Lupin Flour Low Carb Brioche Buns

We’ve struggled with a low-carb diet, particularly the lack of bread. I’ve tried the almond buns, made with almond flour but they tend to be so heavy, that I find it difficult to eat it like normal bread, you become way too full. The discovery of Lupin flour paired with Vital Wheat Gluten has changed my life. We have gone back to enjoying the foods we’ve loved before low-carb and feeling rather good about it. These dinner rolls are 2 g net carb compared to a regular brioche bun which is 34 g of carbs! 

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Lupin Flour is related to soy and peanuts so if you have an allergy to either or both, you will probably be allergic to Lupin Flour.

Makes 8 hamburger-size buns or 12 slightly smaller buns or one 24 cm loaf

Ingredients:

• 236 g Filtered water, slightly warm
• 4 g Sugar
• 6 g Instant yeast
• 3 Large Eggs, room temperature, divided
• 55 g Butter, softened
• 45 g Erythritol
• 80 g Lupin flour
• 38 g Oat fiber
• 170 g Vital wheat gluten
• 3.5 g Sea salt
  
• 10 g Sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:

1. Combine the water, sugar, and yeast in a container and allow it to bloom for about 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, combine two eggs and Erythritol and whisk until the Erythritol has dissolved.
3. In the large bowl of your stand mixer, whisk the lupin flour, vital wheat gluten, oat flour and sea salt together. Combine the egg/Erythritol with the bloomed yeast and mix well, add it to the flour mixture and using the scraper paddle, mix until well combined.
4. Once incorporated, add the softened butter to the dough and mix with the scraper paddle until the butter has been fully incorporated into the dough.
5. Rest the dough for ten minutes. Then knead it with the kneader hook in the stand mixer for 10-15 minutes to activate the gluten (do not skip this step, it is vital).
6. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Weigh the dough and divide the total weight by 8. Cut the dough into eight equal weights and roll into a nice bun and place it onto the baking sheet. These buns will roughly double in size. Repeat with the remainder of the dough. Cover the buns with a clean cloth and allow them to proof until doubled in size (mine took just shy of 2 hours).
7. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Whisk the remaining egg and brush the bun tops generously with it, Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using. Bake the buns for 18-20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200° F and the tops are golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.
   

Notes:

• If the tops of the buns get too dark while baking, cover lightly with foil to complete baking.
• The sugar with the yeast gets totally eaten by the yeast, not affecting the carbohydrates.
• You can make this into a loaf and get about 18 slices of bread, lowering the carb count even more!
• This dough is easily divided in half, you’ll just need 2 eggs instead of 3!
• If you’re like me, you’ll want to eliminate the Erythritol or reduce it and I suggest that you don’t. Lupin flour does not taste like wheat flour so the sweetness helps bridge the gap a bit. I have made this recipe without the Erythritol and although the texture is not affected, the taste is and it’s definitely better with the Erythritol.

Just look at that crumb, it really has a lot of spring to it.

Just look at that gorgeous crust.

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Lupin Flour Pasta (low carb pasta)

Since the beginning of January, we’ve been trying to do a low-carb diet to shed some Covid pounds. It’s a pretty easy diet to follow but of all the food groups that are restricted, carbs are my favourite so it’s been challenging mentally and in cooking! Until I discovered Lupin Flour and Vital Wheat Gluten. These two ingredients are an absolute game changer! We’re talking real bread, real pasta, real baking! Lupin flour is made from the Lupin bean which, unfortunately, is related to Soy and Peanuts so if you have an allergy or a sensitivity, chances are you will be the same with Lupin flour. It is also super high in protein and fibre making its net carb content quite low and easily added to a low-carb diet. There is only one small thing you have to pay close attention to when dealing with any bean-based flour, is that it is super absorbent so you can’t just substitute it for regular flour. The other revelation is Vital Wheat Gluten, this amazing ‘flour’ brings all the elasticity and bread-like behavior to the bean-four. I based this recipe on one that I found on Google, Black Tie Kitchen’s keto pasta noodles, and like any first recipe, I tried the smallest portion possible in case it bombed. I am super pleased to tell you it didn’t bomb, it exceeded my expectations!

