Blueberry French Toast Casserole (GF)

This is a combination of a couple different French toast breakfast casseroles that I found and were shared with me. I wanted a sweet breakfast for Christmas that would bake while opening gifts. I love cooked blueberries. I used mostly organic, gluten and sugar free ingredients, but of course you can use any of your similar items on hand. I specified the products I used in the ingredients and tips along the way. Fresh cranberries or apple would be a nice substitute for blueberries.

A note about the bread: Gluten free bread is a little more dense and dry (I keep it in the fridge), so I think it worked out great for a recipe like this. Note there is usually some kind of sweetener in gf bread, and it's a carb, so that isn't completely sugar free. But you can find low carb breads now at Costco to make this actually low carb. The ones I've found just aren't gluten free.

Ingredients

• 6 slices of crusty bread torn in pieces (I had Costco gf multi-grain on hand; good use of the heels! And I tore the pieces as I went in the baking dish vs dirtying a bowl to keep them in!)
• At least 1 cup of fresh blueberries (personal preference; the more the merrier for me)
• 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese - cubed (this is optional: I left this off half of the casserole for lactose free family member using 4 oz.; I used Greek cream cheese, but any will do. Again, I just cubed with a knife as I added to the dish.)
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cu whole milk (I get Organic Valley lactose free)
• 1 Tbs sugar free maple syrup (optional: I used Pyure brand)
• 1/2 cu Swerve or other granulated sweetener
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon (or eyeball it like I do)
• Butter or coconut oil to grease baking dish

Optional topping

• 1/4 cu flour (I used Paleo baking flour)
• 1/4 cu Swerve brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cu melted butter

Instructions

1. Grease baking dish and preheat oven to 350.
2. Layer half of the bread pieces on the bottom of the dish. Add blueberries in an even layer. Add cubed cream cheese in an even layer. Top with the remaining bread pieces.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, sweetener, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour evenly over the casserole.
4. Cover and put in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven for 350, and take the dish out of the fridge. I get a little nervous about baking cold dishes in the oven, so I let it sit on the stovetop while the oven preheated.
6. For the topping, mix ingredients in a small bowl, refrigerate until ready to use. You can also use a fork to mix the dry ingredients with cold, cubed butter if you want to wait to make this at the end.
7. Bake the casserole uncovered for 35-45 minutes. Remove after 35 if adding topping, or just continue baking. It will get brown before it's completely set. Just keep an eye on it.
8. Optional: Remove topping mixture from fridge, break apart with a fork to be able crumble.
9. Remove casserole from oven, sprinkle topping evenly, and continue to bake until fully set and knife comes out clean. The 8x8 was pretty full, and I used a lot of blueberries, so it was on the longer end to cook through. 
10. Serve warm. Top with some maple syrup!

 

Fluffy Fudgy Brownies (GF, SF, Low Carb, Keto)

I had some yummy, fudgy brownies recently that added coffee. I didn't have some of the flour blends that it called for, but I thought it was an interesting addition. I left it in, but other than adding some extra moisture, I couldn't tell that it was in there much. The flax meal helps with the moisture too. Add in some chocolate chips for extra fudginess and pecans for extra texture! This batch made enough for an 8x8 square baking dish plus extra for another personal dessert ramekin. A 9x13 would be good too, they'll just be a little thinner.

Ingredients

- 1 cup melted butter (yep that's two sticks)*
- 1 to 1 1/4 cup Swerve or other sweetener (Erythritol base, has a mild taste. I used 1 cup.)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 eggs
- Splash of leftover coffee (optional, just adds extra moisture)
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup ground flax meal
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 baking dish or two smaller baking dishes.
2. Mix the butter or oil, sweetener, vanilla, eggs, splash of coffee with a mixer or whisk.
3. Combine the flours, flax, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and add to the wet mixture. Combine well, but don't over-mix.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes.
5. Allow to cool completely. Enjoy!

* I melted the butter in the dish while it was preheating. Poured it out into my mixing bowl, and used what was left to grease the dish with a paper towel. You could also use light olive oil. Do not use EVOO. You'll thank me.

