Sarah's Salad - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free - can be made dairy free

Sarah's Salad

Sarah's Salad is a signature "house" salad from the historical Lion House restaurant and reception center in Salt Lake.  Because of how it's layered, it makes a lovely presentation, but it's also remarkably easy to make.  And if you want to make it dairy free as well as wheat free, just leave off the swiss cheese.  The picture above is served along side a chicken salad (I can post that later).

1 head romaine lettuce (other lettuces work fine)
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 t salt
1/4 t ground pepper
3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 C frozen peas
2 sliced green onions
1/4 C thinly sliced yellow or white onion
3 oz shredded swiss cheese (optional)

 Loosely chop the lettuce and place in the bottom of a salad bowl.  Since this salad can be prettier (more so than mine did - to the left), a glass bowl sometimes looks lovely.
Mix the mayo, salt and pepper and spread it on top of the lettuce like icing on a cake.  Sprinkle the remaining ingredients in layers, topping with cheese (if you are using).

Before serving, if you want you can toss the salad to mix with the dressing, or just let guests scoop out the lettuce along with the dressing and toppings.

Makes about 10 servings, 125 calories, 6.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.2 grams fiber (including cheese).

Coconut Pecan Frosting - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free - kind of a flop!

Coconut Pecan Frosting

I made this frosting to go with the German Chocolate Cupcakes from yesterday, but it really didn't turn out like I'd hoped.  Maybe your luck will be better than mine, I followed a recipe for caramel that looked pretty straightforward and similar to making caramel with regular sugar.  I may try this again another time and post results if I figure out what I did wrong.

1/2 C butter
1/3 C swerve (erythritol)
1/3 C unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/4 C pecan pieces

(Added later to try to fix the frosting - 4 oz cream cheese, 1/4 C confectioner's swerve, 1 t vanilla)

Melt the butter on medium high heat in a frying pan, watching the butter closely, as soon as it browns, add the swerve and stir rapidly until the swerve dissolves and mixture thickens.  Here's where things went wrong, my mixture didn't thicken evenly, it turned out lumpy and grainy with extra butter oozing from it.  I tried adding the coconut and pecans thinking maybe it just needed to cool a bit.  It didn't really make a difference, as you can see in the picture to the left.  It still clumped together in sections with oily butter oozing out.  So I gave up and decided to make half my standard "go-to" recipe for sugar free frosting, which is (for a full recipe, not the half that I used) 8 oz cream cheese, beat together with 1/2 C confectioner's swerve and 1 t vanilla.

After mixing in the cream cheese, vanilla and confectioner's swerve (you can make your own of this by putting regular erythritol though a coffee grinder to make it the consistency of powdered sugar), it turned out pretty good, but still slightly grainy, and not really anything like the caramel/coconut frosting you normally get on German Chocolate cake.  Oh, well......

Probably better to make this frosting recipe:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 C confectioner's swerve
1 t vanilla
Beat all ingredients until smooth, adding a little milk if it's too stiff.

Calories in the recipe I ended with, including the 4 oz cream cheese, etc. to cover 12 cupcakes:  125 calories each, 1 gram carbohydrate without the sweetener (see the note from yesterday).

Calories in original recipe - if you end up with more luck making it than I did:  92 calories, 1 gram carbohydrate, also not including the sweetener.

If you make the cream cheese recipe at the bottom instead (not what's pictured):  around 67 calories with 1 gram carbohydrate, also not including the sweetener.

German Chocolate Cupcakes - Gluten Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free/Dairy Free

German Chocolate Cupcakes

I love German Chocolate cake, so when I found a  recipe for chocolate cupcakes using coconut flour, and figured I could substitute the butter with coconut oil and the milk with almond milk, it would give it even more of the coconut flavor to make it more like German Chocolate cake.  It turned out perfect, very yummy! 

One thing to note about recipes using coconut flour, it's very different than almond flour, you use very little of it and up the eggs to make the consistency right.

1/2 C coconut flour 

1/4 C coco powder

1/2 C sweetener (I used Swerve)

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 C almond milk

5 eggs

1/2 C coconut oil 

1 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, making sure baking soda is evenly distributed (or you could get a nasty taste in one of the cupcakes).  Melt the coconut oil, but don't let it get hot enough to cook the eggs.  Combine the eggs and almond milk and pour into the dry ingredients while beating.  Slowly pour in the coconut oil and then the vanilla.

