Cheese Head Pizza - Best Low Carb Crust Ever!

This evening I made my Cheese Head Pizza Crust and made a huge pizza for both hubby and I and a separate pizza for my brother. We all have plenty of leftover pizza for our lunches tomorrow. I had pepperoni, onions, mushrooms and red and green mini bell peppers on my half and hubby had pepperoni, Kalamata olives and artichoke hearts on his half. My brother had pepperoni, bell peppers and onions on his. The pizza turned out great. If you haven't tried this pizza crust yet...it should definitely be added to your "must try soon" list! I think you'll be surprised that it's really low carb and at how good it is.

Also, I found a better and less messy way to spread the crust out than by using my hands. I simply plop the ball of dough on the center of my parchment lined cookie sheet and then pour the tablespoon of olive oil over top of the dough (instead of greasing my hands with it) and then use a rubber spatula to press and spread the dough out. It doesn't stick to the spatula and you have better control of shaping and spreading out the crust. I snapped a quick photo of hubby's and my pizza before I popped it back into the oven to bake again with the toppings. Here's the link to the recipe: Cheese Head Pizza Crust. Enjoy!

            

Steak & Cheese Salad - Delicious & Easy Low Carb

This evening's dinner was super quick and easy.  I had 3 leftover grilled steaks in the fridge from last night's dinner. I decided to use them to make big main dish salads. I sauteed red and yellow mini bell peppers and thinly sliced sweet onions in olive oil until tender. I even had leftover cooked sliced mushrooms to add to my salad (neither hubby or brother eat mushrooms because they consider them all poisonous...LOL). I cut up little heads of baby romaine lettuce, thinly sliced a small carrot, quartered cherry tomatoes and then thinly sliced the cold leftover steaks. I piled the salad fixings in huge pasta bowls. I placed the sliced steaks on a plate (keeping them intact) and then heated them on low-medium in the microwave so it gently heated them without overcooking them. I topped the warmed steaks with big flakes of shaved Grana Padano Parmesan cheese so it would melt on top. I topped the salad mixture with the warm steak and cheese and then added the sauteed onions, peppers and mushrooms and some more cheese. It was the perfect way to use up leftover steak and definitely worth making extra steak just to be able to enjoy a Steak & Cheese Salad. I snapped a couple photos of our salads below. Enjoy!

            

Grilled Steak & Salad - Easy Low Carb

Happy belated Easter! We've been extremely busy this past week getting ready for my brother to move down here this weekend. We are excited to finally have family with us here in Georgia. It was a very busy weekend...so busy that we are actually delaying our Easter dinner until next weekend so we can actually celebrate and enjoy it without being exhausted.

It was a beautiful sunny day here today and absolutely perfect weather for grilling. My brother was in charge of grilling the steaks (over hickory chips) and he cooked sliced sweet onions with Worcestershire sauce in the Lodge skillet over the fire as well which turned out great. I sauteed sliced mushrooms in Kerrygold's Garlic & Herb Butter and made salads. It was a great way to kickoff his first home cooked meal since his arrival yesterday. To tell you just how busy I've been...today was my first trip to Costco in over 3 weeks (when I usually go every single week)! Now, once we all recover from our aches, pains and strains from this weekend's move...I'll hope to be back to posting more regularly again. Check out our delicious and easy meal below. Enjoy!

            

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Cake - A Low Carb Slice of Heaven

Today I'm excited to be sharing my new recipe for Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Cake on my guest post for Honeyville. There's only one way to describe this dessert...SPECTACULAR! It makes a thick, rich, and buttery wedge of dessert heaven! The first time I made it, it turned out "good"...but good is rarely good enough for me. So, I went back and made it again with some tweaks...and it turned out unbelievably GREAT! It's filled with all the good stuff like Honeyville's Blanched Almond Flour, Kerrygold butter, Swerve Sweetener, and Equal Exchange's bittersweet chocolate chips and more. It serves 10 to 12 people generously (at least) because it's so rich, decadent and satisfying. It turned out better than I imagined, which is always a good thing.

This cookie cake would make a great dessert idea to add to your Easter menus. It will make a perfect addition to serve at upcoming summer picnics, cookouts, potlucks...you name it. Toll House doesn't have anything on me! I hope you enjoy it half as much as I do; no, I hope you enjoy it JUST as much as I do. If you want to keep it totally sugar free you can use Lily's Chocolate Chips (sweetened with stevia) or for a very low sugar treat, try to use chocolate that is at least 70 to 85% cacao. I like Equal Exchange 70% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. Check out a few photos below. The recipe can be found below. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Cake

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil to grease pan

1/4 cups blanched almond flour 

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup Swerve sweetener (or preferred granular sweetener)

8 Tablespoons butter, softened

5 ounces (brick style) cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or a 3.5-ounce 70-85% chocolate bar, chopped)

Stevia, to taste (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or other ovenproof skillet) with coconut oil. In a medium mixing bowl, combine almond flour, baking powder, salt and Swerve sweetener (or preferred granular sweetener).

