Stromboli -- Wheat-free & Low Carb

This week is finally over...yay!!! I was in the mood for "Friday night pizza" this evening...but I wanted to use up the thick meat sauce I had leftover from last night's Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, so I decided to use it to make the next best thing -- Stromboli. Stromboli is essentially a rolled up pizza (whereas a calzone is more of a folded over pizza). There are many different variations of stromboli...many have just meat and cheese filling and you can dip, dunk or top it with sauce when you eat it, if desired. I decided to use my Easy Cheesy Baguette Bread recipe as the base for my stromboli. I have also used that recipe to make Cheesy Pepperoni Baguette Bread, and both of those turned out great. The only real difference with this stromboli was that I added my thick meaty sauce to it. I will add a disclaimer that putting your sauce inside the crust/dough does make it a little more tricky to roll up...so you might prefer to make a stromboli filled with just meat and cheese (pepperoni, salami, sausage, etc.) and then either dunk or top it with sauce when you eat it. My basic recipe for the Cheesy Baguette Bread I used for my stromboli is below -- add a bit of sauce inside if you choose to, or just serve it alongside when you eat it. If you you'd like to see a few different step-by-step photos of how I roll the dough that were posted when I made the Cheesy Baguette Bread and Pepperoni Baguette Bread last winter...click on the links above. The recipe as well as a few photos of tonight's stromboli are below. Enjoy!

Spaghetti w/ Thick & Rich Meat Sauce -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain Free

This evening I put together a quick and easy dinner. It's been a while since I made spaghetti with meat sauce and I had a package of ground sirloin in the fridge that needed to be used. I browned my ground beef and broke it up into small pieces as it browned and cooked it with some diced onion and then tossed in some sliced fresh mushrooms near the end. Once my meat and veggies were cooked, I poured in a jar of DelGrosso pasta sauce and simmered it for about 20 minutes to blend the flavors. The flavor of sauce I used tonight was their Vodka sauce which is made with heavy cream, so it is nice and rich tasting. I like that particular brand because it has no added sugar and is made with all natural ingredients and its good to have on hand to make a quick meal when you don't have time to make your own sauce or just don't want to. This sauce is a bit pricey ($7-8.00 per jar)...but I always keep my eyes open for sales and last week our Publix had them for 50% off...so I picked up a few jars at $3.50 each. I never pay the regular price...I just grab a few when they go on sale. It is one of the few "convenience" foods that I don't mind buying because this sauce is made with all the same ingredients I would use if I made it myself. I served this thick and rich meat sauce over yellow squash "spaghetti noodles" that I made with my julienne vegetable peeler. They are so quick and easy to make. You don't have to buy a special gadget if you don't want to -- you can simply use your standard vegetable peeler and make ribbon "pasta" with it, too. I also have a spirelli and a spiral vegetable slicer...but unless you are making a large amount for many people, I find the little handheld vegetable peeler type gadget to be the most convenient and easiest to clean up afterward too. Below is the simple recipe for yellow squash or zucchini noodles as well as a couple of photos of my dinner tonight. Enjoy!

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie

This evening we had my Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie. It is one of my favorites. I usually put a full pound of spinach in it, but in tonight's I only used about 10 ounces of fresh baby spinach. It turned out awesome and the best part is that I get to have the leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe. I could eat this for one of my meals every single day and not get tired of it -- it's perfect for either breakfast, lunch or dinner and good both with or without crust. I have even added cooked bacon to it, too. Enjoy!

