CHEESY LOAF OF BREAD

 I could not be more pleased with the way this bread turned out!!!  This is a spin-off from my Cheese and Wine Bread recipe that made one nice bread bun you could slice in two and make a nice sandwich with.  I loved it, and wanted to be able to make a whole loaf of bread the same.

This turned out to be just what I wanted in flavor, texture, aroma (yes, aroma is so important!) I simply multiplied the Cheese and Wine Bread recipe 8 times, put it in a loaf pan and this is what came out.  It's hard to let you know just how high it rose in a picture.  So I took a picture of it in the pan so you can see it from that perspective as well.

You can see how it just rises above the top of the pan.  It is more like a banana bread size.

The texture is very close to a real sandwich bread.  If you like bigger slices you can cut it in half, then set the half sliced side down, and slice lengthwise.  I don't think you'll come out with 16 slices then, but you will have larger slices, so it's a matter of your preference.

   

CHEESY LOAF OF BREAD                 

8 eggs
1/2 cup  *marsala wine -- (dry)
3 tablespoons  extra virgin olive oil (edit, 1/4/2017 - I no longer add the oil. I find it does not need it)
1 cup  parmesan cheese
1/2 cup  almond flour -- (honeyville is what I used)
3 tablespoons  psyllium seed husk powder
3 tablespoons  nutritional yeast flakes, NOW brand (see note below)
2 teaspoons  baking powder
2 packets  Truvia -- (or 1 tbsp other sweetener)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line bottom of 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In medium mixing bowl, add wet ingredients: eggs, wine, and oil.  Beat together well.  Add dry ingredients: Parmesan cheese, almond flour, psyllium powder, nutritional yeast, baking powder, and Truvia OR other sweetener.

Mix with electric beaters for 2 minutes or until smooth.  Pour into loaf pan.  Bake 30 minutes, then place an aluminum foil tent over the top and bake another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn out of pan onto a wire rack to completely cool before cutting.  An electric knife helps to cut nice even pieces.  I got 16 good slices out of this.

*Helpful Hints: If you don't have wine, you can use cooking wine, or if you choose not to use wine, you can try buttermilk. The wine does seem to add to the flavor and texture and rise, and I haven't tested it yet with buttermilk, but that would be what I would try first, myself.
*Editing this to say I have made it now with buttermilk and I baked it 15 minutes longer and it came out fine.  It did not rise as high with the buttermilk as with the wine but it wasn't that much of a difference.

NOTE: For more information about Nutritional yeast, how it is made, and the health benefits - http://www.truthnhealth.com/2011/10/nutritional-yeast-and-its-benefits/
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16 Slices/Per Serving: 122 Calories; 8g Fat (63.2% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber

NOTES : 1 useable carb per slice

WHITE CHILI WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE

Funny how different the coloring turned out in my photos.  It's just a matter of lighting in my house. One was taken in my kitchen, and the other at my dining room table.  The top one is truer to the actual color.  The lighting in my house is terrible so I have to keep adjusting the lighting on my camera and play with it.

A very good friend gave me a recipe for white chicken chili that sounded so yummy but it wasn't low carb, so I used her recipe and went from there.  I had to make a substitute for condensed cream of chicken soup.  Her recipe used chicken and mine uses Jennie-O turkey sausage, but I want to make this with chicken next time.  My family loved this.  It made a huge bowl (7 cups), and with 4 of us, there were no leftovers!  My two sons gobbled it right up.  I may do some tweaks yet with it, but it was pretty good as is.  I may add a bit more spice next time?  Maybe add some nopalitos?  Maybe some hot sauce?  I dunno.  I loved it as is.

WHITE CHILI WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE

                   
2 pounds  Jennie-O turkey sausage (breakfast) -- browned and drained
16 ounces  Green taco Sauce, Ortega
16 ounces  Mezzetta Roasted Red Bell Pepper Strips -- drained and chopped
1 cup  water
1 recipe  Condensed Cream of Chicken Substitute -- *see recipe below

In 2 quart heavy saucepan, combine turkey sausage, green taco sauce, roasted red peppers, and water.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

Add condensed cream of chicken soup, heat to boil, stirring constantly, add more almond milk or water as desired to bring to the consistency you want.

