Low Carb Adventures

Cheesecake: Attempt #2

2012-02-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't like cheesecake? If you don't, you must be CRAZY. :-P

True story: I grew up in the Philippines without ever having tried cream cheese. At all. I didn't try it until I was 12 or 13, in the U.S., when--undoubtedly--my aunt (who's the big chef in the family) probably served it with bagels or something. And since then, a love affair began. I just LOVE cream cheese. It ranks pretty high on my favorite foods list, way up there with bacon. I would probably try cream cheese on anything.

In high school, one of my closest friends mentioned that she ate Hot Cheetos with cream cheese. I started doing the same. And then other snacks followed--Doritos, Lays, regular Cheetos. And I couldn't just smear some cream cheese on my bagels. I had to have equal parts cream cheese to each bite of bagel. Yeah. I told you, I love cream cheese.

So cheesecake, naturally, should be one of my favorite things to eat. Right? Well, no. At least, not yet. We'll see. I haven't really enjoyed cheesecake as much because it's high-calorie and high-sugar. Struggling as I have been with my weight, it was just another thing to remove from my diet.

But thank you, lovely, lovely, low-carb! I'm finally able to try perfecting my low-carb cheesecake and treat myself to my love, cream cheese.

This is my second try. My first attempt, though not a flop, didn't exactly look amazing. I really want my cheesecake to not only taste amazing, but also look amazing. The recipe I tweaked was, apparently, an English-style cheesecake. It is non-baked and uses gelatin instead of eggs to set.

Here it is, right out of the fridge. Oh, gosh, I can't wait to sample it. It already looks infinitely better than my first batch!

Plated. Now where's my fork...

Isn't it beautiful this time? :) So happy.

Ingredients:

1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/2 - 1 cup granulated Splenda (up to you)
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 packages cream cheese (16 oz total)

Steps:

Mix gelatin and Splenda together in a mixing bowl.
Pour boiling water into bowl to dissolve gelatin and Splenda. Add vanilla. Stir until dissolved completely.
Cream the cream cheese into the mixture until very smooth.
Pour mixture into a round pan.
Refrigerate overnight (or however long it takes to set).

Yield: 8 servings

Calories: 205

Net carb: 4.8 g

This was AMAZING, you guys. Amazing. I am so impressed by how easy this was and how delicious it turned out. I am definitely, definitely going to make this for my carb-eating family. I think they're going to love it.

Let me know if you try it! I'm open to suggestions, too. :)

Bacon-wrapped Chicken Bites

2012-02-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

I have seen these on Pinterest and on so many food blogs everywhere. It's low-carb AND has bacon! What more could a low-carber ask for? This has quickly become one of my favorite go-to foods. The juxtaposition of the soft chicken meat with the crispy bacon, oh my gosh! Mmm. I hope you guys enjoy it, too.

Bacon-wrapped chicken bites, a photo by pgdeguzman on Flickr.

This is seriously the easiest thing to make.

Take a boneless, skinless chicken breast. Cut into little pieces. The size depends on you! Then wrap each piece of chicken in a little piece of bacon. Or a big piece. Again, up to you. :)

Stick toothpicks to make the bacon wrapper stay in place.

Bake (in a preheated oven) at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is done.

Then, broil for about 5-10 minutes or until bacon is as crispy as you like.

Serve with ranch, sweet and sour sauce, teriyaki sauce, or whatever you want!

Pizza Friday

2012-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

I had a half a head of cauliflower in my fridge from the last time I made cauliflower crust pizza, so I decided I probably should make it before it goes bad! Ha.

I wanted to make the same exact pizza--chicken and mushrooms--but my next ziploc bag of mushrooms was still frozen, unfortunately. I had a half a can of Spam sitting in the fridge, so I decided to use that instead. I also had a large package of peeled garlic from Costco, so I chopped up like 10-15 little garlic pieces (trust me, far too many).

It tasted good! I just wish I hadn't put nearly as much garlic as I had. Whoops. Next time.

