Easy Low Carb Breakfast Muffins

These keto breakfast muffins are so simple to make and really tasty to boot! If you've read the blog before you'll know that I'm always trying to find new ways to eat eggs. I hate eggs. But I love these muffins.

This is what I like to think of as the 'classic' recipe, but you can pretty much fill them to suit your taste. They're also a great way of using up leftovers or those odds and ends in the fridge which are about to go off.

This recipe makes six muffins, which S and I love to eat warm on a Sunday morning. You can equally make them ahead of time and grab one on your way out to work in the morning- keto breakfasts can be a time-consuming affair. They'll keep for a day or two in an airtight container.

Ingredients (makes 6 muffins)

6 slices of pancetta

2 eggs

1/2 a white onion, finely diced

3/4 cup of double cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 220/430 degrees and grease your muffin tray with a spray oil.

1. Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan- I used ghee- and fry off your pancetta slices.

2. When crispy, set aside and saute the onions in the bacon grease.

3. Chop the pancetta into small pieces and mix with the onions. Evenly distribute the mixture into the muffin tray.

4. In a bowl, break the two eggs and add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

5. Pour the mixture into the muffin trays, covering the pancetta and onion.

6. Top with grated cheddar cheese.

7. Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes et voilà!

Get creative with your fillings and try adding mushrooms, peppers or chorizo! If you like your food on the spicy side, sprinkling some chili flakes into the egg mixture will add a nice kick.

Carb Count: With the ingredients I used, these muffins work out at a very respectable 1.5g net carbs each. If you're watching your carb count, make sure to do your own math.

Coffee In Cork: Sugarcube

As you may remember from my previous Coffee In Cork post, I appreciate being able to call into a restaurant or coffee shop and easily order a cappuccino with soya milk.

One place that I've consistently ordered a great coffee is Sugarcube at the Grand Parade/ South Mall board walk. The soya milk is heated to the right temperature and the bubbles are nice and tight.

Sugarcube cappuccino with soya milk & dash of cocoa powder stirred in

Unlike my disastrous experiences at a certain coffee shop chain, this has been easy and reliable to order.

Sugarcube's glass walls make it a great place to sit and people watch and I'd highly recommend trying their coffee. They have some great low carb lunch pots on the menu too, featuring chicken and feta salads. I haven't made it there for lunch yet but hope to soon and will report back. 

Have you tried their lunch pots? What did you think?

Low Carb & Gluten Free Brownies

This recipe comes courtesy of the lovely Breffney over at A Pinch Of Ginger. She's training to be a chef and is a total a whiz in the kitchen, so I was delighted to see this recipe pop up on her blog.

I made these gorgeous butternut squash brownies last night and S declared them to be some of the best he has ever tasted. These decadent treats are gluten free and paleo-friendly and absolutely delicious- they're still moist the next day!

You can see Breffney's original blog post (with ingredients and method) here and you can also find her on Facebook.

Mixed Dry Ingredients

Chocolate & Butternut Squash Mix

Served Warm With Cream

Low Carb & Gluten Free Pizza

Pizza is part of that universal food type- a flat piece of carbohyrate as a convenient delivery system for meat and/or vegetables. It's something I love, particularly on a Friday night when I'm starting to unwind and it's something that I don't want to have to go without. I've tried and disliked the cauliflower pizza base- this one is far closer to the 'real thing'.

As part of my neverending quest to treat low carb as a way of life, not a punishment, this recipe is a big deal to me!

Ingredients
2 Cups Grated Mozzarella
2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup Almond Flour/ Ground Almonds
Pinch Salt
1 Large Egg
Pinch Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Your choice of toppings.

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Method
1. Put the grated mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. Take it out and stir well, then pop it back in for another 30 seconds.
It should look something like this:

2. Once the cheese is done, mix in the almond flour, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder as quickly as you can. Mix well until it binds like a dough.
You'll see differences in the colour of the dough where there the cheese & dry indredients aren't well combined. Aim to get it as even a colour all-over as you can.

Place the dough on a baking tray. I've found the best results are achieved with a silicone pat on the baking tray.

4. Use your fingertips to gently push out the dough into an even layer with no holes. The dough will be quite sticky, so wetting your fingers with cold water will help make it easier to spread.

