Lemon Silk Mini Cheesecakes

These mini cheesecakes are yet another variation of my original cheesecakes. The addition of extra lemon juice gives them a tangy sweet twist. They're so creamy and luscious they'll feel like silk in your mouth. Serve them for dessert tonight if you're looking for something tangy, sweet and refreshing!

Directions:

Use the same recipe and directions for Adriana's Mini Cheesecakes. The only change you will need to make is to increase the lemon juice from 1 tbsp to 3 tbsp.

*Optional* You can add 2-3 drops of yellow food coloring to the batter to make it look a little more bright and yellow.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until set. Let cool and refrigerate overnight before eating. Garnish with slivers of lemon zest if desired.

This recipe is suitable for induction IF you make it WITHOUT the crust.

This recipe yields 12 mini cheesecakes. Each cheesecake has 1.91 Net carbs

You can also make this cheesecake in a pie pan if you'd prefer.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

These bacon wrapped hot dogs are a cinch to make and they can be made outside on the grill, stove top grill, or in the oven under the broiler. You can serve these bacon beauties with mustard, ketchup, melted cheese, onion, jalapenos, pico de gallo, relish or anything your little low carb heart desires! They're very tasty, the combination of the crispy, salty bacon and the juicy beef hot dog make for a snack or entree that you'll love and will fill you right up! They're also very portable, you can take them with you to work and reheat, add them to your kids lunchbox or bento box, or even eat them for breakfast on the road. Enjoy!



Ingredients:

6 All beef hot dogs I used Hebrew National 1 carb per hot dog and no added sugars

6 strips of bacon (I used center cut)

Directions:

1. Wrap the bacon around the hot dogs, stretching as you wrap. The more stretched out the bacon is on the dog the better it will stay on and not unroll while you cook it.

2. Grill the hot dogs for 10-12 minutes or until the bacon is cooked and crispy. OR turn the broiler in the oven on high and broil the hot dogs for 4 minutes per side until done.

Simple! Each hot dog comes out to 1 Net carb if you use the Hebrew National brand. If not, then count the carbs that the hot dogs you use have because the bacon has no carbs. Of course try to get the bacon with no added or reduced sugar.

Grilled New York Strip Steak

I use this marinade with all the steaks I make: ribeyes, New York Strip steaks, all steaks. It gives the steak a very good flavor and color. I like my steak cooked well done but you can cook it to your preference of course!

Ingredients:

2 New York Strip Steaks

Marinade:

1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
sprinkle of salt
black pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and combine with the steaks. Let the steaks marinade for at least an hour.
2. Preheat the grill (I used an indoor stove top grill) to medium high heat
3. Add steaks and cook until it reaches your desired doneness
4. Top with a couple of pats of  Garlic and herb compound butter and serve with Deluxe mashed cauliflower  and assorted roasted vegetables.


1.5 Net carbs per steak with this marinade.

The marinade can also be doubled or tripled for more steaks.

Deluxe Mashed Cauliflower

I've made mashed cauliflower several times before with different results. I've made it smooth in the food processor and chunky with a vegetable masher. I've used frozen and fresh cauliflower. And of course I much MUCH prefer the fresh cauliflower taste and texture. I think it's personal preference, frozen cauliflower is more convenient and sometimes less expensive. If you've made mashed cauli with frozen cauliflower and have had good results go ahead and use it. But if for some reason you haven't liked the mashed cauli using frozen cauliflower, then give it one more chance using fresh it makes a big difference.

Ingredients:

1/2 large head of cauliflower, broken up into florets
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup water
salt and black pepper


Directions:

1. In a medium pan add the 1/4 cup of water and the cauliflower. Cover and steam on medium heat until the cauliflower is soft. About 15 minutes. Drain
2. Important Step: Add the cauliflower back to the pan and mash it with a vegetable masher. Let it cook in the pan for another 5 minutes stirring occassionally. This is to help the water dry off of the cauliflower so it won't be soggy and watery.
3. Add the butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Serve


This recipe yields 4 servings with 4.5 Net carbs each

Garlic and Herb Compound Butter

I've made a compound butter for turkey breast before, but never for a steak. Last night I decided to give it a try and with the addition of this butter that was the best steak i've ever eaten! The butter melts on the sizzling hot steak and gives it really good flavor.

Ingredients:

4 oz stick of butter softened in the microwave

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

sprinkle of salt

Directions:

1. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients until completely mixed.

