Category Archives: Gluten-Free

Mardi Gras Wings

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mardi gras

 

Y’all already know I can throw down some wings.  In fact, my White Girl Can Cook Wings made me (almost) famous in Atlanta after a very memorable catering gig a few years back.

Well, this Wing Woman was blown away by a recipe shared with me by a dear co-worker, Martin Williams.  His Mom made wings for our office before the holidays and I didn’t even get to sample them while they were hot.  Marty had wrapped up a few and left them on my desk for me for when I returned to the office.  OMG.  I ate them cold and licked my fingers.  Oh, it’s true.  They were that good.

Mrs. Williams’ wings became my new obsession.  I had to practically stalk her for the recipe.  I made them the first time with fresh rosemary and they were amazing.  Then, when I was out of fresh herbs, I used my Herbs de Provence mixture and they were even more sublime.  Make them.  NOW.  No frying, no flour, no carb drama.  AH-MAZING!!!!!  Thanks Mrs. W!

Mrs. W

The lady behind the delish factor. Thanks Martin and Mrs. W!

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Mardi Gras Wings

Mardi Gras Wings

Ingredients

  • 1 family pack of chicken wings
  • 2 Tb Herbs de Provence
  • 1 Tb Paprika
  • 1 Tb Garlic powder
  • 1 Tb Montreal Steak seasoning
  • 1 Tb Parsley (dried or fresh)
  • Kosher Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Rinse and dry wings with paper towels.
  3. Mix together Herbs de provence, paprika, garlic powder, Montreal Steak seasoning and parsley.
  4. Coat wings in herb mixture.
  5. Sprinkle with a little additional kosher salt and cracked black pepper on both sides.
  6. Put wings on a greased rimmed cookie sheet.
  7. Bake for 30 minutes then flip over.
  8. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until crispy.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/02/mardi-gras-wings/

Low Carb Candied Bacon Dipped in Chocolate and Peanut Butter

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bacon candy

Candied bacon that’s low carb?  Wha-what?

Low Carbers rejoice!  You CAN have your candied, chocolate covered, peanut butter dipped bacon AND eat it too….only 8 net carbs per slice, y’all!

Just don’t go Bacon my Heart…

Here’s my Candied Bacon tutorial– and the first in my “Eat Rich, Stay Skinny” video series!

Enjoy!

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Low Carb Candied Bacon Dipped in Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Low Carb Candied Bacon Dipped in Chocolate and Peanut Butter

Ingredients

  • 1 package of center cut bacon
  • Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (about ½ - 1 tsp per slice of bacon)
  • Dark chocolate melting wafers (12 oz bag)
  • White chocolate melting wafers (12 oz bag)
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • Toppings: Cayenne pepper, crushed red hots and sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300.
  2. Take a wooden skewer and weave it through a slice of bacon. Lay out flat on baking sheet.
  3. Repeat with the rest of the slices of bacon.
  4. Press Splenda Brown Sugar Blend into each strip of bacon.
  5. Bake at 300 for 40 minutes. Drain bacon.
  6. Melt dark chocolate wafers in a double boiler. Dip some slices of bacon in dark chocolate and decorate with crushed red hots and sprinkles.
  7. Melt white chocolate wafers in a double boiler. Set aside half of the white chocolate and mix peanut butter into the other half. Stir until melted.
  8. Dip bacon in white chocolate and white peanut butter chocolate and decorate with sprinkled cayenne and/or desired toppings.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/02/low-carb-candied-bacon-dipped-in-chocolate-and-peanut-butter/

Shaved Cucumber and Edamame Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

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cuc salad

When I was planning the menu for JP’s birthday bonanza feast, I decided to make spicy seared ahi tuna and wanted to serve a cool, refreshing salad to offset the heat.

Meet the most delish cucumber salad.  Ever.

And as the 1% of women who really don’t care for salad (hello, save me a double helping of the meat and cheese, please!) I really dig it. And consequently, I ate most of it.  Sorry birthday boy.

The shaved cucumber makes for a beautiful presentation and the dressing can double as a dang dip it’s so yum.  Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top and you’ve got a super easy, fancy looking gourmet salad.