P.S. - Reminder that Honeyville's 5-day 20% off sale runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Macadamia Nuts

It was cold, dark and rainy day here today. We have finally finished the Thanksgiving turkey -- I ate the last of the turkey pecan salad last night. This evening I made a super quick and simple dinner. I took 2 large chicken breast cutlets and lightly breaded them with a mixture of 1/4 cup almond flour, sea salt, black pepper, paprika and dash of ground chipotle chile. I didn't dip them in any kind of egg wash beforehand...just a dusting of almond flour and a bit of seasoning. To go with our simple chicken cutlets, I roasted fresh baby brussels sprouts that I trimmed and halved and drizzled with macadamia nut oil and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper before roasting. When they were done, I tossed them in melted butter mixed with ground chipotle chile to give them a little zing and then stirred in some chopped macadamia nuts. It turned out delicious and was a quick way to turn ho-hum into yum-yum. The meal was quick and simple to put together. I cooked the chicken cutlets while the sprouts roasted so it only took about 20 to 25 minutes to put dinner on the table...and that's always a good thing! I snapped a couple photos as well as the easy peasy recipe for the brussels sprouts. Enjoy!

P.S. - Reminder that Honeyville has a 5-day 20% off sale that runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)

Southwestern Cream of Turkey Broccoli Soup

This evening I used our leftover Thanksgiving turkey to make soup. I didn't want it to taste anything like Thanksgiving (after 3 nights of Thanksgiving dinner in a row)...LOL. So, I added a different twist to it; I gave it a Southwestern flair by adding a bit of chipotle chile powder for a little spice. I made a creamy turkey and broccoli soup with diced Poblano, red and yellow bell pepper to stay with the Southwestern theme. It turned out great and did not resemble any flavors of Thanksgiving whatsoever. I snapped a couple photos below as well as a couple of new finds I picked up today at the grocery store. One is a dark chocolate roasted almond coconut butter (shredded coconut) and it is lightly sweetened with dates...but still low in sugar (3 grams per serving). The other was an organic fair trade 70% cacao chocolate bar with salted roasted almonds (salted with pink Himalayan sea salt) -- I had a few squares of it and really liked the combination of sweet and salty. Below is the soup recipe and a few photos. Enjoy!

P.S. - Beginning tomorrow, Monday, 12/2 -- Honeyville has a 5-day 20% off sale that runs through Friday, 12/6. That's a savings of almost $8.00 on a 5-lb bag of blanched almond flour if you are running low. Just use coupon code GIFT when you check out!  (affiliate link)

Turkey-Pecan Salad Cups

This afternoon I decided to use some of the leftover turkey to make turkey salad for lunch. Last night we had an exact repeat of Thanksgiving dinner by reheating all the leftovers, and I still have 2 refrigerators full of leftovers. I didn't feel like reheating all that again for lunch...so I whipped up a quick and easy turkey salad instead. I diced some leftover turkey breast, sliced up some celery and onions, seasoned it with salt and pepper and mixed in some mayonnaise. I used leftover toasted pecans and folded them into my turkey salad for some additional crunch and nutty flavor. I scooped it into little artisan romaine lettuce cups and enjoyed my Thanksgiving turkey reincarnated into something else. It was a nice change. I snapped a quick photo below as well as the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Rich & Creamy Pumpkin Custard Cups

I wanted to share the recipe I made for my Thanksgiving dessert last night -- Rich & Creamy Pumpkin Custard Cups -- totally and absolutely decadent. I started out with the intention of making my individual regular crustless pumpkin pies (in ramekins)...but wondered what it would be like if I modified it and made it sort of "cheesecakish". It turned out fabulous...and even better than I had hoped. If you haven't already had your fill of pumpkin this fall...this is definitely worth trying! Think of it as "more than a pie"...but "not quite a cheesecake". 

For the topping, I had planned to use toasted pecans to sprinkle on top for a little crunch and toasty-nutty flavor (right before serving)...but instead, I decided to put it over the top a bit. I lightly toasted pecans in my oven (at 350 degrees) for about 5-7 minutes, just to bring out their nuttiness and crisp a bit and then coarsely chopped them. I made a Buttered Pecan Topping to sprinkle on top that was SO simple, yet SO good!  Since it is just me eating these (thank God...they are ALL mine)...I put the topping together right before serving so it's nice and hot and buttery. I take about 3 tablespoons or so of toasted pecans and melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a tiny skillet, add the pecans, a couple dashes of cinnamon and about 2 to 3 teaspoons of granular Swerve and stir it in until it melts together. I top my little Rich & Creamy Pumpkin Custard Cups with the hot, lightly sweetened, buttered spiced pecan topping right before eating...pure heaven! Below is the recipe as well as a few photos -- I assure you, you will never miss the pie crust in these little delights. Enjoy!