You will notice that the pasta is quite yellow and that is due to the colour of Lupin Flour and the eggs I use which have golden yolks. The cooked pasta in the soup, I used an egg with a lighter colour yoke, but the yellow-ness dissipates when cooked.

Lupin Flour Low-Carb Garganelli

Lupin Flour Low-Carb Soup Noodles

Lupin Flour Low-Carb Ramen Noodles

Extruded Cooked Ramen Noodles. These noodles really lose the orangy colour when cooked.

This is the leftover pasta dough from the extruder. I rolled it out to the 6th thickness and cut them using the spaghetti cutter. Probably the 5th thickness would be better so that the noodles separate better.

Lupin Flour Pasta

Makes 2 servings of 138 g of raw pasta, 8 g net carbs per serving

Ingredients:

• 80 g Vital Wheat Gluten
• 80 g White Lupin Flour
• 2 large egg, whisked well
• 4 g salt
• 30 mL water, if necessary

Directions:

1. Add the wheat gluten and lupin flower in the small bowl of your stand mixer and whisk until combined. Change the attachment to the scraping paddle. Add the egg and allow the paddle to pull the dough together, if you find the dough too dry, add a few drops of water (I ended up adding about 15 mL, making it stretchy and not too sticky. Make the dough into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll it out into a disk (I usually weigh the ball and divide it by four to get four equal pieces).
3. Using the thickest setting on your pasta machine, roll out the dough progressing to the thinnest you can get it without it falling apart (mine was at 6 on my KitchenAid pasta attachment).
4. Cut your dough to your desired shapes (Garganelli requires little squares that are 4 cm x 4 cm).
5. Use the shaped pasta immediately or allow to entirely dry out on the counter on parchment paper for longer-term storage.
6. To cook, just do as regular pasta, in a well-salted water for a maximum of 3 minutes, but it will depend on the thickness of your pasta.

To make Ramen Noodles:

• To make low-carb Ramen noodles, add 2.7 g of sodium carbonate (baked baking soda see notes here) to the dry ingredients and follow the instructions above. To cook, enough water to cover with an additional 4 cm more water on top (the ramen noodles will expand). Cook the noodles for 1.5 to 2 minutes for a chewier texture. The three minutes will result as a softer noodle but it will hold its shape.
• I used an after-market pasta extruder I purchased on Amazon to fit on my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. The most efficient way to push the raw dough through this extruder is to roll small amounts of dough into a pencil-thickness noodle and that way the mixer’s motor is not taxed as it is forced through the auger.
• You can also use a KitchenAid pasta roller attachment, it’s always best to roll the dough by hand so it is no thicker than 3 mm before putting it through the pasta roller attachment, your motor will thank you for it. I found 5 was the perfect thickness as these noodles do swell with cooking.

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Almond Sesame Crackers (Gluten Free)

This is my ‘”GO-TO” gluten-free cracker, not just because they are so tasty, but because they are super-easy to make and require very little equipment! This recipe is half of my usual recipe because I didn’t want leftovers but because the measurements are metric, it’s super-easy to double or triple. The only thing I would caution you about is that they burn very quickly because of the natural oils in ground almonds and the grapeseed oil but hopefully it won’t deter you from making them, they are worth it.

Almond Sesame Crackers (Gluten Free)

Makes 40 crackers but it depends on how thick you roll them and how large you cut them. This recipe was first posted in 2011 in Imperial measures.

