GRAHAM CRACKER FLATBREAD

Ok, these look like graham crackers, and they really do taste like graham crackers, but they do not have the crunch of graham crackers.  I attempted to convert this recipe I found to low carb.  I wanted to also try out my new Capella Graham Cracker Flavor drops.  These turned out tasting wonderful and far from calling them a flop, because they didn't have the crunch, I just call them a new creation.  They make a good flatbread.  They are softer than crackers but chewier than bread.   It also depends on how long you want to bake them as to how hard they get.  You can experiment.  I baked the first batch around 25 to 30 minutes trying to get them crunchy, but when I saw I was going to burn them and not get them any crunchier I removed them and let them cool.  

the second batch I tried a spoonful of in the microwave to see if it would crisp up there, but it didn't work.  So I rolled out the rest as I did the first batch and baked them for about 25 min.  I made the most wonderful sandwich for lunch out of it, that reminded me of my childhood.  I spread peanut butter on top, added some thin deli sliced ham, and a slice of Bongard cheese on top.  Excellent to my child-like taste buds.  Just one of my strange sandwich combos but hey, give it a try! You'll be hooked.  I had to have a second one.  

I'm thinking these would also make a great graham cracker crust, or a base to a candy bar, if you top it with a filling of some sort, such as peanut butter and coat in chocolate.  Oh yeah!  Or any other number of combinations I can think of to tickle my taste buds.  I was unsure of how much Capella drops to use because I'm new to them and still experimenting.  I found 16 drops to be perfect.  You can even smell the graham cracker smell when they come out of the oven. Can you tell I have a thing for graham crackers?  I am still planning on working on the "cracker" part of this, and getting the crisp just right.  Hopefully I'll have the perfect graham cracker for you soon.  Back to the kitchen!   

I also have to mention, the first time I mixed the blackstrap molasses in with the dry ingredients first, and didn't like the way it mixed in.  So I suggest in the recipe below adding it to the liquid ingredients.  Or you don't have to use blackstrap molasses if you don't want.  You could use a brown sugar substitute in place of part of the sweetener instead.  This is the way I made it and what I used.

GRAHAM CRACKER FLATBREAD                      

1 cup  almond flour

1 cup  flaxseed meal, golden

1/2 cup  parmesan cheese

1/2 cup  sweetener -- (12 packets truvia)

2 teaspoons  cinnamon

1 teaspoon  baking powder

1/2 teaspoon  xanthan gum

1/2 teaspoon  baking soda

1/4 teaspoon  salt

7 tablespoons  butter -- cold, cut into pieces

9 tablespoons  egg whites -- (equal to 3 eggs)

1/2 teaspoon  blackstrap molasses

6 drops  liquid sucralose -- (or stevia)

16 drops  graham cracker flavoring -- (Capella drops) (optional but recommended, this is what gives it that graham flavor)

In medium bowl, mix together almond flour, flaxseed meal, parmesan cheese, sweetener, cinnamon, baking powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk all together well.

Using your fingertips, add in the butter and mix until it makes coarse crumbs.  Use pastry blender if necessary to get it mixed in well.  In small bowl whisk egg whites together with blackstrap molasses, liquid sucralose, and graham cracker flavor drops.  Slowly mix into dry mix and stir, until it comes together into a ball, making a stiff dough. Cover and refrigerate dough for 1 hr.  

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  On large piece of parchment paper, (fitted to the size of 1 large cookie sheet), place dough.  Spray plastic wrap equal in size.  Place on top of dough and roll out to a thin rectangle, shaping dough with hands as you go to make a rectangle.  Peel off plastic wrap and cut into squares with pizza cutter.  Pierce all over with a fork and place parchment paper with rolled dough onto cookie sheet. 

Bake 15 to 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. After 15 min. check for doneness and put back in if necessary and bake until lightly browned and to the doneness you desire. Check often so as not to burn.  A graham cracker taste but not a crisp cracker.  Will be more like a flatbread. 

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16 Servings/Per Serving: 154 Calories; 12g Fat (69.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber

NOPALITO TACO OMELET

Sorry my photography is not so good with these, but I was in a hurry to eat it!  Ha! I decided at the last minute to shoot a quick picture and blog it. No careful prepping or anything. But you get the idea anyway.  I hate putting up a recipe without a picture.

