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It is important to use the confectioners swerve, as the granular type may give the cheesecake a grainy texture. The water bath keeps the cheesecake from cracking.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2.5 oz butter, melted
2 tablespoons confectioners Swerve
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

FILLING
6 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners swerve
1 cup sour cream
7 eggs, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons lemon extract (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

MAKE THE CRUST:

  • Wrap outside of 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil to make it waterproof.
  • Line bottom of pan with parchment paper.
  • Butter sides of pan.
  • In mixing bowl combine almond flour, melted butter, confectioners swerve, and vanilla and mix well. Press into bottom of pan
  • Bake crust for 8 minutes in oven preheated to 325℉
  • Carefully remove from oven and allow to cool while mixing the filling.

MIX THE FILLING:

  • In a stand mixer, using paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese. Add Swerve and mix.
  • Scrape down the bowl; add sour cream, mixing thoroughly.
  • Add eggs to mixer one at a time, mixing thoroughly on low speed.
  • Scrape down the bowl; add rest of ingredients.
  • Mix on low until well combined.
  • Pour cheesecake batter into pan.
  • Bake in water bath at 325℉ for 60-90 minutes until the cake sets
  • Turn oven off; allow cake to rest in oven until the oven is cool.
  • Remove from oven and place in refrigerator, uncovered; chill completely before removing from pan.

ENJOY!!

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INGREDIENTS
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup chicken stock or water
  • 1 cup cheese (grated (cheddar cheese, swiss cheese or mozzarella))
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese (optional)
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 cup optional ingredients (See Below)
OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: AS A GENERAL RULE I ADD A COMBINED AMOUNT ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS. (BASICALLY 1/3 CUP OF EACH TO MAKE A TOTAL OF 1 CUP.) HERE ARE SOME IDEAS:
  • 1 cup Additional Ingredients:
  • cubed ham or crumbled cooked bacon
  • chopped broccoli
  • chopped tomatoes
  • sliced onions or green onions
  • chopped spinach
  • chopped asparagus
  • Sautéed mushrooms
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Whisk together the milk, egg, cheese and salt & pepper.
  3. Stir in any additional ingredients.
  4. Pour the egg mixture into an pie dish, and bake uncovered for about 45 minutes. Or until the center is set, and not jiggly.

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From: The Traeger Kitchen

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 8 HoursServes: 8 – 12 people

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 Lb) Whole Packer Beef Brisket, Fat Trimmed To 1/4 Inch
  • 1/3 Cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Kosher Sea Salt
  • 2 Tablespoon Garlic Paste
  • 2 Tablespoon Onion Powder
  • 1/3 Cup Black Pepper

Steps

  1. Season the brisket the day prior to cooking. Mix salt, garlic, onion powder and pepper in a small bowl. Season the meat liberally. Place in refrigerator overnight or for at least 8 hours.
  2. When ready to cook, set Traeger temperature to 225℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes. For optimal flavor, use Super Smoke if available.
  3. Place brisket, fat side down, on grill grate right in the center of the grill. Smoke brisket for approximately 4 to 5 hours, or until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 160℉ to 165℉.
  4. Remove brisket from grill and wrap in butcher paper or foil. Continue smoking at 225℉ until the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 203℉, approximately another 3 to 4 hours, for a total of 8 to 10 hours smoke and cook time.
  5. Remove butcher paper or foil wrapped brisket from the grill and allow to rest for one hour.
  6. After resting, slice the brisket against the grain in 1/4 inch thick slices and serve.

