"Wheat Belly" Friendly Steak'n Gravy!

My wife made me some "Wheat Belly" steak'n gravy tonight!

She just rolled cubed-steak in garbanzo bean flour and fried it in an iron skillet.  She added more of the "bean flour" to the drippings, added some water, salt, and pepper and made gravy. She then popped it into the oven at 400 for about an hour.

The vegies, red potatoes, cauliflower, and tomatoes went in until soft; then I broiled them for a touch of brown. Yummy!

The steak browned beautifully!

Hot And Spicy Nut Mix - Wheat Belly Style

This is our version of this wonderful snack recipe.

Have a glass of water nearby when you eat these nuts. Pack this Hot and Spicy Nut Mix from the Wheat Belly 10-Day Grain Detox  in a resealable plastic bag or plastic container and take it along with you when you travel. It’s certainly tastier and a lot less expensive than the nuts sold at airports or other travel shops.  If making it for the kids, add cashew fragments to your choice of nuts. (Adult versions should avoid cashews or minimize them due to potentially excessive carbohydrate exposure.)

If you start with whole nuts, you can reduce them to smaller pieces in your food chopper, food processor, or coffee grinder by pulsing briefly. (We chose not to reduce size.)

Makes 16 (1/4-cup) servings:

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (These did not turn out to be as desirable as first thought.  They were tough to chew, but maybe pre-roasting these separately would have made a difference.)
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds (We omitted these.)
• 1 cup raw walnut pieces
• 1 cup raw pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons hot-pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 275°

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pecans, coconut oil, chili powder, hot sauce, and salt.  Toss to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once (we actually baked a little longer for crispness).  Cool before serving.

Per 1/4-cup serving:

253 calories, 6g protein, 5g carbohydrates, 24g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 2g fiber, 97mg sodium.

Sandwich Bread - Wheat Belly Friendly!

This is my attempt at "sandwich bread" making, as described on page 20 of Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or less) Cookbook"!

-Yield 1 loaf - Active Time 20 minutes Total Time 1 1/2 hours-

Ingredients

• 3 cups Wheat Belly All Purpose Baking Mix
• 1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 5 eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup butter or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp. buttermilk or coconut milk (canned or carton variety)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease an 8 1/2" X 4 1/2 " loaf pan.

In a food processor, combine the baking mix, baking powder and salt. Pulse until well blended. Add the egg yolks, butter or coconut oil, and buttermilk or coconut milk and pulse until well blended.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Pour into the flour mixture and pulse until egg whites are evenly distributed, but do not run the machine at a constant speed. Spread into the pan and bake for 40 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Mine either didn't rise enough, or the pan was too large, BUT, it tasted great!

We tried it as an open face sandwich with some "Wheat Belly" friendly egg-salad my wife made.  It was all topped out with two strips of BACON!  Wonderful!

The next night we had "slow-cooker" pinto beans, and this was like eating cornbread!  Try some tonight...you know you're missing CORNBREAD (Wheat Belly style)!

Pecan-Pineapple Bites - Wheat Belly Friendly!

Pecan-Pineapple Bites

(makes 30 bites or about 12 muffin size)

Our take on Dr. Davis' recipe on page 223 of the 30-minute Or Less cookbook.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes + chilling time

You’ll Need:

• 1 cup ground pecans
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• Stevia or Truvia*, equivalent to ¼ cup sugar
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 30 pecan halves

How to make it:

1. On a baking sheet or large plate, arrange 30 mini paper liners (in our case we only had cupcake liners, so we had about half as many "bites").

2. In a medium bowl, combine the ground pecans, butter, and sweetener. Mix thoroughly. Spoon evenly into the liners, pressing down with your fingers or a spoon. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, combine the pineapple and cream cheese. Stir until well blended.

4. Spoon evenly over the pecan crusts. Place 1 pecan half on top of each. Chill for at least 30 minutes.

These little fellers are delicious and satisfy your need for something sweet!

Per 1 Bite: 77 calories, 8 g total fat, 1 g protein, 2 g carbs, 1 g fiber

*Liquid sweetener works better for baking...less grit unless well melted!

Wheat Belly Peanut Butter Pie!

Man, oh man, what a dessert!  This is what my wife made for me from the "Wheat Belly Cookbook", page 268!  She followed the directions, except for the cocoa powder; she doesn't like unsweetened cocoa powder, so at the end, so that I could have my chocolate fix, she lined half the pie top with unsweet dark chocolate chips!  It did the trick!

