Behind the Blogger: The Return of Greenlee Gazette (for the Last Time, Again. . .)!

Though I've slowed down gradually over the last several years, it's only been since the Christmas and New Year's holiday season that Greenlee Gazette has really hit an iceberg and become a derelict craft of a blog. Bobbing around in the ocean, looking for all the world as though it's going under. And who could blame me if it did?

I've been captaining this ship for close to eight years, sometimes accompanied by a poo-flinging ship's chaplain (thanks for stirring me, Rev. Stu'!). And in that time, I've logged thousands of entries, and thousands of hours of unpaid blog-mastering. Though it's a hobby I greatly enjoy, it can be a slog. And some of my favorite bloggers--much more successful ones too, mind you--are actually throwing in the towel this year. Is blogging even still a thing? I'd argue it is, it's just more fractured than it used to be. For all of the social media we have these days, it still largely links to destination sites, and I enjoy being one of those destinations.

Chez Greenlee

But as I've said a few times here, getting back into the habit is difficult. It's kind of like trying to jump back onto a diet, when your schedule is all out of whack. And this past two weeks spanned a time when I was in transition between my parents' rural, snowed-in, remote house and my new suburban one. Now, finally, we're really in, with the bulk of the living space at least partially finished. Staple goods are re-stocked. Utilities are settled, appliances and electronics mostly placed. We've got some blank spaces and some place-holder furniture, and other assorted things to do, but at last, none of it really feels pressing.

The Other Half goes off on another extended work jaunt tomorrow, and my goal is to jump-start the blog--again--along with the diet! So, wish me luck! With all that is going on in the news, getting a few posts up should be no problem, and I'm itching to add my two cents.

For tonight, I'm staring down a 4 am call to get TOH to the airport, so it's early-to-bed. See you back here for the re-booted blog on Monday morning. Promise!

--Ed.

Another Low Carb Pizza, Plus Focaccia!

My latest pizza with golden flaxseed.  Oh, and
I put sesame seeds around the edge. Click to embiggen.

Today, while out shopping, I decided to buy a bag of golden flaxseed meal, from Bob's Red Mill.  I've used a lot of flaxseed meal since I started my most recent go-around with the Atkins Diet, but never the golden. Flax as a baking material is borderline passable.  You can make muffins that are adequate and breads that are functional. Notice, I didn't say delicious. Flax has a strong, but not unpleasant taste, so flavorings like garlic or chocolate have difficulty breaking through. When I've made pumpkin muffins, for instance, I've had to double the amount of spices I might put in a pumpkin pie. And they still taste of flax.

All of that said, I've come to enjoy products made with flax. Like I said, they're not unpleasant, they're just not delicious. So I decided to try the golden flax meal this time, to see if the flavor is better. You know what? It is. It's better. It's still flax, but it's better. So, if you try the recipe below, keep in mind that golden flax looks more like real pizza crust, and tastes a little milder than brown flax. I should note: this pizza does taste better as a leftover, I've found, than it does on the first day. I don't know why.

Re-reading this, I think I've heaped a little too much warning onto this recipe, as though you'll barely be able to stomach this pizza. Not true! It's actually quite good, especially if you're stuck in Atkins, and desperately want some pizza! The crust will not fool you, but neither will it terrify you!

LOW CARB FLAXSEED CRUST PIZZA

Brown Flax Crust. Click to embiggen.

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 C flax seed meal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Sweetener to equal about 1 Tablespoon of sugar
• 3 Tablespoons of oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 C water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

1. Mix dry ingredients together.
2. Add wet ingredients, and mix very well.
3. Let sit for about 5 minutes to thicken.
4. Spread on pan (I put it on a silicon mat or greased parchment paper).
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes until cooked through, then add toppings* and cook until they are done.

Nutritional Analysis: Whole crust has 7 grams of effective carbohydrate, plus 52 grams fiber, 47 grams protein, 130 grams healthy fat, and 1525 calories.

SOURCE: About.com

*My toppings included Kroger pizza sauce (not too much, just enough to spread around), pepperoni (two layers!), plenty of shredded mozzarella, a little shredded sharp cheddar, some shredded ham, crumbled bacon and more pepperoncini slices. My cook time after adding the toppings was about 15 minutes, with the convection on.

LOW CARB FLAXSEED FOCACCIA BREAD

Ingredients:

My focaccia, sliced & plated.  Also using the golden flax.
Click to embiggen.

• 2 cups flax seed meal
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
• 5 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.

2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)

4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.

Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.

SOURCE: About.com

Note: I put some sharp cheddar on top, and stirred in some garlic powder, to make this more interesting.

Awesome Low Carb Recipe: Beef Fried Rice (Cauliflower)

This is probably my fifth time around on the Atkins Diet.  And as it is every time I actually stick to it,* it is working. I've lost 15 pounds in five weeks. As usual, I lost five pounds the first week, five the second, and then it took three weeks for the next 5. It could take three more to see a full 20, which is my goal.**  But I'll get there for sure, because this time around, I'm getting very creative.

