90 second Cinnamon Roll

Last night around 7:30.  Watching reruns of American Picker because there wasn't anything else on TV.  I wanted something sweet.  I know my tummy wasn't hungry, but my brain was and I knew that if I didn't feed the craving with something keto and delicious I'd graze my way through the evening with cheese, peanut butter, sugar free chocolate chips and pork rinds looking for that one thing to cut the craving to it's knees.

I found it!

I love mug cakes, they are quick and usually pretty tasty and hit the spot.  Chocolate is always my go to mug cake.  I was stopped in my tracks when I realized I has ZERO unsweetened cocoa powder in the cupboard.  Oh no!!!  I switched to a lemon cream cheese mug cake.  UGH!  Out of heavy whipping cream.  Just in case you're wondering, yes...I'm going shopping today.  But that wasn't going to help me out last night.

I've made fathead cinnamon rolls before, but that's too much time and effort.  So, maybe I could come up with a cinnamon mug cake.  Before, I got to far into the process I checked to make sure I still had some cinnamon. lol  Yes, I had it.  

As I was thinking about how to go about this, I thought to myself....maybe someone out there in the world wide web neighborhood has already mastered a cinnamon mug cake.  Lo and behold!  I found it.    Of course, I can't do anything like anyone else so I did have to tweek it to my own taste a tad bit.  Also, this was listed as 1 serving.  Ummm....I know it would work for 2 servings, maybe even 3.

It's rich, sweet, cinnamony and perfect for those sweet tooth cravings.  Give it a go!  

90 Second Cinnamon Mug Cake

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the cake - 

3 Tbsp almond flour

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 Tbsp Pyure (Pyure is an organic stevia erithrytol blend) you can use your favorite sweetener  

1 egg

For the cream cheese icing

1 oz cream cheese

1/2 tsp Pyure

For the cinnamon butter glaze

1 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp Pyure

Directions:

Melt butter in a 2 cup Pyrex microwave safe bowl or large mug.  Add the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon and Pyure and mix well.  Add the egg and whisk until everything is incorporated well.  Microwave on high power for 90 seconds.  Remove from microwave and set aside.  

Now, you'll melt the butter for the glaze, add cinnamon and Pyure and pour over the top of the cinnamon mug cake.  I actually started to stop here and skip the cream cheese icing, but decided...what the hell.  Let's go all the way. 

Place the cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and on medium power, about 10-12 seconds until the cream cheese starts to crack and pop.  Add the Pyure and mix together, spread over the cinnamon cake.  

Cut in half, thirds or fourths.  It's rich...A bite or 2 will do ya.

Nutritional Value for 1/2 cake with butter glaze and cream cheese icing

calories 294; fat 28; total carbs 3.2; fiber 1; net carbs 2.2; sugars 1; protein 6.1

Delicious Chicken Soup

Earlier today (on Facebook) I posted a recipe for a hearty hamburger stew which is not keto friendly.  I do have followers who are not into the keto lifestyle and try to post for everyone who wants to ready them.  Anyways, to me...Winter means soups, soups and more soups.  I love anything in a bowl.  Thick chili, hearty stews and yes, creamy soups.

When I stepped into the kitchen to start making my soup, I really had no idea what I was going to make.  Quick assessment of ingredients on hand.  Grabbing this and that and Viola!

After I made this soup and was thinking about how to write up this post, I just couldn't come up with a unique name for this recipe.  All I could think of was how delicious it tasted.  That was it!  It's absolutely D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S.

Delicious Chicken Soup
Makes 6 servings 1 2/3 cup each

Ingredients:
8 oz chicken breast (chopped into bite size pieces)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
5 slices bacon
4 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp pickle juice (I know...don't freak out yet)
2 Tbsp brown mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional if you don't like spicy)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt if needed (the bacon, broth and pickle juice add a lot of saltiness)

Directions:
Chop bacon into small pieces, place in skillet and cook until crispy.  Remove the bacon and set aside, save the bacon grease.  Add chopped chicken pieces to skillet and cook through.  Set aside.

