Warm Cauliflower Bacon Salad with Ranch Dressing (low carb)

This is comfort food!  Try it soon.

Heat some olive oil and butter, OR bacon grease (yeah!) in a skillet

over medium heat. 

Add chopped cauliflower, diced onion, and some julienned radishes

(just happened to throw these in on a whim).

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Heat until the vegetables are tender. 

Remove from heat and spoon into a warmed dish. 

Top with real bacon pieces, shredded cheese,

and homemade ranch dressing.

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Warm Cauliflower Bacon Salad with Ranch Dressing

goes well with

steak, tenderloin,  pork chops, or meatloaf!

Warm Cauliflower Bacon Salad with Ranch Dressing

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1 pkg cauliflower (frozen, then thawed)

3 radishes

1/4 cup diced onion

bacon grease, olive oil, or butter for sauteeing

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

bacon pieces

homemade ranch dressing

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Heat some olive oil and butter, OR bacon grease in a skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped cauliflower, diced onion, and some julienned radishes.

Heat until the vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and spoon into a warmed dish. 

Top with real bacon pieces, shredded cheese, and homemade ranch dressing.

 

Puffy eyes and feet means back to Low Carb!

I regret to say that I don't work Weight Watchers very well. 

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I was doing good at first, then Thanksgiving happened and a few days later I quit counting my points.

Weight Watchers is hard to do if you don't count your points, or at least it is for me.

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So I'm back to what I know will get rid of those puffy eyes, hands, and feet.  Low Carb it is!

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While trying to decide what to have for lunch today, I came across some great low carb articles/sites.

.

...

 

I've decided to list a few here.   Enjoy...  and happy Low Carbing!

.

 

Low Carb Diet Recipes

Low Carb Lunches

Low Carb Office Lunch Tips

Low Carb Brown Bag Lunches

Low Carb Low Cal Lunches

Rachel Ray Low Carb Lunch

Low Carb Guy Lunches

More Low Carb Lunch Ideas

AC Low Carb

Simply Recipes Low Carb

Kalyn's SB Low Carb

Low Carb Friends Soup Recipes

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I will still be making and posting recipes for holiday goodies and treats, so if you're not a Low Carber don't write me off.   

Be sure and check back here for great recipes of all kinds over the next few weeks.

 

Peanut Butter Cookies (low carb)

In the fall, I get a hankering to bake, bake, bake!

 

Since I try to live the low carb lifestyle, that limits my baked goods choices.  When I want to bake cookies, this easy recipe always comes to mind.

I found this recipe several years ago in my Aunt Mary's little recipe box.  Last night when I baked these little gems, I subbed Splenda for the sugar.   I have written the recipe here as it is on her recipe card and added my own tweaks.



 

Magic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar (I subbed Splenda)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla, optional

Mix the peanut butter and sugar well.  Add the egg.  Mix well.  (As the egg is added to the peanut butter mixture, it  causes the mixture to have a cookie dough texture)

Drop by rounded spoonfuls on baking sheet.  Using a fork, press the cookies down to give them that classic peanut butter cookie look.  Bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes.  Do not overcook.

 

Cool and enjoy!

Easy Ranch and Bacon Pasta Salad

I love a good pasta salad and if it's easy and simple, that's even better!

 

A few Sundays ago, my sister-in-law called to invite me to a family picnic and so I decided a simple pasta salad would be a great addition to the meal she had already prepared. 

 

After the afternoon service, she, her husband, 2 daughters, 8 grandchildren and my family of 4 plus my baby great-nephew, all met at the park for an evening of food and family fun.

 

There was Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup, Cornbread, Sandwiches, Chips, Pasta Salad, Fresh Veggies and Ranch Dip, Sweet Tea, Banana Pudding, and Coconut Cake.