5. Prick the dough allover with a fork to stop air bubbles forming. Bake at 180/ 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Then take it out and prick again with a fork. It'll look a little more solid:

7. Put it back in for 6 minutes and then it should come out looking something like this:

8.  Now, add your toppings! My go-to combination is passata, grated mozzarella and chedder mixed, pancetta and pepperoni from Iago.
If using a tomato sauce, spread it thinly so it doesn't make the base soggy. I usually use Bunalun organic passata as it is relatively lower in carb than other shop-bought sauces.

Note: I've found that you get a crispier base if you can transfer it from the solid baking tray to one with holes before adding your toppings. It's not the end of the world if you don't have one, but I'd recommend investing if you like your pizza crispy!

For something a little different, try adding chilli powder or mixed herbs to the dough. Add some creative toppings and your base can set the scene for some pretty interesting flavour combinations.

With the ingredients I use, each full pizza works out to about 10 carbs. However, I'm not your mama so if you're counting carbs for weight loss make sure to do your own calculations!

Teriyaki Beef Salad

Trying to keep salads varied and interesting can be tough, especially if you're having them for both lunch and dinner. For me, this teriyaki beef salad is a real winner.
If you can, plan ahead and allow the beef to marinate overnight for the full flavour experience.

Ingredients
For the marinade (makes enough for 2 steaks):
1 cup soy sauce (soy sauce can be surprisingly high in sugar. if you can find a sugar free version go for it, otherwise try the Kikkoman brand.
1 cup water
3/4 cup Stevia or other sugar alternative
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

For the salad:
Handful of Rocket
Thinly sliced Radishes
Thinly sliced Cucumber

1 striploin steak per person (about 1/2 inch thickness)
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds to garnish

Method
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in one bowl. Place your steaks in a plastic freezer bag and pour over with the sauce. Tie off the top of the bag and shake well to ensure an even coating.

2. Ideally you'd allow the steak to sit in the bag overnight in the fridge. If time is scarce then just an hour or two in the fridge will be okay, but to get the best of the flavours plan ahead and give it the full night!

3. After marinating, take the steaks out of the bag and save the leftover marinade.

4. Heat a small amount of vegetable or peanut oil in a hot frying pan and sear the steaks on both sides. Give it 3-4 minutes per side for a medium-done steak.

5. After frying, wrap the steaks in tinfoil and allow to stand.

6. Add the leftover marinade to the hot pan and allow to simmer for a minute or two. It should reduce to a nice thick sauce that you can dribble over.

7. Slice the steak and erve with a simple salad, for me the rocket/ cucumber/ radish combination is perfect with this steak. Pour over your marinade reduction and garnish with the sesame seeds for a little crunch.

Roasted Nuts

This supereasy snack is great to make in large batches and store. Perfect to nibble on with a drink, or serve to friends who call in!
You can of course choose any combination of nuts you like, but I'm a fan of the almond/pecan mix.

Ingredients

100g Shelled Almonds
100g Blanched Almonds
100g Pecans
25g Real Butter
2 Tablespoons of Stevia or other sugar substitute
1 Teaspoon of Salt

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Method

1. Put the butter in a bowl large enough to hold all the nuts and then melt in the microwave for 30 seconds.

2. Pour all the nuts into the melted butter mixture, ensuring the nuts are well coated. Sprinkle over the Stevia and salt and mix well.

3. Spread out on a baking tray and bake at 180/350 degrees for 30 minutes. Toss the nuts half way through cooking.

4. Allow to stand for a few minutes then serve warm, or store in an airtight container for a week.

Prefer your snacks salty to sweet, or vice versa? Don't be afraid to play with the sugar and salt ratios!

Lunch At Italee

I recently got a great recommendation from my brother. As a footballer, he's always on the lookout for a healthy, low carb lunch. I don't often venture down to the Parnell Place end of Oliver Plunkett Street, but now I know what I've been missing!

Italee is a gorgeous restaurant with great coffee and a good selection of low-carb lunches. I had the mozzarella, parma and pesto plate and damn was it good! Everything was fresh and flavourful and I'll definitely be back.

(excuse the terrible phone pic)

It's been a while

I guess it's pretty much obligitory that each blog in existence has a post where the author apologises for not being around lately. My time has come.

In the past months I've been busy with work, but that's no excuse. I hit a really big goal in time for my 30th birthday and then relaxed. It's easier when there's a finish line to work towards and for a long while it while has been hit and miss at best.

But as much as eating low carb allows me to blog, blogging also encourages me to try new things. So here goes. Again.

Close To Home: Baltimore