Low Carb Spiced Pumpkin Bread

I know I have been MIA for a little while. I really am sorry about that. But if you follow me on facebook you know that I have been trying to loose that last bit of pregnancy weight by following the South Beach Diet.  I am super happy to say that it is working awesome, the last few pounds are falling off and I am having a blast "shopping" in my attic for clothing I haven't been able to wear in a long time.  The only downside, is that I have not been very creative in the kitchen.  My mom leant me a few South Beach cookbooks and the blog Kalyn's Kitchen have both been wonderful with keeping the diet exciting, food wise (as much as you can be without eating very many-if any carbs).  But since I was trying to follow the diet as perfectly as possible in Phase One, I didn't feel confidant creating my own recipes.

Now that I am in Phase Two, I am allowed to start incorporating "good carbs" back into my diet.  Knowing my love of sweets and bakery, you can't be all that surprised to hear I was dying to find some "acceptable" baked goods.  Combine that with the wonderful cooler weather we have been having here in Ohio- beautifully sunny and breezy mid 70's. Heaven.  So of course pumpkin comes to mind.  It is super high on the healthy scale and so, so delicious.  I just knew that I could find a low carb pumpkin bread recipe to satisfy my cravings.  This recipe from the online low carb magazine, The Low Carb Luxury is so, so wonderful!!!!  I have found that sometimes low carb bread can have a strange, rubbery consistency that I find rather off-putting.  This recipe isn't like that AT ALL.  If you weren't told this quick bread was low carb you would have no idea.  The whole family loves it, and I will be making it again and again.  I mean, for only 3.8 grams of carbs per slice, you can't beat it!  Oh how I love guilt-free bakery.  This recipe was 100% worth sharing.

Now this recipe uses some unique flours, which is what makes it low carb.  Almond Flour/Meal is simply just very, very finely ground almonds!  You can make it yourself by grinding raw or blanched almonds in your food processor at home, but I decided to save some time and just buy it premade.  I found Bob's Red Mill brand and really loved it.  I found it at Marc's (if you are local to Cleveland, OH area) and I also have seen it at our Super Wal-Mart.  If you have been making those yummy Sandwich Thin Buns, then you are familiar with the Vital Wheat Gluten Flour and the Wheat Bran.  Yay for another place to use them!  Go on out, stock your pantry and most importantly- have fun playing with some new ingredients!

Low Carb Spiced Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup water
2 cups Splenda
1 1/2 cups Vital Wheat Gluten flour
1/4 cup whey protein powder (I used vanilla flavored because that is what I had on hand)
3/4 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Wheat Bran (or whole wheat flour) for dusting pan

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray bread pans with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle wheat bran into the pans and tap around to "flour" the pans. This will prevent sticking. Whole wheat or all purpose flour can also be used, but the wheat bran packs in extra healthy goodness.

Using a wire wisk or a hand mixer beat eggs. Add the water, oil, and pumpkin and beat until well combined. Sift together all flours, baking soda, salt and spices in a separate bowl. Add Splenda to pumpkin mixture and mix very well. Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and blend until wet and fully combined.

Pour into greased and wheat bran (or whole wheat) floured pans and bake for about 40-50 minutes. If you bake in the small loaf pans, be sure to keep an eye on them.  They will bake faster then the large loaves.  Breads are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Makes (2) 8.5" loaves or (4) 5.75x3" loaves- slice into 12 slices per loaf.
Each large loaf contains 46 grams of carbs — 3.8 carbs per slice. (or you can have two small slices for the same amount)

A Perfect Taste of Summer- Garden Tomato and Basil Sandwich

Garden Tomato and Basil Sandwich
1 tomato
a hand-full of basil leaves
a smear of either mayo or a bit of a Laughing Cow wedge (my favorite is the Light Creamy Swiss)
4 slices Bread of your choice
Corse kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Smear a bit of mayo or some of the Laughing Cow cheese onto your bread.  Top with a few nice, thick slices of fresh garden tomatoes.  Add a sprinkling of salt (it brings out the sweetness in the tomatoes) and a grind or two of fresh black pepper.  Top with a few leaves of fresh basil and enjoy.  Seriously you can't beat this sandwich.  So, so good!  I have this alllll the time for breakfast.  And lunch.  And snack.  When tomatoes are in season, it is seriously addictive.

Also I have to apologize for being MIA for so long!!  Our charger cable to the computer broke two and a half weeks ago.  We ordered one, and just our luck, it got lost in the mail. I was seriously so, so mad.  The post office has no idea where it is and we have to wait a full 30 days until we can even make a claim. Who knows how much longer we would have to wait until everything got resolved.  So we ordered another one, and luckily that got to us nice and fast.  So if the post office ever does find the missing charger, well I guess we will just have a back up.  Incase you were wondering, two and a half weeks without a computer is NO FUN!

Egg Muffins

So I am tired of the last few pregnancy pounds hanging onto my body for dear life.  Enough is enough already! I lost so much of the weight so quickly and it was awesome.  But now I am hovering at a plateau for the last few months and it is time to shake it!  I need something to boost up my metabolism and get everything moving so we have decided to start up South Beach Diet.  Not really all that thrilled about "dieting" but I have done low-carb a few times before and it really works quickly.  The nice thing with South Beach is that you don't need to stay altogether low carb past the first two weeks.  *phew*  I know many people that have had a lot of success with the diet, including my parents, so I am excited to see some positive changes in myself as well.  Wish me luck and I will share some of our favorites recipes along the way too.

There is an awesome blog, Kalyn's Kitchen, that is primarily all South Beach Friendly recipes.  You don't need to be on the diet to be able to appreciate her recipes.  Seriously, everyone could pretty much benefit by reduced carbs and increasing vegetables, whole grains and lean meats!  

After sleeping for 6-10 hours a night your body needs a serious recharge.  You need to break the fast that your body was doing while your were snoring away.  Hence the name breakfast.  These Egg Muffins are a wonderful start to your day.  Once you make a full batch you then have a quick breakfast for the rest of the week.  They have no flour, making pretty much carb free but also gluten free and high in protein.  Oh, and did I mention yummy?!

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Egg Muffins
recipe slightly adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

12 Eggs
1/2 cup low fat 2% cottage cheese
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chili's
3 green onions, chopped
1-2 cups grated low-fat cheese (I used sharp cheddar, but any of your favorites will work great!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Optional: chopped veggies such as blanched broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. (Using veggies will reduce the fat content)
Optional: diced Canadian bacon, lean ham, or crumbled cooked turkey sausage

Preheat oven to 375 F. Use regular or silicone muffin pan, 12 muffin size. If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, then spray liner with nonstick spray.

In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, if using, vegetables, if using, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be about 2/3 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Break eggs into large measuring bowl with pour spout.  Add the cottage cheese, salt and pepper, and beat well. Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is 3/4 full. I like to stir slightly with a fork. Bake 25-35 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.

Muffins will keep at least a week in the refrigerator without freezing. Egg muffins can be frozen and reheated. For best results, thaw in refrigerator before reheating. Microwave on high about 2 minutes to reheat.