Recipe: Low Carb Cornmeal Muffins

Dear Reader,

A break from our intellectual pursuits — I have been using this bread recipe a lot, mostly for muffins but it very versatile. Last night I made larger muffins with a depression in the center, filled them with (pre-cooked) sausage and cheese and rebaked them. I also like to slice them thin and toast them for breakfast. They hold together very well, especially on the second day. They are not no-carb as they do have cornmeal but are low carb and gluten-free and can be dairy-free as well. If you make 14-16 muffins (which I usually do), they work out to less then 10g of carbs each so I think they still qualify as a THM S.

Low Carb Muffins with flax and cornmeal

Toasted and spread with peanut butter

Low Carb Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients:

1 c cornmeal

1/2 c coconut flour

1 c ground flaxmeal (golden or dark)

1 c blanched almond flour

1/2 c sweetener (I use xylitol but THM sweetener should work)

1 tsp xantham gum

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs

1/2 c oil

1 1/2-2 cups milk of choice (I use almond or cashew usually; dairy milk will add carbs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 and grease muffin tins. Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, oil and 1 1/2 cups of milk. If mixture is dry, add another 1/2 c milk. Scoop into prepared muffin tins. Bake in preheated oven for 425 until they look firm and are just beginning to brown. Makes 14-16 regular sized muffins or 12 large muffins.

Enjoy!

Nebby

THM Recipe: Low Carb Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (S)

Dear Reader,

I have been in a muffin kick lately. This is a yet another variant of my peanut butter muffin recipe. My older son doesn’t like peanut butter so while we loved the chocolate peanut butter version, we needed something else too. They are more of a dark chocolate, not too sweet taste. They are also low-carb and gluten-free. If you are on the THM diet, they are an S.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (S):

Ingredients:

1/2 c flax seed meal

1/3 c coconut flour

1 c xylitol

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

8 oz reduced cream cheese

1 medium zucchini, grated

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs or 1/3 c egg whites

optional: 1/3 c chocolate chips (plan-approved if you are on THM!; I used dark chocolate I chopped into bits)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a muffin tin well. Combine moist  ingredients: zucchini, cream cheese, egg, and vanilla. Stir well to get rid of any cream cheese lumps. Add dry ingredients: flours, xylitol, salt, and baking powder. Stir well. (You might want to taste it as this point to make sure you like the sweetness, especially if you have substituted another sweetener. Mine seemed a little sweeter after being baked.) If desired, stir in chocolate chips. Divide into muffin cups and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until well set.

stir well

fresh from the oven

Enjoy!

Nebby

THM Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins (S)

Dear Reader,

This is a new variant of my peanut butter muffin recipe. I think they’re scrumptious. They are also low-carb and gluten-free. If you are on the THM diet, they are an S.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins (S):

Ingredients:

1/2 c flax seed meal

1/3 c coconut flour

1 c xylitol

1/2 tsp baking soda

4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 c peanut butter

1 c almond milk (or other milk of your choice)

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs or 1/3 c egg whites

optional: 1/3 c chocolate chips (plan-approved if you are on THM!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a muffin tin. Combine dry  ingredients. Add peanut butter, vanilla, milk and eggs. Stir well. If desired, stir in chocolate chips. Divide batter among greased muffin cups. Bake 30 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Dry ingredients

. . . and wet ingredients

Ready to go in the oven

Smile for your close-up!

 

Enjoy!

Nebby

Recipe: Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake (THM S)

Dear Reader,

Looking back, I can’t believe I never published my pumpkin cheesecake recipe. I know the word cheesecake intimidates some, but trust me, I am a lazy cook and mine is not hard, except for being hard to mess up. This recipe is gluten-free, low carb,  sugar-free and is you are the Trim Healthy Mama diet is an S snack (or dessert or, let’s face it, breakfast).

Low Carb Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/4 c Butter, melted
2 tsp Truvia, xylitol or other sweetener
1 1/2 c  Blanched almond flour*

Filling:
2- 8 oz. pkg Reduced fat cream cheese
3 tbsp. Truvia, Xylitol, or other sweetener
1 c  Canned pumpkin
1 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground cloves
2 Eggs
1/4 tsp Xantham gum
Splash vanilla

Optional toppings: Chopped pecans or dark chocolate, flaked or broken into small pieces