I'm really getting to like Nopalitos, even if they don't lower my blood sugar yet.  I'm still waiting to see if they do that.  I guess it can take a few times of eating them, which will be ok with me, cuz I like eating them.  I really liked them last night in my Beef Tamale Pie and I really liked them today in this omelet, which I had for lunch.  You can find Nopalitos in the Mexican section of the grocery store.  The ones I bought were in a 30 oz. jar.  I used left over taco meat.  You can use your favorite seasonings for tacos.


                   
NOPALITO TACO OMELET

2 large  eggs
1/4 cup fiesta blend shredded cheese
1 teaspoon  coconut flour
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Filling:
1/4 cup  taco meat
1/4 cup  Nopalitos (Mexican section of grocery)
2 tablespoons  chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup  lettuce -- (Optional)
1/4 cup  fiesta blend shredded cheese
2 tablespoons  green taco Sauce, Ortega-mild

In small bowl, whisk eggs until frothy.  Stir in cheese and coconut flour until well blended.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour batter into frying pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or greased.  Cook on one side, carefully turn and cook on the other side until done.  Slide out onto plate.

In microwavable bowl, add taco meat, nopalitos, and chopped tomatoes.  Microwave for 1 minute.  Pour out onto omelet.  Top with lettuce and sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Pour Taco sauce on top and fold over.

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1 Serving: 490 Calories; 36g Fat (67.4% calories from fat); 32g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber

BEEF TAMALE PIE

Here's how a recipe evolves in my kitchen.  I started out to make a Shepherd's Pie today and as I was in the process of browning the beef, I started thinking, hmmm... what about a Mexican Shepherd's Pie?  Then I thought, what about a corn bread sort of topping.  Then  I remembered a side dish I made for Low-Carbing Among Friends Vol. 2 that would probably make a good corny sort of topping.  So I ended up with a Tamale Pie, sort of.  I also have been wanting to try Nopalitos, because I've been reading that they have been found to lower blood sugar when added to a meal.  I don't know how much of them it takes to do that, but I did not have that experience with them, unfortunately.

This is a slightly higher than Bernstein friendly carb meal.  It has 14 total g. of carbs and 3 g. of fiber.  I didn't really figure out the carb count until I was finished eating it, or perhaps I could figure out a way to lower them a bit more.  But if you can handle the carbs, this is really good.  It turned out to be just what my taste buds imagined.  Even if the Nopalitos did not lower my blood sugar as I hoped, I found out I like them.  I never had them before.  Add more heat if you like it spicier.  I think I will next time I make it.


BEEF TAMALE PIE

2  pounds  lean ground beef
8  ounces  mushrooms -- chopped
1  cup  nopalitos -- drained (Mexican section of grocery store)
14 1/2 ounces  diced tomatoes -- canned
1 tablespoon  minced garlic
1 tablespoon  chili powder
1 tablespoon  cumin powder
1 teaspoon  onion powder
1/2 teaspoon  garlic powder
Salt and pepper -- to taste
Topping:
1 pound  frozen cauliflower -- thawed (or fresh)
15 ounces  baby corn -- drained
8 drops  liquid sucralose -- (OR 1/4 cup Splenda Granular)
15 ounces  GiA RUSSA Alfredo Sauce
2 large  eggs -- beaten
1 cup  Fiesta blend shredded cheese -- (or cheddar)
1/4 cup  Real Bacon Bits
1/2 cup  Parmesan cheese

In large skillet, brown beef and drain.  Add mushrooms and nopalitos.  Stir and fry until mushrooms are browned.  Add diced tomatoes, garlic, chili powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir and let simmer while you prepare the topping.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  In food processor pulse thawed OR fresh cauliflower until it resembles rice.  Pour into medium size mixing bowl.

Add baby corn to food processor and process.  While it is processing add liquid sucralose.  Process for about 30 seconds.  Pour into bowl with cauliflower.

Add alfredo sauce, eggs, shredded cheese, and bacon bits.  Stir together well and spread evenly on top of beef mixture.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all.  Bake 45 minutes.  Let rest 10 min. before cutting.

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8 Servings/Per Serving: 629 Calories; 48g Fat (69.4% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber

QUARK, FLAX OIL, AND CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Several years ago, when I spent most of my days in bed, exhausted just from getting up and going to the bathroom, I found something that was life-changing to me.  I read of Dr. Johanna Budwig's work with flax oil and "quark" or cottage cheese.