Ingredients:

• 150 g unblanched ground almonds
• 7 teaspoons sea salt
• 60 g sesame seeds, I like black and white versions, toasted lightly.
• 1 egg
• 15 mL grapeseed oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F with the rack set in the middle.
2. Mix the first three ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg with the grapeseed oil together.
3. Combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients and stir until well coated and clearly mixed well.
4. Roll between two sheets of parchment paper to just less than 1 mm thick. Cut into 4-centimetre squares leaving the crackers on the parchment (no need to separate). 
5. Cut off the parchment that is on top and slide the cut crackers onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 checking often near the end as it burns quickly. Remove the baking sheet and slide the parchment off it onto a cooling rack. Cool slightly and snap the crackers apart. Cool completely to store.

These crackers have excellent flavour and texture.

Notes:

• Add various nuts (although they should be small) to the batter for a slightly different texture.
• The thicker you roll your crackers the sturdier they will be, but just less than 1 mm is sturdy enough for a good thick dip.
• These crackers are quite moreish but be careful as they are also very filling so you don’t need as many to satisfy you!
• I reduced the baking temperature to 325° F from 350° F because I burnt the first batch!

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Instant Pot Greek Chicken

One of the reasons I had wanted an Instant Pot was to get rid of a few of my small appliances like the slow cooker, air fryer, and rice maker! This recipe uses the instant pot for the rice as well as the chicken. To cook the rice, please see the notes below.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 200 g chicken Breast, skinless, boneless
• 30 g Greek yogurt, divided
• 15 mL roasted garlic purée
• 2 g oregano
• 5 g flour
• Zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 15 mL olive oil
• 15 g butter
• 50 g sweet onion, finely diced
• 125 mL water
• 30 mL cooking Sherry
• 1/2 a sun-dried tomato, cut into small pieces
• 5 black olives, sliced
• 1 artichoke heart, chopped
• Parsley, for garnish
• Rice for serving, see notes for IP cooking Rice

Directions:

1. Combine the yogurt, the roasted garlic, oregano and salt and mix well. Spread half of the marinade over the chicken reserving the extra and refrigerate while prepping.
2. Heat the olive oil & butter on the “Sauté” setting and cook the onions until translucent. Brown the chicken on both sides. Turn off the “Sauté” setting and add the chicken stock with the cooking sherry and the sun-dried tomatoes to release the fond. Put on the Pressure Cooking lid and set the vent to sealing, set the time to 5 minutes. Mix the flour and the lemon zest, into the remaining yogurt mixture. After five minutes, de-pressurize the Instant Pot and add the remaining yogurt mixture with all of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Secure the pressure lid and vent to sealing, set to Pressure Cook for 5 additional minutes. De-pressurize carefully.
4. After allowing the chicken to rest, slice it and lay it on a plate over rice. Drizzle the sauce over the chicken serve.

Notes:

• Rinse 100 g (heaping 1/2 cup) of rice in cold water until it runs clear. Add to the Instant Pot. Add 100 g (about 1/2 cup) of cold water or broth to the Instant Pot, add salt and 15 g (1 tbsp) melted butter, and stir well. Secure the pressure cooker lid and turn the pressure knob to the sealing setting. Use the Pressure cook setting on high for 3 minutes, then allow the steam to release naturally (about 10 minutes). Open by pressing the knob to release any extra steam to allow the lid to easily come off. Remove from the IP and set it aside.
• Adding the sun-dried tomatoes for the initial cook allows the tomatoes to totally soften into the sauce.

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Turk-ish Eggs

I saw this Nigella Lawson recipe on my friend Mimi’s socials and in reading Nigella Lawson’s description of it made me want to try it. I was able to source the Aleppo pepper flakes at my favourite spice store in Kensington Market, Carlos’ House of Spice. I called it Turk-ish because I altered the recipe somewhat but you can click on the original here.

Creamy and tangy against the rich Aleppo butter sauce.

The Aleppo pepper flakes are not burning hot, there is mild heat but even I can take it so it’s pretty mild. It has a lovely fruity taste that comes through in the nutty brown butter. The tangy yogurt is beautifully mellowed by the brown butter sauce. It’s a lovely dish that is totally guest-worthy.

