Well, its that time of year again when zucchinis are growing in abundance and garden growers are trying to sneak them into any meal. That is one great thing about this abundant summer squash – it is so sneakable!

Here is a great tasting zucchini pancake recipe that has a bit of a kick to it:

Spicy Zucchini Coconut Pancakes

1 med. zucchini grated and squeezed

4 green onions

3 tablespoons of coconut flour

3 organic pastured eggs

3 tablespoons of coconut oil or butter (melted)

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne ( feel free to adjust to taste)

pepper to taste

Coconut oil or butter for frying

Grate zucchini and give it a good squeeze too drain the water. Chop green onions.

In a bowl mix dry ingredients: Coconut flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Mix well. To the bowl add melted coconut oil, eggs, zucchini and green onions. Mix well again.

Melt coconut oil in a skillet and spoon 2 tablespoons of pancake mix into it. Cook pancakes until golden brown. Flip pancake and do the same on the other side.

Makes about 10 pancakes.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Kelly The Kitchen Kop

Enjoy!

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I made a super yummy *grain free* french toast using Eggplant!

I used a large eggplant. Parts of this eggplant contained seeds and some parts were seedless. The seedless turned out much better and had a more “french toast” texture. The “toast pieces” with seeds had more of an eggplant mushy texture.

If I remember correctly small Italian eggplants have less seeds and therefore would be suited better for this recipe.

Grain Free Eggplant French Toast Recipe

1 eggplant (or 3-4 small italian eggplant)
salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
stevia to taste
butter

Peel eggplant and cut into slices. Sprinkle a small amount of salt on the eggplant. Turn eggplant pieces over and sprinkle a small amount on the other side. Let eggplant rest for two minutes. Mix eggs, vanilla and stevia in a bowl. Melt butter in frying pan on med. heat.

Put your eggplant in egg mixture and poke holes into it with a knife or fork. This allows the mixture to permeate the eggplant. Cook “french toast” until golden brown. Then flip and do the same on the other side. Top your french toast with cinnamon, nutmeg, cream cheese, cocoa, nut butter or low sugar fruit.

This recipe is inspired and modified from Whole Approach message boards.

Enjoy!

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade.

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I love coconut oil. It is wonderful for many things. It is also one of the healthiest oils to use. It is a stable oil and does not oxidize easily and can be left at room temperature for up to two years. It is has antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and antiprotozoal properties. It is also great for fat loss as it stimulates metabolism and suppresses appetite. Another great property of coconut oil is that it can protect against heart disease by raising the HDL (good cholesterol) and improving the total cholesterol ratio.

So how can you incorporate coconut oil into you daily life?

1. Low Carb Coconut bread
2. Coconut in milk
3. Coconut Chicken Curry
4. Coconut Herb Buns
5. Coconut Pancakes (This recipe comes from CHEESESLAVE but I made a savory version of this pancake using my garden zucchinis that I will post soon)
6. Low Carb Breakfast Porridge
7. As a toothpaste
8. As a skin lotion (I use coconut oil with some peppermint essential oil)

Share your thoughts! How do you use coconut oil?

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I created a low carb grain free bread recipe that my kids and I enjoy. The bread toasts really nicely and has a very light texture. Kind of a blend between bread and cake.

Coconut Bread Recipe

1 cup of ground dessicated coconut
1/4 ground golden flax meal
5 pastured organic eggs
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 drops of NOW non bitter stevia

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together coconut, flax, salt and baking soda. Mix well enough so most of the lumps are gone. Add wet ingredients (eggs, stevia, coconut oil). Mix well again. Place batter in a buttered pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until knife comes out clean.

Note: From what I have read the essential oils in the flax seed do not get destroyed.

This bread is really good. It has a very mild coconut flavour but in a not offensive kind of way. Nut butters go very well with this bread.

My lunch consisted of a cheese sandwich with fresh dill and tomato. You hardly notice the coconutty taste.

Enjoy!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Cheeseslave.

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In the winter I really missed my hot creamy oatmeal that I used to have. Porridge can be a great comfort food especially on the cold, damp or snowy days. I have been experimenting in my kitchen to get a good morning Low Carb hot cereal substitute. This recipe is quick and easy. It is ready in less than 5 minutes. It tastes good too!

Low Carb Faux Oatmeal

¾ cup of warm whole milk (or cream and water, or coconut milk)

2 tablespoons ground golden flax

4 tablespoons sugar free desiccated coconut

1tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 drop of liquid stevia

½ teaspoon of nutmeg

Combine warm milk, flax, coconut, stevia and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir well and let sit for a few minutes until the “oatmeal” thickens.

Optional: you can add some nuts or low sugar berries to this recipe.

Enjoy!

This is a breakfast that I like to have daily. It is great for constipation if you are having trouble with that. It also contains healthy coconut and flax.  Flax is important because it contains lignans that have been shown to be effective for cancer treatment. It also aids immune health, fights inflammation and is great for brain health.