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Recently I posted a video to my YouTube channel that I started making in the early months of 2016, shortly after starting a Ketogenic Diet. At its inception, it was titled “Fattie”, but I changed it to “TRUTH” shortly before posting. It marks the beginning a weight loss journey that would, unlike many efforts in the past, ultimately see success. I never intended for this little video to see the light of day, but after winning my lifelong battle with fat, it seemed appropriate to share it with the world. It was a little pat-on-the-back I decided to give myself after reaching my goal weight, staying there for two years, then having abdominoplasty to remove the loose skin left behind. I didn’t plan in the beginning to have to need a tummy tuck. Matter-of-fact, loose skin wasn’t even in my lexicon in 2016, but it became what I deemed to be one of the final steps in my transformation from moth to butterfly. I thought it appropriate to share the video with the world, and once and for all let go of the shame.

A friend pointed out that the original title “Fattie” is a shaming word, and I agreed. I decided that “Truth” was a better title, since this was my truth. Thought the fat acceptance movement began in the 1960’s, by the time I was born in the mid 70’s, it had been pushed to the back of the room by health concerns like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. In the 2000’s, it started to make a comeback, and here in 2020 has experienced something of a rebirth.

Personally, I knew nothing of all that. What I did know was that I was not happy as a fat person. I did not want to be a fat person, and I was, in fact ashamed that I could not control my eating or make myself exercise so that I could not be a fat person* I want to make it perfectly clear that I don’t give a flying fig what others do with their bodies. If a person accepts and loves their body in whatever form, then I am happy for them, and will join them in celebrating their self love.

Let’s face it, self love is a difficult thing to accomplish, and I am over-the-moon happy for those that can do it; I am defiantly not here to shame anyone. My role in this world is to be a helper.

I love most things about myself, but there are things I don’t, and I am working on acceptance of those. Though I had surgery to correct something about my body that I didn’t like, I love my body; now that I’m not carrying extra weight. It is folks like myself, the ones that aren’t happy carrying around extra weight, that I am here for.

*One of the first things I learned when researching the ketogenic diet, is that it isn’t as simple as calories in/calories out (CICO), but that is another topic for another post.

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Jeannette, my dear sweet mother-in-law saw this recipe in the Houston Chronicle and immediately thought of us. She knows we follow a Ketogenic lifestyle, and being a wiz in the kitchen has a keen eye for a good recipe. She would probably interject that I am pretty good in the kitchen myself, and that would be true, but I am nowhere near her caliber.

Ingredients:

1 cup blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/8 teaspoon swerve
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries(or other berries)

5-6 drops liquid stevia, or stevia glycerite (optional)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the almond flour, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, avocado oil, lemon zest and swerve and pulse for about 20 seconds. If you’re using the liquid stevia, add it too.

Remove the blade and fold in the raspberries (or berry of your choice) by hand. Divide the batter between 8 muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes.

Yields eight muffins

Notes: The original recipe called for grapeseed oil and stevia, but I prefer to use avocado oil and swerve, so I made those changes. I would say if you want a sweeter muffin add 5-6 drops of liquid stevia or stevia glycerite.

We were tickled when Jeannette called to say that she was coming by with muffins. A few days before we went over for a visit and saw the recipe on the counter, so we were very excited to taste the finished product. She made them with blueberries instead of raspberries because that’s what she had on hand. Let me tell you, they were delicious! Not too sweet, and consistency similar to that of a bran muffin; I can see infinite possibilities for modification! Off the top of my head I am thinking of frozen cranberries as the fruit and adding 1/2 teaspoon of orange extract. That experiment will have to wait a bit longer though until I am fully recovered and can return to my adventures in the kitchen.

I entered the ingredients (using blueberries) into my favorite nutrition tracker Cronometer, and this is the nutritional breakdown that it came up with using the ingredients I chose:

Recipe Source: “My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure,” by Mee Tracy McCormick

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I had just about given up on finding a keto recipe for bread that I liked, then I watched The Magic Pill Documentary (make sure to watch it if you have Netflix). One of several amazing people in the documentary is Sara Karan, publisher of the blog KosherKetogenic. She is a cancer survivor who did not undergo surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or any form of conventional cancer treatment. Her only course of treatment was the Ketogenic diet. Check out her blog, there are images, graphs, and reports to back-up her claim. I love this bread so much that I make several loaves at a time and vacuum seal it for the freezer. I have experimented with adding different herbs and spices, even tried adding chocolate once, but that was a fail.