• Blanched almond flour is not the same as almond meal. In most cases they are not substitutable but for this recipe I think you could make do with almond meal. It would make a slightly less smooth, more crumbly crust.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9″ spring-form pan by greasing lightly. Combine melted butter, 2 tsp Truvia and almond flour until of a smooth and even consistency. Using wax paper, press this mixture into the prepared pan to evenly cover the bottom. Bake in preheated oven for 7 minutes. The crust should be set but not brown when done.
2. Meanwhile, combine all the filling ingredients and use an electric mixer to mix until well combined and as smooth as possible. Ideally, for appearances sake, you will have no little lumps of cream cheese. If you do (personally I have a cheap hand mixer and never get them all out), the flavor will still be good; only the appearances will be affected.
3. Pour pumpkin mixture onto baked crust. Smooth out with a spatula. Return to oven and bake for 30 minutes. The mixture should be lightly browned and not wobbly when done.
4. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Run a knife around the edge to separate it from the edge of the pan. Refrigerate for a few hours or until ready to eat. Before eating, adorn with chopped pecans or flaked chocolate as desired.

Mixing up the crust

Pressing the crust into the pan

 

 

 

The filling ingredients — just dump them all in at once

Can you see the little lumps of cream cheese?

Fresh from the oven — now I know I can see the lumps!

Mmm . . .the chocolate not only tastes good, it covers up my lumps and makes the whole thing prettier.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Nebby

Recipe: Stromboli, Gluten-Free and Low Carb

Dear Reader

This is a variation on my calzone recipe. Basically a stromboli is a rolled calzone. And that’s what this is — my calzone dough rolled out, topped, rolled up, and baked. Cut it into slices and you’ve got a yummy main dish or appetizer.

Ingredients/Supplies:

Gluten-free calzone dough

Toppings of choice (suggestions include slices of ham with shredded cheddar, pepperoni with shredded mozzarella, slices of turkey and swiss)

Parchment Paper

Wax Paper

Cookie sheets

Directions:

• Make the calzone dough according to recipe instructions.
• Place empty cookie sheet or pizza stone on oven and preheat to 450.
• While the oven is heating, put out a piece of parchment paper that will fit on the sheet or stone. Divide dough into thirds. Taking one section at a time, press it onto the parchment paper, place wax paper on top and roll flat into a rectangle about 4″x10″. Carefully lift off wax paper.

Roll the dough out between the parchment and wax paper.

• Top with your favorite toppings, placing them at least 1″ from each edge.

Add your favorite toppings — but don’t let them get too close to the edge.

• Roll up the dough along the long edge. Press dough together along all edges to seal.

Roll up and press to seal.

• Repeat with remaining portions of dough.
• When over in preheated, take the whole piece of parchment with the strombolis on it and place it on the preheated cookie sheet or stone.
• Bake for 25 minutes until the dough is lightly browned.

They’re done when they are lightly browned.

• Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 minutes before cutting.

Yum!

Enjoy!

Nebby

 

 

Recipe: Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear Reader,

Needing to use up some extra canned pumpkin over the holidays, I ran across a recipe online for pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. It wasn’t gluten-free so I tweaked quite a bit and here is what I came up with. I hate washing dishes so everything is mixed in one bowl. Bonus: they are lowish carb and low fat too.

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4c canned pumpkin

1 c xylitol

1 tbsp. molasses

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1 c millet flour

1/2 c gluten-free oat flour

1 c gluten-free quick oats

1 c chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Combine pumpkin, xylitol, molasses and vanilla. Stir in salt, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and xantham gum. Stir in millet and oat flours. Add oats and stir till evenly mixed. Lastly, stir in chocolate chips. Place by spoonfuls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes until well set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from baking tray. Makes 2.5 dozen.

My helper

The finished product

Enjoy!

Nebby

 

Recipe: Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins with Walnut Cinnamon Topping

Dear Reader,

I have been told my earlier pumpkin muffin recipe is more of a crustless pumpkin pie which sounds pretty good to me 😉 But for those of you who prefer a more muffin-y muffin, I developed this recipe which for me at least was more bread-y. Plus I added a walnut cinnamon topping which has to be a good thing. This recipe is low-carb, THM-friendly (as an S snack), gluten-free, and dairy-free.

Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins with Walnut Cinnamon Topping

Ingredients:

1/2 c flax meal

1 c blanched almond flour

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 c xylitol

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 c canned pumpkin

1/2 c almond milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp molasses

1/2 c egg whites

Topping ingredients:

3/4 c chopped walnuts

2 tsp truvia (or xylitol or other sweetener)

1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tin.
2. Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and stir till well combined.
3. Place 1/4-1/3 c of mix in each muffin hole (there must be a name for that; what is it??).

Pour the batter in the tins

4. Combine walnuts, cinnamon and Truvia. Sprinkle over top of the muffins and press down into the batter lightly.

Chopping walnuts

Press down lightly on the walnut topping

5. Place in preheated oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until a  toothpick inserted in the middle the muffins comes out clean.

The finished product

Enjoy!

Nebby