Olive Garden Italian Dressing Dupe

Who doesn’t love this dressing, and I found this copycat version at dessertnowdinnerlater.com

Here’s the click, this one sounds like a winner!  ~ Jan

Recipe from Dessert Now Dinner Later website

Becky's Secret BBQ Sauce

This BBQ sauce is a secret family recipe from one of my best friends, but I won’t mention which friend since it’s a secret ;)

It’s tried and true, and super easy to make, I’ve adapted it for low carb...

1 bottle Heinz Low Sugar Ketchup

fill empty ketchup bottle 1/3 full with white vinegar after you empty it

2 Tbs Splenda (EZ-Sweetz) - I substituted Sugar Free Pineapple Syrup for the 2 Tbs. EZ-Sweetz and then added an extra 2 drops

Note:  This wasn’t sweet enough, I added total of 8-10 drops of EZ-Sweetz.

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. oregano

Becky’s original recipe called for pineapple vinegar, this is an old recipe, and pineapple vinegar is no longer available commercially (you can Google and find it to make your own but it won’t be carb friendly) so I substituted 2 TBS. DaVinci Sugar Free Pineapple Syrup instead of the EZ-Sweetz and then added 2 drops EZ-Sweetz.

Simmer for 30 minutes and serve.  Becky orginally made this to slather on ribs, but her family now uses it on chicken as well..

Update:  This stuff is holy grail - oh my, it’s wonderful.  I had to add more sweetener, total of 8-10 drops of EZ-Sweetz and it was perfect.  Just keep tasting until t’s sweet enough.  I just simmered this a few minutes, it was thick and yummy.

Hubby grilled chicken seasoned with Weber’s Kick’n Chicken Seasoning, and slathered this on at the end.  Spicy, yummy sweet, salty chicken...

Pioneer Woman's Spinach Salad

 

I made this today and it was over the top delicious.  The difference is caramelized onions.  You saute onions in bacon drippings and it takes away the hot, raw taste.  This recipe is absolutely delicious.  Thanks Pioneer Woman, you’ve done it again.

This is her recipe and below is her original link which you will want to look at for step by step directions.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 whole Eggs
• 7 slices Thick Cut, Peppered Bacon
• 1 whole Red Onion, Small
• 1 package Mushrooms, White Button
• 8 ounces, weight Baby Spinach, Washed Dried And Stems Removed
• 3 Tablespoons Reserved Bacon Grease
• 3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Sugar - I used 3 drops EZ-Sweetz
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 dash Salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook eggs: cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 20 minutes. Drain off water and add ice on top of eggs.

Fry bacon until crispy/chewy. Remove to a paper towel. 

Remove 3 tablespoons grease and set aside. 

Add 2 add'l tablespoons of grease to a separate skillet over medium heat.

Slice red onions very thinly, then add to skillet. Cook slowly until onions are caramelized and reduced. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Slice mushrooms and add them to the same skillet. Cook slowly until caramelized and brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Chop bacon.

Peel and slice eggs.

Make hot bacon dressing: Add 3 tablespoons bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and Dijon to a small saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk mixture together and heat thoroughly.

Add spinach to a large bowl. Arrange onions, mushrooms, and bacon on top. Pour hot dressing over the top; toss to combine.
Arrange eggs over the top and serve.

Enjoy!

Link to PIONEER WOMAN’s original recipe here

Delicious Low Carb Cauliflower Salad

 

This Cauliflower Salad is so good you won’t even miss the potatoes.  We all tend to tweak recipes, but this one is so good  made exactly as is.  ~ Jan

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium head cauliflower (about 4 cups/1 quart florets) - I used 16 oz. of frozen cauliflower and cooked it covered for 10 minutes on high in microwave, don’t overcook, you don’t want it mushy
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 medium stalk celery, minced (including leaves)
• ½ cup chopped red or green pepper, chopped
• 2  green onions chopped (green and white parts)
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• 1-2 drops hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper - I used cayenne
• 3 drops of EZ-Sweetz
• 1/4 cup sugar-free sweet pickle relish or you could use dill
• Salt and pepper

PREPARATION

1) Break or chop the cauliflower into smallish florets. If they are too big, they're difficult to cook so that they have the right "bite" and flavor - the outside tends to overcook.

