*BOBOTIE*

BOBOTIE
Introduced to South Africa by the Cape Malays, this Indonesian curried meat loaf is to South Africa what Moussaka is to Greece and Lasagne is to Italy. Traditionally, Bobotie is served with yellow rice (add turmeric), chutney and banana slices dipped in milk.

2 rye crisp breads, OR
2 slices low-carb bread
2/3 cup half-and-half cream (150 mL)
2 lbs ground lamb, OR (0.9 kg)
lean ground beef
1 cup diced onion (250 mL)
1 tbsp curry powder (15 mL)
2 tsp salt (10 mL)
11/2 tsp ground turmeric (7 mL)
1/2 tsp black pepper (2 mL)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, (50 mL)
(optional)
2 tbsp seedless raisins, (25 mL)
snipped in half
2 tbsp SPLENDA® Granular (25 mL)
1 tbsp lemon juice (15 mL)
4 eggs
4 bay leaves, (optional)

In small bowl, break rye crisp breads or low-carb bread in pieces and soak in half-and-half cream. Set aside. In large skillet, fry ground lamb or beef and onion, until meat is browned. Pour off fat. Stir in curry powder, salt, turmeric and black pepper. Over small bowl, strain crisp bread and cream mixture; set aside cream. Stir softened crisp bread or low-carb bread, almonds (if using), raisins, SPLENDA® Granular, lemon juice and 2 eggs into meat mixture until well combined.

Turn into 2 quart (2 L) casserole dish and press down firmly. Stick bay leaves in upright position in top of meatloaf. Bake uncovered in 350°F (180°C) oven 20 minutes. In small bowl, beat remaining eggs and leftover cream together; pour over meatloaf. Cover and bake another 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

Nutritional Analysis: Yield 10 servings:
1 serving: 269.7 calories; 20.5 g protein; 17.5 g fat; 5.7 g carbs

It is true - I love to bake, BUT...

This blog is baking and dessert heavy is the conclusion I have come to recently. I think I will now concentrate on also providing some tasty meals. Although my first love is baking, I recognize that desserts and sweet treats have their place in the low-carbing lifestyle, but the emphasis should be more on whole foods and regular meals. Then again, baking low-carb is a bit of an art form, and a bit more difficult than regular baking, so I wanted to fill that niche in our own lives and in the lives of others.

So, look forward to seeing some other recipes on my blog, besides desserts, candies and baking - and the usual article here or there. I really do this blog rather low-key and that makes it enjoyable and less stressful for me. I have many interests and other responsibilities and, therefore, I have to balance my time wisely.

Have a great low-carbing day!

Jennifer

*CREAM CHEESE GINGERBREAD MUFFINS*

CREAM CHEESE GINGERBREAD MUFFINS
These muffins are light and cakey in texture. They do become dense upon chilling, however, they are best served at room temperature.

Carolyn of "All Day I dream about Food" made a variation of these.  I also have a variation, Bananaless Banana Muffins in Splendid Low-Carbing for Life, Volume 1 - original brainchild of Kevin A. Sapp.  This variation uses the whey protein for a gluten-free version same as what Carolyn did.  I don't recall mine dipping in the center, but maybe they were a little flatter compared to the ones using vital wheat gluten.  I would think so, but my memory is not serving me well.  Baking can be so finicky at times and as Carolyn said, she suspects her baking pan was the problem. I think it was also perhaps using whey instead of vital wheat gluten in this particular Gingerbread muffin version of Kevin's recipe.  If you are gluten-free and can have oat flour, I'd be inclined to use oat flour instead of the whey protein.

8 oz cream cheese, softened (250 g)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups ground almonds (375 mL)
1/3 cup vital wheat gluten, OR vanilla whey protein for gluten-free (75 mL)
1/4 cup SPLENDA® Granular (25 mL)
1/4 cup powdered erythritol (25 mL)
1/4 cup Da Vinci® Sugar Free (50 mL)
Gingerbread Syrup
1 tbsp olive oil (15 mL)
1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)
1 tsp cinnamon (5 mL)
1/2 tsp ground ginger (2 mL)
1/2 tsp ground cloves (2 mL)
1/2 tsp molasses (optional) (2 mL)
2 tsp baking powder (10 mL)
1/2 tsp baking soda (2 mL)

In food processor or in bowl with electric mixer, process cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs; process. Add ground almonds, vital wheat gluten, SPLENDA® Granular, erythritol, Da Vinci® Sugar Free Gingerbread Syrup, olive oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, molasses (if using), baking powder and baking soda; process until well combined and most lumps of cream cheese have been incorporated.

Fill 12 greased muffin cups about half to two-thirds full. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.

Da Vinci® Alternative: Use water and sweetener of choice to taste.

Nutritional Analysis: 12 mufffins, 1 muffin:
172.9 calories; 8.0 g protein; 14.0 g fat; 3.4 g carbs

*BANANALESS BANANA MUFFINS* (GF)

The recipe for these delicious, flourless muffins was given to me by a man who enjoys my cookbooks: Kevin A. Sapp of Cary, NC.  His sons love the muffins, as do my much older sons – actually, we all like them!