Turk-ish Eggs

Please click here for the original recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 200 mL Plain Greek yogurt
• 10 g roasted garlic purée
• 2-4 g Sea salt flakes or kosher salt
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 15 mL extra virgin olive oil
• 2-5 g Aleppo pepper/Turkish red pepper flakes
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 10 mL lemon juice, divided
• 1/2 avocado, mashed with a fork
• Toasted bread

Directions:

1. Whisk the yogurt and roasted garlic in a bowl over a bain-marie and gently warm the yogurt, set aside.
2. Warm two bistro bowls.
3. Melt the butter and gently cook until the milk solids turn golden brown, remove from the heat and stir in the olive oil, Aleppo pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
4. Gently bring a low-sided pan, filled with water to a light boil and turn it down so there are no visible bubbles. Meanwhile, crack each egg into a fine-mesh sieve and allow the loose whites to drain away, slide into a ramekin. Add 5 mL lemon juice into each ramekin with the drained egg. Gently lower each egg into the simmering water and cook until desired consistency (we love runny yolks 3-5 minutes).
5. To serve, divide the yogurt into the two bowls evenly spoon the mashed avocado into the centre. Place a poached egg on top and drizzle with the Aleppo butter sauce. Serve with lots of toast.

Notes:

• The addition of avocado is not authentic in this recipe, I had a half that needed using. It was a beautiful creamy texture against the yogurt.
• If you think two slices of toast will do, make two more, you’ll need it to soak up the yogurt-butter-egg sauce!

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Celery, Zucchini and Avocado Cream Soup

My brother loaned us his cottage for the last week of January. Yes, it is a lot colder up there but it is extremely beautiful with the pristine, sparkling snow and the occasional visit from wildlife. I needed to clean out the fridge before we left and created this tasty and satisfying soup. Pair it with a scone or grilled cheese and you have the perfect winter-time lunch. The measurements are not important here because I was just using up some less-than-perfect produce, it’s just an inspiration for future soups.

JT bought me the KitchenAid Vegetable Sheet Cutter to help me cut down our carbs so I had a lot of zucchini cores leftover which played right into this delicately flavoured soup. I was going to add cream but then I had a very ripe avocado that would meld perfectly into this winter meal.

Celery, Zucchini, and Avocado Cream Soup

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes 1.45 L soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL EVOO
• ~ 1/2 a bunch of celery, roughly chopped
• ~ 1 zucchini, roughly chopped
• ~ 1 small Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
• 5-10 sprigs of parsley
• 1 L chicken stock
• 1 small Avocado, peeled and pitted
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the EVOO, add the celery, zucchini, onion, and parsley, and cook until softened. Add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are very soft. Add the avocado.
2. Blitz with your immersion blender or allow to cool and purée with a Nutri Bullet or VitaMix for a smooth and creamy soup. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the celery ‘hairs’.
3. Serve hot.

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Low Carb Icy Squares

At the beginning of December, we had close friends come over for a lunch outside, it was still pretty warm with the heater and electric blankets plus we lucked into a super warm December afternoon. JT made his famous Bœuf Bourguignon and I made these Low Carb Icy Squares; they literally melt in your mouth. My friend recently lost 50 lbs on a keto diet and she wanted a little treat but didn’t want to overindulge and these fit the bill perfectly.

The paper cups are necessary because without them these little flavour bombs will melt all over your hands

Low Carb Icy Squares

For the original recipe, please click here.

Makes 36 little squares (each square is about 5 grams of net carbs)

Ingredients:

• 480 ml heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 90 g butter
• 1 tbsp espresso powder
• 2 tbsp erythritol
• 90 g dark chocolate with a minimum of 70% cocoa solids, chopped
• 25 g milk chocolate, chopped
• Gold sea salt

Directions:

1. Boil the whipping cream and vanilla in a heavy-bottomed saucepan for one minute and then reduce the temperature to a simmer until the cream is reduced to about half of the amount (about 20-30 minutes). Stir occasionally.
2. Reduce the heat even further and add the espresso powder, erythritol and butter and stir until smooth (make sure the erythritol melts completely).
3. Place both chocolates into a bowl and pour the reduced cream over it and stir until melted.
4. Pour the chocolate cream into a parchment-lined 20 cm square (8 inch square) baking pan (squared-off sides is preferred) and allow to cool in the refrigerator for a few hours. When ready to serve, sprinkle with gold sea salt and cut into 36 equal squares. Serve in tiny paper muffin cups.
5. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for 2-3 weeks.