Make a well in the center of bowl; add softened butter, softened cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Cream mixture together with a wooden spoon or spatula until a smooth, thick dough is formed. Taste for sweetness; add stevia, to taste, if additional sweetness is desired.  

Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips; mixing just until combined.  Spread batter evenly in skillet, smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Place skillet in a 350 degree F oven; immediately reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and somewhat firm when lightly pressed in the center (begin checking after 35 minutes). Cool on wire rack or on top of stove. Cut into wedges and serve topped with ice cream or dollop of whipped cream, if desired. If serving warm, allow to cool in pan for about 30 minutes before cutting.

*Note: If you don’t own an ovenproof skillet, the cookie can be baked in a well-greased nonstick 10-inch round cake pan or a well-greased 10-inch pie dish. Sugar free chocolate chips (such as Lily’s sweetened with stevia) can be substituted for the dark chocolate chips

            

BEST LOW CARB PIZZA EVER - Cheese Head Pizza

This evening I made my Cheese Head Pizza for dinner. It was so quick, easy and delicious. I usually like to put lots of different toppings on my pizza, but this evening I kept it simple. I topped our Cheese Head Pizza crust with Muir Glen's Organic Pizza Sauce, Sargento's Whole Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, Fiorucci and Boars Head Pepperoni, and last but not least...sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and herbs. It was an awesome combination and toppings that both hubby and I like (no "half-sies" pizza tonight). If you haven't tried my Cheese Head Pizza Crust...you need to put that on your list of things to try.

We've been extremely busy the last few weeks working on home projects and spring cleaning and I've also been working on another dessert project as well, so stay tuned. Check out this evening's pizza below. Everyone that has tried it so far says that it's the best low carb pizza crust they've ever had...and I've got several other awesome pizza crusts that they love as well, so that compliment really means a lot. To get to the recipe, click here: Cheese Head Pizza Crust. Enjoy!

            

Mexican Style Skillet Chicken - Quick & Easy Low Carb

Last night I didn't have a lot of time to prepare dinner so I kept it simple. I made a quick and easy Mexican Style Skillet Chicken dinner. I had a package of boneless chicken breasts in the fridge as well as a container of fresh salsa and a block of Cabot's 5-year sharp white cheddar cheese. It was a match made in heaven and only used a very few ingredients to achieve a flavorful and simple meal.

I cut the chicken breasts up into large chunks, quickly sauteed them in an ovenproof skillet in a bit of olive oil, and then added salsa on top and popped it into the oven to cook for about 15 minutes. I pulled it out of the oven; topped it with shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and put it back into the oven for 5 to 7 minutes and "voila"...we had a simple and tasty meal. While the chicken was cooking, I roasted fresh cauliflower florets in the oven that I simply tossed with olive oil and seasoned with McCormick's Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning and spread out onto a baking sheet; they cooked right alongside the chicken. It was an easy and delicious meal with lots of flavor and very little effort. I snapped a quick photo below and included the easy peasy recipe. Enjoy!

Mexican Style Skillet Chicken

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into large chunks
1/3 cup salsa (I used Jack's fresh chunky Cantina Style)
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot's 5-year old white cheddar)
Sliced green onions, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Spoon salsa on top of chicken. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with shredded cheese. Bake an additional 5 to 7 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sliced green onions if desired.

         

Bacon, Egg, Avocado & Cheese - Low Carb Breakfast Sandwich

This morning we awoke to a combination of overcast and sunny skies. Everything is wet outside from overnight rain. Hubby and I have been on a tangent the last few weeks working on projects around the house and going through and getting rid of anything we don't have space for or need for (in other words...serious spring cleaning). We've been sorting, tossing, donating and everything in between. Before we get started this morning, I decided I needed a hearty breakfast, so I'm posting my quick and nutritious breakfast. Once we get started, we usually don't stop until dinner time...and a late one at that.

I had one of my Sesame Seed Sandwich Buns left from earlier in the week so I decided to make a Bacon, Egg, Avocado & Pepper Jack Cheese Breakfast Sandwich with it (I lightly toasted it first). It was so good. I snapped a couple of quick photos below. If you've never tried my sandwich buns before...they are so versatile. Besides using them for burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, deli sandwiches, sloppy joe's, etc., they also make great peanut butter & jam sandwiches or in this morning's case, breakfast sandwiches. If you'd like, you can omit the sesame seeds and use them as you would regular bread. The recipe for the sandwich buns is here: Sesame Seed Sandwich Buns. Enjoy!

