Grilled Portobellos Parmesan

Saturday morning started with a trip to the local farmer's market  where all the vegetable's are just now ready for this summer's close-up beauty shots. The corn is brilliant green, the cucumber's plump and juicy and the  variegated shades of the heirloom tomatoes make for an entire rainbow of deliciousness.  From the dairyman I bought fresh ricotta and mozzarella and the poultryman had some blue chicken eggs that were just too beautiful to pass up.  One odd thing that caught my attention was a stand of mushrooms.  She had some big gorgeous fresh portobellos.  You can tell they are fresh when the edges are still curled in tight.  With the natural "walls" still in place it makes it easy to stuff them.

Later, when dinner time was approaching, it was hot and humid in coastal North Carolina, so the last thing I wanted to do was fire up my kitchen to heat up the house.  I stared intently at my morning haul, trying to figure out a tasty, filling treat for the dear wife, the couple next door and me.  Obviously, a capressi salad would have been an acceptable choice, but we have those often - and I wanted to do something with those luscious mushrooms... I thought,  we're all familiar with eggplant Parmesan and chicken Parmesan and veal Parmesan, so why not portobello Parmesan?!?  And do it  on the grill outside in the shade!! No frying - no breading - WIN!!

Grilled Portobellos Parmesan

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, passed through a garlic press (unless you have REALLY good knife skills and can puree the clove)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 large portobello mushroom caps, stemmed, gills scraped out if desired
1 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
4 thick tomato slices
4 slices Fontina cheese

Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. 
Drizzle over the gill side of the mushrooms and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. 
Combine the ricotta, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, the basil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stir to combine. 
Place the tomato slices and the mushrooms (gill side down) over hot coals.  Heat the tomatoes through and cook mushrooms until the edges begin to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. 

Transfer the portobellos to a baking sheet, gill side up. 
Place a slice of grilled tomato in the hollow of each portobello
Divide the ricotta mixture among them, mounding it on the tomatoes. 
Top with the Fontina slices and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. 

Using a spatula, carefully transfer the mushrooms to the grill and cook until the portobellos are soft and the cheeses are melted, about 5 minutes.  

Serve with a mixed green salad.  Serves 4 

Cook's Notes: 
Variations on the theme..  
1) Smear a nice layer of pesto on the portobello before adding the tomato.  
2) If not tomato season, replace the tomato slice with a dollop your favorite marinara sauce.
3) Stuff it all in a bun and serve it to your vegetarian burger-buddies.

I Guess I "Cheated" But I Don't Care

4

A while back my attention was drawn to a post in an online "newspaper" where some blogger not only said that having weight loss surgery was taking the easy way out and cheating but also that, if you didn't agree with her, you were the kind of person who enables drug addicts!!

Part of me thought the whole thing was too stupid to respond to, but then I found out that not only was she holding herself up as example of how to lose weight the "right" way -- by eating only 500 calories a day and indulging in the sort of exercise program normally associated with exercise anorexia, but that lately (because somehow that didn't result in permanent weight loss – go figure), she's jumped on the whole juice fast craze and I just had to respond. (I admit it. It was the juice fasting pushed me over the edge.)

First of all, when did doing something the hard way become a morally superior option vs. being smart about it and using whatever tools are available to you? In all other aspects of our lives, using tools is seen as smart, not cheating. But in weight loss apparently the only true path has to involve suffering. Lots and lots of suffering.

Let's say you have two people who both love to garden. One of them uses gardening tools and even owns a tiller to help dig up the ground before planting. They use an electric hedge trimmer too. The other one does the whole garden using a teaspoon and a pair of scissors. Their results aren't as good as the first person, but, hey, at least they didn't "take the easy way out" by using power tools!

Yeah, when you put it that way, it sounds a bit crazy. But that’s definitely some people’s attitude toward losing weight. If it’s not as hard as digging a garden with a teaspoon, then somehow it’s suspect.

The whole "easy way” knock also assumes that we were never successful at long-term weight loss before because we didn't know what to do and/or weren't willing to do it. Then, instead of learning what we need to know and buckling down to do the work, we just waved our magic wand, uh.. I mean had bariatric surgery, and the weight fell off and we never had a problem ever again.

Yeah, right. If only.

