Keto Friendly Beef Or Chicken "Flautas" ~ Very Low Carb & Tasty!

Flauta Sticks and guacamole.

Ingredients:
1/2 - 3/4 pound cooked shredded beef or diced steak**
1/4 cup beef broth or water 

2 teaspoons instant minced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper 

1/2  teaspoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon instant minced garlic (or garlic powder)

1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
guacamole***
salsa
sour cream

Method:
Place the beef in in a skillet add the broth, minced onion, cumin, red pepper, salt, chili powder, oregano and garlic. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the mozzarella cheese, almond flour and cream cheese into a microwave safe bowl. Stir to mix. Heat in a microwave oven for 1 minute. Stir and heat for another 30 seconds. Add the egg and salt to the melted cheese mixture. Stir well, until a pliable dough is formed.
Shape the dough into a ball. Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Roll out the dough to about a 15 x 9 inch rectangle. Cut into 5 equal strips.  Place the strips of dough on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the grated cheeses and beef evenly on the center of each strip of dough. 

Pinch the edges of the dough over the top of the filling to connect. 
Bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the baking pan and bake for another 7 minutes or until browned. Cool slightly on the baking pan. 

Cut each flauta  in half. If desired, serve with guacamole, salsa and sour cream. Makes 10 servings.

**Ground beef may be substituted for the shredded beef of steak.
    If chicken is used instead of beef, use chicken broth, or water, instead of the        beef broth.

***Here is a Keto Friendly recipe for guacamole:
https://carriekitchencreations.blogspot.com/2016/02/fresh-guacamole.html

Nutritional info per serving without garnish, approximately:
222.52 calories ~ 16.47 grams fat ~ 1.99 grams net carbs ~ 15.95 grams protein

Notes: Every once in awhile, I crave shredded beef flautas. This low carb option was simple to make, tasty and fully satisfied that craving.
I purchased a 3 pound chuck roast and cut off 1 pound to simmer on the stove, in water, to make 9 cups of beef broth. The cooked beef is what I used for this recipe. 

Very Special Delicious & Healthy Holiday Cakes (With Gluten & Sugar Free Option)

Delicious little cakes full of dried fruits and nuts.
(This is not the old fashioned fruitcake made with chemically
treated candied fruits that most people avoid.)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup dried cherries*
1 teaspoon rum extract
8 ounces pitted dates, chopped
2 cups quartered dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups whole blanched almonds**
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
3/4 cup flour***
1/3 cup packed brown sugar***
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
Place the cherries in a small saucepan. Add the rum extract and just enough water to cover. Heat just until the water begins to boil. Immediately remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 300*.
Butter 1 full sized loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans. Line the bottom of the pan(s) with parchment paper. (Butter the paper, too.)
In a large bowl, combine all of the fruits and nuts, reserving 1/4 cup of the cherries for the top(s). Stir together the flour, sugar and baking powder to blend. Mix evenly with the fruits and nuts to coat. Beat together the eggs and vanilla. Add to the fruit mixture and stir well to mix. 
Spread evenly in the pan(s), pressing into the corners. Garnish the top(s) with the reserved cherries. Bake until golden brown: 1 1/2 to 2 hours for 1 large loaf, or 50 to 60 minutes for 3 mini loaves. (To prevent the tops from burning, loosely place a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the loaves.) Cool in pan(s) on cooling rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn out of pan(s) onto the cooling rack and remove the parchment paper. Cool completely. Wrap in waxed paper, then wrap in aluminum foil. Chill at least 2 days to 2 months before serving. Slice in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices to serve.

*If you like, cherry flavored dried cranberries can be substituted for the dried cherries.
**To blanch almonds, add them to a pot of boiling water for 2 minutes. Coll with cold water. Pinch each almond to remove the skin.
***To make this recipe gluten free, substitute almond flour for the all purpose flour. To reduce the sugar, substitute Lakanto Golden sweetener for the regular brown sugar.