This recipe for Fat Bread is copied from KosherKetogenic.com, if you want to see the original.

Note:  Coconut butter isn’t coconut oil, (think about the difference between peanut butter and peanut oil).

Total time from start to finish 45 minutes

Prep: 10 minutes

Baking 35 minutes

 Ingredients:

I find it easier to prepare all the ingredients in advance.  The measuring takes some time and it makes a nicer dough if you can add things quickly and smoothly

Chosen foods Avocado oil Spray (for greasing the loaf pan)
5 large eggs (50g each)
1 cup (150g) raw Macadamia Nuts made into butter per the instructions.
1 cup (220g) Coconut butter, (nuke the jar 20 seconds to get a smooth butter and make it easy to measure)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (3g)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (30ml)
1 rounded teaspoon baking soda (6g)
1-8 1/2″ x 4″ loaf pan

Instructions:

(If a loaf is cut into 22 slices, each slice contains 1g of Carbs per slice.)

Place the Macadamia nuts into a typical large food processor and process on high to achieve a part butter, part chunky nut meal.

While still running the processor, drop one egg down the chute and wait for the sound to stabilize to a smooth sound (about 20-30 seconds).  Then do the same with the second egg.  Once the processor is running smoothly again add the remaining 3 eggs down the chute till you have a very smooth batter.

Turn off the processor and take a spatula and scrape the walls and bottom edges of the processor bowl to make sure that no large chunks are stuck and it is well mixed.  Add the coconut butter, and sea salt.  Turn it on again and let the added ingredients incorporate. When it’s well mixed (about 1/2 a minute), pour the lemon juice down the chute and then the baking soda.  Mix for a few more seconds.

Place the batter in a greased standard 8 1/2″ bread pan.  Bake at 350′ for 35 minutes. (Shorten the baking time when using the doughnut or mini challah pan.) When it’s cool enough to handle, remove it from the bread pan and let it completely cool on a cake rack.

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My Maw-Maw’s lasagna was a two day process. Her sauce started with pounds of fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, a little sugar, and some other stuff that she kept secret. It literally took her all day. She would let it “think” (her words) in the refrigerator overnight. After all that, I’d let it think too!

I don’t go to that trouble, maybe that’s why her’s was so much better. It’s basically the same recipe, except for the pasta, and homemade sauce, and believe it or not she used more cheese. I wonder what she would think of her little Italian grandson not eating pasta, much-less him making her lasagna without it, and using store bought sauce (GASP). I used to make my own sauce to avoid the sugar added to most store bought brands, then I discovered Rao’s. All the ingredients are easily pronounced, occur in nature, and none are sugar. If you don’t want to use all the meat called for in this recipe, don’t cut out one, use half of each. This isn’t a dish you will make in an hour, and it isn’t low calorie, but it is low carb, and very delicious!

Jump to shopping list

ingredients:

FOR THE NOODLES:
4 large eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

FOR THE FILLING:
There are two fillings going on here,
meat-sauce filling,
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Italian sausage
1 large white onion, diced
16 oz baby-bella mushrooms, sliced and large diced
1 – 24 oz jar Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Marinara sauce, divided

ricotta cheese filling:
2 large eggs
1 – 15 oz Whole milk Ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Asiago
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 cups shredded mozzarella

Instructons:

FOR THE NOODLES:
You can make these a day or two ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator, or even longer and store them in the freezer.

Preheat oven to 375℉, line a 11×17″ baking pan with parchment paper. If you have two, line them both, as you will be doing this step twice.

In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together:
2 large eggs
4 oz softened cream cheese

Add, and thoroughly combine:
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Using a spatula, fold in:
1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.

