Cast Iron Keto Cornbread - sugarfree, low carb

I knew I had posted this recipe on An American Housewife previously (because this site is actually my personal space to save and collect recipes - but I leave it public for everyone else too).  I knew it.  But I'll be darned... I couldn't find it in my search box.

Finally I went back to my editor 'post' list and skimmed through the titles of my posts and?  There it was.  Posted in February.  But for whatever reason, Google didn't index it so it's hard to find.

I'm posting it again.  Because I make this all the time but I look for my handwritten index card each time and I wanted to be sure it was on my site.  It is.  Twice now.  But it's twice as good as you would expect for a keto, lowcarb, sugarfree cornbread, so there's that.

Almond Flour Corn Bread

 

1/2 stick butter, melted

3 eggs

1/4 heavy cream

2 c almond flour

2 T ground flax seed

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

2-3 t granular sweetener of your choice

1/2 t vanilla

1-2 T cornmeal (optional) or 1/2 t sweet corn extract flavoring (also optional) 

Melt your butter in a bowl in a microwave.  Pour about 2 T of it into your skillet, swirl it around and place it in the oven.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees with the pan in it.  Meanwhile, add the eggs, cream, vanilla and the extract (if you are using it) to the rest of the butter in the bowl and whisk to blend.  

In a 'dry' bowl, place your almond flour, flax seed, baking powder, salt, sweetener and the cornmeal if you are using it.  Blend it and then stir into the egg mixture.  If it seems too thick, just add about 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin a little bit so it's a nice thick batter, not a dough.  

Pour into the hot skillet and return it to the oven to bake about 25 minutes until golden brown and a crust forms on the top.  Serve hot or cold with butter, syrup, whatever you wish!

The batter spread in the hot skillet

Into the oven with you!

National Ice Cream Day - sugar free and low carb, keto version of my favorite COFFEE ICE CREAM, starting with a KETO SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

Today I got a text from one of my siblings saying he hadn't found a keto 'sweetened condensed milk' option he liked so he made up his own today by using cream, butter, vanilla, sweetener and a bit of xanthan.  I laughed, opened my refrigerator, pulled out two jars of my keto 'sweetened condensed milk' and took a picture to send him.  "Great minds...."  he replied.

What do I use it for?  Mostly, for certain versions of cheesecake bars, key lime bars, iced coffee flavoring and...ice cream!  Lots of yummy, soft ice cream.

Do you know the version of 'easy no churn ice cream' that was a fad about 10 years ago?  It made another fadish round on social media in 2018/2019, maybe you caught it then?

Here is one of my posts regarding this 'recipe' - from 2018 - which is not a low carb or sugar free version.

Homemade Ice Cream
No machine or bags of ice needed!

16 oz. heavy whipping cream  (2 cups liquid)
1 can sweetened condensed milk  (not evaporated milk)
*optional items for whatever you flavor you like

Whip the heavy cream just to stiff peaks.
Fold in 1 can sweetened condensed milk.
Any flavorings or additions you like.
Place in a freezer safe container.  Freeze til firm.  Serve! 

FLAVOR IDEAS:
Vanilla:  Add 1-2 t vanilla extract
Chocolate:  1/2 c chocolate syrup, 1-2 squares melted Baker's chocolate
Caramel:  1/2 c Caramel syrup
Cherry Nut:  1 t almond extract, fresh chopped cherries, chopped walnuts or pecans
Chocolate Mocha Nut:  1/2 c chocolate syrup, 1 melted square Bakers unsweetened chocolate, 1/4 c strong coffee, 1/3 c toasted chopped almonds
Cookies and Cream:  1 c crushed or chopped Oreos, 1 t vanilla extract
Lemon:  1 t lemon extract
Try:  Marshmallow creme, mini chocolate chips, candies, crushed cookies, nuts, butterscotch, strawberries, raspberries, maple extract, mint extract with mini chocolate chips, 1/3 c dry cake mix with colored sprinkles, espresso, melted caramel with a sprinkle of sea salt, bits of chopped brownies or cake, spoonfuls of cheesecake, bits of apple pie filling and a sprinkle of cinnamon, chopped candy bars... the options are endless!!!!

