Pages

8/29/19

Homemade Cheese Crisp Crackers - Swiss, Cheddar, etc. Low Carb, Sugar Free and Keto

Updated Cheddar Photos April 2021 - here.




If you've bought some of the store bought versions of cheese crisps then you'll know they are... expensive.  There is a brand of little cheese crisp crackers at Sam's Club that we've bought twice in the past year, but at almost $10 a bag, I just can't spare it in the budget so we've not bought them in about 8 or 9 months. 

I've made cheese crackers of various styles and all have their pros and cons depending on what you want to use them with, eat them with or what you are hungry for.  This particular crisp is good for snacking, and it's my go-to to use with spinach artichoke dip. 

Whether you want to flavor them with herbs or spices is up to you.  

 

 

Homemade Cheese Crisp Crackers

Sliced 'hard' cheese of your choice - but 'real' cheese only.  Not 'American' or other soft cheese.

Salt
Spices, herbs - optional



If I use a block cheese, I slice it in my food processor using the slicing blade.  However I prefer to buy the sliced cheddar and sliced Swiss from  Sam's Club (in the black tub packaging) as it's the perfect thickness but it's also good quality so it makes a good quality crisp cracker with less prep work on my part.

Lay out as many slices as you wish on a sheet of parchment paper.  Use a knife to cut the slices into 1" squares, or use whatever little shape mini cutters you wish.  If you use a shape cutter, save the cuttings and place them into a Ziploc baggy and toss them into the freezer to use for another dish, just as you would grated cheese.

Now, lay out all your little cheese shapes on the parchment paper on the counter for about 2 days so they start to get dried out.  I laid them out on my dehydrator trays!  I loved this as it was a compact place to keep them, I could rearrange the trays for optimal air circulation and I could easily flip them over and pat them dry with a paper towel. 

As they sit out, the excess oil them can be patted with a paper towel.  After about a day or two (depending on where you live and your humidity level) they will be rather empty or hallow sounding when you tap them on the counter, and will start to be dried out.  When they can be tapped on the counter top and sound 'empty' but are firm enough to tap, pop them onto a parchment sheet on a baking pan, add any sprinkles of salt or flavoring IF YOU WISH, and put them into a hot, 400 degree oven.  Bake them for about 5-6 minutes.  The oils left in them will cause them to 'pop' and crisp and sometimes even jump around the pan. 

Pull them out, let them cool... they should be nice and crisp!  Eat them as you wish.   If we don't finish all of them, I put them in a baggy or Mason jar.  The next day if they've gone a bit soft due to the humidity, I re-crisp them by popping them into the oven for about 3 minutes.  Viola! Crisp again.

I've never kept them more than 2 days.  They are long gone by then. 



These are Swiss cheese



I simply lay them on my dehydrator trays to dry out.  I don't use the dehydrator turned on because it will only melt the cheese.  You don't want to melt it, just air dry it.


You can try different spices or herbs.  I wanted to make a chicken in a biscuit type on one batch so I used chicken flavoring and onion powder along with a bit of rosemary and garlic...  yum!  I also made some chipolate and paperika crackers but I like the rosemary/onion version better, and plain with no seasonings best of all.


After baking, let them cool (you can let them cool on paper towels to soak up any remaining oils).




I like to use block cheese sliced in my food processor so all the slices are uniform, for even baking.


You can let them lay out on the counter.  I like to use the trays from my dehydrator as it keeps them in a more compact area and takes up less space.




These are my current 'go to' for use with spinach artichoke dip and yellow pepper cream cheese dips. YUM!



Print Friendly and PDF

Low Carb, Keto and Sugarfree... Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Dogs




These corn dogs were made with jalapeno cheddar brats... if you were wondering my corn dogs had little flecks of green peppers or 'something' in them.  Jalapenos! 





Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Dogs - Keto and Low Carb

4 eggs
1 c pork rinds that have been pulsed in a food processor to make powder
2 T unsweetened, unflavored almond milk
1 T melted real butter
1/2 t baking powder
dash of sea salt
4 Jalapeno Brats - cheddar style or whatever kind you like, or just hotdogs

Grease a 24 count mini muffin/cupcake pan well.  Mine still like to stick if I use a spray, but they come out a little better if I use butter or shortening.

