Low carb waffles with zucchini and cheese

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Have you ever tried making low carb waffles? After more than two years following a keto (ketogenic, or low carb) diet, I don't miss sweet waffles drenched in syrup. Instead, I have become a huge fan of savory waffles, with almond flour and eggs as the base, shredded vegetables and onions for flavor, and cheese holding the whole thing together in the most delicious way.

I use a mixture of almond flour and a little bit of coconut flour for these savory keto waffles, plus two or three kinds of cheese. Zucchini throws off a lot of liquid, so there's no need to add milk or water - the zucchini provides all the moisture you need.

I serve these low carb zucchini waffles as a side dish with roast chicken or steak, but I can tell you from experience that leftover zucchini and cheese waffles are extremely tasty for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Scroll down for the recipe....

More favorite low carb recipes:
Paleo fried chicken with an almond flour crust
Cheeseburger stuffed mushrooms
Low carb stuffed peppers

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Low carb waffles with zucchini and cheese

by Erika Kerekes February-11-2018

Serve these savory low carb waffles with shredded zucchini and cheddar cheese as a side dish with roast chicken or steak, or top them with a fried egg for breakfast. Perfect for keto diets!

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup almond flour
• 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups raw zucchini, shredded or spiralized
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese (or cheddar/jack combination)

Instructions

1. Heat your waffle iron.2. Crack the eggs into a medium-sized bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, parmesan, salt, pepper and baking powder, and combine well. The mixture will be very thick.3. Add the zucchini and onions to the egg mixture and combine well. Let sit 10 minutes, then stir again. The salt will draw out some of the water from the zucchini, making the mixture looser. Add the cheddar cheese and mix again.4. Spray your waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Use about 1/3 cup mixture for each waffle, or adjust based on the size of your waffle iron. Let the waffles cook until medium-brown, about 5 minutes - these low carb waffles will take a bit longer than traditional waffles, so don't be impatient or they'll fall apart. You need the extra time for the eggs and cheese to do their bonding work.5. As you take the waffles out of the waffle iron, put them in a single layer on a rack set over a baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven until you finish the whole batch. Serve immediately.LEFTOVERS: Reheat in the oven or toaster oven for best results. The microwave will make them mushy.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: 12 waffles

5-minute cucumber salad

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Today I'm sharing with you my 5-minute cucumber salad - a side dish for days when you need to get some vegetables on the table and there's no way in hell you're actually going to have time to cook anything.

(Just to be clear, that's 5 minutes of active time. It does need to sit and marinate for at least 5 minutes at room temperature, or 20 minutes in the refrigerator.)

Peeling, seeding and chopping the cucumbers is the most time-consuming part of making this cucumber salad. You can make it a 3-minute cucumber salad if you use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, which need neither peeling nor seeding.

If you have 6 minutes, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet before adding them to the salad. I never seem to have that sixth minute, though. I can assure you that the sesame seeds taste fine straight from the container. If you want to be really fancy, get the shaker with the mixed black and white sesame seeds.

This is one of my favorite simple salads. Yesterday my 16-year-old son and I stood at the counter eating it with our fingers. Don't judge.

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5-Minute Cucumber Salad

by Erika Kerekes April-3-2015

A simple marinated cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Make it even more quickly by using Persian or English cucumbers, which need neither peeling nor seeding. That's 5 minutes of active time, by the way: You do want to let the salad sit for a few minutes to let the flavors get friendly.

Ingredients

• 3 large cucumbers
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon (optional) sugar
• 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

Peel the cucumbers. Cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds using a teaspoon. Cut the cucumbers into 1/2-inch slices.Put the cucumbers in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar (if using). Close the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.Let the cucumber salad sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.Sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Serve chilled.NOTE: The cucumbers will get more flavorful the longer the salad marinates. Keep the cucumber salad in the refrigerator for up to three days. By the third day the cucumbers will have lost much of their crunch, but the flavor will be great.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 10 mins Yield: 6 servings

Pumpkin Dutchess Potatoes: A twist on traditional mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving

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Looking for a new twist on your traditional mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner? Try these Pumpkin Dutchess potatoes. They come out of the oven all crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, with a smoky overtone from the smoked paprika. And the beautiful orange color is pure autumn.