            

Easy Mexican Style Burgers on Sesame Seed Buns - Low Carb

This evening I was in the mood for a grilled burger for dinner. The weather has been unseasonably warm with temps this week forecast to be in the mid-upper 70's. As soon as I got home I made a quick batch of my Sesame Seed Sandwich Buns. It's been a while since I've made them and I can't tell you how much I enjoyed having them again this evening. It takes about 10 minutes to make the dough/batter and about 20 minutes to bake them. During that 20 minutes of baking time, I whipped up a quick marinated coleslaw; nothing fancy, simply coleslaw mix, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, a bit of sweetener and salt. I popped it into the fridge to marinate and mixed up my Mexican style burgers and formed them into patties and grilled them for about 5 minutes per side. It was an easy meal that took a little more than 30 minutes from start to finish. I snapped a quick photo below and included the easy peasy recipe for the burgers. If you've never tried my Sesame Seed Sandwich Buns before...try them; you'll be surprised at how good they are and how much they taste like regular sandwich buns. Even the texture is spot on. Here's the recipe for the buns: Sesame Seed Sanwich Buns. Enjoy!

Mexican Style Burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound ground round
1/4 cup salsa (I used Jack's fresh all natural Cantina Style Salsa)
1/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Sargento's Mexican Style 4-cheese blend)
Chipotle & Roasted Garlic Seasoning, to taste (McCormick's Grill Mates)
Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese (I used Sargento's)

Directions:

Mix ground beef, salsa and shredded cheese together in a bowl. Form into 3 patties, about 1-inch thick. Season with chipotle and roasted garlic seasoning. Grill approximately 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Serve topped with sliced pepper jack cheese and a dollop of salsa, if desired.

            

Stir-Fried Sausage & Broccoli - Low Carb Fast Food

This evening I made one of my super easy 2-ingredient meals. Well, this evening I actually used 3 ingredients if you count the  optional butter I added at the end. I simply slice up Aidell's Smoked Chicken Sausage (nitrite//nitrate free) and stir-fry it until browned in a nonstick wok or skillet. While it's browning, I steam fresh broccoli florets in the microwave for about 5 minutes until they are tender-crisp but still bright green. I drain the broccoli and toss it in with the sausage and "Voila"...the fastest fast-food low carb meal is complete. I added a bit of Kerrygold butter at the end and tossed it around to lightly coat the broccoli, but that's optional. I've also made this meal using sliced brussels sprouts and for a super quick meal, a bag of shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix). I snapped a few photos and the easy recipe below. Enjoy!

Stir-Fried Sausage & Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh broccoli florets
12 ounces (4 links) Aidells Smoked Chicken & Apple Sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch slices (or substitute your favorite sausage)
2 tablespoons butter, optional

Directions:

Place broccoli florets in a covered glass Pyrex-type casserole dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover and microwave on high for approximately 5 minutes until tender-crisp and bright green. While broccoli steams, add sliced sausage to nonstick wok or skillet heated over medium-high heat and stir-fry for 5 to 7 minutes until browned. Drain broccoli and add to wok or skillet; stir in butter and toss until melted, if desired. 

      

Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad - Easy Southern Style Low Carb

We had another unseasonably warm day here today. It was 70 degrees when I got home. I had some leftover cooked chicken in the fridge that needed to be used so I decided to make chicken salad...but not just any old chicken salad. I made Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad. Pimento cheese is one of my hubby's favorites, being that he's Georgia born and raised, you could say that it's in his blood. He likes to make pimento cheese sandwiches which I'm personally not a fan of; I prefer to enjoy it on grain-free crackers or celery or carrot sticks. One of my favorite store bought pimento cheeses used to be Palmetto brand because I think it tastes the closest to home made. To make my Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad, I whipped up a quick batch of pimento cheese and added diced chicken along with a bit of diced jalapenos for a bit of heat (you can leave them out if you prefer). I served it scooped on top of baby romaine lettuce leaves. It turned out great and I have enough left for lunch tomorrow as well. I snapped a couple photos and included the recipe below. Enjoy!

Pimento Cheese Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 ounces package brick-style cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup mayonnaise (home made or olive oil based), or to taste
4 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 1 cup; more if desired)
2 ounces diced or sliced pimentos (1/2 of a 4-ounce jar)
1 tablespoon pimento juice
1 to 2 teaspoons diced jalapenos, optional (I used canned)
3 cups diced cooked chicken
Romaine lettuce leaves

Directions:

In a large bowl, mash softened cream cheese and combine with mayonnaise. Add shredded cheddar, pimentos, pimento juice and jalapenos. Fold in diced chicken. Serve on top of lettuce leaves. If desired, add additional mayonnaise.