She claimed to have healed many with cancer using her protocol, which is not just the flax oil and cottage cheese or "quark" mixture, but much more.  I did not go on her protocol but decided to give the flax oil and quark a try.  At that time I mixed it with yogurt.  The reason for mixing the two is because one triggers the proprieties of the other to be released. You do not get the benefits of flax oil if you take it alone without mixing it with some milk product such as quark, cottage cheese, yogurt, or kefir.  There are many claims to the health benefits of flax oil, and I'm neither a medical expert or a nutritionist.  I'm only sharing my own experience with it.  I only know how it affected me.  I had my fastest and most notable recovery when I began using flax oil mixed with yogurt or cottage cheese.  I also dropped sugar from my diet, and fought candida with natural anti-fungals and diet.  I recovered.  I actually got back on my feet and was even able to go to work again.  I was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, as well as adrenal fatigue.

My recovery was slow, but progressive, and the one thing I always go back to when I have a relapse is flax oil.  So I've begun to incorporate it in my diet again. I'm not following the Budwig protocol, which is quite a bit more, but I'm using the flax oil and flax seed more often again.  I've read of health benefits of several types of oils, and tried them, but I have to say flax oil is the one that I've always noticed an immediate improvement from, and a noticeable improvement, and sense of well-being.  So it's what I go back to from time to time.

Yes, I seem to be having a slight relapse in the adrenal fatigue.  I am not bedridden  again, but I do need more rest lately and know the signs.  Emotional shocks, physical shocks, anything stressful, tends to wipe me out and I know the signals.  It's time to take it easy.  Fortunately for me, I have the summer off to do that.  I've had some emotional shocks lately, the kind that leave you feeling like someone came up to you out of nowhere, punched you in the gut, and knocked the wind right out of you.  You don't even have time to process what happened.  I won't bore you with the details of that, but suffice it to say, it's time to get out my arsenal to keep from being incapacitated once again.  I have two things in my arsenal that have kept me from going under, physically that is.  Besides my reliance on the Lord, His Word, and prayer, to keep the body working through the stress and able to deal with it, the flax oil and another help, inositol, has helped my body to be able to function and heal.

Sorry about the blurry picture.  I am revealing things about myself you all didn't know!  I have struggled with panic attacks in my life and inositol has stopped them.  When my son, Ben died, I began having panic attacks again.  I took inositol and did not have anymore.  The two things together give a sense of well-being, and strength, and enable me to physically endure this crazy life and stay on my feet and be useful in it, instead of laying in bed feeling like an invalid.  So I'm passing on to you today some new things you didn't know about me, some private battles, and some things that have helped in the battle.  If they help someone else I'll be blessed.  So without anymore rattling on about myself and my fight, here is a video that shows you how to make quark if you should be interested in trying it, whether or not you want to mix it with the flax oil, it's really good!  Many uses.  Cheesecake, mousse, cream desserts topped with berries, dips, spreads, etc.  I hope you'll give it a try.  Another probiotic food that is great for you!




I hope you'll give it a try. To the recipe below you can add more cocoa powder and/or sweetener to your taste.  This is how I made it:


QUARK AND FLAX OIL CHOCOLATE MOUSSE


1/3 cup  quark cheese
1 tablespoon  flax oil
1 teaspoon  cocoa powder
2 packets  Truvia -- or equal to 1 tbsp.
4 drops  liquid sucralose -- or equal to 2 tbsp.
Other liquid -- (whey from the quark, or cream, or almond milk, etc.) enough for consistency

In small bowl combine quark cheese, flax oil, cocoa powder, Truvia, and liquid sucralose.  With hand held blender or electric mixer, mix until smooth and creamy, adding liquid of your choice until thickness and consistency is as you desire.  Eat right away.  For the flax oil to be of benefit, it should be eaten immediately after mixing. Only make the amount you can eat right away.

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1 Serving: 169 Calories; 14g Fat (71.4% calories from fat); 9g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber

BROCCOLI, PEPPER, AND PEACH SALAD WITH CHOCOLATE FUDGE TART

Threw this together this morning to take to our fellowship meal at church.  Everyone ate it up and my poor hubby didn't even get any by the time he got up to it.  So since it's so hot here and we didn't want to cook a meal, I made it again tonight adding ham to it for supper.

The blend of vegetables, nuts, seeds, peach, and ham all was so very good together!  It was a huge hit with everyone.   I tossed it in a raspberry dressing, which just really made it over the top, I thought.