Line a muffin/cupcake tin with cupcake liners and lightly spray with coconut oil (or other cooking spray).  This batter is runnier than most cake batters, which made it tricky to pour, so I put half at a time into a measuring cup with pouring spout and used that to fill the cupcake liners.

Bake at 350 degrees for around 20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

* A note about sweeteners - I'm not sure why, but erythritol, which is what Swerve and some other sweeteners are made of, show zero calories in my calorie counter, but do show some counts for carbohydrates.  Not sure how that is even possible.  Also, most low carb diets don't count zero calorie sweeteners like erythritol at all, so when I use Swerve in my recipes, I calculate the calories and carbs without the sweetener.  If you need to add them for whatever diet you are on, just add in the calories from the label on whichever sweetener you use.

Makes a dozen cupcakes:  155 calories, 3.5 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber without the frosting (I'll post that recipe tomorrow).

Roast Chicken - wheat free/sugar free/grain free - can be made dairy free

Roast Chicken

Most of the time I do a roasted chicken in the crockpot because I can leave it for hours and not have to worry about it.  But if you have less time, you can roast a chicken in the oven in about 1 1/2 hours.  Chickens are often labeled for Roasting or Frying, and the difference is the age.  Roasting chickens are usually older and have more meat on them, but really, you can use either one.

1 whole chicken, neck, heart, gizzard etc removed - you can use them later for chicken broth or something, but I've never been crazy about their taste.  

1 T minced garlic

2 t poultry seasoning

1/2 t paprika

1 large onion

5 large carrots

2-3 T butter (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Loosen the skin on the breast and thighs of the chicken.  Make a paste of the garlic and poultry seasoning, you can add a little salt too if you want.  "Push" the paste under the skin wherever you can reach it.  Peel and cut up the vegetables into bite sized pieces and add them in and around the chicken in a large roasting pan.

Here's where I tried to follow the recipe and it just didn't work - my original recipe called for rubbing the butter all over the chicken.  I hadn't ever tried that before and it's a lot harder than you'd think.  The butter stuck to my fingers, almost none of it stuck to the chicken.  Next time I try this, I will probably melt the butter and just pour it over the chicken, it really didn't work at all, you may want to just leave it out altogether.

Put the pan in the oven and roast at 425 for around 1 1/2 hours, test by cutting into the joint between the thigh and breast, the liquid should run clear without any pink.

Take any leftover carcass of the chicken and stick it in the crockpot and cover it with water, leaving it on low for several hours.  Any leftover meat will fall right off the bones for use in another recipe and the broth can be used for chicken soup.

This recipe is difficult to determine calories on since it makes around 6 servings the first day and then a lot of leftover chicken to use in another recipe.  Assuming you eat half a pound of chicken, plus 1/6th of the vegetables, it's around 380 calories with 4 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup - wheat free/grain free/sugar free/dairy free

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup

Few people consider soup on a hot summer day, but when you make it in the crockpot or slow cooker, it doesn't heat up your house and it's light enough not to feel too heavy.  Plus it gets you out of the kitchen and on to doing something fun because you can do all the prep work early in the morning, go out and play and come home to a completely read to eat dinner.   This is also the perfect way to use up the leftover bone from a ham without trying to dig out the bits of meat (it will fall off the bone after cooking all day).

1 C dried slip peas

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 T minced garlic or 2 t garlic powder

1 leftover ham bone or around 1/2 C ham

Loosely chop carrot and onion and place in the bottom of a slow cooker/crockpot.  Add peas and top with 3 C water and set in ham bone.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, high for 5-6.  

When you are ready to serve, remove the bone.  The ham bits should now be easy to pull off and cut up into bite sized pieces.  I actually ended up with more than enough for the soup, so I put some in a leftover container and only returned about 1/2 C of the ham to the soup.  Stir so that the peas all disintegrate and the veggies and ham are evenly distributed and serve.

WARNING, some low carb diets don't allow split peas, but they are allowed in small amounts in wheat belly or Atkins phases 3-4, so be aware this is a little higher in carbohydrates than most of my recipes.

Makes around 6 servings:  139 calories, 22.3 carbohydrates, 9 grams fiber.