In a bowl, mix the eggs, pork rind powder, almond milk, butter, baking powder and salt.  Divide the batter evenly between 24 mini cupcake/muffin tin wells.  Cut up the brats into 6 pieces and place one in every muffin well of batter.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven about 15-17 minutes until done.  Let them sit for a couple minutes before removing from the muffin tin.  Serve with sugar free ketchup.






Snapped this photo literally, right before I ate them for lunch!




Print Friendly and PDF

8/25/19

Homemade Mocha Chocolate Granola


Originally posted in October of 2015




This is a 'recipe' you can throw together with a few different ingredients on hand - don't make yourself use only what I did.  If you want to throw in some sliced almonds, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, even a little wheat germ or hazelnut meal - feel free!

If it's a little too dry from adding a bit 'much' of the dry ingredients, just add a tad bit more butter, a little coconut oil, some honey or even a touch more coffee.  Taste test before baking and see if you want to add a little more sweetener, cocoa or cinnamon.  When you break it apart, you can leave it larger for snacking or smaller pieces for cereal with milk, almond milk or as a topping on ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Homemade Mocha Chocolate Granola

1/2 c golden flax seed meal
1/4 almond flour
1 c oatmeal
1 T cocoa
3 pks. Stevia in the Raw or other favorite sweetener*
2 t cinnamon
1/2 c cold, strong coffee
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 300.  Combine the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix.  Add butter and coffee.  Pulse again for less than 30 seconds.  Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Press it with your fingers to thin out.  Bake 15 minutes, drop the temperature to 250 degrees and bake another 15 minutes.  Crumble or cut.  Put it back into the warm, turned off oven and let it set for a few hours or even overnight until the granola is crisp.   Store in an airtight package or you can seal it in your food sealer.

*On the Stevia in the Raw website it said 1 packet equals 2 teaspoons 'sugar' so for whatever sweetener (or sugar) you want to use, judge accordingly.


I like to break ours apart in large pieces for snacking, they can be broke smaller for cereal


LOVE my food sealer - this is a really affordable, small one, but works great and I love it.
However, there are tons of options out there if you are looking for one.


___________________________


Print Friendly and PDF

8/24/19

Sugar Free, Low Carb, Keto Friendly Birthday Cake!




Although I've made a number of cakes that are sugar free and low carb, I really really love the taste and texture of the Cinnamon Coffee Cake I've posted on An American Housewife previously.  It's one that always turns out and everyone loves it - even those who have no idea it's sugar free, gluten free and low carb. 

Last night I started craving cake; birthday cake, wedding cake... any kind of white or yellow cake (not chocolate).  And I started to think about a basic birthday cake with white frosting and sprinkles.  Rather than dig out one of my previous recipes, I grabbed the Cinnamon Coffee Cake recipe and decided to adapt it to make it a birthday cake.

It was then bed time, so I wrapped in plastic wrap, popped it into the freezer and this morning whipped up a simple buttercream frosting to go over it.  I did break my 'completely sugar free' rule by using some tiny multicolored sprinkles. The sugar is so minimal it isn't even countable per slice and it was perfect for what I craving!

Trimming the edges of the cake

Whipped up a simple sugar free buttercream frosting using Swerve and Lakanto Sweeteners

It smelled soooo 'birthday' cake-ish, I couldn't wait to dig in

It had to have sprinkles... it just had to!





Sugar Free, Low Carb Birthday Cake

3 c good quality, blanched, fine grained almond flour
1/3 c whey protein powder - vanilla or unflavored (I only use IsoPure - not any other brand)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/3 sticks real butter
3/4 c mixture of granulated natural sweeteners of your choice (Lakanto, Xylitol, SoNourished, etc)
1/2 t liquid sweetener drops like Sucrarose, etc. (optional but it helps to use 2-3 sweeteners)
3 eggs
1 T cake batter flavoring
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

Grease or line a 9" pan with parchment.  Preheat the oven to 350.  Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl; almond flour, whey protein powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt.


Mix butter and sweeteners until fluffy, add eggs.  Beat in cake batter flavoring and vanilla.  Add the dry ingredients alternating with the almond milk.
Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes.  At this point your cake might be done, but I find almond flour baked goods need a little longer and the cake may start to be too brown on top.  If your cake is still a bit too wet in the center or jiggles, yet the top is getting browned, cover with foil and bake about 5 minutes more; turn off the oven and let it for about 5-10 minutes more, checking to see if the center of your cake is set and done.  My oven bakes this cake in a good quality (Rachael Ray) 9" pan for 35 minutes at 350, cover with foil, turn off the oven and leave for another 10-12 minutes and it's perfectly done.  Cool completely or freeze before frosting.

