It’s a cold snowy day here today and nothing feels better in this weather than some comfort food. Macaroni and cheese is an old favorite that is something that isn’t allowed on a low carb diet because of the pasta. However, using Dreamfields pasta instead of regular high glycemic pasta makes it possible for low carbers to enjoy this classic casserole again. The kids will even eat this dish without complaints.
Dreamfields Macaroni and Cheese
1 ½ cups Dreamfields Elbows, cooked and drained
1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup almond milk
¼ cup heavy cream
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup crushed pork rinds
Combine pasta, cheese, almond milk, cream, egg, mustard, and garlic powder in medium bowl. Pour into 8×8 baking dish. Sprinkle crushed pork rinds on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Since the beginning of the year, I have been following a strict low carb and low calorie diet along with regular exercise. I have lost over five pounds which is the few pounds I gained over the holidays and some extra. Right now, I am the lightest I have been in over twenty years. It could be a coincidence, but I had my thyroid medication switched from Armour to NP Thyroid on January 4th. Some of my quick weight loss could be from the change in my prescription. From what I’ve read online, NP Thyroid is a more effective thyroid hormone replacement medication when compared to Armour. I do feel better on the NP Thyroid, but may be slightly hyperthyroid. My doctor recommended that I wait six weeks before having my thyroid levels tested, so I will know for sure next month.
Crustless low carb asparagus quiche with spinach, mozzarella and parmesan
I have been eating a lot of eggs over the last couple weeks during my weight loss period. I don’t always have time in the morning to cook eggs so I like to bake a crustless quiche to slice for quick breakfasts. Spinach and cheese is my favorite quiche, but I had a bag of frozen asparagus in the freezer and thought I’d give it a try with a little bit of baby spinach leaves. The result was delicious and a true morning treat with little effort.
Crustless Asparagus Quiche
8 ounces frozen asparagus, cooked
2 cups baby spinach leaves
6 eggs, beaten
2 ¼ cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated (can stuff is fine)
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Grease a 9-inch pie pan. Combine eggs with 2 cups of grated mozzarella cheese and garlic. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the egg mixture. Stir spinach leaves in remaining egg mixture and pour into the prepared pan. Layer asparagus on top of egg mixture in pan. Pour reserved egg mixture on top. Spring remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella and 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until edges start to brown.
One of my favorite morning snacks is a cup of fruit yogurt. I usually mix in a few blueberries and sweetener, but saw some Florida strawberries on sale at the grocery store and thought they’d be great in yogurt. Instead of slicing the strawberries for each serving of yogurt, I thought it’d be easier to slice all the strawberries ahead of time and mix them with sweetener. That way, when it was time for my yogurt snack, I could just grab a big spoonful and stir it into the plain yogurt. This weekend, I’m gonna make some coconut waffles and top it with this strawberry sauce and a little whipped cream. Yum, can’t wait!
Quick and Easy Strawberry Sauce
1 pound fresh strawberries; washed, hulled and sliced
6 packets low carb sweetener, or 1/4 sugar equivalent (can be adjusted to taste)
Place the strawberries in a medium bowl. Sprinkle sweetener over strawberries and stir gently to blend in. Cover bowl and store in refrigerator. Use to flavor plain yogurt, or as a topping for ice cream and waffles.
Tonight, I was looking for a way to dress up some steamed broccoli. Instead of the usual butter, I thought some creamy cheese sauce would be a nice topping. This is a quick and easy cheese sauce that only uses three ingredients. I used block cheese and grated it so that it would melt faster.
Creamy Cheese Sauce
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Stir over medium high heat until all cheese is melted.
Makes about 1 ½ cups sauce
Total net carbs in recipe: 7 g
This past holiday week, I decided to enjoy some of the foods I typically stay away from during the year. Now that the New Year is here, it’s time for me to get back on track. Although I did have a few of my favorite cookies and some regular eggnog, I kept the portions within moderation. My main meals were still kept low in carbs, but it is nice to have a few treats after being good all year.
Low Carb Spinach Cheese Quiche Pie
This is a recipe that I haven’t made in a long time. It’s a very simple dish that is great for those just starting out on a low carb diet. Although I like to make it in a pie pan, it can be baked in a square dish or doubled to fit into a 9×13 pan.
Crustless Spinach Cheese Pie
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained
5 eggs, beaten
2 ½ cups cheese, any kind (I used a fiesta blend)
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Grease a 9-inch pie pan. Combine all ingredients and pour into prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until edges start to brown.
I can’t believe Christmas Day is only a few days away. My husband gave me an early gift this year. Last week, he asked me to pick out paint colors because he was hiring a painter to paint the first floor rooms in our house. So, on top of the busy holiday preparations, we have been moving the furniture around to get everything away from the walls so they can be painted. Things are almost done and I’ve been busy dusting everything that was taken off the walls and doing some cleaning. I didn’t put many holiday decorations out this year, but once the house is in order again, I may put out a few more decorations to brighten things up for Christmas Day and New Years. I wish you all a Happy Holiday and hope the new year brings you health and happiness.
