Cookies!

Well, I have been slowly trying different recipes that I find on the internet and I came across one that I had to try. It's for Tiramisu Cookies. I found this little gem over at All Day I Dream About Food. A blog after my own heart. Carolyn, the author of the blog, comes up with some incredible desserts and baked treats. She shares some interesting similarities to me. She is a stay-at-home Mom of 3, just like me! She is also diabetic, I am "genetically predisposed" for diabetes; one of the reasons I decided to look into eating low carb in the first place. I am amazed with the creativity she puts into some of her recipes. This one is no exception. I did tweak the recipe a bit, per her advice on her post. Instead of doing 2 different fillings, I left out the cocoa powder and just mixed everything else together into one filling. The filling came out a little too sweet, so I think next time I will cut back on the sweetener. I will leave the original amount of sweetener there and you can adjust as you see fit. I don't know if I would still call these tiramisu, though. Don't get me wrong, these cookies are divine. However, I think I would liken them more to a mocha cookie. I can definitely see a peanut butter adaptation of the filling. I think I will try that out and post the results here. So head on over and look at the original recipe here. I am just posting my recipe for the filling with my changes. I hope you give these a try. They are definitely worth the effort!

Mascarpone Filling:

4 oz mascarpone cheese

1 tbsp coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua

⅓ cup powdered erythritol

2 tsp strong-brewed coffee

For the mascarpone filling, whisk everything together until combined.  To assemble, spread the bottom of one chocolate cookie with the mascarpone filling and press together to make a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies. Chill in refrigerator 20 minutes to set fillings.

So what about sandwiches?

So what do you do when you are craving a sandwich, but you have sworn off bread? Well, nowadays there are many options open to you. Enter your friends almond flour and coconut flour. Both are low-carb (speaking in net carbs here) and gluten free. With all of my perusing of the web and various blogs, I have come up with my own recipe for sandwich bread which I am quite happy with. Until I can get a Magic Line Loaf Pan, I will continue to use this recipe. There are many variations of it on the Low Carb Friends site. I just picked one and tweaked it a little bit. You can make it sweet or savory, depending on what you add to it. I was craving tuna for some reason, so I got my can of Tonno in olive oil and added some homemade Mason Jar Mayonnaise to it. The results were very satisfying!

Sandwich "Muffin"

Makes 1

¼ c. Almond Flour

1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds (you can also use flax seed meal)

½ tsp. Baking Powder 

Pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1 Egg 

½ Tbsp. Butter, Melted

In a small bowl mix dry ingredients and set aside. In another small bowl whisk together egg and melted butter.  I like to melt the  butter in the ramekin dish you bake it in. Add the wet to the dry and mix well. Spoon mixture into 6 oz. ramekin and microwave for 50 seconds to 1 minute. (Mine was perfect at 1 minute).

Dinner last night

Well, I tried a recipe last night that I saw online a few weeks ago. It intrigued me, so I decided to follow this blog and I am glad I did! If you have never checked out Your Lighter Side, you should! Jamie aka "Carbarella", comes up with some tasty stuff that is delicious even though it is low carb. If you are one of those people who think eating this way is boring, then you should check out some of the blogs I subscribe to. Anyway, back to dinner. I decided to try a recipe I had seen posted for Chili Cheese Tots. Just looking at the picture made me want to try it. I have to say the results were good enough that I will definitely make this again! The Cauli Tots will have to be worked on a little bit. I don't think I squeezed out enough liquid when I made them and they definitely need to be baked a little longer. Here are some pictures of my endeavors. This recipe is basically 3 recipes in 1. Don't let that intimidate you though, I made it last night for dinner and was able to get it on the table in a little over an hour. You could also make the Cauli Tots in advance and pop them in the oven when you are ready to make dinner. Without further ado, here are the pictures of the 3 components and the final product which was then inhaled by yours truly! Head on over and check out the recipe here. You won't be disappointed, I promise!

Here's the finished Cheese Sauce. I made this while the tots were baking.

I made the Chili while the Tots were in the freezer.

Here's the tots after I pulled them out of the oven. I think next time, I will leave them in there longer.

And lastly, the finished product. It was delish!

Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Quiche

Well, I have been subscribed to several blogs now for a while and I have been collecting recipes like crazy. One of the places I go to time and time again is, Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes. There are so many good recipes and menu ideas for anyone who wants to get started eating low carb. It's definitely a great resource. One of the recipes I found there was for a Leek Quiche which I had planned to make for breakfasts this week. As I started to get all of my ingredients out, I began to think, "I bet bacon would be great in this!" And so, I began to tweak the recipe a little bit as I made it. I cooked up bacon and then sauteed the leeks in the bacon fat instead of using butter. I used Sharp Cheddar cheese, because I had 3 blocks of it in my fridge. I have to say, the results were pretty darn tasty! So, here is my first contribution in the form of recipes in my blog. It will definitely not be the last! I hope you try it and like it as much as I did!

Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Quiche
Adapted from Linda's Low Carb Leek Quiche recipe
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large leek, sliced and rinsed of any visible dirt
8 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
In a large skillet, saute the bacon until it's as crisp as you want it. Remove from the pan, but leave the drippings. Place the sliced leek in the pan and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. In a greased pie plate, add 3/4 of the cheese. In a bowl, beat the eggs, heavy cream and seasonings, set aside. When the leeks are done, remove from skillet and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle the bacon and leeks over the cheese in the pie plate. Pour the egg mixture over everything, making sure to distribute it evenly. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned on top. Let stand for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Here's what mine looked like after I took a slice out of it. I couldn't wait to taste it!