 

There's no time like Family Time!

~~~

More great homestyle recipes:

Vegetable Beef Soup with Southern Cornbread

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing

Chocolate Fudge Pie



Easy Ranch and Bacon Pasta Salad

1 box pasta, cooked ( I used Dreamfields Penne Rigate - low carb)

1 cup homemade ranch dressing

1/2 cup bacon pieces

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced - optional

Mix the cooked, drained and cooled pasta with the dressing, cheese, and bacon.  Chill and serve.

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Cheesy Sausage Balls

The high carb version of this recipe has been a family favorite for years now.

Usually we get together the night before Thanksgiving or Christmas to cook for the holiday family dinner.  While we're putting Mom's Potato Salad together and making her fabulous Coconut Cream Pie, we stick a pan of Sausage Balls in the oven to snack on.  It's become a family tradition.

 

Having a little extra sausage on hand, I attempted a low carb version of this easy recipe.

 

They turned out fairly tasty, tho I think I can back off the onion powder next time or leave it out all together.

 

All you need is sausage, grated cheese, and something to bind it all together.  I've read where some use eggs and others use crushed pork skins.  I used a bit of Carbquik (similar to Bisquik and can be purchased at Netrition) and some parmesan cheese to make up the dry ingredients. 

 

It worked and they were quite tasty, although they didn't have the traditional sausage ball taste, because of the added spices, I think.  So in the future, I think I'll skip the spices and hope for that famous sausage ball flavor.

Other tasty low carb snacks and appetizers:

Deep Fried Cauliflower

Aussie Squash Fries

Bacon-wrapped Jalapeño Poppers



Cheesy Sausage Balls

1 lb. sausage
12 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of your choice low carb baking mix, such as Carbquik and parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 º F.  Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.   Mix well with your fingers. The mixture may very crumbly.  Form into 1 inch balls, squeezing the mixture so it holds together, then rolling it between the palms of your hands to form balls.  Place the balls on the baking sheet.  Bake for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.  To prevent sticking, move the balls with a spatula halfway through cooking or use parchment paper to line your pan.  Remove from oven and serve warm.

Beefy Rotel Cheese Dip and Chips

Beefy Rotel Cheese Dip

1 lb Velveeta

1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilies

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup prepared taco or chili flavored ground beef

In microwave safe bowl, add cheese and Rotel tomatoes.  Nuke until cheese is fully melted, stirring once or twice.  Remove from microwave and add sour cream.  Stir; then add the cooked ground beef.  Serve with your choice of chips or other dipper.

Chips shown in pic above: Fried low carb tortilla triangles.  Frying them instead of baking them made them crispier.  I cut the tortillas into chip size triangles as best as I could, then pan-fried in about a 1/2" of oil until golden brown.  As I drained them on paper towels, I sprinkled with a touch of salt.

Skillet Fried Cabbage with Bacon

I'm sick of things I can eat with my fingers! 

I needed something to eat with a fork.  I was wanting something green and yummy and fried cabbage with bacon came to mind.  This is one of my favorite vegetable dishes, with lots more flavor than just boiled cabbage which is more common here in the South.

Grab some sliced bacon, dice it and throw it in a skillet over medium heat.  As it cooks, cut a head of cabbage in half and chop it into nice size pieces.



After the bacon is crispy, remove it from the skillet and let it drain on a paper towel.  Reserve all but about 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.  Add the chopped cabbage and some diced onion into the skillet.  Cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the cabbage is done but still has a little crunch left.

Put into pretty dish and top with the crispy bacon pieces.  Eat all by itself or with the meat of your choice.  I chose a nice medium sized pork chop.  See my lowcarb page for the plated meal.  Enjoy!

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

I used Low Carb Chic's recipe, except I used diced chiles instead of whole.

Low Carb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Okay, if you have a few carbs to spare you can enjoy this rich treat .

 

Jonathan’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

Low Carb Cheesecake

 

 

