FUDGE BROWNIE MALLOW CUPS

For a loooooooooooooong time, I've been thinking about Mallo Cups.  Remember those?  I used to take my allowance and walk across the street every day during my lunch hour when I was in 6th grade and by a couple Mallo Cups and eat them.  Every day.  I wonder now how I made it through my growing up years with all the junk food I ate!  I lived on Twinkies, Mallo Cups, Peanut Butter Cups, Cheetos, and french fries, and don't forget the pizza.  I could tell you stories.  But I won't.  I'm thankful now for all the good HEALTHY foods I can enjoy instead.

So when my box came from LC Foods I was really looking forward to trying out the Brownies and the Marshmallow Fluff.  And it's not a Mallo Cup, but it's got the flavors of the chocolate and the marshmallow.

 So they sort of reminded me of the Mallo Cups.

Go here for the Brownie Mix. And here for the Marshmallow Fluff mix.

Follow the directions on the package for the brownies and pour the batter into 12 muffin tins. I used parchment paper liners.  I have a handy little gadget I picked up at a kitchen gadget store which worked well for the filling.

You just push it down into the center, turning it while doing so and then pull it up and you have a nice hole for the filling.

Save the portions your pull out to crumble over the top later.  Now make the Marshmallow Fluff.  All you need is water, egg white, and vanilla to add to the mix.  Follow the instructions on the package.  I used egg white in a carton and I'm not sure but I think probably it would have gotten thicker if I had used regular egg whites.  Not sure. Mine was more of a thick sauce than fluff even after sitting for a while.  But it was just right for these.  And it tasted phenomenal! Yes, it tasted like marshmallow.  A taste I have not had for a long time.

So just fill in the centers, and spread more on the tops of each one after centers are filled.  Crumble the center pieces you pulled out and sprinkle over the tops.

ENJOY!  Hubby tested and approved.  The brownies were not real sweet.  So if you like things less sweet, you'll love them as they are.  They were fudgy and just the way a brownie is meant to be.  I would personally add a little sweetener to my batter next time because I like sweet sweet when it comes to brownies.  But then when you add the marshmallow fluff to it they are just right anyway in the end.  Check out more of LC Foods products, many which are also gluten free.  It does say they are made in a facility that processes wheat, so if that is an issue for you, then you need to know that.  For me, though I am allergic to wheat, it seems I can have foods that have been processed in places that process wheat.  In fact my kitchen is a place that uses wheat.  My family still uses it.  I use ways to keep things clean for my own use, but so far it has not been a problem for me.

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

Eggs dyed with water from boiled onion skin! Check it out here!

PRODUCT REVIEW-LC-GLUTEN FREE WHITE BREAD

I'm busy getting ready for our Resurrection Day meal tomorrow. I love this time of year. Spring is in the air (finally), even though there's still some snow that needs to go away.  It's warming up! And this holiday is a special one for our family, celebrating what our Savior has done for us.  So I like to have special food to celebrate a special day.  Bread is always special, and will add to a few other dishes I'm making tomorrow.  I was privileged to be asked to review some products recently from LC Foods. I've browsed their store before and noted that they have some great looking gluten free products that are also low carb.  So it was great to be able to try some of them out.  Today I made the white bread.

I was considering doing buns, but decided just to make a loaf since I have not worked with this mix before. I decided just to make it according to instructions.  I added a few ingredients according to the directions.

Some eggs and egg whites, some carbonated water, sour cream, melted butter, and coconut oil.It just came out of the oven a couple hours ago.

Not bad!

I just cut into it and tried a bite with nothing on it.  It was pretty good.  No it does not taste like wheat bread.  But it has a good flavor and a soft texture.  I ate it with some butter.  I like the flavor.  This will make a good sandwich bread.  I haven't tried toasting it yet, but I'm thinking toast in the morning.
A couple pieces of it are going to be part of a Broccoli Parmesan Augraten casserole I'm making tomorrow. 

I'm planning on trying out the Marshmallow Fluff before the days over, and also the Brownie Mix and hopefully come up with a "Mallow Brownie cup" or something.  Remember Mallow Cups? When I was a kid they were my weakness.  I've wanted to try making them, but was not sure how to do the marshmallow part.  Now I have the marshmallow part! Not sure how I'll do this yet.  We'll see. Stay tuned. I have a few more goodies in the box to try as well. 

BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH PIZZA

Just a quick one I'm doing here today. This was what I had for my quick lunch after work today.  Quick and easy idea for a breakfast or a lunch.  You can use whatever toppings you like.  I think I'll try ham or sausage next time maybe.

This is not a crust you can pick up with your hands and eat, more like a cross between an omelet and a pizza.  Not quite a fritatta.  Just quick, easy and yummy. 

BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH PIZZA                      

2 large  eggs

1 tablespoon  almond flour

1 teaspoon  nutritional yeast flakes, NOW -- (OR Parmesan cheese)

1/4 teaspoon  salt -- OR to taste

TOPPINGS

2 tablespoons  green taco Sauce, Ortega-mild

1/3 cup  Fiesta blend shredded cheese -- OR your favorite shredded cheese

1 tablespoon  Real Bacon Bits

10 pepperoni slices, Armour

Beat eggs until frothy.  Add almond flour, nutritional yeast OR Parmesan cheese, and salt.  whisk together well.