Spread mixture onto the baking pan, making a nice even layer.
Bake in center of oven for about 20 minutes, until golden, keeping an eye on it.
While that batch is baking, make a second batch.
When the first batch is done baking, remove layer from dish, leaving on the parchment, and place in refrigerator to cool.

Line dish with another sheet of parchment.
Spread mixture onto the baking pan, making a nice even layer.
Bake in center of oven for about 20 minutes, until golden, keeping an eye on it.
Remove layer from dish, leaving on the parchment, and place in refrigerator to cool.

FOR THE FILLING:
Meat sauce filling:
To a large pot over medium-high heat add ground beef and Italian sausage. Cook, breaking up into small bits, until mostly browned. Add onions and mushrooms and continue to brown. Once meat is fully browned and mushrooms and onions are soft, drain excess fat and add Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Marinara sauce, reserving 1/2 cup. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer for about an hour. If you want to let it think overnight, be my guest.

Ricotta cheese filling:
in a large bowl combine eggs, whole milk ricotta cheese, dried parsley, grated Asiago, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir really well.

Assembly:

Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut noodle sheets into strips:

I am 100% sure there is a better way to do this, but I cut a two inch strip from the long side each 11×17″ sheet, then cut the resulting 9×17 sheets into four, making a total of eight 4 1/4″ noodles. I then cut six inches off those two inch strips, put the two together and you get a ninth noodle, which works out perfectly since you need three for each layer and there are three noodle layers. This of course leaves me with 2 2×6 pieces to “taste test”(wink)

Spray or wipe sides and bottom of 13x9x2.5″ baking dish with olive oil, then coat bottom with the 1/2 cup of reserved Rao’s.

Top that with your first noodle layer.

Layer a third of the meat sauce,
1 cup mozzarella,
half of the ricotta.

Add second noodle layer,
a third of the meat sauce,
1 cup mozzarella,
the rest of the ricotta.

Add third noodle layer,
top with remaining meat sauce,
cover with remaining cup of mozzarella.

Bake at 400℉ for about 20 minutes, until top is golden and bubbly.

According to cronometer, a serving (defined as 1/12th of the pan), contains:
438 Calories, 27g Protein, 8.3g Carbs, 32.4g Fat, 0.6g Fiber, 7.7g Net Carbs,
4.4g Sugars (25%Protein, 7% Carbs, 68% Fat for those keto-ers into macros)

Shopping List:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 5 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 16 oz baby-bella mushrooms, sliced and large diced
  • 1 – 24 oz jar Rao’s Homemade Tomato Basil Marinara sauce, divided
  • 1 – 15 oz Whole milk Ricotta cheese
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • 1/2 cup grated Asiago
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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I roll these super thin and use them as a low-carb substitute for sandwich wraps and taco’s. Because it’s coconut flour, they will have a slight coconut flavor. Adding in a spice (look in notes) mitigates this. Do not substitute anything for the coconut flour (ie: almond flour) as it will not work, trust me, I tried. They also will never get hard and crispy, so they can’t be used for chips. See my recipe for cheese chips for that.

ingredients:

4 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 cup fine coconut flour, no lumps
2 cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoon avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt – optional, but recommended.
1 teaspoon olive oil to rub/oil the non stick pan

directons:

Making the dough

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the psyllium husk and coconut flour – if lumps are in your flour use fork to smash them BEFORE measuring the flour, amount must be precise.

Add in the lukewarm water (about 100℉), avocado oil, baking soda, stir with a spatula, then use your hands to knead the dough. Add salt now if you want. I don’t add the salt in contact with baking soda to avoid deactivating the leaving agent.

Knead for 1 minute. The dough will be moist, but gets softer and slightly dryer as you knead. It should come together easily to form a dough. If after kneading it still sticks to your hand, add more husk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, kneading for 30 seconds. Dough will still be moist, but shouldn’t stick to your hands. Set aside l0 minutes. The dough will now be soft, elastic, and hold well together; you’re ready to roll.

