Okay. So who knew about cilantro sauce and didn't tell me?! Apparently I'm not on Pinterest enough! (Well, I am, actually on too much, and you can follow my boards here.) But seriously? My favorite flavor on the planet and it never occurred to me to make it into a sauce? FAIL, KRISTI. FAIL. So I was reading Jessica's blog a while back, and she talked about this miracle called cilantro sauce. AH-MAZING. Most recipes include olive oil though, and I'm not a big fan of olive oil. Actually, I hate the flavor. Actually, I can only assume that I've ever had rancid bottles of the stuff--but I've tried. And tried. Meh. No likee. So I just made up my own cilantro sauce with some half & half and threw in some spinach to make it go a bit farther. Salt. Pepper. You know. Cooking things--although this isn't cooked, just pulverized in the food processor.
Chili Powder on Top. NOMZ.
I would give you a list of things to use it with, but that list would just say EVERYTHING YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE. So use your imagination. YUMMM. So you may peruse The Google and The Pinterest for recipes if you're fussy and need instructions. NOMZ!
I love the taste and simplicity of Larabars, but I've never been able to eat them--most are sweetened with dates, and they're glycemic index is over the moon! Zzzzzzzz. No sugar for me!
I read on the interwebs (here and here) that they're now owned by General Mills..and although they still claim they're GMO-free, their parent company supports the effort to keep GMO labeling off their products...so no General Mills products in my house! I even gave up my beloved Smuckers peanut butter for the same reason. *pout*
In comes experiment time! I've seen lots of "Larabar" type recipes floating around the interwebs lately, so I decided to try my own.
This isn't a recipe--you can easily find those elsewhere. I just wanted to share that they're pretty easy to make and you can make them without dates. I ended up sweetening mine with Stevia and using just a bit of water or cream to make them stick together. I drink tart cherry juice at night (for inflammation) and that works great too. FUN EXPERIMENTATION TIME.
Chia Seeds! Use whole or grind them up.
I decided I like them ground. My little coffee grinder works perfectly.
Raw almonds!
Almonds ground in my mini food chopper.
Almonds ground in my coffee grinder. I think I like them super fine.
Raw pumpkin seeds.
Ground pumpkin seeds in my mini food chopper.
Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate. If I use this, it doesn't need stevia to sweeten.
After you mix it all up, dump it out on a plate.
Use your hands or a piece of plastic wrap to shape into bars or balls or just eat it with a spoon!
Child approved.
I hope you try it! Happy mixing!
I love to experiment--especially when the amount of leftovers awaiting us in the fridge and freezer gets to critical mass. Or something like that.
I don't eat out anymore, and so the hubs and kiddo don't get to very often either, and we ALL really miss good ol' Springfield "Chinese" Cashew Chicken. Alas, that's a huge no-no for me anymore.
So after several days of leftover pork, chicken, and beef dishes, I figured my little family would like something new. So I fried up some cauliflower rice and made a pretty convincing "cashew sauce" (Sans cashews--just cuz I didn't have any), and I made these yummy little fried...things.
I threw all the meat and veggies from the fridge together and added eggs and fresh-ground almond flour. It took a little experimenting to get the right thickness so they wouldn't fall apart when I fried them, but we were all quite pleased with the turnout!
Sorry, no pics of the entire meal...I've been trying to NOT take pics at the table lately. Celia glares at me when I do. :)
 Batter made with leftover meat and veggies + eggs + almond flour. |  Fried fritters in my little shallow skillet with peanut oil. YUMMY YUMMY FRIED THINGS. |
A big part of eating healthy and making over EVERYTHING is not consuming prepackaged foods--and that includes condiments--a general rule is to just avoid preservatives altogether. Convenience just isn't a part of eating healthy these days. The good news is that the taste of homemade food is always worth the time it takes to make it. (I'm lucky that I love to cook!)
I've been experimenting with chia seeds, so I thought I'd throw a spoonful into the ranch dressing I was whipping up to go on our sandwiches. It turned out GREAT. It's similar to adding poppy seeds--except you're getting in some awesome nutrients with the chia seeds. I loved the texture.
Remember, you can add more or less seasonings to suit your own preferences. This is just a small recipe that I mixed up to spread on sandwiches. You wouldn't want to make a big batch, because, unlike the store bought stuff that's full of msg and sugar and who-knows-what-else, it won't last long in the fridge (which is a GOOD thing!).
I used a mix of half and half and lemon juice to make the base. Additionally, you could just use sour cream (Daisy brand makes a sour cream without additives--go with the regular, full-fat version, and avoid low-fat items--they have to replace the fat with something, and it's usually worse for you than the fat--your body NEEDS healthy fats. I promise.)
Chia Seed Ranch Dressing
Measurements are approximate--I didn't measure; just eyeball it.
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
3 Tablespoons Half & Half (OR Heavy Whipping Cream)
Mix together in a small bowl. It should immediately start getting thick.
Add...
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (ground works fine too)
1 Tablespoon Chives (fresh or dried)
1/2 tsp parsley (fresh or dried is fine)
1/2 teaspoon garlic or onion powder (or both)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Let sit for at least 5 minutes. The chia seeds will start absorbing some of the liquid and it will get thicker.
Use immediately or you can store this in the fridge for up to 3 days or so.
| This week I'm on a chocolate slushy kick (i.e., OM NOM NOM).
My trusty old blender wasn't cutting it when it came to adding ice to my smoothies, so I got a Ninja Master Prep. |  
{Affiliate Link} | I'm in love. We're pretty much going steady, and it's only been 4 days. *swoon*
I've been making my eggnog (recipe here) and my freezer chocolate (recipe at the end of this post here), and then dumping them in the Ninja together with a bunch of ice.