Perhaps there are people who fit that picture. But most of us have been on many diets and have worked hard many times to lose weight only to not be able to lose all our excess weight and be able to keep it off. We've been to the classes on nutrition and goal setting. We've read the articles and books on how to lose weight. We’ve kept a food journal. We’ve role-played dealing with food saboteurs. We've gone to the gym and taken up jogging.

We know what to do and we've done it many times before. It just hasn't resulted in permanent weight loss. “But I know someone who knows someone who lost 100 pounds and kept it off for seven years!” Good for them! It’s great if you can lose weight without surgery because, hey, it's surgery. Why not avoid it if you can? But it’s not a moral failing if you can’t.

Let's say you have two people who are both addicted to heroin. They both get clean. One does it by going cold turkey and the other does it by going to a clinic where they get counseling and methadone. Is the first person somehow "better" than the second?

There are people who would say so, but I am not one of them.

Does that mean that any way you lose weigh is okay and there is no cheating or "easy way out" in weight loss?

To be honest, I do think there are "easy way out" and "cheating" methods. But the ironic thing is that I would put the original author's methods in that category way before weight loss surgery!

Most people would agree that, if you do something extreme like only eat 500 calories a day for a month or drink nothing but juice several days a week, you are trying to lose weight via some sort of trick (a.k.a. cheating) that doesn't require you to make permanent changes to your life (a.k.a. taking the easy way out).

But weight loss surgery doesn't fall into those categories.

Now, it used to be believed that weight loss surgery worked because it forced you to eat less and, if you got a kind with malabsorption, not all your calories are absorbed. So maybe that’s where the whole “easy way out” and “cheating” ideas came from.

See, you get surgery and then you can eat anything you want because you won’t absorb the calories and you can’t eat a lot even if you want to. So you have to lose weight whether you want to or not and it’s easy! Again, I say: Yeah, right. If only.

Yes, you don't eat a lot in the beginning, but that's because of medical necessity. As soon as you can eat more, you do. Plus, while you can’t eat as much at each meal as before, there is nothing to stop you from eating every hour or just drinking all your calories.

Then, with bypass, the malabsorption goes away over time so eventually you do absorb everything. (With duodenal switch, which is a lot less common, malabsorption is more permanent, but 100% of carbohydrates are always absorbed, so you still have to watch what you eat.)

As many have learned, weight loss surgery isn’t a magic fix and, if you don’t make permanent changes, the weight comes back just like it does when you juice fast or go on the HGC diet.

So why doesn't everyone who has weight loss surgery just eat around their surgery and gain all their weight back? Or better yet, why don’t they just do those things without having surgery?

It's because bariatric surgery fixes a part of our body that was broken - the homeostatic system that controls energy balance.

And this is where all these analogies fall down. Because weight loss surgery isn’t a “tool” like a hedge trimmer or methadone, as popular as that analogy is in the bariatric community.

It’s a repair job.

It’s a repair job in the same way that heart bypass surgery is a repair job. It’s a repair job that has various degrees of success – sometimes everything is repaired 100% and sometimes you’ve just improved the situation over what you had before. (And, in very rare cases, you fix one system, but break another.)

Then, once you are repaired, it’s up to you to make the necessary changes to keep everything from breaking again. Only now it’s a lot easier to do that because you aren’t working with broken machinery and doing things like exercise and eating less actually results in weight loss while eating as many calories as you burn doesn’t leave you ravenously hungry.

So I was broken and I chose surgery to fix me after exploring many other (reasonable) options without success.

If you think that’s cheating, I think that says more about you than it does about me.

Purty Gud "Cornbread"

As a good ol' Southern boy Ah jus' git me a cravin' fer me some good ol' cornbread ever now 'n' then.. So Ah jus ' figgered me out a way to git me sumpin' like it!