2. Pour the soft butter into a sandwich ziploc bag and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes

3. Remove the butter from the freezer and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve

4. Slice a couple of pats over a big juicy steak, over roasted or steamed veggies, over cauli rice, or spaghetti squash. Delish!

This recipe yields 8 tbsp of compound butter. Each tablespoon has 0.3 Net carbs.

Low Carb Batter Fried Fish

I had been craving some fried fish for a while. I have a recipe for a simple breading that I love but I was looking for a batter fried fish. So I came up with this recipe and it was fabulous! It was exactly what I was looking for. The batter is light and adds great taste and texure to the fish. I bet this would be excellent on shrimp or even chicken! Long John Silvers Who!?

Ingredients:

For the batter:

6 tbsp coconut flour (I used Bob's Red Bill Organic, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
4 eggs
1/4 cup half and half
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp baking powder
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb fish, I used Tilapia but you could use Catfish or whatever is your favorite fish

oil for deep frying


Directions:

1. Preheat oil for deep frying
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, add the coconut flour and mix, add the onion powder, garlic powder, baking powder salt and pepper. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes before using it. It will thicken up nicely.
3. Dip the fish into the batter and drop into the hot oil or deep fryer
4. Fry until golden brown and cooked though about 5 minutes depending of the thickness of the fish
6. Repeat until all of the fish is done, if you have any leftover batter drop in some onion rings!
I served mine with finely shredded lettuce, lemon wedges, and my tartar sauce


Make sure the fish is dry before you dip it in the batter. If it has moisture the batter won't stick as well as it should.

Coconut flour is very thirsty, it soaks up alot of moisture so this amount, even though it seems to be small is perfect for the amount of half and half and eggs. It won't be as thick or crispy as the high carb white flour batter, but I promise it's very good. I had a high carb batter fish lover sample it and they thought it was delicious and had seconds!

There is no coconut taste to the batter. It's very light and crisp no coconut taste at all.


The carb count for the whole batch of batter is 19.72. I got to batter 1 lb of fish which was 7 fish fillets. Assuming 7 servings per batch each piece would have 2.8 Net carbs.
Thats pretty good considering one piece of high carb batter fried fish has 17 carbs!

Low Carb Tartar Sauce

Bottled tartar sauce usually has sugar and some other mystery ingredients and to be honest it doesn't even taste that great. Instead make you own and save on carbs and increase the taste!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of mayonnaise
2 tbsp chopped dill pickles
1 tbsp finely minced onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Splenda
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Taste and add more Splenda and lemon juice to taste if necessary.

This recipe yields 1/2 cup or approximately 4 servings of 2 tbsp

Each serving has 0.8 Net carbs

This sauce would go great with fish, shrimp or even chicken if you'd like!

Crispy Mexican Chicken Melts

This recipe uses my basic breading and Mexican spices to creat a zippy, crispy, juicy chicken that is then topped with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. Perfect for when you're craving Mexican food and easy enough to whip up during the week or any time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise for a total of 8 thin pieces of chicken
2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp of water
1 recipe of my basic breading
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup of Mexican salsa (homemade, or store bought but check the label for no added or reduced sugar)
1/2 cup of Muenster cheese, shredded (Muenster is my favorite cheese but you can also use Monterey or pepper Jack)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
black pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. In a large pan add the olive oil and heat to medium heat
3. In a large plate/bowl add the simple breading mix and the cumin, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper
4. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash, then into the seasoned breading. Add to pan and fry until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. About 4 minutes per side (Do not over cook the chicken because it will still go into the oven for 10 minutes)
5. Place the chicken pieces on a plate lined with paper towels. Until you have finished cooking all of the chicken pieces.
6. In a cookie sheet or baking pan place the "breaded chicken". Top each piece of chicken with 1 tbsp salsa and 1 tbsp of cheese. Sprinkle green onion and half of the cilantro on top of the chicken
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly
8. Remove from oven and top with a dollop of sour cream and remaining cilantro

This is one of my new favorite recipes!

This recipe yields 4 servings of 2 pieces of chicken each. I served mine with a rainbow of fresh bell peppers and avocado. But you could serve your with a salad or cauli rice as well.

The carb count will vary slightly depending on what kind of salsa you use. For this recipe and carb count I used Pace Picante hot sauce.