8 oz light, OR regular cream (250 g)

  cheese, softened

2 eggs

1¹/₃ cups ground almonds (325 mL)

¹/₂ cup SPLENDA^® Granular (125 mL)

¹/₃ cup vanilla whey protein (75 mL)

¹/₄ cup Da Vinci^® Sugar Free (50 mL)

  Banana Syrup

¹/₄ cup olive oil (50 mL)

1 tbsp whipping cream (15 mL)

2 tsp baking powder (10 mL)

¹/₂ tsp baking soda (2 mL)

1 tsp vanilla extract (5 mL)

1 tsp cinnamon (5 mL)

In food processor or in bowl with electric mixer, process cream cheese until smooth.  Add eggs, ground almonds, SPLENDA^® Granular, vanilla whey protein, Da Vinci^® Sugar Free Banana Syrup, olive oil, whipping cream, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla extract and cinnamon; process. 

Fill 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.

Variations:  Create-a-Flavor Muffin:  Use any appropriate flavor Da Vinci^® Sugar Free Syrup. Omit cinnamon, where it makes sense to leave it out. This muffin, using regular cream cheese, can actually be used on a “fat fast.”

Fruity Muffins:  Use Da Vinci^® Sugar Free Vanilla or French Vanilla Syrup and add 1 cup (250 mL) fruit such as blueberries (4.5 g Carbs), peaches (4.4 g Carbs) or raspberries (3.7 g Carbs).  You can try fruity flavors of Da Vinci^® Sugar Free Syrups to match the fruit, however, you could wind up with a very colorful muffin with some of them.  Children might actually enjoy that!

Banana Nut Muffins:  Add ³/₄ cup (175 mL) chopped, fresh walnuts or pecans.  (3.6 g Carbs)

Da Vinci^® Alternative:  Use water, ²/₃ cup (150 mL) SPLENDA^® Granular and 1 tsp (5 mL) banana extract instead of vanilla extract.  (3.4 g Carbs)

COCONUT CREAM PIE (GF)

COCONUT CREAM PIE
My 22-year old son, Jonathan, tried a piece and said, “That is not going to last long!” That is high praise coming from Jon ( he himself is a discerning baker in his spare time - of the higher carb kind), but even if I say so myself, this was really creamy-good – almost tastes like there is condensed milk in it! We did not even wait for it to be properly chilled and still it was amazingly yummy! Properly chilled it requires superlatives to describe it, I think.

Coconut Crust:
1 cup walnuts, ground (or use almonds)
¼ cup dessicated unsweetened coconut
¼ cup SPLENDA® Granular
1 tbsp powdered erythritol
2 tbsp coconut flour, OR oat flour
2 or 3 tbsp butter, melted
Filling:
12 oz cream cheese
3 eggs
½ cup powdered erythritol (Netrition.com)
1/3 cup classic coconut milk (I used Roland brand)
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp ThickenThin Not/Sugar (can use Not/Starch or Xanthan gum)
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp Splenda Quick Pack or equivalent

Coconut Crust: In food processor, grind walnuts or almonds with metal blade. Add coconut and grind again. Add SPLENDA® Granular, erythritol, coconut flour and butter; process. Using plastic wrap, press crust in 9-inch glass pie dish (no need to grease it). Bake in 325°F oven 10 minutes.

Filling: In food processor, process cream cheese until softened and well blended. Add eggs and process. Add erythritol, coconut milk, coconut oil, ThickenThin Not/Sugar (or equivalent), vanilla and Splenda (or equivalent); process, scraping bowl occasionally.

Pour filling over crust. Bake 30 minutes at 325°F.

Helpful Hints: It is possible to double the ingredients for the filling and place in a springform cheesecake pan and bake longer, but then the calories will be much more, of course. The brand of coconut milk that I used was creamy good – similar tasting to cream with a coconut flavor. One could potentially use 2 tbsp butter in the crust, as I used ¼ cup and that was a bit too much, although nice and rich tasting – so I figured 2 or 3 tbsp.

Nutritional Analysis: 12 servings, 1 serving with 3 tbsp butter in crust:
227.9 calories; 5.8 g protein; 21.5 g fat; 3.0 g carbs

10 servings, 1 serving:
273.5 calories; 7.0 g protein; 25.8 g fat; 3.7 g carbs

David Rohl

You may remember that I attended some thought provoking and excellently run lectures in Luxor back in March that were conducted by David Rohl. I didn't agree with everything he had to say but I hugely enjoyed the debate. Anyway at the time I was asked for a website and here it is www.DavidRohl.com

Convicted killer beheaded, put on display in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian officials beheaded and then publicly displayed the body of a convicted killer in Riyadh on Friday, an act that prompted a stiff denunciation by a leading human rights monitor.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said Ahmed Al-Shamlani Al-Anzi was sentenced to death and then "crucifixion" -- having his body displayed in public -- for the kidnapping and killing of an 11-year-old boy and for the killing of the boy's father, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

Amnesty International issued a statement deploring the punishment, with the group's Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui saying in a statement it is "horrific" that beheadings and crucifixions "still happen."

