Vital Wheat Gluten Loaf
(Obviously, this is the exception to the gluten-free comment I just made.) For this one, I started with this Flax/Vital Wheat Gluten Loaf recipe: http://www.lowcarbrecipes.org/index.php?m=recipes&a=view&recipe_id=27. But I made some modifications...4 large eggs instead of 5 medium and almond meal instead of flax meal. It is good, but as you can see, came out pretty flaaaaat. It's a little eggy tasting, too...but honestly, not too bad. It is definitely more bready than many egg-based low carb baked products I've tried. Next time, I'm going to double the recipe, so that it makes a larger, more normal sized loaf. I may also use less egg, and maybe a bit more of the flours. A work in progress, this is still a very nice bread-alternative. Last night, I had a few slices with a yummy spinach dip, and this morning, I had two toasted slices spread with peanut butter/chocolate yumminess (recipes below).
Cheesy Garlic Crackers
The starting recipe was http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/flaxcrackers.htm (I honestly don't know how I'd live w/o About.Com). The modifications I made on this one (partially inspired by one of the reviewer's suggestions) were: almond meal instead of flax; Asiago cheese instead of Parmy; 1/2 t. garlic powder instead of 1 1/2 teaspoons; and did not grease the parchment paper. Perhaps it was the almond meal's fault, but when I mixed in the 1/2 c. water, it was extremely soupy--the recipe talks about rolling this out (and the reviewer refers to rolling the mixture into balls)...well, there was no way to roll the glop that I'd created. So, I splatted teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the parchment paper and then patted them into 1/8 inch thick circles with my fingers. They only needed to bake for 12 minutes, so as the recipe suggests, don't set the timer for the full 15 minutes and then walk away...keep an eye on them for those last 5 minutes. Crunchy and satisfying, these are REALLY tasty. DH downed quite a few of them by just compulsively popping them into his mouth. A+++ on the snack-o-meter.
Sugar Free Coconut Macaroons!
By now, you might be very surprised to hear that I followed the actual recipe, as is! (Hey, I'm capable of recognizing perfection when I do see it.) Again, from About.com: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/locarbmacaroons.htm. The only comment I have is that I did use powdered Splenda, which made the comments in the recipe regarding sweetener and water a little confusing. I believe I was following the directions by mixing the 1 c. Splenda in with the coconut, and using 2 T of water. Also, I must just have really LARGE eggs, because I easily had 1/2 c. egg whites from 3 eggs...so that's all I used. Okay, so I lied. I didn't follow the recipe blindly. But only a fool does that, anyway.
Spinach Dip: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/snacks/r/spinachdip.htm. On this one, again a few modifications. Because I really wanted to simulate the old Knorr Swiss soup mix recipe for Spinach Dip, I did take the option of using mayo for 1/2 of the sour cream; I added 3 T. of chopped sweet onion and a can of water chestnuts, chopped up; then for seasoning, I followed the OR option (because I don't have the patient to order or find Penzey's Buttermilk Ranch)...the only change I made to the seasonings was to cut the onion powder down to 1 t. (because I'd put in the chopped onion already), and for the powdered herb option, I just used poultry seasoning. This dip turned out very well--very close to the Knorr Swiss recipe that I know and love. The only change I'll make for next time is to cut back some (I'll have to experiment with how much) on the mayo/sour cream b/c the dip ended up a bit soupier than I'd like...even though I did squeeze out the spinach and patted dry the water chestnuts very thoroughly.
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Yumminess Spread: this is my own creation, so far as I know. I was trying for some delicious, bonbon-like peanut butter balls, so I mixed together 1 c. natural (no sugar added) peanut butter and 1 c. powdered Splenda, + 1/2 t. vanilla. My plan was to roll this into little balls and then coat them with cocoa powder. However, as anyone who's worked with natural peanut butter knows, the batches can be inconsistent. Sometimes you get a jar that, once mixed, congeals nicely in the fridge...while other times, you can end up with slop. Well, this jar was of the slop variety, so there was NO WAY this was rolling into balls. So I took about 1/4 c. of cocoa powder and stirred it into the peanut butter mixture (slop), stopping when it looked attractively swirly. I had no idea what to do with this slop until this morning, when I felt in my soul that it would make a delightful spread for my Vital Wheat Gluten Loaf. And I was right. Much happiness at my breakfast table this morning. A spread is born! Fans of Nutella, take note.
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