I am always doing some kind of Low Carb / Keto recipe research or adaptation. I have a bunch of “go to” dressings and sauces I have used for years. All VLC (Very Low Carb) – of course. However, I have never gotten around to doing a Caesar Dressing. My wife loves the stuff – good, bad or ugly. She just loves it. How could I have been such an oaf to pass up making her favorite thing. How could I have missed this?

I ran across a Caesar Recipe on FaceBook that looked interesting. Some kind of “shake up” in a pint jar routine. Fair enough. Time to right some past wrongs.

I did it. It went OK. She loved it. It was very yellow – and had A LOT OF BANG to it. Very powerful. She was soooooo happy. I was not happy – I gave it a 5 out of 10. Maaaaaybe not – maybe a 3.

Have you ever gotten to some point in a recipe and you realize you’ve been hacked by some dude in Islamabad, Pakistan typing stuff on the internet and he’s never cooked so much as a bean?

Well – I got to that place on this one. All of the ingredients they showed would not fit in the jar – as illustrated. It was not possible. Further, my past experience making and creating dressings and sauces told me someone can’t tell the difference between a “big T” and a “little t” in English  cooking vernacular. This spice profile was waaaaaaay off.

I realized I would have to make my own. I wanted a creamy, slightly sweet, gentle Caesar that would be so enticing – so inviting, it would always leave you wanting more. Here’s where I went…

I trimmed a little here – added some Sour Cream, cut the MONSTROUS SPICE profile down to something that wouldn’t burn your eyes, added a Low Carb sweetener and PLENTY OF PARMESAN.

If someone tells you there is too much Parmesan in here – UNFRIEND THEM IMMEDIATELY. No one needs that kind of negativity in their life!!

Tom’s Caesar Dressing

1/2 C Mayo
1/2 C Parmesan (grated, bottled)
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 t Pepper (medium grind preferred)
1/2 t Salt (Kosher)
2 t Garlic (minced)
2 t Mustard (I have used both yellow and ground dark)
2 T Lemon
4 drops QuickSweet (or 2-2 1/2 t Truvia – or 4 t Stevia.  Relax – use what you like)

Mix all well – I put it in a quart jar. It didn’t fill it up. Let it steep a day (or not). When I made the Caesar I chopped the Romaine quick, tossed it well in some of this dressing – maybe 3-4 T per serving.

When I had plated it I added a few more shakes of black pepper and more shaved Parmesan. Voila’ – plated with LOVE!!

I think I NAILED IT. I don’t even like Caesar. This is my favorite Caesar and maybe one of my favorite dressings – EVER!!

P.S. Some sliced, grilled Chicken on this wouldn’t hurt a THING. Enjoy!!

Nothing like  a snack time with a few fluffy, crunchy Hot-N-Spicy Pork Rinds with a side of Blue Cheese for dipping!!

This Blue Cheese has been a staple of mine for a few years. I was aiming for something very creamy and a little sweet (and very Low Carb) to go with Buffalo Chicken strips. This is what I came up with.

Tom’s Low Carb Blue Cheese Recipe:

1 C Mayo
1 C Sour Cream
3 Oz Blue Cheese
3 t Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 t Black Pepper
1/2 t Garlic Powder
3-4 drops liquid sucralose

Mix all ingredients well EXCEPT BLUE CHEESE – fold it in gently at the end.

ENJOY!!

Tom’s Ranch Dressing

Here was a lunch – WOWSERS!!

A bed of Baby Spinach with homemade Low Carb Ranch, Blue Cheese crumbles, some sliced Radishes and Bacon. Who doesn’t like bacon – right?? All this with a side of warm, thinly sliced Low Carb Bread smothered in butter and a dusting of dill. Oh my.

Tom’s Ranch Dressing

1 C Mayo
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/2 oz. Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
1 oz. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 oz. Heavy Cream (or unsweetened Almond Milk)
1 t Dill
1/2 t Thyme
1/2 t Onion
1/2 t Garlic Powder
1 t Parsley
3 drops liquid sucralose

Mix well – let steep one day…

Be sure to check out our post for The Best Low Carb Bread – EVER…

If you enjoy this recipe – share it with others. 

Thanks – Tom

I picked up some frozen chicken tenderloins at Wal-Mart the other day… I was kind of curious how they would do in this dish.

I took 5 tenderloins out early in the morning to let them thaw so we could get started as soon as my Sweetie got home from Church. With about an hour to go (around 10 O’Clock or so), I put them in a big Zip Lock bag and added some Kosher Dill Pickle juice as a marinade/brine (for the last hour).

They had thawed enough to take some of it on.

I then whisked 1 egg as a wash. I would (normally – see notes) bread in the following:

My Chicken Nugget/Strip Breading:

1 T Almond Flour
1 t Baking powder
1 T Paprika
1 t Onion Powder (that’s a SMALL t – for teaspoon)
1 t Garlic Powder (that’s a SMALL t – for teaspoon)
Plenty of Salt and Black Pepper (a little Cayenne might not hurt)…

Note: However, I skipped the above step because I had a left-over batch of CarbQuick in the fridge already seasoned correctly – lots of Salt, Pepper, Garlic and Cayenne.  Well – it was close enough!!

Take it straight out of the Pickle Brine, into the egg wash and dredge in the coating…

Listen – don’t freak out over CarbQuick. Is it grain – Yes. Is it Low Carb – YES. It only has a carb count of 3 net grams per 1/3rd Cup. Is it something you should use as a staple – probably not. In fact, I don’t use it that much. In lot of things, it just doesn’t do so well.

I use it in CarbQuick in three primary ways – ONLY.  As an easy breading for Fresh Oysters, for Shrimp (if I need a coating)… and in the Diet 7-up biscuits.

That’s it… so you might see a CarbQuick recipe out of me from time to time. This only means we eat a tiny bit of this “slightly sketchy” Low Carb product about once every other month or so. No biggie. We also carefully monitor how it affects us. We weight every morning.

I really like the Pickle Brine routine. I think it adds to the plump, juicy factor.

On another related note – Chicken Nuggets, depending on their size are more like in the 4-6 minute range – mine are usually perfect at 5 min… same oil – same temp.

For the Waffles I did a Pecan Protein Waffle – VERY low carb count.

Protein Waffles

2 eggs, beaten
1 Scoop Quest, unflavored, all – purpose mix (1 gram – natural Carb count)
¼ t Baking Powder
2 T Kosher Philly Cream Cheese (softened in microwave)
Cinnamon, a splash of Sugar Free Vanilla flavoring – a couple of drops of liquid Sucralose and a splash of Maple extract…

Whisk thoroughly – if it gets too gooey just add a little water, won’t hurt a thing.

Next add about a half a hand full of chopped Pecans in the batter – not too many, the lid won’t shut right.

Preheat the Waffle iron – give the Waffle maker a shot of cooking spray, pour the mix in and 3 minutes later – Boom. Waffle!!

Trim it – plate it… add a pat or two of butter in the middle, stack the Chicken – then douse it with “Sweet and Sassy” topping.

Sweet and Sassy Waffle topping

½ C Sugar Free Syrup – the kind you would find at most grocery stores
¼ C Valentina hot sauce (Salsa Picante)
Pretty generous portion of Cinnamon
1 T Maple Extract
Whisk together…

(this was enough for two full servings)

And there is our Epic Low Carb Sunday Brunch…

The End