More posts about ICE CREAM on An American Housewife:

Coffee Almond Fudge Ice Cream - (sugar free, gluten free and low carb option)
Irish Cream Ice Cream - 4 recipes for 4 different versions and flavors!
Homemade Ice Cream - without an ice cream machine (made in a Ziploc Baggy)
Homemade Shamrock Shake like McDonalds

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Lately, my favorite go-to ice cream recipe is based on the one above... only sugar free and keto.  By keeping some homemade sweetened condensed milk (keto, sugar free) on hand, I just add that to 1 1/2 - 2 cups of heavy whipping cream that I've whipped with about a tablespoon or two of sweetener, some extract or flavoring of choice, and a dash of vodka to keep it from turning to rock in the freezer.

1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 c sweetener of choice mixed with a second 1/3 cup sweetener of choice
2 T butter
dash of vanilla
dash of salt
xanthan gum (about 1/4 teaspoon or about 2 tablespoons isopure why protein powder to thicken)

Mix all in a saucepan on the stove over medium high heat.  As soon as it almost boiling, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Be sure it's a constant simmer, adjust heat as needed to keep it simmering.  This thickens it up by reducing it a bit.  Let it cool about 10 minutes before pouring into a mason jar.  Leave the lid off and let it cool to room temperature before putting the lid on and popping it into the refrigerator to keep for whenever you need to use it.

To make ice cream (I made coffee ice cream, as you can tell from my site that coffee ice cream and vanilla ice cream are my two favorites).

To the batch of homemade sweetened condensed milk add 1 tablespoon vodka.
Let that set while you whip about 1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy cream with a tablespoon of instant espresso powder, a half teaspoon of vanilla and about 1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sweetener of choice.
When it's reached soft peak stage, add the homemade keto sweetened condensed milk/vodka mixture.  Whip briefly to blend.  Either place into a freezer container and freeze for 6 hours, then scoop to serve, or if you are in a hurry for ice cream and have an ice cream maker, churn according to the directions.

Here is my coffee ice cream starting to church in my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker.

 

Spiralized Zucchini to Substitute for Spaghetti (a low carb, keto, Atkins option)

There is no 'recipe' as all you need is fresh zucchini.

Spiralize as much as you wish (keeping in mind it will cook 'down' for your dish).
To 'cook' your faux pasta, you can simply put it in a microwavable dish and microwave it as-is for a minute or two (depends on how much you are cooking) or my favorite way; a brief boil.

Simply heat some water to boil, add the zucchini, cook for a minute, and strain in a colander.

That's it!  Ready to use with your favorite spaghetti or alfredo sauce, or any dish that calls for pasta that you are making low carb or keto.   

NOTES:

The only thing I'd note is remember NOT TO COOK THEM TOO LONG.  You don't want them mushy.  And if your dish is going to be baked or cooked after adding the zucchini noodles, you don't have to heat them first at all.  Just add to the dish and bake as usual (like for lasagna.  You could use your ribbon spiralizer blade, a sharp knife or a potato peeler to slice... add to the dish as you would pasta and then bake).

Quarantine Cooking: Yesterday was grinding and sealing ground beef and homemade chicken sausage

We are currently in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and most of us are under either 'shelter in place' or 'self-isolate' mandates, others are self-quarantined.  You would think this would be a great time to focus on my cooking website and post with a lot of recipes and photos but meh.  I've not been motivated to update the site to tell you the truth.  But yes, I'm still obviously cooking!

The past month I've been venturing out to the grocery store once a week or so but as of this point, the number of Coronavirus positives in our area is on the rise and my immediate plan is to not venture out for 1 month.  My last grocery trip to Sam's Club did not have a long list of groceries, but I did have some priorities and plans.  One of those was I wanted to see if they had roasts in stock and available (they did - about 9 packages that day) and chicken (they only had about 4 or 5 packages of chicken at that moment but had a full case of chicken thighs, wings, and drumsticks).  I got a package of chicken breasts and a package of chicken thighs, then headed over to grab a container of fresh spinach.  I knew I already had feta at home.

The other items I got for our freezer were added to the cart before checking out but chicken and spinach - that was my 'main' mission as I wanted to make a double batch of my homemade chicken sausage for the deep freezer!

Yesterday I ground beef and made the chicken sausage.  My freezer is stocked with this yumminess and many different 'quarantine meals' will be made from them in the upcoming couple weeks!


