Duodenal Switchcraft

Almond Flax Blueberry Muffins

2010-07-31T23:31:00.003-04:00

Time to share part II of my weekend cooking bender!

I had an abundance of fresh blueberries and was eager to put them to good use. I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while, and I figured today was finally time to give it a whirl. (With a few adjustments, of course!)

Disclaimer: if you are looking for a light, fluffy, traditional blueberry muffin recipe, keep right on looking. The muffins produced by this recipe bear little resemblance to standard muffins made with regular flour. Let's be honest. Any muffin made without flour or sugar isn't going to taste like it came from Dunkin' Donuts.

Instead, these muffins are dense and nutty, with a slightly coarse texture. They are quite tasty, but very different. They are also low-carb, high protein, and extremely nutritious. Here's a pic of how mine came out.

Still with me? Cool. Read on for the recipe, more pics and nutritional info.

Almond Flax Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour

1 cup ground flaxseed meal

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

4 eggs

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup DaVinci SF sweetener syrup

2 tablespoons DaVinci SF vanilla syrup

1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and well-dried

Once again, I must apologize for no step-by-step photos. I was on a mission, people! But, here are the directions.

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2: Fill a 12-muffin tin with paper liners (or grease it, but I'd go with the liners!)

Step 3: Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

Step 4: Beat eggs with a whisk. Add in water and syrup, whisk to combine.

Step 5: Add the melted butter and egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Combine and mix very thoroughly. You want to make sure that there are no hidden pockets of dry flour.

Step 6: Add blueberries (after washing, make sure they are thoroughly dried) and stir gently to combine.

Step 7: Using ladle or large spoon, fill muffin liners 3/4 of the way (or just about to the top).

Step 8: Bake until top of muffins are lightly brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out dry. Mine took 30 minutes to bake, but since ovens are so variable, I'd begin checking them at 15 minutes.

Yum! Nutty, blueberry goodness. This is what the muffins look like on the inside.

I ate my first one slathered in sweet creamery butter, which melted instantly upon contact with the warm muffin. The butter helped bring out the sweetness in the blueberries as well as the nutty almond flavor.

I had my second one along with an iced latte, and decided to make it a little sweeter and more dessert-like. Yesterday, I snagged this fantastic lemon curd at The Fresh Market. "Stonewall Kitchen" brand.

A tablespoon is only 5 carbs, which for a lemon curd, is quite good. It is so sweet that I only needed a teaspoon, which I spread thinly over the top of my muffin like an icing. The lemon was a nice accompaniment to the blueberries.

I thoroughly enjoyed it both ways! Tomorrow, for breakfast, I think I'm going to have 1/2 butter, 1/2 lemon curd.

A few notes about this recipe:

-These store well in the freezer. Nuke them for 30 seconds to warm.

-I use the liquid Splenda (Davinci) because I find it doesn't have the same aftertaste issues that granular Splenda has. You could try these with granular splenda, but you may need to add a bit more water as it will change the moisture.

-If you don't have the plain flavor Davinci syrup, another flavor could be substituted here. Vanilla would go well. Lemon could be interesting. Another time, I plan to try this with Gingerbread flavor syrup, and add some ground ginger, nutmeg, etc.

-You could change the ratio of almond/flax meal to suit your preferences, you could also sub in other types of nut meal.

Below is the estimated nutritional information per muffin (assuming 12 muffins):

Calories: 153

Fat: 13.5 grams

Protein: 5 grams

Carbs: 5 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Sugars: 1 gram

Crock Pot Beef Curry

2010-07-31T22:27:00.000-04:00

I've gone on a cooking bender this weekend! I'm having a blast.

My local supermarket had an amazing sale on "Mock Tender" aka Chuck Eye steaks. I scored 2.5 lbs worth for a paltry $4.

However, although it's a flavorful cut, it's not one I particularly enjoy as a steak. It's a bit tough for me; I'm more of a filet mignon or ribeye gal.

I was in the mood for something spicy, and I came across this tasty looking recipe for a creamy beef curry done in the slow cooker. I tweaked the recipe a bit and I think it came out very well. My modified recipe is below.

