Michael Van Cise

You may have seen my previous post in which I discussed finding a non-vegetable oil bleu cheese dressing at Whole Foods Market. I posted the contents of that dressing as well as some recipes I found on a quick search of the internet.

I tried the epicurious recipe (with some modifications) to some slight disappointment.

The epicurious recipe calls for:

• garlic
• salt
• dijon mustard
• lemon juice
• white wine vinegar
• olive oil
• sour cream
• crumbled bleu cheese

Because I didn't have all of the above, I used instead:

• garlic
• salt
• dijon mustard
• lime juice
• red wine vinegar
• olive oil
• sour cream
• crumbled bleu cheese
• buttermilk

In addition to substituting what I had for the called-for ingredients, I did not follow the epicurious recipe to the letter. Where the epicurious recipe calls for use of a blender, I used, instead, elbow grease and a whisk. In addition, instead of using 2 tablespoons of water, I ended up adding about 1 1/3 cups of buttermilk.

While the end result was of a good consistency: thicker than the Whole Foods dressing, but not quite as thick as commercial storebought dressings, the dressing was not as tasty as I had hoped. My wife seemed to think that the dijon mustard was the dominant flavor and she opted for storebought dressing in lieu of what we had made. I did not find the dijon mustard to be the dominant flavor, but I think the use of red wine vinegar ruined the flavor of the dressing. I felt that the dressing had a strong vinegar flavor and I added the buttermilk in the hopes that the vinegar bite would be covered-up. In the end, the buttermilk did not work. No amount of buttermilk would overcome the overpowering vinegar flavor. Perhaps it was the combination of the dijon mustard along with the red wine vinegar, but this attempt was a bust. I'll keep trying and hope to bring you a good bleu cheese dressing recipe in the near future.

UPDATE
I pulled out the dressing to add it to my grilled hamburger. I found the dressing to be less vinegary and more mellow. I think allowing the dressing to sit for a while to allow the flavors to blend helped. So if you want to make the above recipe (and probably any bleu cheese dressing recipe) you may want to make it a few hours, or a few days, before you want to eat it for the best results.

I have been wanting to make my own sauerkraut. I attempted to make my own this week for the first time. Sadly, my first attempt failed and I had to throw out the rotting sliced, salted cabbage. I need to find a better container and perhaps do a little more reading and youtube watching about how to make it.

Once I figure it out, I look forward to trying these recipes I found on other sites:

Beer-braised sausages and sauerkraut

sauerkraut braised in beer

I did find a tasty and preservative-free sauerkraut at whole foods. Even though the jar is a little pricey, the sauerkraut is packed into the jar pretty tightly, so you get a lot and it goes a long way when you plate it in a less packed-in fashion. The A-Grosik brand sauerkraut I purchased is imported from poland and is packaged in a 33 oz. jar. The packaging lists its ingredients as merely: White Cabbage and Salt. Sadly, the jar does not indicate if the bacteria which turned the cabbage to sauerkraut is still living in the jar (I hope it is) or if they somehow sterilized or pasteurized the sauerkraut before packaging it. If you are like me and can't yet make your own, this seems like a good substitute.

My wife had read about coconut flour here and found a recipe for coconut coated chicken at the same site. This is an excellent recipe that is quite easy and very tasty. If you're like me and you really enjoy fried chicken, this is an outstanding low-carb alternative to the deep fried, flour-coated stuff you might find at Publix, KFC, Bojangles, Mrs. Winners, Church's, Popeye's, Zaxby's, Guthrie's, or any self-respecting southern cooking establishment.

Ingredients

• 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1-2 lightly beaten eggs
• coconut flakes (e.g., Bob's Red Mill medium shredded unsweetened coconut)
• coconut oil
• salt & pepper

Cooking Instructions

Place the chicken breasts between saran wrap and beat the breasts flat. I typically use my fist or the palm of my hand, but, alternatively, you could use a mallet or a large spoon. Salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast. Lightly beat one egg for two breasts or two eggs for four breasts in a shallow bowl. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large skillet (medium heat). Next, spread coconut flakes on a plate or flat surface and coat the chicken breasts in the coconut flakes. After coating the "dry" breasts, dip each breast in the egg and then dredge the egg coated chicken in the flour. Place the coated chicken breasts in the hot skillet.
Brown the chicken on both sides until the chicken is cooked throughout.

Comments

I was very impressed with this dish. To my surprise, the chicken is not overly sweet and not overpowered by coconut flavor. I have found that cooking certain things in coconut oil can leave the dish tasting like coconut. For example, cooking summer squash or onions in coconut oil is a bad idea unless you like coconut flavored squash/onions. This chicken, on the other hand, tastes a great deal like the fried chicken my mother would make. The coconut flakes are not sweet or overpowering. Unlike the coconut I was accustomed to: sweetened coconut like you'd find on a coconut cake or in Almond Joy candy, the coconut flakes are rather mild and complement, rather than dominate, the chicken. Similarly, the coconut oil allows you to nicely brown the chicken, but unlike the dominance it exerts over vegetables, it heightens the flavor of the chicken and almost replicates the juicy deliciousness of quality fried chicken.