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Shaved Cucumber and Edamame Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Shaved Cucumber and Edamame Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt (more to taste)
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 peeled whole avocado
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 1/2 Tb rice vinegar
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tb thinly sliced red bell peppers
  • 1 cup peeled edamame
  • 3 scallions chopped
  • 1 tsp black sesame seeds

Instructions

    For the salad
  1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the cucumber down to the core (where you start to see the seeds and save half of the cucumber core)
  2. Cut the long peeled strips in half and put in a bowl
  3. Add edamame and scallions to cucumber
  4. Put salad in fridge while you make the dressing
    5. For the dressing
  5. In a food processor, combine avocado, mayo, garlic cloves, salt, vinegar, cilantro, lime juice and 1/2 cucumber core and heavy cream. Pulse until smooth.
  6. Right before serving, add the bell pepper and fold in the dressing.
  7. Top with black sesame seeds.
  8. Best served chilled.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/02/shaved-cucumber-and-edamame-salad-with-creamy-avocado-dressing/

 

Meaty Monday: Marinated Flank Steak

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flank steak

Ever since JP and I got together, steak has been our go to date-night-in meal.  He tackles the grill while I work on the side dishes.  Usually we opt for big, marbled rib eyes, but during “Snowpocalypse,” JP picked up some flank steak.  I grew up eating flank steak and always have found it kind of blah.  It’s such a lean cut of meat that it can be overcooked really easily and more often than not, it ends up tough.  Grilling it hot and fast is usually your best bet.  I doctored this marinade from a Rachael Ray recipe and it turned out fabulous.  Tender, juicy and full-oh-flavah.

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Meaty Monday: Marinated Flank Steak

Meaty Monday: Marinated Flank Steak

Ingredients

  • 2 pound Flank Steak
    • For the marinade
  • 4 chopped fresh garlic cloves
  • 2 Tb hot sauce
  • 1 Tb worcestershire
  • 2 Tb chipotle chili powder
  • 2 Tb Montreal Steak seasoning
  • 2 Tb red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tb orange juice
  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Combine marinade ingredients. Whisk together.
  2. Marinate steak for 30 minutes, making sure to coat each side.
  3. Grill for 3-4 minutes on each side (for medium rare) or until preferred temperature.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/02/meaty-monday-marinated-flank-steak/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Snowpocalypse” Low-Carb Vanilla Rum Cheesecake Bites

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Vanilla + Rum + Cheesecake = Delish

Vanilla + Rum + Cheesecake = Delish

While all of metro Atlanta was paralyzed in “Snowpocalypse,” I was fortunate enough to be snugged up at home with my man.  It was the perfect day for baby makin’ and cheesecake makin’, y’all!

apoc

Let’s discuss the cheesecake portion and leave the rest to your imagination…*Giggle!  I didn’t have a ton of ingredients on hand to make a sweet treat, so I improvised with what I did have: 1 package of cream cheese, vanilla extract, rum, Truvia, eggs, butter and Brazil nuts.  Normally, I would make an almond crust, but the Brazil nuts were a perfect substitute.

The result was cheesecake perfection!  The recipe below only makes 4 muffin sized cheesecake bites, so you could double or even triple the ingredients to make more…They’re low-carb, gluten free AND sugar free.  My man opted to slather some, uh, salted butter on them as well, (cuz what’s wrong with a little butter frosting, right??!) and promptly declared they were the “best cheesecake bites” he’d ever tasted.  Add extra butter at your own risk….

cheesecake bite 2

Hint: Best eaten in bed with your sexy significant other. 

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“Snowpocalypse” Low-Carb Vanilla Rum Cheesecake Bites

“Snowpocalypse” Low-Carb Vanilla Rum Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

    For the crust
  • 1/4 cup brazil nuts
  • 3 Tb butter
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
    • For the filling
  • 8 oz package cream cheese
  • 3 Tb Truvia
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 Tb Rum

Instructions

    For the crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Put 1/4 cup of brazil nuts in the food processor and pulse until they turn to crumbs (about 30 seconds)
  3. Melt 3 Tb of butter and combine with brazil nut crumbs.
  4. Sprinkle with cinnamon
  5. Pat into the bottom of a muffin tin (about 4 muffins)
  6. Bake crust for 5 minutes
    7. For the filling
  7. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, combine room temperature cream cheese with Truvia, egg, vanilla and rum
  8. Pour batter into muffin tins
  9. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
  10. Let cool and scoop out of muffin tin.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/01/snowpocalypse-low-carb-vanilla-rum-cheesecake-bites/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Tarragon Butter Sauce

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mahi

Mahi Mahi brings back memories of throwing back “swirl” margaritas and fish tacos at Duke’s, an ocean front restaurant in the heart of Malibu.  My friends and I would meet for a sunset cocktail after our shift down the street at Gladstone’s 4 Fish.  I was in my 20’s and slinging clam chowder for tips– most of which were spent at Duke’s!

 

"Swirl" Margarita (part strawberry, part regular rita)

“Swirl” Margarita (part strawberry, part regular rita)

The view at Duke's Restaurant

The view at Duke’s Restaurant

Those were the days of bad decisions and worse hangovers… I digress.

I typically opt for blackened mahi mahi when I cook it for tacos, but decided to try something new.  A restaurant I used to work at (there have been many!) used to make a delish basil butter, so I thought I’d switch it up and make it with tarragon. I love the sweet, licorice-y flavor of fresh tarragon, but you could do the same recipe with any fresh herb.

The only thing missing was the view.  (And the hangover!)

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Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Tarragon Butter Sauce

Grilled Mahi Mahi with a Tarragon Butter Sauce

Ingredients

  • 2 Mahi mahi filets
  • 1 Tb olive oil
  • 1 Tb butter and 1/2 stick of salted butter
  • 2 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1 Tb fresh chopped tarragon
  • cracked pepper
  • kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Season mahi mahi with a pinch of kosher salt and cracked pepper.
  2. Melt 1 Tb butter with 1 Tb olive oil in a grill pan.
  3. Cook for 4 minutes on one side. Flip fish over.
  4. Cook for 4 minutes on the other side until cooked through.
  5. While fish is cooking, melt 1/2 stick of butter in small saucepan.
  6. Saute fresh chopped garlic in melted butter on medium heat until it begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes.
  7. Add fresh tarragon and take off of heat.
  8. Serve fish with tarragon butter sauce spooned on top.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/01/grilled-mahi-mahi-with-a-tarragon-butter-sauce/

 

 

 

Herbes de Provence Sea Bass

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sea bass

Sea bass is one of my all-time favorite fish, primarily because it’s pretty hard to screw it up.  It has more oil than most white fish, so even if you overcook it, you most likely won’t dry it out.  It’s pretty much fool-proof.  I mean, Napoleon Dynamite can rock some bass.  You can too!

bass

I usually make my own spice mixtures, but I saw a container of Herbes de Provence on sale at the farmer’s market last weekend and scooped it up.  It’s typically a combination of savory, basil, fennel seed, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano.  Perfect to season fish!  Sea bass isn’t a very “fishy fish” so you don’t need to mask it with a ton of spices.  With a squeeze of lemon and copious amounts of my sugar free tartar sauce, it was lunch fit for a culinary goddess.

sea bass 2

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Herbes de Provence Sea Bass

Herbes de Provence Sea Bass

Ingredients

  • *single serving
  • 1 sea bass filet
  • 1 tsp Herbes de Provence seasoning
  • pinch of sea salt
  • wedge of lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450.
  2. Put foil down on a rimmed baking pan and spray with cooking spray.
  3. Sprinkle Herbes de Provence seasoning and kosher salt on top of sea bass
  4. Bake for 15 minutes (if baking more than 2 filets, increase cooking time to 20 minutes)
  5. Squeeze lemon on top before serving
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/01/herbes-de-provence-sea-bass/

 

 

Parmesan Encrusted Salmon Steak

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salmon cooked

Plain old salmon filets are good, but can get boring quick.  I changed it up these week when I saw these beautiful salmon steaks on sale at Kroger.  The meat is so rich and decadent, you really don’t need to dress it up with much seasoning.  I opted for a simple spice rub with a bit of fresh Parmesan.  Cuz I need my cheese fix wherever (and whenever) I can get it.

salmon uncooked

The show stopper ingredient though, folks, ain’t the cheese.  It’s Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. OMG.

maldon

This stuff is like sprinkling a little bit of Heaven on anything you put it on.  I found it at the Buford Farmer’s Market and I’m hooked.  I use it on eggs, steak, seafood, you name it.  It makes everything tastier.  I keep a little dish on my counter with easy access.  Yesterday, I caught JP dipping a spoon of Nutella in it.  Um, yeah.

sea salt

It truly brings out the flavor of whatever you’re seasoning.  Those little crystals of yum made the salmon sing! DELISH!  Do note that salmon steaks have those teeny tiny bones throughout the filets, so be careful while eating!

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Parmesan Encrusted Salmon Steak

Parmesan Encrusted Salmon Steak

Ingredients

  • 2 thick cut salmon steaks
  • 4 Tb fresh grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tb olive oil

Instructions

  1. Rub salmon steaks with olive oil.
  2. Mix together black pepper, sea salt, parsley and paprika and sprinkle on steaks. Top with grated parmesan.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes at 450. (Depending on how thick your salmon steak is, you may need more or less time).
  4. Broil for 1 minute to brown parmesan.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/01/parmesan-encrusted-salmon-steak/

Loaded Bacon Tater “Muffins”

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unnamed-5

 

Lately, I’ve been posting a lot of delicious low-carb options….Warning:  This is NOT one of them.

Eat a couple of these creamy, carby Queens and prepare for a Food Coma.

