Bacon cheddar cookies (low carb, gluten free)

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What kind of cookies do you make for people who don't eat sugar, prefer to avoid artificial sweeteners, follow a low carb diet, and generally aren't too fond of dessert? (Like, um, ME.)

I make Bacon Cheddar Cookies. Or "cookies," if you prefer. They're bite-sized, crumbly, full of umami, and completely addictive. With only five ingredients, these little nuggets are the perfect cookie-like treat for those who prefer savory to sweet.

Serve these Bacon Cheddar Cookies with a glass of wine, champagne or Prosecco. You can use fancy cheese (my favorites are made by Cabot and Kerrygold) or buy pre-shredded cheddar cheese at the grocery store. Either way, these Bacon Cheddar Cookies will be a huge hit.

Note: For the cookies in the photos above, I used pre-shredded mild cheddar cheese, and the anti-caking agent in the pre-shredded cheese keeps the cookies from spreading. If you use a higher fat cheese that you shred yourself, your cookies will spread more and get brown, crisp and crumbly around the edges. Don't worry: They will still be delicious, even if they don't hold together quite as well.

Bacon Cheddar Cookies

Makes about 36 2-inch cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 cups almond flour (fine is better than coarse)
• 6 pieces bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line three sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Put all the ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Blend on medium speed until everything is blended well and a stiff dough forms, about 1 minute. (If you prefer to mix by hand or with a hand-held mixer, that's fine; just make sure you mix it aggressively enough to get a cohesive dough.)
3. Using a generous teaspoon of dough for each cookie, roll the dough into small balls. Place the balls on the prepared sheet pans, pressing them down slightly.
4. Bake the cookies about 15 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet or on a rack.

Gluten free | Diabetic friendly | Low carb | Grain free | Sugar free

Almond-crusted pesto chicken breasts [low carb]

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Because I've been trying to follow a low-carb diet for the past year, I have spent a lot of time with almond flour. Almonds and almond flour are a staple of the low-carb high fat (LCHF) way of eating.

I've used almond flour for baking. I've made pancakes and waffles out of it. And I've used it as "breading" for vegetables, fish and chicken. It doesn't act quite the same as breadcrumbs or flour, but it's a very good substitute.

Following any healthy eating plan requires advance preparation. On the weekends, I often cook a large batch of chicken so I have something to pack in my lunchbox every day before I head to work.

This week I made almond-crusted pesto chicken breasts. Sometimes I make my own basil pesto, but I was pressed for time and used store-bought pesto. Which is totally, completely fine in a dish like this.

I packed the almond-crusted pesto chicken in my lunchbox with some oven-roasted tomatoes. One day I ate them cold. Today I warmed them in the microwave. I think I prefer it warm, but it was pretty darn good cold. I'll be making this again soon.

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Almond-Crusted Pesto Chicken

by Erika Kerekes June-28-2016

Chicken breasts brushed with basil pesto, coated in almond flour and grated cheese, and oven-roasted. An easy low-carb dinner recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup basil pesto sauce
• 4 large chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a sheet pan or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or brush it with olive oil.In a shallow bowl or on a plate, mix together the almond flour, grated cheese, garlic salt, and pepper. Put the basil pesto sauce in another bowl.Dip both sides of one chicken breast in the pesto sauce, then roll it in the almond flour mixture to coat. Place the almond-coated chicken on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining three chicken pieces.Bake the chicken about 50 minutes, until it is cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 50 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4 servings