2) Microwave florets in a covered container with a small amount of water, or steam on the stove. I've never tried boiling, but cauliflower tends to hold on to water, so I'm a little skeptical. You want them to be fork-tender (a fork slips in easily), but not overcooked (avoiding the stronger smell and flavor which develops with longer cooking).

 

3) Drain and put into a medium bowl. Chop the egg and add. Toss with salt and pepper. I like quite a bit of pepper, and it does seem to take a surprising amount of salt, but this would be to taste. 

4) Mix the ingredients for the dressing (mayo, lemon juice, spices, etc.). Taste for the balance of flavors you like. Mix the chopped vegetables and the dressing into the cauliflower and egg mixture. Add chopped fresh herbs if you wish - chives, dill, or parsley work well.

Garnish with the herbs, or sprinkle with paprika. Chill.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information: Each serving has 3 grams effective carbohydrates plus 1.5 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, and 99 calories.

 

Sausage Pumpkin Soup

This is a filling, awesome tasting soup, full of flavor, rich and robust, it’s a great soup for a blustery night.  I make mine with Spicy Bob Evans Sausage, you can make it with Italian Sausage as well, I prefer it without cream, hubby likes his with cream.  

And no, you don’t taste the pumpkin, it just gives the soup bulk and richness. It’s a great soup, trust me.  ~ Jan

1 pound pork sausage I like Bob Evans Spicy, or you can use Italian Sausage
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms sliced, or a can of mushrooms drained
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced 
15 ounce can pumpkin 
4 cups chicken broth 
1 Tablespoon of Italian Seasoning - I use a heaping tablespoon
1/2 cup heavy cream or just add cream to individual bowls 
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, brown the sausage along with the onion, mushrooms, when almost browned, add garlic.  i don’t add the garlic in earlier because it burns easily; drain fat. Add the pumpkin and broth. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes.

Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

After it simmers you can add 1/2 cup heavy cream and simmer for a few minutes longer, or, if you’re like me, I like it with just the broth, so I don’t add cream to the entire recipe, instead I put hubby’s soup in a bowl and stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream.

Makes 8 cups or 8 servings 
Can be frozen

Carbs aren’t high in this soup, I would guestimate them to be 4-5 carbs per bowl depending on serving size.

Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie

I’m really excited about this low carb chocolate chip cookie from Cafe Delites because it’s made with almond flour and no coconut flour.  I’m just not a fan of coconut flour, I don’t care for the taste at all. I’m going to split this with hubby for a warm dessert, can’t wait to try it.

You can grab the recipe from Cafe Delite’s site, here’s the link

Photo courtesy of Cafe Delites

The BEST Low Carb Chili EVER

 

I’ve tried so many recipes for low carb chili over the years and this is by far the best.  It’s so yummy, you don’t even miss the beans.

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. Bob Evans Spicy Sausage
1 medium onion
1 bell pepper (red or orange)
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 brick) 
1 can of Rotel Tomatoes
2 cans of petite diced tomatoes (I prefer the ones with green chiles) 
1 pkt. Brooks Chili Mix Dry Seasoning
1 can drained and diced water chestnuts (optional) - I don’t add these 
1 can Beef Broth
1-3 cups chopped cabbage (I use coleslaw mix) - just add however much cabbage you want

Variation:  You can add one can of kidney beans, drained, or a half a can, or even a fourth of a can, just read the label for the carb count

Brown hamburger, onion and pepper.  Stir in the three cans of tomatoes and cream cheese, cut cream cheese into small cubes so it melts easily and cook until it’s blended.  Sometimes it’s necessary to whisk this mixture so that the cream cheese blends well and doesn’t appear curdled. Don’t just put all the ingredients in your crockpot and omit this step, you don’t want to end up with lumps of cream cheese when your chili is finished.

Put the rest of your ingredients in a crockpot, add the above ingredients and simmer on low all day or on high for 3-4 hours.

I don’t have a carb count for this, I would guestimate about 7-8 per bowl, this makes a large amount of chili.

Chips:

Brush both sides of low carb tortillas lightly with olive oil or just spray with Pam, add a little sea salt or taco seasoning, bake on oven rack at 350, watching carefully and turning often until brown and crispy

UPDATE  3.15.16

I made this chili, used an entire bag of coleslaw mix, 2 cans of beef broth because I used so much cabbage and I forgot the cream cheese.  I liked it even better this way, it tasted more like my original chili recipe.  I used a can of Rotel and 2 cans of diced tomatoes.  I may also add a can of green chiles to this...