Purty Gud "Cornbread"

Nutritional Stats fer each servin' - assumin' 12 servin's iffen ya don't make a pig of yerself

Calories 107
Total Fat 9.9g
Saturated Fat 1.8g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 47mg
Sodium 120mg
Total Carbohydrates 2.2g
Dietary Fiber 1.0g
Sugars 0.7g
Protein 3.3g

1 cup almond flour
2 T coconut flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil or butter
3 eggs
1/4 c milk

Turn yer oven up to 'bout three hunnert an' fitty degrees (if yer a furrinner that 'bout a hunnert an' eighty Celsius)

Mix up all th' dry 'gredients
Add in the wet 'gredients and mix 'em up REAL GOOD.
Pour the batter into yer Granny's ol' Cast Iron Skillet what is greased up real good.
Bake fer 20-25 minutes, 'til a broom straw stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Git a big ol' bowl o' beans and some collard greens an' ya'll have a real good supper now, ya hear?

Cook's Notes: Now, iffen yer hankerin' fer more CORN flavor, you kin substitoot a half a cup o' good ol' yeller corn meal fer a half a cup o' that there almond flour and you get these here stats fer each servin'

------------------------------------------------------------
Calories 104
Total Fat 8.1g
Saturated Fat 1.7g
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 47mg
Sodium 120mg
Total Carbohydrates 5.8g
Dietary Fiber 1.1g
Sugars 0.5g
Protein 2.9g

Mock Potato Salad

I love recipes that remind me of foods I used to love. One of those foods was potatoes, I have had whipped cauliflower and it tasted good as a replacement for mashed potatoes but this potato salad was more amazing then that. My entire family loved it! 

Warning: Cut back on the mustard of you don't like A LOT of it. My family does like the extreme mustard. 

Mock Potato Salad 

16 oz Frozen Cauliflower Florets 
3 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard 
1/2 Cup Fat-Free Mayonnaise Dressing 
2 Tablespoons Mt Olive - Sugar Free Sweet Pickle Relish 
1/8 teaspoon Celery seed 
1/4 teaspoon Pepper 
1/2 teaspoon Salt 
4 Hard-boiled Eggs, Chopped 
2 Celery stalks, Chopped 
3 Green Onions, Chopped 

Cook the cauliflower until soft, not mushy. 
Drain well, cool then cut into bite-size pieces. 
Mix the Mustard, mayonnaise, relish, celery seed, pepper and salt together. 
Combine the mustard mixture and remaining ingredients with the cauliflower folding gently. 
Chill for at least 2 hours. 

Serves 8 

1/8th of recipe: 
Calories 68 Fat 3 Carbs 5 Protein 5

Denver Chocolate Pudding Cake

Looking for more "lost" recipes, I hauled out my old 3X5 index card box and found this nice hot chocolate dessert that was a real hit when the kids were young. The original instructions were for baking it in a regular oven, but due to everyone's love of the MIAM (Muffin In A Minute), I gave it a whirl in the microwave, cutting the cooking time from approximately 40 minutes to 6 

 
Denver Chocolate Pudding Cake 

3/4 cup Splenda Granular 
1/2 cup coconut flour 
1/2 cup almond flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/8 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons butter 
7 tablespoons cocoa 
1/2 cup milk (Silk/Almond Breeze) 
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/2 cup Splenda Granular 
1/2 cup Brown Sugar flavored SF syrup (I used Torani Almond Roca) 
1 cup cold coffee (or water) 

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Coat a baking dish (about 9x9) well with butter. 
Sift together the first 5 ingredients. 
Melt the butter and 3 tablespoons cocoa in a double boiler, then add the flour mixture. 
Stir in milk and vanilla. 
Pour mixture in the prepared baking dish. 
Over the top drizzle/scatter (without combining) the brown sugar flavored syrup, 1/2 cup Splenda, and 4 Tbsp cocoa. 
Gently pour the coffee(water) on top, again without mixing. 

Bake 40-45 minutes (or 6 minutes in a microwave). 

The most difficult part of this recipe is to let it stand at room temp for at least an hour before serving!


Cook's Notes: Also makes delectable single servings by baking in ovenproof ramekins or coffee cups (adjust baking time downward for smaller containers). Drizzle with sugar free chocolate sauce and/or add a dollop of SF whipped cream.

Lime Angel Meringue Pie

I decided to pull out my recipe files and search through them. I'm looking for old favorites that I haven't cooked in a long time. Old recipes that I used to cook frequently, or at least occasionally, but for one reason or another I haven't cooked for many years. I think of them as "Lost Recipes." 

I rifled through the extensive collection of recipes my mother left me with the mission in mind to see if I could come up with an old favorite that hasn't seen the light of day for many years. .

