Low Carb (gluten and grain free) Pancakes

An oopsie roll variation...refrigerates and reheats beautifully for breakfast on the go all week! Recipe makes about 24 pancakes, approximately 1 carb per pancake when made with Philadelphia cream cheese.

8 oz cream cheese, slightly softened
7 eggs, separated
1/4 c. almond or peanut butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon
4 droppers of NuNaturals stevia (I use 2 droppers of vanilla crème and 2 droppers of English toffee)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. blueberries (optional)

Separate eggs and beat egg whites until pretty stiff (usually about 3-4 minutes)

In another bowl combine remaining ingredients and (using same beaters) blend everything together but the egg whites. Make sure the cream cheese is well incorporated!

Add egg whites and blend on low until fully incorporated.

Fry over medium/low heat in coconut oil or butter, flipping when bubbles start to appear on first side and then cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes on 2nd side.

Notes: Add blueberries after you put on the skillet, 4-5 per pancake (if you are using them). Make them about 5-6 inches in diameter...if they break when you flip them, turn the heat down.

Serve with sugar free syrup (if you roll that way) or heavy whipped cream.

Kale Bread / Rolls / Pizza Dough / Tortillas

Yes, this comes out green...no you CANNOT taste the kale. It works nicely to eliminate the sweetness that so often comes about with coconut flour.

1/3 c + 1 Tbsp ground psyllium husks (I get mine from Now Foods on Amazon)
1 cup coconut flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp coarse, kosher salt
6 eggs
4 egg whites
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1.5 cups kale water (2.5 cups packed kale+1.5 cups water...food processed or well blended in high powered blender - I use a vitamix)

Mix all wet ingredients with a hand blender. Add psyllium and blend. Add coconut flour and blend.  Give dough a few minutes and you should be able to handle it like a ball of dough.

With this dough you can do a few things...
1. Make a loaf of bread - parchment line a large bread pan. Spread dough evenly. Bake at 375 for 90 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing. Freezes and toasts beautifully.

2. Make rolls - parchment line a baking sheet. Form rolls. bake at 375 for 1 hour 15 minutes. Allow to cool before using.

3. Make pizza dough - parchment line a baking sheet or pizza pan. Spread out dough. The easiest way to do this is to use another piece of parchment and basically massage it out to approximately 1/4-1/2 inch thick. The thinner the better. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes before adding toppings and cooking for another 20.

4. Make tortillas - roll out tortillas in between two sheets of parchment and then fry in a hot non-stick skillet with no oil for a couple minutes per side.

Easy, peasy lemon squeezey...get your green on.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust (Grain & Gluten Free, Nut Free)

Got hubby's seal of approval and he HATES cauliflower. Also makes a nice calzone. Also really good as cold, leftover pizza.

2 Cups of riced, microwaved for 5 minutes with salt and squeezed until it almost died cauliflower
1 8 oz block of cheese of your choice, shredded - Mozzarella and Pepperjack both work nicely
2 oz cream cheese
3 Tbsp pizza seasoning

Mix everything, either in a food processor in with a hand blender (if you have already riced your cauliflower and your food processor is dirty, that's what I recommend) until well blended.

Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet, approximately 1/4 inch thick (you can go thicker, but adjust your cooking times accordingly.)

Bake at 405 for 10 minutes, take it out and flip it (gently) and put it back in for another 5-10 minutes before you add toppings.

Coconut Flour Buttery Nipple Cake (gluten & grain free)

Warning...this is NOT low carb, not by any means of the word. It is however delicious and shipped quite nicely all the way to Afghanistan without drying out (almost 2 weeks...)

Cake
1 c butter, softened
12 eggs
1.5 cups dark brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup + 3 Tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter schnapps
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish cream

Glaze
1.5-2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter schnapps
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish cream

Beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, liquors, salt and baking powder. Blend well. Add coconut flour in two additions, beating well in between.

Bake in 8x8 square, parchment lined dish at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. While it's baking, make the glaze...stir all the ingredients together.

Once the cake is done, poke numerous holes all over the top while it is still hot. I use my meat thermometer for this, as it makes nice big holes.  Pour glaze over and allow to finish cooling in the pan.

Eat, but not too much if you have to drive...the alcohol does not cook out. Don't serve to small children- be warned, it's boozy!

Pepperoni Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms

1 lbs of mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed.
6 oz. full fat cream cheese
25-30 pieces of pepperoni
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
2 heaping Tbsp pizza seasoning
1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper

(Keep the stems, or chunk them...your call. No need for them in this recipe.)

Clean and de-stem the mushrooms. Place mushroom caps, open side down on a paper towel for at least an hour (the longer the better, unless you want to dry them).

Add remaining ingredients to a food processor, scraping down the sides until the pepperoni is finely chopped up and evenly distributed.

Fill mushrooms. It's easiest to do this with your fingers, the mixture is too thick for a piping bag, and really even a spoon. I usually roll a log-ish type roll in my hands and then break off pieces and push them down into the caps.

Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, or 350 for an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes (I prefer the longer cooking time, but the shorter one works in a pinch.)

Bring to any event and watch your plate get licked clean...or make them for dinner and prepare to Eat. Them. All.

Enjoy!

Balsamic, Tomato & Garlic Chicken Marinade

6 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto (get it beside the sun dried tomatoes)
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp minced garlic ((I use the jarred stuff)
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp rosemary

Mix in your large freezer bag. Add 4-5 lbs of chicken (boneless, skinless breasts are usually what we use in this). Allow to marinade overnight, or for a couple of days in the fridge. Roast or grill chicken.

(If it doesn't weird you out...add remaining marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes or so and serve on top...it's delicious - and it has cooked as long as your chicken, so you shouldn't be weirded out, but my hubby still is, so to each their own!)

Citrus Roasted Chicken Thighs

4-5 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken
1.5 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes
Zest and Juice of one lemon, lime OR orange

Mix all spices, zest and juice in a small bowl. Pull chicken skin back from meat, without completely detaching it. Distribute spice mixture evenly among chicken thighs, usually about a spoonful per thigh is what I get. Fold skin back over and rub any remaining spice mixture on your hands over the skin (More for looks than anything else :)

Roast in the oven for any of the following intervals/temperatures.

350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes
400 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes
425 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes

Once they are done, if you aren't ready to eat, you can simply turn the oven off and leave them in for up to about an hour and then serve without drying them out (LOVE chicken thighs for this reason).