They look very fancy, but trust me - they're easy. Even for dopes like me who can't get the hang of the piping bag. Notice the variation in the swirls above. And then notice that even the imperfect ones look pretty darn good.

A side benefit: automatic portion control. Unless you're like me and you eat a half-dozen with your fingers before they make it to the serving platter. Then...not so much.

P.S. Yes, Mommy, I am planning to make these for our Thanksgiving dinner.

I developed this recipe for the Idaho® Potato Commission. Need other potato ideas? They've got a million and a half fantastic recipes. Click here to see their massive collection of potato recipes.

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Pumpkin Dutchess Potatoes

by Erika Kerekes November-13-2013

Beautiful swirls of mashed potato mixed with pumpkin puree, then bathed in butter and baked in the oven until crisp along the edges. A beautiful addition to your table for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any elegant dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Idaho® Russet potatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted, divided
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• freshly ground pepper
• Equipment: potato ricer, piping bag with large star tip, pastry brush

Instructions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil, then spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425° F.Wash and peel the Idaho® Russet potatoes, then cut into 2-inch chunks. Place the potato chunks into a medium-sized pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water.Bring the pot to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the potato chunks are tender when pierced with a small knife or the tines of a fork. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander, then return them to the hot pot. Shake gently for a minute or two; you will see steam rising as the potatoes dry out.While the potatoes are cooking, into a large bowl add the pumpkin puree, 4 tablespoons of the melted butter, heavy cream, egg, egg yolks, and smoked paprika. Whisk thoroughly, until the mixture is slightly puffy and aerated.For the lightest texture, use a potato ricer. Hold the ricer over the bowl of pumpkin mixture and press the cooked potatoes into the bowl. This eliminates all lumps, making it easier to pipe the swirls onto the baking sheet. (Alternatively, mash the potatoes thoroughly in the pot with a potato masher, then add the mashed potatoes to the pumpkin mixture.) Blend thoroughly with a large spoon until the mixture is uniform. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.Spoon the potato-pumpkin mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe swirls of the potato-pumpkin mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. You can place them fairly close together, as they will not spread during baking. You should get about two dozen swirls.Using a pastry brush, gently dab the potato-pumpkin swirls with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Be careful not to flatten the piped ridges too much.Bake the potato-pumpkin swirls about 25 minutes, until they are hot and the ridges are starting to crisp. Serve immediately, allowing two swirls per person.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 12 servings

Herbed Idaho® mashed potatoes

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Are you thinking about Thanksgiving already? I am.

Our family Thanksgiving moves around, but it's at my house this year. There are some dishes that make a regular appearance on the menu no matter who's hosting: braised red cabbage, my mother-in-law's spinach and mushroom stuffing, green bean casserole, roast turkey.

But I'm a bit of a renegade: I cut my turkey into parts and roast it like chicken. And (don't faint) I don't always make mashed potatoes. I didn't grow up with mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, so sometimes I just...forget.

Are we still friends?

I hope so. Because I want to tell you about the very easy, very beautiful, very delicious herbed Idaho® mashed potatoes I'm making this year. Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes mixed with a ton of minced fresh herbs. Simple, aromatic, and very green.

I developed this recipe for the Idaho® Potato Commission, which is always looking for creative new twists on mashed potatoes. Thanksgiving dinner can be rich and heavy, but the grassy scent and taste of the mixed herbs in these mashed potatoes cuts right through the richness. I like Idaho Russet potatoes - their dry, fluffy interior soaks up the butter and half-and-half perfectly.

Do you serve mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving? Traditional or twisted? Let's share some mashed potato ideas in the comments below....