Sure enough, it didn't take me very long to come up with a dish that I don't believe she ever cooked for me, and I'm looking forward to having my WLS version of it with tonight's dinner. The recipe is on a yellowed piece of newsprint cut from an unknown newspaper, probably sometime in the 1940s. It is actually a recipe bequeathed by her mother and its rediscovery brought back many fond memories of my mother and grandmother.


Lime Angel Meringue Pie

Nutritional Values per serving (8):
Calories 78
Total Fat 7.2g
Saturated Fat 4.0g
Cholesterol 90mg
Sodium 64mg
Total Carbohydrates 1.3g
Protein 2.4g


3 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Splenda
1/2 cup Truvia
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix 1/4 cup Splenda into 1/2 cup Truvia
Beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt; beat until stiff but not dry. Add the 3/4 cup of the Truvia/Splenda blend gradually beating until very stiff.

Spread meringue on bottom and sides of greased 9-inch pie plate with back of spoon, building up edge to form a rim.
Bake in 225°F oven until firm and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Turn off oven. LET DRY in oven, with door closed, until cool and crisp, at least 1 hour. Store, in pie plate, in tightly sealed container at room temperature.

For the filling, beat the egg yolks; add remaining 1/4 cup Splenda and lime juice. Cook over boiling water, stirring constantly until thickened. Add grated lime rind.

Remove from heat; chill. Fold into whipped cream. Place meringue on serving plate.

Fill meringue shell with lime filling. Chill 6 to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Garnish with lime slices, raspberries, mint leaves or cherries if desired. Yield:

8 servings

Cook's Notes: You can fill these meringue pie shells with just about anything. Any creamy cooked custard will work (Pastry Cream), as will SF ice cream or whipped cream mixed with fresh fruit - even instant sugar free pudding!

Crispy Oven "Fried" Chicken

This was posted by Cntry_Rose on [BeforeAndAfterHelp.com]. It sounded too tasty to let slip through the cracks, so I'm posting it her until I get a chance to try it myself.

I don't cook often with recipes... I just get an idea and run with it. Today I wanted mustard. Who knows why... I just wanted mustard! So, I thought about chicken and how I could do mustard with it. Then I thought it would need a "crunch" not just pasty mustard over the chicken.

So, here's what I did.

2 ea of the 1/2 chicken breasts you buy in a packet... cut them into 4 pieces.
1/2 of an onion (I use Vadalia onions), cut into 4 "whole" slices about 1/3" thick
Mustard - not powdered... use the stuff you'd put on a hotdog
Salt and Pepper
EVOO
Fresh Gourmet Crispy Red Peppers and Crispy Onions crushed - CARBS = 4 carbs per Tablespoon (I ended up with about 3/4 cup crushed which I'm going to guesstimate would have been just about 4 tablespoons per chicken piece)

Put a bit of EVOO into the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish
Place the 4 onion slices side by side... mine covered the bottom of the dish
Take the four pieces of chicken and salt/pepper the bottom of them, place a piece of chicken on a piece of onion
Put a bit more salt/pepper on the tops if you'd like (I did, we like pepper)
Squeeze mustard (a tablespoon or 2?) over the chicken... just to coat the top (I used my fingers to mush it around a bit to ensure the entire top of the breast was coated.
Use the crushed crispy red peppers and crispy onions (to coat the top of each chicken piece

Bake this covered for 20 minutes in a 375° oven, then uncover and continue baking for another 10 minutes or until bubbly, the chicken is done and coating is beginning to brown.

I served the chicken with mashed cauliflower, which in my humble opinion is MUCH better than mashed potato ever thought of being. Tonight's dinner was sublime if I may say so myself! And, I have lunch already for tomorrow... the 2 left over pieces of chicken will be the topping on a salad of spinach greens! 

Pickled Shrimp w/ Lemon Chive Aioli

Beautiful large North Carolina shrimp continue to grace the counter at my favorite fish monger, so I decided to make this twist on the classic shrimp cocktail for our annual "S'long to the Tourists" Labor Day party. Make extra dipping sauce as you will want to spread it on everything you eat! 

