Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday Dinner - Italian Seasoned Chicken Cutlets & Cheesy Cheddar Squash Casserole

This evening my sons were home for dinner. We had torrential rain and storms this afternoon and evening, so grilling was out of the question. I decided to make Italian Seasoned "Breaded" Chicken Cutlets, my Cheesy Cheddar Squash Casserole and a big salad for tonight's dinner. It has been a while since I fixed breaded cutlets and I really enjoyed them. They are so very easy and quick to make because they cook quickly because they are only about 1/4-inch thick.

I breaded 5 large chicken cutlets that I simply dipped into egg wash, then coated with a breading mixture consisting of almond flour, ground golden flax, finely grated Parmesan, and some other seasonings. Even though these were such thin cutlets, because there were 5 of them, there was still a lot of surface area to coat. I sauteed the breaded cutlets in olive oil until they were golden brown on both sides. They were so good and I swear I can't tell the difference between this breading mixture and the regular Italian seasoned breadcrumbs I used to use. I made a huge salad filled with multi colored tomatoes to go with the cutlets as well as my Cheesy Cheddar Squash Casserole. It was the perfect comfort food Sunday night dinner on this nasty rainy night. I snapped a couple photos below as well as included my easy peasy breading recipe that can also be used to bread fish and other types of cutlets. Enjoy!




Breaded Italian Seasoned Chicken Cutlets - Low Carb & Grain Free

Ingredients:

4 or 5 chicken cutlets, about 1-1/4 pounds
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (powdery style)
1/4 cup ground golden flax
1 to 2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Few dashes ground cayenne pepper, optional
1 large egg
1 Tablespoon water
Olive oil for cooking

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in a large shallow bowl or plate. In a separate bowl, beat egg with water. Dip each cutlet in egg wash and allow excess to drip off. Roll and coat in breading mixture on both sides, pressing gently to help adhere to the cutlet. Repeat until all are coated.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place cutlets in skillet and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. 

        

Sunday's Rainbow Breakfast - Easy Low Carb

This morning we took our walk while it was still cool and sunny outside, but the humidity is already up there with the impending rain expected later this afternoon. It looks like we won't be grilling for dinner this evening. When I did my Costco run yesterday, I was disappointed to see that they still didn't have any wild Copper River salmon in. I know this is the season for it but I haven't seen it anywhere. I'm wondering if it simply isn't making it here to our area or if there are problems with this year's catch. I was really hoping to find it for last night's dinner. If anyone in the Atlanta area has seen any, please let me know where!

One of the things I really love about this time of year is the abundance of fresh produce. After we came back in from our walk, I made myself an omelet filled with sauteed multi-colored mini tomatoes, vidalia onions and sharp cheddar and served it with a quick brussels sprouts and sausage saute along with fresh strawberries. It was a rainbow of colors on my plate. I snapped a quick photo below. If any fellow Atlantans have spotted Copper River salmon anywhere...please share where. Enjoy!


Saturday, May 30, 2015

Cream Sherry Bundt Cake - Low Carb, Sugar Free, Grain & Gluten Free

Happy Saturday! It's a beautiful bright and sunny day here today. Today, I am very excited to be sharing and posting this new cake recipe because it is a VERY special one. It was a "special request" that I received.

A few weeks ago, I received the sweetest email from the husband of one of my follower's...yes, her husband! He told me his wife has been a regular follower of my blog and that she had a very momentous birthday coming up next month. Evidently her absolute favorite cake that he makes her each year is a "Sherry Nutmeg Cake", but is no longer allowed on her wheat free, sugar free diet.

He asked me if I could help him make an almond flour based version of this favorite cake and he sent me the original recipe to see what I could do. The original recipe included a yellow cake mix and a packaged pudding mix, so I had some tweaking to do for sure. It also uses cream sherry (wine) which is a sweeter sherry than dry sherry. Now, before all the low carb police show up with their comments, I calculated it and the addition of the cream sherry only adds about 2 additional carbs per serving and slightly over 1 gram of sugar per serving. He felt (and I concur) that for a birthday, particularly a momentous birthday that she is about to celebrate, it is perfectly fine to make that little splurge, especially because we are still keeping it wheat, grain, gluten and sugar free. It's actually more than fine. I am so genuinely touched and proud that this lucky woman's husband actually made the effort to contact me and try to accommodate her wheat and sugar free diet so she could still enjoy her favorite cake on this very special birthday.

The total carb counts per serving (12 servings for a 10-inch Bundt cake) come to approximately 6 net carbs and 1.5 grams of sugar per slice. Since I never tasted the original version of this cake, or any cake with wine before, I can't speak as to how it compares taste wise. I can, however, say that this cake was absolutely delicious! It was moist and the sherry flavor was not overpowering but more subtle and very pleasant. I reduced the 2 teaspoons of nutmeg called for in the original recipe because I feared it might be overpowering and wasn't sure it was correct, so instead I added 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. If the original recipe's 2 teaspoons were not too much for the requester, then most definitely keep that amount when you make it for her birthday. Oh, and by the way...the vanilla glaze I added on top is amazing!!!

