Dining In | Low Carb in Real Life

bacon wrapped taco meatloaf

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 18:49:24 -0800

For lack of a better title…

So I was purusing the interwebs for low carb info and clever recipes. I was reading this guy's battle with the ill-informed dieticians of North Carolina (though I don't know of any body of dieticians who espouses anything other than what the USDA tells them to, but I digress) and I found this recipe. Hypnotized by the baconyness of it, I was inspired to make my own. The first time I made it, I put the cheese on the meat, but when I baked it, the cheese pretty much just melted out of it. This time I mixed the cheese into the meat and it worked out much better. Check it out!

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Ingredients:

2 packages of Trader Joe's Applewood Smoked Bacon (or 16 slices of whatever type you have)
1 pound ground beef
1/2 package taco seasoning (your choice but watch the ingredients)
1 cup shredded cheddar
Whole black olives

The Madness (aka: the method)

Dust off your underwater basketweaving skills and weave the bacon together as shown below. I do it on a rack on the cookie sheet, not because I don't love bacon fat (don't even think it!), but because I want the bacon to be crispy and not soggy.

deep dish pizza

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:04:23 -0800

I found this recipe somewhere on the internet (if I could remember, I would give the link) and it is simply delicious. As long as you don't go expecting a doughy crust, of course (though why would you, since it's LCHF). It's perfect for dinner for two served with a side salad.

I kept it simple with just cheese and pepperoni for the toppings, but you could put whatever LC items you wanted.

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp chopped chives
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 oz pepperoni

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The Madness (aka the method)

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Take 2 cups of the mozarella cheese and spread it evening in the bottom of a springform pan. Place the pan on a cookie sheet.

Mix the eggs and cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the cream, parmesan cheese, chives, seasoning, and garlic. (I used my hand blender for all of this mixing and it got it nice and smooth, but also a bit frothy which help puff up the "crust" for baking. If you don't have a hand blender, also known as an immersion blender, put it on your wish list!) Pour the egg mixture over the cheese in the springform pan and bake for 30 minutes.

bacon cheddar ranch cucumber bites

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:45:20 -0800

Today we're heading to Napa to have a fun night with friends and my assignment was to bring an appetizer and my Mexican Train set. Honestly, I always draw a blank on appetizers. For whatever reason, I can conjure up a meal without blinking, but ask me to bring something snacky and I have to bust out my Epicurious app and scour the interwebs. This time was different because I was actually having a craving for this combination and it worked out perfectly. The simplicity was also a major bonus.

Ingredients:

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese (full fat)
1/4 to 1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 package Ranch dip mix
Fresh flat leaf parsley, dill, and chives
6 strips pre-cooked bacon
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar

2 large seedless cucumbers

Notes: When looking for dry Ranch dip, check out the natural food aisle in your grocery store. Brands like Hidden Valley and Laura Scudders add MSG so try to find one that is as natural as possible. Also, this makes double the filling you'll need but I like to use the extra for dipping veggies later. Use half of everything except the cucumbers if you don't want that much left over.

the omelet

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:52:11 -0800

This certainly isn’t the only way to make an omelet. It just happens to be my favorite.

Ingredients:

2 eggs 
4 strips pre-cooked bacon
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
 shredded cheese
 Hollandaise (optional... but not really)

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The Madness (aka: the method)

Let me say up front that you don’t need to be like me and buy practically every piece of Le Creuset that crosses your path. That said, one of my favorite pans is the Le Creuset crepe pan - it makes ah-may-zing omelets! So if you can invest in one, or something similar, please do!

Crack the eggs in a bowl, splash in the cream, beat it into submission with a fork. Add some freshly cracked pepper if you’re in the mood. Ok so far?

Heat the pan over medium-high heat. Place strips of bacon on the pan. These can be strips leftover from a previous breakfast, or purchased pre-made. I think the pre-made bacon from Trader Joe’s is fabulous, plus it’s nitrite free. Also, if you want to chop the bacon, go for it. I happen to really like how cool the strips look at the end. Anyway…