Fresh out of the oven.

My first slice. Mmm.

Yield: 6 slices
Calories: 262.33
Net carb: 4.67 g

Has any of you finally tried a cauliflower crust? I'm contemplating trying a cream cheese and egg crust next time. I wonder which is better.

Happy Pizza Friday!

NSV

2012-02-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

When I started this weight loss journey, I weighed in at 217 pounds. I was wearing between a size 18 and size 20, depending. I buckled my belt at notch 2. It was an uncomfortable, shameful time. In a related vein, as much as I actually enjoyed clothes shopping and fashion, it was always a struggle to find cute clothes that not only fit but also looked good. I watched a lot of "What Not to Wear," trying to pick up tips on how to dress my large frame. It was honestly depressing.

My reservations about clothes shopping are still there, 45 pounds later. I still feel like that fat girl. And of course I do! I am, after all, still much overweight. I'm only halfway there. But the other day, I went shopping in search of a suit (a law school student necessity) and, on a whim, decided to try on some jeans.

Well, hello, size 12!

I can't wait to wear these out. :) Maybe when I do I'll take some pictures for comparison.

I hope everyone else is realizing their dreams slowly but surely. ♥ to you all.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Treat

2012-02-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

Dinner tonight was a little bland--just some broccoli & cheese and some spam--so I had a hankering for something sweet.

This came out wonderfully. I started eating it while it was still warm out of the microwave--that's right, the microwave--and it was fluffy and perfectly sweet. This was so great, I think I'll try to make it a semi-regular treat once in a while.

Ingredients: (You can halve it for a small portion)

4 oz cream cheese
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp granulated Splenda
~2 tsp low-carb chocolate (or 1-2 Tbsp cocoa powder)

Steps:

Place first 3 ingredients in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for about 30-45 seconds until butter and cream cheese are melty.
Remove from microwave. Whisk items together with a fork until smooth and creamy.
Beat in eggs. Mix.
Throw in vanilla and Splenda. Mix.
Add the chocolate. Mix until well-dispersed.
Microwave again for 3-5 minutes until done to desired consistency.

Yield: 2 servings
Calories: 304
Net carb: 9.5 g

I bet this would be pretty good with some low-carb vanilla ice cream or something. I can't wait to try it again!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

2012-02-16T15:32:00.000-08:00

Cauliflower seems to be the magic ingredient in low-carb eating. As I've heard, it's a decent starch substitute.

Now, I grew up not liking vegetables much. My mom didn't really eat vegetables growing up (or even now), so although she tried to raise us to eat our veggies, she didn't really force us. Hence, I have no love affair with cauliflower. Cauliflower is weird. It's like a pale, weird-smelling cousin of the broccoli. I was never sure of what to make of it.

So when I'd been reading about recipes that called for cauliflower, I was hesitant. Cauliflower pizza crust? It sounded kind of gross. I thought it would taste like vegetable. But on a whim around a week ago, I grabbed a head of cauliflower at the store, deciding to suck it up and finally try it.

And imagine my elated surprise when I found that the cauliflower pizza crust tasted unbelievable! I probably could have toasted it just a little more, but it was pretty much perfect. I spread it thin, just the way I like my pizza crust. I enjoyed it so much, I have to confess I finished the entire pizza by the end of the day. Whoops.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza, a photo by pgdeguzman on Flickr.

Ingredients:

half a large head of cauliflower, grated
1 egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
more mozzarella
onion powder
garlic powder
cooking spray
1 boneless skinless chicken breast
mushrooms
ranch
hot sauce

Steps:

Microwave grated cauliflower (as is) for 8 minutes. Let cool.
Preheat oven to 450.
Combine cauliflower, egg, cup of mozzarella, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Grease baking sheet.
Press crust mixture onto baking sheet. Spray with oil.
Bake crust for 15 minutes.
While crust is baking, fry chicken.
Slice chicken.
Slice mushrooms.
Take crust out of the oven. Set oven to broil.
Spread ranch and hot sauce on crust.
Spread a little mozzarella on top of “sauce.”
Place chicken and mushrooms on top.
Sprinkle more mozzarella on top of everything!
Broil for 3-4 minutes.