Frosting:  Do a taste test on this one....

Approximately:   1 stick butter
2 c Swerve Confectioner's Style sweetener (Swerve Confection Style)
about 1 teaspoon liquid sweetener drops
1/4 - 1/2 c Lakanto or other sweetener to bring out the best 'sugar like' flavor.  (If you use something like SoNourished Sweetener, I find I only need about 1 cup!  So TASTE TEST because the sweeteners you use make a huge difference in the amount needed to flavor your frosting). 
1/4 t xanthan gum (optional, but it makes a nice thickener/texture)
1/2 - 3/4 c heavy whipping cream
1 T vanilla extract
1/2 - 1 t LorAnn liquid emulsion "princess" cake flavoring.

In an electric mixing bowl, beat the butter, then add the rest.  Add more cream to make it a bit thinner, or more sweetener to make it thicker.  Taste test to get the right amount of sweetness and flavorings that you like.




I was going to post a photo of my slice of cake, but it wasn't until just now I realized I ate it before I remembered to take a photo!  My dirty fork and plate are in the sink and sorry...  no photo.  Ha ha.


Print Friendly and PDF

8/20/19

Spice Cake (regular and low carb version)



When you can't wait for the cake to cool to frost it, you just dig in with a spoon and smear a little frosting on each bite!  Because it's THAT good!




Spice Cake (regular and low carb version)

3/4 c butter (for the low carb version I cut this down to about 1/2 cup)
1 c brown sugar (or sugar free brown sweetener )
1 egg
1/2 c raisins (leave out for low carb/sugar free)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t allspice
1/2 t cinnamon
2 c flour (2 c almond flour and 1/4 c whey protein powder & optional 1 T coconut flour for texture)
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 c sour milk

Mix the butter and sugar or sweetener.  Add the egg.  Add raisins if you are using them.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add alternately with the sour milk.   Divide into 2, greased round pounds or a 7X12 baking dish.  Bake 375 degrees for about 25 minutes until done.  Cool completely and frost if you wish - cream cheese frosting is wonderful on this cake!



In the top photo, you can see I'm scooping up the cake with a spoon and smearing a bit of frosting on it... that's because the cake was still too warm to frost but it smelled SO good I just had to dig in!!!  I did end up frosting the whole cake later though, I promise!  Ha ha.   (For the frosting I used a package of cream cheese, some So Nourished powdered sweetener, and vanilla).





Print Friendly and PDF

8/15/19

Sugar Free Krispy Bars - PLUS low carb and sugar free Krispy Bars (packed with protein)




We all know how easy it is to make traditional Rice Krispie Bars - and they are SO GOOD!  But marshmallows are basically just squishy white sugar and not healthy so if you don't care about low carb or high protein, a very simple way to make your favorite treat is to simply replace the sugary marshmallows with a sugar free version.   I've posted this 'recipe' on An American Housewife a couple times and you can find it here from 2015.

I have posted this recipe previously - a few times!  One of which is back in 2014 which you can find here: A Sugar Free, Low Carb, Protein Packed Faux Rice Krispy Bar




And today it's a peanut butter krispy bar version to boot!



Peanut Butter Krispy Bars - Low Carb and Sugar Free

5 T butter
Dash of vanilla
1/2 c peanut butter of choice (read labels for sugar content)
1/4 c almond butter of choice (can use all almond butter or peanut butter if you wish)
10 oz. sugar free marshmallows (I use 4 pks. LA NOUBA marshmallows)
5 c crispy low carb, sugar free protein puffs like the ones made by ProMix

Put the butter, vanilla and marshmallows into a large microwavable bowl and microwave until they puff up and double their size in the bowl. This takes about  1-2 minutes depending on your microwave strength.

Immediately stir in the almond/peanut butters IF you are using them - you don't have to, if you want a regular vanilla Krispy Bar - and the crispy protein puffs, with a rubber scraper that has been sprayed with Pam style cooking oil or oiled with canola or vegetable oil. Press the mixture into a greased or greased pan. The smaller the pan, the thicker the bar. As soon as they are cool, cut and serve!