 

Chicken Schnitzel

 

I made Jennifer Eloff’s Chicken Schnitzel this week and it was amazing, one of the best chicken recipes ever, even if you don’t eat low carb.

I did make a few changes to the recipe, I didn’t use her baking mix or Coconut Flour, I’m not a fan of Coconut Flour, I substituted Almond Flour and since Parmesan Cheese is so salty, I didn’t add as much salt as the recipe calls for.

Here’s how I made it and I’ll link to her original recipe below.

3/4 cup Almond Flour
1/2  cup grated Parmesan cheese, I used a blend of Parmesan and Romano
Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 eggs
1Tbsp water
4 large chicken breasts
Olive Oil for frying

Garnishes:Lemon wedgesChopped parsley

In medium bowl, combine Almond Flour, Parmesan cheese, salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper.  Mix well.  In another medium bowl, beat eggs and water together well with a fork. 

You want the chicken breasts thin, so I slice them in half longitudinally and separate into two pieces.  Then flatten more, I pound them with an iron skillet.  I put the chicken breasts between parchment paper or plastic wrap and give them a good whack on the garage floor.  This is so easy, one whack and you have uniform breasts :)

Dip each piece of chicken in egg wash and then dredge in seasoned bake mix.

In two nonstick frying pans, get olive oil hot then place 3 pieces of prepared chicken in each skillet, don’t crowd it.  Turn temperature down and fry 5 minutes on medium heat on one side until golden brown underneath, flip carefully and fry another 4 to 6 minutes, watching the temperature and lowering if needed if they are becoming too brown.  Watch the heat, I start with it relatively high and quickly turn it down because Almond Flour browns  more quickly than regular flour.

Do not overcook or the chicken will no longer be tender.  Just cook it until it’s no longer pink.  You want the chicken to be moist and tender under the “breading.”  

Serve with lemon wedges and sprinkle chicken with chopped parsley.

Yield:  6 servings

1 serving 224.8 calories
27.0 g protein
10.4 g fat
3.5 g net carbs

Here is Jennifer’s original recipe

Recipe Courtesy Low Carb News

Creamy Pecan Mini Sandwiches

Yield: Enough for about 6 people Net Carbs: 4, Protein: 4

2 cups pecan halves

Yield: Enough for about 6 people Net Carbs: 4, Protein: 4

2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon minced chives or green onions
4 ounces garlic and herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin or Alouette)

You can make this with canned, roasted, and salted pecans, or if you prefer, you can roast your own. If you choose the latter.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Spread 2 cups of unbroken pecan halves in a shallow baking pan. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil to coat and mix together until well blended.

Sprinkle with salt and roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow them to cool.

Spread a dollop (1⁄4 to 1⁄2 teaspoon) spreadable cheese mixed with minced scallions on the flat side of a pecan half. Press the flat side of another pecan half against it to make a mini sandwich.

Place on a serving plate and continue with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the pecans. 

Chicken Bacon Crock Pot Chowder

This great recipe from Peace + Love + Low Carb is just chocked full of low carb goodness.

I made this on a cold, blustery fall day and it was just perfection.  If you’re looking for a soup that’s really special, this is it!

Grab the recipe here...

Photo courtesy of Peace + Love + Low Carb

Low Carb English Muffins

This English Muffin is a winner!  Even hubby, who is not a fan of any kind of one minute muffin liked it.  I found it on Facebook, and wish I could give credit to whoever posted it, but unfortunately I don’t remember who it was.

It’s very substantial, we split one between both of us, sometimes adding butter, sometimes cream cheese and sugar free raspberry preserves.  It’s very dense, it has two eggs, so of course you taste the egg, but the best part, the coconut flour isn’t overpowering, and I am not a fan normally of coconut flour. I think toasting it is the key, it gives it a nice crunch and base for whatever you top it with.

Hope you all enjoy this as much as we did, it’s fast, easy and yummy ~ Jan

1 tablespoon of coconut flour

1 tablespoon of almond flour

2 eggs

1tablespoon of water

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Tiny pinch of salt, just a very small pinch or it will be too salty, but I think it tastes flat without the salt

I whisked this and pour into an oversized ramekin sprayed with Pam.