Carb counts for recipe as written not including any sides in the picture:  3 Net carbs per serving



Recipe as written is induction friendly

Adriana's Basic Low Carb "Breading"

Since starting to eat low carb i've used several methods of "breading" food. Be it chicken or steak. I've tried crushed pork rinds and parmesan cheese and while i have to say they were both good, (especially the parmesan cheese!) They aren't always the right flavor/texture i'm looking for for an all purpose "breading." I've since come up with a way to combine both ingredients into the right proportions so that the taste is neither too cheesy, nor too porky.
This recipe can be doubled to make bigger batches of of food and can be seasoned in many different ways which makes it very versatile. A big favorite of mine is using Mrs. Dash garlic and herb. When you're seasoning this "breading" make sure you use a seasoner that has no salt, since the pork rinds and the cheese have plenty of salt already.

Ingredients:

1 bag of pork rinds, crushed. It is best if you use a food processor (I use my Ninja) Crush them until they're almost powdered, very, very fine.  I use a  3  3/4 oz  bag (This is the standard bag size found in most grocery stores in the chips and snack aisle)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (the green can kind)

That's it! Well, that's the basic measurement. This mixture covers one pound of food. Like I mentioned you can season it any way you like, with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoning blends, any way you would season breadcrumbs for breading.

Just mix up a basic egg wash. 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon of water and beat them until combined. Dip the meat/chicken into the egg wash then into the "breading." Fry or bake and there you go, delicious!

There's only trace carbs in this recipe not including the spices you use which sould be very minimal as well. Please check you spice blends to make sure they don't have any added sugars in them.

This recipe is induction friendly!

Chicken Salad Melts

I had some leftover chicken from last night and was craving something cheesy and delicious! I made a super simple chicken salad that was really good even by itself, but I piled it up on top of fresh tomato slices and topped it with cheese. It's a great quick lunch!

Makes two servings of 2 melts each

Ingredients:

For the chicken salad I used:

1 leftover large cooked chicken breast that was seasoned with lemon pepper, chopped
1/4  cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp red onion, chopped

You'll also need:

1 medium tomato sliced into 4 thick slices
4 slices of cheese, you choice. I used 2 sharp cheddar and 2 swiss. Both were really good.


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl mix the chicken, mayo, sour cream, parsley, lemon juice and onion, mix until combined.
3. In a small baking pan arrange the four slices of tomato and top evenly with chicken salad. Add 1 slice of cheese to each one.
4. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve 2 melts per person.


Net carbs:  PER MELT 2.5    OR 5 PER SERVING


You can also make this chicken salad and just eat it over lettuce or with celery sticks. Yum!

Deluxe Fried "Rice"

I made some perfect steamed cauli rice a few days ago and had leftovers. I used them to throw together this quick and delicious deluxe fried "rice" It's not much of a recipe because I used what I had on hand, it's more of an example of what you can do with leftover cauli "rice" Perfect for when you get a Chinese food craving!

I Used:

3/4 cup leftover cauli "rice"

1 egg

2 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 green onion, including green part, sliced

1 tbsp green bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp red bell pepper, chopped

1 oz leftover steak

1 oz leftover chicken

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp oil



Directions:

1. In a small bowl, beat egg

2. Add 1 tbsp oil to pan and heat to medium

3. Add egg to pan and cook until set but still a bit wet, remove and set aside, wipe pan clean

4. Add other 1 tbsp oil to pan, heat to medium-high heat. Add the meat, stir fry for  a few minutes.

5. Add vegetables in with meat stir fry for 3-4 minutes but leave them tender-crisp.

6. Add cauli rice in with meat and vegetables, stir fry for 2 minutes then add soy sauce and egg. Cook for another 2 minutes.

7. Serve and enjoy!

Obviously the carb counts will vary depending on what vegetables you use, but here's the carb count for this recipe the way I made it:  6.9 Net carbs

You could also make this with shrimp! Yum! Or just throw any leftovers in and it'll still be delicious!

Low Carb Curry in a Hurry for Two

Got a craving for Indian food? Want something spicy and hearty? Well you've found it! This curry will be ready in less than 30 minutes, much faster than ordering take out! Feel free to double or even triple the recipe, it's that good!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut in chunks
1/4  medium onion, in strips
1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil


Directions:

1. Add oil to medium pan and heat to medium heat
2. Add chicken to pan, stir fry until cooked and golden brown, about 10 minutes
3. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, drain excess grease but leave some in the pan for the vegetables
4. Add garlic and curry powder and fry for 30 seconds.
5. Add onions and peppers and cook for 2 minutes
6. Add water to pan, stir. Add heavy cream. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce is lightly thickened
7. Add chicken back to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes


This is great served with my Perfect Steamed Cauli Rice . The rice tastes really good with the sauce from the curry!