YUM. I'm a fan of textures, so the chocolate bits--which are just like hard shell chocolate--are so divine.
Of course, you could go with straight vanilla or any other flavor too. I've been collecting quite the assortment of extracts lately. :)  Slushy Chocolatey Wonderfulness When I find a new recipe I love, I have a tendency to make it over and over for a week. Or a couple of weeks. Or a month. Whatever. Thankfully my hubby puts up with my healthy endeavors. :)
__ This is the recipe I use for my sandwich bread--which is wonderful! I had really missed eating good ol' sandwiches!
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup whey protein powder
1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
1 container Daisy cottage cheese (NOT low-fat)
1 dozen eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or real butter)
1 tablespoon erythritol OR 1 tsp Truvia
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix all the wet ingredients together in a blender, mixer, or food processor. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. You should have a mixture the consistency of pancake batter.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper--make sure it covers the sides as well. Fill each sheet with approx 1/3 inch of batter and spread it out so it's even. (If you don't want to get parchment paper, you can try non-stick coconut oil spray, but it's so much easier to remove from the pan with the parchment paper.)
Bake approximately 20-25 minutes--you want the top to develop a medium to dark golden brown color.
Remove from oven and cool. I use scissors to cut it into equal size squares. After completely cool, store in plastic bags. Keep in fridge or freezer.
Yields 2-3 dozen "slices" depending on how thick you pour the batter and how large you cut each piece.
 Crummy phone pic of my sandwich :) _ Variations
I make this "plain" version so I can use it for sandwiches or sweet cream cheese spreads, but you can add any flavors or spices you want. Sometimes I add spinach, Parmesan, and onion powder. Sometimes I add a few packets of Truvia and some cinnamon.
Notes
I have tried other methods of baking this, but the parchment paper on a cookie sheet is the best method so far. Using a bread pan didn't let it cook on the inside and I ended up with mushy bread.
You can pan fry these very thin to make wraps.
The cottage cheese adds salt, so unless you're doing a savory version, you won't want to add salt.
You can skip the almond meal and use all coconut flour. Don't skip the whey protein powder and psyllium husk powder though--these two ingredients give it a nice firm texture.
You can also omit the sweetners, but I think it gives it a more authentic "white bread" taste. Using the erythritol also adds to the texture and helps it brown nicely.
Feel free to share with the links below! Thanks!
When I was growing up, Spanish rice was one of my faaaaaavorite meals! But eating low carb means no rice for me, but I've found I can still get my favorite tastes if I'm creative!
Shirataki noodles are awesome! Some people don't like the texture, they are rubbery-er than regular pasta, but I like them a lot. They're made from a root and have NO carbs. I like them on their own with butter and garlic. But if the texture bothers you, you can dice them up (I just use scissors) and add them to whatever dish you're making. They're a great filler and take on the flavor of what you cook them with--You don't actually need to cook them. Just rinse them cuz they have a funky smell when first taken out of the bag.
Here goes...  Artistic Rendering of...moldy ice cream? Something Similar to Spanish Rice
(If you have a good imagination, that is.)
1 package frozen broccoli
1 lb ground beef
1 can Rotel (tomatoes @ chilis)
1 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 cup shredded cheese
1 package shirataki noodles
Side note: always use fresh ingredients if you have the time & resources! That being said, here's the working mommy frugal version!
Pop the broccoli on the microwave to cook. Brown the meat in a big ol' nonstick skillet with the spices. This would be great with a fresh onion if you've got one!
After the meat and broccoli are cooked add the broccoli & Rotel to the skillet with the meat. Chop up the noodles (bite size is always nice--I just use kitchen scissors) and add the noodles and cheese to the mixture.
Cook just long enough to melt the cheese. If the mixture is dry at all, feel free throw in a hunk of butter or two. Yum.
I served this with a big spoonful of salsa on top. Would also be great with sour cream and shredded cheese.
Enjoy!
You might have noticed that I don't include carb counts along with my recipes. If you're not following a strict plan, it won't really matter to you. If you are, you can easily pop the ingredients into a site like Fit Day or some such.
As requested! Here's my new recipe for easy low-carb crepes. Also great with banana flavoring! 2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 packet Splenda or Stevia
Mix! Fry with butter (or pan spray) in a small skillet. This makes about 4-5 depending on how thick you make them.
Sprinkle with a mix of cinnamon & Splenda! Simple. Easy. Yum!
This is a super yummy, very hearty quiche/pizza/casserole (it's so good, it needs lots of adjectives!)
You don't have to measure anything here--just experiment with it and use what you have!
Start by browning a package of Italian sausage (preferrably msg- & nitrate-free). I threw in a handful of minced dried onions while it was browning. Shred some mozzerella (or your fave) cheese while the meat is cooking. I don't use pre-shredded cheese. Did you know they add potato starch to pre-shredded cheese to keep it from sticking together? BAD! Not good for low-carbers. Sneaky little buzzards.
In a big bowl, mix all your ingredients. I used 8 eggs.
Throw in about a cup of Parmesan. (Grated from a canister is fine/ feel free to use fresh if you've got it.)
Throw in 1-2 cups of fresh or frozen spinach, and add lots of chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms, and black olives.
Mix. Pour into a well-greased baking dish. I used a 9x13 glass dish.
I bake mine under the broiler and just keep an eye on it until it's set. Time just depends on your oven and how thick your mixture is. Just keep an eye on it. Don't walk away!
When it's nearly set, add a layer of sauce (I used cheap pizza sauce when I took these pics, but I've since found gluten-free chopped tomatoes with Italian seasonings. This would be perfectly wonderful with freshly sliced tomatoes too!), pepperoni and extra cheese to top when it's nearly done.
Yes, it IS as good as it looks. Hubby even had seconds.Also makes a great breakfast. YUMMM.
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