Pizza Crust Experiment

This is an experiment on pizza crusts. I first made pizza crust following the recipe for almond flour, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese. I find this too expensive though because the ingredients are all sourced out of the country (I'm from the Philippines). Having an abundance of coconut in the country, I decided to try the coconut flour pizza crust.

Ingredients:

Eggs
Finely ground dessicated coconut
Coconut flour
Coconut milk
Mozzarella cheese

I have to differentiate between dessicated coconut and coconut flour. Dessicated coconut is dried coconut that is then ground. I found finely ground dessicated coconut from the local store that I wanted to try using. Coconut flour is defatted coconut that is then dried and then finely ground. Dessicated coconut has more flavor and is usually white. Coconut flour is very fine and has the texture of regular flour. However it absorbs liquids very strongly and becomes dry once baked.

To simplify the discussion, I am going to label the crusts below as 1, 2, 3 and 4 and will add the descriptions below.

Crust 1
The first crust is a mixture of 1 egg and 2 tbsp dessicated coconut. The batter is very wet and easily spreads on the parchment paper.

Crust 2
For the second crust I added another tablespoon of dessicated coconut to make a thicker, drier batter.

Crust 3
For the third crust I added 1 tsp coconut flour to mimic the consistency of regular flour. Since coconut flour absorbed the moisture from the egg quickly, I added 1 tbsp coconut milk.

Crust 4
From the same mixture in Crust 3, I added 1 tsp mozzarella cheese. I'm hoping that the cheese would improve the crispness of the crust.

I baked the four crusts in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Below is how they turned out.

Crust 1
Very crispy. The most crispy of the four crusts but tastes too "eggy".

Crust 2
Not as crispy as Crust 1 but still better than all other pizza crusts I made before. The sweet flavor of the dessicated coconut however made it taste more like a biscuit instead of a pizza crust.

Crust 3
Has good flavor and good texture. Holds up very well

Crust 4
Same as Crust 3

So far, it's a tie between Crust 3 and Crust 4.

I added the toppings and baked in the oven for another 10 minutes.

The final pizza were all good. Crust 1 was good because of the crisp texture. The "egginess" was toned down by the pizza toppings. Crust 2 still tasted like a biscuit.

Crust 3 and 4 were both good but the added mozzarella in Crust 4 made for sections that taste like grilled cheese. Which made it the winner in this competition.

I'll post a complete recipe of Crust 4 for a full sized pizza crust. I may have to tweak a number of things in my quest for the perfect pizza crust.

Beef Taco Salad

This meal is incredibly simple to make and you can make big batches for a week (or a month if you like, seriously!) The taco flavor with lemon and cilantro makes this dish very flavorful, you can eat it every day. Just make sure you have a supply of fresh lettuce and tomatoes and you're good to go.

Ingredients:

600g lean ground beef
garlic and onions
taco seasoning
salt, pepper, soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro
sour cream, cheddar cheese

Sautee garlic and onions in a skillet. Add in beef until it browns. Lower the heat and drain excess oil.
Add the taco seasoning, salt, pepper and soy sauce based on your preference. At this point I also add in the lemon juice to balance the saltiness.

Let beef cool and serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Cilantro is optional but it adds in exciting flavors that blend well with the salad.

Oven Roasted Porkchops

Had these for lunch.

You can't go wrong with porkchops. So simply season with salt and pepper and sear on both sides.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven fo 450°. Prepare the sauce by mixing 1 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp lemon, crushed black pepper and oregano.

Line up baking pan with the pork chops. Add the sauce. Top with onions, bell pepper and garlic.

Bake for 20 mins and you have another lunch in keto heaven!

Chicken with Asparagus in Cream Sauce

Chicken has become much of a routine in my meals. Season with salt, pepper and randomly selected spice (mostly oregano and garlic).

For vegetables I have more variety. Instead of my usual spinach I used asparagus. Fried the bacon in olive oil. Sauteed the mushrooms then added butter. I added the asparagus until it softens slightly.

I added less cream in the vegetables to bring out the smoky flavor of the bacon. Serve with grated parmesan cheese. This dinner is a treat!

Chocolate Brownie Cake

I made my Chocolate Brownie Cake for two since I was only testing my ingredients. The first one I made was too fudgy. Fudgy is good if the brownie is straight from the oven. However if you put it in the fridge it hardens too much. It was also too bitter because I used too much unsweetened chocolate (I got excited).

The recipe below turned out just the way I wanted, slightly fudgy and dark but not too bitter. The almond flour also gave a nutty flavor to the brownie. 

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp heavy cream

1 oz unsweetened chocolate

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp almond flour 

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

8 packets stevia

Simmer the butter and heavy cream. Add the unsweetened chocolate and melt. Next time I would chop the chocolate for faster and more even melt. 

Let cool for a few minutes to avoid cooking egg. Add the vanila and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and whisk together to form a batter.

I baked it for 20 minutes in a pre-heated oven. Here's how it looked like after baking.

I let it cool while I made the ganache. Half of the brownie was already eaten when I added the ganache (yes it's that good!). 

This one makes four bars. Feel free to double or triple the ingredients. I kept the frosted half in the fridge to test the texture. I say what's not to love!

Crossed 24 days going low carb

Progress Chart

I've been on a low carb diet for 24 days. I cooked my own meals and baked my bread and dessert. Most of my meals revolved around pork, chicken, eggs and green vegetables (spinach, broccoli). My weekend breakfast is made mostly from my perfected coconut-cream cheese pancakes.

I lost 6 lbs over this period and I need to lose 8-10 lbs more to meet my target weight. starting at 105 lbs and being at 5'0", I expected the sluggish weight loss. And I'll keep going because I still believe!

The most difficult part I would say is the first 2 weeks. I ate delicious and full flavored food but Ifelt dissatisfied as if something was missing. I felt my stomach was full but my entire body seemed to miss the starch and sugar it was used to have.

My headaches sometimes got really bad but I slept those off. After 24 days on this diet, I no longer have the headaches. I guess it's true that your body learns to adapt.

If you're about to start on your low carb journey I'm cheering for you!

Chicken, spinach and mushrooms in alfredo sauce

Sharing how I made my dinner.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Sear to brown.

To make the alfredo sauce, fry bacon. In the same pan, saute garlic and onion.

Add cream and parmesan cheese to thicken. Wilt the spinach with the sauce.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

The alfredo sauce has a smoky flavor because of the bacon. Low carb food is yum!