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Herbed Idaho® mashed potatoes

by Erika Kerekes October-15-2013

Creamy, buttery mashed potatoes mixed with a ton of minced fresh herbs. A perfect side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. Recipe developed for the Idaho® Potato Commission.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Idaho® Russet potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for serving
• 4 bunches fresh soft green herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, tarragon, chives, dill
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Wash and peel the Idaho® Russet potatoes, then cut into 2-inch chunks. Place the potato chunks into a medium-sized pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Add 1 teaspoon salt to the water.Bring the pot to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer 20-25 minutes, or until the potato chunks are tender when pierced with a small knife or the tines of a fork. Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander, then return them to the hot pot. Shake gently for a minute or two; you will see steam rising as the potatoes dry out.While the potatoes are cooking, wash the fresh herbs and dry them thoroughly in a salad spinner or by wrapping them in paper towels and shaking. Chop the herbs finely, discarding any woody stems. You can chop the herbs by hand with a large knife or in a food processor. You may end up with more than 1 cup of chopped herbs, depending on the size of your bunches; save the rest for another use.When the potatoes are almost done, put the half-and-half and 1 stick butter in a glass bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave on high power about 1 minute, until the butter is melted and the half-and-half is warm.Add the half-and-half mixture to the pot with the potatoes and mash the cooked potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Add 1 cup of fresh chopped herbs and stir with a large spoon until incorporated. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately, adding more butter on top if desired.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 8 servings

Erika's colcannon - mashed potatoes with kale, cabbage and carrots

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A steaming bowl of mashed potatoes with cream and butter is divine.

A steaming bowl of mashed potatoes with cream, butter, cabbage, kale and carrots is sublime.

This is my riff on colcannon, the national dish of Ireland, in which shredded sauteed cabbage is added to buttery mashed potatoes. I wanted a little more vegetable to balance out my potatoes, so I added thinly sliced kale and shredded carrots. (That's my New Year's resolution - to put in more vegetables whenever possible.)

Plus the bowl looks better with the kale and carrots. Cooked cabbage and mashed potatoes are roughly the same color - beige. The dark ribbons of kale and bright shredded carrots make for a much prettier dish, don't you think?

I ate this colcannon happily as a meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but feel free to serve yours as a side with roast chicken or salmon.

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Erika's colcannon - mashed potatoes with cabbage, kale and carrots

by Erika Kerekes January-7-2013

This is my riff on colcannon, the traditional Irish mixture of mashed potatoes and cooked cabbage. Kale and carrots add flavor, color and extra nutrients.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds russet potatoes, unpeeled
• 6 Tablespoons butter, plus more for serving
• 1/2 green cabbage, thinly shredded
• 1 bunch kale (Tuscan or curly), thinly shredded
• 2 large carrots, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Place the potatoes, whole and unpeeled, in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with cold water by a few inches and set the pot over high heat. When the water boils, turn the flame down, cover the pot, and simmer the potatoes until they are tender (a paring knife should go cleanly through to the center of the potatoes). The time will depend on how big the potatoes are, but start checking them after 30 minutes. Drain the cooked potatoes and let them cool until you can handle them. While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in another large pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, kale and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are tender but not mushy, 10-15 minutes. Heat the cream and milk in a measuring cup in the microwave until warm.Slip the skins off the potatoes and put the potato flesh back in the pot. (Discard the skins.) Add the cream mixture and mash the potatoes with a hand-held potato masher. When they are fairly smooth, add the cabbage mixture and continue mashing to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste (you will need a good amount of salt). Serve immediately with an additional pat of butter on top.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 45 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 6-8 servings

Perfect roasted potatoes

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Most people make mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. I do like mashed potatoes, but when it's my turn to make Thanksgiving dinner I sometimes opt for roasted potatoes instead of mashed.

Why roasted potatoes? I like the contrast between the chewy skin, creamy interior and crisp salty crust. I also find them easier than mashed potatoes because you aren't fussing with them at the last minute.

My roasted potatoes were only okay until I learned the secret of perfect roasted potatoes from Gisele Perez, owner of Small Pleasures Catering here in Los Angeles and a fellow food blogger at Pain Perdu. Here's the secret: After you cut them in half and toss them with olive oil and salt, you have to put them on the tray cut-side down. 

