Poppycock

I know Poppycock usually has a holiday feel to it but I couldn't wait any longer to share our version.

Our Caramel Popcorn Recipe (Here)  is similar to this recipe but different enough that it warrants its' own post. Sticky sweet caramel popcorn with salty mixed nuts... do we really need to convince you to try this? 

While it is the ultimate holiday treat, it also is *perfection* to bring to BBQs, game nights, sleepovers, and those relaxing nights at home!

Poppycock

Ingredients

24 cups popped popcorn

4 cups mixed nuts

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

1 cup corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Directions

Preheat oven to 225. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray, set aside. 

Place popped popcorn in a large bowl. Make sure to pick out any unpopped kernels. Sprinkle with the nuts. Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring constantly. 

Remove from heat and add in vanilla and baking soda. BE CAREFUL! It will sputter and foam up as you stir it in. 

Carefully pour the hot caramel over the popcorn and stir gently to coat evenly. Spread onto the prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake at 225 for one hour, stirring every 10 minutes. (This is a bit of a pain but it's what makes the popcorn crispy and sticky instead of soggy!)

Remove from heat and let cool, stirring every once in a while to break it up. 

Serve immediately or store in airtight containers. It lasts for a couple of days on the counter before going stale. It is best the day of/day after making it though. 

If you are looking for a bake sale or gift idea - look no further. Poppycock is a family favorite around here and friends and family love getting it... for Christmas or anytime! 

Keto Lo Mein with Chicken Yakitori

 

Going low carb or keto doesn't have to be tough. You can find ways to make your favorite carb heavy dishes so you don't feel like you are missing out. 

For example: the picture above looks just like any "regular" lo mein and yakitori. Tastes delicious too. But it's completely keto friendly. I often meal prep for several people and this has come back as top pick for A LOT of my clients. Taste and texture are pretty darned close to the real deal too so even if you are not counting carbs you should enjoy it!! 

Nutritional counts: Lo Mein: 145 calories, 5.7 fat, 10 carbs, 3.2 fiber, 13.6 protein. That's 6.8 Net Carbs.

Chicken Yakitori: 210 calories, 4 fat, 0.7 carbs, 0.1 fiber, 38.3 protein. That's 0.6 Net Carbs.

Total Meal: 355 calories, 9.7 fat, 10.7 carbs, 3.3 fiber, 51.9 protein. Total of 7.4 Net Carbs. 

First up: Keto Yakitori Chicken

Keto Yakitori Chicken

Ingredients

4 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup Chinese cooking wine

2 Tbsp Swerve brown sugar

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Optional

Sesame seeds

Directions

Mix together soy sauce, cooking wine, and brown sugar. Place chicken thighs in oven safe dish with marinade. Place in fridge while you preheat oven to 350. 

When oven is preheated, place pan in oven and cook chicken until done, spooning sauce over the exposed chicken every 10 minutes or so. This should take 30 - 40 minutes but use a thermometer for best results. (Alternative cooking method: marinate chicken overnight, place chicken on skewers and BBQ until cooked through, brushing with excess  marinade while cooking). Serve hot, sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. 

While chicken is cooking, prepare lo mein.

Keto Lo Mein

Ingredients

1 Tbsp oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

3 cups pork (or other meat)

1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced

2 tsp ginger, grated

1 red pepper, chopped

1 cup snow peas

1 1/2 cup bean sprouts

scant 1/2 cup scallions, chopped

1 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded

1 1/2 cup spaghetti squash, cooked

3 cups of NuPasta konjac angel hair noodles (or similar)

Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp Swerve brown sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice

3 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Directions

Prep your ingredients so everything is ready to go.

Whisk together your sauce ingredients and set aside. 

Heat oils in a large wok or skillet. Cook pork (or preferred meat) until done, then remove from pan.

Add in garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute. Add in red pepper, snow peas, bean sprouts, scallion, and cabbage. Cook and stir for about 5 - 8 minutes, until veggies soften. 

Add in spaghetti squash, rinsed and drained NuPasta noodles, and the cooked meat.

Pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, about 3 - 5 minutes. 

Serve hot.

So good! You can use chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, even tofu in this if you prefer. Keep in mind though that will change the nutritional counts a bit! 

Serving size for the recipes above is 6. You get about 2 thighs and 2 cups chow mein per serving. 

I do make this often for meal prepping and it is super easy to double.... just make sure you have a big enough pan!

I know some of you are going to say, " BUT some of those ingredients aren't keto." 

In moderation they can be. Adding things like snow peas to this dish ups the carb count a bit but it is still keto friendly in the end AND with the addition of the peas it seems closer to the "real thing". You can, of course, change the veggies to suit your needs. 

Keto Fries

 

Hello! It's been a while. 

Sue and I have been away from the blog for a few months but, not to worry, we're trying to get back to posting more! I thought I would share this amazing find as our welcome back recipe.

