Green Bean Casserole - Low Carb, Gluten-Free

GBC is one of my favorite side dishes. Heck, I could just eat it as my meal and be happy. I never liked the mushrooms that came along in the cream of mushroom soup, though. Between wanting to avoid both mushrooms and canned cream-of-anything soup, I started making my own GBC from scratch a few years ago. The first time was for Thanksgiving, and I successfully made a GBC that was totally gluten-free. But this year I wanted it to also be low-carb. It wasn't hard at all and I am so happy with how it turned out.

Green Bean Casserole

First, prepare the onions:

3 medium or 2 large Onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Refined Coconut Oil (soft or liquid)

Combine all ingredients and spread in a baking dish. Bake at 475 for about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice during baking so they cook evenly. Set aside when done.

Next, prepare the green beans:

Steam 1-1.5 lbs green beans until just tender, then rinse with cold water to stop them cooking.

Make up the creamy sauce:

3 T Butter
3 T Oat Fiber
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Stock or Broth (chicken, beef, vegetable)
1 tsp Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or half of each
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

Melt butter on medium-heat. (At this point, if you are a mushroom person, you could add chopped mushrooms and saute them in the butter until done.) Add oat fiber. Add cream and broth, whisking quickly. Sprinkle gum/gluccie very slowly, whisking well to incorporate it. Let it come to a bubble and it'll thicken up. Add garlic, salt and pepper, whisk for a minute more, then remove from heat.

Combine the green beans with the cream sauce, and add half of the onions. Spread into a 13x9 pan. Top with remaining onions. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes and serve.

http://www.myhcgcooking.com

No-Bake Cheesecake - Low Carb, Sugar Free

My dad requested cheesecake for dessert on Thanksgiving this year. I was happy to oblige, but our chickens have not been laying many eggs and I didn't have enough for my usual cheesecake recipe. I ended up tweaking Briana's No-Bake Cheesecake from her cookbook Necessary Food (If you are into low-carb cooking, THM, Keto, etc. then I highly recommend this cookbook) and it was a hit! Definitely not the same texture as regular baked cheesecake, but it tasted great.

No-Bake Cheesecake - Low Carb, Sugar Free

Crust:
3 T Butter
1 T Gentle Sweet, or your sweetener of choice (Swerve, Pyure, Erythritol, etc.)
1 cup Almond Flour
2 T Oat Fiber

Mix crust ingredients thoroughly and press into the bottom of a pie plate. If your butter is cold, you'll need to warm or melt it. Mine was room temp and it blended right up.

Cheesecake:
2 8oz pkgs Cream Cheese
2/3 cup Sour Cream
2 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Vanilla
4 T Gentle Sweet or sweetener of choice, to taste
4 tsp Great Lakes Gelatin (the red can)
3 T Hot Water
2/3 cup Heavy Cream

Beat cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and sweetener until thoroughly combined. It would be easier if the cream cheese was not cold, but I never mange to think ahead enough to set it out so I just rely on my Kitchen Aid mixer to beat the cream cheese. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl well with a spatula so it's all combined.

Dissolve the gelatin in hot water, then add to cheesecake mixture and beat well. Add heavy cream and mix for a few more minutes. Give it a taste to see if it's sweet enough - if not, add another tablespoon of sweetener, mix, and taste again.

Pour cheesecake mixture over crust and refrigerate at least an hour, or longer if you can. I was able to cut and serve this after just about an hour but it gets firmer if it can chill longer. Serve with toppings of choice - we had 1 fruit and 2 chocolate ganache here. :)

Spinach Ricotta Bites

I found this recipe on Weelicious YEARS ago and I still make it regularly. It's one of my favorite breakfasts and snacks. My daughter will eat them too, which is a huge win. I get 24 minis but you can also make it in a regular muffin tin and have larger servings, just adjust cooking time accordingly.

Spinach Ricotta Bites

2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Yellow Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
2 Large Eggs, Beaten
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 10 Oz Pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, defrosted and drained, or you can cook fresh spinach in with the butter and onions and then drain it
1/4 Tsp Salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes until tender.
3. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute then set aside to cool.
4. Whisk eggs in a bowl and stir in ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.
5. Once combined, stir in spinach, salt and cooled onion and garlic mixture.
6. Pour the mixture into lightly greased mini muffin cups.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set and golden on top.
8. Serve.

Easy Shredded Chicken

How many times do you want to make a recipe and realize one of the ingredients is cooked chicken? I used to sigh and toss those recipes aside, as I knew I didn't have time to do double cooking - who wants to cook chicken and then cook a whole meal? I also hated dicing or shredding the hot chicken. I always burned my fingers doing that, or if I waited until it was cool I could dice it but shredding it was a total pain.