Crust:

 

4 Voortman Sugar Free Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

5 Murray’s Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Cup Almond Flour

3 Tbsp Granulated Splenda

6 Tbsp Melted Butter

1 Oz. Un-Sweetened Baking Chocolate Bar

1 Tbsp Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

 

Filling

 

24 Oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1 Cup Granulated Splenda

¼ Cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

4 Large Eggs

½ Cup Kroger Just Right Lower Sugar/Sodium Creamy Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Sour Cream

8 Reeses Sugar Free Miniatures

2 Oz. Un-Sweetened Baking Chocolate Bar

½ Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Chips

 

 

Directions:

 

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees


2. In a food processor, pulse cookies until small crumbs.  Remove and place in bowl and mix in almond Flour and Splenda.  Stir with spoon until well mixed.  Add melted butter; mix well and press into bottom of spring form pan. 


3. Sprinkle shaved chocolate bar and mini chips on top of crust and put into refrigerator while mixing filling


4. Place softened cream cheese, Splenda, brown sugar Splenda, and eggs and mix together until smooth.  Add peanut butter and vanilla and mix until creamy.  Add sour cream and finish mixing.  With spoon, fold in 1 oz of chocolate bar, ¼ cup of mini chips, and 4 chopped Reeses miniatures.


5. Remove crust from refrigerator and pour filling into pan.  Sprinkle rest of chopped baking chocolate and mini chips on top and place in oven. 


6. Bake for 60-80 minutes.  Time will vary depending on oven.  Do not overcook, the middle should be almost set.  Insert a toothpick into center and you should have a small amount of filling on toothpick


7. Run knife around the edge and cool before removing the pan outer ring.  Sprinkle remaining chopped Reeses miniatures and refrigerate overnight.

 

20 small servings = 13 carbs per serving

 

Microwave Pork Rinds

Lowery's Bacon Curls in Original or Hot and Spicy

These are the absolute best!  I serve them along with some homemade dip and a big tall glass of Diet Pepsi. 

Amazon has a great price, too.  Check'm out!

 

Enchiladas for everyone!

These are made using low carb tortillas.  No non-low carbers complained.  This is a very tasty dish and higher carb low carb treat.  :)



I followed no particular recipe, just tried to use lower carb ingredients. 

Enchiladas

Ground Beef

Enchilada seasoning

Enchilada sauce or crushed tomatoes

diced onion

Low Carb tortillas

Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Brown the ground beef and onion.  Drain; add the enchilada seasonings and sauce (follow package instructions if using a prepackaged seasoning blend).  Simmer beef mixture.  Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of beef into tortillas, roll up, place into 9 x 13 dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake at 375 º until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

For the Enchiladas with a side of Caesar Salad, Lime, Avocado, Rotel Cheese dip and LC baked tortilla chips, see my low carb page here.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Deer Tenderloin

My Grillmaster is at it again!  This time it's one of his specialties, wild game. 

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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Deer Tenderloin

 

1 lb bacon

1 deer tenderloin, sliced

1 bottle Worchestershire sauce

1 T garlic

1 T lemon pepper

 

Marinate sliced tenderloin in Worchestershire sauce, garlic, lemon pepper for 4 hours or even overnight.  Remove slices from marinade, wrap with 1/2 a slice of bacon and grill over hot coals until done, 8-10 minutes per side.  Serve with a green salad and warm buttered rolls.

 

Optional marinade:  Teriyaki sauce, yum!

 

Tip: If you run out of bacon, skewer the rest of the deer meat with sliced veggies for kebabs.  :)

 

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet (low carb)

Three ingredients! 

That's all it takes to make this delicious low carb dish. 

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet
 
1 lb. Ground Beef, cooked and drained
1 can french style green beans, drained
4 oz.  shredded cheese
 
After browning and draining the grease off the ground beef, add the green beans; stir.  Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes or until grean beans appear tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Cover for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

*I know I'm bad, but this  is really good with Velveeta cheese, too.  :)

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)