Peanut Butter Faux-nola

I used to love those Nature Valley peanut butter granola bars. I wanted one when I saw some of their bars today. I've dabbled in some Paleo granola recipes that use maple syrup and honey, but since I'm trying to lessen the sugar and increase the fat, I made something new...

You can use any kind of nut butter you like, I just bought a new can of sugar free pb from Aldi. You can also add any of your other favorite crunchy things (chia seeds, different nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas). This is an easy no-bake recipe that serves as a yummy fat/protein snack. With the average granola bar you'd have at least 20g of carbs. A serving size of these is about 20g of fat instead and 4 net carbs, less than 1g of sugar.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup pecan pieces
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup nut butter
1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs melted butter or coconut oil*
20 drops liquid stevia**

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients well in a small mixing bowl with a rubber spatula. I used a simple square tupperware for the mixture. You can put parchment paper at the bottom for easy removal later.
2. Freeze for atleast 30 minutes.
3. Break or cut apart, and enjoy.

*Coconut oil will be more firm than butter once frozen.
**You can substitute another sweeter of choice, I just had liquid stevia on hand. It doesn't need much.

The nutritional information below is approximate, not exact, based on a bar that is 1/8 of the mixture.

Instant Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup (Low Carb)

It's a low-key Friday afternoon, and it's also 18 degrees (with the wind chill feels like 3). That makes me want to make something warm and yummy. I love trying to new things in the Instant Pot that I got for my bday; I had some broccoli to use up and some frozen homemade beef broth, so broccoli cheese soup it is. I'm following low-carb, so that means no carrots in this batch. You could always add them in if you like. I would've topped with bacon crumbles, but someone (who shall remain nameless, not me) ate the leftovers from this morning.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 Tbs butter
1 medium onion (finely diced)
2 tsp garlic powder or two minced cloves
4 cu broth of choice (I had homemade that was nice and gelatinous)*
About 6 cups or two small heads of broccoli chopped
1 tsp dijon (optional for extra flavor)
1 tsp paprika (optional for extra flavor and coloring)
4 cu shredded cheese of choice (cheddar or cheddar/jack blend)
1 cu coconut and/or heavy whipping cream**

Directions

1. Defrost broth if needed. Mine was in a freezer bag, so I set my IP to saute, took out the whole block of broth, and put it in the IP to defrost while I prepped veggies. You can also do this in a sauce pan since you'll want to remove the broth anyway to make the rest of the soup.

2. Dice onion and chop the broccoli. I pulsed the broccoli in a food processor to get smaller pieces.

3. With the IP on saute Normal, melt the butter. Add the onion, and saute until translucent (2-3 min).

4. Deglaze the pot with a little broth. Add the broccoli and rest of the broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. Cover and Seal the lid. Pressure Cook at high manual for 7 minutes. Quick release when finished, and turn off the pot. Mix in paprika and dijon if using.

6. Stir in the cheese until melted. Then add the cream. Season to taste.

7. (optional) I used my immersion/stick blender to make it a smoother texture. I kept it near the edge of the pot, angled slightly to blend. I put it in the center, but got more splatter. If you prefer the chunks of broccoli, you could also remove half of the soup, blend it, and add it back in. Blending helped thicken the cheese up too, so there weren't any remaining strings.

* Beef broth has a deeper, very distinct flavor. If you want a more mild broth, go with chicken.

** 1/2 cup each would also be good.

Peanut Butter Mug Cake (Low Carb/Sugar Free)

When you just need a night-time sweet snack, but don't want the sugar and carbs...Disclaimer: this is not low fat, but low carb.

I've been trying different sugar alternatives (Stevia drops for my coffee, Swerve-Erythritol/Stevia for baked goods, etc.). This time it's a Monk Fruit/Erythritol blend. It turned out pretty good because it's not a strong, fake sweet flavor. Also, I keep my peanut butter in the fridge after initially stirring up so it doesn't separate, which is why I warm it up with the coconut oil. You can leave out the coconut flour for more moist cake, sub in cocoa powder. I was going for more thick.