Enter my kitchenaid mixer. I'll never forget the day I realized I could use the paddle attachment to shred my chicken for me. What a life saver! I can throw the hot cooked chicken breasts right in and the mixer shreds them up easily. The key is to do quick bursts of the mixer, don't just turn it on full blast or it'll throw the chicken right out of the bowl. Put a few breasts in, pulse it until you like the level of shredding, then dump it into a large bowl to the side and do the next few breasts. Repeat until it's all shredded.

SO for a while after this realization, I would boil boneless skinless chicken and then shred it in my mixer. Then I would do large batches in my crock pot, which was great, but it took all day to cook them. Still better than boiling, but not fast.

THEN I got my Instant Pot. Hello! Now I don't even have to deal with boiling chicken anymore! I can cook 5 lbs of chicken at once - I just throw it in the instant pot with some water, set it to pressure cook, and walk away.

I actually keep cooked, shredded chicken in my freezer now so I can use it in recipes as needed. I even keep some seasoned with taco seasoning. So convenient!

Whichever method you use to cook your chicken is fine. I highly recommend the Instant Pot for cooking chicken because it's so fast and easy but if you don't have one, go ahead and use the crock pot if you have time, or boil it on the stove if you are in a hurry.

Beef Stew (gluten free)

This is one of our favorite meals and everyone in the family loves it! It's easily adaptable for different diets. Feel free to drop or sub different veggies if you are trying to reduce carbs. Some recipes coat the beef in flour before browning, but I skip that part and don't miss it, so this recipe is even gluten-free.

I love to make this in my Instant Pot. It cooks so fast yet tastes like it simmered all day.

Beef Stew

1 lb Beef Stew Meat (any roast cut into chunks is fine)
2 Tbsp Oil of your choice (I use refined coconut oil or olive oil, veg or canola is fine if you use those)
1 Onion, diced
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
2 cups Beef Broth (or water)
1-2 cans Diced Tomatoes
1 quart V8 Vegetable Juice
3 cups Veggies, fresh or frozen. Classic options would be Carrots, Celery, Potatoes, Green Beans, Peas, and Corn. Alternative options could be Zucchini, Sweet Potatoes, or Rutabagas.
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Marjoram
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instant Pot directions: 

Push the "Saute" button and brown all sides of the beef in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and close the pot. Make sure the valve is closed for pressure. Push the "Meat/Stew" button and let the Instant Pot do all the work for you!

For Stovetop Cooking:

Heat oil on medium and brown meat on all sides. Add onions and saute until they soften. Add beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze it, and let simmer while you prepare the veggies.

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. The meat will get more tender as it simmers so it's nice if you can let it cook for at least half an hour or longer. Taste it for any needed salt. Depending on your V8 and Beef Broth, you may need to add some. Enjoy!

This can be made in the crock pot, but I recommend not skipping the first section where you brown the beef and cook the onions with it. After that point, when you add the veggies and herbs, you can throw it all into the crock pot on low for several hours. It also freezes really well. Sometimes I will get a bulk amount of stew beef and make a large batch of Beef Stew to freeze.

Sugar-Free Marble Cheesecake

My dad made this cheesecake and it is fantastic! He said it's important to taste the batter before you pour it, to make sure it's sweet enough. This recipe shows exactly what he did so hopefully it will turn out as good for you as it did for him.

Sugar-Free Marble Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350.

For crust:

1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Walnuts, chopped
1/8 cup Erythritol
2 Tbsp Butter, melted

Process all ingredients in a food processor and mix until well blended. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. It will be very thin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool.


For filling:

2   8oz pkgs Cream Cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Erythritol
1 tsp Salt
1 ½ tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Lemon Juice
16 oz  Sour Cream
3 Eggs, at room temperature

Beat all ingredients, except the eggs, with an electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs one at a time until blended.

Reserve one cup of batter for marbling. Pour the rest into the springform pan.

Add 1 tsp Cocoa Powder and about 1/4 cup Erythritol or Xylitol (to taste) to the reserved batter. Spoon chocolate batter onto plain batter and drag a knife through to make a marbled pattern.

Place a pan with a couple of cups of water in it on the lower rack, underneath the rack where you will place your cheesecake. Bake cheesecake at 350 for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for one more hour before removing it.

Let it cool, and then refrigerate at least two hours until completely chilled.

Barbacoa Salad

Leftover barbacoa is delicious on a salad! Like a taco salad only with a different flavor. Love it!

Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce. 

Here is my husband's version of the barbacoa salad, all neatly organized. I just throw mine in the bowl. Ha.

