Category: Snacks
AFTER POTATOES
AFTER POTATOES Close your eyes and tell me what you see when I say comfort food. Did you see potatoes? Chances are they were mashed with a pool of butter or gravy on top. Or perhaps the spuds in your mind’s eye were deep-fried, crispy and brown, and cozied up to a little paper cup of ketchup. The USDA reported that potatoes are the most commonly eaten vegetable in America. (http://time.com/2818849/these-are-the-most-popular-foods-in-america/) Tomatoes, another member of the nightshade family, came in a distant second. Our rocky…
CHOCOLATE COLLAGEN BARS
We are most vulnerable to the lure of junk foods when the munchies strike and we just want a quick snack. These handy, healthful, and portable bars can help you resist the doughnuts in the break room or the pizza, pretzels, and cinnamon buns at the food court. I prefer to make my own bars because it is really easy and I can control what is in them. I use quality ingredients and my bars are not cooked so those ingredients stay fresh and the fats…
CHOCOLATE GLAZED PECANS
These are wonderful as a sweet treat or a snack. Chopped, they make a crunchy topping for ice cream or desserts. 2 cups raw pecan halves 2 large egg whites 1 teaspoon sugar-free vanilla extract High intensity sugar substitute equal to ½ cup of sugar* A few grains of salt 1 tablespoon cocoa powder Preheat oven to 300ºF. Spread the nuts in a shallow pan and bake for 5 minutes to crisp and dry. Let cool.Whisk egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in vanilla extract,…
NEW AND IMPROVED KALE CHIPS
My recipe for Kale Chips got mixed reviews. Even the ones I made myself varied from batch to batch; usually they were so good I couldn’t stop eating them, but sometimes they were bitter. This is a sweeter version and much quicker and easier to make. You can now buy baby kale leaves, which eliminates the need to strip out the tough veins and stems and chop the leaves into pieces. With baby kale, you just spread them out in a single layer and bake…
AN UPDATED CLASSIC: STUFFED CELERY STICKS
Stuffed Celery Smear some cream cheese on a celery stick and you’ve got a quick, low-carb snack; make this delightfully retro stuffed celery and you’ve got an impressive hors d’oeuvre. 4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled 4 ounces (half an 8-ounce package) cream cheese, brought to room temperature 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) plain whole-milk yogurt, such as Greek Gods or Fage brand ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/8 teaspoon hot sauce Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons purchased olive tapenade or roughly chopped black olives…
HERB ROASTED OLIVES
An Amuse Bouche is a flavorful, bite-sized appetizer that “entertains the mouth” as it awaits the main event. Set out dishes of assorted olives and nuts, and no one will complain, but roasting the olives makes them slightly chewy and concentrates the flavors in a way that is guaranteed to keep your bouche amused. Serve them solo with skewers for spearing or with low-carb crackers or Parmesan Fricos. Ingredients: 1 cup (4 ounces) pitted black olives 1 cup (4 ounces) pitted Kalamata olives 1 cup…
THE PERFECT WAY TO PIG OUT ON SUPER SUNDAY!
The Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York. Hot Wings The original Buffalo wings were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York in 1964. They are the perfect low-carb snack for Super Sunday. To turn them into a meal, use drumsticks instead of wings. To super-size your snacks, use turkey wings! Ingredients: 20 to 25 chicken wing “drummettes,” the meaty first section of the wing Heat-stable oil or fat for frying, such as light olive oil or grass-fed beef tallow 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) 1…
FRUIT AND NUT TREATS
I’ve been making my own snack foods since cutting out all the likely sources of allergens. Most purchased low-carb snacks and bars contain whey, egg, chocolate, and/or almonds. I found several raw, vegan, and Paleo brands, but most of them use dates and flax to hold everything together. Chunks of Energy, pictured above, are pretty good and the Chia Orange flavor has no flax, but lists dates as the first ingredient and also contains raisins. They have 12 net grams of carbs per ounce (two small squares). I thought I could do better. I kept the…
COCO-CHOCO-CHIA BARS
This is another of my favorite recipes from Nourished. Is it candy or cookies? You can decide. They are good and good for you! Nourished contains a total of 237 recipes including: Vanilla Spice Broiled Chicken, Home Fries, Cheddar Biscuits with Butter and Jam, Candied Fennel Tart, and Raspberry Marshmallows. (The Amazon Bookmatch sale is still in effect!) COCO-CHOCO-CHIA BARS Chocolate, coconut, walnuts, whey protein, chia, and pasture butter are known to possess remarkably healthful properties. These moist, chewy bars could qualify as super-food candy; it’s…
TURKEY CRACKLIN’S
The best thing EVER to do with Thanksgiving leftovers! Reserve any extra skin or lumps of fat from the neck and body openings when preparing your holiday turkey for roasting. After your gorgeous, golden-skinned turkey has been presented, admired, carved, and devoured, don’t throw it out; you still have the best part left! Cut away the skin from the back before tossing the carcass in a pot for making bone broth. Slice the skin into strips or squares and spread them flat on a greased sheet pan, adding any reserved fat and skin. If you prefer flat pieces, you can set…