Crock Pot Beef Curry

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2.5 lbs Chuck Eye beef, fat trimmed, cut into 1" cubes
1 tablespoon butter
2 sweet yellow onions, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger root, minced
2 green chili peppers, diced and seeds removed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
48 whole cardamom seeds (or 4 pods)
4 whole cloves
3/4 cup beef stock
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup almond flour
6 ounces plain greek yogurt (I used 1 container Chobani 2% plain)

I don't have step-by-step pictures for this dish, I'm sorry to say. I was in such a cooking frenzy this morning that I didn't have time to stop and snap photos along the way. But, here are the directions.

Step 1: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Step 2: Brown the beef by adding to the skillet in batches. The trick is not to overcrowd. I ended up with 4 separate batches. Once each batch is browned, transfer it to the crock pot using slotted spoon. Make sure the juices stay behind in the skillet.

Step 3: Add butter to the skillet and deglaze the pan. Deglazing is an intimidating term, but it's super easy. It is done by taking a spatula and using the melting butter as a vehicle for scraping up all the tasty browned bits of beef that got stuck to the skillet. You want to make sure all that delicious flavor ends up in your dish.

Step 4: Add onions to skillet and saute, stirring, until softened and lightly browned.

Step 5: Add garlic, ginger root, chili peppers, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom (all the "c" spices, as my spouse calls them), turmeric, salt, and peppercorns. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Step 6: Add beef stock and bay leaf. Stir together and bring to a boil.

Step 7: Pour mixture over beef in crock pot. Stir well to combine, and make sure the beef is mostly covered by liquid.

Step 8: Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours, until beef is tender. I cooked mine on high for 5 hours, because I wanted to get the beef as tender as possible.

Step 9: Use two forks to break the beef apart. It should be tender enough that it'll fall apart easily at this stage. Breaking it up helps the meat absorb some additional flavor prior to serving, and makes it look less "cube-y".

Step 10: Stir in almond flour, cover, and cook on high for 10 minutes.

Step 11: Just prior to serving, stir in Greek Yogurt.

I served this with sauteed garlic spinach and Naan, as my family are not big on rice. However, this would go well with rice too.

I enjoyed mine without even needing the Naan. (Okay, I did end up having one small bite of my Mom's.) Yum! I think the leftovers tomorrow will be even more flavorful

Below is the nutritional breakdown for the beef curry, assuming 6 servings:

Calories: 333
Fat: 14 grams
Protein: 44 grams
Carbs: 6 grams
Fiber: 1 gram

Caramel Panna Cotta (with raspberries and dark chocolate sauce)

2010-06-08T22:36:00.001-04:00

This is a scrumptious, DS-friendly dessert which is ridiculously easy to make. The heavy cream also makes it a good choice for anyone with lactose tolerance issues.

I came across the basic recipe at Linda's Low Carb Recipes. I am impressed by the simplicity and versatility of it; the recipe can be easily tweaked to create any flavor imaginable. I am looking forward to making a lemon version next, which ought to go beautifully with some fresh blueberries.

For this initial attempt, I went with caramel. That would have been luxurious all on its own, but I figured, why not go for completely decadent? So, I garnished it with a dark chocolate sauce and a few fresh raspberries. Mmmm.

Read on for instructions, step-by-step pics and nutritional information.

Caramel Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 tablespoons DaVinci sugar free syrup, Vanilla*

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup DaVinci sugar free syrup, Caramel

See how simple? Only 4 ingredients! *If you wanted to, you could cut this down to 3 by making it entirely with Caramel syrup. I used the Vanilla because it adds a nice layer of complexity to the flavor.

Step 1: In a small bowl, sprinkle the packet of gelatin over the 3 tablespoons syrup; let stand 5 minutes to soften. This is what the gelatin/syrup mixture will look like after standing for 5 minutes.

Step 2: While the gelatin is sitting, bring the cream and 1/2 cup syrup to a boil on medium heat. Watch closely to make sure the cream does not burn. Once it has reached a boil (tiny bubbles throughout) remove from the heat.

Step 3: Add the gelatin mixture; stir thoroughly until the gelatin is completely melted.

Step 4: Pour into 6 individual dessert cups. Or, if you're like me and don't have any fancy schmancy dessert cups, you can improvise. Ramekins would work well. I used teacups.

Step 5: Cover with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Chill at least 4 hours or until set. Overnight works even better. Do not put these in the freezer as that will destroy the texture.

If you want to enjoy the panna cotta all on its own, you can eat it directly from the dessert cup. Here is how I hooked mine up with extra yumminess, though.

