Low Carb, Wheat Free Buns and Rolls - (Perfect for my egg, cheese & bacon breakfast sandwich!)

Last week I posted the recipe I made for our favorite low carb version of pizza  but I mentioned I also made part of that recipe into some buns/rolls.  This is a recipe that is made about every week in some way, shape or form because it's so versatile.  We've used these for a morning low carb version of an English Muffin, into bagels to use with cream cheese, topped them with garlic and cheese to go with our garlic and butter mussels and shrimp scampi, used them with a low carb spaghetti and lasagna, cheeseburgers and as you can see in the photo below, I use them when I'm craving a hot, filling breakfast sandwich similar to the McDonalds Egg McMuffin.

Low Carb Dough

1 1/2 c (heaped a little) almond flour - fine grain, blanched
1/2 t xanthan gum - optional
1 T baking powder
2 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs

You have two choices for mixing; either your electric mixer with a bread dough hook, or in a food processor.  (Actually you could mix/knead it by hand too... I guess there are 3 options)  FIRST: In a large mixing bowl place the almond flour, xanthan gum and baking powder.  Stir just to blend.  Beat the 2 eggs briefly and add them to the bowl.  Do not mix.  SECOND option is to do the same but put it into the bowl of your food processor with the S blade in place.

In a microwave safe bowl place the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.  Microwave until the cheese is melted, stirring once.  This can take 2 minutes depending on your microwave.  Pour the cheese into the bowl of almond flour mixture and eggs.  Mixer Option:  Using a bread dough hook, mix and knead until it forms a dough, scraping down the sides often to help blend.  Processor Option:  Pulse off and on for a couple seconds each and then for about 7-8 seconds at a time until the dough comes together. Remove to a piece of parchment paper. Divide the dough into as many pieces as you wish for what you are making.

This recipe can make pizza crusts, bagels, hamburger buns, rolls, etc.  Divide your pieces up.  Roll each piece into a ball and place on parchment on a baking sheet.  I press mine down a little to form a 'hamburger bun' shape.  Bake at 400 for approximately 12-18 minutes - but base it on your own oven's baking personality.  Some are hotter than others.  Cook until they are puffed up, golden brown and brown on the bottoms.  Let them sit for a couple minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.  (You don't have to do this, but if you let them cool completely on the parchment they can trap moisture and get too soft and moist and tend to wrinkle.)

Slice them into hamburger buns, etc. and use them in various ways for toasting, garlic bread, etc.

Make them as small or large as you wish

I smash mine just a bit before banking so they are a hamburger bun shape

I hate the lighting in my kitchen; it turns everything yellow. This is a bun fresh from the oven.

Toasted with butter... yum.

When I'm craving a hot, filling breakfast sandwich!  These keep me stuffed til dinner time!

BBQ Ranch Salad - A Cabbage Salad Mix

You can adjust all the amounts to your personal tastes.  I will also link to the sugar free bbq sauce I use at the bottom of the post.

BBQ Ranch Salad Mix

Fresh broccoli - chopped small
Cabbage - shredded or chopped fine (red and green varieties)
Green onions - chopped
Lettuce - a salad mix of your choice chopped small
Kale or spinach optional if you have it
Carrots - shredded or chopped (only a few for color if you are low-carb and sugar free)
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing made to directions using: 1 cup almond, coconut, almond/coconut milk or cream mixed with half water and 1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 - 1/2 c bbq sauce of choice
Options:  crushed tortilla chips, sliced almonds or cooked, crumbled bacon for crunch/texture


In a large bowl or a large Ziploc baggy, put all your fresh veggies.  Use mostly cabbage and add the rest according to your preference.  I use about 6 cups shredded cabbage to 2 medium heads fresh broccoli, about 2 cups lettuce, 2-3 green onions and a handful of fresh spinach or kale.

Use about 1/3 cup ranch and 1/3 cup bbq sauce to this and mix well.  Add more or less as needed and if you add too much sauce just add a bit more cabbage/broccoli to the mixture.  Chill or serve, adding any cooked, crumbled bacon, tortilla chips or sliced almonds just before serving so they stay crunchy.

Wheat Free Pizza Crust - Low Carb and Delicious

Yesterday I was making up another batch of low carb bagels (wheat free, low carb, sugar free) and since I had all the ingredients out, the bowls were dirty and the oven was going, I went ahead and used the same recipe, tweaked a bit, to make 2 pizzas and some hamburger buns.

We had one pizza last night, one in the freezer for later this weekend or next week and the hamburger buns are in the refrigerator for dinner tonight or tomorrow with grilled cheeseburgers.

If you are a regular reader you'll remember a couple years ago when I made and compared 3 different low carb pizza crusts that included store bought low carb bake mixes but I am one of those people who can taste the flavor of carbalose in any recipe it's in... and I just can't stand it.  (Some people can't taste it all, others can taste it but it's not a bother. Me? Even in the tiniest dose, I can taste it and it ruins the flavor of the whole recipe for me.)  Which is why I like THIS pizza crust best out of every single one I've made since 2002 when I first started researching low carb, sugar free lifestyles.  This is the only one I can/will currently eat - or I'll choose to eat a wheat crust - carbs and all.