I am a fried chicken fanatic and converting to a low carbohydrate diet just became much more palatable now that I have found what I believe to be a near replacement for traditional fried chicken.

Please note that Mark's Daily Apple suggests using coconut flour (a more finely ground version of coconut meat that resembles wheat flour in consistency) as the first coat. Because my wife and I were unable to locate coconut flour in our local Whole Foods grocery store, we just used the coconut flakes in both steps. Overall, the result was fantastic.

Links to Other Simple, Low Carbohydrate Dinner Recipes

• Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin over Apple and Onion
• Roast Chicken with Onion and Eggplant

Links to Simple, Low Carbohydrate Breakfast Recipes

• One pan sausage and egg breakfast (fried cheese variation)
• One pan sausage and egg breakfast
• German Farmer's Breakfast

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. sausage
• 4 eggs
• about 1/4 cup heavy cream
• cheese to cover egg & sausage mixture

Cooking Instructions

Turn your stove to medium heat and place a skillet over the heat. Add the sausage and cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spatula or spoon as the sausage cooks. While the sausage cooks, scramble four eggs in a bowl. Once the eggs are sufficiently scrambled, add the heavy cream to the eggs and scramble the egg/cream mixture. Once the sausage is fully cooked and broken into small pieces, turn the heat to low and add the egg mixture, stirring and turning to prevent the eggs from burning. Once the eggs are almost done, cover the egg/sausage mixture with cheese. Finish cooking the eggs to full done-ness and serve once the cheese is melted.

Comments

The German Farmer's Breakfast Recipe is simple and delicious, but it is slightly more involved and time-consuming than I can manage on a workday morning even though everything is in one dish. Using the German Farmer's Breakfast as my inspiration, I tried cooking sausage in a pan, then adding scrambled eggs to the sausage.

Throwing the eggs into the cooked sausage worked well. The fat which cooks off of the sausage eliminates the need for adding butter to the pan for scrambled eggs, and the eggs cook fairly rapidly in the hot pan and hot grease. Since the sausage is salty, I do not add salt. Both of these things save time. I find this to be a quick, one pan breakfast, that is tasty and full of good fat. I enjoy this dish on many workday mornings.

Sausage Selection. Because the sausage will add the bulk of the flavor to the dish, select a sausage that has flavors you like. If you like spicy dishes, try a hot sausage. If you prefer something sweeter, select a maple sausage. For more savory flavor, go with a sausage that is seasoned with sage. I particularly like Jimmy Dean's Regular All-Natural Sausage because it contains no grain fillers, no msg, and no sodium nitrate or sodium nitrite preservatives.

Heavy Cream. I add the heavy cream to the egg mixture for multiple reasons:

• It makes the eggs creamier and tastier
• It makes the eggs go farther
• It increases the saturated fat and total fat content of the dish

Cheese Variations.

I typically use cheddar cheese in this dish because it does not overpower the dish, is inexpensive, and can be purchased already shredded in easy-to-open-and-close bags. I typically purchase something like Kraft Natural Cheese. Buying pre-shredded cheese saves time, but the pre-shredded cheese often contains some starch to keep the cheese from caking, so if you have the extra time, you may want to shred the cheese yourself immediately before cooking the dish. An excellent cheese which I recently tried (though I haven't had it in the eggs, yet) is Trader Joe's Raw Milk Cheddar.

Parmesan cheese is a vary good variation. I first tried parmesan when I had run out of cheddar. Parmesan has a stronger flavor, and even though it is a hard cheese, it melts very well. Again, to save time, we typically have pre-shredded parmesan in the fridge. Mixing a small amount of parmesan in with cheddar is tasty and nice for a change.

My mother, who was eating a low-carb diet at the time and aware of my low-carb eating, shared a recipe for a "German Farmer's Breakfast" with me. This recipe serves two easily with leftovers. If you were serving a side, such as fruit or yogurt, 3 people could easily eat off this recipe. The recipe is as follows,

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/4 an onion cut into one inch pieces
• 3-4 slices bacon cut into one inch pieces
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 tomato chopped

Cooking Instructions

Cook the onion and bacon on medium heat in an iron skillet until the bacon is crispy. Add the tomato and reduce heat to low, cook on low for five minutes. Scramble the eggs in a separate bowl, then pour the eggs into the skillet and mix everything up. Cover the contents of the skillet with the cheese, then cover the skillet and continue cooking on low for five to ten minutes.
As with all the recipes my mom gives me, you'll note that salt and pepper are not mentioned. In my mom's world, salt and pepper are assumed. With the the saltiness of the bacon, however, you might try just pepper the first time, and if you prefer a saltier dish, add salt to the ingredient list.

Comments
This dish is simple and tasty. I have also doubled the recipe to serve six people. If you are doubling the recipe, you'll want to increase the cooking time, or perhaps place the covered skillet in a pre-heated oven for 5 -15 minutes. While I haven't tried it, 300 - 350 degrees might be the right temp.

If you're looking for something simpler, try my variations on the German Farmer's Breakfast.

One Pan Sausage & Egg Breakfast
Fried Cheese Variation of Sausage & Egg Breakfast