Prepare your pan for cooking by adding one teaspoon of avocado oil, or olive onto a piece of absorbent paper. Rub the surface of the pan to make sure it is slightly oiled. Don’t leave any drops of oil or the bread will fry. I heat the pan to medium high at this point because I want to start cooking as soon as I get one ready, you can wait if you like. Once you get the dough made and rolled out, the rest goes pretty quick.

Roll/shape the tortillas

For tortillas roll to 1/16″, if you want more of a flatbread, roll a little thicker 1/8″ to 3/8″. I use a measuring pin that has guides, which makes this process a breeze.

Cut the dough into 4 even pieces, roll each piece into a ball.

Place one of the dough balls on a sheet of parchment paper and flatten, cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll to achieve your desired thickness.

Remove, but do not discard the top layer of parchment paper. I use a 6.5″ saucepan lid as a cutter, it is the perfect size and has a lip. Use whatever you have handy to cut circles or whatever shape you’re going for. Once you’ve cut all your circles gather up the excess dough and add it to one of your other balls.

The dough should easily peel off the parchment, use a spatula to get it started, if needed.

Start cooking.

Place tortilla on the hot pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Continue rolling/cutting while tortillas cook.

Repeat the process until you have used all the dough.

Notes:

Substitutions and additions: Olive oil can be used in place of the avocado oil, but has a stronger flavor profile. Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, or any other seasoning of your choice.

Yield: I get 8 – 6.5″ tortillas rolled to a 1’16” thickness with this recipe, but I typically triple it and make 24, putting some in the freezer for a lazy day.

Storage: Store in the refrigerator to 5 – 7 days in an airtight container, or on a plate covered with plastic wrap.

Freezing: Tortillas can be kept it the freezer for three months, even longer if you have a food sealer, I put a piece of parchment between each when freezing for easy separation.

Reheating: Tortillas can be rewarmed in a skillet, or in the oven, heated to 300℉, for 1 to 2 minutes. I use the skillet method if tortillas are coming from the fridge, and the oven method if taken from the freezer.

Enjoy!!

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INGREDIENTS:

1/2 pound chicken livers, soaked for 24 hours in full cream milk then drained
1/2 cup water
5 tablespoons of avocado oil
1/2 small onion diced
2 small garlic cloves crushed
1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
Salt
½ cup water
8- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Trim the white connective tissue from the chicken livers, then place in a bowl, cover with whole milk, and soak for 24 hours. drain.

Warm the avocado oil in a medium sized frypan, add the livers, onion, garlic, and thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, stir to combine. cook until onions are soft and translucent and livers are slightly browned.

Add the water, cover the pan and cook over a low heat until the liver is barely pink in the center when tested, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Drain the fluid from the pan and transfer the livers, onion, garlic, and thyme to a food processor, process until the mixture resembles crumbs.

Add 8 tablespoons of butter with the motor on – two tablespoons at a time – until it is incorporated, season with salt and pepper check for desired creamy-ness, if you want it more creamy, add more butter.

Scrape the mixture into a suitably sized container (or several smaller containers), and cover with a small amount of melted butter to protect the surface from browning. Keeps for about a week in the refrigerator, or for a month in the freezer.

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Like Mayonnaise, most, if not all store bought Alfredo sauces have sugar, processed oils, and thickeners added. YUCK! Also like mayo, it is super easy to make your own without all that junk in it. This one only has 6 ingredients and is delicious and easy to make. You do have to whisk it the entire time, so make sure you can be devoted to it for the entire 5-8 minutes it takes to make.

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup butter (do NOT use margarine)
1 cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, crushed (more if you are a garlic lover, I usually use 2-3)
2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese (do not use the stuff in the can)
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and cream and gently whisk for about five minutes, then add cheese a little at a time and continue whisking until melted. These steps are important, do it any other way and the sauce may break.