Options: In place of ground turkey sausage, cook 1 whole chicken, debone and cut into chunks.

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Seven 1-cup servings/Per Serving: 474 Calories; 36g Fat (69.9% calories from fat); 25g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber;

CONDENSED CREAM OF CHICKEN SOUP SUBSTITUTE                    

8 ounces  Philadelphia 1/3 less fat Cream Cheese -- (less calories, same amount of carbs as full fat)
1 tablespoon  Better Than Bouillon Chicken base OR other gluten free chicken   base
1 teaspoon  garlic powder
1 teaspoon  onion powder
2 cups  almond milk, unsweetened
1 tablespoon  arrowroot powder -- (or corn starch-2 g carbs per serving, optional, for thickness, or add more cream cheese if you prefer to get thickness desired)
1/4 cup  almond milk, unsweetened

In medium saucepan, combine cream cheese and chicken base.  Add garlic powder and onion powder.  Heat, stirring constantly, over medium high heat, until blended and cream cheese is melted.  Gradually add in almond milk, stirring with a wire whisk.  Continue heating and stirring until mixture comes to a boil.  Reduce heat.  Combine arrowroot powder OR cornstarch with 1/4 cup almond milk, and whisk into hot mixture.  Boil and stir for a minute more.  Remove from heat and let cool.

You can use this in recipes for a white sauce, for cream of chicken substitute, for cheese sauces (just add shredded cheese)


Yield:
  "2 1/4 cups"
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4.5-1/2 cup servings/Per Serving: 184 Calories; 14g Fat (75.3% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber;

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake is a wonderful dessert for low-carbers!  And what a delight that is! Rich, creamy, and certainly no feelings of a "diet food" or deprivation when one eats it.

What I would do differently making this again is add more sweetener.  In the recipe below I have the amount I actually put in it, but you can taste the batter and adjust to your liking.  It seems everyone has a difference there in how sweet they like things.  It is sweet enough as a cheesecake goes, but with chocolate I prefer very sweet.  So I'd probably add about 1/4 cup xylitol to this next time.  Top this with a dollup of whipped cream and your good to go!

We're celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary today! This is our anniversary cheesecake.  I wanted something special.  What is more special than chocolate and peanut butter and cheesecake all in one?

I actually weigh about 10 lbs less today than I did on my wedding day!


CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL CHEESECAKE                    

CRUST
1 cup  flaxseed meal, golden -- (You can use brown flax, but I prefer golden for the milder flavor)
1/3 cup  whey isolate, Body Fortress super advanced, vanilla creme -- (this is what I used but you can use whatever brand you have)
1/4 cup  cocoa powder
6 packets  Truvia -- (or sweetener equal to 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup  melted butter
FILLING
1 1/2 pounds  cream cheese -- softened
3 large  eggs
12 drops  liquid sucralose
12 packets  Truvia -- (or use 1 1/8 cup sweetener in place of both sucralose and Truvia)
2 tablespoons  cocoa powder
1 teaspoon  blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
2/3 cup  heavy cream
10 pieces  Lindt 85% Cocoa bar -- (1 entire bar), chopped in small pieces
1/4 cup  coconut oil
SWIRL TOPPING
1/2 cup  natural peanut butter -- Unsweetened
4 packets  Truvia

Preheat oven to 350F (175C).  Grease 9 to 10-inch Springform pan.

CRUST:  In food processor, combine flaxseed meal, whey isolate, cocoa powder, and Truvia.  Pulse until blended together.  Pour in melted butter and pulse until it is well combined and crumbly.  Press into bottom of Springform pan. Set aside

FILLING:  In large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs, liquid sucralose, Truvia, cocoa powder, blackstrap molasses, and vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  In small saucepan, heat heavy cream to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in Lindt bar and coconut oil until melted and smooth.  Pour into cream cheese mixture and beat well.  Pour into prepared crust.

SWIRL TOPPING: In small bowl combine peanut butter and Truvia.  Microwave on high for 20 to 30 seconds or until it is warmed and soft.  Place dollups on top of cheesecake and with a knife, cut in and swirl around through each dollup.