Here's what the books says:

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder, optional
• 1/4 cup organic butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Filling

• 1 cup organic heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounce brick organic cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid stevia, 1 tablespoon spoonable stevia, or 1/2 cup erythritol (like Swerve)
• 1 cup organic creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons full fat coconut milk

Directions

Crust

1. Blend all ingredients together and press into a 9-inch pie plate.
2. Cover the entire dish with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until firm.
3. Let cool completely (Important!)

Filling

1. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the cheese and stevia until blended. Beat in the peanut butter and coconut milk. Fold in the whipped cream until well mixed.
3. Pour into the cooled pie crust and refrigerate for 2 hours until set. Slice with a sharp knife.
4. Drizzle with melted unsweetened chocolate/butter/stevia (Optional).

And here's the result!

Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin - Wheat Belly

So, tonight I tried the Wheat Belly recipe for Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin, page 176 of the "Wheat Belly Cookbook".  It was so good, and easy to make!

Having lost down to 195, from 230 (since April), I'm determined to make this a way of life.  I'm off my Metformin and my blood pressure medication, and am feeling great.  I now wear 36" pants, instead of the slouchy 40" I was previously wearing. 

Anyway, back to the meal. 

I cut a tenderloin in half, and rolled it in sea salt, cardamom, and pepper. 

I then browned it in full fat butter, turning it until all sides were brown.  This takes about 8 minutes.  I then popped the oven friendly skillet into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  After the time expires, move the tenderloin to a cutting block and let stand for 10 minutes.

In the mean time, add 1/4 cup of beef broth to the remaining butter and drippings in the skillet, plus 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cook until it reduces in half.

Then add 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard and stir until completed incorporated into the skillet contents.

Cut the tenderloin into thin slices and drizzle with the skillet mixture. AWESOME!

We served it with a simple Greek Salad; consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and onions covered in olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

It was a great tasted combination!

Golden Fried Wheat Belly Chicken And Broccoli-Cheese Casserole

Tonight's "Wheat Belly" effort was a grand slam success!  We both wanted "fried chicken", so, I bought some organic Chicken Tenders, dredged them in egg and some All-Purpose Baking Mix (see page 19 in the "Wheat Belly 30 Minute (or less) Cookbook") with a little added salt, pepper, and a dash of flaxseed-meal, and fried as normal.

This concoction, for the most part, was my own creation, but you can do most anything you want "breaded" with the mix!  Guess that's why Dr. Davis calls it "all-purpose"!

While I was preparing to fry my "breaded" chicken in coconut oil, Judy made the Broccoli-Cheese Casserole on page 191 of the "Wheat Belly 30 Minute (or less) Cookbook". 

The recipe is as follows:

• 1 bag (12 oz.) fresh broccoli (we used frozen)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (divided)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup almond meal/flour (we were out, so we used coconut flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• Dash of red pepper (we used two dashes)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Grease an 8X8 baking dish.

In a microwaveable bowl, place the broccoli florets and water, cover, and microwave on high for 3 minutes, or until the broccoli is bright green and softened (or in our case thawed).  Drain and place in baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup of cheese, the cream, almond meal/flour, mustard, onion powder, salt, and red pepper.  Pour over the broccoli.  Top with the remaining cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the corner comes out clean.  For us it took 30 minutes.

As this cooked, I dipped the chicken tenders in beaten egg, rolled it in the baking mix, then put it back in the egg, and rolled it the second time.  In about 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the pieces) the chicken is done and ready to eat.

Now plate the "fried chicken"  with the broccoli-cheese casserole and serve.  It was wonderful!

Strawberry-Coconut Biscuits Not A Success!

So you don't get the idea that everything we've tried is a success, I'm posting our efforts on the Strawberry-Coconut Biscuit recipe on page 80, of Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or less) Cookbook".

I'm not going to waste your time or space here posting the entire recipe, but, suffice it to say, we did follow the directions as written.  After 17 minutes in the oven they came out dry and flaky, too crumbly to pickup and hold!

I even re-crumbled the mixture, added another egg, and some coconut milk, trying to add a bit more moisture.  After cooking another 20 minutes at a lower temperature, the biscuits came out the same.  We discarded them!

They did smell great, and though dry, tasted great, but just too powdery to use.

Maybe someone can post what went wrong...I'd love to know.  I'd really like to try these for breakfast!

