Low Carb Cabin Quiche

One of my sons asked me to develop some Low Carb recipes. This is one of them with more to come.

Low Carb Cabin Quiche

Make 2 nine-inch deep dish quiches
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Low Carb Crust

3 cups Soy Flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/3 cups cold shortening

about 8 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling:

1 lb. diced bacon, cooked crisp, removed to paper towel lined plate

8 oz. sliced baby bellas/cremini mushrooms

1 bunch green onions,sliced

1 bell pepper, diced

5 oz. baby spinach

2 cups grated Gruyere cheese

2 cups grated Emmentaler cheese

salt and pepper , to taste

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

16 eggs, room temperature

3 cups heavy cream, room temperature

Crust:

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Cut in the cold shortening until pea sized. Add cold water and combine gently until dough comes together. Divide dough in half . Roll out and place each half into the deep dish pie plate or deep fluted tart pans. Set aside.

Filling:

Saute the mushrooms and bell pepper until tender in the remaining bacon fat. Remove to a colander on a plate using a slotted spoon to drain and cool. Add the spinach to the pan and sauté just until wilted and place in colander to drain well and cool. Place the cooled bacon, mushrooms, bell pepper, green onions and wilted spinach in a bowl; toss to combine. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper.

Divide the bacon, vegetable mixture between the lined baking dishes; spread evenly on bottom. Divide grated cheeses evenly between the two baking dishes. Carefully pour the egg mixture between the two baking dishes.

Place each quiche on a baking sheet. Lightly tent the baking sheet with foil. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden and set. Remove to rack to set at least 10 minutes before serving.

Short Rib Red Sauce

This is a sauce I like to make LOTS of. I like to freeze it  for later. This is a recipe which I like to add sauteed cremini mushrooms to and or any lovely greens in season. I simply add to the fresh or thawed base sauce; you can create whatever you wish. This recipe is also easily divided if you don’t wish to make as big a batch but why not?

Short Rib Red Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil

6 oz. diced pancetta

2 1/2 lbs. short ribs or flanken style short ribs.

Flanken style short ribs pictured on the left. I prefer the flanken style because it has less fat and more meat.

3/4 cup flour

3 onions , small dice

3 carrots, peeled and 1/4 inch dice

1 bunch parsley chopped

6 cloves garlic , minced

1 head roasted garlic, pulp squeezed out

1 pint grape tomatoes

2 1/2 quarts tomato puree

3 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

3 teaspoons dried thyme

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

3 bay leaves

7 1/2 cup beef broth

2 1/4 cups red wine

red pepper flakes; to taste

Additions

sauteed mushrooms

sauteed seasonal leafy greens

sauteed squash

Heat the olive oil in a 13 quart heavy pot. Cook the pancetta until crispy . Meanwhile, season the short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the short ribs ; do not over crowd pot and brown the short ribs on all sides.

Do not rush the browning process. It’s the browning and the luscious tiny bits left on the bottom of the pan known as the fond that add to the depth of flavor in the sauce.

Once all the short ribs are nice and brown, add the short ribs and crispy pancetta along with the remaining ingredients to the pot. Give the pot a stir ; make sure to scape the yummy bits from the bottom of the pot as you stir to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer; cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove the lid and continue to simmer for another hour. Using a slotted spoon remove the short ribs and the bay leaves. Allow the short ribs to cool enough to just handle and remove the bones. Place the short rib meat back into the simmering pot and continue to cook until short rib meat is tender enough that it shreds. Using the back of a spoon smash any grape tomatoes on the inside edge of the pan that have not fallen apart.   Shred the meat and place back into sauce simmer the sauce until thickened slightly. Serve this sauce over mashed potatoes or toothy pasta such as rigatoni, penne or tagliatelle.

Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza

Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza

Beer Pizza Crust:

1 cup beer

1 tsp. salt

2 teaspoons sugar

3 1/4 cups bread flour

1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

Toppings:

About 2 cups BBQ pulled pork with BBQ sauce added to taste

about 1 1/2 cups favorite BBQ sauce

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Cole slaw:

one 1lb. bag shredded cabbage mix of red, green cabbage and carrots

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 red bell bell pepper , diced

3/4 cup mayonaise

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon chipotle mustard or your favorite

1/2 teaspoon salt

Crust:

Add all the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and blend with dough hook attachment until smooth. Place in a oiled bowl , cover and allow to rise until doubled. Form into a thin round pizza crust.

This crust can also be made in a bread machine on the dough setting , placing ingredients in the order as stated with the machine.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Preheat with pizza stone if using one.

Spread 3/4 of the BBQ sauce over the rolled out crust. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly over the crust. Evenly scatter the pulled pork and drizzle the remaining BBQ sauce over the pork.  Sprinkle remaining cheese and bake. Bake until topping are hot and bubbling and crust in golden and done; about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the Cole slaw. Combine all the ingredients and toss well to combine.

