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!

Chicken Pot Pie (low carb, gluten free, nut free)

I've been trying to stay low carb, sugar and gluten free (meaning, no conventional flour or starchy vegetables), but also not shying away from real fats (like butter, cheese, heavy cream - which is lower in sugar than regular milk). So I modified a low carb pot pie recipe that I found to make it a "pie size" plus a 16 oz ramekin for Dh's lunch the next day. The filling and crust do not use any wheat flour or cornstarch. It isn't a flaky crust, but more of a thin breading (reminiscent of the Bisquick pot pie topping I used to make). The original recipe calls for almond flour in the crust, but (1) I don't have any, and (2) nuts tend to give me headaches. A general rule of thumb also, use less coconut flour than almond. I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot this week, so I had the meat ready to go! *Disclaimer: Low carb doesn't mean low fat in this recipe  :)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup celery (chopped/2 ribs)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• Salt and pepper (to your taste)
• 2 cups of cooked chicken (cubed/chopped small)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I prefer the full flavor of veg.)
• 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar, sharp; I had a Mexican blend on hand)
• 1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
• 1 cup frozen green beans (thawed; mine were large green beans, so I snapped them into smaller bits while they were frozen)

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 3 Tbs cream cheese
• 1/4 cu coconut flour (the original recipe called for 3/4 cu almond flour if you have that instead, but almond flour is higher in carbs)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (this isn't necessary if you want a more mild crust)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven for 375F.

For the filling:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until soft and before the garlic burns  :)
2. Add the chicken to the pan, gently stir together, and heat through.
3. Stir in the the heavy cream, stock and mustard. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer until the mixture thickens (5-7 min).
4. Stir in the cheese until melted.
5. Stir in the peas and green beans.

For the dough:

1. In a large microwavable bowl, combine mozzarella and cream cheese. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Microwave again for 30 sec-1 min. Stir again.
2. Using a non-stick silicon spoon, mix in the flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. If it gets stringy, reheat for 30 sec and stir again. You can also gently knead with your hand to make sure the grease is incorporated.
3. If you are making a separate "left-over" ramekin, remove a small handful of dough now. Flatten into a disc between parchment paper. For the rest of the dough (or if you just make a big crust), roll between two sheets of parchment paper into a large circle.
4. Lightly butter a 9 inch pie dish (and optional ramekin), distribute the filling, and top with the flat dough.
5. (Optional: Place on a baking sheet for any bubble-over). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Here is the original recipe if you really like your carrots. This recipe calls for making 4 small individual pot pies. http://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/chicken-pot-pie-low-carb-gluten-free/