My Typical "Wheat Belly" Breakfast

This is my typical "Wheat Belly" breakfast, although I change the protein often; usually black forest ham or bacon. On the side is a piece of the Herbed Focaccia Flatbread I made a few days ago.

I like the eggs runny; there are two here. Underneath, I sometimes put a piece of cheese.  You don't have to worry about "fat" on this program so much, so bacon fat stays on and I cook the eggs in coconut oil.

The orange spots are hot sauce! 

I find this breakfast can often last me all day; unless I'm digging a ditch!

Herbed Focaccia Flatbread - Wheat Belly Friendly

This recipe (from Dr. Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-Minute (or less) Cookbook, page 22) provides an unusually sturdy focaccia bread suitable for a variety of dishes. Delicious!

Shape this focaccia dough into whatever shape suits your recipes. I usually make two focaccias, each approximately three inches wide by six inches long and 1/2-3/4 inches deep, to use as the two bread slices to sandwich ingredients between. However, this recipe yields such an incredibly filling bread that the two slices can easily be cut in half to yield two very satisfying sandwiches to serve two.

Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal (this online version is slightly different from the book, so check closely)
1 cup shredded mozzarella or other cheese
1 teaspoon sea salt
1½ teaspoons dried rosemary
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup sundried tomatoes, finely sliced
2 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons extra-virgin oil

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In food chopper or food processor, pulse shredded cheese until reduced to small granule-sized consistency, similar to couscous.

In medium bowl, combine almond meal, cheese, sea salt, rosemary, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and sundried tomatoes and mix together. Set aside.

With electric mixer, whip egg whites until stiff. Blend in egg yolks and 2 tablespoons olive oil at low speed. Pour egg mixture into almond meal mixture and mix together.

Divide dough in two and form into desired shape by hand. Smooth edges with knife or spoon. (You may need to place your knife or spoon under hot running water to help mold the dough.)

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove and take blunt handle of spoon or other small rounded instrument and make small depressions in the surface every inch or so. Brush surface with remaining olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt on top.

Return to oven additional 15 minutes.

Easy Blueberry Cobbler - From Wheat-Free Market Foods

This is my wife's great interpretation of the Wheat-Free Market Food's blueberry cobbler!

Serves 6

Here is a quick and simple way to make a nice hot dessert that you can top with some whipping cream or low-carb ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen blueberries
• 3-1/2 tablespoons Wheat Free Market Sweetener, divided
• ¾ cup Wheat-Free Market All-Purpose Baking Mix
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Add blueberries to the bottom of a pie pan. In a small bowl, blend the baking mix with 2 tablespoons of sweetener then evenly pour on top of blueberries. Drizzle melted butter over cobbler followed by the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of sweetener.

Bake for 30 minutes or until blueberries are bubbly and the cobbler begins to brown. Then turn oven to broil and allow cobbler to brown a bit more. Do not burn.

Let cobbler sit at least 5 minutes to allow crust to set. Serve with low carb ice cream or whipped cream!

The cobbler should have just about 5-6 net carbs per serving!

Fried Pork Tenderloin Fit For A "Wheat Belly"!

This is one of the first recipes I tried from Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly 30 Minute (or less!) Cookbook, page 133, and it's one of my favorites, because it gives me back my former love; rice!  Well, kind of.

To give up all grains means more than just the wheat, it includes, among other things, rice and oats, which are seeds of grass...therefore, grain.  I miss rice.  It was as much a staple to me as was pasta...two things a Type 2 diabetic don't need.  Like a baked potato, it all turns to "sugar" in the body.

However, I quickly found a substitute; cauliflower!  It mimics rice to a "T" and the brain is fooled into thinking it's eating rice.  I really discovered this years ago when I was trying to give up the carbs in potatoes.  Ruby Tuesday used to offer, don't know if they still do or not, a cauliflower dish that made your brain think it was eating mashed potatoes.

Back to the recipe.  Tonight we tag-teamed "Pork Fried 'Rice'", and had it on the table in about 20 minutes.

The book says you need these ingredients on hand:

• 1 head of cauliflower (we grated ours to the consistency of, what else, rice)
• 2 TBS coconut oil (actually used Extra Virgin olive oil)
• 4 scallions (I used green onions)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1/2 pound pork tenderloin (cut into 1/2" cubes - However, I've tried it thinly sliced and kind of prefer it that way.  Seems to be more tender that way.)
• 1/4 cup tamari or gluten-free soy sauce

Put the grated/shredded cauliflower in a microwaveable bowl, and cook covered on high for 4 minutes, stirring once (or until desired doneness).