When pizza is cooked, add the some of the Cole slaw on top. Use the extra as a side dish.

 

Chicken Provencal Wrap

Chicken Provencal Wrap

Package of Tomato Basil Wraps; set aside

6 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 red onion, cut in half and sliced into rings

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped

one 15 oz. can/jar of water packed quartered artichoke hearts, drained

3 Roma tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoon capers, drained

6 large basil leaves, chiffonade

Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegsr

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Roma tomato, diced

2 green onions, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon capers, drained

3 large basil leaves, chiffonade

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup canola oil

salt and pepper; to taste

Hearty Greens

Caramelize the red onion in the 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Place cooled caramelized onions in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss.

Line the center of the wrap with hearty greens and add some of the filling; wrap.

Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

ingredients

• 1- 10 oz package cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 1/4 cups shredded roasted chicken
• 3 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 3/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano
• 1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 1 1/2 cups Gruyere, shredded
• 8 oz. mascarpone
• 1 1/2 cup grated fontina
• 1 package no bake lasagna noodles

directions

• 1

  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

• 2

  Cook mushrooms, garlic, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper in oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened. Add wine and simmer briskly for 2 minutes. Set aside saucepan.

• 3

  Melt 4 tablespoons butter in another saucepan , add the flour to make a roux, whisking constantly for 3 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream and whisk until well combined. Add the thyme, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and simmer whisking occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup sauce and set aside. Stir in the parmesan into the remaining sauce , add the mushroom – chicken mixture and stir together.

• 4

  Combine the mascarpone and fontina together, set aside.

• 5

  Pour half of the reserved sauce into a 9×13 baking pan, spreading evenly . Place lasagna sheets, overlapping slightly, and one third of the mushroom- chicken mixture, spread evenly, sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated Gruyere cheese. Layer with more noodles and top with sliced mozzarella cheese. Add more layers of noodles, top with mushroom- chicken mixture, sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese. Top with another layer of noodles and top with fontina – mascarpone mixture, spread evenly. Top again with noodles and top with remaining mushroom – chicken mixture, spread evenly, sprinkle with grated Gruyere. Top with last layer of noodles and pour reserved sauce over top and spread evenly and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere.

• 6

  Place on foil lined baking sheet. Cover lasagna tightly with foil not touching top of lasagna. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes until top is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to st at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Chicken Strawberry Wraps

Chicken Strawberry Wraps

Dressing:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey

juice and zest from 1 lime

salt and pepper; to taste

Filling:

1 roasted chicken, skinned and meat shredded

7 oz. soft goat cheese

1/4 cup slated and roasted sunflower seeds

1 lb. strawberries, sliced

5 oz. diced pancetta, cooked crisp and drained

1/2 lb. pencil thin asparagus

Roasted on foil lined baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil , salt and pepper ; to taste. Bake until tender, Cool. Squeeze lime juice over the top of roasted asparagus.

5 oz. baby spinach

5 green onions, sliced

package of 6 count spinach wraps/tortillas

Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk. Adjust seasoning , if needed.

Place wraps out and divide and spread evenly the goats cheese over the top.

Divide the roasted asparagus among the cheese covered wraps. Divide evenly the baby spinach among the wraps .

In a bowl combine the cooked chicken, cooked pancetta, onions and sunflower seeds; toss. Pour dressing over the top of the chicken mixture and toss until combined. Divide evenly among the wraps. Place the sliced strawberries evenly among the wraps. Roll and wrap in plastic if not serving right away.

Braised Lamb Shanks over Tuscan White Beans with Gremolata

Braised Lamb Shanks over Tuscan White Beans with Gremolata

Tuscan White Beans

1 lb. dried white beans,rinsed and picked over

6 cups water

1 fresh rosemary sprig

salt and pepper , to taste

Place the beans in a bowl of water and let soak over night. Drain soaked beans and add to a slow cooker. Pour in the water and toss in the rosemary sprig. Place slow cooker on low and cook for about 8 hours or until beans are tender. Salt and pepper, to taste. Drain and set drained beans aside.

Braised Lamb Shanks

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into large dice

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1- 3-inch rosemary sprig

4 lamb shanks

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup beef broth

1 cup dry red wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Pat dry the lamb shanks and trim where needed. Salt and pepper the shanks. In a large saute pan, add a small amount of olive oil. Heat the pan on high and sear all sides of the lamb shanks. Remove to platter and set aside.

Scatter the vegetables, chopped garlic, and rosemary in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Arrange the shanks on top of the vegetables.

Stir together the broth,red wine, and tomato paste. Pour over the top of the shanks. Cover  and cook on low for about 8 hours or until meat is tender and coming away from the bone.

Remove the shanks to a platter and cover.

Skim the fat from the surface of the liquid in the slow cooker. Turn the heat to high and stir in the drained beans. Heat until beans are heated through.

