So Easy Baked Beans

My mom used to make her baked beans in an earthenware crock in the oven on a low heat for hours.  They were unbelievably thick and rich!  I have come up with a quick way to replicate that flavor...

So Easy Baked Beans

3 or 4 slices bacon
1 small onion, roughly chopped

Hard to get a good pic of beans, but they taste amazing!

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mixed frozen peppers, thawed and chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 TBSP honey
1/4 blackstrap molasses
6 oz can tomate paste
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F

Fry bacon on stove top in dutch oven (or oven safe pot) until browned and crispy.  Remove bacon and set aside.
Sauté onion in bacon grease until tender.
Roughly chop bacon and return to pot.
Add both cans of beans and peppers to the pot.
In a small bowl, mix together the apple cider vinegar, blackstrap molasses, honey, tomate paste and water.
Pour over bean mixture and stir to mix and coat well.

Cover tightly and bake for about one hour.

Coconut Macaroons... low carb!

 I love coconut and macaroons are the perfect low carb treat.  Just a few ingredients and you have yourself a great dessert or snack!

Coconut Macaroons

Bad pics of good food!

4 egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sweetener (I prefer Lakanto monk fruit sweetener)
1/4 cup almond flour
2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 TBSP coconut oil, softened
1 TBSP vanilla

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 375F.

Beat egg whites and sweetener in stand mixer until stiff peaks form.

While that's beating, mix together almond flour, unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, and vanilla in a medium sized bowl.

Once egg whites are stiff, fold gently into almond flour mixture.

Drop by spoonfuls onto prepared baking sheet.  Bake about 10-15 minutes (see notes) or until tops are golden brown.

NOTES:  I make mine a little on the small side to get more so I bake them about 10 minutes.  You can make them larger and bake them a little longer.


What are you eating today?  Whatever it is, Keep it Clean!!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers - a great make ahead recipe!

This recipe can be made with basically leftovers, if you happen to have leftover sweet potatoes (I do!) and quinoa (I do!), but you can also just start from scratch!  Seasonings and add-ins can really be pretty much whatever floats your boat but still allows it to stick together.  You could sub brown rice for quinoa, leave out the corn, use a different kind of beans (maybe pintos??)... It's a pretty forgiving recipe.

In some parts of the country, you can get Jersey gold sweet potatoes which is what I use (again... leftovers!).  But any kind will do.  I love the flavor of these burgers, but mostly I love that I can make them ahead and freeze them. They are a great quick meal when you've had a busy week!

Sweet Potato Quinoa Burgers

Ready to go in the oven!

15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked, cooled, and cubed
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 TBSP olive oil
1/3 cup almond flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp organo
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
 (Also see notes below)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mash sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
Pour the drained and rinsed black beans into a small bowl and roughly mash (most should be mashed, some can be whole).
Add the black beans to the sweet potatoes.
Add remaining ingredients to the potato mixture and mix well.

Form mixture into burgers about 1/2" thick.  Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

NOTES: 

• Use canned (drained), frozen, or leftover corn from the cob.
• I often keep a jar of minced garlic in the fridge.  You can substitute 1-1/2 tsp minced garlic for the crushed garlic, if you like.
• Quinoa is measured after it's cooked for this recipe. 
• I like to substitute 1 TBSP "Everything but the Elote" seasoning from Trader Joe's for the cumin, oregano, chili powder, and cayenne.
• To freeze ahead, place formed uncooked burgers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place in freezer for an hour or so or until frozen solid.  Place in freezer container and freeze until ready to use. To cook frozen patties, just add some extra time (or thaw and then bake).

What are you eating today?  Whatever is it, Keep it Clean!

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart ... there will be bacon!  I love this recipe.  It's pretty simple to make and you can do it ahead if you want and refrigerate for later.

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

2 cup almond flour
2 TBSP coconut flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart

1/4 tsp salt
4 TBSP butter, melted
1 TBSP water
2 slice bacon, cooked and diced
8 ounces goat cheese
3 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream (sub: milk, half-and-half, or non-dairy milk)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
5 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 325F.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, and salt.  Stir in melted butter and water thoroughly.  Continue whisking until it clumps together.

Press dough evenly onto bottom and sides of a large pie pan or tart pan.

Bake 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Increase oven to 350F.