 
Pickled Shrimp w/ Lemon Chive Aioli

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
1/2 cup cider vinegar 
2 tablespoons Old Bay seafood seasoning 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 
1 large Fresno chile, thinly sliced (or a healthy pinch of crushed red pepper - to taste) 
4 cloves garlic, grated or pressed 
1-2 lemons, thinly sliced 
1 medium onion (red or white), thinly sliced 
1 tablespoon kosher salt 
3 pounds medium shrimp, tail on, shells removed, deveined 

Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, seafood seasoning, dill, parsley, mustard, chile, garlic, lemon slices and onion in a large bowl, toss together and set aside. 
In a large pot of boiling water, add the kosher salt. 
Add the shrimp and cook just until they begin to turn pink and float to the top, about 2 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK as the pickling liquid will continue the cooking process. 
Drain and immediately add them to the pickling liquid. 

Let stand for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature before serving to allow the flavors to mingle, but I prefer to refrigerate them, covered, at least overnight or until you are ready to serve them. If you do, don't be surprised to see your guests chowing down on the pickled lemon and onion slices along with the shrimp! 

Serve with Lemon Chive Aioli for dipping. 


Lemon Chive Aioli 

1/3 cup good mayonnaise* 
1/3 cup Greek yogurt 
3 tablespoons lemon juice 
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives 
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 
1 clove garlic, grated 

Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, chives, lemon zest and garlic in a small mixing bowl and whisk until fully combined. 
Serve alongside the pickled shrimp 


Cook's Notes: Pickled and lightly preserved seafood is relatively simple, but seafood is a low acid food, so actual canning is much trickier. You can pickle seafood and keep it in the refrigerator for a long time - and, as my dear Granny used to say, "the longer it sits, the better it gits." 


*Cheap mayonnaise is loaded with sugar, while good quality mayonnaise has none.

Whipped Cauliflower “Potatoes”

Serve these "whipped potatoes" instead of your regular potatoes tonight for supper. I bet no one in the family notices and if they do it will be because they are so darned yummy. They feel so naughty but they’re not. They are a must try this week! They feel like “whipped potatoes.”  Aside from all the wonderful health benefits of cauliflower this recipe is delicious! You will be addicted! 

 
Whipped Cauliflower “Potatoes” 

Nutritional Data per serving : (serves 4) 
Calories 86 
Total Fat 6.9g 
Saturated Fat 1.0g 
Cholesterol 0mg 
Sodium 21mg 
Total Carbohydrates 5.7g 
Dietary Fiber 2.0g 
Sugars 2.3g 
Protein 1.7g 


1 large head cauliflower 
3 garlic cloves 
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chives work particularly well) 
Sea Salt 
Fresh Ground Pepper 
1/2 Cup Onion 
2 Tbsp Olive Oil 

Chop cauliflower into smaller chunks – about bite-size pieces works well. 
Peel garlic cloves and cut in half, lengthwise. 
Chop onion into slices. 
Steam cauliflower, garlic and onion for 15 minutes, or until cauliflower and garlic are tender enough for a fork to easily pass through. 
Combine steamed cauliflower, garlic, onion, olive oil, fresh herbs, pepper, and sea salt in a food processor and blend until everything comes together into a mashed potato-like consistency. I like mine whipped. 

Cook's Notes: if you love a sour cream and chives on your whipped potatoes; top your whipped cauliflower with a dollop of fat free Greek yogurt and some fresh chopped chives! 
Mix in some Parmesan Cheese or Cream Cheese for exciting tastes. 
Mashed potatoes were always my "refrigerator magnet" to clean out the leftovers as mix-ins.  These work equally well and offer delicious variety.

Twice Baked Cauliflower 

Last night I made them like twice baked potatoes. 
Mashed the steamed caulflower with cream cheese, added bacon and cheese. 
Scooped into a small casserole and baked at 350F until the cheese was bubbly and brown.

Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

One of the things I gave up when I had RNY was BBQ Sauce.  A trip down the aisle at the grocery reading labels shows that most have 16-30 grams of sugar per quarter cup, but I've seen them as high as 44 grams! I finally figured out that I don't have to give it up - I just have to make my own. This recipe is possible using an RNY "no-no" - diet cola sweetened with Splenda (aspartame loses its sweetness when heated). 