Want a quick and easy treat or a simple after-dinner dessert?  What about a Sugar-free Oreo Blast?

Sugar-free Oreo Blast (low carb)
 
1 serving Breyer's CarbSmart vanilla ice cream
1 serving Sugar Free Oreos, broken into pieces
 
Place ice cream and cookie pieces into food processor. 
Pulse until blended.  Serve in a cute ice cream dish or
small glass.  Top with 1/2 a SF Oreo. 

Now, find a nice quiet spot outside in the swing on a warm sunny day and eat slowly.

Tomorrow...an easy 3 ingredient recipe for a quick supper.

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing

I like to use leftovers and I love salads!

What better way to use up the leftover grilled ribeye steak than on a bed of crispy salad greens and top it with homemade salad dressing, shredded cheddar cheese, and bacon pieces?

We had some leftover steaks  that kinda cooked longer than we like'm to, (it wasn't quite as "done" as it looks in these pics, really) so I decided to make Steak and Onion Salad.

Usually I stir-fry a cheaper cut of steak for this dish.  Sometimes I sauté the onions or sometimes I used fresh green onions or sliced Vidalias.  Sometimes I even throw both on there!  I'm liking onions, okay?

Sorry, there's no real recipe for this.   I just throw together a salad using my favorite salad ingredients, top it with the grilled steak, dressing, and peppercinis.

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing (Lower Carb)

Your favorite salad greens: baby lettuces, radicchio, endive, butter...

I used Fresh Express prepackaged.

Shredded cheddar cheese

real bacon pieces

cucumbers, peeled, sliced, quartered (my DD did this :) )

sliced radishes

grape tomatoes, quartered

sliced yellow onion or green onions

sliced peppercinis.

steak, grilled or stir-fried and sliced into strips

To serve: Toss tomatoes, cucumbers and salad greens and other salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.  Place portions in individual salad bowls.  Add steak and onions.  Serve dressing alongside.

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Ok, don't laugh, this is not a fancy-schmancy recipe, I usually just throw together some type of mayo based salad dressing.  I can't stand the bottled stuff.  Not sure if this is kinda like a homemade Thousand Island, maybe?  Nevertheless, it's pretty good.  :)

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Creamy Homemade Dressing

1/2 cup mayo

1 T Heinz LC ketchup

1 tsp mustard

1 T peppercini juice

a dash of spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 pkt Splenda, optional (if you prefer a sweeter dressing)

Mix all together in a small bowl.  If you prefer a thinner dressing, add some water or milk.

For a great low carb dessert, what about Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie?

Deep Fried Cauliflower Florets (Low Carb)

As I was deep frying these little golden bites, different ones wandered through the kitchen and asked what it was that I was cooking. My Handyman finally decided that this was our pre-dinner appetizer.  I didn't tell him they were low carb.  They wouldn't have come within an inch of his mouth had he known.  ;)

These can be served without or with any tasty dipping sauce you like.  We chose Ranch and Heinz LC Ketchup.

Deep Fried Cauliflower Florets (low carb)

One 16oz bag frozen cauliflower

1 egg

3 T cream, half and half, or water

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup grated romano cheese

seasoning spices (garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, etc)

hot oil for deep frying

Rinse and thaw the frozen cauliflower.  Drain off the water.  With a fork or whisk, mix the cream, half and half, or even water with the egg.  Set aside.  Add your preferred spices to both cheeses, stir and set aside.

Put about a cup of cauliflower florets into the egg mixture, stir around until the florets are coated with egg.  Next put the florets into the cheese mixture (I put the cheese into a quart size freezer bag) and shake around until the cauliflower florets are well coated with the cheese mixture.

Carefully drop into the hot oil.  Deep fry 6-8 minutes or until golden brown.  Continue until all the cauliflower is cooked. Drain on paper towels and serve with your preferred dipping sauce.

Ribeyes on the Grill

My Handyman, aka Grillmaster, loves to grill a steak.  Did I tell you about the whole ribeye we found at a meat sale for $2.99 a pound?!  We got 22 steaks out of that almost 15 pound slab of meat.  That comes out to a cost of about $2.00 per steak! 

Handyman does an awesome job.  He usually seasons the steaks with some garlic, lemon pepper, and Season All and lets them sit while the coals are getting hot.  Then depending on the thickness of the steak, he grills it about 6 minutes or so on each side.  That's all it takes. 