Sweet Ricotta Cheese Pie
1 ½ cups almond flour, sifted
3 tablespoons sugar substitute, I used Truvia
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
15 ounces ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1 cup sugar substitute, I used Truvia
2 tablespoons xylitol
In deep dish pie plate, mix together almond flour, 3 tablespoons equivalent sugar substitute and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour in butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until dough forms. Press into pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Set on rack to cool slightly.
In a large bowl mix 4 beaten eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ricotta cheese, coconut flour, 1 cup equivalent sugar substitute and 2 tablespoons xylitol. Beat until smooth. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until lightly browned and firm.
One of my favorite appetizers is tortilla chips with spinach artichoke dip. I rarely have this since tortilla chips are a bit too high in carbs for me. So, when I do have this appetizer, I skip the chips and use vegetables or pork rinds instead for dipping. Last week when I was craving some dip, I came up with a recipe without artichoke since I didn’t have any on hand. It was very cheesy and the spinach pieces were a bit large. Next time, I will chop the baby spinach in the food processor.
Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
12 ounce bag baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup almond milk
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and baby spinach. Cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Mix in salt and pepper. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Melt cream cheese into almond milk over low heat. Add to spinach. Add parmesan and mozzarella cheese into the bowl with the spinach mixture. Transfer mixture to a medium baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Now that it is December, I have been busy taking advantage of all the holiday sales to finish up my gift shopping. Christmas is still three weeks away, but I am proud to say that I have just about finished my holiday shopping. There are only a few more gifts that I need to buy.
Unfrosted Ricotta Almond Cookies cooling on rack
It’s also a time for all the holiday goodies and I’m resisting the temptation to give in to all the sweets at work. I did buy a few pre-made low carb cookies to snack on during the Thanksgiving holiday and those cookies are just about gone. It has been a while since I’ve baked my own low carb cookies, but with the holiday season here, now is the perfect time to get baking.
Frosting the Ricotta Almond Cookies on Rack
I had some left over ricotta cheese and was looking for some recipes to use it up. I stumbled upon a ricotta cookie recipe and thought it sounded interesting. I modified the recipe to use low carb ingredients and chose to enhance the taste with almond extract. These cookies are very good without the icing, but the extra sweet almond paste on top really makes them extra special.
Frosted Ricotta Almond Cookies
½ cup butter
⅔ cup sugar substitute, I used 1/4 cup + 2 t bulk Truvia
1 egg
⅔ cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda Icing
2 tablespoons almond milk
½ cup powdered erythritol
½ teaspoon almond extract
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, sweetener, eggs, ricotta cheese, and extracts. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the dry flour mix into the creamed mixture until dough forms. Drop onto Silpat lined baking sheet using a cookie dough scoop. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until lightly browned. Place cookies on racks to cool.
Stir almond milk, powdered erythritol, and almond extract until smooth. Brush or drizzle over cookies to frost. Store cookies in the refrigerator.
In an effort to eat more vegetables and come up with some delicious low carb holiday side dishes, I modified an old mashed potato recipe to use cauliflower. This recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser with it’s sour cream and cheese flavor. The spinach adds a wonderful green color that will have people wondering if it’s really a broccoli mashed potato casserole instead. I really liked the flavor of this dish and I plan to make it again for the holiday lunch at work or our family dinner gathering.
Mashed Cauliflower Spinach Bake Topped with Cheddar Cheese
Mashed Cauliflower with Spinach
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into pieces
½ cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried dill weed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Cook cauliflower in boiling water for 6 minutes then drain. Place cooked cauliflower and butter into food processor. Pulse together until cauliflower is well blended with butter. Add spinach, sour cream, dried onion, salt and dill. Pulse in food processor until well combined. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with the grated cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes until cheese is slightly browned.
I made this hearty casserole after the holiday leftovers were gone with the spaghetti squash I bought during my Thanksgiving meal grocery trip. I usually cook spaghetti squash by slicing it in half and baking it in a pan with a little water until tender. The strands that come out of the cooked squash make a great pasta substitute. For an easy dinner, I just add some spaghetti sauce with meat and sprinkle parmesan on top. This time, I thought I’d try something more like lasagna. It was a little more work, but I enjoyed having more cheese in the dish. The leftovers were also great for easy after work dinners this week.
Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Casserole
1 medium spaghetti squash, cooked
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 lbs. bulk sausage or ground beef, browned
1 ½ cups SF spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Scoop cooked squash out and layer at the bottom of a 9×9 baking pan. Mix ricotta and parmesan cheese with egg then spread mixture on top of squash. Layer meat over cheese mixture then pour sauce over. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 25 minutes.
-- PRINT THIS RECIPE --