Dark Chocolate syrup:

This, I truly eyeballed, so please forgive the lack of measurements. Hopefully the pics will help. Take a small handful of dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% rock!), add a small bit of butter and a splash of heavy cream. Microwave on 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Drizzle chocolate syrup onto a circle on a small dessert plate. Spoon Panna Cotta from dessert dish/teacup and position in center of plate. Garnish with fresh raspberries and enjoy!

Below is the nutritional breakdown for the Panna Cotta (without chocolate or raspberries).

Per serving (assuming 6 servings):

Calories - 277

Fat - 29.4 grams

Protein - 3.0 grams

Carbs - 2.2 grams

My 5 Favorite Products Of The Moment

2010-06-04T23:54:00.002-04:00

I have been shamefully remiss in updating this blog. Thanks to those of you who have continued to stay tuned.

A brief update: I've been living with my DS for just over 7 months now. Things are going well. I have lost 127 lbs eating tasty, amazing food. I have experimented a lot with different things, have learned a lot, and continue to learn more each day.

Anyway, I'm back and I plan on updating a lot more regularly. I have a slew of recipes, foodie experiments, ramblings and recommendations that I am looking forward to sharing.

For now, here are my 5 Favorite Products Of The Moment.

1. Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Dark Chocolate Squares

My taste for sweets has changed significantly since I had the DS. I still crave them, but not nearly as much. Nowadays I tend to prefer goodies with more subtle and complex flavors. This means that when I crave chocolate, I want dark chocolate. These Ghirardelli squares fit the bill perfectly.

The pieces are a decent size, each one providing two delicious bites (or three, if I'm feeling particularly restrained) of luxurious, good-quality chocolate. I usually stop at two squares, as that is more than enough to satisfy my craving.

Just for fun, Google "dark chocolate health benefits". Eaten in moderation, these suckers are practically health food. Each square contains: 4.25 g fat, 5 g net carbs, 0.5 g protein

2. Sargento String Cheese

I have tried pretty much every brand of string cheese out there. I strongly prefer the flavor and texture of Sargento. Do yourself a favor and get the regular kind, though, not the "Lite" version.

These save me during busy work days. When I have no time to fuss with a snack, I can just pull these out of my lunch bag and chow down. At 8 grams of protein per stick, they pretty quickly add up to a decent count. I have been known to go through about 4-6 throughout the course of the day, which means 32-48 grams of protein from snacking.

Incidentally, these also make fabulous low-carb mozzarella sticks, using crushed pork rinds as "breading". They can either be baked or deep-fried. Each piece contains: 6 g fat, >1 g carbs, 8 g protein.

3. Turkey Hill Diet Peach White Tea

This is my absolute favorite calorie free liquid. The white tea is very light and crisp. It doesn't have an overly artificial taste and the peach flavor manages not to be overwhelming. It goes down smoothly.

My only criticism, if you can call it that, is that this is so difficult to find. It's hit or miss at my local grocery stores. When I do find it, I stock up. Zero calories, yay!

4. Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Foil

Why am I recommending aluminum foil of all things? One word: bacon!

The key to making perfect, hassle-free bacon is cooking it in the oven. No messy pan, no hovering over a greasy skillet, and it comes out crispy and delicious. The non-stick wrap helps prevent the bacon from sticking to the baking sheet, and it also makes for easy clean-up.

5. Blue Diamond Cinnamon Brown Sugar Almonds

OMG. Just...yum.

Yes, these do have carbs and even a little real sugar. But they also happen to be an excellent source of protein and fiber. I consider them to be a healthy snack as well as a decadent, tasty treat.

They can be mixed together with plain almonds to cut down on the sweetness and carb count. For snacking purposes, they also pair well with a sharp cheese. That sweet and salty combination can't be beat.

One of these days, I may crush them down and attempt to make almond meal or a pie crust out of them.

Blue Diamond apparently makes a Vanilla Bean flavor as well. Sadly, I can't find them anywhere, but they sound divine. Each 1 ounce serving (24 nuts) contains: 14 g fat, 7 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 6 g protein.

Brok's Fabulous Low Carb Pizza - Buffalo Chicken Style

2010-01-23T18:16:00.003-05:00

Well, I returned from vacation and promptly caught the sinus-yuck that has been going around.

