quiche, with pepperoni, provalone, italian seasonings and tomato; if it comes out well, I will take pics and post the results.
The possibilities are pretty endless, so have fun!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Steak Salad
So here's a tip for my fellow ketoans: any sandwich can be turned into a salad. Well, almost any sandwich; I don't recommend putting peanut butter and jelly over iceberg. Yick.
Aside from PB&J, most of your favorite sandwiches or subs can easily be converted. Honestly, most sandwiches have lettuce and tomato anyway. Just top it with tuna, cold cuts, or in this case, steak, and munch away!
One of my favorite subs used to be a steak sub, with lots of melty cheese. I adapted it into a salad, and have no regrets.
Steak Salad
1/2 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-4 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 oz shredded mozarella cheese
Lettuce of choice - I like iceberg, but feel free to get fancy with romaine or mesclun mix
Shred the lettuce into a large bowl. Top with cheese. Set aside.
In a frying pan, brown the beef; drain and return the beef to the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the beef and add the seasonings. Remove the pan from heat; mix the mayonnaise into the meat just till mixed. I like a lot, but you can start with the smaller amount to start with if you like.
Spread the meat over top of the cheese in bowl of lettuce. Let sit for a minute to melt the cheese. Enjoy!
~~~~~
Yes, the mayonnaise is the dressing. May sound gross, but believe me, it tastes amazing, and it really pulls the whole thing together. You could also fry up onions, green peppers, and mushrooms before returning the meat to the frying pan if that's how you usually eat your steak subs; I'm kind of boring when it comes to some things.
Aside from PB&J, most of your favorite sandwiches or subs can easily be converted. Honestly, most sandwiches have lettuce and tomato anyway. Just top it with tuna, cold cuts, or in this case, steak, and munch away!
One of my favorite subs used to be a steak sub, with lots of melty cheese. I adapted it into a salad, and have no regrets.
Steak Salad
1/2 lb ground beef
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 Tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-4 Tbsp mayonnaise
4 oz shredded mozarella cheese
Lettuce of choice - I like iceberg, but feel free to get fancy with romaine or mesclun mix
Shred the lettuce into a large bowl. Top with cheese. Set aside.
In a frying pan, brown the beef; drain and return the beef to the pan. Drizzle olive oil over the beef and add the seasonings. Remove the pan from heat; mix the mayonnaise into the meat just till mixed. I like a lot, but you can start with the smaller amount to start with if you like.
Spread the meat over top of the cheese in bowl of lettuce. Let sit for a minute to melt the cheese. Enjoy!
~~~~~
Yes, the mayonnaise is the dressing. May sound gross, but believe me, it tastes amazing, and it really pulls the whole thing together. You could also fry up onions, green peppers, and mushrooms before returning the meat to the frying pan if that's how you usually eat your steak subs; I'm kind of boring when it comes to some things.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Butter Balls
We are currently under construction at my house; or rather, destruction. We're tearing down a part of our house so it can be rebuilt (correctly, this time.) So you'll have to bear with me if my posts are a bit sporadic; I'm still eating keto, and still trying new recipes, and I'll post them for you as often as I can.
My mom used to make these cookies called butterballs. They were basically flour, sugar, chocolate chips and lots of butter, baked in the oven and rolled in powdered sugar. Since it's summer and I'm drowning in fresh, homemade butter I thought....well, why not? Keto isn't just about low carb, it's also about eating high fat - healthy fats, full of nutrients and hunger-busting fat-calories that can't be converted to glucose. I've been looking for ways to increase my fat intake; when you're busy, it's easy to fall back on proteins. Which are great for you, don't get me wrong; but the ideal is to teach your body to burn fat as fuel. That's how those lumps around your hip and belly melt away.
I realize most people don't have access to large amounts of fresh, high-quality butter like I do, but these would make a good treat for anyone. I recommend spending the extra money on good quality, unsalted butter; salted butter is usually of poorer quality (the salt hides a multitude of sins.)