Even though the word "crucifixion" is used to describe the public display, the act has no connection to Christianity and the crucifixion of Jesus. The bodies are not displayed on crosses, Lamri Chirouf, who researches Saudi Arabian issues for Amnesty, explained.

The Saudi Interior Ministry asserted that Al-Anzi's body was displayed as a warning that those involved in similar crimes would suffer the same fate, the press agency reported.

The ministry said Al-Anzi kidnapped the boy and held him for a "malicious purpose" at a grocery store where he worked. He tied rope around the boy's neck and strangled him to death, the ministry said.

When the boy's father came to the store looking for his son, Al-Anzi axed the father repeatedly until the man died. When police came to arrest Al-Anzi, Al-Anzi resisted arrest by threatening them with a knife.

Police later discovered that Al-Anzi had been previously convicted of other crimes, including possession of pornographic videos and sodomy, the Interior Ministry said.

Chirouf, the Saudi Arabian researcher for Amnesty International, said his understanding of how the Saudi government carries out crucifixion jibed with Saudi Press Agency's account.

Government officials do use crucifixions, or public displays of executed bodies, as a tool to deter people from committing such a crime, he said.

This latest case was classified as an offense of rebellion, one that basically rejected all of the rules of religion and society, he said.

Chirouf said those crucified are beheaded first and then their heads are sewn back on their bodies. Then, the corpse is mounted on a pole or a tree.

The English-language Saudi Gazette newspaper said the body was placed on public display throughout the evening and Chirouf said it was his understanding that the body was to be displayed for a few hours.

In its denunciation of the punishment, Amnesty International deplored the "extensive use of the death penalty" in Saudi Arabia.

"King Abdullah should show true leadership and commute all death sentences if Saudi Arabia is to have any role to play as a global leader or member of the G-20," Sahraoui said.

The group asserts that "trial proceedings" in the country "fall far below international fair-trial standards."

"They usually take place behind closed doors without adequate legal representation. Convictions are often made on the basis of "confessions" obtained under duress, including torture or other ill-treatment during incommunicado detention," Amnesty International said.

"Those who are sentenced to death are often not informed of the progress of legal proceedings against them or of the date of execution until the morning when they are taken out and beheaded."

Amnesty International said there were 102 executions in Saudi Arabia in 2008 and is aware of 136 people believed to be awaiting execution. It says there has been "a high number of executions of migrant workers and other foreign nationals, in particular from Asia and Africa."

Al-Anzi was a Saudi national, said Chirouf -- who added "nobody knows how many people are on death row" in Saudi Arabia.

Source: CNN, May 31, 2009

200 executions in Texas under Rick Perry

On June 2, 2009, the 200th execution authorized by governor Rick Perry (pictured) will take place in Texas. Protests are scheduled from Huntsville to Paris to denounce the death penalty situation in the southern US state.

Terry Hankins is scheduled to be executed at the Huntsville, Texas penitentiary on June 2, 2009 at night.

Another killing by lethal injection, the execution will be the 200th approved by Rick Perry, who succeeded George W. Bush as governor of Texas.

Texas governors do not have the final word when it comes to executions. The law states that they can grant a 30-day stay on any execution warrant. But longer reprieves or commutations need to be approved by the Board of Pardons and Paroles [whose members are appointed by the governor and who do what the governor asks]. However, the governor can give the green light to an execution even if the Board recommended a stay or a commutation.

Within the limited scope of his powers, Rick Perry has always gone for the strictest application of capital punishment.

Number of death sentences halved in 5 years

Texas is thus the US state with the largest number of executions, although the number of death sentences has gone down by 50% in the last 5 years, in line with the national trend.

The current governor has also repeatedly defended Texas's death penalty system, despite its many flaws.

For example, strong arguments have been made that Texas wrongfully executed Cameron Willingham in 2004. His conviction was based on scientific evidence that was later proven to be inaccurate. This information was presented to Governor Perry before the scheduled execution but did not lead to a stay.

Other death row inmates were cleared before their execution when their innocence was proven. Yet Rick Perry insisted in January 2009: "By and large, we have a system that is fair, that works well, that is open to correcting errors that are made."

He has been rejecting the arguments put forward by international abolitionists, whom he likened to 17th-century European colonists in comments made in 2007.

Mentally ill inmates on death row

According to World Coalition member organization Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP), 12 inmates with strong claims of severe mental illness have been executed since 2001. Yet the US Supreme Court banned the execution of the mentally ill in a 2002 ruling.

TCADP and Amnesty International USA organized a special 200-minute vigil on April 30 and have released an organizing packet to help activists multiply activities on June 2. In addition, TCADP's international branch is calling a protest on June 3 at 6pm on Place de la Concorde in Paris, where the US embassy is located.

The organization also calls on citizens to write a letter of protest to the US ambassador in their country.

Source: World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, June 1, 2009