Garlic Cheese Biscuits - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

 Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Have you ever had the biscuits at Red Lobster?  Don't you love those?  These ones are very similar but without all the gluten and carbs.

2 C almond flour

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t salt

2 t baking powder

3 T butter

1 C cheddar

1 egg

1/2 C whole milk

Grate the cheddar, I used about half regular cheddar and half extra sharp white cheddar.  I think next time I will make it with just the regular cheddar, the orange color would make it look more cheddar-y.  I might also add about 1/4 t dried parsley to get the herb-y look that the Red Lobster biscuits have.   Mix all dry ingredients, add butter and cheese and mix until it's evenly distributed, then add the milk and egg.

If you have a medium sized (1 T scoop) that makes perfectly shaped biscuits, if not, use a couple of large spoons to drop them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake around 20 min at 350 degrees or until just barely browned on top.  To the left is the biscuits going into the over, to the right is coming out.

This made 14 biscuits:  142 calories, 4.4 grams carbohydrates, 1.7 grams fiber

Leftover Cleanup Quiche - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

Leftover Cleanup Quiche

I love recipes that use up my leftovers, especially when they can use up my leftovers and yet seem like a completely different meal.  Today I made quiche from leftover ham and veggies, but quiche is pretty versatile, you can make it from all kinds of leftovers, all you need is a crust, about half a cup each of meat and veggies, a cup of cheese and some eggs.

Crust:
1 1/2 C almond flour
2 T butter
1 T egg white

Filling:
1/2 C meat - I used ham, but other options are steak, chicken, bacon or pork
1/2 C veggies - I used asparagus, carrots, onions, zucchini, brussels sprouts and onion
1 C cheese.  I used extra sharp white cheddar (see picture).  Cheeses that work best are the sharper flavored ones like sharp cheddar, swiss, guyere or feta.
2 eggs
1/4 C egg whites
2 T whole milk or cream

I used egg whites because I have some I need to use up, but if you only have whole eggs, you can use 1/2 a small egg for the crust and 4 1/2 eggs for the filling.

"Cut" the butter into the almond flour with a pastry cutter or fork.  Loosely mix in the egg or egg white until the dough just holds together.  If you have a larger pie pan, you may need to increase the amounts to 2 C almond flour, 3 T butter and a whole small egg or 1 1/2 T egg white.  Press into a pie pan.  This time I lined the bottom of mine with a circle cut out of parchment paper and it was much easier to remove from the pan.

Bake crust at 350 for 5-10 min - I left mine in a touch too long, you want it just barely starting to brown.  Meanwhile get your filling ready but cutting up the veggies and meat into bite sized or smaller bits and grate your cheese.  Loosely toss the veggies and cheese together and turn into the partially baked pie crust.  Beat the eggs and beat in 2 T whole milk or cream.  Return to the oven and bake another 15-20 min or until filling is "set" - meaning it doesn't "jiggle" when you move it.  Or you can test it with a knife, it should come out clean with no batter stuck to it.  Here's what my quiche looked like before going into the oven.

Serves around 6 - 285 calories, 7.7 grams carbohydrates, 3.4 grams fiber (using the ham, veggies and cheese that I did, different meats, veggies and cheeses may vary)

Easy Roasted Vegetables - Gluten Free/Wheat Free/Sugar Free/Dairy Free

Easy Roasted Vegetables

This time of year, fresh vegetables are readily available, and much easier to cook than you might think.  It takes less than half an hour to roast vegetables, plus you can do a large group at a time and just reheat them later.

 You can use almost any type of vegetables for this.  Today I used about 1 C each of carrots, asparagus, zucchini,  Brussels sprouts and about 1/4 C of red onion.  You can also use green beans, green onion, cauliflower, broccoli, and just about anything you can find.
Peel any vegetables that need to be and cut everything into bite sized pieces.  Put them all in a bag and add 2 t olive oil, 2 t salt, 1 t garlic powder or minced garlic.  Shake up in the bag to make sure all veggies get coated.  Pour out onto a baking sheet (can use 9x13" baking pan if you don't have a larger, flatter pan).  Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, stir and roast another 5-10 minutes or until vegetables start to brown on the edges and longer cooking vegetables (like carrots) are tender.

Calories (using the vegetables I used) - makes around 5 servings at 45 calories, 6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber.