If you missed the bagel recipe the last couple times I posted it, it's here.  Feel free to tweak it - it's your kitchen and your ingredients.  NOTE:  I've made these items (pizza crust, bagels and buns) using 1 tablespoon baking powder sometimes and 1 teaspoon baking soda other times.  I personally like the baking powder version better.  Up to you.  You can even leave it out if you wish.  It just helps the raising a little but it's not necessary.

Low Carb Pizza Crust

1 1/2 c (heaped a little) almond flour - fine grain, blanched
1/2 t xanthan gum - optional
1 T baking powder
2 1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs

You have two choices for mixing; either your electric mixer with a bread dough hook, or in a food processor.  (Actually you could mix/knead it by hand too... I guess there are 3 options)  FIRST: In a large mixing bowl place the almond flour, xanthan gum and baking powder.  Stir just to blend.  Beat the 2 eggs briefly and add them to the bowl.  Do not mix.  SECOND option is to do the same but put it into the bowl of your food processor with the S blade in place.

In a microwave safe bowl place the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.  Microwave until the cheese is melted, stirring once.  This can take 2 minutes depending on your microwave.  Pour the cheese into the bowl of almond flour mixture and eggs.  Mixer Option:  Using a bread dough hook, mix and knead until it forms a dough, scraping down the sides often to help blend.  Processor Option:  Pulse off and on for a couple seconds each and then for about 7-8 seconds at a time until the dough comes together. Remove to a piece of parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.

Roll each piece into a circle or pizza crust shape you wish, on a parchment.  You can sprinkle it lightly with some garlic salt at this point for added flavor.  Bake at 400 for approximately 6-8 minutes on the parchment, on the rack if you like the bottom of your pizza to be a little firm otherwise just bake it on the parchment lined pizza pan.  Take it out (it will have puffed a bit but will fall almost immediately) then top with your sauce and pizza toppings.  Bake again another 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Caulifower with Garlic - My favorite way to eat Brussels sprouts!

So, I often throw this together at the last second for a side dish at dinner even though there isn't really a recipe for it. I know a lot of people hate that.  They need recipes with exact, precise amounts or they'll just die!  Umm, I could guess some for this for you I suppose but really that would be needless as you don't use many ingredients.

To caramelize these guys you simply put some olive oil and some butter into a pan on the stove (or you can actually bake this in the oven to roast them golden brown too...).  Throw in some cauliflower, some brussels sprouts and let it cook over medium for a while... they start to brown and turn golden, so you turn them over once in a while.  The last 5 minutes or so you can add a couple cloves of minced garlic and season to taste with salt and pepper.  I love the garlic roasted golden as it is naturally 'sweet' and so good but if you burn it, it turns bitter so you want to 'cook' your sprouts and cauliflower first as they take longer.

You can also cook your broccoli this way.  And you can use some bacon grease too if you want to change up the flavor a bit.

Note:  I like to pre-steam my veggies first if they are fresh or frozen.  This cuts down on the time needed to slow cook them in the pan.  I turn it up to medium high if I'm standing right there cooking them... I keep it on a medium if I'm busy or walking away often to fix other foods.

Sugar Free, Low Carb White Layer Cake

This photo is a cake I made in September of 2012 for my parents anniversary as they were visiting us during that time, and I wanted to celebrate, but our family was in the middle of a no sugar, low carb way of eating.   I first made it in April 2012 for my own birthday (was also doing no sugar at the time) and again in September for them.  I play around with the recipe based on what I have on hand and what I think will work.

Since I first made this back in April of 2012, there weren't not a lot of sweetener options on the market.  In 2017 there are SO MANY NOW, it's awesome!  

Please feel free to play with the recipe a bit if you don't like certain brands or do better with different brands;  as there are some ingredients I don't like or no longer use due to better options, 5 years later.

White Cake - Low Carb and Sugar Free

1/2 c butter, soft
8 eggs
1 c white sugar-like sweetener of your choice
2 T Xylitol 14 drops liquid sweetener
1/2 t salt
4 t vanilla extract
2 T Torani Sugar Free Vanilla flavor
1/2 c sour cream
1/3 c (not quite heaping) Carbquick
1/3 coconut flour
2/3 c Isopure Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (0 carb, 0 sugar)
1 t baking powder

Whisk or mix eggs and vanilla flavorings in a bowl until yellow and frothy.  In another bowl place the Carbquick, coconut flour, protein powder and baking powder.  In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and the sweeteners; Splenda, Xylitol and liquid sweetener.  Beat until fluffy.  Add the eggs by pouring them in as the mixer is running.  Add half the dry ingredients, half the sour cream, then the rest of the dry and the rest of the sour cream.  

Place in 2 round 8" or 9" pan sprayed or oiled and dusted with either a light dusting of Carbquick or almond meal, etc.  Bake at 350F for approximately 25-35 minutes until the center is set.  Let cool about 10 minutes so you can remove it easily from the pan.  Invert it onto a platter and let cool completely before frosting and serving.