Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

Summers on the way - and entertaining doesn't have to be high carb!

If you're anything like me, summer nights mean endless BBQs, wine and cheese under the night sky and sharing a grazing platter with friends. Without a doubt food brings people together - but for some of us it can become a challenge to keep ourselves on track. The next thing you know, the 1st of Jan rolls around and we're making unrealistic promises to ourselves out of guilt.

I'm determined to create a platform to show you that you don't need to break your keto or low carb cycle, even over Christmas and the holiday season.

Last summer, we made a bread dip that was an absolute hit with our friends. With one minor change, I've made it keto - but what would I do for the bread? Crackers just don't hit the same, and I'm not interested in any seedy bread!

So I present to you this olive and rosemary focaccia recipe - best served with our Keto approved feta, pistachio and honey dip which you can find here!

Ingredients:

Almond Flour: I've recently noticed Countdown has labelled theirs "Almond Meal" - Almond flour is blanched almonds whizzed into a fine crumb, almond meal is coarsely ground with the skin on - In this case, the Countdown brand is fine to use as it probably should be almond "flour"!

Baking powder + soda: Our rising agents!

Coconut flour: Giving us a wee break from everything almond - but also giving a bread like texture.

Cream cheese and Mozzarella: The two big guns in typical fat head doughs, any brand will do but you need to make sure your mozzarella is low moisture (Basically don't use mozzarella in water)

Eggs: Providing flavouring and levelling!

Unsweetened natural yoghurt: Yoghurt works well with baking soda - helping baked goods get light and fluffy while also keeping breads from drying out too quickly.

Olives, fresh rosemary, olive oil: Our choice of toppings for this bread - however the world is your oyster so feel free to get creative!

We begin this recipe by mixing together the almond flour, coconut flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, add cream cheese and mozzarella and microwave for 1 second increments, stirring in between until melted and incorporated.

In a food processor, add melted cheeses, dry ingredients, egg and yoghurt, and blend until combined.

Remove the blade from the food processor. Grease your hands with oil and using a spatula, remove the dough from the food processor and form a ball in your hands.

Place the dough on a lined baking sheet and spread to about 1/2 inch and into your desired shape - if you want a thicker bread, adjust accordingly.

Make your focaccia look authentic by pressing dimples into the dough with your fingers.

Brush olive oil over the dough with a pastry brush, and add your toppings such as chopped olives, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper.

Bake at 200C conventional for 11-13 minutes - Keep an eye on it close to finishing for your desired 'golden' appearance.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Slice into your desired pieces and serve around a bowl of dip!

Olive and Rosemary Focaccia

Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

130g Almond Flour

20g Coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

57g cream cheese

177g mozzarella, shredded

1 egg

2 tablespoons unsweetened natural yoghurt

Optional toppings:

Olive oil

Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Black olives, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C conventional.

2. In a bowl, mix together almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. In a microwave safe bowl, add cream cheese and mozzarella together and microwave for 1 minute increments, stirring in-between, until melted and combined.

4. Add melted cheese to a food processor along with the dry ingredients, the egg and yoghurt. Mix until incorporated.

5. Remove blade from the food processor and grease your hands with oil.

6. Using a spatula, remove the dough from the food processor and form a ball with your hands.

7. Place dough on a lined baking tray and spread to 1/2 thick or more and your desired shape.

8. Poke dimples into the dough with your fingers.

9. Brush olive oil over the bread with a pastry brush and add your toppings.

10. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

11. Slice and serve with a keto bread dip!

1 serving based off 4 serves without dip:

Net carbs: 6g Protein: 19g: Fat: 33g

Have you made this recipe?

Let us know by tagging us on our Instagram! @ohmygoodness_nz

Creamy Chicken with Mustard Thyme Sauce

Week night dinners don't have to be difficult with this easy creamy chicken with mustard thyme sauce!

Calling all mustard lovers - This ones for you!

Juicy chicken thighs cooked in a creamy mustard and thyme sauce with white wine, mushrooms, garlic, a hint of lemon and with a side of greens.

We start this recipe with marinating the chicken in olive oil, lemon juice, fresh thyme, cracked pepper, sea salt and garlic, and finish by sautéing mushrooms and garlic, deglazing with white wine and simmering in a mustard and cream sauce.

In a bowl, combine chicken thighs, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and thyme, and stir to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes or in the fridge over night.

While your chicken marinates, slice your mushrooms, crush and finely chop garlic and prep your greens for the steamer.

Preheat a fry pan on a medium heat, and add your chicken with the marinade. You do not need to pre-oil your pan, as the chicken is already coated in olive oil!

Fry off until the chicken starts to brown, then remove to a separate bowl. Leave the remaining marinade in the pan for the next step.

I'm a firm believer in a recipe that calls for one clove of garlic, you add three - so I've gone ahead and added the amount of garlic I like, so if you want less or more, go for it!

Add garlic and mushrooms to the pan with the leftover marinade and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened.

Add wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes until the wine starts to reduce down.

Lower the heat down to medium low and add in the mustard, stirring to combine. Follow with the cream. Add the chicken thighs back to the pan and allow to simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, turning half way though. (Please note: if you chose to make this with bone in chicken, you will need additional time to cook, covered.)

Cook or steam your vegetables during this time, we chose to have steamed brocollini!

After about 10 minutes, the sauce will have started to thicken, and the chicken cooked though. Its always a good idea to check though, so slice into your chicken and if the juices run clear, you're good to go!

Serve the chicken topped with the mushrooms, sauce, fresh thyme sprinkled on top and greens on the side. Bon Appetit!

