Low Carb "Potato" Pancakes

Every now and then, I need a batch of crispy, savory potato pancakes. Served with applesauce, sour cream, and a platter of sausages, they're serious comfort food.

They're also not even remotely low carb.

Fortunately, we live in the ninnynet age. Fueled by continuous and compounding cravings and aided by the Google machine, I found a recipe that, with a few alterations, produces drop dead knockoff potato pancakes:

3 chayotes
1/2 large onion
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 teaspoons garlic salt
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Oil for frying

Peel and quarter the chayotes. Remove the seed and coarsely grate. Allow to rest and drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Heat your oil of choice (or fat - I use lard for the extra flavor it lends) to 375 degrees.

Peel and grate the onion, place in a large bowl. Add the salt, flax meal, parmesan, and baking powder; mix well. Place the chayote in a clean tea towel and wring it to extract as much liquid as possible. Add to the bowl and toss with the egg mixture. Add to the hot oil, a quarter cup per pancake, and fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.



If your reaction is 'WTF is a chayote?', join the club. I've seen them in the produce section, but have never encountered a recipe using them before and I knew only two things about them: 1) they're green and 2) they're sorta gnarly looking. Chayotes, it turns out, are members of the squash family. They're native to Mexico, are now grown worldwide, and in this hemisphere are especially popular in Latin American and Caribbean dishes. They're also fabulous for low carbing: a full cup of diced chayote is only 25 calories and about 3 grams of net carbs. The mild flavor works well as a substitute for starchier vegetables.

Almond Flour Cornbread

1 c almond flour
2 green onions, chopped
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 large eggs
2 T butter
1/4 c sour cream

In a bowl, mix together the wet ingredients and green onions, then add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

8 servings at 1 carb each

Breakfast Brownie Cookies

3 T almond flour
1 T coconut flour
2 T butter, softened
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 scoop protein powder
2 T cocoa powder
2 eggs
4 drops sucralose *

Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Add eggs and sucralose. Add dry ingredients and blend well. Cook on a medium skillet like pancakes, but don't overcook. Makes 6 4" pancakes.

Variation: Spread one with Peanut Butter Filling and top with a second, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a quick breakfast.

* Or use any sweetener equal to 4 T sugar

Low Carb Pancakes

8 oz. cream cheese
8 eggs
8 t. coconut flour
4 t. Splenda
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

 Mix all ingredients well (I use my Ninja and simply pour the cakes directly from the jar) and allow to sit for a few minutes to thicken. Cook over medium-high heat as you would for regular pancakes. These could also be used as savory crepes. Add herbs and spices to suit your needs.

4 servings - 327 calories & 3.5 carbs each

Shrimp & Grits, Low Carb - Charleston Low Country Style

We had our first authentic Shrimp and Grits during a visit to Hominy Grill in Charleston, South Carolina earlier this year. Chef Robert Stehling's Hominy Grill version of this classic dish is, my friends, love in a bowl. We shared a bowl between us and also a plate of Charleston Big Nasty (a tender, tasty boneless fried chicken breast with cheese on a flaky homemade biscuit, and covered with rich homemade sausage gravy), and finished with a ramekin of rich, decadent Chocolate Pudding, dubbed The Best Thing I Ever Ate by Alton Brown. Of course I bought a cookbook. It's one of my most treasured items.

We recently began low carbing and I'm in the process of converting our favorite recipes. This version of Hominy's Shrimp & Grits is very low carb.

Grits
1 large or 2 small heads cauliflower
1/2 c water
1 c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
2 T butter
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper

Wash the cauliflower and remove outer leaves. Using a sharp knife, separate into florets with stems. In a food processor, pulse the florets in batches to a fine grain consistent with dry grits. You should have about 4 cups of cauliflower "grits". Add the water and steam the "grits" in a saucepot or microwave container until softened. Drain well. Add the cheeses, butter, salt, and pepper; stir well. Cover and set aside.

Shrimp Saute
6 slices bacon
Butter, optional
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c sliced scallions, mostly white and some green
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp *
1/2 large lemon, juiced
Cholula sauce (or Tabasco if you must)

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add butter to the pan if necessary to make 2 Tablespoons of fat. Saute the mushrooms until softened. Add the garlic, scallions, and shrimp to the pan and saute quickly until shrimp begins to turn pink - be careful not to overcook. Remove from heat, toss with lemon juice, and transfer to a serving bowl. Chop the bacon and sprinkle over the top.

The "grits" will usually benefit from a quick warm up in the microwave before serving. If they appear too thick, add cream a teaspoon at a time until thinned to a good plating texture. Serve hot topped with shrimp, and with hot sauce on the side.

* Frozen cooked shrimp can be used. Simply thaw in the fridge, remove the tails if purchased with them attached, and saute very briefly in the pan only enough to heat through.

Cold Grain Breakfast

3/4 c Quinoa, washed
3/4 c steel cut oats
4 1/4 c water
1 T olive oil
1/2 t ginger, minced (optional)
2 tangelos, zested and juiced
1/2 c maple syrup
1 T salt
5 oz orange flavored Greek yogurt
2 c pecans, chopped
2 c blackberries, washed


Rinse the quinoa well in a fine sieve. Heat the water, oil, salt, and ginger to a boil. Add the quinoa and oats, cover, reduce heat to a simmer. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let the mixture sit in the hot pan for 10 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Spread the cooked grains on a cookie sheet to cool completely.

Whisk together the tangelo juice and zest, maple syrup, salt, and yogurt. In a large bowl, combine the cooled grains with the juice mixture and stir until well coated. Add the pecans and fruit; toss well.

Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold, with milk, if desired.

Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.


SUBSTITUTIONS
 - Substitute any citrus fruit for the tangelos 
 - Substitute any yogurt flavor
 - Use any type of nut
 - Add any berry or diced fresh fruit in place of blackberries

Bacon and Corn Griddlecakes

1 pound bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, finely diced 
1 1/2 cups flour
3 T. fresh chives, minced 
1 t. baking powder
1 t. garlic salt 
1 c. milk 
1 egg 
2 T. olive oil (or be bad and use bacon grease!)
1 1/2 c. corn - see instructions
1 c. Jack cheese, shredded
maple syrup, optional 

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but a tablespoon of the bacon fat. Return to the stove and saute the onion until softened. Remove from the pan and toss together with the bacon. Set aside.

Combine the flour, chives, baking powder, and garlic salt in a medium bowl. Add the milk, egg, oil or bacon fat; stir briefly to combine. If corn is in season, it's well worth your time to cut it fresh from the cob and use it raw. The sweetness of the fresh corn will amaze you. But you can substitute thawed frozen corn or canned corn, if necessary. Fold the corn and half of the bacon and onion mixture into the batter.

Bring a greased griddle or skillet to temp over medium-high heat. Create griddle cakes using about 1/4 cup of batter for each. Cook until golden brown - about 3 to 4 minutes - then flip and cook the other side.  Serve with a generous spoonful of the bacon and onion mixture, as well as a spoonful of Jack cheese. Top with syrup, if desired.