Low carb Christmas dessert

Christmas Pudding with Brandy Cream

This tastes best if it is made a few days in advance and allowed to mellow, well wrapped and refrigerated. It can also be frozen. Thaw first and reheat in the microwave.

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 teaspoons instant coffee
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon pure almond extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1/3 cup whey protein isolate
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1 cup Splenda
1 tablespoon Dutch process cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash, well drained and finely chopped
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Spray a 2-quart lidded pudding mold with a center tube with nonstick cooking spray. Choose a pot wider and taller than the pudding mold. Place the mold into the pot and hold it steady. Pour water around the mold to come 3/4 of the way up the side of the mold. Remove the mold and bring the water to a simmer.

2. Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

3. Add the coffee, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla, almond extract, orange and lemon zest.

4. Whisk the almonds, whey protein, wheat gluten, Splenda, cocoa, baking powder, salt and spices together until well combined.

5. Add the almond mixture to the butter mixture and beat for 3 minutes.

6. Add the spaghetti squash and beat well. Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

Makes 16 (1-slice) servings.

Per 1-slice serving: 5.7g carbs, 1.6g fiber, 13g total fat, 73mg cholesterol, 8g protein, 158mg sodium, 169 calories -- Based on recipe from Karen Barnaby

Brandy Cream

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, well chilled
1/2 cup granular Splenda
2 tablespoons brandy
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Beat the egg until frothy.

2. In a small pot, melt the butter and bring it to a boil. Slowly pour the butter into the egg, beating constantly. Let cool to room temperature.

3. Combine the cream, Splenda, brandy and vanilla in a large chilled bowl. Beat until the cream forms soft peaks.

4. Fold the cream into the butter mixture. Cover and refrigerate.

Makes 16 (1-tablespoon) servings.

Per 1 tablespoon serving: 1.5g carbs, 0.0g fiber, 14g total fat, 59mg cholesterol, 1g protein, 13mg sodium, 140 calories

-- Recipe courtesy Karen Barnaby

The low carb Christmas party

Low Carb Almond Sugar Cookies

1-1/4 cup almond flour
1 cup Splenda
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
additional Splenda, for decorating

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Stir together flour and Splenda. Blend in butter, egg and vanilla until well mixed. Form into 1-inch balls on a cookie sheet and flatten each with a fork. Sprinkle with additional Splenda. Bake for 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet then remove to wire racks to cool.

Low Carb Almond Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup very cold water
3 pkg. Knox® unflavored gelatin
4 Cups flat diet cola
1 pkg. unsweetened Black Cherry Kool Aid®
3 pkts Splenda®, NutraSweet® or Sweet-N-Low®
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 Cup fresh grated coconut
1/2 Cup chopped celery
1/2 Cup pecans

Directions:
Soften gelatin in cold water for about 2 minutes in a glass measuring cup. Set cup in the microwave and cook on high for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir well and check to see if you can see through it. If not, microwave for a few more seconds. Pour into a large bowl. Add flat cola, sweetener, and Kool-Aid®. Stir until there is no fizz at all.

Place 1 cup of this liquid mixture into blender with cream cheese and whip until the cheese is completely blended.Pour cream cheese mixture back into the bowl with rest of mixture. Stir to blend. Place in the refrigerator and watch it for the beginning signs of gelling. Stir occasionally to keep cream cheese blended. When mixture begins to thicken, add pecans, coconut, and celery. It should be thick enough to suspend the chopped ingredients at this point. Now is the time to pour it in an elegant mold if you like. Return to refrigerator and allow to set firm. Serve with low-carb whipped cream and/or diced strawberries.

Makes 8 servings.   4.2 net grams of carbohydrates per serving.

Tasty Low Carb Christmas Recipes

Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs

Makes 4 servings

I think escarole, chicory, kale, and Swiss chard make delicious soups. The meatballs turn this soup into a meal.

Note: You can use spinach, zucchini, or a combination of both in place of the escarole.

--Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

--Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and rosemary and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft but not brown. Add the escarole and stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the escarole is tender.

--In a medium bowl, mix the turkey, egg, green onion, parsley, and cheese. Form into 1-inch (2.5-cm) balls. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the meatballs in a single layer. Add the meatballs. Bake for 10 minutes.

--Add the meatballs to the soup and simmer, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with lemon slices (if using).

Per serving. Effective carbohydrates: 4.3 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Fiber: 5.7 g; Protein: 34 g; Fat: 18.4 g; Calories: 346

Low Carb Freedom: Low Carb Turkey Leftovers: Escarole Soup with Turkey Meatballs from the Low Carb Gourmet

Hearty Turkey and Mixed Vegetable Frittata

Feeling industrious following Thanksgiving? Take a few minutes the next morning to make this turkey-themed frittata, perfect for a healthy post thanksgiving brunch!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red pepper, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 cup cooked asparagus, chopped
2 cups left over turkey, shredded
4 eggs
½ cup fresh parmesan, grated

Method:
In a large, oven-proof skilled, sauté onion, red pepper and garlic in 1 tsp olive oil over a medium heat until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and sauté 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a medium bowl. Add asparagus, shredded turkey and egg. Coat skillet with remaining oil, return egg and vegetable mixture to skillet and cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until mixture is set on the bottom and lightly browned at the edges. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top and place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Thanksgiving Turkey Leftover Recipes | Mark's Daily Apple

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 eggs
1/2 cup granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
15 ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and beat well. Pour into a 6x8" greased glass baking dish. Bake at 350º about 40 minutes or until the center feels firm and a knife inserted in the center comes out relatively clean. Cool, then chill before serving.