Healthy Shepherd's Pie - Gluten Free/Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free can be made Dairy Free

Healthy Shepherd's Pie

Today I took the mock mashed "potatoes" (mashed cauliflower) from May 9th and used them to top a shepherd's pie.  Shepherd's pie is a meat and vegetable mixture, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese.  You can use almost any vegetables and almost any ground meat, traditional meat is ground lamb, but you can use ground beef or ground turkey instead.  Today I used carrots, beans and ground turkey.  My old recipe used onion soup mix, but it had added sugars and gluten - not to mention MSG, so instead, I used 1 T beef bullion (gluten and sugar free) and 2 T dried onion plus 1 t xanthan gum and it has the same effect.  You could leave out the xanthan gum if you don't have it, it just "sticks" the meat and veggies together and has no "net" carbohydrates since it's almost 100% fiber.

1 lb ground meat
2 cups mixed vegetables
1 T beef bullion
2 T dried onion
1 t xanthan gum (optional)
1/2 head of cauliflower
1/2 t garlic, diced
3 oz cream cheese (optional)
1/2 t chicken bullion
1/2 C to 1 C cheddar cheese

Brown the ground meat in a skillet or stove top safe casserole dish.  If you are using a lean meat, add a little butter or olive oil to the skillet first.  While the meat is browning, add the vegetables (unless yours were precooked, in which case, add them after the meat it cooked through).  Once the meat is completely browned and the veggies are tender, add the beef bullion, dried onion and sprinkle on the guar gum and stir it in.

 Meanwhile, cook the cauliflower (I just microwave it with a bit of water, covered).  Make sure it's really mushy.  Drain it well and process in a food processor, adding the chicken bullion and cream cheese and process until smooth.  Since my two daughters can't have dairy, but everyone else likes it, I removed half the cauliflower before adding the cream cheese such that half the casserole was dairy free.
Put the meat/veggie mixture in a casserole dish (if it wasn't already) and top with the cauliflower mixture.  Top that with cheddar cheese.  I used half a cup because I was only covering one side, if you are covering the whole top, you may want to use a whole cup of cheese.  As you can see, I only topped the non-dairy free side (side that also had cream cheese mixed into the cauliflower) with the cheddar cheese.
Bake at 350 for about half an hour or until the cheese bubbles and starts to brown.
Here it is just out of the oven.

Makes around 6 servings: 234 calories, 5.2 grams carbohydrates, 1.7 grams fiber.  Without the cream cheese or cheddar:  168 calories, same carb and fiber content.

Gluten Free "Bran" Muffins - Wheat Free/Sugar Free

Gluten Free "Bran" Muffins

Raisin Bran Muffins was one of my favorite easy to make recipes growing up, it was made with Raisin Bran cereal.  So this is a redo with no wheat, no wheat bran, and no sugar, but the taste is remarkably similar.

3 T coconut flour

3/4 C Flaxseed meal

3/4 C Almond Flour

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

3 T Swerve or other sugar substitute

3 eggs

1/2 C buttermilk

3 T olive oil

6 oz raisins

The brands I used are to the left

Mix all dry ingredients and raisins, combine eggs, buttermilk and oil and stir into dry ingredients.  Spray muffin tins with coconut oil and/or line with papers (I did both and they popped right out).  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the tops just start to brown.

To the right are just before going into the oven.

Makes 12 muffins, 182 calories, 16.7 grams carbohydrates, 3.8 grams fiber.  If you leave out the raisins it drops down to 140 calories, 5.5 grams carbohydrates, 3.3 grams fiber.

Party Coleslaw wheat free/grain free/sugar free/dairy free

Party Coleslaw

Yeah, I know, most coleslaw is wheat free, grain free and dairy free, but you'd be surprised how many people stick sugar in their coleslaw, when it totally doesn't need any!  This makes a huge amount (the bowl pictured here is over a foot in diameter), enough to feed around 20 people but you can easily cut the recipe in half or even quarter it.

1 large head of cabbage, shredded with the slicing blade of a food processor or mandolin
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
4 carrots ends removed, washed and grated
1 T poppy seeds
1 T caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
1 C mayonnaise (approximately, just add spoonfuls and stir until thoroughly moistened).