In a soup pot, add chicken broth, water, pickle juice, mustard and spices.  Bring it a simmer.  Add chicken and bacon.  Stir in the mayo, cream cheese and let the cream cheese melt on a simmer.  Toss in the frozen spinach and stir.  Continue simmering for about 10-15 minutes.

Taste it now and see if you think it needs more salt.  Add if needed.

Stir in the 1/2 cup shredded cheese and serve.

This was perfect and the perfect serving amount.  The only thing that could have made it better would have been a keto grilled cheese sandwich.  hmmm...I think it's time to bake some bread.

Nutritional value per serving:
calories 287; fat 17.1; total carbs 1.9; fiber 0.7; net carbs 1.2; sugars 1.3; protein 21.8

Chicken Pesto

Going back to basics.  Sometimes I get a little too enthusiastic about baking keto sweets.  Even though they are perfectly okay to eat and fit into my macros.  They can cause a stall in weight loss.

I decided it was time to go back to eating the way I did in the beginning and that was following the diet doctor website and menus.  

Unfortunately, when I chose the recipe and started cooking, I didn't check first to make sure I had all the ingredients. lol   This called for some improvising.  It turned out delicious and I've got plenty of leftovers for the weekend.

So this is my version of chicken pesto.

Chicken Pesto

serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

1 lb diced raw chicken breast

2-3 Tbsp green pesto

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 cup frozen spinach (you can use fresh if you have it)

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°

Prepare a baking dish with cooking spray (I always use avocado oil spray)

Melt butter in a frying pan.  Season the diced chicken and fry in butter until golden brown.  

Combine heavy whipping cream, garlic, chicken broth and green pesto in a small bowl and set aside.

Spread the chicken into the bottom of baking dish, sprinkle the frozen spinach on top and pour the cream/pesto over the top.  

Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over everything.

Bake 25 minutes, if you want the cheese browned you can turn the broiler on for a few minutes.  I like it brown. :)

Nutritional values per serving:

calories 376; fat 26.8; total carbs 1.4; fiber 0.3; net carbs 1.1; sugars 0.2; protein 27.3

Cauliflower Tots

I had totally planned on making the cheesy risotto for you today, but I was really wanting tater tots.  I can't even tell you what came over me.  I usually don't even like tater tots.  :)

These really hit the spot too.  Best part.... 5 tots is ZERO net carbs.  That's right a big old ZERO!

Cauliflower Tots

Yields 30

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked riced cauliflower.  I used 1/2 bag of Green Giant frozen. 

1 1/2 oz plain pork rinds

1 egg

1/4 cup (heaping) shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400° line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In food processor, combine the pork rinds and spices and grind into a powder.  Pour into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Cook and chop cauliflower into rice sized pieces or do what I did and use the frozen Green Giant riced cauliflower.  

Add cooked cauliflower to the bowl, along with egg and mozzarella cheese.  The heat of the cauliflower will melt the cheese.  Stir until cheese and egg and thoroughly combined.

Using about 1-2 tsp size scoops, form into tater tot size.   

I sprinkled a little grated parmesan cheese on top of some of them.  

Bake for 15 minutes.  Turn on broiler and broil for a few minutes to brown the tops.

Serve with sugar free ketchup or your favorite sauce.  

They didn't melt and spread on the pan while baking.  They held their shape and they were crispy.  YUMMY!  Yes, you can tell they are cauliflower, but they're still really good.

I started to make a cheese sauce and have cheese tots, but I didn't want to shred more cheese.  Call me lazy.

And here's the best part!  It made 30 tots, I decided 5 tots per serving for 6 servings, but you could actually turn this into 3 servings if you want.

Nutritional Value per Serving - 5 tots

calories 44; fat 2.7; total carbs 0.8 fiber 0.8, net carbs zero, sugar 0.6 and protein 4

Chocolate Truffles

I've been kind of lazy the past couple of weeks with creating new recipes and cooking new things.  I've been relying on the foods that are quick and easy to whip up and that I know my family will eat.

