Recipe #17: Paleo/ Low Carb English Muffins

 Before

After microwaving 

 Split using a fork

Toasted to perfection & slathered with butter!

A friend recently went low carb, and her 11 year old son enthusiastically joined in.  Great!  But for sack lunches, he still preferred sandwiches.  I shared with my friend a couple of solutions, like making wraps with low carb tortillas or low carb, homemade crepes or making rolls, pitas, or bread loaves from Simple Mills brand Artisan Bread mix.  
http://www.simplemills.com/products/almond-flour-focaccia-sandwich-bread-mix
But here is another QUICK, make-ahead option that can be used at lunchtime or breakfast: English muffins!  Shhh - a personal weakness of mine.  ;-)  I started with an online inspiration recipe: 
http://beautyandthefoodie.com/quick-paleo-english-muffins/ 
And this is what I came up with.  Enjoy!!!  Next I'm going to try a cinnamon raisin version! Yum.

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Milk or Coconut Milk
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
• ½ Tbsp Salted Butter or Coconut Oil + sprinkle of Salt
• ½ tsp Baking Powder
• A pinch of Date Sugar

1. Melt the butter in a small, round, glass ramekin by microwaving for 30-40 seconds
2. In a separate bowl, beat the egg
3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the egg except for the melted butter, being careful to scrape & stir until lump free
4. After achieving a more uniform mixture, add the melted butter (this butter will have had a chance to cool off without resolidifying so as not to prematurely cook the eggs; also, the traces of butter left in the ramekin allow the English muffin to release easily later)
5. Pour the mixture back into the buttered ramekin
6. Microwave for 1 ½ minutes, until middle is firm
7. Allow the muffin to cool until it is comfortable to handle
8. To unmold, simply turn the ramekin over to allow the muffin to fall into your hand - voila!
9. Split the muffin by piercing it with a fork all around its circumference or by cutting with a serrated knife (personally, I prefer the fork method because you get a bumpy surface with nooks & crannies where butter can pool - oh, yeah!)
10. Toast in toaster oven or a wide-slot toaster
11. Butter liberally! :-D

*** One note of caution: this English muffin, my faux cornbread,  and many other low carb bread recipes are egg-based and may spoil if left at room temperature for long.  To be safe, I would pack my sack lunches with an icepack in an insulated bag and then eat them before too long - do NOT leave them to be eaten at the end of a long day!!! Also, store your faux bread in the frig inside an airtight container to prevent drying out. ***

Recipe #16 - Hot Dog IN Bun in honor of July 4th

You are FREE to Name It: Hot Dog IN Bun...Pig in a Blanket...Toad in the Hole

In honor of the Fourth of July, I present this recipe idea: Hot Dog IN Bun.  Or you could call it a 'pig in a blanket' (one of my childhood, school cafeteria favorites) or a 'toad in the hole' for you Brits.  Using Simple Mills (R) Artisan Bread almond flour mix, the 'dinner rolls' option - one of our new favorite low carb/ paleo/ primal products (see link below) - we poured the bread mixture into 4 well-buttered, 6"x6", glass molds lined with two hot dogs each.  We prefer organic, no nitrates/nitrites brands.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350degF or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the middle of the molds.  The hot dogs in buns come out easily if you loosen up the edges with a knife prior to unmolding and cooling on cookie cooling racks.  Cut each set of twins in two to serve.  Then you will never again have the problem of too many buns for your pack of hot dogs!  ;-)  The net carbs per dog: 13.5g.  Not bad at all!  Load it up with any condiments you like: mustard, ketchup, relish, chili & cheese with chopped onions.

http://www.simplemills.com/products/almond-flour-focaccia-sandwich-bread-mix 

Recipe #15: Paleo/ Low Carb Brownies

Who doesn't like brownies?  

Lately, my husband renewed his efforts to live the low carb lifestyle after dabbling with intermittent fasting combined with a more conventional American diet.  Although his waistline stayed the course, his lipid profile went totally off course.  So, now I'm making new efforts to add variety to the family nutrition program, and, hopefully, get the kids a bit more on board this time around.

Hence, BROWNIES!  Taste & texture are really key.  Using this inspiration recipe: 

http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/08/peanut-butter-swirl-brownies-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html

I concocted my own tasty, chocolatey goodness.  The only thing that could make them better is some walnuts or no sugar added chocolate chunks!

For the requisite dark chocolate, I used a combination of Ghirardelli 100% cacao unsweetened baking chocolate (4 oz) & Simply Balanced (Target brand) 85% cacao dark chocolate (3 oz).  

And instead of erythritol or an artificial sweetener, I used a combination of date sugar (which is simply ground dates!!! totally paleo-compliant) & monk fruit.  Date sugar is a particularly good choice because it's got fiber, vitamins, minerals, & antioxidants, in addition to a more complex flavor that works well with chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (LOW CARB) or coconut oil (PALEO)
• 7 oz very dark chocolate (85 to 90% cacao)
• 1/2 cup date sugar
• 4 packets of monk fruit sweetener
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp non-aluminum baking powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F and butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate while stirring until smooth.
3. Add the date sugar & monk fruit sweetener and stir until well combined.
4. Let cool 10 minutes.
5. Whisk the eggs & vanilla in a separate bowl.  Then temper (add a little bit with continual mixing) the eggs with the cooled chocolate mixture until all the chocolate is mixed into the eggs.
6. In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together to break up lumps.  Then stir the dry ingredients into the chocolate & egg mixture until the batter is smooth.
7. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. 
8. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool, then cut into squares.  ENJOY! :-)