Microwave for 2 minutes I slice in half and toast it in the toaster 

Update:  I tried making this using 1 egg and 1 egg white, also put it in my Bullet to blend.  Results weren’t as good as with two egg yolks, it was drier, the flavor wasn’t as rich and the consistency wasn’t right.  Don’t try to save 60 calories by omitting the 2nd egg yolk, it just doesn’t work and I think the Bullet over blended it, the whisk works much better. 

So, it’s back to basics for me...

Low Carb Sugar Free Margaritas

 

Margarita lovers, this one’s for you.  Carolyn at All Day I Dream About Food has a 3 carb, 140 calorie recipe.  You can grab it from her website here…  ~ Enjoy ~ Jan

Photograph courtesy of Carolyn Ketchum

Sugar Free Margaritas for C

Sweet Eggs

 

 

 Ahhhh, pancakes with syrup, don’t you love them?  But they’re carb laden, and I do make really good low carb waffles with almond flour, but some mornings I just don’t want to take the time.  So, instead I make sweet eggs.

My go to recipe is to put 2 eggs with 2 ounces of cream cheese 3 drops of EzSweetz and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg  in my Vitamix or Bullet Blender and whip til frothy, then scramble in a skillet.  I used to try and make pancakes, but they were thin and runny, and it’s easier and works just as well to scramble, the taste is the same, then just eat them with Sugar Free Syrup.  I’ve used Mrs. Butterworth’s forever, it doesn’t spike insulin, it’s my fave!

So fast forward to this morning, I scrambled myself an egg + egg white and a couple of strips of bacon, I start eating and think, darn, why didn’t I  make sweet eggs instead.  Now my eggs had salt and pepper on them, but I thought “what the heck” and I doused them with Mrs. Butterworth.  They were AWESOME!  I’ll do this again, but I will dust with some nutmeg or cinnamon.  Can’t get any easier than this.

If you’re sick of eggs, give this a try, it’s a winner… ~ Jan

Update:

After posting this recipe on The Low Carb Dish (Facebook), Tyler Buhl posted her recipe for Sweet Eggs and a picture of her lunch.  Well, hers blows mine out of the water.  Here’s Tyler’s picture and how she makes hers...

 

For this recipe she mixed together three eggs, stevia and a bit of vanilla and baked it in a loaf pan in a 350 oven until done.  Then she smeared it with butter, sprinkled it with stevia and cinnamon and popped back in under the broiler for a few minutes, topping it off with sugar free syrup.  I’m making this in the morning!

Tyler, you are a ROCK STAR!!!!

My son, John has been making these for years, it’s one of his very favorite recipes.  His wife, Deanna, posted it on her Harris Sister’s Girl Talk blog, and I realized that it’s totally low carb, very low carb.

Here’s the direct link, it’s a goodie, perfect for game day, too...

Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Soup

Perfect for today where wind chill is going to be in the double digits below zero.  

I Breathe I’m Hungry posts the most amazing recipes, you can grab this Buffalo Chicken Soup  here...

Jen's Bacon-Wrapped, Stuffed Creamy Chicken

Chicken breasts, wrapped in cheese and bacon, smothered in a mushroom sauce - heart be still!

Jen at Low Carb News posted this recipe, have to try this.

Here’s her link...

Photo courtesy of Low Carb News

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almond Bark

 

 

Carolyn, at All Day I Dream About Food always has amazing recipes.  This is on my “must try” list, as I feel deprived if I can't finish dinner with something sweet.  I usually grab at Atkins Bar, but this would be much better for me.  And yes, I know it’s a horrible habit, one that I have tried and always failed to conquer my entire lifetime, even when eating low carb.  I’m never satisfied until I have something sweet and this should work nicely.

Looks wonderful, doesn’t it?  You can grab the recipe from her site, here’s the link...

Comfort Noodles

When I saw this recipe that The Clothes Make the Girl posted back in 2011, I was intrigued.

Here’s in part what she had to say about this dish.

Trust me: this does not taste like a big bowl of zucchini. The garlic and olive oil trump transform this dish so it tastes like neither vegetables nor eggs, but some miraculous, noodle-y merging of the two. It’s warm and tender and scrumptious. A hug in a bowl.

I made it for lunch today, found out that I need to make a few alterations to make this work for me, but it was one of the yummiest low-carb dishes I’ve had in a long time.