My 2nd Wheat/Grain/Sugar Free Thanksgiving Dinner

Well...my 2nd wheat, grain and sugar free Thanksgiving has almost come to a close. We had a wonderful dinner and I enjoyed it even more than I did last year's. Preparing a wheat-free Thanksgiving dinner last year seemed more daunting...but this year it was a breeze. I ate as good, if not better, than any Thanksgiving dinner I've ever eaten in the past...roast turkey, mashed cauliflower, cheesy squash casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing, fresh cranberry orange walnut sauce...and biscuits that I was too full to eat. I had a crustless rich pumpkin custard cup for dessert (a cross between cheesecake and pumpkin pie). I snapped a few photos of my dinner below so you can see how deprived I wasn't! I hope everyone had a great day with family and friends. Enjoy!

Roast turkey, mashed cauliflower, green bean casserole, stuffing, cheesy squash casserole and fresh cranberry orange walnut sauce...100% wheat/grain/sugar free!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone...from my home to yours. May you all be blessed with family, friends and good health...and as always, good food!

Green Bean Casserole -- Wheat-free Suggestion

I have been a busy bee in the kitchen today working on Thanksgiving dinner. The only thing I have left to do this evening is make cranberry sauce and put a turkey breast in the crock pot to cook overnight. I will roast a whole turkey in the oven tomorrow, but since my family prefers the breast meat, I always make an extra turkey breast. As many of you know, I am the lone wheat-free ranger in my family. While my hubby eats and likes what I make...he still eats wheat stuff, too. My kids eat their own way, too since they are grown...so what that boils down to is, for holidays I still make some of the traditional regular dishes they are accustomed to. Although I am transitioning some of the items over to wheat free for them, too. I am still making 2 different stuffing recipes -- both will have everything the same in them except mine will have grain free stuffing bread cubes. They will have mashed red skinned potatoes; I made myself my Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash. For the green bean casserole, I made my own Cream of Mushroom Soup (wheat free) and tripled it to make a big green bean casserole for everyone (you know, the kind with green beans, cream of mushroom soup and the French-fried onions). To make sure mine remained wheat free, I offloaded a smaller portion (about 2 cups) of the green bean and cream of mushroom soup mixed together and then added the crispy onions to theirs and for me, I sauteed thinly sliced onions in macadamia nut oil until golden and caramelized and put that on the top of my mini-casserole. I made my Yellow Cheddar Squash Casserole (wheat/grain free) for everyone. I made a batch of my Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce w/ Walnuts (sugar free) for me and the regular kind for them. I baked them a regular pecan pie and a regular pumpkin pie and made myself individual Crustless Pumpkin Pie (sugar free). I added some cream cheese to my pumpkin pie recipe and maple extract to make them even more rich and decadent. I also made corn casserole and sweet potato casserole for them to eat. I baked myself some of my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits...so I am ready to enjoy my 2nd wheat free Thanksgiving. I am so excited! I have butternut squash in the fridge to roast if I decide at the last minute I want to have that, too...but I'm thinking I probably won't. Tomorrow we are supposed to experience the coldest Thanksgiving in 100 years here in Atlanta -- only 22 degrees tomorrow morning and a high only in the mid 40s.  Well, I snapped a couple photos of my modified "personal green bean casserole" to give you a suggestion of how you might enjoy it too by making the cream of mushroom soup (instead of canned) and substituting real onions in place of the fried canned type. Now back into the kitchen for me to make some cranberry sauce. Enjoy!

Green Bean Casserole -- Wheat-free

   

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It's Pizza Night!