If you're still unsure, I implore you, give it a chance! I don't think you'll regret it.

Valentine's Day (3)

2012-02-16T13:00:00.000-08:00

Someone caught the cooking bug! Tee hee, I decided to cook three Valentine's Day dinners this week. They're not all exactly low-carb (it's hard being the only low-carber around...) but most items were.

Pre-Valentine's:

Rotini & homemade cream sauce

Bacon-wrapped Cordon bleu chicken

Brownies

Valentine's Day:

Ribeye steak and broccoli & cheese

Ribeye steak, baked potato, and broccoli & cheese

Post-Valentine's:

Bacon cheeseburger chicken

Almond flour brownies

How did you spend your Valentine's Day? :)

Almond Flour Brownies

2012-02-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

The other night, I made some regular brownies, and it was TORTURE, I tell you. I have such a huge sweet tooth, that it was a struggle not to try a little piece.

But I prevailed.

Tonight, after dinner, I was craving something sweet. I decided to finally, finally try making some almond flour brownies. Sacramento houses a Blue Diamond almond factory, and a few months ago I'd gone to their store and bought a 5-pound bag of raw almonds. I was going to make homemade almond milk, but it didn't take. So I have this big bag of almonds just sitting in my kitchen. I took out my hand blender and ground up those little guys and made my own almond flour.

Brownie batter! I didn't lick the fork.

All ready for baking.

Mmm, the brownies are done!

Who's ready for the first slice?

YUM.

This was actually very good and very comparable to regular brownies. It does taste of almonds, so prepare for that. It also wasn't as sweet as regular brownies, so next time I think I'll use 1 cup or a little more of granulated Splenda.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granular Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add in Splenda. Mix well until smooth.
Beat in 2 eggs and mix well.
Add in vanilla.
Add in cocoa powder. Mix until evenly spread through the mixture.
Slowly mix in almond flour and baking powder.
Mix mix mix!
Pour into baking pan and bake for 20-30 minutes.

I used a rectangular, 9 x 13 pan. It was too large, and the batter poured in very thinly. I would recommend using a square pan, maybe, which is smaller.

This was really, really good, and it hit the spot. Great little dessert. I couldn't wait to share it with you guys! I hope you like it.

Bacon "Cheeseburger" Chicken

2012-02-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the last night I'm making a big deal of cooking this week! Typically I just steam some broccoli, add some melty cheese, and call it a day. Being a law student takes too much time and energy, and sometimes I just want quick meals. Tomorrow I might go back to devilled egg salad... We'll see.

For those of us who love cheeseburgers, this recipe is a good alternative. Granted, it's not too difficult to make or order a "real" cheeseburger, sans bun, and still be low-carb, but this is a good change-up. It might be weird because of the ranch-teriyaki combo, but trust me--this was amazing.

Frying up the chicken! It's been a while since I fried any type of meat. I prefer to use my toaster oven because it's so much more convenient. Just pop something in, and out it goes in a few minutes. Mmm, the smell of fried chicken.

Here is the ranch-teriyaki combo. It's not terrifying, I promise!

Melty cheese! I just get the house brand at Safeway, but whatever brand has the lowest carb count will probably be best.

Topping it with bacon! Bacon, bacon, bacon: what else can I say? It's awesome on everything.

All done! Taking this picture was the only thing holding me back from eating, mmm.

I adapted the recipe from Kevin {&} Amanda's. Sorry I didn't do much measuring! I prefer to eyeball my measurements, usually.

Ingredients:

cooking oil
skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in half lengthwise
teriyaki sauce
ranch dressing
melty cheese
crispy bacon

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350.
Fry chicken in a pan over medium-high heat until slightly brown on each side.
Place chicken in baking pan.
Throw teriyaki sauce on.
Squirt some ranch on.
Place the cheese on top of the chicken.
Bake for around 25 minutes.