*You can melt sugar free chocolate chips with a bit of peanut or almond butter and spread on top of cooled bars.  My husband loves them this way.  I'm not a fan of chocolate so today I made them sans-chocolate so I can enjoy this batch too!












Print Friendly and PDF

8/14/19

Baking in my Solar Oven - Spice Cake! (Both recipes for regular spice cake and low carb version)



When you can't wait to decorate the whole cake, you just grab a spoon and dig in!

I did, ultimately, frost the whole cake....  after I ate a portion of it with a spoon first!




The past couple days have been 100 degrees outside and not at all 'Fall' like, but my body must know it's almost Fall because I've been craving a good old fashioned spice cake like crazy!  

I'm not a fan of raisins in any food dishes (if you are a regular reader you already know how I feel about people who put raisins in Thanksgiving stuffing, homemade cinnamon swirl bread or bagels!) but oddly enough, spice cake is the one baked good that I don't hate them for being there.  I may pick them out and leave them on the side of my plate more often than not, but then again, I rarely EAT spice cake so it's neither here nor there.

Deciding to give in to my craving, I decided to make a regular, traditional spice cake and even gave myself permission to use flour and sugar if I wished... since we got off the habit of healthy low carb over the past two weeks due to being in beach vacation mode and cooking/sharing meals for a large group of people, none of which are low carb/sugar free except us.

But I had no raisins on hand and the bag of prunes that also could have sufficed went home with a family member after vacation as well so (luckily) I had neither to work with.  And that is when I decided I really wanted to make it a healthier low carb version anyway.... time to get back on the keto bandwagon and admit that vacation is over. 

So the cake was made... which I'll include the traditional recipe and then the ways I changed it to make it low carb, flour free and sugar free.  I also opted to bake it in my solar oven since it was 100 degrees out anyway.  


Old Fashioned Spice Cake

1/2 c real butter (1 stick)
1/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c raisins
2 c flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t all spice
1 t cinnamon
1 c sour milk (use a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup of milk and let it sit for a few minutes)

Grease 2 rounds or one oblong (7X12).  Beat the butter and shortening with the sugar, add the egg.  Mix the flour with the spices, and add alternately with the sour milk.  Stir in the raisins and pour into your pans.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until the center is set and the cake is done.  Cool completely before icing it with your favorite frosting.  Cream Cheese Frosting is excellent on this one!


Lower Carb and Sugar Free Version
Old Fashioned Spice Cake

1/2 c real butter (1 stick)
1/4 c shortening
1 c brown sugar style sweetener 
1 egg
1 t vanilla
2 1/4 c almond flour
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1 T good quality coconut flour
1/2 c whey protein powder
1/4 t cloves
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t all spice
1 t cinnamon
1 c soured cream (use a tablespoon of vinegar into a cup of cream and let it sit for a few minutes)

Grease 2 rounds or one oblong (7X12).  Beat the butter and shortening with the brown sweetener, add the egg and vanilla.  Mix the almond flour with the whey protein powder, coconut flour and spices, and add alternately with the soured cream.  Pour into your pans.  Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes until the center is set and the cake is done.  Cool completely before icing it with your favorite frosting.  Cream Cheese Frosting is excellent on this one!

*For the cream cheese frosting in the photos in this post I used an 8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened and added a splash of vanilla extract and about 1/2 c natural sweetener (I used Erythritol with Monk Fruit and a bit of Pyure - always mix 2-3 brands for best flavor) and added enough to cream to get it the consistency I wanted (maybe a quarter cup? I just poured and mixed until it was spread the way frosting should).  



 Baking in my solar oven as it was a hot, sunny day.  Just bake it until the center is completely set.





I couldn't frost it yet as it was still too warm (and I had been cooling it in the freezer to hasten the process...)  but when you can't wait, you just grab a spoon and dig in!!  I would put a smear of frosting on each bite - and yes, I enjoyed it immensely.



 I did however, finally get around to icing the whole cake!






Print Friendly and PDF

8/12/19

Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole








We just returned from a vacation at the beach, before-which I had emptied out the refrigerator of many of the foods that would go bad while we were away.  I didn't go to the grocery store this morning so today (and maybe the next few days) I'm just going to get creative to use up what we have in the house.

The dish tonight is loosely based on a recipe I've posted here on An American Housewife before - it's a spicy chicken dish.  But because I was improvising and substituting, I ended up with a dish that is similar, yet different.  And oh, so good.  It's something I'll gladly make again.


