Oma Sue's Granola

Ingredients: 

6 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice.

1/2 cup oil

3/8 cup honey

1 TBSP vanilla

2/3 cup raisins (optional)

Instructions: 

1 Combine oats, wheat germ, sesame seeds, brown sugar and nuts. 

2. In a separate pan, combine oil, honey & vanilla. Mix thoroughly, heating slightly for best results. Add to oat mixture & mix by hand until the oats are evenly covered with the honey mixture. 

3. Fill the baking pan about half full with the mixture. Bake at 300 degrees, stirring every ten minutes, for one hour, or until the oats are golden brown. 

4. Add raisins after baking. 

5. Cool before storing in air-tight containers. 

Famous Family Meatloaf

Ingredients

2 large eggs

¾ cup milk

⅔ cup fine dry bread crumbs

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 TBSP finely chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp salt

½ tsp dried leaf sage or 1½ tsp fresh sage, finely chopped

⅛ tsp black pepper

1½ pounds lean ground beef, lamb, or pork

¼ cup ketchup

2 TBSP packed brown sugar

1 tsp dry mustard

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In a medium bowl combine beaten eggs and milk; stir in bread crumbs, onion, parsley, salt, sage, and pepper. Add ground meat. Using clean hands, mix lightly until well-combined. Lightly pat mixture into an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan.

• Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees.  Spoon off fat.

• Combine ketchup, sugar, and mustard in a clean bowl; spread over meat. Bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into eight or ten slices. 

NB: This is the meatloaf from our kids' childhood. Lots of memories. Traditionally served with freshly made applesauce and freshly mashed potatoes. 

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Per serving (1/8 of recipe):

Calories.   ~254 kcal

Protein.      ~20 g

Carbs.         ~10 g

Fat.             ~15 g

Fiber.          ~0.5 g

Sodium.     ~450 mg

Simple Smoked Salmon

Quick & Easy Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

• Some fresh or thawed salmon fillets

• Some dry brine: (Mixture of ⅓ kosher salt and ⅔ brown sugar and a touch of freshly ground pepper)


Instructions:

• Remove any pin bones left in the fish.

• Wipe down the fish. Cover it with the dry brine. Rub it in some. be generous. Let it sit for between 2 and 12 hours.

• Choose Alder, cherry or apple chips. Pre-heat the smoker to 175° F. (I always add secondary smoke, as 175° F isn't hot enough to generate much smoke.)

• Rinse briefly. Wipe off the excess liquid, put the salmon, skin-side down on aluminum foil, and transfer to the smoker (still on the foil).

• Smoke until the internal temperature reaches 145° F and let it rest at least five minutes. Expect less than an hour for this. 

Basic Banana Bread

 
INGREDIENTS

2 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP stevia powder (or more sugar)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1 TBSP buttermilk powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 medium bananas, very ripe
1¼ - 1½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup shredded coconut or coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ - ¾ cup chopped nuts (I use cashews)
¼ tsp salt (optional if using salted butter)
Cooking spray or parchment paper.

INSTRUCTIONS
• Heat the oven to 350°F. Arrange a rack so top of pans will be in the center of the [toaster] oven.

• Melt the butter in the microwave. (Word to the wise: do not over-melt! Messy!)

• Crack eggs into mixer bowl. Mix on medium for a minute or two. Add sugar, stevia and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.

• Add the over-ripe bananas piece by piece. Mix aggressively for a while. 

• Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Keep mixing. Add a TBSP or two of milk only if the batter needs thinning.

• Add the chopped nuts & mix them in. 

• Spray the insides of two 8x4 (medium sized) bread pans with oil, then coat the oil with flour. Or line them with parchment paper. (Parchment is preferred.)

• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

• Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Bake until the top of the cake is caramelized dark and a toothpick or knife poked into the middle comes out clean. Baking time will vary — start checking around 30 minutes.

• Cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
 
• Remove from pan and cool another 10 minutes on cooling rack.

• Enjoy with friends.

 

Low Carb Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. yeast
⅔ cup ground flax meal
½ cup oat fiber

1 cup vital wheat gluten

2 Tbsp. softened butter
4 Tbsp. artificial sweetener
1 tsp. salt (or bouillon)
½ tsp. xanthum gum
1 tsp. honey or sugar (only to feed the yeast)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk, room temperature


Add them all to your (smaller size) bread machine. Many machines prefer it if you load the ingredients into it in this order. Then turn the machine on and let it run through its process. I used a "Medium" baking setting.

For the artificial sweetener, Swerve is the popular brand. I used half stevia (because I have a lot), half erythritol (because the flavor is more neutral); I loved the results.

It came out quite good. Cuts nicely, has a good crumb. Toasts well. I will be making this again.

With 16 slices to the loaf, it's only one net gram of carbs per slice (4 gross, minus 3 grams fiber).

And it's pretty good!

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Variation (Version 2.0:

1 Tbsp. yeast

½ cup ground flax meal

½ cup oat fiber

½ cup almond flour

¾ cup vital wheat gluten

2 Tbsp. softened butter, warm

4 Tbsp. artificial sweetener

1 tsp. chicken bouillon or concentrate

½ tsp. xanthum gum

1 tsp. (honey or) sugar (to feed the yeast)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup milk, warmed

The bigger bread machine kneads this more, the loaf rises more. Make adjustments. 

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Version 3.0:

2 tsp yeast

½ cup ground flax meal

½ cup oat fiber

½ cup almond flour

¾ cup vital wheat gluten
¼ cup ground coconut.

½ tsp. xanthum gum

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 Tbsp. artificial sweetener (stevia)

1 tsp. chicken bouillon or concentrate

1 tsp. sugar (to feed the yeast)

2 eggs 

⅔ cup milk, warmed. Add slowly; don't feel obligated to use it all. 

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Update: I've put away the (smaller size) bread machine, and gotten out the big, 2-pound bread machine. It fills it up. Seems to knead better, which causes better raising.