These are easily the cutest little things I’ve ever made. And while you might be thinking that these would be great desserts for a fancy dinner party (and they absolutely would be, don’t get me wrong), I actually made them for breakfasts. You know, sometimes, I just get sick of eggs, and sweet stuff for breakfast is always fun. What you end up getting with these is a lovely sweet and tart, dense and creamy cheesecake, with a topping that almost turns to jelly after it’s refrigerated, and a nice hint of savory with the pine nuts and basil. And thanks to the sous vide, they’re perfectly cooked all the way through.
So let’s start with this sous vide thing. It literally translates to “under vacuum,” and it’s one of the coolest cooking processes ever. Keep an eye on this blog, as I’ll frequently post a good sous vide recipe.
I always joke that my sous vide carnitas are why I’m married, because I swear they made my husband fall in love with me. But I digress. The general premise behind sous vide cooking is that you cook your food in a vacuum sealed container in a water bath that is maintained at the same temperature throughout the cook. What this means is that you don’t have parts of the food that are overcooked or undercooked. It’s great for meats, and you can do some really fun egg dishes, custards, and the like. You’ll need a special apparatus to do it, though. I use the Sous Vide Supreme Demi, because I got it several years ago for a gift. It’s a tank, so I highly recommend it. But if you’re not willing to plop down that much money on a kitchen device, I have several friends who swear by the Anova.
You’ll also need some small lidded jars for this one. I prefer the ones with the two-part metal lids, because they’re less likely to leak. I use Ball jars, but there are tons of brands out there. Make sure you have 8 of them, with lids.
Okay, now that the equipment is covered, we can get to the actual recipe. First off, put the water in your sous vide and set it for 175 degrees Fahrenheit (about 80 Celsius). Check to make sure that the water level will come up just to the level of the top of the jar lids without covering them. Don’t be a dummy like me and forget about the concept of water displacement and have to use a ladle to scoop some out, too.
While the sous vide is heating up, start the ingredients. Since the compote requires cooking and cooling, you’ll want to start that first. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine a pint of blueberries, a tablespoon of granulated Swerve, six tablespoons of water, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Chop 8 medium-sized basil leaves and put those aside. Heat that up, stirring occasionally, until the skins of the blueberries begin to pop and the liquid starts to boil. At this point, add the basil and continue stirring occasionally until the most of the blueberries have popped and the liquid turns deep purple and begins to thicken. At that point, let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring, then stir one remaining time and remove it from the heat. If you want, you can strain it through a fine-mesh strainer, but I like the texture as is.
Right after adding the basil.
The few minutes that the blueberry compote is boiling should be enough time to make the cheesecake batter. First, in a large mixing bowl, combine two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese with 1/2 cup of granular Swerve and about 3/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt. Use a hand mixer to blend it, scraping down the sides as you go. Add 3 large eggs and a teaspoon and a half of lemon juice, then mix again. Finally, add 1/4 cup each of heavy cream and sour cream, then mix until it’s completely smooth. You don’t want any cottage-cheesy looking chunks in there! Pour the cheesecake mixture into the jars, making sure to not overfill, since it will expand a bit. I was careful to not fill mine past the bottom rim of the lids. Don’t put the blueberry compote in there yet. Put the lids on, but not too tight, as they might explode if too much pressure builds up. This is why you don’t want the water to come over the top of the lids.
The filled jars, ready to go into the sous vide.
Carefully rest the jars in the sous vide and let them sit for 90 minutes, then remove using kitchen tongs because the water is HOT. Let them sit on the counter until they’re comfortable to touch, then open the lids and add two teaspoons of the blueberry compote to the top of each jar. You’ll have some left over. I’ll be making Monte Cristo sandwiches with the rest of mine next week. It would probably also be good over some grilled chicken with crumbled goat cheese. Once all the jars are topped, you can sprinkle on some toasted pine nuts if you’d like, or some other chopped nuts. I think macadamias or walnuts would be good. Pecans would probably be too sweet. Put the jars in the refrigerator until they’re chilled all the way through. I did mine overnight, because I was eating them for breakfast, but I totally won’t judge if you choose to have them for dessert instead.
Individual Sous Vide Cheesecakes with Blueberry-Basil Compote
An elegant dessert for your keto guests. Or, you know, breakfast. For you.
