by Donna Reish
In my four years of low carb baking and cooking, I have tried them all. Some have turned out great. And some not so great. Baking with low carb “flours” can be challenging. They just don’t act like the flours we are used to baking with. They don’t taste like them either! So what do you do with almond flour, coconut flour, flax, oat fiber, and more? Which low carb flours are truly low and which are not? What about incorporating other flours together to make a more acceptable-to-family flour mix or flour blends?
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by Donna Reish
INTRODUCING MY DOUGH BABY
I make many low carb “doughs” and “batters.” I don’t mind a cream cheese and mozzarella biscuit. I actually love breakfast sandwich fillings or jam on my “Not So Oopsie” rolls. (And they’re also good made into “cream cheese danishes”!) I like my crepe recipe—both savory and sweet. But oh for yeast dough! And even more oh for low carb yeast dough…and low carb rolls, low carb pizza dough, low carb cinnamon rolls and more—made out of more “real tasting” flours!
I’m not a fan of some of the doughs available for low carb or healthy bakers. I don’t like trying to pass off a “quick bread” (i.e. in a mug) or with flax and oat fiber as a bread. I don’t like the feel on my teeth (okay, they make me cringe a little) of doughs that are primarily made of cheese (or the flavor or the fat and calorie content!). And I really don’t like the taste of psyllium husk in a batter.
Yes, those doughs and batters are extremely low carb (often low carb/high fat/super calorie dense), which makes them ideal for keto situations. But I haven’t enjoyed them too much.
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by Donna Reish
True confession: I do not like Olive Garden’s salad dressing. But that is probably only because I do not like salad dressing at all.
Period. Not.one.single.dressing. Nada. Nope. None.
However, I have some kids who are crazy about this dressing, so I make it with my homemade Italian Dressing Mix for them.
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by Donna Reish
I have been building up my repertoire of mixes lately. (Check out my Very Low Carb Flour Mix, All Purpose Seasoning Mix, and BBQ Base mixes!)
If you are low carbing, you will want to be careful of seasoning mixes and packets. Many have thickening agents (i.e. arrowroot or cornstarch); others have anti-clumping properties, which can add carbohydrates to the total. Of course, many of us home cooks have been doing many homemade things for years and years—including sauces, seasoning mixes, and more—in an effort to either save money or be able to put into our foods exactly what we want (and know what that is!).
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by Donna Reish
Wowsie, sometimes I really miss BBQ—you know the sweet, yet spicy/tangy, taste of BBQ ribs from Outback or pulled pork from a street vendor at the fair? And when I start feeling that way, I know that it is time to pull out my Sugar-Free Sweet and Spicy BBQ Sauce and make something yummy!
And in grilling season, this is just the perfect dish—without any of the guilt or sluggishness associated with sugar-laden BBQ sauces (okay, and that sweet bread AND bloomin’ onion AND homemade croutons AND…you get the idea!).
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by Donna Reish
I like to marinate meats in a bbq type/Tex Mex marinade when using them in fajitas, bbq, etc. (Even if I am adding bbq sauce at cooking time, I still love that flavor-infusion from marinading in this mixture!)
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