Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Low Carb

Ingredients

Crust layer
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)
2 teaspoons Splenda
2 tablespoons melted butter

Chocolate layer
3 tablespoons natural unsweetned cocoa
1 tablespoon light tasting olive oil (or canola oil)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Peanut Butter layer
1 cup natural peanut butter
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup Splenda

Whipped Topping layer
1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish
2 tablespoons Hershey's Lite syrup
1 tablespoon chopped peanuts

Directions

Crust layer
Combine almonds, walnuts, 2 teaspoons Splenda and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Press on the bottom of a glass pie pan. Broil on high for three minutes or until nut crust is bubbly. Let cool.

Chocolate layer
Combine cocoa, oil, butter, Splenda, vanilla and heavy cream in a small bowl. Pour over cooled crust. Place in freezer while preparing peanut butter layer.

Peanut butter layer
Combine peanut butter, cream cheese and 1/2 cup Splenda in a small bowl. Pour over chocolate layer and return to freezer while preparing whipped topping layer.

Whipped topping layer
Beat cream in mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon Splenda and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Spread over peanut butter layer.

Garnish
Decorate top with Hershey's Lite syrup and chopped peanuts.

Return to freezer for an ice cream texture or refrigerate for a cream pie texture. Enjoy!

Sopa Negra (Black Bean Soup)

This is a fantastic soup that we enjoy in Costa Rica. It may sound a little different, but try it, try it you will see! :) I will add a photo the next time I make it! :)

Ingredients
4 tablespoons chopped onions, divided
1 tablespoon red or green onion
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light tasting olive oil
1 can black beans in their juice (or cooked black beans in their juice)
2 cups water (or 2 cups of bean juice if using homemade cooked beans)
1 tablespoon Salsa Lizano (or Worcestersire sauce)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 eggs
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 cups cooked rice (optional)

Directions
Sautée 1 tablespoon of onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add black beans with 3 cups of bean juice or can of beans with juice and two cups of water. Add Salsa Lizano and oregano. Heat until boiling. Lower heat so that it is at a slow rolling boil. Carefully crack whole eggs one at a time into the boiling liquid. Continue to cook at a slow boil until the egg yolks are just done. Combine 3 tablespoons of onion with cilantro. Serve Soup garnished with onion cilantro mixture. Add cooked rice to soup, if desired.

Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Gallo Pinto (Breakfast Rice & Beans)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped green or red pepper
1 tablespoon of light tasting olive oil
3 cups cooked rice
1 can black beans in their juice (or one cup of left-over cooked beans in their juice)
1 tablespoon Salsa Lizano (worcestersire is an okay substitute)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:
Sautée onion and green pepper in olive oil until tender. Add cooked rice and cook and until heated through. Add beans and a little bit of juice. Add Salsa Lizano. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat until bean has been absorbed by rice. If too dry, add more bean juice. Gently fold in cilantro and serve.

This is a typical breakfast meal in Costa Rica, but is delicious anytime of the day. It is a great way to use up left over rice. We typically serve it with sour cream, fresh cheese, a fried egg and corn tortillas or bread. This recipe was requested by my dear friend Cheryl. I'll post a photo with it the next time I make it! :) Enjoy!

Crustless Broccoli Quiche

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon virgin olive oil, plus more for pie ½ small onion, finely chopped 4 large eggs 1 cup milk 1 cup shredded sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided ¼ teaspoon dried thyme ¼ teaspoon dried oregano ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ¼ teaspoon chopped dried rosemary 1 pound broccoli cut into florets, stems peeled and cut 1/3 inch thick

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 375°F.
2.    Brush a 9- or 10-inch pie plate with oil.
3.    Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; let cool.
4.    Add eggs to onion and lightly beat. Whisk in dairy beverage, 1/2 cup cheese, water, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and rosemary to blend.
5.    Cover bottom of pie plate with broccoli. Pour egg mixture over it and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
6.    Bake until a knife inserted in middle comes out clean and quiche is golden brown, 50–60 minutes.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving:

Net Carbs: 6.5 grams
Fiber: 2.0 grams
Protein: 12.0 grams
Fat: 11.5 grams
Calories: 183

Recipe Information:

Makes: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hr

Sweet & Sour Pork

Ingredients
4 Boneless Pork Chops, cut into small pieces
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and sliced
4 small carrots, peeled and julliened
1 cup sliced cabbage
7 oz canned pineapple pieces in natural juice
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Splenda
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspon Worcestershire sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 teaspoons cornstarch (or substitute)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
1 green onion, thinly sliced

Directions
Lightly season pork. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry pork until lightly browned all over. Remove pork from pan. Fry the onion, carrots, cabbage, and peppers in the same oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Drain pineapple and combine the juice with the vinegar, Splenda, lemon juice, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, add to the pan with pineapple and cooked pork. Bring to a boil.

Blend cornstarch in a minimum of cold water and add to the sauce. Bring back to a boil and simmer gently for a few minutes until thickened. Serve alone if wanting to keep low-carb or serve over rice or rice noodles. Garnish with almonds and green onion.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Chicken Fillets with Horseradish Sauce

Ingredients
4 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, quartered
2 sticks celery, thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
2 cups small green beans
1 tablespoon horseradish
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions
Lightly season chicken breasts. Heat butter and olive oil in a pan and fry the chicken gently until lightly browned and almost cooked through - about 6 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the onions to the pan and fry gently for about 3 minutes until lightly browned and almost cooked through.

Add the celery, carrots, greenbeans and stock and bring to a boil. Stir horseradish, white wine, sour cream, cream and cornstarch together. Stir horseradish sauce in and replace chicken. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

This was delicious! We served it with prepared white rice. Yum!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp Splenda
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 banana, mashed

Directions

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, Splenda, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg, cream, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

We really enjoyed these pancakes for breakfast this morning. For additional eating pleasure, add blueberries. This recipe is slightly modified from its original on allrecipes.com.