You can add Coconut Oil to this recipe and it would be a satisfying meal that can keep you full for hours.

Edit Note (May 5, 2009): This morning I sprinkled cinnamon on top and added 1 crushed clove to this. It tasted pretty awesome!

p.s. Check out my daily menus at www.healthyfitmomlowcarbmenus.blogspot.com.

p.p.s. Join Ann Marie on Real Food Wednesdays and enjoy some great recipes sharing and meal ideas.

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Today was my very first attempt at cooking duck. I had tried it a few years ago and thought it was delicious. However it was not a low carb recipe as duck is usually made with a sweet sauce. Making a sweet sauce was out of the question so I had to think of another way of preparing this duck.

I looked around for a good recipe, asked for advice and came up with my own little yummy delight. The duck tasted awesome. However it was a very tough bird and my kids would not eat it. I had just roasted it like a chicken, but a bit longer and I had basted it a few times during its two hour of roasting in my oven.

Then I checked with the Nourishing Traditions cookbook and they recommend cutting the duck up in pieces and trimming the fat and skin off. The duck pieces are then marinated in the juice of 4 lemons.

So I cooked my duck wrong! Next time I will marinade it first.

Nevertheless, I will share my yummy spice combination.

Low Carb Roast Duck Spice Rub

Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon of Thyme
2 teaspoon of Paprika
2 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
Cayenne to taste

1 whole duck

I combined the spices in a bowl and rubbed my duck with the mix. I then drizzled the lemon juice over the whole bird. My duck was almost 8lbs and I roasted it in the oven at 375 degrees for two hours. I basted twice and covered my duck when the skin looked like it was going to burn.

There are some better duck roasting cooking tips and instructions at e-how.

But the spice mix is great for duck and would be very yummy for chicken as well.

Enjoy!

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Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on the bottled salad dressings and dips? All I can say is Yuck!

Here is a versatile dip that can be used for veggies and meat. A tablespoon of olive oil will also convert it into a salad dressing. It is great with celery, and I eat it on my hamburgers instead of using high sugar ketchup. This dip can be whipped up in two minutes and is a healthy alternative to the regular salad dressings that have icky gross chemical ingredients.

Garlicky Dill Veggie Dip

Fantastic Garlicky Dill Veggie Dip Recipe

1 cup Yogurt
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
0.5 teaspoon dill
0.25 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and let sit in the fridge for about an hour till all flavors are blended.

Enjoy!

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In the last two weeks I have had two days that have been higher carb and sugar. The first was a holiday work party. I did well at dinner but when I saw the dessert table I let my guard down and indulged. I also had an alcoholic beverage or two. Ah well. 

The next day was back to normal low carb eating. I have been reading Suzanne Somers Fast & Easy. She has created a diet called Somersizing and it is mainly a high fat low carb diet.  There are two phases – a weight loss phase and a maintenance phase where you can eat carbs (but without fats). Fruits are also allowed but should be eaten alone and preferably in the morning so you have all day to use the sugars and carbs.

[Read more →]

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Celery root can make a delicious low carb French Fry. It can also be used as a substitute for scalloped potatoes and potato latkes. It is one of the ugliest veggies that can be often ignored in the grocery store.
Celery root is a veggie high in potassium and one cup will give you 480mg. It has a mild celery flavour that is quite tasty.

Celery Root French Fries

1 celery root
4 tblsp olive oil, butter or bacon drippings
1 tsp of garlic powder
a pinch or 2 of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste

yields 4 servings

Calories 194, Total Fat 14.4g, Protein 2.5g, Total Carbohydrate 14.9g, Dietary Fiber 2.9g

To your health and wellness,

Catherine Osthaus

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Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I was looking for a good pumpkin pie recipe to use up the last pumpkin from our CSA share. I came up with this wonderful treat using Stevia Sugar. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Top it up with some whipped cream and it will melt in your mouth.

Low Carb Pumpkin Pie Recipe

8 Servings

Almond Crust

1 cup Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 teaspoon Stevia Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

extra butter for greasing pie dish

Butter pie dish and set aside. Combine almond flour, butter, Stevia and vanilla. Pat down into pie dish.

Almond Crust: Calories 95.6, Total Fat 8.9 g, Total Carbohydrate 2.4 g, Dietary Fiber 1.4 g, Protein 2.6 g

Pumpkin Pie Filling

2 cups pumpkin puree
2 eggs
0.5 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 inch fresh ginger (peeled)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cardomon pod
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1.5 tablespoon Stevia Sugar
1 Cup of Pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350F. Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and spices are all mixed. Pour into pie shell. Add pecans on top of pie filling. Bake for 60-70min. To check the pie if it is ready to come out, insert a knife into and if it comes out clean then it is ready.
Let pie cool completely before cutting it.

Pumpkin Pie Filling: Calories 185.2, Total Fat 17 g, Total Carbohydrate 6.6 g, Dietary Fiber 2.2 g, Protein 3.6 g

To your health and wellness,

Catherine Osthaus

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