I also had to bring my own dessert, because nobody else bakes low carb and gluten free at church.  I made a Chocolate Fudge Tart very quickly this morning.  I really should have made it last night, but last night I forgot we were having a meal today.

Not a very good picture, but the taste was very rich and good.  This is what was left of it when I got home.  I got to try my graham cracker Capella Flavor Drops again on the crust to see if I could get that graham cracker crust flavor.  It was there, but not strong enough.  I used 10 drops.  I'm thinking it takes a lot of drops to get it strong enough.  10 drops only gave it a hint of graham flavor.  Still learning.  And my little bottle may be gone before I get it down just right.  

I have not had time to figure all the nutritional info for these yet, and I am guessing at the measurements for the salad.  It's been a long day!

BROCCOLI, PEPPER, AND PEACH SALAD

1 large bunch broccoli florets, chopped into very small pieces (save the stem to make vegetable stock or to use in your chicken stock)

1 large red OR green pepper, chopped 

1 - 8 1/4 oz. can No Sugar Added peach chunks (Delmonte)

Approx. 1/3 cup shredded carrots 

1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup real bacon bits

2 tbsp roasted pepitas

2 tbsp roasted salted sunflower seeds

2 cups chopped ham (optional--to make it a whole meal salad)

1 cup shredded cheese 

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise (homemade is best)

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp Torani Sugar Free Syrup, Raspberry flavored

In large salad bowl, mix together broccoli florets, red OR green pepper, peach chunks, shredded carrots, walnuts, bacon bits, pepitas, sunflower seeds,  ham, and cheese. 

Dressing: In small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, and Torani Syrup.  

Pour dressing over vegetables and toss together.  

CHOCOLATE FUDGE TART


Crust:
1/2 cup flaxseed meal, golden
1/2 cup almond flour
1 scoop (1/3 cup) vanilla flavored whey protein OR isolate
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 or more to taste, Capella Graham Cracker flavor drops (optional)


Filling:
I recipe Valentine's Day Chocolate Fudge (video)


Crust:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  In tart dish or 10-in. pie plate, combine flaxseed meal, almond flour, whey protein OR isolate, and stir together with a fork.  Add flavor drops to melted butter, if using, and mix in with crumb mixture.  Pat firmly into bottom of dish.  Bake 10 to 15 min. or until done.

Filling:  Make chocolate fudge filling according to recipe directions and pour into prepared crust.  Let cool on a wire rack and then chill for several hours, or if you're in a hurry like I was this morning, freeze for 2 or 3 hours.  Makes 16 very rich servings.

WHY WHOLE GRAIN IS NOT HEALTHY

If you still are not convinced whole grain is something you should maybe reconsider, and you still think you have a healthy diet eating whole grain, please take a look at this...




Even if you think you are not sensitive to gluten, take a look at what modern whole grain is and what is done in the processing.  Pretty eye opening.

Graham Cracker Bread Sandwich

I haven't made a post for a while so I thought I better let you in on what I'm up to.  I decided to try some Capella flavor drops.  They had a deal of 5 samples for $19, which I guess is no longer up there, but I have seen them mentioned on other blogs so  figured I'd give them a try.  Besides, I've been dreaming about things with graham crackers lately.  I wouldn't say craving... but dreaming about it, waking up in the middle of the night with recipes coming into my head with ways of using that flavor. So those sleepless nights led me to search for a flavor for graham crackers.  I really wanted that flavor.

Well, I'm a bit unusual with my food combinations at times, I admit, at least I've been told.  I don't think so, I think they're great.  So the flavor of graham cracker, peanut butter, and bacon came into my noggin today as I was deciding what to have for lunch.

The bread isn't the color of graham cracker, but the flavor drops did the trick.  I would use more drops next time, however.  I'm still learning how many drops it takes to get the perfect flavor.  The bread is my coconut microwave bread recipe

and I just added 5 drops of graham cracker flavor and 2 packets of Truvia to the mix. I think next time I'll add a couple more drops, and some cinnamon, but I really enjoyed the flavor mix of graham, bacon, and peanut butter.  It tasted like graham cracker bread.

Now I'm dreaming of Smore's.  I really want to make Smore's!  I also have marshmallow flavor drops, and a recipe for low carb marshmallow cream, so that's next on my agenda.  I'm thinking Smore's pizza, Smore's pie, Smores cookies... whatever... just Smore's.

So that's what I've been up to, besides just hangin' with my retired husband and dealing with stuff life brings.  School's out.  I have a summer ahead of me.