4 Cheese Cauliflower Noodle Lasagna

4 Cheese Cauliflower Noodle Lasagna:

Meat Sauce:

1 lb ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 tin(15oz) tomato sauce

1 tin(15oz) diced tomatoes 

1 tsp Italian Seasoning 

1/4 cup dry Parmesan Cheese 

Cauliflower Noodles:

4-5 cups cauliflower rice, packed

5 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Additional Ingredients:

2 cups cottage cheese

Italian Seasoning 

shredded cheddar cheese

shredded mozzarella cheese

Start by making your cauliflower noodles. Pre heat oven to 350. Place parchment paper onto a large cookie sheet. To make cauliflower rice: wash cauliflower and cut into florets. Put into food processor with water and blend until it is finer than rice. Place cauliflower into a bowl; making sure to have water in the bowl as well. Microwave on high for 5 minutes.Place the cauliflower rice in a tea towel placed into a colander. Rinse it with cold water to allow it to cool of faster. Twist the tea towel and squeeze out ALL the moisture. You will be surprised how much liquid comes out but it is import to have dry cauliflower rice. I used 2 average sized cauliflower and the end result was between 4 and 5 cups of cauliflower rice.

Place drained rice into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients for the noodles. Evenly spread the mixture onto the bottom of 2 9x13 pans lined with Parchment paper. You want it as thin as possible but at the same time making sure there are no holes. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Carefully peel off of the parchment paper. Set aside.

While your noodles are baking you can start your meat sauce. Place ground beef into a frying pan along with the diced onion and garlic. Fry the meat mixture until evenly browned. Add Tomato Sauce, Diced Tomatoes, Italian Seasoning and Parmesan Cheese. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend in. Remove from heat.

To assemble the Lasagna:

Put about half of your meat sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread the cottage cheese over the noodles. Top with another layer of noodles followed by the remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle a good layer of shredded cheese on top. I use about 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and at least 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. I like to sprinkle Italian Seasoning (maybe 1/4 tsp) on top of the cheese yet just to give it a nice appearance.

Cover with foil (make sure to spray your foil with oil to prevent sticking) and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

This is by far my favorite low carb recipe. In my opinion it is much better than the typical zucchini noodles because it is not as watery. It is well worth the effort! 

Creamy Coleslaw

Creamy Coleslaw

1 package coleslaw mix( or  equivalent amount of shredded carrots and cabbage)

1/ 4 cup green onions-optional

1 apple, cored, sliced and cut into bit sized pieces-optional

Dressing:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 tsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp celery salt

Put first 3 ingredients into a bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour over veggies. Mix well. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Low Carb Barbequed Burgers

Low Carb Barbecued Burgers

2 1/2 lbs ground beef

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 tbsp dry onion flakes

1 tbsp beef soup base

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded marble cheese

1 egg

Mix ingredients together. Shape into 20 patties. Barbeque about 4 minutes per side or until center is no longer pink. Cooking times will vary depending on the barbequer. I like to serve the burgers on 1/4 of  a pita in place of a hamburger bun. 1/4 of a pita is only 5 carbs. Or you can use mini pitas which are only 4 carbs and 40 calories per serving. 1 hamburger patty has 166 calories and 1.8 g of carbs.

Mock Bread Sticks

Mock Bread Sticks

1 large head cauliflower

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded marble cheese

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 tsp Italiano

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup shredded marble cheese

Additional Italiano

Marinara Sauce for dipping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse cauliflower and separate in florets. Place florets into food processor and process until rice texture. Place into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a colander lined with a clean tea towel. Cool for about 15 minutes before squeezing the liquid out of the cauliflower as hard as you can. 

Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add egg, first amount of shredded cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italiano, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Transfer the cauliflower mixture onto a baking sheet or pan lined with parchment paper. Flatten into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese and additional Italiano. Bake for another 5 minutes and then broil until cheese is nicely browned. Cut into 12 Bread sticks and serve with your favourite marinara sauce.

Low Carb Shepherds Pie

Low Carb Shepherds Pie

Meat Mixture:

2 lbs ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 tsp minced garlic

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup peas

1 cup water

1-2 tbsp beef soup base

1 tsp Italiano

1 small tin(5.5 oz) tomato paste

Fry ground beef along with the onion, celery, pepper and garlic until beef is browned. Add carrots and water. Simmer for about 5 minutes before adding carrots. Add peas. Summer another 10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add beef soup base, Italiano and tomato paste. Stir until well blended. Pour into the bottom of a casserole dish. 

Faux Mashed Potatoes:

2 head of cauliflower

1/2 cup sour cream

3-4 tbsp Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded marble cheese

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chicken soup base

1 tsp Italiano

Additional shredded marble cheese ( about 1 cup or so)
Additional Italiano ( 1/2 - 1 tsp)

Rinse and cut up cauliflower. Put into spot and cover with water. Cook until cauliflower is soft. Drain well. Mash with a potato masher first then blend with a stick blender. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well and spread on top of meat mixture. Sprinkle additional shredded marble cheese onto faux mashed potatoes followed by additional Italiano. Bake @ 350 for 1/2 hour or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Gluten & Sugar Free Triple Berry Muffins

Gluten & Sugar Free Triple Berry Muffins:

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar OR xylitol

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

4 oz cream cheese, softened OR sour cream

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk(regular milk would work as well)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups of berries of your choice. I used 1/2 cup each of red and black raspberries as well as blueberries

Topping:

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp trivia or xylitol

3 tbsp almond flour

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Use a fork to make sure the almond flour is evenly distributed. If using cream cheese, cut it into the dry mixture and then add the remaining ingredients saving the berries for the last. Stir in berries gently. Scoop into muffin tins . Makes about 15. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on the top of the muffins. Bake @ 350° for  about 20 minutes.

Crustless Cheeseburger Quiche

Crustless Cheeseburger Quiche:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 cup diced onions

1 tsp Italiano

1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded marble cheese

6 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup cream or milk

1/4 - 1/2 tsp Salt 

1/4 tsp Pepper 

Fry ground beef with onions until ground beef is browned. Add Italiano and ketchup. Put mixture on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle cheese over the ground beef mixture. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. Pour egg mixture on top of the cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until eggs are completely set.