This recipe is enough for two people, with 5.7 Net carbs per serving. If you eat it with half a cup of my cauli rice it'll be 7.7 Net carbs total including cauli rice.

Perfect Steamed Cauli-Rice

Since starting low carb I have tried several times to make cauli-rice. You know when you take cauliflower and rice it, shred it, or chop it finely to look like rice? Sometimes also called faux rice.
All the times i've made it before i've done it with frozen cauliflower and the results weren't as good as I hoped. The cauliflower is too watery and mushy when thawed. So please if you want to see the difference try this recipe out. It is really good. Very subtle cauliflower flavor and excellent texture.

Ingredients:

1/2 head fresh cauliflower
salt to taste
Food processor, magic bullet, or Ninja.  I personally own the Ninja and I love it! I use it almost every day. I used it to make this rice and in a few seconds Voila!
medium, microwave safe bowl


Directions:

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets
2. Add the florets to the Ninja and pulse until riced (I did it in two batches)
3. Add the riced cauliflower to microwave safe bowl, add salt
4. Microwave for 3 minutes, stop and stir the rice every 1 minute
5. Ready to serve!

You do not need to add any water to the cauliflower, it steams with its natural water and comes out perfect.

I got 2 cups of rice from half a head of cauliflower


Recipe yields 4    1/2 cup servings with 2 net carbs per serving

Jalapeno Cheeseburger Pie and Greens with Homemade Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

This pie is based on a recipe by LindaSue. Her website is amazing and has lots and lots of recipes and pictures. If you haven't already done so, stop by and check it out!

This pie is sooooo cheesy and hearty and has a kick from the jalapenos. It's very filling and yields 8 large pieces so it's great as leftovers too!

This was the first time I have ever made a vinaigrette, I just made it up as I went and it was delicious! The taste of the mustard goes great with the cheeseburger pie. I had a friend over to eat who is very picky and she loved the salad with the vinaigrette!

Ingredients:

Jalapeno Cheeseburger Pie

1  1/2 lbs ground beef
1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
1 cup Muenster cheese, shredded (or you can use Monterey Jack)
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
1 tsp onion powder
3 eggs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Brown ground beef in a large pan, season with onion powder, salt and pepper. Drain off excess grease.
3. Add chopped onion and cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes, then add in the Muenster cheese. Set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl whisk the eggs, add the mayo and heavy cream and mix very well until completely combined
5. In a large pie pan (I used a 12" round pan) Add the ground beef mixture spread evenly
6. Top with the egg mixture and then add the sharp cheddar
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until top is set and golden brown. Slice into 8 pieces and serve.

Pie yields 8 slices with 1.4  Net carbs per slice


Greens with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette 

5 cups Spring mix (or your favorite greens, carb counts will vary)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp (1 packet or 1 drop of liquid) Splenda
pinch of salt


Directions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil and vinegar until combined
2. Add the mustard, Splenda and salt, whisk until completely combined
3. Add greens to bowl and toss, serve immediately

Serves 4 as a side salad or 2 as a main dish salad


The vinaigrette has only trace carbs per serving and it depends what greens you use for the carb count on them but they're usually very low in carbs.

Supreme Pizza!

I've tried many different pizza crusts while on low carb, and I have to say I haven't found one I didn't like. This is the easiest to make and tastes very very good! You can go crazy on the toppings and do many different variations, pepperoni lover's, meat lover's, bbq chicken, hawaiian, cheeseburger, philly cheese steak, and the list goes on and on.
I've served this pizza to several non low-carbers from teens to adults and every single one of them loved it!

I found these wraps at walmart in the deli section, but I know that Netrition.com also sells them.

Ingredients:

1 Joseph's Lavash Bread
2 tbsp pizza or pasta sauce, lowest carbs you can find (the one I used had 1 net carb per 2 tbsp)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
20 slices pepperoni
2 thin slices of red onion, chopped
2 tbsp black olives, sliced
2 slices Canadian bacon, chopped
2 tbsp chopped bell pepper
1 tbsp olive oil



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a cookie sheet place lavash bread. Brush both sides with olive oil
3. Bake in preheated oven for 3 minutes, remove, flip over with a spatula, and bake for another 3 minutes. It should be lightly toasted. Watch it carefully because it burns easily.
4. Take crust out of the oven and top with sauce, cheese, and all toppings.
5. Return to the oven and bake for 8 minutes. Turn on the broiler to low and broil for 3 minutes. Again, watch it carefully!
6. Slice with pizza cutter and serve!