Gremolata

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic , minced

zest from 1 lemon.

Chop together the parsley and garlic. Stir in the zest. Stir in half the mixture into the bean mixture.

Place bean mixture on top of shanks and sprinkle the remaining gremolata over the top of the shanks and beans.

Steak House Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust on the grill.

I made this while at our cabin that currently has no oven. I made a whole wheat pizza crust but store bought would work fine as well.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough :

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp instant yeast

Bread Machine:

Place ingredients in pan as directed in your machines manual. Set on dough setting.

Stand Mixer:

Place the dry ingredients in stand mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook. With motor running, gradually pour in liquids and knead with machine until smooth. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise until puffy. Punch down and form crust.

Dough can be made ahead and refrigerated in sealed container. This also gives a greater depth of flavor to the crust.

 

 

I rolled the dough out thin and placed it on a hot grill. I flipped the dough once grill marks appeared . While the other side cooks I added the toppings which I prepared ahead of time.

The toppings consisted of

Arugula

Provolone

Thinly sliced green onions

Grilled medium rare petite sirloin, sliced thinly after resting for a bit.

Sauteed sliced cremini mushrooms and thinly sliced onion in butter until mushrooms were cooked and onions caramelized. Removed to a platter and used same pan for the sauce.

The sauce was made with a reduction of whiskey. Once the whiskey had reduced by half I added heavy cream and continued to reduce until thick. I also added to the sauce while reducing roasted garlic , salt and pepper. When the sauce has thicken significantly I stirred in some Marscapone until melted throughout and the sauteed mushrooms and onions.

I spread the sauce evenly over crust. Layered the steak and provolone cheese. Sprinkle over top the green onions and arugula. The pizza stayed on the grill until the provolone had melted. YUM!!!

Petite Sirloin with Raspberry Cream Sauce

I made this for my husband and I for Valentines Day. It would be great for any special occasion.

 

This is a very forgiving recipe that can be made for any number of guests. This is for a service of two; simply adjust as needed. I served this over roasted asparagus, however, any vegetable, pasta or grain could be used or none at all.

ingredients

• 2 petite sirloins
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
• 6 green onions, sliced
• 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
• red wine with raspberry notes in flavor
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Herbs de Provence, to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

directions

In a large saucepan, saute the mushrooms in the butter until tender; if pan becomes too dry, add olive oil as needed. Remove the cooked mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. Salt and pepper the steaks on both sides and allow them to come to room temperature. Heat pan that the mushrooms were cooked in over medium-high heat, leaving the butter/oil in pan. When pan is hot, add the steaks and sear on both sides, cooking about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare. Remove the steaks from pan to a plate and cover with foil to allow them to rest. Reduce the temperature to medium and place the same pan that the steaks were cooked in over heat with the mushrooms and onions. Quick saute the onion mixture until onions are just fragrant. Pour into the pan, off the heat, the red wine, about 1 1/2 cups. Place back over heat and raise temperature to medium-high , bring to simmer and reduce by half. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer along with 1 cup fresh raspberries and Herbs de Provence, to taste. Continue cooking until thick and berries have cooked down. Adjust the salt and pepper, if needed. Place steaks on serving plate and top with the sauce; garnish with remaining fresh raspberries.

 

Roast Chicken Breast with Wild Mushroom Risotto and Sage Pan Gravy

 

Wild Mushroom Risotto:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped

2 cups wild mushrooms, sliced

2 cups arborio rice

salt and pepper; to taste

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 

Chicken:

4 chicken skinless and boneless chicken breasts

salt and pepper; to taste

flour, for dredging

vegetable oil

 

Sage Pan Gravy:

flour

1/4 cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

1 cup chicken stock

 

Wild Mushroom Risotto:

Pour stock into a saucepan and heat until hot; keep warm. To prepare the risotto, melt the butter in a shallow skillet and sweat the onions, garlic and sage until almost translucent. Add the mushrooms and saute until lightly colored. Add the rice and saute until the grains are slightly transparent. Season.

Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add enough chicken stock to cover the rice by 1/2 inch and simmer. Stir frequently, adding hot stock to keep rice covered, allowing that to be absorbed, then adding more as needed. When the rice is about 90% cooked, add the heavy cream and Parmesan, then continue cooking and stirring until the rice is creamy but thick enough to mound slightly on a plate.

Chicken:

While risotto is simmering, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat a small amount of oil in a cast iron skillet and sear chicken until lightly brown on both sides. Place the skillet in the oven to roast for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Reserve the pan juices.

Sage Pan Gravy:

To make the gravy, sprinkle a small amount of flour into the pan juices and cook over medium heat, whisking to form a roux. Add the sherry and sage, stirring until incorporated.

Add the chicken stock, stirring until the gravy is well blended and free of lumps. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken slightly, then strain.

To serve, mound the risotto on the plates and place a chicken breast on top. Drizzle the gravy around the outside.