In large cast iron skillet, melt butter OR bacon grease (nutrition information does not include), OR spray with non-stick cooking spray, and pour egg mixture into pan.  Cook on medium heat until almost dry on top.  Meanwhile preheat broiler oven.  

Flip over and immediately spread on the green taco sauce, shredded cheese, bacon bits, and pepperoni slices.  Remove from burner and place pan under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

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1 Serving: 421 Calories; 33g Fat (69.3% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber

SHAMROCK PUDDING

I have a confession to make.  I went to McDonald's yesterday with my husband while we were out and about and I had a Shamrock Shake.  No they don't have a low carb version.  I had the real thing.  Whew! Got that off my chest.  It was a spur of the moment decision, but it was a decision, not a slip beyond my control.  I chose to have it, contemplating the blood sugar rise it would give me, and what I was going to do about that, and reasoned I don't normally do this, and in fact I've hardly been eating any carbs at all some days, mostly pretty ketogenic lately.  It wasn't a craving either.  It was simply a choice because I had a sour stomach, and neither coffee or soda pop appealed to me.  I wasn't there to eat.  Already had lunch.  I was just there to sit and visit with my hubby and relax a bit.  I used to get those Shamrock shakes every year when they came out and loved them!  It's been over 7 years since the last one.  So I decided to have one.  Just one! I'm not going back.  It sounded soothing to the sour stomach.  And it was.  My stomach was better the whole rest of the day.  But today I decided I have to have a low carb Shamrock something for this time of year.  I've done it with kefir shakes in the past which was pretty good.  But I'm going to a fellowship gathering at our church tonight for family time, and we're having lots of food there.  I wanted something I could bring with for myself as I know I won't be partaking in the dessert there.  So I whipped up this Shamrock pudding.  I made the mistake of a little too much mint.  I used 1/4 tsp. and that was pretty strong.  So I would advise 1/8 tsp. which is what I put in the recipe.  A little mint goes a long way!

                     
SHAMROCK PUDDING

8 ounces  Philadelphia 1/3 less fat cream cheese -- softened, (You can use full fat, but this is lower cal, and less than 1 g carb)
1 cup  Thai Kitchen coconut milk -- Refrigerated at least a couple hours, better longer, and then just scoop out the hard cream portion at the top of the can. Save liquid at the bottom for other use)
1/2 cup  heavy cream
2 teaspoons  vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon  peppermint extract -- (or mint--more if you want a stronger mint flavor, but be careful not to get too much as it can be overpowering!)
 Liquid sucralose to equal 3/4 cup sweetening power -- (or sweetener of your choice)
20 drops  green food coloring -- (optional)

In medium size mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, coconut milk, and heavy cream.  Mix with electric mixer until creamy.  Add vanilla and peppermint extract, liquid sucralose, and green food coloring (if using).  Maria Emmerich has some great ideas for natural food coloring on her blog, http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/2012/05/pistachio-gelato-and-matcha-benefits.html

With electric mixer with wire whisks, whip for a couple minutes or until thick and creamy.  Refrigerate until completely chilled.  Serve with whipped cream if desired.

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4 servings/Per Serving: 356 Calories; 34g Fat (89.3% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

NEW ENGLAND HOT DOG BUNS

A while back, I found this pan on Amazon. It's a New England Hot Dog Pan.

I thought it would be great for making some low carb hot dog buns.  But at the time I didn't have a good recipe for the buns.  I've been making my Cheese and Wine Bread in the GT Xpress normally for a bun, which is great but not the right shape.  Today I finally got it out and multiplied my recipe for the Cheese and Wine Bread 5X and spread it in my pan, and baked it at 350F for 25 minutes.  They came out great!  They are light and airy, not heavy like many low carbs breads would be.  They are thin, and if you want you could try to multiply the recipe 8X rather than 5, which is what my Cheesy Loaf of Bread is and just pour that in there.  Probably have to bake it longer if you do that.  I think I'll stick with this one though, as I liked it just the way it was once I cut into it and put my hot dog in there.

Make sure to use gluten free low carb hotdogs!  We like the Hebrew National brand.  I'm thinking some sweet type of goodies to make in this pan also.  I'll have to see what else I can come up with.  I'm going to stick my remaining buns in the freezer so I have them on hot dog nights, all ready prepared for me.

NEW ENGLAND HOT DOG BUNS


1/2 cup + 2 tbsp  Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp almond flour -- (blanched, such as Honeyville, for best results)
1 tbsp + 2 tsp  psyllium seed husk powder
1 tbsp + 2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes, NOW
1 1/4 teaspoons  baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons  Splenda -- Or equivalent, (does not make it sweet, just brings out flavor)
5 large  eggs
1 tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil -- (any oil you like, this is my preference)
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp  Marsala wine OR buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350F.  In medium bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, almond flour, psyllium powder, nutritional yeast, baking powder, and Splenda granular.  Sift together with a wire whisk.

