Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Quick and Easy low carb snacks




  • Oven-Baked Cheese Crisps
  • Five Minute Sweet Spiced Pecans
  • Celery with peanut butter
  • Celery with tuna salad
  • Hard boiled eggs
  • Deviled eggs
  • Dill pickles and cheddar cheese (no kidding, it’s a great combo)
  • 1/4 cup berries with 1/3 cup cottage cheese
  • Nuts (keep raw ones in the freezer if you think you’ll overeat them)
  • Sunflower seeds (get them in the shell so it will take longer to eat them)
  • Jerky (beef or turkey -- try to find low-sugar varieties)
  • Cheese sticks, such as string cheese
  • Sugar-free Jello, alone or with cottage cheese and a sprinkling of nuts
  • Make sugar-free lime Jello with part coconut milk - for a large package, dissolve the powder in a cup of boiling water, add a can of coconut milk, and then add the rest of the water. Stir well.
  • Cheese with a few apple slices
  • Smoked salmon and cream cheese on cucumber slices
  • Lettuce Roll-ups – roll luncheon meat, egg salad, tuna or other filling and veggies in lettuce leaves
  • Lunch Meat Roll-ups – roll cheese or veggies in lunch meat (read the labels for carbs on the lunch meat)
  • Mushrooms with cheese spread inside (or other spreads or dips)
  • Pepperoni Chips - Microwave pepperoni slices until crisp -- great with cheeses and dips



Oven-Baked Cheese Crisps


Ingredients:

* 1 cup grated hard cheese (such as Parmesean) - NOT the dried powdery stuff

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Note on type of cheese: You can use any kind, really, but the results will be different. Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Romano, Asagio, etc, will make a crisp "shell," whereas cheddar will be more chewy and "lacey" (the fat separates out), though still firm. Softer cheeses such as mozzerella will not work well.

Toss cheese with any seasonings you'd like -- garlic powder (about half a teaspoon for a cup of cheese), hot pepper powder, even cinnamon. Or leave plain.

Pile 1 to 4 Tablespoons of cheese (depending on the size you want) on a baking sheet covered with a silicone mat or parchment paper oiled on both sides. Flatten the tops so they are in more or less an even pile. There should be at least two inches between smaller mounds, 4 inches between larger ones.

Bake 5 to 6 minutes until they are a light golden brown (they will be a little darker at the edges). It happens fast, so watch carefully.

If you want to mold them into a shape, you want to "drape" them while still warm. You can make cups over an upturned glass, or "taco shell" shapes by draping over any cylindrical object that is at hand (rolling pin, side of glass)

Serving Suggestions: Fill with fruit, dip, salad. Spread flat ones with sugar-free jam (I'm not kidding), or any spread you want, or eat plain.



Five Minute Sweet Spiced Pecans

You can start making these yummy spiced pecans when the guests pull into the driveway. By the time they get into the house, it will be filled with delicious smells. Minutes later, the pecans are in a dish, ready to be nibbled on. These pecans are also great in salads.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 cups pecan halves
* 2 Tbsp butter
* 1/4 tsp cayenne or other hot pepper
* artificial sweetener equal to about 3 T sugar
* 4 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation:
Use a large enough skillet so the pecans are in one layer. A nonstick skillet works well.

Melt the butter in the skillet and add the hot pepper. If you are using liquid artificial sweetener, add it now.

Add pecans to skillet and cook over medium heat. Stir every 30 seconds. After 2 or 3 minutes, stir them constantly until they just begin to brown. Pecans burn quickly, so keep your eyes on them. If the butter starts smoking before this point, turn off the heat and call them done. Stir in cinnamon, salt, and powdered sweetener if you're using it. Remove from pan and place in bowl (pecans can still burn sitting in the hot pan). When they seem cool enough to taste, adjust seasonings accordingly (if you want more salt or sweetener)

. Carbohydrate Information:1/4 cup of pecans have 1 gram of effective carbohydrate plus 3 grams of fiber.

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