I hope you enjoy this modified version of "Sherry Bundt Cake." Happy Birthday lucky lady, wherever you are! Enjoy!




Before going into the oven
Fresh out of the oven (cooling for 10 minutes in the pan)
It came out of the pan perfectly (thanks to greasing and flouring well)





Cream Sherry Bundt Cake
Sugar Free, Grain & Gluten Free

Ingredients:

3 cups blanched almond flour, sifted (plus extra for dusting pan)
1 1/2 cups confectioners style Swerve sweetener (or other powdered sweetener like erythritol or xylitol)
1/2 cup unflavored whey protein powder (like Tera's or Jay Robb)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 large eggs
1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons "extra light" olive oil (not regular or extra virgin)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup cream sherry (not dry sherry) *see note

Optional Vanilla Glaze:
1 1/2 Tablespoon softened cream cheese (very soft and almost melted)
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners style Swerve Sweetener (or other powdered sweetener)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan generously with coconut oil and dust with almond flour; set aside.  

In a large bowl, combine and whisk first 8 dry ingredients together.

In a separate medium bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, vinegar, and cream sherry until combined.  Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and mix well. Beat with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes until well blended, light and smooth.  Pour batter into well greased AND floured Bundt pan.  This recipe makes approximately 5 cups of cake batter. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean (begin to check cake for doneness after about 40 minutes). Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack; cool completely. If desired, lightly dust with confectioners sweetener or glaze with optional vanilla glaze.

*For Optional vanilla glaze: Combine cream cheese, cream and vanilla; add confectioners sweetener 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing vigorously until desired consistency. To slightly tweak and add sweetness without altering the glaze consistency, add a drop or two liquid stevia. If using this glaze, store glazed cake and any leftover glaze in the refrigerator.

*Notes: Cream sherry is a sweeter type sherry wine (not dry sherry and not cooking sherry). If you prefer not to use wine with alcohol, you can substitute with water or milk (which will produce a basic yellow cake that can be flavored with a variety of extracts if desired; such as almond, orange, lemon, etc.) and simply omit the cinnamon and nutmeg. This recipe can be used to bake two 8-inch round cake layers or a square or rectangular cake.  If making 2 separate layers, the cooking time would need to be reduced, so begin checking baking times after about 20 minutes. To soften the cream cheese for the glaze, I simply heated the 1-1/2 tablespoons cream cheese for about 15 seconds in the microwave before blending in the heavy cream, vanilla and sweetener.




            

Friday, May 29, 2015

Sweet Breakfast Breads, Muffins, Cakes, Etc. - Low Carb & Gluten Free

To kick off the weekend and make it just a little bit sweeter, I've gathered together some of my favorite sweet (as in not savory) breakfast breads, muffins, cakes, etc. Underneath the collage of small photos below, you will find the larger individual photos of each recipe. Simply click on the link (title of the recipe) underneath each photo to take you to where that recipe is posted. For instance, the first large photo is of my Fresh Strawberry Cake, simply click on that title under the photo and it will take you to the recipe post. I hope this makes it a little bit easier for you to find some inspiration to help make your weekend a little bit sweeter! Enjoy!


Please click on the title underneath each photo below to take you to that recipe's post...Enjoy!


Fresh Strawberry Cake




Cinnamon Raisin Bread




Skillet Faux-Nana (Banana) Bread





Lemon Blueberry Muffins





Mini Cranberry Walnut Loaves




Cinnamony Pie Crust Squares


Cranberry Apple Pecan Skillet Cake



            
      

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Energy Bites - No Bake, Low Carb, & Gluten Free

Today I'm doing another Honeyville guest post where I'm sharing a recipe for my no bake Energy Bites! These little bites are packed with all the good stuff, like blanched almond flour, almond butter, antioxidant blend dried fruits (no sugar added), dark chocolate chips, pistachios, walnuts, unsweetened flaked coconut. It's like a little party in every bite. I've been enjoying these recently as a quick little "ball of energy" to enjoy before going on our long brisk "weekend" walks. We've been getting up early in the morning on weekends to get our walks in before it gets hot and one of these little bites keeps me going without hunger pains for the entire 1-1/2 hour walk. I have one along with a big glass of water and I'm good to go until we get back home for breakfast. You can change these up  and make them with different add-ins to use what you have on hand or swap and add your own personal favorite fruit, nuts, etc. Try them...they are awesome! You can find the recipe here: No-Bake Energy Bites. Enjoy!









           

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Savory Breads, Biscuits, Bagels, Rolls & Crackers - It's a Low Carb BREAD FEST

I've put together a collection of some of my most popular savory bread recipes. I have loaf style breads, artisan breads, sandwich rolls, dinner rolls, biscuits, baguettes and bagels. If you are craving bread, check out some of my low carb, grain free, gluten free favorites. Below the collage of recipes you will find larger photos of each with the link to the recipe underneath each one. Enjoy!

P.S. - Stay tuned...I've got a new recipe to post tomorrow!