Notes:

• The original recipe did not call for the erythritol but because I added the espresso powder, it made it a bit bitter so I had to add it along with the milk chocolate, you could try omitting them both for a  2 g net carb dessert.
• The better quality ingredients you use, the better the taste and in this recipe, it is worth it to splurge.

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Smoked Salmon Mousse with Dijon Sesame Bark no no mo

We frequent a French bistro in the city, Le Select, in fact, it’s probably our favourite restaurant in the city! JT alternates from the menu items, but I like my favourites (French Onion Soup, Steak Tartare) and seldom stray from them. We tend to share an appetizer and the last time we were there, the table next to us could not say enough about the Terrine de Poisson Fumé, an airy terrine of smoked Georgian Bay whitefish served with grilled home-baked Foccacia so we had to have it. It was wonderful. Smooth, creamy, full of smoky flavour, we loved it so much, I had to make something like it for a dinner party. 

This is Le Select’s version, our inspiration.

Smoked Salmon Mousse with Dijon Sesame Bark

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 265 mL mousse

Ingredients for the Salmon Mousse:

• 65 g smoked salmon, roughly chopped
• 100 g cream cheese, cubed
• 2 g anchovy paste
• 2 g tomato paste
• 1 g paprika
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• 100 mL whole milk
• 120 mL water (see notes)
• 2 g agar-agar (see notes)

Directions for the Salmon Mousse:

1. Dissolve agar-agar in the water and slowly bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes or until the agar-agar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, add the salmon, cream cheese, anchovy paste and whole milk to a food processor (choose one that will emulsify the salmon to a smooth, creamy consistency (my Magic Bullet did a great job).
3. Once the agar-agar has cooled somewhat, whisk into the salmon mixture until smooth.
4. Prepare silicon your mould by spraying it lightly with water. Pour the salmon mousse into each mold evenly. Allow to set in the refrigerator.
5. Serve with gourmet crackers or toasted baguette.

Dijon Sesame Bark

Ingredients:

• 20 g sugar
• 5 mL honey
• 5 mL water
• 30 g sesame seeds (black and white)
• 5 g butter
• 5 mL Dijon mustard

Directions:

• Mix the sugar with the honey and the water and cook over medium heat until everything has dissolved. Allow to come to a boil and slightly darken.
• Stir in the sesame seeds and continue to cook until it is about 300° F. Remove from heat and add the butter and Dijon mustard and stir well to incorporate.
• Pour the content onto a Silpat sheet or buttered baking sheet and spread out thinly. You may wish to cover with parchment and roll with a rolling pin.
• Allow to cool, break into smallish bits or shards to sprinkle over the salmon mousse.

Assembly of the Smoke Salmon Mousse Plate:

1. Carefully unmould the salmon mousse and place in the centre of a plate. Sprinkle with the dijon sesame bark (or serve bark in shards as below) and serve with toasted baguette slices or crackers.

This is how I served the mousse for a recent dinner party.

Notes:

• You may use the traditional smoked salmon that is thinly sliced but I used a Wild Pacific Salmon Side we hot smoked on the Big Green Egg. 
• Any smoked fish would work, as long as you can purée it smoothly.
• To replace the agar-agar with gelatine, omit the water. Use one sheet softened in in the mousse liquid, in a saucepan then put on low heat and stir until the gelatine sheet dissolves into the mousse, do not boil. One sheet is good enough for a loose set of 265 mL.