Add eggs, oil, and wine OR buttermilk.

Mix well until blended smooth. An electric mixer helps.  Pour batter into pan, covering the entire pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn out onto a wire rack and let cool.  Slice into buns and slice each bun in half but not all the way through.

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10 Buns/1 Bun per serving:  118 Calories; 8g Fat (63.1% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber  (edited from original post)

Added 3/15/2013--VARIATION: Hamburger Buns: Reduce wine OR buttermilk to 1/4 cup, let dough stand for 5 minutes to thicken after mixing, line baking sheet with parchment paper, and plop 10 rounds onto it.  Smooth each one evenly to a flat round circle with the back of a spoon.  Bake in preheated 350F oven about 12 minutes or until it tests done.  Yield: 5 hamburger buns; 2 circles=1 bun.

Editing this to say, if the batter is not thick enough reduce the oil to 1 tbsp. and the wine or buttermilk to 2 tbsp. It turns out different each time I make it so you may have to adjust the liquid ingredients.  I think the reason is just how you measure. Weight measurements are more accurate that cup and spoon measurements, so perhaps sometimes I'll do this weighing the ingredients.

"OATMEAL" AND PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES, LC, GF

My dear hubby has been wanting oatmeal cookies... like his mom used to make, which were most likely the recipe on the side of the Quaker Oatmeal box.  He loved them.  She used to send them to him when he was overseas in the Navy, and even though they arrived weeks later as hard as a rock, he ate them.  Unfortunately for him, I cannot make him the oatmeal cookies anymore that his mother used to make because they have wheat flour in them, and I cannot even handle it or have it in my kitchen without a reaction.  So I decided to try making him something similar at any rate, to oatmeal cookies but much healthier and better for him than what his mother used to make.

So I found an old recipe that I used to use to make oatmeal peanut butter cookies for my family, and decided to see what I could do to revise it and convert it to low carb, gluten free.  I was going to add chocolate bits to it, and some chopped nuts, which is what I used to do, but they do add more carbs.  This is a tad higher in carbs for a cookie than I like but it was something that I hoped my hubby could enjoy that would be healthier for him, and still something I could enjoy with him.
I may yet experiment more to make a lower carb version.  This recipe uses some things not all low carbers may have. I've been experimenting with arrowroot flour lately and love the texture that it gives things, so it does have a very small amount of that in it. You can probably just leave it out if you don't have it but the small amount used does not add much at all to the carb count per cookie.  I tbsp has 6 g carbs in it.  I use whey isolate in it, but you can use whatever protein powder you choose.  The oat bran I use is certified gluten free, so if you have a problem with wheat gluten make sure to find oat bran that is such.  Mine was Bob's Red Mill, which I can get here locally.
  


                     
These are a soft cookie, with a slight peanut butter flavor.  If you want it more peanut buttery tasting, you can do 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/4 cup shortening, or butter if you do not have the Spectrum shortening. I think they are a whole new thing all on their own actually.  You'll have to try them to see what I mean.  And my hubby, the ultimate taste tester, says they are good.

 "OATMEAL" AND PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1/2  cup  shortening, Spectrum organic, non-hydrogenated
1/4  cup  natural peanut butter -- (no sugar added)
12  packets  Truvia -- OR sweetener to equal 1/2 cup
1/3 cup  xylitol -- (you can use another sweetener of your choice here, such as Swerve, erythritol, Splenda, etc. to measure 1/3 cup)
2  eggs
12 drops  liquid sucralose
1 teaspoon  blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon  vanilla
1 1/2 cups  almond flour
1 tablespoon  arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon  xanthan gum
1 teaspoon  baking soda
1/2 teaspoon  salt
1 cup  oat bran -- (certified gluten free)
1 scoop  whey isolate, vanilla flavored
1/2 cup  flaxseed meal, golden

Beat together shortening, peanut butter, Truvia, and xylitol (OR other sweetener);  combine eggs, liquid sucralose, blackstrap molasses, and vanilla and blend in, beating until light and fluffy.   Add combined almond flour, arrowroot powder, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.

Stir in oat bran, whey isolate, flaxseed meal, and mix together well.  Drop onto cookie sheet spread with parchment paper or silicone mat, and press down gently with fingers, or a fork, or the back of a spoon (it helps to wet your fingers slightly), and bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven, for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

I got 28 cookies using a 2 tbsp cookie scoop.

Let cool and serve.

Options: If you like, add 1 Lindt 85% chocolate bar or other chocolate bar, chopped into pieces, and/or chopped nuts.  This will raise the carb and calorie count.  Another option, if you are ok with more carbs is to add 1/2 cup raisins snipped into halves.  I did not figure out the carb count with these things added, so you're on your own with that.

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28 Cookies/1 Cookie Per Serving: 118 Calories; 9g Fat (63.0% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber

4g. net carbs per cookie