My Homemade Chicken Spinach and Feta Sausages

4-5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts - cubed (can also mix thighs and breasts)
1 lb. fatback or 'salted pork' (I found this at Walmart - it adds the moisture you need in this recipe)
1/2 pound or about 6 slices bacon (use more or less as you wish)
1 T ground coriander
2 t salt (start with 2 and adjust after you taste test.  I like to use 3)
1 T garlic, minced
3/4 c feta cheese, crumbled
3/4 c spinach - more or less - up to you. I usually use a couple 'handfuls' of fresh spinach
1/4 c olive oil
dash or two of a lemon lemon pepper
Meat Grinder (electric or manual - and even a cheap one is fine. There are also KitchenAid attachments to grind meat and poultry)

Grind the chicken, fatback and spinach into a large bowl.  Add the rest of your ingredients to the ground mixture in the bowl.  Mix well.  Taste test by cooking a small patty of your mixture on the stove in a bit of oil or microwave a bite sized bit.  Adjust the flavorings to your liking and test again.  When you are happy with the cooked taste of your sausage, continue.

(Note: I originally would grind the feta and spinach with the meat but I like seeing the crumbled feta chunks instead of just incorporating them into the sausage link or patty so I stir that in last.  If you are using frozen, thawed spinach, you can add that in at the end as well and not grind it - but if you are using fresh spinach leaves, grind those with the chicken as they are just too big.  If you use a lot of spinach, it will taste wonderful, but your sausages will be quite green.)

You can use casings and stuff your sausages (as I've posted about a couple times already here on HousewifeBarbie.com) but a quicker and easier way is to make a sausage patty or just freeze as ground sausage in your Ziplocks or sealer bags.

I used to make sausages and patties but more often than not now I simply freeze in food sealer bags in 1-2 pound portions.  When thawed, I either make a patty out of them to grill and serve on buns (this is a huge family favorite in our home... my husband says I can make these every week and he'd never get tired of them) or you brown it in a pan like you would ground beef and use it in many dishes - especially those that call for pasta, tomatoes or a tomato based sauce; those with an alfredo based sauce or my favorite?  You'll  find recipes here on the site but basically just add diced/sliced zucchini, yellow squash, some diced onion and some red/yellow/orange peppers.  Use olive oil in your pan and for seasonings it only needs salt and pepper.  When heated and ready, I top with crumbled feta.  Oh my goodness.  SO good.

First yesterday, I used two chuck roasts and ground them and packed them for 'ground beef' in our deep freezer.

Then I got to the yummy chicken sausage!  A huge family favorite in our entire family.

 

 Sealing the packages for the freezer. 

Pantry Pandemic Cooking: Black Bean and Corn Salsa (or as a Side Dish)

This morning I'm really not in the mood to post, and this is actually a recipe I've posted on An American Housewife many times in the past 14 (15?) years.  So this is a quick picture I had posted on my Snapchat yesterday just to some friends and family; but I decided it might be a good idea to post here as a reminder of not only how yummy this is, but it's also easy to make and uses a lot of ingredients that you might already have stocked in your pantry and/or freezer during this Coronavirus pandemic!

We normally eat low carb so I don't have corn or black beans on hand but my local Walmart had black beans stocked this week when I did a grocery run, and my Sam's Club had a bulk box of 12 cans of corn in stock so... in the middle of a pandemic, you buy what your stores have stocked and you plan meals around it, right?  So... low carb be damned, we enjoyed this old family favorite with tortilla chips last night.  I think there is a little bit leftover; I hope so because I plan to have it for lunch!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa (or as a Side Dish)
Almost all ingredients are optional based on your preferences - add or delete and adjust the amounts to your tastes or what you have on hand!  Serve as is, with tortilla chips or with flour tortillas.

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can or  1 1/2 cups petite diced tomatoes
1 can yellow corn
1 can white corn
4-5 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 avocado, petite diced
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
1-2 t minced fresh garlic
1 small can diced green chili
1 small jalapeno pepper, diced fine
1 bunch cilantro - chopped
Juice from 1 lime  (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 t cumin powder
Salt to taste (start with a teaspoon and taste test)

Mix together in a bowl.  Serve right away or chill 2 hours before serving.  Serve as a side dish, with tortilla chips or with flour tortillas.


This recipe was also included in an old post where I gave you 6 different yummy, fun recipes for salsa:  Six Salsa Recipes