Duh. Can't believe I hadn't figured that out. (But thanks, Gisele, for improving my roasted potatoes forever.)

My favorite potatoes to use for this: Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, which are just the right size and bake up perfectly. Any small potatoes will do, though. Costco sometimes has big bags of yellow, red and purple fingerling potatoes. Those work fine with this roasting method and are extremely pretty.

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Perfect roasted potatoes

by Erika Kerekes November-18-2012

There's a very simple secret to roasting these baby potatoes so they're crisp and chewy on the outside while the inside stays creamy and soft: Put them on the baking sheet cut-side down.

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby yellow potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or rub it with a thin film of olive oil.Wash the potatoes well and cut them in half lengthwise - you want the cut side to have as much surface area as possible. Put them in a big bowl and add the olive oil and salt. Toss well to make sure all of the potato surfaces are coated with the oil.Tip the potatoes onto the baking sheet and turn them over so they are all cut-side down. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake until the potatoes are soft, the skins are wrinkled and the cut sides of the potatoes are golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Pile the potatoes into a bowl and serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Green bean casserole from scratch

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Thanks to Lynne Hemer of Cook & Be Merry for the beautiful photo

There are two kinds of families when it comes to Thanksgiving.

Some families are willing to experiment. I had one friend who used Thanksgiving as a culinary lab. Every year she made something different. Pumpkin soup yielded to chestnut soup turned into carrot soup. One year the stuffing had sausage, the next year oysters. I thought she was nuts and never understood how her family tolerated it.

Most people, in my experience, need their Thanksgiving tables to be just so. Turkey. Gravy. Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie. Just the way Mom and Grandma made them. Nothing fancy. No surprises.

The one dish I have to have at Thanksgiving is green bean casserole. I love the creamy sauce wrapped around frenched green beans, the whole thing topped with canned french fried onions. My mom made it the old-fashioned way: canned cream of mushroom soup, frozen frenched green beans, french fried onions. The way it was intended to be. Processed, salty and convenient.

Over the years my tastes have changed. And so has my green bean casserole. Now I do everything from scratch - except for the french fried onions. I probably could fry my own, but I hate the mess of deep-frying. For this one application I can and do live with the canned french fried onions.

I brought this green bean casserole to the Food Bloggers Los Angeles pre-Thanksgiving celebration last weekend. It didn't last long. And, much to my surprise, no one complained about the canned french fried onions.

My secret weapon: Italian porcini bouillon cubes, which give the cream sauce an amazing depth of flavor. Look for them at specialty food stores that carry gourmet Italian ingredients.

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Green bean casserole from scratch (almost)

by Erika Kerekes November-8-2012

Fresh green beans, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms in a homemade cream sauce make a much better green bean casserole than the classic 1950's canned soup version - even with the canned french fried onions.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh green beans, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1 pound crimini or white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 Italian porcini bouillon cubes
• 2 cups canned french fried onions, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the green beans and boil rapidly until softened but still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain and let cool 20 minutes. When the beans are cool enough to handle, pull them apart lengthwise with your fingers (this is called frenching the beans). This step is optional but it helps the green beans meld with the cream sauce, so I recommend taking the time to do it.While the water is coming to a boil and the green beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook over medium-high heat until the onions are golden brown and the water from the mushrooms has evaporated completely. Put the green beans, mushrooms and onions into a large mixing bowl.In the same skillet used to cook the onions and mushrooms, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the flour, stirring to make a paste. Cook the paste about 2 minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste. Add the milk and whisk quickly to dissolve the butter-flour paste - it's important to do this thoroughly or there will be lumps. Crumble the porcini bouillon cubes into the cream sauce and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Pour the cream sauce over the vegetables in the mixing bowl.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.Add 1 cup of the canned french fried onions to the mixing bowl along with the salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Pour the green bean mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake the green bean casserole about 30 minutes, until the sauce bubbles up around the edges. Spread the remaining 1 cup of french fried onions on top of the casserole and bake another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 servings