Pepperoni Bread - low carb and gluten free

3 eggs
1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
3/4 c  coconut milk (UNSWEETENED!!!!)
1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
2 tbsp almond flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
25 deli (sandwich size is better) pepperoni, thinly sliced

Beat eggs, add remaining wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients and stir.

Lay pepperonis out on pan, (on parchment) and then spread dough on top...the thinner, the better.
Bake 15 mins at 375, take out and flip over. Bake for an additional 5 mins before adding sauce and additional cheese, if desired.  It's good either way :) once you add sauce and cheese, bake for an additional 10 mins at 350 or until cheese is melted.

Texture is a bit different than regular flour...but the thinner you make the crust, the less noticeable it is.  This is due to the coconut flour. It is, however, a lot more healthy than traditional "gluten free" crusts :)

Carnitas...gluten free, low carb

According to my hubby...this (although not labor intensive AT ALL), is in his top 5 recipes that I have ever made. High praises. I served it with some chopped peppers that were roasted in the remaining pan juices (after I removed the pork) for about an hour w/ salt, pepper and minced garlic! Definitely a keeper!

3-4 lb pork loin, chopped into 4 large chunks
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Oregano
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp minced onion
1 tsp paprika
7 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
fresh lime slices for serving

Mix all the spices except the bay leaves and then roll the pork chunks in the spice mixture. Add the chicken broth to a large dutch oven (5-7 qts is ideal) or a slowcooker. Add the bay leaves to the broth and then nestle the pork into the broth. 

Roast at 350 (if using a dutch oven) for 3 hours. Shred the meat and stir, replace lid and return to oven for another hour. If you are using the slowcooker, cook on high for 6-7 hours, shred and cook for another 2 hours or so.

Serve topped with fresh squeezed lime juice, either alone or in tacos or on nachos. Easy & delicious!

Gluten Free Nutella Lava Mug Cake

(Modified to be gluten free from http://honestcooking.com/2012/02/20/nutella-lava-mug-cake-2/)

Nutella Lava Cake, Gluten Free...made in a little 4 oz
mason jar, microwaved right out of the fridge for 1 minute.

Gluten Free (Not Low Carb...sorry guys!) Nutella Lava Mug Cake

4 Tbsp Carol's Sorghum Blend*
OR
1.5 Tbsp sorghum flour + 1.5 Tbsp Potato Starch + 1 Tbsp tapioca flour

1/8 tsp xanthan gum
3 Tbsp dark cocoa (Hershey's special blend)
4 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 Tbsp milk
3 Tbsp nutella
3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
Couple tsps of chocolate chips

Add all dry ingrediants to a small mixing bowl and whisk well. Add ingrediants through milk and mix well (with a fork). Add nutella and melted coconut oil and mix with a fork or spoon.

Seperate into two mugs (filling them no more than 3/4 full...or they will make a mess). Add a tsp or so of chocolate chips to each mug and push down into the batter.  Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until the top is set. (It takes a minute and 30 seconds in my microwave for one mug and 2 minutes for two.) It will be glossy and will look like it's not done - don't over cook it! It will be set on the top.

PS These can be made ahead and refridgerated...that's what I did with the little one in the picture. This is "too rich" for my hubby, so (alas) I'm left eating both. I cook one the first night, throw the other in the fridge for later in the week!

Low Carb, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Easy peasy in the food processor...with a great texture and way better for you than regular peanut butter cookies! Definitely try these and see if you ever want to go back. By the way...if you eat the whole batch, these are no longer low carb...but would still be gluten free :)

Low Carb and Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

3/4 c. almond flour
1/4 c. coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c no calorie brown sugar sweetner (I used Wal-Mart Brand....it's lower carb than Splenda Brown Sugar)
1 tsp liquid stevia (I use NuNaturals, which I buy at iHerb - use referral code FAC437 to save $5 on your first order!)
1/3 c peanut butter (creamy)
1/3 c coconut oil
2 eggs

Heat oven to 325

Mix all of the dry ingrediants in the food processor until they are well-blended. Add all of the wet ingrediants, except the eggs. Mix well. While leaving the food processor on, add the eggs, one at a time.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into a log(ish) about 1.5 inches in diameter. Pluck off 1.5 inch pieces and place on cookie sheet. Mash slightly with your hand, as these don't spread or change shape (at all...seriously).

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes (optional for pretty cookies...remove from oven at 8 minute mark and use a fork to make traditional peanut butter cookie crosses - if you plan on doing this, you can leave your cookies a little taller at the beginning).

Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes and then remove (carefully) to a wire cooling rack.

Enjoy...but not the whole batch!

Slow Cooker Corned Beef

1 Corned Beef – 3.5-5 lbs
Seasoning Packet from corned beef
2 bottles of gluten free beer (I used Red Bridge) OR 1 bottle of beer and 12 oz of water
Spicy Mustard
1 Tbsp (heaping) of minced garlic
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns – whole

1 onion, chopped into large pieces

Baby carrots, 2 cups (optional)

Heat your slowcooker/crockpot to high.

Cut the fat layer off the corned beef…seriously, it’s nasty if you leave it on. I recommend a combo of scissors and a serrated knife for this task. It isn’t fun, but it’s worth it.

Slather the corned beef with the mustard – I used a spicy horseradish version (Kroger brand). Probably around ¼ of a cup, but you can’t really use too much!

Put the “mustarded” corned beef into the crockpot. Dump seasoning packet on top. Add bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic and onion. Pour beer (or beer and water) around the beef.

Cook on medium for 6 hours. Add the carrots, if you want and turn up to high for remaining 2-3 hours.

Remove from liquid and serve the carrots and beef (sliced against the grain) with your choice of mustard.

(Goes very nicely with braised cabbage and bacon).