I get 12 square slices out of this pizza.

Each piece comes out to 1.2 Net carbs. I eat 3 pieces with a salad and it's just right, but it's up to you how many pieces you want to eat per serving.

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Wings

I love wings! I've tried them chinese style, cajun style, lemon pepper, and one of my favorites with Hooters Hot wing sauce! 
Tonight I tried them deep fried until crispy with a garlic parmesan sauce. Delicious! Serve with celery sticks and ranch or blue cheese. I didn't have celery today so I used green bell pepper strips. Equally yummy!

Ingredients:

8 chicken wing sections
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan cheese (green can is fine)
sea salt
oil for deep frying


Directions:

1. Score chicken wings at an angle and lightly rub with sea salt (don't go to crazy with the salt because the parmesan is salty)
2. In a large pan or deep fryer add oil and heat.
3. Add chicken wings to hot oil and fry until golden brown and extra cripsy, about 10 minutes
4. In a large microwave safe bowl add 2 tbsp of butter and minced garlic. Microwave until butter is melted. 45 seconds to 1 minute.
5. Stir in parmesan cheese.
6. Add hot chicken wings to sauce and toss to coat.


This recipe is only for one, but you can certainly double it or even triple it to make a big batch, and you probably should because everyone will want some!

Only trace carbs for this recipe as written.

It's a Fajita Fiesta! With My Fajita Toreada!

Craving some mexican food? Maybe some tender juicy fajitas with grilled onions and jalapenos smothered in cheese? I thought so! This recipe is super easy and will cure your Mexican food blues! Plus this is waaaaaayyyy better tasting and much much cheaper than take out. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1  1/2  lbs fajitas, cut in strips against the grain
7 oz (half a package) of smoked beef sausage (I used Hillshire Farms brand)  sliced in rounds
half a medium onion, sliced in strips
2 jalapenos, sliced in strips
1 cup muenster, pepperjack, or monterey jack cheese (I used muenster)
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
lime wedges and avocado to serve, optional


Directions:

1. Heat a large saute pan on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add fajitas. Add salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook until fajitas are cooked but not browned, about 10-12 minutes.
3. While the fajitas cook, in a separate small pan heat remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and add onions and jalapenos. Cook on medium heat until grilled and golden brown. About 10 minutes.

4. Move fajitas to side of the pan and add sausage. Cook for 5 minutes until fajitas and sausage are golden brown.

5. Stir in half a cup of the cheese into the pan with the fajitas and the sausage.
6. Serve fajitas on a plate and top with onion/jalapeno mixture and remaining cheese. Serve with a wedge of lime and avocado (optional and NOT included in the carb counts)

The carb count may vary and be less or more depending on what kind/brand of sausage you use.

This recipe yields 4 servings with 3.47 Net carbs each.

This would be great served with my Spicy avocado salsa or my Fresh Mexican salsa

Low Carb Double Fudge Brownie Bites

For a while now i've been seeing recipes for black bean brownies and cakes and i've been curious to try them. I modified several recipes I saw to create what were amazingly delicious, almost fudge like brownie bites! They DO NOT taste like beans, not even a little bit. They're perfectly sweet, fudgy, moist, and crunchy from the walnuts. They're very low carb and are sweetened with all natural erythritol and Stevia. Delicious!

Ingredients:

1   15 oz can of unseasoned, unsalted black beans

4 eggs

3/4 cup of erythritol, powdered

1/4 tsp NuNaturals pure Stevia extract (the white powder)

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp Torani's Sugar Free Vanilla syrup (you can also use Davinci's)

3 tbsp Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder

2 oz of Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate

2 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp melted butter

1/4 cup of water

pinch of salt

8x8 baking mold

foil paper

non stick spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Drain the black beans in a strainer and rinse them with cold water.

3. Add the to a food processor, Ninja, or magic bullet, along with 1/4 cup of water. Puree until completely smooth.

4. In a large bowl mix the pureed beans, 2 tbsp melted butter, the eggs, cream cheese, baking powder, sweeteners, vanilla syrup, and cocoa powder. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth.

5. In a large microwave safe bowl, add the unsweetened chocolate and the butter. Microwave for 2 minutes, stopping and stirring at 30 second intervals. Until completely melted and smooth. It might be ready before or after the 2 minutes depending on your microwave.