As a result, I haven't felt much up to cooking. But I have been craving pizza, so for lunch today, I decided to make a variation of Brok's awesome pizza recipe. I can't thank Brok enough for sharing this recipe. It is a perfect DS food, and it definitely does fill the pizza craving.

So here's my twist on it. Read on for instructions, step-by-step pics, and nutritional information.

Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:
12 ounces (3 cups) Sargento Shredded Pizza Double Cheese (for crust)
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) Sargento Shredded Six Cheese Italian Blend (for topping)
3 eggs
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dry basil
4 ounces cooked chicken
12 ounce bottle Frank's Original Redhot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/3 cup unsalted butter

Directions:

The first thing you're going to want to do is marinate the chicken in some of the Frank's Redhot. Now, this would be a great way to use leftover chicken, but since I didn't have any, I decided to use Oscar Mayer grilled chicken breast strips instead.

Take about 4 ounces of chicken (2/3 of the package, in my case), and cut it into nice bite-size pieces.

Put it in a plastic container, and add enough Frank's Redhot sauce to coat. Cover, and place in refrigerator to marinate for at least 30 minutes. If you like your chicken really spicy, you can marinate it for longer.

Now it's time to make the amazing cheese crust, but before you do that, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. So, Brok's original recipe calls for a ratio of 2 parts mozzarella to 1 part cheddar. I tend to just use Sargento Pizza Double Cheese, which I find to be a nicely balanced blend of the two.

Whisk three eggs together, and slowly stir in the 3 cups of shredded pizza cheese until well-mixed. Add garlic powder and basil and stir again. Thinly and evenly spread mixture onto a pizza pan or baking sheet with non-stick aluminum foil. It never goes all the way to the edges for me, but that's okay. One of these days I'll get a pizza pan.

Pop that in the center rack of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. DO check it at 10 minutes, and if the edges are browning too quickly, turn down the temp to 400. My oven cooks quickly, so I end up doing this.

If you're anything like I was the first time I made this pizza, you're looking dubiously at that cheesy, gloopy mess and wondering how on earth it is going to transform into a respectable pizza crust. Just you wait, Henry Higgins; just you wait.

While waiting, it is time to multitask. The next step is making the sauce. Take 1/3 cup unsalted butter, cut it into pieces, and put it in a microwave-safe bowl.

Nuke that in the microwave for 45 seconds or until melted. Pour the melted butter into 1/2 cup of Frank's RedHot Sauce and stir well until blended. Immediately stick the sauce in the freezer. No, I'm not kidding, the freezer. Being in there for a few minutes will cause the sauce to thicken slightly, and will also help keep it from bubbling up too quickly when it cooks.

While you're at the freezer, it's time to take out the chicken from the fridge. By now it will have absorbed a lot of that yummy Buffalo sauce. Blot it with some paper towels to absorb any excess sauce. (Okay, if you REALLY love hot sauce, you can leave the extra.)

It's important to warm up the chicken while waiting for the crust, because it won't be on the pizza long enough to get heated through. I put it in my toaster oven on low (200) for about 10 mins. You could also wrap it in foil and put it on the top rack of your oven for just a couple of minutes (but not too long, or it'll overcook).

Okay, now back to the crust. Once the crust is done, take it out of the oven. Mine never ends up a perfect rectangle; it ends up looking more like North Dakota. No worries!

This is how I like it to turn out: nice and golden on top, and a deeper brown underneath:

Time to take that sauce out of the freezer, and add it to the pizza. I like to do a fairly thin layer, so that it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors on the pizza. This can be varied to your own taste, but you will likely not need all of the sauce.

For the cheese topping, I highly recommend Sargento Shredded Six Cheese Italian Blend, which is a mixture of Mozzarella, smoked Provolone, Asiago, Romano and Fontina. Yum, right?

Now at first, you're only going to sprinkle a tiny bit of cheese over the sauce. Maybe 1/4 cup-ish. Just a dusting, to absorb the sauce, like so:

Now you're going to add the warmed chicken and crumbled blue cheese. Do not be shy with the blue cheese, it tastes so delicious on this pizza. Trust me. See this blurry picture below? My hands were shaking. That's how excited I was about the blue cheese.

Time for a second layer of shredded cheese, and don't go easy on this one. It gives an illusion of being more voluminous before it's melted. Sprinkle on as much as you like; I used well over a cup.

