Chocolate Cherry Cookies

These cookies were inspired by this recipe from the food fabulous All Day I Dream About Food blog. I had to adapt it as I didn't have all the ingredients on hand.

They look good, they taste good. Like a chocolate chip cookie. Yum. The recipe makes a nice cookie, perfect for packing as a snack.

I actually made them in anticipation of a farm visit/picnic tomorrow with my toddler, which, unfortunately, has since been canceled due to inclement weather. (It's been a rowdy Spring.)

The recipe is more a moderate carb one, not for anyone adhering to strict low carb for weight loss.

Here's how I made them.

Ingredients for 12 cookies

-1/3 cup Truvia (Splenda Brown Sugar blend)
-1/4 cup butter, melted
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-1 egg
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 1/4 cups almond flour
-1/4 cup dried cherries (or other add ins such as cranberries or walnuts)
-1/2 cup Ghiradelli chocolate chips 60% cacao (naturally low carb)

Note: If you want to reduce the carbs, leave out the dried fruit and reduce the amount of chocolate to 1/4 cup.

Instructions

1.Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cream sweetener and butter, then add the vanilla and egg. Mix until all wet ingredients are incorporated.

3.Add salt and baking soda.

4.Mix in the 2 1/4 cups almond flour.

5.Stir in the chocolate chips and cherries (or whatever add ins you are using)

6.Form into balls about the size of a ping-pong ball. Place on cookie sheet and flatten with your hands (they will not spread otherwise).

7.Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until they just start to brown on top. (The first time you make these, check them at the 8 minute mark to gauge how they are baking in your oven, just to be safe.)

8.Let cool for a few minutes before moving, otherwise cookies may fall apart. Cooling allows them to 'set' after which point they will not crumble and will behave like a good little cookie.

Low Carb Turkey Cheese Bake

This casserole yields a fair amount of leftovers, which is why I like to make it a few days before my busiest day. The leftovers are a quick and ready dinner for those nights I need to get out the door by 5pm.

Also, I'm actively trying to cut the amount of time I spend cooking in anticipation of warmer weather. I don't know about you, but I want to spend Spring outside and Summer at the beach, not sweating in the kitchen.

So I'm making a lot of meals that can be served again a few days later. Living a leftover life, that's me!

Anyway, this casserole bake is a twist on an old church pot luck recipe. It's comfort food without the carbs. It's also a very flexible recipe, don't be afraid to toss in veggies that are languishing in the fridge even if they aren't on the ingredient list. (Dirty secret: I put spinach in this time. Next time it might be broccoli.)

Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8-10 servings

• 1 pkg ground turkey (can, of course, substitute ground beef)
• 1 onion diced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 cans tomato sauce (total of 15-16oz)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Veggies of your choice--I used spinach and some diced Hungarian hot peppers
• 2 cups cauliflower cooked and coarsely mashed (we're going for lumpy, not smooth) OR Carba-Nada noodles

Instructions

1.Saute onion in olive oil (along with peppers if you're using them) and add turkey.

2.Once turkey is cooked through, add tomato sauce. Stir until warm and set aside.

3.Cook noodles, if you're using them and/or prep the cauliflower. Set aside.

4.Mix sour cream and cottage cheese together and season well with salt and pepper.

Tip: Use a fairly large bowl due to step 5.

5. Combine pasta or cauliflower with the sour cream/cottage cheese mix.

6.In a 9x13 casserole dish, alternately layer meat, cheese mix, and shredded cheese.

7.Top with cheese and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

Dinner the Other Night

This was dinner the other night. BBQ chicken and my Longhorn BLT Salad--I really love Balsamic Glaze, that is good stuff.

BBQ sauce is not generally low carb, but the amount is negligible so I don't worry about it. Especially if the rest of the day was very low carb, which it was in this case.

Nacho Snack

The other night, I was in the mood to munch. So I popped a low carb tortilla in the microwave and made chips.

Then topped the chips with cheese and nuked until melted. Served with a side of fresh salsa, extra cilantro and yum!

Low Carb Salads: Strawberry Spinach Parmesan Salad

This is a lovely Spring salad that shows off strawberries to their advantage. It's also a no recipe salad; all about the ingredients and the way their flavors play off each other with zero cooking.

The sweet flavor notes of the strawberries kiss the tang of balsamic in a really wonderful way. I see now why balsamic vinegar and fruit is sometimes served as a dessert.

Then you have the saltiness of the cheese with the zing of onion. Very nice.

Pair with a nice grilled steak or chicken for a fast, elegant meal.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

-Fresh strawberries, roughly 2-3 strawberries per person
-Very thinly sliced red onion, about 1/4 of the onion
-8 oz. Good quality shaved Parmesan cheese--2 oz per person
-1 tub organic spinach
-Balsamic salad dressing (I used Ken's Creamy Balsamic Dressing which is a bit carby, but it tasted great.)

Instructions

1.Wash what needs washing.

2.Slice the strawberries and onion.

3.Build your salad.

Enjoy!

Dead or Alive?

I'm here! Sorry for the long break.

Food has gone on the back burner for a bit. I have lots of projects to juggle and I dropped Kicking Carbs!

But more recipes will be coming.

Right now, I'm impatiently waiting for Spring. I have a list of grill marinades as long as my leg to try.

Bear with me!

Low Carb Kids: Yet Another Toddler Lunch

The toddler is obsessed with hot dogs and cottage cheese, so those were her favorite parts of this meal.

The broccoli slaw has about a 30% chance of being eaten at any given meal. On this day, she fed it to the dogs.

Sigh.