KETO Quiche

This crustless Quiche is so light and fluffy it's almost like a souffle.  If you don't do dairy - substitute vegan shredded cheese for the cheddar or simply add an extra cup of sauteed veggies.

Preheat oven to 350 F and spray a pie pan with non-stick spray.

In a bowl whisk:

6 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream (or 1/3 cup almond or soy milk mixed with 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil)
1/2 cup coconut or almond milk
2 Tablespoons finely ground almond flour or coconut flour
dash of black pepper
dash of crushed red pepper
pinch of nutmeg
shake of Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning or your favorite salt blend
half of a small sweet onion sliced thin and sauteed until soft
1 cup of low carb veggies, nuked or sauteed until just starting to soften -I used broccoli, red pepper and a couple of baby carrots (not low carb but it was either the quiche or the trash for those two).
1 cup shredded cheese - 3/4 stirred into the quiche, the remaining sprinkled on top in the pan.

Cook in pie pan 40 minutes or until firm and lightly brown around the edge.  Excellent reheated as leftovers.

Gluten-Free KETO Waffles

At my last check up my blood pressure was high, even though I'm not more than a few pounds above my normal summer weight. The Doctor asked if I'd changed my diet and I said I'd been eating a lot more carbs and vegetarian meals (heavy on the bread).  I'd also been eating quite a bit of sugar, as once I had something sweet I'd continue to crave sweet things the rest of the day.

She said to cut back on the bread and eat a lot more non-starchy vegetables along with eggs and lean meat and fish (or low carb veggie protein such as tempeh, tofu, or seitan) and low sugar fruit and she'd retest in two weeks.  If it didn't go down, I'd have to go on blood pressure medication, NOT something I wished to do.

Essentially her recommendation is the KETO diet (minus the dairy which I'm sensitive to) though she didn't call it as such. I did that, as well as added some essential oils to my daily beauty ritual that reduce stress (that will be a separate post) and my blood pressure did stabilize, but I wanted to keep up the diet plan to see if I could stay off the sugar bandwagon.

It's really worked, I just don't crave sugar like I used to and have been able to avoid the cookies and sweets that come with the holiday season.

But I was really missing my Saturday waffles so I did a KETO version and my husband gave them a thumbs up.  I had a similar gluten-free recipe I posted earlier this Winter, but this version uses less eggs and is dairy free.

Gluten Free KETO waffles

In a medium bowl mix:
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder (I used Hain sodium free)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
5 individual serving size packets of Spenda


In another bowl:

With a hand mixer mix 3 large room temperature eggs until fluffy (about one minute)

Fold in carefully to retain the fluffiness:
1/3 cup dairy-free "milk"
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil  (mix it in in a very thin stream)

Mix wet and dry ingredients and bake in a waffle iron that's been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Serve with sugar-free syrup or sugar-free jam

Makes 4 Swedish waffles

Best Beef Stroganoff - KETO friendly

Young Living Beef Stroganoff. (Delicious and less than 20 mg sodium per serving - created for my Dad who has hypertension). If you don't have the Young Living food grade Vitality line of cooking essential oils I've added the amounts for dried herbs in the post.

This was SO good and works for Keto and Low Carb diets, gluten-free (add gluten-free noodles) or vegetarian (use Seitan, Tofu, Gardein "beef" strips instead of the steak though that will add to the sodium content. ) I made it for my husband last night and he gave it an enthusiastic two thumbs up!

Best Beef Stroganoff

Slice 1 and ½ pounds of strip or round steak into thin bite-sized pieces. Put in a ziplock bag with 2 Tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar and 2 tsp. of minced garlic. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but no more than 8.

When ready to prepare, remove steak from marinade retaining the marinade in a bowl.

In 2 Tablespoons of butter, brown steak until lightly browned on all sides with 1 drop of Young Living black pepper essential oil. Add marinade plus 1 additional teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 drop of Young Living Basil Vitality essential oil,1 drop of Young Living Nutmeg Vitality oil, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and cook through (but don’t overcook, it will be reheated again) Remove steak from pan, retaining liquids in cook pan.

In liquid sauté medium onion (chopped) for 5 minutes.

Add ½ cup dry white wine
1 and ½ cups button mushrooms chopped

Cook for approximately 5 minutes until mushrooms are softened and liquid is slightly reduced.

Stir in a mixture of:
1 Tablespoons Young Living Einkorn flour
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard. Stir thoroughly until incorporated and smooth.

Add meat back in and reheat on low until meat is warmed through.

Stir in ½ cup sour cream, heat on low for a few minutes then serve.