Now, put the pizza under your broiler, until all the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes.

So very tasty. You will notice that the northeastern corner of North Dakota there appears a little burnt. Those well-done edges actually taste quite delicious, so don't be discouraged if you get a similar result. If I break down and buy a proper pizza pan, I suspect it won't happen.

I like to cut this into 8 slices, but I know a lot of folks like to cut it into 12. I did a nutritional breakdown for both.

12 slices, per slice--Calories: 208.1; Fat: 14.8 grams; Carb: 3.3 grams; Protein: 14.7 grams
8 slices, per slice--Calories: 312.2; Fat: 22.2 grams; Carb: 4.9 grams; Protein: 22.1 grams

Now, for anyone who wanted to cut down the fat and calories, you could use reduced-fat cheeses. I personally prefer the flavor of the Sargento, and lucky for me, the fat is not an issue.

Vacation

2010-01-14T16:39:00.001-05:00

My spouse and I will be leaving tomorrow morning and spending four days in Boston. It might seem crazy to leave freezing cold Philadelphia for an even colder city, but we are going to an event!

This will be my first true vacation since surgery, and I'm a bit nervous about the food part. Hopefully I will be able to enjoy myself and find yummy, appropriate choices when we dine out.

As for the blog, stay tuned! Next week: cassoulet.

A Powdered Drink Mix That Doesn't Suck

2010-01-10T13:29:00.000-05:00

I have been drinking diet beverages since I was a young girl. Because of this, I developed a pretty high threshold for artificial tastes. Since surgery, though, I find that my tastebuds are much more sensitive to anything that tastes "off".

Most of my former go-to beverages are not palatable to me at the moment. Powerade Light, Fruit 2o, Sugar Free Kool-Aid: ick. Crystal Light: double ick. I do love Turkey Hill Diet Iced Tea and Tropicana Light Orangeade and Lemonade. Unfortunately, even diluted, those tend to be pretty costly in the quantities that I need.

That's why I'm excited to have found a powdered drink mix that actually tastes good to me. It is 4c Totally Light 2 Go, Morning Orange flavor.

The product comes pre-packaged in single-portion sticks that are designed to be poured into bottled water. I've been going the more frugal route and mixing it in my shaker bottle with 18 ounces of tap water and ice.

It tastes surprisingly like real orange juice, though less viscous in texture. When I enjoy this in the morning, ice cold, with my bacon and eggs, I am suitably deceived into thinking it's juice. There is hint of artificial flavor, but I find it to be slight, probably because it is sweetened with Splenda.

I have yet to try any of the other 4c flavors, but I plan to pick some up during my next trip to the store.

Gingerbread Yogurt Mousse

2010-01-08T23:15:00.003-05:00

I'm finding that DaVinci sugar free syrups are a great way to flavor Greek Yogurt. This is currently my favorite method of doctoring it up.

Ingredients:
1 6 oz container Chobani (or other) plain Greek Yogurt
2 tbsp DaVinci SF Gingerbread Syrup
6 tbsp Reddi Whip Extra Creamy (or homemade whipped cream)

Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together yogurt, syrup and Splenda until well blended. Add 6 tbsp Reddi Whip, and fold in gently. Transfer to dessert bowl and chill in freezer for 10 minutes to firm.

Makes 1 serving, containing: 9.5 g fat, 8 g carbs, 17 g protein.

Suggestions:

Can make this with any flavor syrup: pumpkin spice, lemon and caramel are favorites.
Reddi Whip Extra Creamy does contain some sugar, but it is minimal in this quantity. If concerned, you can substitute SF or home made whipped cream.
Even yummier with a few fresh blackberries on top

Low-Carb Fried Macaroni & Cheese

2010-01-06T23:17:00.012-05:00

My dinner this evening was decadent and scrumptious: deep fried macaroni with marinara dipping sauce. Amazingly, thanks to my DS anatomy and some choice low-carb ingredients, it was also healthy for me!

Read on for the full recipe, instructions, and additional comments.