Process goat cheese in food processor until crumbly.  Add eggs, cream, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

Pour filling into prepared crust.  Sprinkle with chopped bacon and slices of tomato.

Bake 30 minutes or until center is set.  Allow to cool 10 - 15 minutes before serving.

Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Peach Cake #nosugar #nograins

Peaches are starting to come into season, so you need a new recipe, don't you?  My Favorite Husband makes a really amazing cobbler that is definitely not #nosugar #nograins, and sometimes I indulge.  But with keeping ourselves isolated I have probably been snacking just a little too much, so decided to make a more lifestyle-friendly dessert.

Peach Cake - #nosugar #nograins

3 medium peaches, peeled and diced

1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP Monk Fruit sweetener, divided

1/2 tsp cinnamon, divided

1/4 tsp xanthan gum

1-1/4 cup almond flour, divided

5 TBSP melted butter, divided

2 TBSP coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 8"x8" glass baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a small bowl, combine peaches, 2 TBSP sweetener, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and xanthan gum.  Stir to fully combine.

In a separate small bowl, combine 6 TBSP almond flour, 2 TBSP sweetener, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1 TBSP melted butter.  Mix together with a fork.  It will be somewhat wet and lumpy. 

In a mixing bowl, combing 3/4 cup almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, 4 TBSP melted butter, 6 TBSP sweetener, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth with electric mixer.

Spread batter into bottom of prepared baking dish.

Spread peach mixture on top, spreading them to the edge.

Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture. (You may have to break off bits and drop it on, just try to distribute somewhat evenly.)

Cover with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until top is golden.

NOTE: If you have fresh blueberries, throw in a big handful of those too!  It's winning combination!

Strawberry Shortcake - No Sugar No Grains!

I ran across this gorgeous keto strawberry shortcake recipe over at peaceloveandlowcarb.com, and I just happened to have just picked up from strawberries!  It's just the two of us, so rather than make the beautiful four-layer work of art you'll see at the link, I simplified it a bit.

I made a single layer of cake.  Once it was cooled, I cut it into eighths.  Then, as we are ready to use it, I split the triangle horizontally to make two layers.  The bottom layer goes in the bowl, followed by lots of fresh strawberries.  Then place the top layer of the cake and pour on a little milk, whipped cream, or ice cream!  The picture does not lie!   This is an outstanding cake!  AND it's made with no added sugars and no grains!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake - No Sugar No Grains

4 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 cup powdered monk fruit sweetener (or erythritol)
1-1/2 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
6 TBSP butter, melted
1/4 cup milk of choice (unsweetened vanilla almond milk works great!)
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease an 8" round cake pan.

Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy.  Add the monk fruit sweetener and continue to whisk about 3 minutes.
Add egg yolks and beat until thick and creamy.
Combine almond flour, coconut flour, and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add to the egg mixture, folding gently to combine.  Use care to now deflate the egg mixture.
Combine melted butter, milk, and vanilla into a separate bowl.  Add to the batter, folding gently until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Ensure it is distributed evenly and smoothed across the top.

Bake about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely.

To serve, cut into eighths.  Cut each piece in half horizontally. Place the bottom half in a dish, top with berries, and then add the top half of the cake.  Top with whipped cream, ice cream, or milk.

Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo

I love making meals in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot.  Either way, it is usually just a dump it in and let it do its thing!  I don't normally eat grains but I made an exception for this recipe.  It adds to the heartiness of the meal.

Mediterranean chicken and green beans

Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo
for the instant pot!

6 chicken thighs (see notes)
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/3 cup tomato sauce (or 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup pitted olives (see notes)
1 large carrot, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
3 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP lemon zest
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 cup whole wheat uncooked orzo pasta (optional)

Put all ingredients except orzo into Instant Pot.  Close pressure valve.  Set to pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
Once done, quick release pressure.  Add in orzo and stir.  Replace cover and close valve.
Pressure cook on high for 3 minutes.  Allow pressure to naturally release.

Notes:
Chicken - You can use skin on or skinless, bone in or boneless chicken.  The skin will not crisp up in an instant pot though, so you may want to remove it.
Olives - I like kalamata olives but you can use whatever you prefer (even a mixture of different ones!)
If you don't eat grains, you can skip the orzo.

What are you eating?  Whatever it is, keep it clean!