My favorite recipes

I know there is a recipe board but I like this one better :)

I found the first 2 recipes on here or on Bariatric Foodie.

Flourless Almond Cookies

1 c. almond butter  I get the fresh ground at the Food Co-Op - Susan
1 c. Splenda (if you don't use Splenda, use the amount of your preferred sweetener equivalent to one cup of sugar)  I use Stevia - Susan
1 egg
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. butter extract

OPTIONAL: Raw almonds for decoration

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a hand mixer, making sure egg is fully incorporated. Dough will be loose.

Use a large spoon to roll your dough into a ball. Transfer to a sprayed baking sheet then mash down your dough ball with a spoon to form a disc.

Bake about 8 minutes then remove from oven. Place an almond on top of each and press into the cookie while still soft.   I put the almonds on before I baked the cookies - Susan

Allow to cool on a rack before eating.  Makes 12 cookies.

They will be crumbly, but they are good - Susan

CAULIFLOWER PIZZA CRUST

4 cups raw cauliflower rice (about 1 medium head cut into florets)

1 egg, beaten

1 cup soft goat cheese (chevre) I use garlic and herb - Susan

1 teaspoon dried oregano I left this out because I used the garlic and herb cheese – Susan

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400F.

To make the cauliflower rice, pulse batches of raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, until rice-like texture is achieved.

Fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water, and bring to a boil.  Add the “rice” and cover.  Let cook for about 4-5 minutes.  Drain into a fine mesh strainer.

THIS IS THE SECRET:  Once you’ve strained your “rice”, transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel.  Wrap up the steamed “rice” in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all of the excess moisture out!  WARNING: IT IS HOT!!!!! -  Susan.  It’s amazing how much extra liquid will be released, which will leave you with a nice and dry pizza crust.

In a large bowl, mix up your strained “rice”, beaten egg, goat cheese, and spices.  Don’t be afraid to use your hands.  You want it very well mixed.  It won’t be like any pizza dough you’ve ever worked with, but don’t worry – it will hold together.

Press the dough out onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Do not skip the parchment paper or it will stick.  Keep the dough about ¼” thick and make the edges a little higher for a crust effect.

Bake the dough for 35 – 40 minutes at 400F.  Rotating at least once - Susan.  The crust should be firm, and golden brown when finished.

Now’s the time to add all of your favorites – sauce, cheese and any other toppings you like.  Return the pizza to the 400F oven, and bake an additional 5 – 10 minutes, just until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Slice and serve immediately.

I ended up using a fork but it was worth it - Susan

This last recipe is one that I made up and is my staple since "Grouch the Pouch" likes it and it gets my protein levels up.

Ground Turkey with Quinoa

Ingredients:

1 ½ pounds Lean Ground Turkey

½ pound Bulk Ground Turkey Mild/Sweet Italian Sausage

1 cup cooked Organic Red Quinoa

Taco seasoning and salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

In a nonstick skillet, cook regular ground Turkey and the Turkey sausage until cooked completely and lightly browned.  Add in the seasonings while cooking and still raw.  When finished cooking, mix in the cooked quinoa

I measure and portion this out to individual containers that I can grab and go during the week for work.  

Wow ! interesting !    I wonder if highly processing vegetables doesn't make em more like ( gasp ) FLOUR glycemic index-wise  .. after all the great enemy is just processed WHEAT , a whole grain that left largely alone hardly boosts our insulin levels . Sugar  Beets , un or low processed and sliced into salad  are a healthy vegetable as opposed to the sugar thats extracted when theyre shredded , boiled etc...into submission.

I will one day try the cauliflower crust though ... though honestly my trick for not gaining is to stay too busy and active to NOT need /burn the calories from regular pizza lolwhich I don't like simply because its too rich and fatty  .  My homemade pizza variation would include a whole wheat sourdough thin crust , fat free cheeses and homemade pizza sauce canned from homegrown organic heirloom tomatoes and fresh herbs . When I DO make it I make several large pans full and then freeze individual portions .

My favorite supoer quick flexible and nourishing  recipes for summertime  ?  Fat free Tom ka Gai .. a Thai chicken and coconut soup ( can be made with shrimp too) using Thai curry mixes Tom Ka and Tom Yum ( the second adds  bit of authentic depth and sourness )  , fresh sliced chicken breast not overcooked , organic chicken stock  and fresh basil .  I make the coconut milk out of fatfree powdered milk ,a bit of butterbuds and  coconut flavoring . This is very good with broccoli florets too, and also yucca root which is a super nourishing alternative to meats and seafood .

Another favorite is seafood poached in white wine, butter buds , organic chicken stock and lemon juice and pulp .  Sometimes I add greek seasonings - rosemary , mint , tarragon .. whatever herbs I have growing in the garden chopped .  When the fish  is done I add cornstarch and a bit of fat free half and half and serve the sauce over a pasta nest of angel hair or linguine noodles , usually low carb  or whole grain.

I slow cook  a delicious beef bourguinon in the oven using sliced eye round with visible veins of fat removed , garlic ,hungarian paprika ,  red wine and mushroom broth ( eventually I addsliced mushrooms a half hour before its finished cooking ). It takes a few hours to tenderize the beef but its absolutely delicious and soft at the end .  I thicken the sauce with cornstarch and serve it all over egg noodles .

Another favorite high protein dish is lasagna made with home cooked tomato sauce , oven ready lasagna noodles , fat free ricotta cheese mixed with a package of alfredo sauce  and fat free mozarell cheese grated .  Ill add any leftover beef bourginon to the sauce layer too and also layer  in fresh homegrown basil leaves , thyme and greek oregano .

Your cookies are pretty much like the flourless peanut butter ones that have floated around here.  I had to stop making them because I would eat them straight from the freezer, frozen. 

My everyday favorite is my kale, eggbeaters, cheese combo I have for breakfast almost every morning. 

2 kale leaves, torn or cut into bite sized pieces, sauted in a hot pan with spray, until almost crispy.
1/3c southwestern eggbeaters added when the kale is done
1 oz sharp cheddar

Cook the eggs until almost done and fold like an omlete.  Yumm

Green bean / tomato salad

Used left over cooked green beans, chopped fresh tomato, an onion, fresh basil, a little mayo and a lot of lemon juice (depending on the amount of beans and tomatoes)  Put in a baggie and let sit in the frig for a few hours.  Keeps for a few days.