This was really very good. The bacon was salty enough, so no need to add extra salt. If anything, I'd probably put less bacon on there. Yes, I said it.

Here was my plate, re-topped with the melty cheese from the pan:

Enjoy!

Broiled Ribeye Steak

2012-02-14T20:31:00.001-08:00

I have been wanting to broil ribeye steaks for like a year and half, since my aunt made it in the summer of 2010. Yes, it has been that long! I've never gotten a chance--rather, I've been afraid to try because I just don't do steaks, you know? I'm scared to ruin the meat. Buuuut, since Valentine's Day was coming up, I decided to pick up some meat at Costco the other day. I love Costco! It's so great for low-carb grocery shopping.

Here it is, ready for broiling. Doesn't that look beautiful?

After a few minutes of waiting torture, finally all done!

Plated. With some broccoli & cheese.

This was probably one of the best meals I have ever made. Definitely worth the wait. I have two more steaks sitting in the freezer, and now I think I'll be saving that for another special occasion. I don't think I can handle that much yum too often.

Ingredients:

Steps:

Liberally salt the ribeye steak all over. Let sit on a plate for a time proportional to how thick it is. For example, if your steak is 1.5", let it sit with the salt for an hour and a half; if 2", then two hours. This step will drain the extra water and break down a little bit of the tough protein, tenderizing the meat.
When the salt rub is over, rinse the steak. Don't worry; the salt will wash off!
Preheat oven. Make sure it's evenly heated before broiling.
Rub the steak with the seasoning.
Place the steak on broiling pan.
Set oven to broil. Broil the steak for about 6-7 minutes.
Turn over the steak and broil for another 6-7 minutes.

Honestly, this meal was amazing, and I hope some of you will try it, too! Let me know how it turns out for you.

Cream Cheese Pancakes

2012-02-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have never been a huge pancake fan. Growing up in the Philippines, we called them "hot cakes" and served them with condensed milk. Since moving to the United States 11 years ago, I've definitely gotten used to the pancake-syrup combo, but it's never really quiet taken off with me. It's just as starchy and thick.

Eating low-carb is not a problem for a non-pancake-eater! But sometimes, you just get a hankering for something, right? I found this recipe for cream cheese pancakes. Just cream cheese and eggs! Perfect.

The first pancake turned out almost just right. The mixture was very thin, so the pancake was more crepe-like, also very thin. I had a bit of trouble flipping it, hence the tear there. Oh, well. I'm sure more cream cheese would make a thicker batter.

I didn't have any sugar-free syrup (or any syrup, period), and I definitely did not have any condensed milk for these "hot cakes," so I decided to use some creamy peanut butter. A little smear on top, and mmm good.

Ingredients:

2 oz cream cheese (or more)
2 eggs
4 packets Stevia (to taste, up to you)

Steps:

Mix cream cheese and eggs together to desired consistency.
Add sugar substitute.
Cook on well-greased pan.

Make sure the pan is very well-greased for each pancake. I failed to re-grease the pan after the first pancake, so my second and third pancakes turned out funky-looking. I had an even harder time flipping them.

Enjoy! I hope you guys like this. Let me know if you end up making it.

Cheesecake: Attempt #1

2012-02-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

Crust-less Cheesecake, a photo by pgdeguzman on Flickr.

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c sugar substitute (I used granulated Splenda)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Steps: (I mixed by hand, but you can use a mixer on medium speed.)

Preheat oven to 325.
Cream the cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar substitute.
Beat eggs into the mixture until smooth.
Pour mixture into greased pan. (Probably best to use spring-form.)
Bake for 30-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it.
Let cool. Then refrigerate.

Kind of disappointed in how this looked. But, I will say that it still tasted very good, albeit just a tad dry. My dog and I both loved it.