So, hats off to you, Melissa, this indeed a keeper recipe that I will make again and again.

First I’ll give you her recipe, with a link to her site, and then tell you what I did and will do differently the next time.

Ingredients:
2 small zucchini, julienned (about 2 cups) [Julienne peeler or Spiralizer is essential.]
generous 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon almond flour or almond meal
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 eggs, scrambled
a handful of fresh parsley, minced for garnish (optional)
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the julienned zucchini in a colander or wire strainer and toss with the salt until coated. Allow to sit for 20 minutes to drain excess water, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. (You may be tempted to skip this step; I strongly advise against it. This step insures tender, rather than watery, noodles.)

2. While the zucchini is sweating in the colander, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Mix the almond flour with the coconut oil, sprinkle it with a smidgen of salt, then sauté in the pan, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until it’s toasty brown, about 1 minute. Remove from pan and save for garnish.

3. Return the pan to the heat and add the zucchini noodles. Sauté until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Push the noodles to the side of the pan, and reduce heat to medium-low. Wait a minute; it’s essential that the pan cools down before adding the eggs. Add the olive oil and garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, about 20 seconds, pour in the eggs and allow them to cook until just beginning to set a tiny bit. Mix the zucchini noodles into the egg and continue to stir gently and continuously until the egg is set and clinging to the noodles. Taste, then add salt and pepper to your liking.

4. Serve noodles in a deep bowl and sprinkle with the almond flour crumbs and minced parsley. Slurping and ridiculously big bites heartily encouraged.

And here are my changes.

First of all, 1/4 a teaspoon of salt was not enough salt for me to sweat my zucchini after I spiraled it with the Paderno.  Perhaps I used larger zucchini than she did, or perhaps it was because I added a couple of summer squash because I didn’t have enough zucchini.  I could see it not sweating, I added probably a total of 2 teaspoons of salt to sweat it.  I need to research this a bit more.

But anyway, I also don’t think I let it sweat long enough, because even though I rinsed and patted dry, it did still weep a bit when I cooked it.

I doubled the almond flour, coconut oil mixture because hubs was eating this too, and it took a lot longer than a minute for it to brown in my large skillet.  But that’s okay, I had patience and the nutty flavor was absolute heaven.   I’ll use this topping instead of breadcrumbs on casseroles, such as escalloped cabbage, that I make in the future

Okay, so then I julienned my zucchini and summer squash with my much loved Paderno Veggie Spiralizer and  went ahead and added a tablespoon of olive oil to sauté.  The recipe didn’t say to do this, but I needed the oil to make this step work.

Then I pushed them to one side, added a clove of crushed garlic, let it get fragrant, then I stirred in the eggs and tossed continuously.  The next time I’ll add another clove of garlic, you could taste the garlic,  but the flavor was a bit too subtle I thought.

ThenI served it up in Fiesta Ware bowls,  put the toasted almond flour on top, and oh my, it was wonderful.  Absolutely amazingly delicious.  And Melissa is right, you don’t taste the egg, you just taste comfort.  Love, love love this dish, Can’t say enough good things about it.

Here’s her original recipe.

Photograph is from The Clothes Make The Girl
(I was too busy eating to take my own pictures, bad Jan) 

THE FAMOUS LOW CARB MOCK DANISH

Okay, so I tricked the recipe out a bit, and the results are pretty darn good too!  This recipe has been around forever, it’s fast, easy to make and tastes good.  What more do you want?

2 ounces softened cream cheese (put it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds)
1 large egg (either room temp, or put in the microwave for about 10 seconds to warm)
1 Tablespoon Swerve sweetener
1 Tablespoon vanilla
dash of salt

I whisk all the ingredients together (you need warm eggs or the cream cheese will congeal into lumps) then put it in my 6 ounce  Fiestaware custard cup, sprayed with cooking spray, and nuke it for 90 seconds.

Then I top it with Walden Farms 0 calorie, 0 carb Orange Marmalade (available at netriton.com) a few blueberries and I have breakfast!

You can also omit the jelly and add cinnamon to the mixture for a faux cinnamon danish. 

 

Green Onion Cornbread

I love cornbread, and I miss it!  This recipe from lowcarbist.com is just what I’ve been looking for.  

I’m sure a lot of you will be interested as well.  Thanks for posting this, it’s easy and looks awesome!

Here’s the link