Note:  If using dried herbs:
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper (2-3 pinches)
pinch of nutmeg

Keto Kream of Chicken Ranch Casserole

I was making dinner for a diabetic friend that also has high blood pressure and wanted to use a  family favorite super easy recipe that calls for Cream of Chicken soup as one of the main ingredients.

So I did a KETO Kream of Chicken and it worked great!

Note:  If making to eat as soup as opposed to a casserole substitute for canned cream of chicken increase heavy cream to one cup and increase chicken broth to 3 cups

4 Tablespoons butter
3 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
2 and 1/2 Tablespoons coconut flour + 2 and 1/2 Tablespoons almond flour
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 cups chicken broth (I used a low sodium chicken bone broth)
1/2 cup finely diced cooked chicken
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon Jane's Krazy Salt (or your favorite low sodium salt or seasoning blend.)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and diced onion and sauté 2-3 minutes

Whisk in the coconut/almond flour combo and continue whisking as you cook for 2-3 minutes (roux should be slightly golden in texture and thickened),

Add broth, chicken and seasonings.  Increase heat and bring to a boil. 

Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes

In small batches, pour the soup into a blender and blend on low until smooth.  When all the batches are creamed pour back in the saucepan, add the heavy cream and heat on low until heated through.

If using for the casserole recipe, let cool before mixing.

To Make The Johnson Favorite Ranch Chicken

In crockpot place 1 pound boneless chicken breasts.

In a bowl mix :
1 batch Keto Kream of Chicken (cooled)
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1 (dry) package Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning Packet *
pinch of crushed red pepper
3 pieces of chopped cooked bacon (cook six total so you have some for a topping).

Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Shred chicken or serve breasts whole over riced cauliflower. (also great on mashed potatoes, rice, or gluten-free pasta if you are not watching your carbs.)

Top with additional bacon and/or green onion

* DIY Hidden Valley Ranch Dry Seasoning (3 Tablespoons equals one packet, the recipe makes enough for 5).

1 1/2 cup dry buttermilk (available at Walmart and other grocers)
1/3 cup dried parsley
1 tbs. dried dill weed
1 tbs. dried chives
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tbs. onion powder
1 tbs. ground black pepper

Mix and store in a jar with lid in a cool, dry place

Low Gluten Einkorn Pancakes

These pancakes aren't gluten-free but they are about as low gluten as you can get made with a Young Living Pancake mix that's a blend of a small amount of Einkorn ancient grain wheat, brown rice flour, Amaranth flour, Tapioca flour, Sorghum flour, and Dhokla flour (an Indian flour made from chickpeas). There's a recipe on the box but I tweaked it a bit for a taller, fluffier pancake which is my husband's preference.  If you'd like to order some of the mix you can go to the Young Living link on my right sidebar.  You don't have to sign up as a member to order retail (I did though to get the 24% discount, as I use a LOT Of their products).  They ship to 133 different countries.

Buttermilk Einkorn Pancakes (a riff on the Young Living Pancake Mix recipe). Very tall and fluffy!

In a medium-sized bowl mix:

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Y.L. Pancake Mix
2 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
A pinch of Cardamom (or Cinnamon)

In a separate bowl:

add 3/4 cup milk mixed with 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, let sit 5 minutes for a "faux" buttermilk.
Add 1 egg at room temperature.
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
Slowly whisk in 2 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.

Combine wet and dry. Let sit 5-8 minutes then cook on an oiled griddle. I served with sugar-free maple syrup and butter.

Makes approximately 10 pancakes.  Each 5-inch pancake is less than 100 calories including butter, milk, and sugar. (this is my husband's stack, mine was a wee bit smaller and no bacon). They also freeze well for re-heating.  Simply put a piece of wax paper between each pancake, wrap in foil and place in a ziplock bag.  Use within 1-2 months.  Microwave frozen pancakes approximately 1 and 1/2 minutes.

Keto Waffles - For Hailey and Zyphod's Mom and Dad

Really good.

5 eggs - medium-sized, separated
4 Tablespoons coconut flour
4 Tablespoons granulated sweetener of choice (I used Spenda)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tablespoons full-fat milk or cream 125 grams of butter melted. 

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. 

In a second bowl:
Mix the yolks, flour, sweetener, and baking powder
Add the melted butter SLOWLY, mixing to ensure it's smooth
Add the milk/cream and vanilla and mix

Gently fold the whisked egg whites into the yolk mixture trying to keep as much of the air and fluffiness as you can.

Use about 1/3 cup in a Swedish waffle maker or follow your waffle iron directions.  Cook until golden. Serve with butter and sugar-free syrup or sugar-free jam.