I did make a wonderful cheesy risotto last night as a side dish, but I didn't take a single picture or really measure anything.  I will definitely make it again (probably sooner than later) and I'll make sure I post the recipe because it was so so so so good!

With Christmas just around the corner and Facebook loaded with recipes for sugar cookies, candies, and all the sugary sweets that I used to make during the holidays, I was feeling the need to get in the kitchen and make some sweets.

I had to think about what I was going to make because I skipped the grocery store last week and had to root around to find ingredients. 

As I was checking this bin and that cabinet, I saw it.  It lit up like a gold star. Well, not really, but it did give me that light bulb moment.  There it was 1/2 a block or 2 oz of Ghirardelli, unsweetened 100% dark chocolate. 

Way back in the day, like 1990's I had a boss and he would give me a box of See's Chocolate Truffles every year.  OMG, chocolate truffles are my weakness.  In fact, I could polish off a box of those rich truffles in a day, all by myself!

As I continued my quest for ingredients, I also found a bag of unsweetened coconut flakes and in the freezer a bag of pecans. 

The decision was made.  I was going to try my hand at chocolate truffles.  Some would be coated in toasted coconut, some rolled in pecans and maybe leave a few plain chocolate.

Chocolate Truffles

Yields 34 truffles 

Ingredients

2 oz 100% unsweetened Ghirardelli baking chocolate - chopped
4 1/2 oz heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup Pyure powdered sweetener
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes - toasted
1/8 - 1/4 cup pecans - finely chopped

Directions

If you're coating with coconut.  You'll need to toast it first.  Make sure you are using unsweetened coconut flakes.  Preheat the oven to 325°, spread the coconut out on a silicone baking mat in an even layer and bake for 6-10 minutes.  Be careful and make sure you check the coconut every couple of minutes because it can go from white to black in a blink of an eye.  Guess how I know that. LOL... Set your timer for 2 minutes and stir the coconut with a wooden spoon, check again in 2 more minutes.  I wanted it to just barely have a little golden color.  Remove from the oven and the pan to stop the browning process.  Set aside.

If you're coating with pecans.  Put 1/8 - 1/4 cup pecans in the food processor and grind them up until they are a little bigger than dust.  Because I only coated 1/2 of the truffles with pecans, I really didn't use a 1/4 cup.  Saved the leftover pecans for next time.  Set aside.

Place chopped chocolate in a heavy glass mixing bowl.  In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the heavy whipping cream and Pyure sweetener.  Stir continuously to dissolve sweetener and warm cream without scorching.   Remove the cream from the heat as soon as it is hot, but not simmering.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 30-60 seconds.  Stirring with a whisk or spatula until the chocolate has melted and it becomes dark and thick enough to stay on a spoon without running off.

Drop teaspoon size dollops on wax paper or silicon baking mat.  I was able to get 34 tsp size dollops, some were a little bigger than others because I was just eyeballing this mostly.

Place in the fridge for an hour.  You want them set up but still soft enough that the coatings will adhere.  Drop the chocolate drops one at a time in the coating of your choice and roll them around, place back on the silicone mat.  Continue coating, until they are the way you want them.  I left a few just plain.  Return to the fridge and let set for another hour.  Place in an airtight container or plastic baggie and store in fridge.  They are delicious! 

I'm going to make a double batch and take them to our families annual Christmas party next week.

I may have to figure out how to add some blueberries to these without causing the sugar and carbs to jack up out of control. 

Nutritional Values per truffle (plain)
calories 23; fat 2.3; total carbs 0.6; fiber 0.2; net carbs 0.4; sugars 0; protein 0.2

Nutritional Values per truffle (pecan)
calories 25; fat 2.5; total carbs 0.6; fiber 0.2; net carbs 0.4; sugars 0; protein 0.3

Nutritional Values per truffle (coconut)
calories 34; fat 3.5; total carbs 1.1; fiber 0.7; net carbs 0.4; sugars 0.1; protein 0.3