Today I continued working on my Thanksgiving dinner meal prep. One of my sons came for dinner so I wanted to make something fairly simple, but really good. I accomplished that by making pizza! Everyone had their own pizza. Hubby had pepperoni, artichoke hearts and Kalamata olives on his...my son and I both had the exact same toppings of browned seasoned ground beef, pepperoni, thinly sliced onions and red, green and yellow bell peppers. It turned out delicious...one of the best yet! I made my wheat and grain free pizza crust to pile the toppings onto. I used the leftover Rao's Arabbiatta sauce from Sunday's lasagna...and a combination of both shredded mozzarella and dabs of fresh mozzarella cheese before adding the toppings. If you are looking for a quick and delicious meal to make on the night before Thanksgiving...pizza is always a great choice. I usually don't "cook" on the night before Thanksgiving, and in the past, it was always a good night to have take-out pizza. While this isn't take out...its almost the next best thing. I snapped a couple of photos as well as the recipe below for my pizza crust. Enjoy!

Sausage & Sprouts For Breakfast...One of the Many Hazards of Eating Low Carb & Wheat/Grain Free?

This morning we awoke to a cold, dark and gloomy morning. It is only up to 38 degrees here at lunch time. We have had lots of rain all night long...if it were a little colder we would have had a blizzard instead of a flood. They are calling for a possible wintry mix sometime tomorrow. I finally have all my Thanksgiving shopping done and worked a good part of yesterday on starting the prep work. While I am transitioning more of my traditional recipes over this year to being wheat/grain free for everyone (since I am the only one that eats this way), not everything I make for the family is wheat free, which means I still make 2 different versions of some items. I have done all my chopping (onions, celery, squash, etc.) and roasted the sweet potatoes for the casserole for the family. I baked some crustless individual Rich Pumpkin Custard Cups late last night (for me). Today I am working on making green bean casseroles which means I'll be making my grain free Cream of Mushroom Soup first. This morning I realized one of the many hazards of eating low carb and wheat/grain free. When we woke up, hubby immediately reached for a big old bagel (he does not eat wheat-free, although he eats and likes what I make--he still eats the other stuff). You know what oddity I was in the mood for when  I got up??? Well, that would be brussels sprouts and sausage with onions!!! While I initially hesitated making it for "breakfast" since it's kind of an odd breakfast for most...that's what I wanted so I went ahead and made it for myself. Take this as a warning...eating low carb, wheat, grain and sugar free may cause you to eat really unusual things for breakfast!!!  Check out my Sausage & Sprouts below. Enjoy!

I found these at Costco a while back...they are not overly spicy, despite the habanero

Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup -- Low Carb & Wheat/Grain-Free

Below is my recipe for Cream of Mushroom OR Cream of Chicken Soup (depending on your preference). I created it last September for one of my casseroles. It is a delicious soup to eat as is or to use in place of canned cream of mushroom soup (or chicken) in recipes like the classic Green Bean Casserole many of us are use to making. It is wheat free and grain free and very simple to make. If you are going to use it to make Green Bean Casserole, you don't need to add the additional milk to the green bean casserole recipe...you can use it as is. The recipe and a couple photos are attached below. Enjoy!

Cream of Mushroom or Chicken Soup (Wheat/Grain-free)
(Makes approximately 1-1/2 cups of cream of chicken/mushroom soup)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz mushrooms, diced (or 1/2 to 2/3 cup finely minced cooked chicken for cream of chicken)
1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon xanthum gum (slightly more if you want thicker soup)
3/4 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup half-n-half or heavy cream
Dash tamari sauce, optional

Directions:


Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms have released their moisture, about 8-10 minutes.  Stir in chicken stock and half-n-half or cream and when the mixture is hot, sprinkle xanthum gum across the surface, whisking until well blended into the soup.  Simmer uncovered until soup is thick and reduced, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.  When the soup is the thickness you desire, remove from heat. Stir in optional dash of tamari. The soup can be eaten as is or used as a substitution for canned creamed soups.  If you want it thicker, more like the condensed canned soups, add a tiny more xanthum gum while simmering. 