Notes: 
Even people who hate traditional fruitcake, love this healthier and tastier version.
This recipe was inspired by a "Dried Fruits Cake" recipe in Sunset Magazine. The original recipe called for maraschino cherries, but I prefer  dried cherries. 
I prefer the 3 mini loaves to 1 large loaf. This is a family favorite and the mini loaves are treasured like bars of gold.
I always double the recipe and since my mini loaf pans are smaller than average, 1 batch makes 9 delicious loaves.

The BEST Low Carb Stuffed Peppers Marinara

A delicious stuffed pepper with a low
carb spinach salad.

Ingredients:

2 red, orange or yellow bell peppers

1/2 pound uncooked chicken sausage (I used a natural chicken basil sausage)

2 tablespoons butter

2 ounces mushrooms (about 3/4 cup sliced)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons low carb marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/3 cup pork panko**

1/3 finely grated parmesan cheese**

1/3 cup finely grated mozzarella cheese**

1/2 cup low carb marinara sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*. Line a 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil.

Halve and rinse the bell peppers, removing the seeds. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place the peppers, cut side up, in the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage from the casing. Cook and crumble over medium heat, until completely cooked. Transfer the cooked sausage to a bowl.

Add the butter to the skillet and melt over a medium-low heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic and spinach. Saute until the vegetables are softened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. 

Add the sauteed vegetables, the 2 tablespoons marinara sauce, onion powder and basil to the bowl with the cooked sausage. Stir to combine.

Stir together the pork panko and cheeses. Set aside.

Remove the pre-baked peppers from the oven and remove from the baking pan. Add the 1/2 cup of marinara sauce to the foil lined pan. Put 1/4 of the sausage and vegetable mixture into each of the pepper halves and return to the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture on top of each stuffed pepper. Return to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown. 

Transfer each baked pepper half to a serving plate and spoon a little of the marinara sauce over the top. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

**If you do not have Pork Panko in your pantry, you may omit it and increase the parmesan and mozzarella cheese to 1/2 cup each. If you are mot following a gluten free diet, you may use regular Panko.

Nutritional info per serving, approximately:

293.39 calories ~ 18.74 grams fat ~ 12.7 grams net carbs ~ 22.3 grams protein

Notes: My husband and I have never liked stuffed bell peppers, because we don't like the taste of green bell peppers. Switching to yellow, orange or red peppers made a huge difference! (Green peppers are bitter and cause us indigestion ~ the other colors are sweeter and do not give us heartburn.) We both really enjoyed this meal.

Baked Avocado Eggs

A baked egg in an avocado ~ Delicious!

Ingredients:
1 avocado
2 eggs
salt & pepper
1 teaspoon dried minced chives
2 tablespoons grated cheese

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a small baking dish with aluminum foil.
Cut the avocado in half. Hit the center of the pit with a sharp knife and remove. Use a spoon to scoop out a little bit of the avocado to make room for an egg. (The center needs to be big enough to hold a medium egg.)
Place the avocado halves in the prepared pan. Crack one egg into a small bowl. Slide the yolk into the center of one avocado half. Add just enough white to fill the center of the avocado.  Repeat with the second egg and avocado half. Sprinkle salt, pepper, half of chives and half of the cheese on top of each egg.
Bake for 15 minutes, or just until the whites are set.  Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings 

Nutritional info per serving, approximately:
253.25 calories ~ 21 grams fat ~ 2.5 grams net carbs ~ 9 grams protein

Note: My non-keto husband, who only likes avocados in guacamole, was surprised that he liked this egg & avocado dish. We both enjoyed this.

(Mock Cherry) Cranberry Pie ~ An Absolutely Delicious Family Favorite!

A slice of Holiday Cranberry Pie

Ingredients:
pie dough for a double crust 9 inch pie**
4 cups (12 ounces) fresh cranberries, rinsed & drained
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk
granulated or coarse white sugar

Method:
Preheat oven to 400*.
In a large bowl, stir together the cranberries, sugar, flour, pineapple and vanilla. Set aside. Prepare the pie dough and line a 9 inch pie pan with half of the dough. Roll the remaining  dough into a 10 x 8 inch rectangle and cut into ten 1/2 inch wide strips.
Pour the prepared fruits into the dough lined pie pan. Arrange the strips of pie dough in a lattice pattern over the top of the fruit filling. Trim dough to a 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the pie plate. folding under extra pastry around the edge. Use your fingers to pinch dough into a scalloped edge Very lightly brush the lattice dough with milk and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is browned. Let cool completely. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve 6.

**Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup (1/3 butter & 1/3 shortening)

6 - 7 tablespoons chilled water

Method:

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, or two knives, cut in butter and shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Next, use your fingers to continue mixing until the flour resembles cornmeal. 

Sprinkle one tablespoon of the water over a part of the flour mixture and gently toss with a fork.  Push to side of bowl. Repeat until all of the flour is moistened. Form the dough into 2 balls of equal size. On a lightly floured surface, flatten one ball of dough with your hands. Roll dough from the center to the edges, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter.  Prepare second ball of dough as directed above.

Note: This special Holiday pie tastes just like cherry pie!

Low Carb Chicken & Vegetable Alfredo Casserole

A tasty Chicken & Vegetable casserole
in a simple Alfredo sauce.

Ingredients:
avocado or olive oil cooking spray
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature**
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts (in water)
4 cups cooked chicken, cubed
6 slices of bacon, cooked & chopped
8 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese

Method:
Preheat oven to 375*. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside. 
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, mayonnaise, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika to a very large bowl. Mix together with a whisk or electric mixer. 
Drain the artichokes and chop. Add to the ingredients in the bowl. Add the chicken, bacon, spinach and parmesan. Stir until all of the ingredients are well mixed. Layer evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake for 20 minutes.  Increase the heat to 400* and bake 5 minutes longer, or until the cheese is golden in color. 

Let stand for a few minutes, before serving. Cut into 6 portions. Serves 6.

Nutritional info per serving, approximately:
755.67 calories ~ 59 grams fat ~ 8.43 grams net carbs ~ 42.44 grams protein

**If the cream cheese is not at room temperature, it can be warmed in a microwave oven, by heating at 20 second intervals, until slightly softened.

Notes: I am not fond of Alfredo sauce and my husband does not like cooked spinach or artichoke hearts. So, it is surprising that we both loved this casserole! Very flavorful and satisfying.

SIMPLE Low Carb Chicken Fajita Stew (Not Spicy) Flavorful & DELICIOUS!!

No need to simmer this soup/stew for
hours ~ it is tasty and ready in just
30 to 60 minutes! 

Ingredients:
1 - 2 tablespoons of avocado or olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
4 - 5 cups chicken broth
2 pounds chicken, cooked and shredded**
2 tablespoons Keto Friendly taco seasoning***
1 teaspoon dried cilantro or 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
Garnishes:
sour cream
sliced garlic or jalapeno stuffed green olives

Method:
Add the oil to a large cooking pot or Dutch oven. Turn the burner to a medium low heat. Add the bell peppers and stir and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and onion. Continue to cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Add the tomatoes, broth and chicken to the pot. Stir in the taco seasoning and cilantro. When the broth begins to bubble, reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Simmer for 15 to 30 minutes. Makes 11 cups. If desired, garnish each serving with a tablespoon of sour cream and 1 large sliced green olive. Serves 6.

**Cooked chicken can easily be shredded with two forks, or place in a large mixing bowl and use an electric hand mixer to shred the meat.

***You can make your own Keto Friendly Taco Seasoning, by combining these spices:

2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper 

1/2  teaspoon sea salt (optional)

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon instant minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Nutritional info per serving (without garnishes), approximately: 

434.46 calories ~ 25.35 grams fat ~ 8.28 grams net carbs ~ 39.68 grams protein

Nutritional Info per serving (with garnishes), approximately:

440 calories ~ 25.9 grams fat ~ 8.39 grams net carbs ~ 39.75 grams protein

Notes: 

This is a thick stew or soup. If you desire a soup with more broth, more can be added.

My husband who never eats more than one serving of any dish, finished a second serving of this stew! He said it was the best soup he had ever tasted. When I reminded him that he said that about "The BEST Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Curry", he replied: That was the BEST curry ever and this is the BEST soup!