6. Heat the heavy cream for a few seconds in the microwave, then slowly add it in to the chocolate mixture and stir to completely combine. It will look smooth and glossy.

7. Add the melted chocolate and a pinch of salt to the brownie batter and mix until thoroughly combined.

8. Fold in the walnuts or pecans.

9. Line the baking pan with foil and spray foil with pam. The foil will help you remove the brownies from the pan and make it easy to cut them.

10. The batter will look runny and that's ok. It'll bake up beautifully. Add the batter to the pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until set and toothpick comes out clean. My brownies took 35 minutes.

11. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. When cool remove the brownies from the pan using the foil. And cut into one inch squares. I got 49 bites from this batch.

12. Let them set room temperature over night. After that, store in the refrigerator.

NOTE:

I used a combination of erythritol and stevia because a combination of two or more sweeteners works better with chocolate and these two have very little net carb impact. It doesn't make it bitter like say, Splenda would. However, you can most certainly try it with Splenda if that's what you have on hand. Even better if it's liquid to save you the carbs of granular Splenda.

You can powder your erythritol in a food processor, magic bullet, or ninja. Just keep it running until it turns into powder. I like to powder 1 cup at a time and store it in a plastic baggie to use as needed.

64 Net Carbs for the entire recipe.

1.3 Net carbs per bite

Apple Cinnamon Cheesecakes

This is the third and last variation of the mini cheesecakes I made for Christmas. I used canned apple cinnamon pie topping sweetened with Splenda. They were very good and tasted very fall-ish and winter-ish if those are words! You can also use blueberry, strawberry, or cherry Sugar Free pie topping.

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Adriana's Mini Cheesecakes
1 cup of Splenda sweetened apple pie topping and filling.
1tsp cinnamon

Directions:
1. Make the cheesecakes as directed and top with the apple pie topping and cinnamon.

Chill overnight before serving. Very good with a cup of coffee!


I used Great Value No sugar added pie filling sweetened with Splenda, which has 6 net carbs per 1/3 cup

Recipe yields 12 cheesecakes.      Net carbs per cheesecake  3.25



Adriana's Homemade Chocolate Ganache

I used this ganache to top my mini chocolate chip cheesecakes. But I made extra and I made homemade sugar free peanut butter cups! This can also be used to cover strawberries, pecans, almonds or any kind of nut or low carb cookie or marshmallow. It's really, really good!

Ingredients:

1 oz of unsweetened baking chocolate I used Baker's brand
2 tbsp powdered erythritol
1/8 tsp NuNaturals pure Stevia extract (the white powder kind)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed in the microwave
2 tbsp butter, melted


Directions:

1. In a microwave safe bowl melt the chocolate on its own for about 1 minute 30 seconds. Stop and stir the chocolate every 30 seconds. If it's melted before the 1 minute and 30 seconds take it out if it needs more time then keep microwaving it until it's melted.
2. Add the melted butter and stir until incorporated.
3. Add the vanilla and the sweeteners and stir to combine.
4. Add the warmed heavy cream a little at a time and stir to combine. The mixture will be very smooth and rich.

Use as you wish!


This recipe as written has 7.32 Net carbs.  Net carbs per serving will depend on what you use it for and how many servings you get.
It's very important that the cream be warmed for it to finish melting the chocolate and it can be glossy and smooth.

This is the chocolate I used:



Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes with Homemade Chocolate Ganache!

I made several variations of cheesecakes for Christmas and this was my ABSOLUTE favorite. It was AMAZING! It tasted like something I expect to get at a gourmet bakery. It's the best cheesecake I have ever had, low carb or not. Very, very LUSCIOUS!

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Adriana's Mini Cheesecakes
1/2 cup of your favorite sugar free chocolate chips. I used Sensato Sugar Free chocolate chips. You can also use a Green and Black's or Godiva's 85% chocolate bar chopped up.
1 recipe for Adriana's Homemade Chocolate Ganache

Directions:

1. Follow all the instructions for making my cheesecakes. Before pouring the mixture into the crusts, fold in the chocolate chips. Then bake as directed.
2. After the cheesecakes come out of the oven and are cooled, spoon the ganache on top and let it sit for 2 hours or until set. Refrigerate over night for best taste.


Recipe yields 12 cheesecakes, each with 2.36 Net carbs

The carb counts might differ slightly depending on the chocolate chips you choose to use.

Adriana's Mini Cheescakes

For Christmas I made three kinds of mini cheesecakes. They're so creamy and very low in carbs because they're sweetened with a combination of erythritol and stevia. All of them start with this basic cheesecake recipe. I'll post the variations separately.