A 2 ingredient side dish for all of you keto, low carb, gluten free, just-like-to-try-new-things peeps out there! I was absolutely blown away by how much these taste like potato. It's weeeeeird! I'm not going to over hype it.... but I am going to say you have to try them to believe it! I also love how crispy these are. Obviously not exactly like a regular, potato fry but if you are trying to lower your carbs then it is a fabulous alternative. 

Please let us know if you give them a try! I'm anxious to see if anyone else loves them as much as I do!

Keto Fries

Ingredients

1/2 cup + scant 1/3 cup (100 gr) almond flour

3 tsp xanthan gum

6 Tbsp boiling water

oil for frying

Optional

salt

seasoning salt

Directions

Stir together the almond flour and xanthan gum with a spatula, make sure to break up any lumps.

Add in the boiling water and stir until smooth dough forms. Knead dough about 5 or 6 turns. The dough will be quite sticky so if you have trouble just put a little teeny of oil on your hands. Place in bowl, cover, and let rest about 15 minutes.

Place dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 40 skinny finger shapes. 

Heat oil in a deep pan to 330 degrees. Carefully place about 1/3 of the fries into the hot oil. Cook for about 1 minute per side, until golden brown.

 Carefully remove from oil with a slotted spoon and place in bowl lined with paper towel. Repeat with remaining fries.

Toss with salt or seasoning salt, if desired. Serve hot. 

Keto peeps, no more missing those french fries! My favorite way to eat them is with sugar free ketchup but gravy is always good too! 

FYI - leftovers heat up very well. I placed mine in an airtight container with a piece of paper towel in the bottom in the fridge overnight. The next day I preheated the oven to 400, placed the fries on a cookie sheet, and heated for about 5 minutes. They were still crispy!

They also freeze well! I froze them in an airtight container lined with paper towel then when I wanted to eat them I preheated the oven to 400 and cooked them on a cookie sheet for about 5 - 8 minutes. Still crispy! 

These are super simple to make, the only thing that can be annoying is how sticky the dough is! You can always add a sprinkle of almond flour when you are rolling it out but it will add more carbs so be careful how much you use!

Nutritional counts per serving (Makes 3 servings of about 13 fries each): 240 calories, 16.4 fat, 20 carbs, 16.6 fiber, 7 protein. That's 3.4 NET CARBS.

Ham Salad Sliders

Everyone needs a good ham salad recipe in their life. A way to turn leftover ham or even canned ham into the best sandwich filling EVER. 

Our recipe has been a family favorite forever and is super simple to whip up. Got ten minutes? Then you have time to make this ridiculously easy and delicious yet soon to be favorite recipe. 

We love these on our homemade Focaccia Slider Buns (Recipe HERE) but this filling is delicious on pretty much any bread or buns or even with veggies. 

Ham Salad Spread

Ingredients

2 cups ham, diced small (or 2 small cans)

1/4 cup onion, diced small

2 green onions, diced small

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

4 Tbsp mayo

salt & pepper

1 pickle, diced small

To make sliders

mayo

mustard

pickle slices

Directions

Place ham, onion, green onion, mustard, mayo, salt & pepper, and pickle in a bowl and stir to combine.

Divide mixture in half and place half in a blender or food processor. 

Process until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of blender as necessary. 

Add back to the bowl with the reserved ingredients. 

Stir together. Add in a little more mayo, if needed, to make sure it is nice and creamy. 

Spread a little more mustard and mayo onto the bread or buns you are using. Then top with ham spread. 

Place pickle slice in the sandwich OR on top of the bun for serving. 

Don't assemble the sandwiches until ready to serve. The pickle slice will make your bread soggy if it sits too long. The ham spread can be made up ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use.

Ham salad is a great way to use up leftover ham after the holidays. Planning snacks for game day or kids after school snacks? Tired of egg salad or tuna salad? 

*Tah-Dah*

Problem solved. 

Creme Brulee Donuts

I think the thing I love the most about being a food blogger is being able to share my crazy creations. 

I love taking 2 or more classic dishes and smashing them together to come up with something new (or at least new-ish)! 

For this bad boy I took a no bake crème brulee and combined it with my old fashioned jelly donut recipe. The result? UH-mazing. My new favorite donuts in the universe. 

Anytime you can enjoy 2 desserts in one is a win in my books! 

Crème Brulee Donuts

Donuts

our OLD FASHIONED JELLY DONUTS recipe HERE

Crème Brulee Filling

3 cups heavy cream

3 tsp vanilla extract 

8 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

Topping

granulated sugar

Directions

Prepare donuts as per instructions in our Old Fashioned Jelly Donut post HERE. 

Prepare the crème brulee - Place the heavy cream in a pot. Heat the cream until it starts to steam. Remove from heat and set aside.  

Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick. Beat in vanilla. Slowly whisk in the hot cream, a little at a time, until well combined. 