I'm not suggesting you pick up a case of diet cola, just get ONE can or bottle from the local convenience store.  The cooking kills the bubbles and just leaves a rich taste in the sauce. 

Slather it on chicken, add it to your baked beans, use it as a dipping sauce, etc... 

 
Sugar Free BBQ Sauce 

Nutritional Data per 1/4 cup serving: 
Calories 43 
Total Fat 1.9g 
Saturated Fat 0.6g 
Trans Fat 0.0g 
Cholesterol 4mg 
Sodium 179mg 
Total Carbohydrates 4.6g 
Dietary Fiber 1.0g 
Sugars 2.7g 
Protein 2.5g 


2 strips bacon, chopped fine (or see Cook's Notes) 
1 small onion, minced 
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 
1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste 
1 can (12 oz) diet (Splenda-sweetened) cola 
1/4 cup low carb (sugar-free) catsup, (or see Cook's Notes) 
3 Tbs  yellow mustard 
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 
1 pinch ground cloves 
Hot sauce to taste 


Fry the bacon in a saucepan - a 2 qt pan works well. 
Add the onion and cook over medium until soft - 3-5 minutes. 
Add garlic at this point if you're using fresh and stir it for half a minute or so. 
Add the rest of the ingredients, plus about half a cup of water. 
Stir well. 
Simmer for 20-30 minutes. 
It will cook down a bit and flavors will combine. 
Adjust the seasonings so you have the balance you want - you can add vinegar, artificial sweetener, or hot sauce. (If it's too hot, adding more sweetener or a little white vinegar will tone it down.) 

Makes about 10 servings 

Cook's Notes: 
If you prefer to leave the bacon out, add 1-3 teaspoons of liquid smoke, to taste, near the end of the cooking. Alternatively, add some smoky flavor using 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, or chipotle powder to taste. 
If you can't find low carb catsup, leave it out, but add about a tablespoon of vinegar and some sweetener, to taste. 
You can get different flavors using different sodas - Root Beer makes a great sauce, and all us Southerners know about Cheerwine!

Parmesan Cheddar Rounds

These are not unlike the Cheese Straws my grandmother used to make. The sharpness of the cheese accentuated by just a hint of cayenne to perk up your taste buds. 

Parmesan Cheddar Rounds 

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (fresh if you can get it, but the stuff in the green can works too.) 
1/2 cup grated/shredded Cheddar cheese (or more Parmesan, colby, jack, gruyere, bleu or a combination) 
1/2 cup Almond Flour* 
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour* 
2 eggs 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
2 Tablespoons cold butter 
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste) 
1 teaspoon garlic powder (to taste) 

Process all ingredients together in a food processor until the dough forms into a ball. (if it won't form up add cold water 1 teaspoon at a time and process again) 
Form into a log and wrap dough in plastic wrap 
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until log gets firm. 
Slice into 1/4" medallions 
Bake on Silpat or parchment lined sheet pan in preheated 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. (May require turning half way - check bottoms of rounds) 

Store in an air tight container. Stored rounds can be "refreshed" in a 300F oven for 5-6 minutes. 

Cook's Note: This makes a bunch. You may want to divide it into quarters when chilling and only fix one part at a time. Unused dough can be kept refrigerated for up to a week - frozen for 3-4 months. This recipe halves easily 

Options: Add in your favorite veggies/herbs and make into larger disks. Then serve topped with tuna or chicken salad - or spread with a little herbed yogurt/mayo mixture and top with sliced cheese/ham/turkey. 

* Almond flour alone was a little grainy, while coconut flour alone was a little dry. A mixture worked very well.

Quinoa Salad w/ Currants, Zucchini, Feta & Dill

My neighbor and I worked out a deal, that I would take some of his zucchini, provided he would take some of my tomatoes. So I thought it was time I made this lovely salad and have him and his wife over for lunch! 

This was an easy and tasty way to prepare quinoa. I used the gorgeous red quinoa for an interesting color contrast, but regular quinoa is just fine. 

