Low Carb High Protein Fruit and Nut Bites

You know how you get that craving for something sweet but you don’t want to undo all your good work by loading up on empty carbs and way too much sugar ie: Cookie Monster Time! I decided to give Low Carb Sweets another look. And I will continue to do so for the rest of January 2013 just to see what I come up with and determine whether or not LC will fill the void.

I entered Low Carb High Protein cookie recipes into google and had a browse through the first few hits. I liked the look of Healthy No Bake Protein Cookies because I almost always have protein powder on hand these days, love peanut butter and always have dried cranberries, dates, raisins and a variety of nuts on hand.

Low Carb High Protein Fruit and Nut Bites
Low Carb High Protein Fruit and Nut Bites

How I made them:

6 ounces Peanut Butter
2 ounces Tahini Paste
1/3 cup Splenda Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Scoops Vega One Protein Powder
1/4 cup chopped Dates
1/4 cup dried Cranberries
1/4 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Sliced Blanched Almonds
Fine Coconut  – about 1 cup

Melt the peanut butter and tahini paste over low heat until melted, stirring constantly to discourage scorching and eliminating all lumps.
Remove from heat and stir in protein powder and Splenda brown sugar.
Stir in dates, cranberries, raisins and sliced almonds until well incorporated.
Use a #2 Pampered Chef scoop to scoop portion dough into even sized balls, roll between your hands to attain even form then drop into coconut and roll around to coat.

Yield: About 24 cookies

What I would do different next time:
I just happen to have Splenda Brown Sugar on hand…I almost threw it away but considering how much I paid for it, I thought I better use it up. When the Splenda BS is gone I will use Honey, but not the cup stated in the original recipe; I will probably use 1/3 of a cup.
I will make them with all Peanut Butter; I have Tahini Paste in the pantry for when I make hummus but I don’t make it that often and hummus doesn’t call for much of it! A shame to have the Tahini Paste going stale in the pantry so this was a good opportunity to unload a bit of it.
I will add a splash of vanilla.
I will grind the almonds rather than using sliced…sliced almonds made the rolling process too difficult.
My dear husband says the only thing I should do different next time is to dip them in Chocolate!

Low Carb High Protein Fruit and Nut Bites
Low Carb High Protein Fruit and Nut Bites

 

 

Double Cheeseburger Ring

Oh my goodness! I clipped this recipe out of the Vancouver Sun a gazillion years ago and made it quite often when the kids were growing up, though minus the Mushroom Sauce. ( I have two kids who have a strong dislike for mushrooms…one, because the underside looks like gills! ) No worries there though because you can easily sub in another flavour of condensed soup: Cream of Celery, Broccoli Cheddar, Cream of Asparagus, Cream of Broccoli.
Don’t eat meat? No worries there either; sub in Yves Just Like Ground Round.
Don’t do Dairy? Sub in Soy Cheese, Salsa for the Cream of Mushroom Soup, add a few Tablespoons of Sliced Black Olives, a Tablespoon of Adobo Seasoning omit the Chopped Celery and sub in some Corn Niblets and you have yourself a Mexican Style Fiesta Ring! Too easy!

Now the original recipe called for the biscuit ring to be made from Bisquick mix….I think I bought that stuff once! I just use my resourceful Baking Powder Biscuit Recipe! Especially easy if you have a Kitchenaide Mixer! Throw everything into the mixer (by everything I mean all the powdery stuff) Mix on low to incorporate; add cubed, cold shortening or butter and turn on low again for about 2 minutes until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, then add milk (soy milk) and stir on low speed JUST until combined. Turn out onto floured surface and knead gently about 10 times and roll out dough. Easy peasy.

Oh, and you will see in the photo that I cheat and add Frozen French Fries right on the same baking sheet as the Cheeseburger Ring…just make a salad while this is baking and call dinner preparation Done!

Cheeseburger Ring - A nice twist for using Ground Beef
Cheeseburger Ring – A nice twist for using Ground Beef

Biscuit Dough using Baking Powder Biscuit Recipe or:
3 cups Bisquick Mix
1 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (Soy Cheddar)
3/4 cup Milk (Plain Almond or Soy Milk)
Filling:
1/2 pound Ground Beef (1 package Yves Just Like Ground Round)
1/4 cup finely chopped Celery
1/4 cup diced Onion
2 Tablespoons each finely chopped Green and Red Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste
3/4 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese (Soy Cheddar)
1/4 cup Cream of Mushroom Soup
Mushroom Sauce:
Remaining Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup Milk (Plain Soy or Almond Milk)
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce (Omit if Vegan)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Biscuit Dough:
Mix Bisquick and cheese together.
Gradually blend in milk, stirring with a fork to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently 8 to 10 times.
Roll into a 14″x10″ rectangle.

