Low Carb Zucchini-Carrot Cake with LC Cream Cheese Frosting

Let me begin by setting the tone. Steve and I have decided to begin a low carb eating journey. Of course, that said, there's no reason we should give up cake and other goodies. There are tons of recipes now that are low-carb and taste great. The above pictured cake is an example, so I'm publishing the recipe courtesy of Dana Carpender's 1001 Low-carb Recipes. Hope you'll give it a read to see if it may be something you'd enjoy (no garlic Bill! :-)

LC Zucchini-Carrot Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 c. hazelnuts
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c. oil
• 1/2 c. yogurt (I used unflavored Greek yogurt for lowest carb count)
• 2/3 c. Splenda
• 1/2 c. vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 3/4 c. shredded zucchini (about 1 large zucchini)
• 1/4 c. shredded carrot (about 1/2 large carrot stick)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor, using the Sblade, use the pulse control to grind the hazelnuts to a mealy consistency. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until well blended. Add the oil, yogurt, ground hazelnuts, Splenda, protein powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, mixing well after each addition. Add zucchini and carrots last, mixing well.
Thoroughly coat a ring mold or bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray. Batter will fill about half of the pan. I used a glass casserole dish which worked just as well (don't have a bundt pan as my life has been complete without one to this point, so don't intend to buy one :-) Bake for 45 minutes and turn out gently onto a wire rack to cool. Yields 8 generous servings. Has 6 grams of usable carbs and 16 grams of protein per serving of cake.

Cream Cheese "Frosting"

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. heavy cream, chilled
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (I prefer Neufchatel, a/k/a "Lite Philly" - 1/3 less fat) 
• 1/2 c. Splenda
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Whip the heavy cream until it's stiff.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese until very smooth, then beat in the Splenda and vanilla. Turn the mixer to its lowest speed and blend in the whipped cream, quickly. "Frosting" must be refrigerated at all times. It's not as sweet as you may be used to, but hit the spot for purposes of topping this cake. Overall, the cake was good. Steve and I ate too much, which really defeats the point of it being low carb.......had a pretty nutty consistency and did not rise a lot in cooking, but we enjoyed it, hope you will too if you venture to give it a try!

* Sherrie

Southern Crab Cakes Y'all

                                        (courtesy of Paula Deen)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. lump crab meat (salmon can be used instead, if preferred)
• 1/3 c. crushed crackers (recommended - buttery Ritz of course!)
• 3 green onions finely chopped
• 1/2 c. finely chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Dash Old Bay seasoning or cayenne pepper
• Flour, for dusting, 1/2 c. peanut oil  (if you intend to bake rather than fry the crab cakes, omit these ingredients)

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together (except the flour and peanut oil).
Shape into patties.

To Bake:
Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
Brush tops with melted butter and bake 10 minutes each side until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Serve with preferred dipping sauce.

To Fry:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, carefully place crab cakes in pan and fry until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip crab cakes and fry on other side until golden brown, about 4 minutes.

This is the best crab cake recipe I've ever encountered because there is very little filler (when ordering crab cakes at restaurants, my grandfather would always ask how much mashed potatoes they included.) I will use it with crab or salmon in the future. I baked the crab cakes and found them to be non-greasy and quite tasty. Steve liked them too so we had no leftovers!

* Sherrie

Beef Anyone?

One of my favorite offerings at Luby's is roast beef. So, I finally bit the bullet and made it at home. A local grocery store, HEB, published the recipe some time ago:

2 tbls course ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, chopped (I pressed mine)
1 tbls kosher salt
1/3 cup light olive oil
5-7 lbs beef bottom round rump roast
1/2 cup red wine

1. Set oven rack to lowest position. Preheat oven to 450. Line a roasting pan with foil.

2. Combine pepper, garlic, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl.

3. Make several slits in the fat of the roast; insert some of the mixture in step 2. Rub the remaining mixture on all sides of the roast. Place the roast, fat side up, in the roasting pan. Place in oven for 10 minutes, and then reduce the oven temperature to 300. Roast for 30 minutes per pound.

4. Remove roast from the oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.

5. Place roast on a cutting board or serving platter. Add wine to the roasting pan and stir well. Return the pan to the 300 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve the sliced roast along side the au jus.

The positives: The recipe was easy and the result was every bit as tasty as the Luby's version.

The drawbacks: The beef was pretty costly and, as it cooked, the scent of garlic was overwhelming. Even though I allowed the roast to rest as instructed, juices were plentiful as it was sliced - - making clean up a nightmare. Finally, the volume of leftovers could feed a small army.

In summary, this will not be a regular item at my house. I'll opt for the LuAnn plate the next time I have a hankering for roast beef!   ~Jennifer