Place back over medium-low heat. Cook, without boiling, until mixture thickens to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat. Pour into a bowl and set aside. 

Assemble crème brulee donuts - cut a small amount out of the center of each donut (as per photo).

Spoon the crème brulee filling into each donut and smooth the top as well as you can.  Place in fridge or somewhere cool to chill completely. 

When filling is completely cool, sprinkle generously with sugar. Only do 2 or 3 at a time so the sugar doesn't start to dissolve. 

Use a kitchen torch to brulee the sugar until bubbly and browned. Watch you do not burn it!

Serve immediately. 

These are best eaten the day they are made. They will last a day or so but once you cook the sugar it will only stay crisp for so long. They will stay taste delicious you will just lose the signature crunch of the crème brulee topping!

I think I used about 1/2 to 1 tsp of sugar per donut but I didn't really measure. Be generous! 

The donut recipe makes about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen donuts and the filling should be enough for all of them. If you have extra filling, pour it in a ramekin, top it with sugar and brulee it just like you would normal crème brulee. You can make the holes in the donuts as big or small as you like for more or less filling. 

Note - I'd go with more.... it's delicious. 

Keto Fried Chicken Burger

 

Needing a delicious burger but low carbing it so a bun is out of the question? 

Not anymore! 

We used a simple fathead dough to make the buns, an even more simple coleslaw and garlic aioli as toppings, and crushed pork rinds to coat the chicken and came up with THE BEST keto friendly chicken burger ever. 

You can make everything ahead of time, if you prefer, so when dinner is being served it comes together in 2 seconds. There are 4 recipes to make for this so it can be a little fussy and you'll want to plan your time out. So worth the effort though! 

Keto Fried Chicken Burger

Buns

2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

2 oz cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 cups almond flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

sesame seeds

Coleslaw

3 cups shredded cabbage (purple or green)

1 thick slice onion, shredded (or finely diced)

3/4 cup mayo

1 Tbsp prepared mustard

salt & pepper

Garlic Aioli

1/2 cup mayo

2 cloves garlic, minced

Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup crushed pork rinds

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tsp garlic powder

oil, for frying

Directions

Prepare buns - Preheat oven to 400. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and 6 large canning rings. Melt mozzarella and cream cheese in the microwave for about 40 seconds. Stir and microwave again, if needed. Stir until smooth. 

Add in almond flour, baking powder, and eggs. Stir until dough comes together. It will be quite sticky and you may need a little extra almond flour for sprinkling on it to be able to handle it. (Keep in mind every time you add more almond flour you will change the carb count though!)

Divide into 6 pieces. Flatten each piece slightly into a canning ring. Bake at 400 for approx 12 - 15 minutes - until light golden brown. remove from oven and let cool before removing from the rings. NOTE - if you don't have rings that's fine, they are used to help the bun keep its shape and not spread out. Without them your buns will just be flatter. Set buns aside until ready to make burger. (These also freeze very well if you make them in advance.)

Carefully slice the buns in half horizontally. 

Prepare coleslaw - place shredded cabbage and onion in bowl. Add in the mayo and mustard and salt & pepper. Stir well to combine. Chill until ready to use. (This can be made a day in advance but will release liquid. Simply drain it off and serve when ready.)

Prepare garlic aioli - stir together mayo and minced garlic until well combined. Set aside. The longer this sits the more the flavors will blend so make it up at least a couple of hours before you make the burgers, up to a few days in advance. Store, covered, in the fridge.  

Prepare chicken - Blend together the pork rinds, parmesan, garlic powder until it resembles fine crumbs. 

Dip each chicken thigh in the beaten egg to coat. Then toss in the pork rind crumb mixture and coat well. Set aside. Heat oil in a deep pot to 360 degrees. 

Carefully place one or two of the chicken thighs into the hot oil and fry until cooked - about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Use a thermometer to watch your oil temperature! This will help your chicken cook evenly. Do not crowd the pot or the temperature will drop too much. 

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the chicken from the oil and place on paper towel to drain any excess oil. Continue until all chicken is cooked. 

Assemble the burger: 

Spread the garlic aioli on each half of the bun.

Top with a generous spoonful of coleslaw. 

Top with a chicken thigh. 

Enjoy! 

The nutritional counts for 1 burger (1 bun, 1 chicken thigh, 1 tablespoon garlic aioli, 2 - 3 tablespoons coleslaw) are: 520 calories, 11 carbs, 41 fat, 34 protein, 5 fiber. That's 6 net carbs. Of course this amount can vary so if you are tracking macros you should enter the ingredients into your own nutritional calculator! 

You will get 6 burgers out of this recipe with 2 extra chicken thighs and a little extra coleslaw and aioli.

I like to serve it with a green salad as it is quite filling and doesn't need a heavy side. 

You can eat low carb and still have a delicious burger. The buns will work equally as well for a hamburger too, as well as for sandwiches or anything else you would usually use a bun for! They are quite sturdy.