Ingredients:

Crust:

3/4 cup of pecan meal (just run the pecans through the processor until they turn into a meal)

1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I used Jay Robb)

3 tbsp butter, melted

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cheesecake:

2   8 oz pckgs cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp Torani Sugar Free Vanilla syrup, you can also use Davinci's

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/8 tsp NuNaturals pure Stevia Extract (It's the white powder)

1/8 cup erythritol, powdered

2 eggs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. In a bowl mix the pecan meal, protein powder, cinnamon, and melted butter. Stir to completely combine.

3. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.

4. Press the crust mixture down into the liners and bake for 5 minutes. Remove to cool.

Meanwhile,

5. Cream the cheese and the eggs. Add the Torani or Davinci's, lemon juice, stevia, and erythritol.

6. Add the cheesecake mixture to the crusts and bake for 12-15 minutes until set.

They're best if you let them cool completely at room temperature and in the refrigerator over night. The BEST cheesecakes I have ever had. Well, second to the chocolate chip cheesecake with homemade chocolate ganache variation! 

I got my pecan meal at a local Farmer's Market. I got a full pound of pecan meal for $2.95!

Please note: You can powder erythritol in your food processor, magic bullet, or Ninja. You can powder a full cup then store it in a plastic baggie and use it as needed for these cheesecakes or other recipes that call for powdered erythritol.

Also note: If you do not have these sweeteners, then use 3/4 cup of Splenda or liquid Splenda for lower carbs.


Recipe yields 12 cheesecakes.  Net carbs per cheesecake (recipe as written) 1.75

Sharp Cheddar and Bacon Sliders with homemade Chipotle Mayo

This isn't really a recipe. Just mix the ground beef with salt, pepper, and onion powder to taste and form into little patties. Cook to desired doneness and top with cooked bacon and sharp cheddar. The recipe for the homemade chipotle mayo is here. Serve with a nice fresh salad on the side.

Chipotle Mayo

I made this mayo to go along with some sharp cheddar and bacon sliders. I also used it with a philly cheese steak wrap and a chicken club wrap. It's to die for and very easy to make!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup prepared, store bought mayo
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 chipotle peppers in adobo PLUS 2 tbsp of the adobo sauce in the can


Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine the mayo, garlic, and the peppers and adobo sauce and puree until completely smooth.

Store in a covered container for up to a week.

Makes a little over half a cup. Only trace carbs per serving.



Pesto Chicken Roll Ups

If you know me you've probably heard me say that my Chicken Milano is my all time favorite food on low carb. Well, ladies and gentleman the day has come where my favorite dish has been replaced! Yes! This recipe is the best food I have ever made. It tastes so fresh and luscious that you'd have trouble finding something this good in a restaurant! I highly suggest making this for company or for an anniversary, or when you need to remember how completely amazing low carb eating can be!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced thin
1/2 cup shredded NOT grated parmesan cheese. It's better if you splurge and get the shredded because the flavor of the powdered one just doesn't compare.
1 recipe of Adriana's Pesto
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste
fresh lemon wedges to serve
toothpicks to secure if needed


Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil to medium heat in a large skillet
2. Place a thin chicken cutlet on a cutting board, spread with 1 tbsp of pesto and 1 tbsp of shredded parmesan.
3. Roll the chicken cutlet and secure with a toothpick if needed. (I secured all of mine with a toothpick, then removed them half way through cooking them and they stayed perfectly rolled up)
4. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and add to pan.
5. Cook chicken until light golden brown and cooked all the way through about 6-8 minutes. Turning frequently to ensure even browning. Repeat until all pieces are cooked. I added several to the pan at a time and it took me 2 batches to get them all cooked.
6. Serve with lemon wedges and just before eating sprinkle some lemon juice over the chicken. The lemon accentuates the flavor of the basil and makes it a 5 star dish.

I served mine with fresh asparagus sauteed in a pan at high heat with butter. Sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with some lemon juice to serve. Excellent!

Please note you can also use your own pesto recipe or pre-made pesto. But the flavor in the pre-made one will not be as fantastic as freshly made pesto.

This recipe serves 4.

1.31 Net carbs per serving

Adriana's Pesto

Since eating low carb I have begun cooking with fresh ingredients and herbs. Basil has become one of my favorite herbs! I had an excess of basil and I didn't want it to go bad, so I tried my hand at making pesto for the very first time! I'm not sure how "authentic" my version is but it tasted amazing!