Bake 50 minutes.  Turn off oven, crack open oven door and let cool for 10 minutes inside oven. Remove and place on a wire rack and cool completely. Carefully run a knife around edges and remove outside of the pan, before chilling.  Chill completely in refrigerator before serving.  Serve with whipped topping if desired.

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16 Servings/Per Serving: 394 Calories; 36g Fat (79.9% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber

4 g useable carbs per serving

CHEESY NOPALITO CHICKEN AND SPICY PUMPKIN

I had a few bites off this before I decided to make it a blog post.  It turned out to be so good I decided to make it a post.  I'm leaving my house in 15 minutes though, so it's going to be a very short blog post and I have not put this into MasterCook to get the nutritional info but it's pretty simple.  The chicken, really barely any carbs.  Nopalitos actually lower my blood sugar when I eat them, so I don't even count the carbs in them.  The taco sauce has zero carbs.  Most of the carbs would be in the pumpkin.

CHEESY NOPALITO CHICKEN

4 chicken breast halves (skinless and boneless)

Ortega Green Taco Sauce (enough to cover each chicken breast

About 1/2 cup chopped nopalitos

chopped onion

Fiesta Blend shredded cheese (or cheese of your choice)-enough to cover each chicken breast

In bottom of 9 x 13-inch baking pan, place each chicken breast.  Cover each with green taco sauce.  Top this with nopalitos, then onion.  Sprinkle shredded cheese over top of all.  

Bake in preheated 375 degree F oven for 50 to 60 minutes

SPICY PUMPKIN SIDE DISH

I can pumpkin puree

1 tsp blackstrap molasses

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I love Trader Joe's!)

8 packets Truvia

8 drops liquid sucralose

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp butter

In medium saucepan, place pumpkin puree, molasses, truvia, sucralose, salt, and butter.  Heat, stirring constantly until heated through and butter is melted.  

CREAMY CAULIFLOWER AND BACON SOUP, DAIRY FREE

It's soup weather again!  It went from hot to cold really fast here in MN.  It does that here.  You can have the air conditioner on one day and the furnace the next.  Or you can actually have both going at different times in the same day.  That's Minnesota fer ya.  Gotta love it!  I do.  I love the mixture of weather here in Minnesota.  It's no wonder it's so often the topic of conversation.  And then the next topic is good food, like warm hearty soup on a cold day.  Visit my facebook page and join in on sharing more soup recipes! There's some great ideas already posted.

I made this one dairy free, not because I cannot have dairy, but I just decided to cut down on my dairy today.  I'm having some congestion, so don't want anything that might possibly add to that.  At the bottom of the recipe I have some suggestions for variations also.

                   

 CREAMY CAULIFLOWER AND BACON SOUP

6 slices  bacon -- (I use Hormel natural bacon)
3 stalks  celery -- chopped fine
1 pound  cauliflower
32 ounces  chicken stock -- (homemade is best if you have it, otherwise I use Rachael Ray's)
1 tablespoon  minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon  onion powder
1/2 teaspoon  thyme
1/2 teaspoon  salt -- (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon  pepper

Cut bacon into small pieces with a scissors.  In 3 or 4 quart saucepan, cook and stir bacon pieces until crispy.  Remove bacon onto paper towel, but keep the grease in the pan.  Add celery and cook, stirring, until tender.  Add cauliflower, chicken stock, garlic, onion powder, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Stir together and cook on low for 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

Place most of the soup into a blender, (I used a Ninja) and pulse until pureed.   I leave a small amount of the vegetables in the bottom of the pan for a few chunks.  Pour pureed soup back into pan.  Add bacon pieces.

Options:  I made this to be dairy free, but if you want it creamier and you can have dairy, add some shredded cheese, or if you don't want dairy, add 2 tbsp of Nutritional yeast flakes for a cheesy taste.  Also you could add some heavy cream if you want a creamier soup.  This is pretty much a base recipe.  Another variation is to add roasted red peppers, or a few carrots.  Variations are endless.  Just be sure to add the nutritional value for whatever you add to the soup.  I think I may try this with a jar of Gia Russa Alfredo sauce next time.  I like this Alfredo because it uses natural ingredients and is wheat free and makes a good substitute for a creamed soup.

This made 5 scant cups. Each serving is about 1 cup.

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5 Servings/Per Serving: 91 Calories; 4g Fat (43.0% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber