My Mum's Bread Pudding

A lovely way to use up those crusts - I got 12 large squares

11 slices bread (crusts and slightly stale are good)

2 eggs

3oz sugar

4oz Margarine

6oz Fruit (Sultanas, Currants, Raisins)

1 ½ tbsp Black Treacle

1 tsp Mixed Spice

½ tsp Nutmeg

1.    Heat Oven Gas mark 2 (150c)

2.    Soak bread in water for about 2 hours

3.    Squeeze water out of bread

4.    Cut margarine into small pieces

5.    Mix all ingredients well together

6.    Place in a large baking dish

7.    Bake for 2 to 2 ½ hours until solid

8.    Sprinkle with sugar (if desired)

9.     Cut into squares

Lemon Pound Cake

Managed to get 7 slices (should be 8) but very tasty.

Calories: 174kcal / Net Carbs 3.9

Ingredients

·         3 eggs - at room temperature

·         3/8 cup erythritol or xylitol (75g)

·         1/4 cup melted butter (60 ml)

·         1 cups almond flour (110 g)

·         1/8 cup coconut flour (20 g)

·         1/2 tablespoon baking powder

·         1/4 cup lemon juice (60 ml)

·         1/2 tablespoon lemon zest - optional

Lemon glazing

·         1 cup powdered erythritol

·         2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1.            Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper. Slightly oil the paper to make sure the pound cake don't stick to the pan. Set aside.

2.            In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar free crystal sweetener, melted coconut oil (or butter) and lemon juice. Make sure that your coconut oil is not burning hot or it will 'cook' the eggs and create lumps. All your ingredients must be roughly at same temperature, think room temperature especially the eggs and lemon juice. Cold ingredients, just out of the fridge will solidify the coconut oil creating oil lumps. Otherwise use melted butter to prevent this to happens. Set aside.

3.            In a different large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour and baking powder. Stir to evenly combine the flours.

4.            Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry ingredients.

5.            Stir all the ingredients together with a baking spoon until it forms a consistent cake batter with no lumps. Combine for at least 2 minutes to make sure the coconut flour fiber absorb the moisture.

6.            Transfer the cake batter onto the loaf pan. Make sure you are using the same loaf pan size or it will impact your baking time.

7.            Place the loaf pan in the center of your oven and bake at 180C (350F), fan-forced mode if you can for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes decrease temperature to 160C (320F) and cover the loaf pan with a loose piece foil. This will avoid the top to burn and the middle to bake slowly. Keep baking for 45- 60 minutes in total, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the pound cake comes out with little to no crumbs on it.

8.            Cool for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, then lift out the pound cake from the pan using the parchment paper.

9.            Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. It is a thick cake and it usually takes 3 hours to fully cool. Be patient and add the lemon glazing on the cake when it reach room temperature, not before!

Lemon glazing

1.            To make the lemon glazing, whisk together the sugar free powdered erythritol with lemon juice until no lumps remain. If needed add more lemon juice to get a thinner glazing or more powdered sweetener to get a thicker glazing.

2.            Drizzle consistency over the cooled pound cake.

3.            You can place the cake few minutes in the freezer to set the glazing if too runny.

4.            Store your cake in the pantry on a cake box for up to 3 or 4 days. Slice before serving to keep the cake moist.

Carrot Cakes

These were delicious; can freeze for later.

Servings 3

Calories 440kcal / Net Carbs 2

Carrot Cake

·         1/2 cup / 100g shredded/grated carrot

·         1 egg

·         2 tbsp butter, melted

·         1 tbsp double cream / heavy cream

·         3/4 cup / 75g almond flour or ground almonds

·         10 g / small handful walnuts, crushed

·         2 tbsp powdered erythritol

·         2 tsp cinnamon

·         1 tsp mixed spice

·         1 tsp baking powder

Cream Cheese Frosting

·         2 tbsp full fat cream cheese

·         1 tsp powdered erythritol optional

Instructions

1.           Mix your dry ingredients - almond flour, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder, powdered erythritol and crushed walnut pieces. 

2.           Add the wet ingredients- grated carrot, egg, melted butter, double / heavy cream. 

3.           Fill the carrot cake batter into 2 well-greased ramekins (I used melted butter) or 1 pyrex glass bowl and microwave 1 minutes at 800W (or 1.25 minutes at 700W). 

Turn upside down onto a plate and serve with cream cheese frosting (cream cheese mixed with optional powdered erythritol). Decorate with more crushed walnuts and grated carrot. 

Keto Chicken Stew

Very easy & tasty

Serves 2
Calories 228 / Carbs 6

1 tbsp.  butter

2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

2 stalk celery, chopped

Small Onion chopped

Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper

2  cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Xanthum gum

1 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into tenders

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

½ cup cream

DIRECTIONS

1.     In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Add carrots and celery and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2.    Add chicken, thyme, bay leaf, and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook until the chicken is no longer pink, 40 minutes.

3.    Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred chicken into small pieces and return to pot. Add cream and thicken stew with xanthum gum.

Lo Dough Egg Custard Tart

Easy to do and fixes the need for something Sweet & Tasty

Serves 4

Net Carbs 2 /Calories 159



1 piece Lo Dough

3 Eggs

100 ml double cream

2 tbsp sweetener

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp Nutmeg plus extra


Preheat oven to Fan 120 / Gas Mark 1

Grease a 7 inch pie tin / dish and work lo dough in to fit

Whisk all other ingredients

Pour into case and sprinkle nutmeg on top

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes till set

Bakewell Tarts

This amount made 6 tarts; I used ordinary milk.

Net Carbs 4/ Calories 321

Crust

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 2 tbsp granulated Monkfruit sweetener (or your preferred granular sweetener)

Filling

• 1/4 cup Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam*
• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup granulated Monkfruit sweetener (or your preferred granular sweetener)
• 1/2 cup ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Icing

• 1/2 cup powdered Monkfruit sweetener (or your preferred confectioner's sweetener)
• 2-3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp almond extract

Instructions

1.            Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 7"x7" baking pan.

2.            Make the crust – Combine almond flour, melted butter and sweetener together. Transfer to the lined baking dish and bake for 5-7 minutes until very lightly browned. 

3.            Cool for 5 minutes, then spread a thin layer of Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam on the crust.

4.            Make the frangipane – Mix together the butter and granular sweetener. Add the ground almonds, egg and almond extract and mix well. Pour and evenly spread over the top of the jam layer.

5.            Bake for 20-25 minutes until the frangipane is puffed up and golden brown. 

6.            Make the icing – In a small bowl, mix together confectioner's sweetener, almond milk and almond extract. Set aside.

7.            Once the tart has cooled completely, pour the icing on top. Allow it to set for 10-15 minutes 

Lo Dough Ham & Mushroom Pizza

This was very tasty with a cheese & chive dip. Serves 1

Net Carbs 2 / Calories: 300 calories

• 1 piece of Lo-Dough, lightly fried on both sides in spray oil
• Two slices of ham, cut or torn into pieces
• 2-3 button mushrooms, sliced
• 70g of grated mozzarella
• 2 tablespoons of passata
• A twist of black pepper

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C/428 F

2. Spread the passata across the Lo-Dough in a thin layer, right up to the edge.

3. Spread the grated cheese on top of the passata and add the ham and mushrooms. Bake in the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until golden and bubbling

4. Serve with a crack of black pepper on top.