Low Carb Pizza

It's been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy losing weight, not to say it's been a struggle at all. It's been effortless. So, this entry is about low carb pizza. There's a story behind this. My co-worker has been on a low carb diet with me and he started to miss pizza and asked me for some recipes. Well, since I've turned to cauliflower for many things (mock fried rice, mock mashed potatoes, for example), I looked for a recipe online for pizza made from cauliflower. What a strange idea, right? However, it's easy and tasty and you will have to let your taste buds decide. Many of my co-workers now are making it so I hope you will try it too.

LOW CARB PIZZA
(Crust)
1 cup cooked cauliflower, grated
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 egg
Fennel
Parsley
Oregano

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Mix cauliflower, mozzarella and egg together in a bowl, then press onto a non-stick cookie tray (or use parchment paper) and shape into a pizza. You can decide if you want to have a thick or thin crust. Sprinkle on herbs to taste. I like the smell and allure of fennel, but I don't spare the oregano or parsley. Bake for about 15 minutes or so. Remove from oven. Add your tomato sauce (I use a San Marzano pizza sauce) and your favorite toppings (such as pepperoni, mushrooms, green bell peppers, etc.). Add mozzarella on top. You will need about 6-8 ounces on top. Move your oven rack into position and broil the pizza until the cheese melts.

The texture of the crust will be crispy as long as your toppings aren't too wet which will make it soggy. In that case, put it in the fridge and eat it the next day. Or before you add toppings, flip the crust over on the parchment paper and cook for a few minutes. If you are worried about the herbs falling off, then mix the herbs into the dough or add the dough after the crust is done. Or add a harder cheese into the mix like parmesan.

Low Carb Pizza (with crust made with cauliflower!)

The crust mixture can be used for other things. If you want to make a gyro, for example, I think the crust can substitute for pita bread. And if you're making butter chicken, I think it can substitute for naan bread.
     In any case, if you hear people whining about their inability to give up certain bread items, make this for them and they will change their minds. Or at least they will bug you to make it for them again.

Veggie Burgers with Salsa and Guacamole

Fighting Laziness and Boredom

Laziness and boredom are two problems that keep us fat. I ate a lot of bacon and eggs and got tired of both. So, I switched out the bacon and had pork sausages and then I got bored with sausages AND eggs, so then I started eating turkey burger patties and I quickly got bored with that. So, now I'm on veggie burgers. I was eating them with mustard or ketchup and that got boring, but I'm currently into ANYTHING with salsa and guacamole. And I'm loving the fact that I can microwave them. These are from Morningstar and are low in carbs and there's 15 grams of protein per patty too. It's not pretty, but I like eating them . . . for now.

Weight Loss/Fat Loss Update



Finally!

      For many months, I've been holding steady within a range of 183-187, even though I was continuing to lose fat around my waist. The 34 waist jeans were quickly replaced with 33 waist jeans and even those were now really loose.
     I went to the store and I tried on a pair of 32 inch waist jeans and I was happy that they fit! However, they fit in the way that they're comfortable while standing only, so I didn't buy them. I'll wait until next month and see.
     It just goes to show you that the scale and fat loss are only loosely correlated. So much so, that I haven't been as diligent about weighing myself. However, I did get on the scale this morning and discovered that I had fluctuated lower and 181 is the lowest I've been all year! So, the weight is finally catching up with the fat loss. My BMI is 25.7, which they still consider overweight. I'm only six pounds away from my original goal, even though I have reached my waist size goal. The year isn't over yet so there's still time. It hasn't been a struggle and with patience and day-to-day focus, it has been, more or less, easy. I hope you are making your goals.

Onion Tart (Low Carb)

Onion Tart

An onion tart is, more or less, a quiche. There's no bacon and there's quite a bit of onions. If you want, you can use Walla Walla onions or Vidalia onions for sweetness. Onions are not high carb vegetables, so go ahead and have a slice or two or three.

ONION TART

Crust

1 1/2 cups of almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
1/4 cup butter, melted
pinch of salt (sea salt preferably)
1/4 cup of baking soda (if using)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, butter, salt and baking soda together. Press into a 9" removable bottom quiche pan. Bake until you get your desired color, about 10-15 minutes. Cool. Here, I used half almond flour and half hazelnut flour. There's 5 grams of net carbs per 1/4 cup as opposed to 22 grams for wheat flour.