A food processor makes this really quick and easy.  Cut the cabbage into sections that will fit in the chute of your food processor, remove the stem bits and shred using the slicing blade.  If you don't have a food processor, just slice very thinly against the growth of the leaves such that it's really thin strings of cabbage no longer than 2-3 inches.  Next, either throw the half a red onion in using the same blade, or also slice that into thin sections.  Change the blade to the grating blade and grate the carrots (or just grate using a box grater).   Mix the vegetables in a large salad bowl until the carrots and onion are evenly distributed through the cabbage.  Add the seasonings and mayo and stir until everything is evenly mixed and the whole salad is moistened with the mayo.
This is great on top of pulled pork sandwiches (using wheat free buns), or just as a side salad for a backyard barbecue or a pot luck dish.
Per serving - 75 calories, 6.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.5 grams fiber.

Pumpkin Brownies - Wheat Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free - can be made Dairy Free

Pumpkin Brownies

This recipe turned out much more chocolaty and much less pumpkin-y than I anticipated.  I think next time I'll cut down on the chocolate and up the pumpkin a bit.  I couldn't taste any pumpkin at all, and the taste was very much like ordinary dark chocolate brownies.  If you are a dark chocolate fan, this is perfect for you.  For me, I prefer a sweeter, slightly less chocolate flavor, so I'll probably reduce the chocolate to half a bar next time.

1 bar (3 oz) 100% chocolate - also called baking chocolate.  I used ghiradelli brand

1/4 C butter or coconut oil

3/4 C almond flour

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

3/4 C sugar substitute - I used confectioners swerve, but you can use truvia, erythritol, splenda or anything else that measures like sugar.  I like the confectioner's swerve because you can't taste any of the "sugar" crystals.  

1 t vanilla

1/2 C pumpkin

3 eggs

(Optional - 1/2 C sugar free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips, and/or 1/2 C walnuts or pecans)

Melt together the chocolate bar and butter (or coconut oil).  Meanwhile, mix together the dry ingredients.  Stir the pumpkin, vanilla and eggs and add to the dry ingredients, and then add in the chocolate mixture.  Blend until smooth (add chocolate chips or nuts here if you are using them) and pour into an oiled or greased 9x9 inch baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, testing using a toothpick.  It should come out with no batter stuck to it.  Cool completely before cutting.  Below is just before popping it into the oven.

Makes 12 small servings (or 9 larger ones).  Each smaller serving without chocolate chips or nuts - 132 calories, 4.6 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber.

Slow Cooker Pork with Peanut Sauce - wheat free/grain free/sugar free/dairy free

Slow Cooker Pork with Peanut Sauce

If you've ever had Thai Chicken Sate, you know how wonderful Thai peanut sauce is, and this is a pretty similar version, only served over slow cooked pork.  I also used the peanut sauce to cook with the pork roast to infuse it with extra flavor.

Small Pork Roast (3-4 pounds I used a pork sirloin roast)
1 T fresh grated ginger - I know you are supposed to peel it first, but there are so many grooves and crannies in ginger that I just grate it as is, and pull out the pieces that are mostly peeling.
1 T garlic (I use the kind in the jar)
1/4 C no sugar added peanut butter.  Kirkland brand has only peanuts, peanut oil and salt as ingredients.  It separates, so I put it through my KitchenAid mixer and then stick it in the refrigerator.
1/4 C tomato sauce
3 T wheat free soy sauce or liquid aminos
3 T sugar substitute (splenda, swerve, truvia, etc.)
2 t sirachi sauce - you could substitute any hot sauce
1 C chicken stock

I should probably brown the roast before sticking it in the crockpot, but I was short on time so I didn't.

Mix all the other ingredients (see the picture to the right of ingredients just before adding chicken broth in the 2 C measuring cup, I often mix sauces in this as you can measure and mix in the same container).  Pour over the roast in the crockpot.  Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-9.  When ready to serve, remove the roast and let cool on a cutting board.  Meanwhile, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and boil for 10-15 min or until thickened.  Pour on top of the pork and serve (see picture at top).  The picture below is just after pouring the sauce onto the roast when it's just starting to cook.

Serves about 8 at 317 calories a serving, 2.5 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber.

Greek Quiche - wheat free/grain free/sugar free

 Greek Quiche

 For this quiche I used the feta cheese pictured.  It's something I found locally, made by a local family who raise goats and make their own cheese, and it's marvelous.  I believe both Paleo and Primal will allow this and many people who are sensitive to cow's milk and cheese, can have goat cheese.