The steak he grilled for me Monday was so much better than the one I got a Chile's a few weeks ago.  That steak nowhere resembled or tasted like a Ribeye in any way.  I even mentioned it to the waiter and he talked to both managers and they all insisted it was a ribeye.  It was the strangest shape and was way too dry.  I ate as much as I could around the edge of it, then gave up.  It will be a long time before I go to Chile's again, even if I do love their Chili Con Queso in those little cast iron skillets.

What is your favorite beef steak? Do you prefer a ribeye or T-bone, or perhaps another cut?

Cheesy Sausage Egg Muffins (Low Carb)

There are several versions of the Low Carb Sausage Egg Muffin out there.  I came across this recipe a few years ago and have continued to use it when I have a desire for an easy take-along breakfast.

Cheesy Sausage Egg Muffins (Low Carb)

6 Tbs crushed pork skins
1/2 cup chopped veggies of your choice
sausage or bacon, cooked and crumbled
5 eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Using a 6 cup muffin pan, place about 1 tablespoon of crushed pork skins in the bottom of each muffin cup.  Next, place meat and veggies on top of the pork skins.  Pour the beaten eggs over the pork skins, meat, and veggies layers, enough to fill the cup.  Top with shredded cheese.  Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins have puffed up and look set (done).

Sorry there's no specific measurements.  I usually just guesstimate on the amounts.  That means the muffins are usually different, but always good.  There's so many possibilities. 

One of my favorites combinations is pizza toppings where I use pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers and onions.   Another possibility is a savory cheesy chicken and broccoli muffin.

After baking, I let them cool, then bag them up by twos.  That gives me three days of a ready-made low carb breakfast that I can take along to work with me to have with my coffee.

Happy Low Carbing!

For more low carb recipes, go here.

Butter Pecan Creme Brulee (Low Carb)

When my sister-in-law blessed me with two dozen farm-fresh country eggs yesterday,

I started digging through my old low carb recipes.  I had a breakfast custard recipe in mind, but ran across this creme brulee recipe.  I would love to find out the recipe creator, so I can give them thanks and proper credit. *Updated - I found out the recipe's creator is named Roni.  Thanks that for info, Linda Sue.

I found this particular recipe several years ago on one of my favorite low carb sites.  Some of the absolute best cooks congregate on the recipe board at Low Carb Friends!

I used my Pampered Chef Prep Cups (with storage lids) to bake the creme brulees.  Not fancy, but servicable.



I sprinkled a little nutmeg on the creme brulee before baking, like the breakfast custard recipe calls for.  Not sure why, since I planned on topping them with praline pecans. Don't you just love the sound of praline pecans?!



Butter-Pecan Creme Brulee

2 cups cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons Splenda (I used 1/2 cup granulated Splenda)

Heat cream over medium heat, just until bubbles start to form.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, vanilla, salt and Splenda.
Gradually whisk in cream. Strain mixture.
Divide into four custard cups.
Bake in a water bath for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.  (I baked mine for 50 minutes in a toaster oven.)
Custards should be set, but still jiggly.  Chill for one hour.
Make butter-pecan topping and divide between between cups.
Refrigerate for four more hours or overnight.

Butter-Pecan Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
1/8 cup pecans - finely chopped
1 teaspoon Splenda

Melt butter.
Stir in pecans and Splenda.
Heat just until nuts begin to color, being careful not to burn.

This is definitely a keeper! The butter pecan topping is delcious!  I think I will double or triple the topping recipe next time, so it will completely cover the top of each creme brulee dish.

See another low carb dessert.

Ugly Green Bean Fries (Low Carb)

Ugly Green Bean Fries (Low Carb)

16 oz bag of frozen beans (I used whole green beans)
1 tbsp of butter or bacon grease
1 tbsp of olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder

Put green beans in a plastic bag, pour in fats, season to taste. Shake the green beans in the bag to coat with the fat and seasonings.   Bake at 400º for 45 minutes or until brownish and crispy.  Cool and enjoy with Heinz 1 Carb Ketchup (the best!).

Check out my other low carb recipes!