Filling:
In a large skillet, with a bit of olive oil, saute onions until soft.
Add chopped celery, finely chopped peppers and ground beef (Just Like Ground Round) breaking up meat with a wooden spoon.
Cook and stir frequently until evenly browned.
Stir in remaining ingredients and heat until cheese melts.

Turn oven on to preheat to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper or spray lightly with vegetable oil spray and dust lightly with cornmeal.

Carefully spread onto prepared dough.
Roll up like a jelly roll, starting from the longer side.
Shape into a ring.
Place on prepared baking sheet.
Slash with a sharp knife, 3/4 of the way through ring, at 1inch intervals.
Bake in 400F. oven for 15 – 18 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve hot with Mushroom Sauce.
Serves: 6

Mushroom Sauce:
Combine mushroom soup, 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan and heat through. Oh, I often add fresh Sliced Mushrooms to the sauce.

If Vegan, omit Mushroom Sauce altogether and serve with a Salsa and Avocado Slices.

Adobo Seasoning Mix

Rather than buying that expensive Adobo Seasoning Mix make your own for heaps less!

Adobo Seasoning Mix for a Fraction of the Cost!
Adobo Seasoning Mix for a Fraction of the Cost!

Homemade @Adobo Seasoning
1 tablespoon Salt
1 tablespoon Paprika
2 teaspoons ground Black Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Onion Powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Chili Powder

Store leftover spice mix in an airtight container.

 

Date Nut Drop Cookies

I make these every year at Christmas just for my Mother. They were one of her favourite O-Mommy Cookie recipes…not that Mother made them all that often, but she sure liked to have them made for her. Here I will share with you the recipe exactly the way O-Mommy passed it along to me. Yes, the recipe now resides on this page but I still have the battered, faded recipe index card that I transcribed the recipe onto 30 years ago!

Although Mother passed away I made these cookies in quiet remembrance of her and probably will until I am unable to make them anymore. I think Mother liked them so much because they were gently spiced and contained yummy bits of dates.

For Mother

One of my Mother's Faves; Date Nut Drop Cookies
One of my Mother’s Faves; Date Nut Drop Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Cream together,
1 cup Shortening (sometimes I don’t have enough or none at all and will sub in some or all Butter)
1 1/2 cups Sugar
3 Eggs
Add
2 cups Chopped Dates
1 cup Chopped Walnuts
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Blend together [in a separate bowl]
2 1/2 cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Add to date mixture, combine thoroughly.
Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
Bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

I use a #2 Pampered Chef Scoop.

I let the cookies rest on the cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cookie rack to cool completely.

 

 

 

 

 

Tortilla Soup

A tantalizing soup recipe arrived in my inbox this morning and seeing how it is a cold winter day,  a bowl of soup would definitely hit the spot! I had taken ground chicken out of the freezer last night which I thought I could easily sub it into this Tortilla Soup recipe.
I got through the first couple of steps and realized this soup was going NOWHERE fast! So I added some of this, a bit of that to liven it up. Ironically, it is called Tortilla Soup but I didn’t have any in stock but that’s okay, I had a fanging for Bannock anyway and surely one ought not consume both Tortilla Chips and Bannock in the same meal?

Tortilla Soup topped with Shredded Pepper Jack, Sliced Black Olives and Chopped Green Onions
Tortilla Soup topped with Shredded Pepper Jack, Sliced Black Olives and Chopped Green Onions

2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 lb Ground Chicken
6 cups Water
3 McCormick Chicken Boullion Cubes (all vegetable ingredients!)
1 28-ounce can Diced Tomatoes
1 each Green, Yellow Pepper, chopped
1 cup Corn Niblets
1 19-ounce can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
Pinch of Paprika
Pepper, to taste
Shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Sliced Black Olives, garnish
Chopped Green Onion, garnish
Fresh Cilantro, garnish
Tortilla Chips, crushed

In large stock pot heat Italian dressing over medium-high heat and add minced garlic; cook for 2 minutes stirring often.
Add ground chicken and scramble fry until cooked through and slightly browned.
Add water, stock, diced tomatoes, chopped peppers, corn niblets, black beans, spices and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
Serve  topped with shredded pepper Jack, chopped green onions, sliced black olives and fresh cilantro.
Sprinkle with Tortilla Chips, if desired.

 

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