To make the compote, combine the blueberries, Swerve, water, and lemon juice in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries begin to pop and the liquid boils. Add the basil, stirring occasionally, until most of the blueberries have reduced and the liquid begins to thicken. Simmer without stirring for another five minutes, then stir again, remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
Prepare your sous vide water bath, making sure that the water will not cover the jar lids. Set it for 175 degrees Fahrenheit (80 Celsius).
In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend the cream cheese, Swerve, and salt. Add the eggs and lemon juice and blend some more, then finally add the sour cream and heavy cream and blend until it's completely smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Fill each jar with the cheesecake batter to the bottom of the lid line. Seal the jars loosely using your fingertips instead of your whole hand, and carefully place in the water bath. Leave them undisturbed in the water bath for 90 minutes, then remove with tongs and leave on the counter to cool.
Once the jars have cooled to a temperature where you can handle them, remove the lids and add enough compote to cover the top of each, about 2 teaspoons. If desired, sprinkle with toasted nuts. Place the lids back on and put in the refrigerator to cool. Serve fully chilled.
Macros for each serving, counting using half of the coulis: 239 calories, 7 grams net carbs, 7 grams protein, 20 grams fat.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
Sometimes you make things that just aren’t all that photogenic. I try to beautify things as much as possible without going too far into staging, but there are times when this is a bit of a Sisyphean effort. This particular recipe is one of those times. It’s sloppy and unkempt, like the culinary equivalent of a hung-over businessman showing up to work on Monday with his shirt half-untucked and his tie askew. You know what I mean. Or maybe you don’t, and this is just me making use of my English major. The good news is that it’s easy and tastes good, and while I can’t figure out a way to appropriately extend that metaphor, what I can do is make food that’s yummy and that you’ll eat. Plus, it’s a fat bomb of a meal, which is nice.
Start with two packages of smoked sausage, the pre-cooked U-shaped variety that you can get at the grocery store. We’re not going fancy here today. Make sure to check the label, because some varieties might have hidden carbs. Slice them on the bias, approximately as thick as your index finger. In a large Dutch oven or similar, over medium-high heat, brown them until they’re nice and crispy on each side, then remove them and put them in a bowl. Into the same Dutch oven, dump a 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded coleslaw (just the cabbage and carrots, NOT the prepared kind!) and pour over 1/2 cup of chicken broth. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the chicken broth has evaporated. Break up or cube 4 ounces of cream cheese and stir it into the cabbage, allowing it to begin to melt. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of a spicy mustard. I used the Dijon from Trader Joe’s because it has a nice strong horseradish kick to it, but spicy brown or stadium-style mustard would also work. Just don’t use the yellow mustard, because it tastes more like vinegar than anything else. Stir it around until it’s all melted together, then throw the sausage back in and let it warm back up while the sauce thickens. Once it’s thickened, taste it for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. I added 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but I like things REALLY salty, so you might want to add less. The more pepper the better, though.
This one is a bit high in calories. If you can’t eat that much, just do a single package of sausage. It’ll cut the calories considerably. Otherwise, enjoy your lunch for the week. It’ll get you to dinner without feeling the least bit hungry. This would be a great recipe for IFers, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Smoked Sausage with Mustard Creamed Cabbage
A quick and easy meal-prep recipe that's great for intermittent fasters.
Slice the sausage into approximately 3/4 inch thick pieces. Fry them in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until they're crispy and browned on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Empty the bag of coleslaw into the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the chicken broth into the pot and cook until the broth is mostly gone. Add the cream cheese in chunks and stir until they begin to melt, then add the cream and mustard. Stir until the cream cheese is completely melted, then add the sausage back into the pot and simmer until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve or put into meal-prep containers.
Macros per serving: 677 calories, 5 grams net carbs, 25 grams protein, 59 grams fat.
Keyword keto, low carb, make ahead, meal prep, pork, sausage
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
A great keto substitute for potatoes is daikon radish, and in this breakfast recipe, you’ll learn how to make a veggie hash with it. Top with scrambled or poached eggs for a wonderful vegetarian keto breakfast!