Ingredients:

2 cups loosley packed basil leaves, washed and dried
1 clove of garlic
3 tbsp parmesan cheese
3 tbsp walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste


Directions:

1. In a food processor, add the basil leaves, walnuts, parmesan, sea salt and garlic. Mix until pureed.
2. Drizzle in the olive oil until thoroughly combined.

That's it! This recipe makes approximately 1/2 cup with 5.24 Net carbs.

To store it put it in a container and cover with a light layer of olive oil to prevent it from browning.

Cheesy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

This is one of the sides I had at Christmas dinner. It was delish and would also make a great appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 container of white button mushrooms approx 14 mushrooms. Cleaned and stems removed
4 oz cream cheese softened
3 green onions
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Old Bay spice
1/2 cup blue crab
2 tbsp parmesan, grated
2 tbsp butter melted


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Mix the cream cheese, green onions, lemon juice, Old Bay, and 1 tbsp of the parmesan until well combined. Fold in the crab meat.
3. Dip the mushroom caps in to the melted butter, then stuff them with the crab mixture. Repeat until all of them are finished. Top them with the remaining parmesan.
4. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes intil liquid collects under the mushrooms. Turn on the broiler for a few minutes to get the tops lightly golden.

Great served with ham, or as an appetizer.  You can reserve the mushroom stems to make broth or add them chopped up to a soup or maybe a philly cheese steak melt.


Each mushroom has 0.5 Net carbs.



Supreme Pizza Bites

If you've already seen my previous post of pepperoni basil bites, this is the second batch I made. Which I turned into supreme pizza bites! These were more of a hit with the adults than the kids but it was better for us because we got more! Both versions were equally delicious and both were snatched up and eaten within 5 minutes! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 oz pckg cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/4 cup pizza or pasta sauce, the lowest carbs you can find. The one I used had 2 net carbs per 1/4 cup

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn into small pieces

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

32 slices of pepperoni, plus an additional 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni

2 slices of canadian bacon or ham, chopped

2 tbsp sliced black olives

2 tbsp chopped green bell pepper

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 mini muffin tin, preferably a 24 capacity one

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 350 F.

2. Place one pepperoni in the bottom of each mini muffin tin. Press down on them to make them stay.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the pizza or pasta sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, chopped pepperoni, ham, green peppers, olives and onions.

4. Fill each mini muffin space to the top with this mixture. Be careful not to overfill.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lighly golden brown and set.

6. Remove them from the pan by passing a small knife around the edges. They should pop right out with no problem but if you know your pan tends to stick then add pam before baking.

7. Place remaining pepperoni's in the bottom of the tins and add remaining mixture and bake as directed.


You have to do this in batches since the recipe yields 32 and the pan only holds 24.

Each pizza bite has 0.5 Net carbs

The carbs counts will vary slightly depending on what kind of pizza or pasta sauce you use.

If you haven't already seen it, I also posted a recipe for pepperoni basil pizza bites. So please check that post out as well! 

Pepperoni Basil Pizza Bites

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season!

For my first post of 2011 i'm starting with these appetizers I made on Christmas Day. Warning: You might want to make them only if you're have company because they are so good, you won't be able to stop yourself from eating the entire batch, all 32 of these delicious bites!

Ingredients:

8 oz pckg cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1/4 cup pizza or pasta sauce, the lowest carbs you can find. The one I used had 2 net carbs per 1/4 cup

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

5 fresh basil leaves, chopped or torn into small pieces

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

32 slices of pepperoni, plus an additional 1/4 cup chopped pepperoni

1 mini muffin tin, preferably a 24 capacity one

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven at 350 F.

2. Place one pepperoni in the bottom of each mini muffin tin. Press down on them to make them stay.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese and eggs until thoroughly combined. Add the pizza or pasta sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, basil, and chopped pepperoni.

4. Fill each mini muffin space to the top with this mixture. Be careful not to overfill.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lighly golden brown and set.

6. Remove them from the pan by passing a small knife around the edges. They should pop right out with no problem but if you know your pan tends to stick then add pam before baking.

7. Place remaining pepperoni's in the bottom of the tins and add remaining mixture and bake as directed.


You have to do this in batches since the recipe yields 32 and the pan only holds 24.

Each pizza bite has 0.35 Net carbs.

The carbs counts will vary slightly depending on what kind of pizza or pasta sauce you use.

I made a second batch that I turned into Supreme pizza bites. So please check that post out as well!