*Note: Can be used as is without diluting in recipes calling for cream of mushroom or chicken soup. To make thicker for using in casseroles, add 1 to 2 ounces brick style cream cheese to pan after the moisture is cooked out of mushrooms, and whisk until cream cheese is softened and melted before adding chicken stock and cream; whisk vigorously to blend. Then, when soup is hot, add xanthum gum per instructions above.

**Additional Note: In the photo above, I added about 1/4 cup finely diced chicken breast to my cream of mushroom soup as it was simmering (so I actually made cream of mushroom/chicken soup).  You could easily substitute any other item such as small cooked broccoli florets to make cream of broccoli, etc. or make any type of "cream of whatever" soup.  The possibilities are endless.  Hope this helps you recreate some of your old favorites!

     

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Lasagna w/ Grain-free "Noodles" -- Low Carb & Wheat Free

This evening I decided to make Lasagna w/ Grain-free Noodles. For the noodles, I used my grain-free tortilla/wraps to use as my noodles and then layered them with fresh mozzarella, shredded Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta and shredded regular mozzarella. One of my sons and my daughter came for dinner this evening so I thought that might be something they would both enjoy. I browned a pound of ground sirloin with diced onion and seasoned it with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, a bit of Italian seasoning and a little fennel seeds to give it a sausage-like flavor. I poured in 3/4 of a jar of Rao's Arrabbiata sauce and then layered it with my "noodles" (it's better to serve your lasagna with additional sauce than to make it too saucy). As I got ready to cut the tortillas to fit into a rectangular lasagna pan, I found myself suddenly questioning why...if pizza can be rectangular, why can't lasagna be round? So, obviously you know what the answer to that question was...I made a round lasagna! LOL (I'm such a rebel).  ;-)  I so hate driving between the lines...it's more fun to drive ON them! I just happen to own a deep dish 10-inch round pie dish...so I just plopped my perfectly fitting "noodles" in and layered my lasagna. I used a bit of cayenne, onion powder and a pinch of Italian seasoning in my grain-free noodles. The lasagna turned out beautiful. I snapped a few photos for you to see below along with the recipe for my grain-free "noodles". Enjoy!

Tired of watery grain-free lasagna -- there is no water on this plate! 

Sunday's Wacky Breakfast

Happy Sunday! This morning I woke up with lots of energy and enthusiasm and wanted to start the day by making a big Sunday breakfast of eggs, bacon, biscuits and muffins. What my breakfast evolved into though was quite different, and a bit comical (now, anyway)...it was not comical whatsoever at the time. I'm hoping this isn't an indication of how my Thanksgiving cooking will go this week! I started my breakfast prep by making my Lemon Macaroon Mini-Muffins. Well, that is where my breakfast aspirations began and promptly ended! While making my muffins, I had a bowl of all the dry ingredients and another bowl with all the wet ingredients on the counter. While I was beating the wet ingredients together (3 eggs, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup oil, vanilla, etc.), I somehow knocked my bowl of wet ingredients off the counter when I bumped my whisk. So, there I was standing in my favorite pink fuzzy slippers in a pool of the most slimy icky sloppy mess you could imagine. It was all over the counter, running down my dishwasher, my cabinets, all over my chef's mat and all over my hardwood floors -- and how, by the way, did I get some in my hair, too??? Your guess is as good as mine. After close to an hour of clean up (mostly by hubby) -- yeah, it was that messy --  and putting my slippers into the washing machine...I actually resumed making my muffins and started over again with the wet ingredients. By then, my enthusiasm was all but gone. I baked the muffins and scrapped the biscuits, eggs, and bacon...and instead grabbed a few slices of Boar's Head cracked pepper turkey breast out of the fridge...slapped some muenster cheese on top and rolled them up. I had that along with a few muffins and a cup of coffee.  Hmmm....wonder what making dinner will turn into for me tonight? LOL As I sat down to eat, I decided to grab my camera, toss a couple of beautiful fall flowers by my plate and snap a quick photo to show you that "when life hands you lemons and dumps your muffin batter on the floor...regroup and roll up turkey and cheese"!  Enjoy!