Onion filling

2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of thyme (dried)
2 teaspoons of clarified butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Gruyere cheese (or Swiss), grated
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

Warm large skillet to medium heat and add butter and fry onions until they are slightly brown, about 10-15 minutes. Add thyme, mix, and let cool. Mix eggs, cream and cheese together. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir. Spread onions into pan, pour egg mixture in and bake for 35 minutes and let it rest at least 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Eggplant Fries

Eggplant Fries

My co-worker has been on a low carb diet with me for about a month and he started to miss fries. Sure, he's seen my mock fried rice made with cauliflower, so he wanted to know what a good substitute was since french fries are really high in carbs. I told him eggplant fries. He asked me if I've ever tried them and I said no. So, I told him I would try them and get back to him. I'm glad I did. At first, I thought I made too much, but I sure finished them like they were enough. They will give you the french fry experience without the carbs. They're sweeter and creamier than potato fries, but the taste is similar.

EGGPLANT FRIES
1 small to medium-sized eggplant
sea salt
palm oil or shortening (non-hydrogenated)
other spices, to taste (if using)

Serves 2 or 1 greedy person.

Peel the eggplant and cut into fries. I've seen recipes where they then dredge them in flour and flour has carbs so I didn't. I dredged mine in parmesan cheese, which I do not recommend either. I don't mind the texture of the outcome so feel free to stay natural. Heat your palm oil (white 'palm shortening' is fine if it's not hydrogenated) to 350 degrees and fry in batches until you achieve a golden brown color. I use palm oil because it has a high smoke point. If you would rather use lard or peanut oil, go ahead. Sprinkle salt and spices (you could use garlic powder, cayenne pepper, etc.) to taste. Serve immediately.

My eggplant fries were a little greasy, but tasty. Grease is fine when you're on a low carb diet so don't worry about it. I've seen other recipes where they put them in cold water before frying to reduce greasiness and if you've tried this, let me know how it went.

1 cup of eggplant has about 3 grams of net carbs. 1 cup of potato is about 29 grams of net carbs.

Low Carb Chocolate Cake

Low Carb Chocolate Cake

     Chocolate cake is probably one of the most iconic high carb foods around, don't you think? With its luscious, moist cake made with soft, white flour and enough sugar to rot your teeth and to put you on the road to Fatland with pit stops at ecstasy and regret both. For the low-carber, finding a cake you can eat is like discovering a new g-spot. Chocolate itself is not so bad since it has health benefits and not to mention fiber.
     I found a recipe on the web and I made adaptations. The first substitute is the flour. Regular flour has about 22 grams of carbs per 1/4 cup, whereas a flour like almond flour only has 5 net carbs. The second obstacle is finding a suitable sweetener.
     Splenda is the go-to sweetener it seems, but it's not really that great in cake. I like using Splenda if I'm having a hot chocolate, but in cake it seems to be not well-rounded and it has a light aftertaste, while not bitter, it reminds me that it's Frankenstein sugar. Stevia is great in tea, coffee or soymilk, but in chocolate, I feel, it's absolutely gross. Luckily, I found erythritol, which tastes great with chocolate. It's one of the ingredients in Truvia. Truvia has stevia in it, otherwise, I would just use it with chocolate. So, here it is, a low carb chocolate cake I think you will like. Try this out and get back to me. It's satisfying, tasty and 2 net carbs a slice!!!

LOW CARB CHOCOLATE CAKE

1 cup almond flour
1 cup hazelnut flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup erythritol
4 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9" round pan and put a round piece of parchment paper on the bottom, if desired.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the wet ingredients and mix. Bake for about 25 minutes and test with a toothpick. If it comes out clean, take it out of the oven to cool. Otherwise, bake for up to another 10 to 15 minutes or so. The cake should be moist, but it will be slightly crumbly because it's made with nuts, but just slightly. Enjoy with whipped cream (and vanilla and Splenda) or with Clemmy's Ice Cream!

Add Fiber the Easy Way

Benefiber

     There's no way the typical person can get all the fiber they say you need, 30-35 grams a day. Let's just take that as fact. You could sit down and have 9 apples, but are you going to eat 9 apples in a day? Besides, that's a lot of carbs. Even if you were on a low carb diet, it's not likely that you can get that much fiber. Salad has little fiber unless there's beans or avocado in them.
     There are fiber supplements out there and I enjoy Benefiber the best. It's tasteless, it's not gritty and you can add it to your coffee, tea, soup, baked goods or whatever (just don't add it to carbonated beverages). It's made from wheat dextrin, which is fiber from wheat. It doesn't make you go. It makes it easier to go.
     I add two teaspoons (3 grams of fiber) to my morning tea. So, this is the ritual. I steep the tea, I add two small scoops of stevia, two teaspoons of Benefiber and I pour in some half and half. And it's great, especially if you're having a few sugar-free Oreos with your tea!
     The directions say to take it three times a day, which would give you 9 extra grams of fiber a day. I am finding that I get benefits from taking it only once a day. Thanks, Benefiber!