I obviously didn't measure anything so I'll guesstimate but obviously use more or less depending on what you like and what you have on hand.



 

 

 

 

 

Spicy Chicken and Spinach Casserole

3 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. spinach (frozen, thawed or use fresh and cook just enough to wilt it)
Peppers - green and yellow
Onions - about half a medium yellow onion or about 5-6 green onions, diced/chopped
Butter to saute' the peppers and onions
8 oz. cream cheese
14 oz. diced tomatoes or 1 1/2 cups prepared salsa
1/3 cup jalapeno slices or mild yellow peppers depending on your spice level of choice
1 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

In a sprayed/greased casserole dish layer the spinach.
Top with the chicken.
Saute' the peppers and onion in butter in a pan until tender and add the cream cheese. When melted, layer over the chicken.
Top with the salsa or the diced tomatoes, add the jalapenos or yellow peppers and spices.
Top with the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is all melted.  Can serve with sour cream if you wish or you can add the sour cream to the dish with the cream cheese.  




The first layer was spinach


Followed by chicken


The cream cheese and pepper/onion layer


Tomatoes and peppers/jalapenos or salsa


Cheese!

Heated through and ready to eat!
















Print Friendly and PDF

8/2/19

Sugar Free Lower Carb Birthday Cake Cheesecake


Originally posted  similar in 2016




Of course no one else has to make it sugar free if they don't want to.
Use regular sugar, a regular cake mix and put a regular graham cracker or sugar cookie crust on this baby and you've got it made.

Amounts don't specifically matter!  I'm putting down the approximate amounts but if you use a little more, a little less; it won't matter.  Taste test if you want.


Sugar Free Lower Carb Birthday Cake Cheesecake

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, soft
2/3 c natural sweetener of choice (I mix 2 kinds for best flavor)
1/4 t Lorann Princess Cake flavoring
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c dry cake mix from the package (I use sugar free)
1/2 c half and half or milk

sprinkles (these have sugar in them but you don't have to use many if you don't want to or you could make sugar free out of food color and unsweetened coconut flakes)
Crust if you wish to use one or make one - you can always make cheesecakes without them.




Simple Basic Low Carb Crust:

1 1/2 c almond flour
1/3 c natural sweetener, confectioner's style (like So Nourished, Just Like Sugar, etc.)
1/4 t salt
4 T butter, melted

Mix or blend the almond flour, sweetener and salt in a small bowl.  Add the melted butter, stir until it starts to come together, place in your pie pan or a small 8 or 9 inch pan (for pie or bars).  Press evenly all across the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with the sweetener and the princess flavoring and vanilla until smooth.  Scrape down the bowl.  Add a bit of the whipping cream and start the mixer on low (trying to cut down on splatters).  Keep pouring in the rest of the cream and half and half.  Then increase the speed to a medium/high like you usually use to whip.  Within about 1 minute it should be whipped to stiff peaks.  Add the cake mix and mix on low just until blended. I just dumped some in - going to guess it was about 3/4 cup-ish.  One cake mix can make about 3 of these cheesecakes. Save the rest of the dry mix for another time.  

At this point mine got really thick so I used about 1/3 c half and half to thin it out just a little bit.  Use your half and half or milk for this purpose if it's super thick, to get it to a nice thick batter more like stiff peak whipped cream.  Mix in some sprinkles if you wish at this point to make it rainbow sprinkled all the way through or you can leave it white and put the sprinkles only on top.  Up to you!

Scoop into the springform pan over your crust if using.  Smooth the top.  Top with sprinkles of your choice - as heavy or light as you like.  Now chill for at least 6 hours or freeze for about 2 hours and then move to the refrigerator until serving time.  If you can make this 1 day a ahead that is best!  It will set up beautifully and the taste really has a chance to mix through the entire cheesecake. 





Whipped cream and cream cheese before adding the cake mix.


Scoopable... not a real thick batter but not thin or pourable either.  "Scoopable" and "spreadable" is about right.


Here comes the pretties!


Scoop into the springform pan (I didn't spray mine and it came out perfectly after freezing/chilling).


Ready to add the rest of the pretties on top and then chill.


I wanted it to be set up in time for dinner in a few hours so I put it in the freezer for about 2 hours.  It went into the refrigerator after that.  Set up beautifully.


This is actually the snapchat I sent my family - that's why you see text on the photo.








Print Friendly and PDF