Creamy Chicken with Mustard Thyme Sauce

Serves 2-4

Marinade:

500g Chicken Thighs, boneless

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Cracked pepper and sea salt

Sauce:

200g mushrooms, sliced

187ml white wine

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

60ml heavy whipping cream

3 cloves of garlic

Fresh thyme (to top at the end)

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add chicken, olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, garlic and salt and pepper. Coat chicken and put aside for at least 30 minutes, or covered in the fridge overnight.

2. Chop mushrooms and garlic and set aside.

3. Preheat a fry pan to a medium heat, and add the chicken with the marinade to the pan. Fry off on both sides until the chicken starts to brown, then remove to a separate bowl, leaving the leftover marinade in the pan.

4. Add garlic and mushrooms, stirring until softened.

5. Pour in the wine and stir to deglaze the pan, allow to simmer for 5 minutes until the wine has reduced down.

6. Turn the temperature down to medium-low, add mustard and cream and stir to combine.

7. Return the chicken back to the pan and simmer uncovered for approximately 10 minutes, flipping half way until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked though.

8. Prep your greens or additional vegetables during this time.

9. Serve the chicken topped with mushrooms and sauce, a sprinkle of fresh thyme and alongside the greens.

1 Serving based off 2 (Greens not included):

Net Carbs: 5 Protein: 49g Fat: 44g

1 Serving based off 4 (Greens not included):

Net Carbs: 3g Protein: 25g Fat: 22g

Have you made this recipe?

Let us know by tagging us on our Instagram! @ohmygoodness_nz

Pecan and Chocolate Chip Blondies

Chewy, crunchy and rather addictive, these blondies are a little slice of heaven!

I've actually never made blondies before - So jumping into keto blondies was area of baking I wasn't confident in, but after a bit of research I discovered blondies are the cousin of our humble brownie, basically minus the cocoa!

Attempt no.1 was a complete fail, way too sweet and nearly knocked me off my feet! But after a few recipe tweaks my second attempt came out as the winner - which I'm thankful for as almond flour is not exactly cheap!

These blondies are awesome - they have this chewy texture, but are soft and crunchy and taste similar to a chocolate chip cookie. I'm a firm believer in slightly under baked brownies, so this rule absolutely applies to these too!

We also tried these for dessert with some Wahiki Ice cream and Natvia Caramel Sauce and it was amazing!

So lets talk about ingredients.

Butter: I used salted butter, if you don't have salted butter on hand, add 1/2 a teaspoon to this recipe.

Egg: Gives us our structure and helps bind gluten free flours together.

Vanilla: I used vanilla paste for this, but you can use essence or extract!

Brown sugar substitute: the brand I've used is Sweet NZ Golden Brown Sweetener and gave the blondies its chewy texture and caramel taste.

Xanthan gum: Another binder for gluten free baking!

Almond Flour and Coconut flour mix: I don't always like the texture of almond flour in baking, so I added a wee bit of coconut flour for a more cookie texture - Coconut flour is very absorbent so helps the batter from being too wet.

Baking Powder: We want our blondies to rise!

Pecans and chocolate chips: These were my choice of 'extras', I have also tried walnuts and white chocolate chips but the pecan/chocolate chip combo is my preference. Feel free to experiment with your own choice! The type of chocolate chips I used was the Healtheries Milk Chocolate Baking Bits - Which I found at Countdown!

Lindt 90% Chocolate: I used a few squares broken up and pushed them into the blondie before baking, I love how this chocolate melts but doesn't set as quickly, for those Instagram worthy photos!

Preheat the oven to 170C conventional, and line a 8x8 inch square tin with baking paper.

Mix together almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and xanthan gum in a small bowl.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and whisk together with the sweetener until combined. Add vanilla and egg, and mix until it starts to thicken.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, add in your dry ingredients and mix until combined, the mixture will start to resemble a dough.

Add in your chocolate chips and pecans, and gently fold to combine. Transfer the batter to your prepared tray, and flatten out using a spoon. The choice is yours, but I recommend pushing in chunks of chocolate into the top for more finesse!

Tip: If your batter is sticking to your spoon, run the back of your spoon under hot water.

Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the blondie turns golden and a fork comes out clean or with a few crumbs on it.

Now comes the waiting game - Leave the blondie in the tin to cool down, this takes time! If you remove it too soon, it may break apart - so let it cool and firm up!

Pecan and Chocolate Chip Blondies

Serves 9

Ingredients:

80g Almond Flour

20g Coconut Flour

1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum

75g Brown Sugar Substitute

115g butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

40g pecans, chopped

100g Milk Chocolate Baking Bits

3 squares Lindt 90% Chocolates

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170C conventional, and line a 8x8 square baking tin with baking paper.

2. In a bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder and xanthan gum.

3. In a mixing bowl, add melted butter and brown sugar substitute. Whisk to combine.

4. Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and continue to whisk until thickened.

5. Add in dry ingredients and mix to combine with a wooden spoon or spatula until a dough starts to form.

6. Fold in pecans and chocolate chips, and transfer to baking tray.

7. Flatten out with a spoon and press chunks of chocolate into the top.

8. Baking for 25 minutes, until blondie is golden and a skewer comes out clean or with a few crumbs.

9. Allow to cool in tin for about 30 minutes before transferring to a cooling tray, then cut into 9 squares.

Per serve:

Net Carbs: 3 Protein: 5g Fat: 24g

Have you made this recipe?

Let us know by tagging us on our Instagram! @ohmygoodness_nz