Ranchburgers

I already know many of the tricks:

- Pepperoni, olives, pickles, cheeses, boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, low-sugar beef jerky, almonds and pumpkin seeds all make great snacks, in moderation.
- Soups that are low-carb ready are easy to make and hard to goof up (see hamburger and chicken soup recipes).
- Low-carb variations of pizzas, tuna melts and my obscure favorite, school cafeteria ranchburgers can be made using low-carb tortillas and breads that are much tastier than in the early days of Atkins.
- These and many other tips are covered here.

Cheesy Baked Fauxtatoes

I've started getting creative this go-around. I'd already made "mashed fauxtatoes" out of cauliflower (which is steamed and mashed cauliflower with butter, garlic, and whatever spices make you happy), and it's okay. But not great. I wanted some recipes that were either good or near great. I'm not expecting the world here, but I very nearly got it with my Cheesy Baked Fauxtatoes. I've already run the recipe twice, I'm so in love with it.

But you know how it is. I wanted more. I've experimented with radishes (fried, with onions and bacon). Passable, not terrific. I've experimented with flax seed meal, to pretty great effect. Flax seed bread is so much better than soy flour breads. I've tried it with garlic and cheese, but I haven't improved that one enough to share yet. So I went back to cauliflower. What if I grated it into a rice-like consistency, and tried to make a Asian-type dish with it?

It's awesome.

Beef Fried Faux Rice & Stir Fry
Click to embiggen.

Low-Carb Beef Faux Fried Rice

Small/medium cauliflower head
Soy sauce
1/2-package of Steak-Ums (or other meat)
Chopped onions (or green onion or chives or shallots)
Garlic
2 eggs
Olive oil

Use food processor or cheese grater to reduce cauliflower head to rice-sized pieces. Set aside.

Beat two eggs in a bowl. Set aside.

Pour some olive oil in a big, flat skillet, and get it hot. Toss in whatever onions you like, and some garlic. I just put a dash of this and that, whatever seems like it would be good. Toss in the Steak-um product (chopped up), or chunks of chicken or pork, or whatever meat you want to use. Just about anything would work. Stir it around for a few minutes until meat is cooked. Drain.

Stir in cauliflower. Keep the fire hot, stirring a lot. When it looks like it's starting to brown, sprinkle in however much soy sauce you want. Scoot the mixture to one side of the skillet, then pour the eggs onto the empty side. Scramble the eggs, and then stir together with the "rice" mixture. You can continue to cook if you think it's necessary. Give it a taste, you decide.

I also put oil in a second skillet at the same time, and did some stir-fry vegetables, also with some soy sauce. It was awesome. Did it taste or feel exactly like rice? No. Did it taste like cauliflower? No. But was it even a hint of "Atkins blah?" No. It's very, very good. When taking my finished bowl back to the kitchen, I actually picked around the skillet for more morsels.

I should note that this recipe is cobbled from several I read online. It doesn't crib from any one in particular. And I added my own touches. Feel free to take mine, and do what you want with it!


* And by stick to it, I mean that I do the 20 grams of carbs induction phase, move to the slightly more carbs second phase, and if my weight plateaus, I schedule a "cheat day," and then go right back on induction. This works. 


** While a total of 20 pounds lost would be great, and puts me in the "normal" range, it also puts me at 160 pounds--my 30-year-old self's fat weight. If I could get my 5-8½" body down to 155, 150, dare I say it, 145 or below? That would be awesome to do without a major illness! But 160 or slightly less would be a victory.

Best Low Carb Recipe EVER: Cheesy Cauliflower Faux Potato Bake (Revised)

It's only been a couple of weeks since I originally posted the following recipe, but I feel the need to repeat it. And scream and shout about how good this recipe is. It's amazing. It's awesome. I've made it four times. I haven't been without it for more than a few hours since I first made it.

I've tweaked the recipe slightly from the first time. For instance, you can add a little green onion or french onion chip dip if you have it. You can add whatever spices you like with au gratin or scalloped potatoes. And the more you mash the cauliflower, the better. The goal is to make this into something that even a cauliflower hater would eat.



BAKED CHEESY MASHED FAUXTATOES

1 large head of cauliflower
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2-cup sour cream
1/4-cup grated Parmesan
Bacon bits (real ones!)
Chopped green onion, chives or sauteed white onions (to taste)
1 cup grated cheddar
 Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic (optional)
Dollop heavy whipping cream (optional)

(Extra butter, cream cheese, sour cream, whipping cream, Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, and bacon will only make this better. Use your own discretion.)

Steam cauliflower until it is soft and mushy. Mash it. Put butter and cream cheese into mixing bowl. Put hot mashed cauliflower in bowl to melt the butter and cream cheese. Put in all other ingredients except for cheddar (and save a little bacon for later), and stir it all up. Put the mixture into an 8" x 8" baking pan. Sprinkle shredded cheddar on top, along with some of the bacon. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.


I found this at (of all places) a body building site. But who cares, it's great!

Source: forum.bodybuilding.com
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