Meanwhile, in a WOK, or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until hot.  Cook the scallions or onions and garlic for 2 minutes.  Add in the whisked eggs and stir continuously until cooked and lightly brown.  Set aside in separate bowl.

Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the WOK, and cook the pork until no longer pink.  Stir in the soy sauce, steamed cauliflower, and the egg mixture.  Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or until heated through.

If you like a lot of salt you can add a little to the eggs, but believe me, the soy sauce adds a lot of salt taste!  So, be careful.

Serve!  Enjoy!

Pizza For Wheat Bellies!

Wow!  This "Wheat Belly" friendly pizza is fantastic!

I didn't use a cast iron skillet like Wheat-Free Market Foods did in cooking their recipe, but whether you use a skillet and have ticket crust, or you use a flat pizza pan and thin crust, it's going to be delicious!

I followed the directions as outlined on the package of "Wheat Belly Pizza Crust Mix" in making the crust, but I added toppings that were more keeping with the online version, except I used Canadian Bacon instead of sausage.  Mine was a thin-crust, but I didn't have enough mixture to completely spread on the entire pizza pan.  However, what I made was outstanding!  It tasted so good, and filled that part of me that wanted to taste pizza.

Whether you follow the packing directions, or the ones below from the THIS LINK, you, and your "Wheat Belly" will be satisfied.

Serves 4

2 teaspoons olive oil for pan
1 cup Wheat-Free Market Wheat Belly Pizza Crust Mix
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
¼ cup salted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 oz. mozzarella or sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Toppings

½ lb. Italian bulk sausage (I substituted Canadian Bacon)
½ small onion, chopped
½ bell pepper, chopped
¼ cup favorite sugar-free pizza sauce (optional - the lowest sugar content I could find was 2g, but I'll keep looking for sugar-free)
Other topping suggestions: Pepperoni, bacon crumbles and sliced olives (I added diced jalapeños)
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Oil the bottom and sides of a large cast iron skillet (approximately 10-11 inches) or the bottom of a pizza pan with olive oil.

In a medium bowl combine the pizza mix, parmesan cheese, salt and Italian seasonings. Then stir in the butter, eggs, milk and 4 oz. of cheese until a thick dough forms.

Using a spatula and wet hands, press the dough evenly into the prepared pan, going at least 1 inch up the sides. Note: If using a pizza pan, just press the mixture out into a 12 inch diameter circle. [I put my mixture between two sheets of wax paper and pressed it out for thin crust.]

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. While dough is cooking, prepare the toppings.

Brown the sausage in a medium frying pan, being sure to break it into smaller pieces. Approximately halfway through cooking the sausage, add the onion and bell pepper and cook until the sausage is done.

Once the crust and sausage mixture are done, turn oven to broil and top the crust with the sausage mixture followed by the pizza sauce and cheese. Place pizza under the broiler until cheese has melted and slightly browned.

PREPARE FOR AN EXPERIENCE

YOU'VE BEEN MISSING!

Bacon, Egg, and Tomato Stacks - Wheat Belly

So what's for breakfast for a "Wheat Belly"? 

Here's one light idea from page 63 of Dr. William Davis' "Wheat Belly 30-minute (or less) Cookbook":

His cookbook suggests this when you're hankering for something a little different for breakfast.  It's a departure from the usual scrambled or fried eggs!

First off, cook a slice of bacon for each "tomato stack" you intend to make.  We cooked three pieces because my wife only wanted one egg.  I, obviously, wanted two!  Cook any way you want, and sit aside until the eggs are ready.

I'm not going to complicate this by listing a lot of ingredients, suffice it to say it's too simple! 

On a slightly greased baking sheet, place a large sliced (the book recommends 1/2" slices) tomato; one for each slice of bacon you intend to have.  Drizzle each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and broil for 3 to 4 minutes (until lightly brown).

Place the slices on a plate, crisscross each with a piece of bacon, and move on to the eggs.

The hard part may be in preparing the poached eggs, but it involves gently putting eggs into 2" of water that contains 3 tablespoons of white vinegar.  You will note that my water was dark in color, but I used apple cider vinegar because that's all I had.  However, it worked fine! 

Cook the eggs until they have the consistency you prefer...mine tend to be runny, but you can judge for yourself.

Place an egg (using a slotted spoon and dry under the spoon before moving over the tomatoes) on each of the slices. 

Season with salt and pepper (use some chives if you want).  Enjoy!