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Friday, May 27, 2016

MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH, LC, GF




I have good memories of when I was first engaged to my husband of almost 42 years now, of eating at Perkins restaurant and having their Monte Cristo Sandwich.  I was hooked on it.  Many times I've tried to replicate it since being low carb. This was a delightful reminder of it and tasted so much like what I remembered.  Sometimes food brings good memories to us.  We tend to associate food with certain feelings and happy thoughts, so that food somehow ends up sort of a comfort food to us.  This is one of the hardest thing for dieters, or anyone having to change their diet and lose those certain foods.  It's not that I cannot be happy without food, or that I HAVE to have it, but I believe God gave us food to enjoy and even to commemorate certain times in our lives. If not, why did He give us taste buds?  One more proof to me of His love for His own.  And memories are important and should be kept. We had many delightful times of getting to know each other over a Monte Cristo sandwich.

I've made some Monte Cristos in the past but none as good as this one. I hope others will find it a delight to their taste buds and a help to their diet, as I have.  It made a very filling lunch for me, and I needed nothing else.

I used Walden Farms Strawberry syrup which claims zero calories, and carbs both, which I cannot comprehend, but I love the taste of this syrup nonetheless.  If you don't like to use this kind of product you can make your own syrup easily enough by using just frozen strawberries and thickening the berries and juice over heat with either arrowroot powder or xanthan gum. Or just use plain strawberries sweetened with your favorite sweetener.






 

 

 





MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH   

                        BREAD
2 tablespoons  Parmesan cheese -- (fresh grated or from the can)
1 tablespoon  almond flour - Honeyville
2 tablespoons  Pyure Sweetener -- (OR equivalent of 1/4 cup sugar)
1 teaspoon  psyllium husk powder -- (I grind fresh husks in coffee grinder)
1/4 teaspoon  baking powder
1 egg
1 tablespoon  Silk unsweetened almond milk, vanilla -- (Can use any liquid but this gives it the vanilla flavor as well)
                        FILLING
3 slices  chicken breast, Lunch Mate Premium
3 slices  hickory smoked deli ham slices, Lunchmate (aldi's)
1 slice  Smoked Gouda, Happy Farms deli sliced
                        BATTER FOR DIPPING
2 tablespoons  heavy cream
1 teaspoon  vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon  Pyure sweetener -- (OR equivalent of 1 tablespoon sugar)
                        TOPPING
1 large  strawberry -- sliced
2 tablespoons  Walden Farms Strawberry Syrup

In small bowl add Parmesan cheese, almond flour, Pyure sweetener*, psyllium powder, and baking powder.  Whisk together.

Add egg and almond milk and whisk until well combined and creamy smooth.

Pour into square microwaveable container and microwave on high approximately 1 min. 40 seconds, but your microwave may vary.  Make sure it is done in the middle but not over done on the sides.  My microwave is 1000 watts.

Remove and let cool.  Slice horizontally in two.  On one half add 3 slices of chicken breast, 3 slices of ham, and top with smoked Gouda slice. Cover with other slice of bread.

In a cereal bowl add heavy cream, vanilla extract, egg, and Pyure sweetener. Whisk until smooth and well blended.

Dip sandwich into batter and let sit on one side for a few seconds to absorb.  The flip over onto the other side and let sit a few more seconds to absorb the liquid.  You will have some batter left, so the exact count will be somewhat different if you don't use all the batter.  I put the full count of the batter in the nutritional information, but you can adjust as you need to.

Melt a tsp. of butter in frying pan.  Place dipped sandwich into frying pan and cover.  Cook on one side about a minute on medium low heat.  Make sure it does not burn.  Flip to the other side and do the same.

Place on a serving plate and top with strawberry topping. Pour a little more syrup over all if desired.  Sprinkle with powdered Pyure or erythritol, as desired or top with whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING: In small bowl add strawberry slices.  Add syrup and stir together.

Source:
  "http://ginnyslowcarbkitchen.blogspot.com"
Copyright:
  "© Ginny Larsen, 5/27/2016"
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1 Serving: 530 Calories; 39g Fat (65.5% calories from fat); 34g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber

NOTES : 6g net carbs

*Pyure Sweetener is a combination of stevia and erythritol and is available at Walmart and most grocery stores. It measures twice the sweetness of sugar so if you would use 1 tbsp sugar you would use 1/2 tbsp of Pyure.









Monday, May 2, 2016

BACON CHEESEBURGER PIE






I love bacon cheeseburgers so why not make it easy and do it all up in a pie plate?  I wasn't quite sure how to go about it.  I thought of the "Impossible Cheeseburger Pie" recipe from Bisquick and thought maybe I'd try to take that and do a low carb version.  Then I thought of my bun recipe and thought why not just make the batter for that and pour it on top?  That's what I ended up doing and I love the way it turned out.  Then the burger part...what do I like on my burgers?  Plus, ya gotta have that smokey grilled flavor right?  So all in all I put it all in a pie and loved the way it turned out and so did my family.  I hope you'll enjoy it as well. The pictures were taken in haste as an after thought, unfortunately when most of the pie was gone already!  So they aren't tops, but you get the idea of what it looks like.


                   















                        BACON CHEESEBURGER PIE

Recipe By     :Ginny Larsen
Serving Size  : 8  

6  strips  Center Cut Bacon, Specially Selected
1  pound  ground beef, Simply Nature, 100% grass fed
1/2  cup  diced onion
1/2  cup  dill pickles -- diced
2  tablespoons  reduced sugar ketchup, Heinz
1  teaspoon  worcestershire sauce
1  teaspoon  apple cider vinegar
1  teaspoon  Wright's liquid smoke
1  cup  Sharp Cheddar, Finely Shredded, Happy Farms
TOPPING
6  tablespoons  Parmesan cheese
3  tablespoons  almond flour - Honeyville
1  tablespoon  psyllium husk powder
1  tablespoon  nutritional Yeast Flakes, NOW brand
3/4  teaspoon  baking powder
3  eggs
3  tablespoons  liquid -- (I use marsala cooking wine, for the flavor and aroma, you can use any liquid of choosing.)

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 10-inch pie plate or 9 x 9-inch square pan.

In skillet, fry bacon slices, drain, and set aside.

In skillet break up beef and add and onion.  Cook stirring until meat is browned and onion is cooked. Drain fat and stir in pickles.

In small bowl add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and liquid smoke.  Stir together and stir into meat.

Pour mixture into pie plate or square pan.  Break up bacon in pieces and sprinkle on top. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

TOPPING: In food processor add Parmesan cheese, almond flour, psyllium husk powder, nutritional yeast flakes, and baking powder. Process for a few seconds to sift together.

Add eggs and liquid and process until smooth. Pour evenly over the pie.  Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

Copyright:
  "© Ginny Larsen 4/22/2016"
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Per Serving: 271 Calories; 19g Fat (61.6% calories from fat); 21g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber

Serving Ideas : Wonderful served with just a side salad