Cauliflower Pizza Casserole

Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Casserole (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: approximately 3/4 cup

Perfect as a kid-friendly low carb side dish, or eat an entire bowl for a complete meal!

Ingredients

For the Puree
• 1 medium head of cauliflower
• 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• 8 slices pepperoni
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
For the Casserole
• 12 slices pepperoni
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Make a Ginger Turkey Meatball Soup

 

Instructions

For the Puree
• Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces. Place in a microwave safe bowl with 2 Tbl of cream and 1 Tbl of butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 10 minutes. Stir to coat cauliflower with cream/butter mixture. Microwave for another six minutes on high (or until tender.) Remove from the microwave and put into a high speed blender or food processor along with the 8 slices of pepperoni and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can adjust the cream and butter to your preference for consistency.
For the Casserole
• Spread the cauliflower puree into an 8 x 8 oven proof casserole dish. Cover with 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and layer with pepperoni. Bake at 375 degrees (F) for about 20 minutes. Alternatively you could microwave this for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

From: http://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2013/05/pepperoni-pizza-cauliflower-casserole-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html

Orange Creamsicle Yogurt Bites

Make this low carb by using sugar free Jello:

http://cookiesandcups.com/orange-creamsicle-yogurt-bites/

Chocolate Cream Cheese Mousse

Low Carb Chocolate Mousse

1 1/2 cups (355 mls) heavy cream
9 ounces (255 grams) good quality chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone cheese (I’ve made this using cream cheese instead of the mascarpone and it’s just as good – use 1 and 1/2 bars of cream cheese (12 oz), softened)
pinch of nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place 1/2 cup of the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

2. Put the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low speed for 1 minute until the mascarpone is loose. Do not overbeat, as the mascarpone will break. Mix about a quarter of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Refrigerate until you’re ready to assemble your pavlovas or ready to serve as a dessert on its own.  If you refrigerate it for a long time..the mousse will firm up.  Do not beat it.  Let it come to room temperature then stir it and serve.

Pizza Dip

Low Carb Pizza Dip

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces brick-style cream cheese, very well-softened (lite is okay)
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided (3/4 cup + 3/4 cup)
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese, divided (1/2 cup + 1/2 cup)
1 heaping cup pizza sauce (or your favorite marinara or red sauce)
about 15 pepperoni slices, or as needed to cover surface of pie dish

Serving Suggestions - toasted French bread or baugettes, breadsticks, garlic toasts, pita chips, bagel chips, crackers, or eat by the spoonful

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9-inch pie dish (I used a glass Pyrex) with cooking spray.
2. Using a spatula or butter knife, evenly spread the cream cheese over the base of pie dish. It'll slide around a bit and it doesn't have to be perfect, but it's so much easier if your cream cheese is very well-softened.
3. Evenly sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella over cream cheese.
4. Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan.
5. Evenly add the pizza sauce to cover cheese and if necessary, gently spread it with a spatula or knife to evenly disperse.
6. Evenly sprinkle 3/4 cup mozzarella over sauce.
7. Evenly sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan.
8. Evenly top with pepperoni slices.
9. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes (I baked 23 minutes), or until cheese has melted and dip is done to your liking. Allow dip to cool momentarily before serving. Dip is best warm and fresh, but extra will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Gently re-heat in micro before serving leftover portion. Read product labels to ensure all products are gluten-free if that's a consideration for you.

From: http://www.averiecooks.com/2015/01/easy-pizza-dip.html

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps

YIELD: Serves 4 (3 wraps each)

INGREDIENTS:

12 leaves lettuce (iceberg, romaine, Boston or green leaf)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 lb. ground beef

1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

1-2 Tbsp. chili sauce (such as Sambal Oelek*)

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 Tablespoon honey

4 green onions, chopped

Make a Ginger Turkey Meatball Soup

 

DIRECTIONS:

Gently rinse lettuce leaves and pat dry, careful not to tear them. Set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add bell pepper and onion, cook 3 minutes. Add ground beef and cook 5 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Drain grease and return pan to stovetop; reduce heat to medium. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic, soy sauce, hoisin and chili sauces, ginger, rice wine vinegar and honey. Cook until sauce has thickened, 3-4 minutes. Stir in green onions.

Spoon meat mixture into a medium bowl and place on a large serving platter. Arrange lettuce leaves around the bowl and serve.

Enjoy!

* This is a thick red paste with medium-high spice, made from red chilies, vinegar and salt. It can be found in the Asian or ethnic sections of most grocery stores.

From: http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2012/10/asian-beef-lettuce-wraps.html

Lemonade Cupcakes (egg-free)

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup graulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oil
1 cup coconut or soy milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 lemon, zest and juice

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line 12 cup cupcake pan with paper liners. 

Combine dry ingredients, including sugars, in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. 

Combine wet ingredients, including lemon zest, in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. 

Pour the wet works over the dry works. Whisk to combine. Do not beat. 

Divide among the 12 cupcakes - about 1/4 cup each should fill it 2/3 to 3/4 full. 

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Do not underbake or they tend to fall as they cool. Allow to cool in pan for 10 min, then remove to rack to cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

1 stick butter or stick margarine at room temp 1/2 lemon, zest and juice 1 Tbsp water 3 cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla pinch salt Cream butter or margarine until fluffy. Add lemon zest and juice. Beat until fluffy. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat until well combined. Add another cup and beat well. Add water, vanilla, salt and final cup of powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy. Adjust consistency with a little more powdered sugar or water (tsp at a time) if needed.