Butterballs
1/2 lb sweet cream butter
2 Tbsp stevia powder or Splenda (or add more to taste)
1-2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
70% or greater cacao chocolate bar
Allow butter to come to room temperature. Mix in stevia, salt and vanilla; blend till smooth. Slowly mix in coconut flour till mixture begins to thicken; coconut flour absorbs moisture like crazy, so feel free to adjust to get the texture you want. Grate the chocolate into the mixture; fold in gently.
As is, it should have a taste and texture similar to cookie dough. If you want a firmer texture, you can drop by spoonfuls onto a plate or small cookie sheet and refrigerate for a few hours. Enjoy!
~~~
I have a hard time not eating a lot of this in one sitting; but then I'm not hungry for hours. They're tasty with good staying power. If you don't have coconut flour, I think almond flour would work well too; it would be a different texture, but the nutty flavor should add a nice richness to the mixture. I'll try that next time, and tell you how it comes out.
My mom used to make these cookies called butterballs. They were basically flour, sugar, chocolate chips and lots of butter, baked in the oven and rolled in powdered sugar. Since it's summer and I'm drowning in fresh, homemade butter I thought....well, why not? Keto isn't just about low carb, it's also about eating high fat - healthy fats, full of nutrients and hunger-busting fat-calories that can't be converted to glucose. I've been looking for ways to increase my fat intake; when you're busy, it's easy to fall back on proteins. Which are great for you, don't get me wrong; but the ideal is to teach your body to burn fat as fuel. That's how those lumps around your hip and belly melt away.
I realize most people don't have access to large amounts of fresh, high-quality butter like I do, but these would make a good treat for anyone. I recommend spending the extra money on good quality, unsalted butter; salted butter is usually of poorer quality (the salt hides a multitude of sins.)
Butterballs
1/2 lb sweet cream butter
2 Tbsp stevia powder or Splenda (or add more to taste)
1-2 Tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
70% or greater cacao chocolate bar
Allow butter to come to room temperature. Mix in stevia, salt and vanilla; blend till smooth. Slowly mix in coconut flour till mixture begins to thicken; coconut flour absorbs moisture like crazy, so feel free to adjust to get the texture you want. Grate the chocolate into the mixture; fold in gently.
As is, it should have a taste and texture similar to cookie dough. If you want a firmer texture, you can drop by spoonfuls onto a plate or small cookie sheet and refrigerate for a few hours. Enjoy!
~~~
I have a hard time not eating a lot of this in one sitting; but then I'm not hungry for hours. They're tasty with good staying power. If you don't have coconut flour, I think almond flour would work well too; it would be a different texture, but the nutty flavor should add a nice richness to the mixture. I'll try that next time, and tell you how it comes out.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Keto Pound Cakes
OK, sorry, I'm stealing this one from someone else. It's been a hectic week on the farm, and it'll pretty much stay that way through the rest of the summer, but I will try to keep up with posting recipes as much as possible. I have not made these yet, but I'm going to as soon as I can - they sound lovely, and would be nice and portable for taking to work.
KETO POUND CAKE
makes 4 in personal cake tins
3/4c butter softened
4 oz cream cheese softened
12-16 pkts of stevia or aspartame
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond
3 eggs
1 c coconut flour
1. preheat oven to 325
2. grease your tins
3. mix your butter, cream cheese, sugar sub., vanilla, and almond extract with a hand mixer until creamed together
4. Add one egg at a time alternating egg and flour until both are in the batter. Add flour slowly as it can make the batter thick, use less flour if necessary, if you've already put it all in and it's too thick, add almond milk until cream cheese consistency- this will never be a liquid batter.
5. Place in tins to top, this will not be a rising batter.
6. Bake for 45 mins, but check after 30, your top will be golden, a toothpick will come out clean, and on touch, the cake will spring back.
7. Let cool and enjoy, come up with a topping for it, or just add raspberries and whipped cream!
Here's the webiste I found this on: http://thestateofketo.blogspot.com/2012/07/keto-pound-cake.html
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Low Carb Chicken Alfredo
I used to make this starting with a basic roux, or white sauce: melted butter mixed with flour, then thinned with milk to make a cream sauce base that can pretty much be flavored however you like. Well, the flour is pure carbs, so I had to come up with an alternative.