They say necessity is the mother of invention– in this case, it was my poor timing in the kitchen.  JP had requested twice baked potatoes with the steak he was grilling and I got so busy pouring another glass of wine or three prepping the veggies that I forgot all about it.  When there were only 10 minutes left before the steak was done, I got creative.

I treated these just like mashed potatoes, (with the addition of lots of cheese and Burgers’ Smokehouse Pepper Coated Country Bacon ).  Winning!

First, boil a large pot of water and toss 2 sliced baked potatoes in while you bake the bacon till crispy.

unnamed

 

Boil until tender– about 10-15 minutes.  (about the same time it will take to cook your bacon– I do it at 400 for 10 minutes.)  This is seriously the best. bacon. ever.  It’s peppery, smoky and meaty.  My favorite combo.  In fact, if given my choice, I’d just eat the bacon and leave the taters to my man!  But, I digress…

unnamed-6

Drain and mash with 1/2 a stick of butter and 1/4 cup heavy cream.  Fold in a cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese (or your favorite type) and crumble the bacon in.

unnamed-1

Salt to taste.  Then put a tab of butter into each muffin cup.

unnamed-2

Preheat the broiler to High.  Spoon the mashed cheesy, bacon-y goodness into the muffin tins.  And then top with more cheeeeeeeeeese.

unnamed-3

Broil until the tops are crispy– about 2-3 minutes.

unnamed-4

NOTE: The taters don’t really stay in their muffin shape— I scooped them out and they sort of drooped on the plate– but this was for sheer taste, y’all.  Presentation? Not so much.  But they were slam dunk delish.  Loaded bacon taters…without all the mess of scooping out the skins and twice baking.

I promise, we’ll go back to low-carb tomorrow.

This is not a sponsored post, meaning I was not given monetary compensation to write it. I was sent product at no charge to review honestly, and was under no obligation to say anything positive about the product or the company. The photographs, recipe, and opinions are 100% my own.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers

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These poppers are hotties.

These poppers are hotties.

They’re hotties alright. These little beauties are low-carb perfection, wrapped in — what else— BACON.  In my second installment of a review of Burgers’ Smokehouse Bacon, this is an easy, melt-in-your-mouth crowd pleaser with a spicy kick of awesome.  I love this recipe using Burgers’ Smokehouse Cajun Style Country Bacon.  The spice factor is perfect– not overpowering and packed with flavor.  And don’t be intimidated by the jalapeños– they aren’t nearly as spicy once you bake them.  If you’re a wuss spice sensitive, a little trick is to sprinkle some sugar on the inside of the jalapeños before you stuff them.  That does add some carbs, but it’s minimal and it neutralizes the spiciness.

It’s also the perfect appetizer if you’re serving guests– or bringing an app to a party.  Before I started following a low-carb/high fat diet (LCHF), party food always stressed me out.  I usually ended up hovering over the hummus and pita plate (cuz it’s vegetarian and healthy, riiiiiiiiiight???)  Inevitably, I would wake up as Bloaty McPufferson with a horrible carb hangover.

But, these poppers with cajun bacon will not only impress the crowd, you’ll stay in your skinny jeans.

And when you wake up without the bloat, you can chop up the leftover poppers and add them to eggs.  You may need to make another batch of Burgers’ bacon, though.  It’s that good.

This is not a sponsored post, meaning I was not given monetary compensation to write it. I was sent product at no charge to review honestly, and was under no obligation to say anything positive about the product or the company. The photographs, recipe, and opinions are 100% my own.

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Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers

Low-Carb Jalapeño Poppers

Ingredients

  • 6 jalapeños
  • 4 oz full fat cream cheese
  • 2 chives or scallions chopped
  • 3 pieces of Burgers' Smokehouse Cajun Style Country bacon uncooked

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Slice jalapeños lengthwise and scoop out seeds and membranes. Careful not to touch your eyes! Wear kitchen gloves if you have sensitive skin.
  3. Mix chopped chives or scallions into cream cheese.
  4. Fill jalapeños with cream cheese mixture and top with slices of bacon, cut into the length of each jalapeño.
  5. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes.
https://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/01/low-carb-jalapeno-poppers/

And if you wanna get fancy (and add a few carbs in!) stuff with some roasted corn for a TexMex version.  I just cut off the kernels of 2 corn cobs and sauteed in a Tb of butter until slightly charred, 7-10 minutes.  Then, put roasted corn on top of cream cheese, and put bacon on top of corn/cream cheese.

bacon corn poppers

 

And if you really wanna go crazy, stuff them with my creamed jalapeño corn recipe.  Just don’t forget the bacon!