 
Quinoa Salad w/ Currants, Zucchini, Feta & Dill 

Nutritional Data per serving (6): 
Calories 183 
Total Fat 8.3g1 
Saturated Fat 1.9g 
Cholesterol 6mg 
Sodium 372mg 
Total Carbohydrates 21.9g 
Dietary Fiber 3.6g 
Sugars 1.5g 
Protein 6.6g 


1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
1 bunch green onions, chopped 
3/4 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt 
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed and drained 
2 cups water 
1/4 cup dried currants 
1 lemon, juice and zest 
2 small zucchini, grated on a box grater 
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional) 
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill 

feta cheese, crumbled for the top 

Rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear and add it to the 2 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Add the olive oil and a tsp of salt. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes until the little germ kernels show (the curly q's). Drain, if there is any water left, and add to a large bowl. 

Add the rest of the ingredients to the quinoa and taste for seasonings. Adjust to taste. Toss well to combine. 

Cook's Notes: The lemon zest and lemon juice is the dressing, no more oil is needed. I added a bit of crumbled feta to the top and served this warm.

Lemon Chicken Florentine

An absolutely scrumptious mid-week chicken dish that can double as the headliner for weekend entertaining. 

 
Lemon Chicken Florentine 

Nutritional Data per serving (4): 
Calories 386 
Total Fat 20.1g 
Saturated Fat 9.6g 
Cholesterol 131mg 
Sodium 391mg 
Total Carbohydrates 5.4g 
Dietary Fiber 1.6g 
Sugars 1.0g 
Protein 42.5 


1 lb chicken breasts and/or thighs, boned & skinned 
2 Tbsp butter 
1 (10 oz.) box chopped spinach, thawed and drained 
Parmesan cheese, grated 
4 slices Mozzarella cheese 
1/4 cup chicken broth 
1/4 cup white wine (optional) 
1/4 cup lemon juice 

Saute chicken in butter for 4 minutes each side (lightly browning). 
Remove chicken to a large 3 quart flat casserole dish and top each with cooked spinach. 
Sprinkle each with Parmesan cheese and top with a slice of Mozzarella cheese. 
Add chicken broth to the same pan used to saute chicken (to deglaze). 
Add the wine and lemon juice, stir. 
Pour sauce over chicken. 
Bake at 325F for 30 minutes. 
Cheese should be melted and breasts heated thoroughly. 

Cook's Notes: If you decide to forego the wine, replace the 1/4 cup liquid with equal amounts of lemon juice and chicken stock

Not-Your-Everyday Chicken Salad

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In terms of the big picture, I can't prove the case either way. In terms of culinary matters, the egg - frequently a breakfast dish - usually comes before the chicken, more commonly eaten at lunch or dinner. But it's chicken we're celebrating today, not eggs. 

This is a very special chicken salad. It involves more fussing and handling that your ordinary chicken salad, but you can taste the difference when you sit down to eat it with whatever guest is lucky enough to be your invitee. 

 
Not-Your-Everyday Chicken Salad 


Nutritional Data per serving (4): 
Calories 273 
Total Fat 14.1g 
Saturated Fat 5.1g 
Trans Fat 0.0g 
Cholesterol 75mg 
Sodium 235mg 
Total Carbohydrates 13.5g 
Dietary Fiber 2.3g 
Sugars 7.1g 
Protein 23.8g 

2 cups cooked chicken, cut bite-sized 
2 Tbs butter 
1 small onion, chopped 
1 slice deli ham, cut in cubes of approx 1/2 inch 
4 pitted dates, chopped 
1 Tbs grated fresh ginger 
1/2 rib celery, thinly sliced 
1/3 cup diced sweet red pepper 
2 Tbs snipped fresh dill 
1/4 cup slivered almonds 
2 Tbs mayonnaise, or to taste 
3 Tbs Greek yogurt, or to taste 
Salt and pepper to taste 

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and saute the onion till it's medium-brown. 
Mix the onion and all the other ingredients together in a large bowl. It will appear to be too "gloppy" with mayo, but once it has sat in the fridge awhile, it won't be. 
Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. 
Taste, and adjust amount of mayo, salt, and pepper if needed. 

Serves 4 

Cook's Notes: Any left-over chicken works well or you can make a lovely poaching liquid with some water, bay, onion and celery for a quick cook. 
The dates are a little high in sugars so you can replace them with currants, raisins or just a light sprinkling of Splenda. 
I ate mine wrapped in a cottage cheese oatmeal crepe with a little Bib lettuce.