Thankfully, the world has cream cheese. Cream cheese fixes everything.
Chicken Al-Keto
2 large chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli (or frozen broccoli florets)
1 8oz box of cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Slice the chicken breasts into strips; they cook faster that way. You can sprinkle a bit of each of the above seasonings on the chicken for extra flavor. Once they're mostly cooked, remove from the pan to a bowl but leave the drippings in the pan.
Over low heat, melt the cream cheese into the drippings. Add in the milk slowly until the mixture thickens. Add in parmesan cheese and seasonings; once the sauce is smoothly combined, stir in the chicken and keep warm over low heat.
In separate pot, steam broccoli, or microwave the frozen florets per package directions. Serve with the chicken and sauce.
~~~~
This is a good one to serve with others who aren't doing keto; all you gotta do is prepare some fettucini on the side and you have a "normal" meal. Me, I like to stick to the good stuff and skip the pasta. The sauce was always my favorite part anyway.
Thankfully, the world has cream cheese. Cream cheese fixes everything.
Chicken Al-Keto
2 large chicken breasts
1 head of broccoli (or frozen broccoli florets)
1 8oz box of cream cheese
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Slice the chicken breasts into strips; they cook faster that way. You can sprinkle a bit of each of the above seasonings on the chicken for extra flavor. Once they're mostly cooked, remove from the pan to a bowl but leave the drippings in the pan.
Over low heat, melt the cream cheese into the drippings. Add in the milk slowly until the mixture thickens. Add in parmesan cheese and seasonings; once the sauce is smoothly combined, stir in the chicken and keep warm over low heat.
In separate pot, steam broccoli, or microwave the frozen florets per package directions. Serve with the chicken and sauce.
~~~~
This is a good one to serve with others who aren't doing keto; all you gotta do is prepare some fettucini on the side and you have a "normal" meal. Me, I like to stick to the good stuff and skip the pasta. The sauce was always my favorite part anyway.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Keto Waffles:An Update
Alright, so I finally got around to making the keto waffles. Of all the keto recipes I've tried so far, this is the only one I probably won't make again. It's not that it isn't successful: the batter did fry up into nice waffle shapes. But they're also extremely light (ie, mostly air), crumble easily, and have very little flavor. Over all, not as satisfying or as simple as the keto pancakes, and I just don't see going to the extra effort for less satiety.
On another note: I bought some low-carb jellys at the store the other day to try them out. I've read rave reviews from other ketoans, particularly about the Polanor low sugar fruit spreads, so I thought I'd try them. They're surprisingly bland; almost no sweetness to them at all despite the Splenda, and even the fruit flavor was lacking to me. In short, from now on I'll skip the pricey jarred stuff and opt for some fresh fruit on my pancakes instead if I need something sweet. Fewer chemicals and better flavor. After all, as much as I'm focused on watching my carbs, fruits DO have good nutrients and are a very acceptable cheat in my book.
So there you go, I saved you the time and expense of buying whey protein and low-sugar jams. You're welcome, and I will get another tried-and-true recipe up in the next couple of days.
Keto on!
On another note: I bought some low-carb jellys at the store the other day to try them out. I've read rave reviews from other ketoans, particularly about the Polanor low sugar fruit spreads, so I thought I'd try them. They're surprisingly bland; almost no sweetness to them at all despite the Splenda, and even the fruit flavor was lacking to me. In short, from now on I'll skip the pricey jarred stuff and opt for some fresh fruit on my pancakes instead if I need something sweet. Fewer chemicals and better flavor. After all, as much as I'm focused on watching my carbs, fruits DO have good nutrients and are a very acceptable cheat in my book.
So there you go, I saved you the time and expense of buying whey protein and low-sugar jams. You're welcome, and I will get another tried-and-true recipe up in the next couple of days.
Keto on!
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