Flax Meal Crackers

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This is a very simple recipe, very high in fiber, and low in carbs.

Ingredients:

2 cups flax meal
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/3 cup Parmesan

Heat oven to 350.

Directions:

1. Mix ingredients in a bowl.
2. Spread out onto a cookie sheet covered with a silicone mat.
3. Roll out to a out 1/8 inch thick (it is easier to cover with wax paper while rolling it out).
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Watch the edges the center usually takes longer to crisp up so I break off the crisp sections and keep heating until the center crisps up too.

Modifications:
I play with this recipe depending on my mood. I added feta once in place of the Parmesan. Also added paprika, garlic salt, and a little brown sugar. Whole flax seeds or sesame seeds for added crunch.

These work great for dips like hummus, spinach dip, peanut butter, and salads.

Pizza! from Scratch!

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I have never embarked on making my own pizza crust until tonight!  We were running low in the bread department and out of tortillas, so I decided to try my hand at yeast free pizza dough.  I usually shy away from processed flour, but given the situation of our pantry...I folded.  I was impressed how easy this is, and I know in the future I will try to create a full fresh flax crust.  The entire process took about 30 minutes per pizza (from mixing the dough to finished cooking).

No-yeast pizza dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) in a large bowl.  Make a cave in the center, add water and olive oil.  Mix ingredients with a spoon until it is kneading consistency.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead until mixed.  Set aside.  It is ready to use.  I made two different batches.  One for each pizza.  The dough recipe makes a pizza about 12-14" round.  Pressed thin to about 1/4 inch.

Heat oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.  Bake for approximately 20 minutes.  These are thin crust pizzas.  They rise to about a 1/2 inch crust.  I imagine playing with different herbs and nuts to add to the dough and making it a low carb meal eventually.  For now.  Enjoy!  (I served it with side of marinara for dipping) yum.

Toppings:

First pizza Spinach:

Spinach leaves (from my garden)
Herb Goat Cheese
Bacon Bits
Mexican blend cheese
Mozzarella
Four cheese marinara








The second pizza - BBQ chicken style:


I added the BBQ Grill mates seasoning to the crust of this one as well, so the color of the crust is slightly orange.  You can work on this while the first pizza is cooking.

I sauteed three chicken tenderloins in a little olive oil and bbq dry seasoning by Grillmates.
Four cheese marinara
Mozzarella
Bacon bits

Avocado Wraps with Shredded Carrots, and Blue Cheese Crumbles

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This is a simple wrap, and very filling!

Ingredients:

2 small flour tortillas
1/4 fresh avocado (sliced)
1/2 cup iceberg lettuce
2 tablespoons ranch dressing (home made)
1 tablespoon blue cheese crumbles
Shredded carrots

Directions:

1. Peel and slice avocado.
2. Shred Lettuce.
3. Toss shredded lettuce with ranch dressing.

Place ingredients on tortilla, first with the lettuce, sprinkle blue cheese crumbles, top with avocado slices and shredded lettuce, wrap it up and enjoy!  It is amazing and simple.

Ranch from Scratch!

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In researching how to live a healthier lifestyle but still enjoy the favorite foods I love, I discovered a recipe for ranch dressing from scratch and I feel a lot better eating this version than any store bought version.  It tastes amazing.  You need to label it with a date, because your are using fresh milk (soy, almond, or cow), either way, the milk will expire.  I recommend using it within a weeks time, at the most a week and half.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons dried minced onions
7 teaspoons parsley (dried or fresh and dried)
4 teaspoons sea salt
3 teaspoons garlic powder

Mix these ingredients together and store in a jar.  When you are ready to make dressing, mix:

1 cup of mayonnaise (here you can use a healthy version of your choice)
1 cup of milk (I used 2% milk, but I will soon experiment with almond milk and soy milk)
Add dry mix to this to taste.  The original recipe I saw for this seemed a little sparing and asked to add only 2 tablespoons.  I ended up adding around 4 tablespoons.  I also modified it by adding the following...

Xanthan gum (you can omit this if you do not mind it being slightly runny)

Add just tiny pinches of xanthan gum as a little goes a long way.  I suggest adding pinches, then shaking the jar, and repeat that process.  It will also thicken after refrigeration.

I am not one to follow recipes explicitly, I usually end up modifying, so this is the modified version of a recipe I found on Self-Reliance by Jamie, I recommend the site!