Monday, April 18, 2011

Low Carb Pancakes

To anyone still following my blog, I apologize that the posts have been few and far between.  Since it is hard to find time, I am trying to regularly post one of my favorite recipes or low carb experiements that turn out to be a definate success.  This recipe falls into that catagory since pancakes are generally not going to fall in the low carb catagory.

I experiemented and adapted some low carb pancake recipes I found to come up with a low carb pancake mix that tastes great.


1/4 C Almond Flour
1/4 C Coconut Flour
1/4 C Low Carb Baking Mix (Bob's Red Mill Brand)
2 Tbsp Whey Protein Powder
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Truvia/Erythritol (or preferred sweetener)
1/4 tsp salt
2 Large Eggs
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil, Melted (or melted butter)
2 Tbsp Half and Half (or cream)
1 Cup Coconut Milk (or almond milk)
1/8 tsp vanilla (omit if you are using vanilla flavored whey)

Total Batch = 18-20 Net Carbs
Makes 8-12 Small/Meduim Pancakes @  2-3 Net Carbs Each
Serving Size = 2 Small/Medium Pancakes (4-6 Net Carbs)

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Beat the eggs in a seperate bowl.  Then add all of the remaining wet ingredients to the eggs except the coconut oil/butter.  Just before you are prepared to mix the wet and dry together add the melted coconut oil/butter to the wet ingredients then add the wet to the dry.  Mix until you have a batter.  If your batter is too thin add some more coconut flour, if it is too thick add some more coconut milk.


I used an electric skillet which I set to 325°F.  Once hot (spritz a few drops of water to verify that it is hot enough, the water should jump around wildly then evaporate quickly) pour approximately 1/4 Cup of batter on the skillet.  Use your spoon to spread the batter into a thin layer otherwise the pancake will end up too thick and won't get done in the center. 


I found that slightly less than 1/4 Cup yielded these nice small pancakes.  Let the pancakes cook until the bubbles on the top start to form and the bottom is browned.  It takes awhile for the pancake to cook enough to be able to flip them without making a mess. 

Cook until browned on the other side then serve.


Low Carb Topping Ideas:
-Peanut Butter
-Over Easy Eggs (if you prefer savory over sweet)
-Sugar Free Syrup
-Low Sugar/No Sugar Added Preserves
-Fruit & Whipped Cream

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Roasted Asparagus

Drop that steamer, put the asparagus on the counter, and slowly step away. Don't even think about putting that lovely asparagus in a steamer or pot of water.  Follow these directions very carefully and nobody will get hurt:

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F.
2.  Wash asparagus and snap off ends.
3.  Lay on a greased cookie sheet and brush with olive oil.
4.  Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and ginger powder.
5.  Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top.


6.  Pop in the oven for 10-20 minutes or until it reaches your desired crispness/tenderness.  (I prefer mine just in between crisp and tender so I usually bake for around 10-12 minutes.

You are now free to enjoy the world of roasted asparagus.  The only downside is that you have likely now learned the "err of your ways" from back in the days of the steamed/boiled asparagus.  I hope you enjoy as much as I have.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Oven Baked "Fall-off-the-Bone" Baby Back Ribs

Ingredients:
1 Rack Baby Back Ribs
Signature Dry Rub

If you are low carbin', I recommend making your own dry rub since most pork rubs have brown sugar or some kind of sweetener. Just blend together your favorite seasonings to get the desired mix of salty, savory, & spicy flavors.  Besides, making your own dry rub will automatically give you some "street cred" among the Southern BBQ folks. Have fun with it and come up with a catchy name for your signature rub.  If you must have some sweetness, then you can blend in some sugar alcohols or artificial sweetener. Personally, I'll leave the sweet stuff to the folks in Kansas because here in Texas sweet BBQ makes less sense than a screen door on a submarine.

"Art's Country Engineered (We Ain't in Kansas Anymore) Texas Dry Rub Recipe"
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Red Pepper
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Fajita Seasoning
1/2 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Onion Powder

First remove the tough skin/membrane off of the back of the ribs.  Take a small knife and insert it between the skin and meat (just under the skin) in the center of the rack. Make the slit between two center ribs and cut it deep enough to fit a finger into.  Slide your finger between the skin and meat and pull the skin off of the ribs.  This should enable you to remove the entire membrane in one piece. Might take a bit of muscle, but it should come off without too much struggle. Grunt loudly and finish with a carnivorous roar as you rip off the membrane to make sure you scare your guests a little bit and live up to your newly earned "Street Cred".

Next lay the ribs on a piece of aluminum foil and coat the entire rack of ribs (top/bottom/& sides) with your signature dry rub. 

Wrap the ribs tightly and place in the oven @ 275°F for 3-1/2 to 4 hours. No need to turn them or do anything but wait patiently.


Slice and enjoy.  The meat should be extremely tender and almost falling off the bone. The only downside is you will probably wish you would have done 2 or 3 racks of ribs.

Warning-Don't let too many people know that you cooked the ribs in the oven or you might loose some of that "Street Cred" mentioned earlier.  These ribs might not have that amazing smokey flavor of ribs smoked over a mesquite fire all afternoon, but they are very simple to prepare and are sure to please.