Crust:
2 C almond flour
3 T cold butter (can use coconut oil)
1 T egg white (I used the kind in a carton, makes it much easier than separating eggs)

Filling:
5-10 oz fresh spinach
4 slices bacon, cut up
1/4 C onion
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
3 eggs
5 T egg white (or you could just use 4-5 regular eggs instead of the 3 eggs plus egg white - I just wanted to use up my carton)
Salt and Pepper to taste

"Cut" the butter into the almond flour using a fork or if you have one, a pie cutter.  Cutting in butter means pushing the fork or pie cutter into the butter and through the almond flour until the bits of butter are pea sized or smaller.  That will form bits of butter flakiness through the crust.  Add the egg white and gently stir until it holds together.  Press it into a pie shell and bake 10 min at 350 or until just barely browning.

 Meanwhile, in a non stick pan, cook the bacon and onion until both are done, add the spinach just until wilted.  I could have added more spinach, it "shrinks" as it cooks.

 Put in the bottom of the cooked pie shell, top with the feta cheese.  Mix the eggs and pour on top.  Return to the oven for another 20 min or until the egg mixture is "set" meaning firm.  You can test this with a knife, if you cut into it, you shouldn't get any liquid egg on the knife.

I should have lined the bottom of my pie pan with parchment.  This ended up being difficult to remove from the pan, but was delicious.

Makes about 6 servings: 450 calories, 11 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber.

Slow Cooker Chicken Goulash - Gluten Free/Grain Free/Sugar Free

Slow Cooker Chicken Goulash

Today I wanted something easy to just stick in my crockpot early in the day and do very little prep work after work.  Sorry, this one is not dairy free, but I tasted it before adding the sour cream and it would be just fine if you left it out, it would just be more of a curry type of dish rather than a goulash.

3 large chicken breasts - I started with mine still frozen, just threw them in the crockpot
1 large onion (or 2 small onions) sliced into rings
1 pint canned tomatoes (I used ones I canned myself, you can use ones from the store)
3-4 pickled cherry peppers, cut in half.  You could use regular jar roasted peppers instead, I just really love cherry peppers.
1 C beef stock
2 T paprika - I used smoked, you can also use sweet paprika or hot paprika or a combination, depending on your taste.
1 1/2 C sour cream

Put the chicken in the crockpot, top with onions, tomatoes and peppers.  Mix the beef stock with paprika and pour on top.  Cook on low 6-9 hours, or on high 3-4.  When ready to eat, remove the chicken and chop into bite sized pieces.  Mix sour cream into the sauce in the crockpot and return chicken.

Normally this is served over egg noodles, but I didn't have time to make my normal substitution for egg noodles, which is thinly sliced zucchini or yellow squash (briefly steamed).  Instead I served it over leftover cauliflower "mock" mashed potatoes (see the post from May 9th).

Here's a picture of what it looks like when you start the crockpot, below what it looks like when served from the crockpot (I could put it in a serving dish, but why make one more dirty dish?)

Makes 6 servings - 320 calories, 9 grams carbohydrates, 1.5 grams fiber

Easy Sausage

 Easy Sausage

Today's post isn't a recipe, it's more of a suggestion.  Have you had a hard time finding ready to eat sausage without a lot of sugar and other additives?  Me too.  But for some reason, the ones you have to cook yourself without all that extra stuff are easier to find.  But cooking them one or two at a time is a pain.  So I found a way to "pre-cook" them in a large batch, freeze them and then they are ready to eat, just heating them up in the microwave or a pan.

Take the whole package, separate any that are still connected and lay them out spaced a bit apart on a baking sheet.  The one I have is a stainless steel pan called a half sheet "bun" pan by professional bakers.  It's also a great shallow roasting pan, jelly roll pan or cookie sheet.  I like stainless steel because it doesn't leave the dark dust that aluminum pans do.  They aren't as easy to find, but you can get them at specialty cooking stores or on line.
Bake these at 350 for around 10-15 min or until no longer pink in the middle.  If desired you can flip them over to get them brown on both sides or just turn on your broiler for the last couple of minutes.
Let cool and freeze.

Here's the label on the ones I found - gluten free and although dextrose is listed as an ingredient, it must not be much because carb counts are 0.  This one is 90 calories per link, no msg and very few ingredients.