Ingredients:
Leftover low-carb macaroni and cheese, refrigerated at least overnight
2 eggs
Medium bag pork skins/pork rinds
Pepper
Garlic powder
Herbes de Provence (can use Italian Seasoning or other herbs instead)
Marinara sauce for dipping (optional)

Directions:
1. Place pork skins in large ziplock bag and crush the daylights out of them, until they are the consistency of bread crumbs. This part is fun! Take out all your frustrations on those suckers.
2. Add desired amount of pepper, garlic powder and Herbes de Provence (or Italian Seasoning). Shake well to combine. Transfer "breadcrumbs" to shallow bowl.
3. Whisk eggs and transfer to another shallow bowl.
4. Cover a baking sheet or large plate with wax paper, and put aside.
5. Remove leftover mac and cheese from fridge. It should have been refrigerated long enough that it is slightly firm. Using your hands, form the mac and cheese into balls. The balls should be approximately the size of a meatball or golf ball.
6. Roll each ball in "breadcrumbs", dip in eggs, then roll in "breadcrumbs" again. Repeat until you have made the desired number.
7. Place breaded macaroni balls on the waxed paper and put in freezer for 30 minutes.
8. Heat oil in deep fryer, dutch oven, or sturdy (tall) saucepan to about 350 degrees. There should be about 2 inches of oil, enough to cover the balls.
9. Remove macaroni balls from freezer and fry in batches of 2-3. (Do not fry too many at once as they will crowd and reduce the temperature of the oil.) Fry each batch for approximately 3-5 minutes, until outside is crispy and golden brown.
10. Transfer to paper towel to absorb excess oil before serving.

Additional Comments:
--For the macaroni and cheese, I used my leftover Paula Deen Dreamfields (recipe in this previous post). However, any leftover low-carb macaroni and cheese would probably work.
--I didn't provide a quantity of leftover mac and cheese, because this recipe can really be used to make as much or little as you like.
--This uses pork rinds, which make an awesome zero carb breadcrumb. A warning for those who have never cooked with them before - they do have a very potent smell fresh out of the bag. Once they have been crushed and fried in oil, they are quite yummy.
--If you are like me and do not have a deep fryer or an oil thermometer, you can use the following method: Take a tall, heavy duty saucepan. Add oil. Add 1 popcorn kernel before heating. Heat oil over medium flame. When the popcorn kernel pops, oil has reached about 350 and the balls are ready to fry.
--You can really get creative with the spices in these breadcrumbs. You could make them hot, or zesty by adding whatever you feel like. Likewise, I think these would be good with a variety of dipping sauces.

Unfortunately, I was not able to calculate exact nutritional information for this recipe. The pork rinds are not a complete protein, and it's difficult to figure exactly how much of the eggs made it into the balls. The complete nutritional information for the Paula Deen Dreamfield's mac and cheese was listed in that previous post. The pork rinds and eggs do add some additional fat and protein to that, but how much, I can't say. They definitely don't add any extra carbs, though, and that is what matters to me.

I considered wrapping these in bacon or chicken and ham (like a Cordon Bleu thing), but I decided not to get overly clever. To quote Spinal Tap: "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever". These are better simple, I think.

My 5 Favorite Products Of The Moment

2010-01-04T23:38:00.004-05:00

1. Ortega Whole Grain Corn Taco Shells
Crunchy tacos are a fun, tasty way to get in protein. These are fairly generous in size and only 5 net carbs per shell. They would pair well with almost any protein: seasoned beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp or beans. I like to load my taco with carne asada as a base, then pile it high with shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, avocado and lettuce. Each shell contains: 3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 1 g protein

2. Tropicana Light Orangeade
Since my Duodenal Switch, getting in fluids can be a drag. Plain water does not go down well. Crystal Light, Sugar-Free Kool-Aid and beverages of that ilk taste overly sweet and artificial to me. Carbonation doesn't agree with me, and I don't do caffeine for unrelated medical reasons.

That's why this stuff is such a god-send. It tastes fantastic and I can't detect any hint of sickeningly sweet artificiality. I think this is owing to the fact that it contains a bit of real fruit juice. The juice does give it 5 calories per 8 ounce serving, but I think it's well worth it. An 8-ounce serving contains: 5 cals, 0 fat, >1 g carbs, 0 protein

3. Amish Classics Cheese Cubes
These high-quality cheese cubes are sold in a zip-lock style bag. This brand is more protein-dense than its competitors. My local grocery store carries the Swiss, Hot Pepper, and Colby Jack varieties. Right now, I am on a Colby Jack kick. These make a great snack on the go, and the flavor and texture beats the heck out of string cheese. I have this as a mid-morning snack almost daily. A serving of 4 cubes contains: 9 g fat, >1 g carb, 7 g protein

4. Jif To Go Creamy Peanut Butter Cups
Jif is definitely not the most low-carb peanut butter on the market, but I have been unable to find an equally yummy replacement. I am willing to accept the few additional carbs in exchange for keeping the taste. It is still an excellent source of protein and fat.