Italian Brussels Sprouts

I heard about doing this years ago and it's been a favorite ever since I first tried it. I never make it much, since I'm the only one in my family who likes brussels sprouts, but since my parents live close by now and we share a lot of meals together, I make it more often. They love it too.

Italian Brussels Sprouts

Steam brussels sprouts until they are tender but not mushy. You can use fresh or frozen brussels sprouts.

When done, toss in italian dressing and parmesan cheese. Easy!

Barbacoa-Style Shredded Beef

We recently had a couple of Chipotle restaurants open and we went a few times. I always got the burrito bowl with chicken. My husband always got this mysterious thing called "barbacoa". He kept encouraging me to try it but I declined, enjoying my safe chicken. Finally I tried it and I haven't ordered chicken since. Love it. Totally addicted. Had to figure out how to make it myself or go broke eating at Chipotle. This is DELICIOUS and tastes just as good. :) Hooray!

Barbacoa-style Shredded Beef

Start with a chuck roast. Anywhere between 2-4 lbs is fine. I usually go for bigger because I like leftovers to make more meals. Cut it in half and trim most of the visible fat. Place in slow cooker or instant pot.

In food processor or vitamix, puree the following:

1/2 Onion
1/4 cup Lime Juice

1/4 cup Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Cloves or Allspice

Pour the puree over the roast in the slow cooker. Pour about a cup of Beef Broth on top, and drop a few Bay Leaves.

Cook on low for 7 hours. When it's done, shred it with two forks and put it back into the amazing sauce in the slow cooker that was created during cooking. Keep on low for another couple of hours to really soak up the flavor of the sauce. 

Serve! I've had it plain, in a burrito bowl like Chipotle, on a salad, in soup, the list goes on and I will be blogging some of my ideas here in the future. Enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Bites

My mom made these boneless buffalo chicken bites for a football game this past season and they were SO amazingly good, we've had them multiple times since. 

Buffalo Chicken Bites

1/4 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce
1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp Mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Onion, minced (or 1 tsp Onion Powder)
1-2 cloves Garlic, minced (or 1 tsp Garlic Powder)
4 Tbsp Butter
4 Boneless Chicken Breast halves, cut into strips

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

*Note* If you really like wing sauce, like for dipping as you eat, you may want to double the sauce recipe*

In a small pan, combine ketchup, hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring, until well combined and smooth. Let cool.

Reserve 1/4 cup sauce in a separate bowl and set aside.

Place 1/2 cup sauce into a zip bag, and coat chicken pieces. Place chicken baking sheet and roast for 7-8 minutes, then brush with more sauce. Turn chicken over, brush with more sauce and roast 7-8 minutes longer or until done. When finished cooking, toss chicken with reserved sauce. 

Serve with blue cheese dip, carrot sticks and celery sticks.

Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

This dressing is very much like a caesar dressing, but it is vegetarian. I love it with lots of garlic!

Creamy Garlic Salad Dressing

1 cup Mayonnaise (I use Hain Safflower Mayo) or half mayo, half sour cream
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice (juice of one lemon)
2 cloves Garlic (or more) minced
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp Salt (or more, to taste)
1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate. It tastes best if it's made a little ahead of time.

Bruschetta Chicken

This is one of my very favorite low-carb meals to make. It feels like an amazing Italian dish but without the bread or pasta. 

Bruschetta Chicken

2 lbs Tomatoes, diced (4-6 medium tomatoes)
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Basil
2 lbs Chicken Breast, diced
salt and pepper
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350*. Mix olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and basil. Add diced tomatoes and stir to coat. Set aside.

Cut up chicken breast and spread in the bottom of a deep baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix around. Pour tomato mixture over chicken. Cover and bake for about 40 minutes or until chicken in the center is done. Pour off some of the liquid if desired. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake additional 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Chicken Parmesan Bites

We love this recipe. We started cutting the chicken into chunks to make them all about the same size to aid in cooking, and then our kids started calling them chicken nuggets, and eating them. I don't know why they aren't as into chicken strips but whatever works!

Chicken Parmesan Bites

~1 lb Chicken Breast tenders (I used nine) cut into bite-size chunks
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 cup Almond Meal
1/2 Tbsp Oregano
1/2 Tbsp Basil
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1 Egg, beaten
3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl, and beat egg in a separate bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg, and then into breading. Set onto baking sheet while oil heats. Heat olive oil to about medium high. Brown breaded chicken on both sides in hot oil, then place in a baking dish. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes.

Chicken Fajita

Meals like this remind me that I don't have to have a tortilla to enjoy Mexican food. It's delicious and satisfying, and best of all low-carb! Plus if the rest of your family insists on the traditional meal, they can use the same filling in a tortilla, so you can avoid the carbs for yourself without having to make two different meals. Score!