 

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Dry-Seared Mushroom Soup

Renovations have begun so we have had to move out of our bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The guys have hoarded off the affected areas but construction dust is relentless. We moved into the basement guest suite, it feels like we are staying in a hotel, sort of, except for the dust. The majority of the mess has been limited to the second floor but soon the electricians will descend and all hell will break loose. We have decided to update our electrical so the entire house will finally be up-to-date. Fortunately, these renos have not affected the kitchen, so I’m still able to play!

This is a creamy, intensely flavoured soup. If you are a fence-sitter about mushrooms, this soup is not for you. But if you like the earthy goodness of mushrooms, then run to the kitchen and make this soup, it’s that good. By the way, it’s still soup-weather in these parts.

We are getting early afternoon sun in the kitchen these days, it’s so nice to be out of that winter light!

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 1 L soup

Ingredients:

• 500 g variety of dark mushrooms (I used portabello, cremini and shiitake)
• 40 g sweet onion, sliced thinly
• 15 g unsalted butter
• 500 mL beef stock, or more to taste
• 15 mL dark soy sauce
• 15 mL puréed roasted garlic
• 30 g almond flour
• Pinch of tarragon, to taste
• Pinch of smoked paprika
• 15 mL white truffle olive oil

Directions:

1. Clean the mushrooms and slice about 2mm thick. Heat a non-stick, cast iron or ceramic pan until it is very hot (no oil, cooking spray or anything). Place sliced mushrooms in the pan, making sure not to overlap or crowd them. Sear each side until golden, remove and set aside and repeat until all of the mushrooms have been seared.
2. In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions until caramelized.
3. Add the almond flour and toast lightly.
4. Add the beef stock, dark soy sauce, roasted garlic and about 3/4 of the mushrooms (I reserve about 1/4 for texture for the soup), cook for about 45 minutes or until the stock is richly mushroom flavoured and the mushrooms are soft enough to purée.
5. Purée the soup until creamy and smooth with a high-speed immersion blender. Add the smoked paprika and white truffle oil and purée again. Press through a fine sieve to get a super creamy soup.

Notes:

• In trying to eat fewer carbs, I have used ground almonds as a thickener in this soup. Feel free to use your own thickener for preference but the almonds really create a creamy mouthfeel and add a lovely nuttiness to the soup.
• I specifically avoided white mushrooms because they don’t have the strong earthy flavour I was after.
• If you don’t like truffles, omit the white truffle oil.
• I used some interesting wild mushrooms as the garnish for the photo.
• If you have access to Mycroyo, you may wish to coat the mushrooms with it for the perfect sear.

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Low Carb Chicken Cutlets

We may have put on a few pounds during our holidays. It’s always so difficult to stay on track while on holiday, but the plus side is that we did walk a lot, the day we visited the Alhambra in Granada we walked 11 kilometres!

Now that we are back to reality, we wanted to get back into eating fewer carbs. This used to be one of JTs favourite meals but I was a little apprehensive in making chicken cutlets without breadcrumbs and this recipe definitely does not disappoint. The almond flour crisps up beautifully and provides a wonderfully flavoured coating. I served this cutlet with cauliflower purée and cucumber salad. JT loved it.

A tasty cutlet that doesn’t dry out.

Low Carb Chicken Cutlets

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 200 g chicken breast
• Pinch of dehydrated garlic powder
• Pinch of dehydrated onion powder
• 1 egg
• 5 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 75 g almond flour
• Pinch of herbes en Provence
• Pinch of Salt
• 30 mL grapeseed oil for frying

Directions:

1. Portion two 100 g chicken breasts and pound thinly between sheets of plastic wrap.
2. Combine the Parmesan cheese and almond flour, set aside.
3. Lightly whisk the eggs with the herbs, onion, garlic and salt together and set aside.
4. Dip the chicken breast into the egg and coat it, allow excess to drip off. Then dip it into the almond flour mixture to coat both sides. Repeat with the second breast.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Pan fry chicken both sides until the internal temperature is 171° C. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Net carbs are only 2.8 g! Chicken Cutlets only, no sides.

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