These individually packaged cups are an extremely convenient grab-and-go snack. Some days, I unabashedly dive in with my spoon and eat the peanut butter straight up. I also enjoy these with a few apple slices or baby carrots. Each cup contains: 32 g fat, 15 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 15 g protein

5. Breyer's CarbSmart Almond Ice Cream Bars
These are only 5 net carbs a piece, and they taste amazing!

The first time I bit into this ice cream bar, I could have kissed the box. It is coated in dark rather than milk chocolate, which helps keep the Splenda-sweetened flavor from being cloyingly sweet. The almonds add a hint of saltiness, which helps to further mellow out the sweetness. Beneath the crispy chocolate shell there is rich, creamy vanilla ice cream. What a welcome change from the wimpy, watery, skim-milk based "ice cream" that I've encountered in so many other diet ice cream bars over the years.

I count myself fortunate in that I don't have any issues with sugar alcohols. My sweet tooth has also abated to a large extent since surgery, so I don't crave these constantly. Pre-op, I could have easily knocked off a box of ice cream bars in one sitting. Now, I might indulge in one of these a couple of times a week, and that is more than enough to satisfy my internal ice cream beast. Each bar contains: 15 g fat, 9 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3 g sugar alcohol, 3 g protein

Dreamfields + Paula Deen = Delicious

2010-01-03T21:27:00.000-05:00

The bitter cold weather outside has given me a hankering for warm, rich comfort foods. In particular, I've been craving homemade macaroni and cheese.

Pasta dishes are typically carb heavy, and therefore not DS-friendly. That is where Dreamfields Pasta saves the day. Admittedly, I am not 100% clear on the science behind Dreamfields. Their website has an explanation about why the "protected carbs" are not digested, but it all sounds a bit hinky to me. However, given that testing has apparently verified that it works, I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

I choose to simply think of it as magic.

Anyway, this evening, armed with a box of Dreamfields elbow macaroni, I decided to make Paula Deen's Creamy Macaroni and Cheese .

It came out delicious. To my palate, it was completely indistinguishable from ordinary mac and cheese. The numbers were excellent as well. Each serving had 16 grams fat, 6 grams net carbs, and 11 grams protein.

If you like your mac and cheese straight-up, those numbers really rock.

Personally, I wanted to bump up the protein a bit. Besides, what isn't better with bacon, right? I crumbled two slices of crispy, thick-cut bacon and scattered them on top of my portion. It added a fantastic crunchy texture, along with 8 additional grams of protein and 10 additional grams of fat.

I have a few other mix-in ideas for enhancing the flavor and increasing the protein: ham, seasoned ground beef, italian sausage. I may use some or all of these on the leftovers.

Truffle Butter

2010-01-03T16:06:00.000-05:00

Truffles can be intimidating to cook with.

For starters, they cost a small fortune. That fact, coupled with their ubiquity in gourmet dishes, could easily give the impression that they are too high-brow for use in every day cuisine.

But despite their haughty reputation, truffles are a versatile and wonderful ingredient. They provide an earthy, savory, smoky flavor that adds depth and richness to a wide variety of foods.

This is why I love, love, love truffle butter. It is a creamy butter generously infused with pieces of truffle. It makes truffles accessible and easy to work with. You can use truffle butter to make a simple, delicious and relatively inexpensive meal.

I usually purchase my truffle butter from The Fresh Market for less than $5.

For those who don't have The Fresh Market, I have also seen it at Costco. It can be ordered online too.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to cook with it.

--Place a dollop on top of ribeye or filet just before serving
--Generously toss Dreamfields Angel Hair pasta with it and pair with sauteed scallops
--Melt in a pan and scramble eggs and parmesan cheese
--Top off roasted veggies with some
--Use in place of regular butter as a topping for popcorn--goes great with a little parmesan as well

I tell you, the stuff is delicious.