Makes 6 servings
Do not freeze

With granular Splenda:
Per Serving: 228 Calories; 18g Fat; 9g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 6g Net Carbs

With liquid Splenda:
Per Serving: 220 Calories; 18g Fat; 9g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

Jody said she gets four large servings out of this but I thought I'd save a few carbs and serve smaller pieces. This is very good and I think the spices and sweetness are just right. I tasted it while still warm and it was nice like that but it made the whipped cream melt. I will probably make this again for Thanksgiving instead of a pumpkin pie although this tastes pretty much like pumpkin pie. Despite the cream cheese it is nothing like a cheesecake.

Here's a picture of the whole pan:

UPDATE: I did make this for Thanksgiving and used 16 ounces of cream cheese instead of 8 ounces. I didn't like it as well. I thought that the cream cheese was too tangy with the pumpkin. Although I might add a little more sweetener to the original recipe, I think the ratio of pumpkin to cream cheese is right on the mark with 8 ounces. With the additional cream cheese, I got at least 9 servings out of it and had to bake it in a larger pan to prevent overflow.

UPDATE: I've added vanilla to the ingredient list because it enhances the flavor.

Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

Sunflower Seed Pizza Crust and Thrifty Pizza Toppings

The Low-carb Cook's Nook Presents... 
In The Event Of Emergency...

Can You Still Low-carb??
Well, how bad IS it? If you're digging or swimming out of a massive hurricane like Katrina, if you're roofless or homeless, if you're snowed in and the power is  out,
then survival *now* is your #1 priority
& you have bigger problems to deal with than carbs.

But can you PREPARE AHEAD FOR EMERGENCIES?
Be it EARTHQUAKE (where F00D Angel lives)... HURRICANE  (where FOOD Magic lives)... BLIZZARD... TORNADO... FLOOD... FIRE... MUDSLIDE... TSUNAMI... or any kind of disaster...

HOW DO YOU PREPARE?  
The first time we talked about this topic was the fall of 1999 and the subject was "What IF y2K is a disaster!?!?!
Thankfully, things turned out fine, but there was a lesson there...

The last two years here, things weren't as bad as The Weather Channel thought, but who knows what we have ahead of us?
No matter where you live, there is some kind of weather disaster that can occur... BUT THE PREPS ARE THE SAME:

Food that stays without refrigeration. water supplies. how-to-cook-without-power. portable potables.  
If  it's at all possible, stay on your WOE... you will feel better & stronger, and be better able to deal with the stresses. 

 SO don't forget batteries, remember to pack your cooler, hunker down...
when?   Thursday, August 20th, 2009, 9-11pm edt
where?  lowcarbcooksnook
who?  FOOD Magic, F00D Angel, you and that helpful guy at Home Depot! 

If you are on AOL, click here:  lowcarbcooksnook or IM FOOD Magic (those are capital o's in FOOD) or F00D Angel (those are zero's in F00D).

If you are on AIM, send yourself a Chat Invitation, to go to the room "lowcarbcooksnook" (without the quotation marks).  If you have any difficulty, IM Kasparcat, we will lasso you into the room.

Where's the BEEF?

Right here in the Low-carb Cook's Nook! Beef is a versatile and low-carb-friendly food, but it's easy to get stuck in a rut of making it in the same-old, same-old ways!

Don't RIB me or ROAST me about it, I just might outFLANK you or tie you to a STEAK! (sorry, I am so corny tonight... heehee... like CORNED BEEF!)
So stay well-GROUNDed and join us here in the Nook for an evening of Beef recipes, from Pizza-Meatza crust to Tijuana Train Wreck, from stir-fry to kabobs, from meatloafs (meatloaves?) to countless variations on steaks and burgers and roasts!
 
When's the chat? Thursday, July 9th, 2009, 9-11pm EDT

Where?   lowcarbcooksnook 

Who?  FOOD Magic, F00D Angel, and YOU!

After the chat, I will email you the recipes we covered.  If you have AIM, it will go to your yourscreenname@... mailbox.

If you can't make it to the chat, don't get STEWed...the recipes will be posted at  Low-Carb Cook's Nook Recipes

Roasted Dijon Salmon

A classic combination of salmon, oil, lemon, and mustard, together with an almost foolproof roasting method, makes this a dish you'll want to prepare every week. Keep it simple (and balanced) by serving it with a crisp green salad.

Serves 4
Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 pieces salmon filet (about 5 ounces each), with skin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh dill, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Place a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat; let pan warm 2 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of the oil to pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 teaspoon of oil, mustard, and juice. Season salmon with salt and pepper; place in hot skillet, skin side up. Sear 1 minute. Turn salmon, spoon mustard glaze over fish, and immediately place in oven. Roast 8 minutes, or until fish is no longer red inside. Garnish with chopped dill and serve immediately.

Nutritional Data:

Calories: 226
Sat Fat: 2 g
Fat: 12 g
Carbs: 0 g
Protein: 27 g
Cholesterol: 75 mg
Sodium: 182 mg
Fiber: 0 g