Ingredients

1. 1 Tbs coconut oil or butter (melted)
2. 2 Tbs natural peanut butter (with no added sugar)
3. 1 egg
4. 1 Tbs coconut flour
5. 1 Tbs sweetener

Directions

1. Soften peanut butter and coconut oil in large round-bottom mug (i.e. soup mug) in microwave for 40 sec.
2. Add other ingredients, and mix well with small whisk.
3. Microwave on high for 1:30. Let sit to cool for a couple minutes.

You can throw in a few sugar free chocolate chips for extra yumminess.

Enjoy your guilt-free treat. :)

Total Carbs=14.5g
Net Carbs after fiber & sugar alcohols=6.5g

Sour Cream Lemon Bread (gluten-free, keto-friendly)

Keto (meaning ketogenic) is referring to a low carb, no sugar, moderate protein, high nutritional fat way of eating. I've been following it for almost two months to further reduce my inflammation, get my brain off using sugar/glucose from a high carb diet for energy, and instead use nutritional and stored fat. It's not easy, especially when I want a bready/sweet treat. So...

I had some sour cream to use up, tweaked a sour cream bread recipe I found for low carb ingredients I had on hand, and without using almond flour (nuts trigger my inflammation). Super easy, moist and yummy!

Ingredients

1/2 cu coconut oil or room temp butter
3/4 cu granulated sweetener (I used Swerve sugar substitute, can also use Stevia for a 0 total carb count)
2 large eggs
3 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 cu coconut flour
1/4 cu ground flax meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cu sour cream
Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Combine and mix coconut oil, sweetener and eggs in stand mixer.

3. Add remaining ingredients, mix until smooth.

4. Bake in a greased or parchment lined loaf pan for 40-50 minutes or when toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. I liked the parchment to just lift it right out.
(Approx. 290 cal, 25g fat, 2g protein, 6g NET carbs after fiber and sugar alcohols of swerve).

For more info. on keto, go here: https://www.ketovangelist.com/the-ketogenic-diet/ttps://www.ketovangelist.com/the-ketogenic-diet/

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

I have a recipe of Shrimp Faux Fredo that is a coconut milk base. But since I'm incorporating keto/low carb/higher fat, I experimented with a new sauce that is more conducive. Spaghetti squash has about 1/5 the calories of spaghetti. 10g carbs per cup (-2g fiber = 8g net carbs), where spaghetti is about 30g carbs (my whole day's worth of carbs). Plus you won't have that carb hangover and over-stuffed feeling. The cream cheese in the recipe acts as a thickener since I didn't want to use cornstarch or other thickeners. Other than my son, who will try anything, I'm the only one of the family who likes spaghetti squash. When I spotted one left at our farmer's market I had to grab it. Here's my preparation from tonight that the boy eagerly assisted with. The alfredo makes it bearable for the rest of the fam. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• 1 package bacon (oh yes)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 6 Tbs butter or ghee
• 3 Tbs cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cu heavy cream
• 1/4 cu veg/chicken broth (if your sauce needs to be thinned out)
• 3/4 cu grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cu frozen peas
• 2 lb medium raw shrimp
• Another 2 Tbs butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds (I use an ice cream scoop), season with salt, pepper, and spread olive oil on the inside. Place inside-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Also cook your bacon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
3. Roast for about 25 minutes. The skin of the squash will look light brown and start bending. Set aside and cool for easier removal. Watch the bacon until it's cooked to your liking. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
4. Melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook the garlic until fragrant.
5. Add the cream and cream cheese, whisking gently until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Reduce heat to low, whisking occassionally, while you cook the shrimp and peas. If it seems too thick for your liking add some broth.
7. Cook peas per package instructions. I bring about an inch of water to a boil in a sauce pan and let the peas cook for about 10 minutes.
8. In another saute pan, melt 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook just until they all turn pink.
9. Add the parmesan to the sauce, whisk until incorporated and smooth.
10. The spaghetti squash may still be warm, so use tongs or an oven mitt to hold while you scrape the inside out with a fork into a dish. I used half of the squash for our dinner and reserved the other half. 
11. Combine the shrimp, peas and spaghetti squash, then add all of the sauce. Mix gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
12. Top with crumbled bacon and extra parm.

Enjoy!