Cottage Cheese Griddlecakes

by Sandra Merville Hart

I happened to notice this recipe for cottage cheese griddlecakes (pancakes) in The Fannie Farmer Cookbook while preparing another dish. I did a double-take. Yes, this pancake recipe has cottage cheese as the main ingredient. It was too different—I had to try it.

Place 1 cup of cottage cheese in a sieve. (I used a colander.) Press the cottage cheese down to start removing the moisture. Let it stand in the sieve for an hour over a bowl to allow it to dry.

Beat 3 eggs well in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add the cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons melted butter, ¼ cup of flour, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir together just enough to blend the ingredients.

Add pats of butter to your griddle or skillet and allow it to melt on a medium heat. (A cast iron skillet worked best for me.) Pour ¼ cup of batter onto the hot skillet.

These griddlecakes are delicate. Wait slightly longer to turn than you would a normal pancake or they will fall apart. Then turn them gently.

What’s immediately noticeable is the difference in texture so your first pancake might be too done or not done enough as you figure it out. I let them cook a minute and then started to work the spatula around the edges to prepare it for turning.

Surprisingly good! In fact, they reminded me more of a potato pancake with the soft center than a regular pancake. Actually, the taste and texture is about halfway between breakfast pancakes and potato pancakes. They aren’t sweet and require no syrup. Two were a filling, satisfying meal.

I noticed that these were Keto except for the flour so I made them again. This time I substituted the flour for almond flour. I liked these even better with the hint of almond flavor—and they are low carb!

I love to find easy recipes for items normally stocked in the fridge and pantry. I’ll make this again when I want a low-carb pancake.

Let me know what you think!

Sources

Revised by Cunningham, Marion and Laber, Jeri. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1983.

Keto Chocolate Mousse

by Sandra Merville Hart

I planned to make dessert for a family gathering over the holidays. My son-in-law, who has been following the Keto diet for months, asked me to make something he could eat without cheating.

Since I was making a frozen chocolate mousse pie for everyone else, I decided to make a version for him that he felt good about eating.

Searches online revealed lots of possibilities. I settled on a Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse, partially because I had all the ingredients in my fridge or pantry.

I melted unsweetened baking chocolate and used it instead of cocoa powder. My zero-calorie sweetener was Sweet’N Low because the package contained a great chart showing exactly how many packets equaled ¼ cup, 1/3 cup, ½ cup, and 1 cup of granulated sugar. The original recipe calls for ¼ cup powdered zero-calorie sweetener.

To ensure there was leftover dessert, I tripled the recipe.

What an easy dessert to prepare! My son-in-law was thrilled to enjoy chocolate mousse while everyone else ate pie.

You might prefer a different sweetener.

I’m so glad I tried it. Keto lovers, let me know what you think if you make it.

Sources

“Quick Keto Chocolate Mousse,” Allrecipes, 2020/11/26 https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/270598/quick-keto-chocolate-mousse/.

 

 

Crustless Cheese Quiche

I’ve been eating a lower carb diet for the past few months and even went on Keto for 3 months. The greatest challenge for me was finding delicious low-carb recipes.

I searched for a good quiche crust recipe. I finally created a pie crust using ideas from several recipes. Though the crust was low-carb, the sweet taste overpowered the savory quiche.

It didn’t work.

Then I decided to create a recipe for a simple cheese quiche without crust. Delicious! I’m sharing it with you.

Crustless Cheese Quiche

4 eggs

2 cups Whipping cream

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk the eggs, cream, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.

Spray 6 ramekins with cooking spray. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of cheese over the bottom of the ramekins. Add a little over ½ cup of the custard over the cheese.

Place in a pan. Then add a ½ inch of warm water and bake until the top is lightly browned. Remove from over and sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Serve hot.

The quiche is light and fluffy.  Baked cheese on the bottom provides a thin layer so that I didn’t miss the crust at all. I love that this dish is delicious and low-carb and Keto!

Enjoy!

-Sandra Merville Hart