Chicken Fajita

Cooked Chicken - I just boil some chicken breast until done, then shred or chop.  You can also use leftover chicken if you happen to have cooked extra.


Tomatoes or salsa
Cheese, optional
Sour Cream, optional

Veggies of choice:
Onion, sliced or chopped
Bell Pepper, sliced or chopped

You can also use zucchini or squash if you like. Anything goes!

Mix cooked chicken with fajita seasoning of your choice, or just some garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder.

Saute veggies in butter or olive oil until done, about 15 minutes.

Top shredded chicken with sauteed veggies, chopped tomatoes or salsa, and cheese if desired. Serve!

Cauliflower "Rice" (Low Carb Alternative)

This is such a good alternative to rice! I love it with stir-fry and don't even miss my once-beloved white rice when I have that meal.

Grate or finely chop a whole head of cauliflower - a food processor comes in very handy for this job, but you can also use a manual grater.

Saute for 4-5 minutes in a wok with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Serve.

Layered Mexican Dip

 
This is our favorite GAMEDAY food!

Mexican Taco Layer Dip

1lb ground beef
Taco seasoning (use a packet or make up your own with cumin, chili powder, etc.)

Beans, optional - Black Beans, Refried Beans, whatever beans you like, or skip them

2 cups Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt or a combination
Taco seasoning (one packet's worth)

Tomatoes, diced and/or Salsa
Lettuce, shredded
Cheese, shredded (cheddar, monterey jack, colby/jack mix, whatever you like)

Green Onions, optional

Brown ground beef. Drain, add 1/4-1/2 cup of water and the taco seasoning. Stir well and let thicken. If using black beans, you can mix them in.

Mix taco seasoning with sour cream or yogurt. Spread into the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole.

If using refried beans, you can add them here.

Layer on the ground beef, and then the tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and green onion. Add olives if you like. Anything goes!

Refrigerate if not eating right away. Serve with chips, or on a salad.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Marinade

My husband compiled some jerk chicken recipes and came up with this. Delicious!We love to serve it with Caribbean Sweet Potato Salad.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken Marinade

1 medium Onion, peeled
1 small Red Onion, peeled
1 Jalepeno Pepper, seeded if you don't want it too spicy
2 cloves Garlic, peeled
3/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos or Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Vinegar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp dried Thyme
1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Red Pepper
1 tsp ground Cloves
1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp fresh Cilantro

*optional*1/2 tsp Frontier Caribbean Citrus Seasoning

Blend all ingredients well. Marinate chicken pieces at least an hour. This amount of marinade will cover 2 breasts and 4 drumsticks easily.

Grill chicken until done. :)

Honey Chicken Kabobs

Honey Chicken Kabobs

1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/3 cup Honey
1/3 cup Braggs or Tamari or Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
8 skinless, boneless Chicken Breast halves - cut into 1-inch cubes

Veggies such as quartered onions, bell peppers, fresh pineapple, etc. 

Mix marinade in ziploc or other airtight container.   Marinate chicken at least two hours in the refrigerator.   Thread chicken and other veggies onto skewers. 

 

Cook for 12-15 minutes on a hot grill until chicken juices run clear. 

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

I brought this dip to a party and it got rave reviews! I brought my crock pot, put some water in the bottom and set it to "low", then set the dip dish in the top of it to stay warm. It worked perfectly. My favorite dipper for this is Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips but it was also good with wheat thins and crusty bread.

I double the recipe for my large dish.

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 10oz package of chopped frozen spinach, or 10 oz fresh spinach, cooked
1 jar marinated Artichoke Hearts, drained
2-3 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1 8oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese

If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out as much liquid as you can.

If using fresh spinach, sautee in a little butter or olive oil, or some juice from the artichoke hearts. You can throw the garlic in the pan with the spinach to cook too.

Combine all ingredients well in baking dish, and bake at 375* covered for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes to lightly brown the surface. Serve.

Crispy Tostada

 This is based off of one of my favorite low-carb recipes, taco pizza. I swapped the flax meal for chia seeds and added a little water to the dough. Then I flattened it more and baked it a little bit longer, so it's crispy. Delicious!

Crispy Low Carb Tostada

1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 Tbsp Water
1 Egg
1 cup Colby/Jack, Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
Taco toppings

Preheat oven to 350*. If you use a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well.

Mix all ingredients well and press onto parchment paper into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.

Bake for 20 minutes. If you didn't use the pizza stone method, bake about 10 minutes, then flip crust and bake another 10 minutes on the other side, or until crispy and done on both sides.

Top with desired taco toppings and serve! I used seasoned ground beef, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.