This is one of those recipes where I knew I was going to have a busy day and would get home late, so I needed something I could just throw together relatively quickly. This is a very quick chicken salad that you can make in a matter of 20 minutes or so, even faster if you have the chicken pre-cooked and ready to go. And it tastes like sunshine. It’s hard to explain until you try it. You could take this to a potluck or a picnic and people will think you slaved over it. Your secret is safe with me. Also, you get a bonus recipe for a seasoning that will quickly become your go-to for any grilled meat.
We’ll start off with the recipe for the Green Stuff. I’m sure it has a name in Portuguese, but my family always just called it the Green Stuff, so that’s what it is. When my great-aunt came from Rio to visit my grandfather, the first thing she’d do is make a batch of the Green Stuff, because she puts it in and on almost everything she cooks. It keeps for a couple of years as long as you keep it refrigerated, because it’s full of salt. A little goes a long way with it, too. The recipe makes enough that you can give away a little bit to a friend. Every time I make it, I end up with a big Mason jar for me and a smaller one for a friend, and sometimes a bit of overflow as well.
You’ll need a food processor for this one. Cut three large white onions into chunks, peel an entire head of garlic, and wash a bunch of flat-leaf parsley (basically what you get when you buy parsley by itself in the grocery store, not the clamshell containers), and a bunch of chives. For that one, the clamshell container is fine. Put them all in the food processor and process until it’s a smooth liquid. Make sure you push down the sides so that it all gets blended. You don’t want chunks in this.
Pour the contents of the food processor into a large bowl and begin adding Kosher salt and stirring. I don’t know exactly how much salt to add, because it depends on how much moisture was in the onions. It’s a texture thing. You want this to be the consistency of wet sand, the kind you could make a sand castle with it if you want to. If it doesn’t hold its own shape, add more salt. You’ll want at least two cups to start with, and you’ll almost certainly end up adding more. Once you get that nice sand castle texture, scoop it into Mason jars and refrigerate immediately. This is great for burgers, steaks, pork chops, and even shrimp. About the only thing I wouldn’t put it on is fish, because the taste can be a little strong. But if you do and it works, let me know!
For the chicken salad, you’ll want to rub the chicken with the Green Stuff. Use about a half teaspoon per chicken breast, a little more if you’re like me and are addicted to salt. Make sure to get both sides. Heat up a grill or a grill pan to medium-high and grill the chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until they’re cooked all the way through and have nice grill marks. Chop them into small chunks, put them in a bowl, and put the bowl into the refrigerator.
While the chicken chills, finely dice onion and celery until you have 1/4 cup of each. Red onion is a good addition here, but yellow or white would be just fine. If you want, add some chopped walnuts as well. This is completely optional, but I did this when I made a bulk version of this for the 4th of July, and it was definitely nice to get a bit more crunch. Toss those in with the chicken, and add 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise, along with the zest of one lemon. I use a microplane zester. It’s a nice addition to your kitchen tools, because it’s much easier to get the zest out than it is when you use the fine side of a box grater. Once you finish grating the lemon into the bowl, add white pepper to taste and stir to combine everything.
I served this in a NuCo coconut wrap with some lettuce leaves. I like the coconut wraps for sandwiches like this, where the combination of sweet, salty, and savory works. If I need a quick bite, I’ll often make one with ham, brie, and my low-carb honey mustard dressing. I would not try to make a Reuben wrap with one of these, though. And if you don’t like coconut, don’t even bother trying them. Just make your favorite wrap or low-carb bread to serve it on.
Lemony Grilled Chicken Salad
A bright and flavorful chicken salad perfect for a summer picnic.
Rub the chicken with the Green Stuff. Grill over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side, until cooked through. Chop the chicken into small pieces and put into a bowl. Refrigerate the chicken while you work on the other ingredients.
Finely chop the celery and onion. Sprinkle them, along with the optional walnuts, into the bowl with the chicken, which should be lukewarm by now. Add the mayonnaise and zest the lemon directly into the bowl. Grind white pepper into the bowl to taste. Stir and serve in a wrap, on low-carb bread, or over salad greens.
Macros per serving, without the walnuts: 264 calories, 1 gram net carbs, 25 grams protein, 19 grams fat.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Any embedded link to a product earns me a portion of the purchase price if you click and buy it.
Recent Comments