BANANA CINNAMON WAFFLES (Low Carb-GF)

Breakfast can be a real challenge when you are trying to eat Low Carb - GF. I try to rotate different meals so we aren't just eating eggs every morning. For a while now I have been making Cream cheese waffles that, if I remember right, have roughly 2 carbs each. These have a few more, but are still only 6 carbs each. I have been seeing this recipe all over Pinterest and decided to give them a try this morning. It received a thumbs up from hubby so that's all I needed to add them to my blog. I keep over ripe bananas in my freezer, and just popped a couple in the microwave to thaw, so this went together super quick and easy!

BANANA CINNAMON WAFFLES
Yield: 2 waffles

1 over ripe banana
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp Splenda (optional)

Heat waffle iron until your light says it's ready.
The easiest way to mix this up is to throw everything in a food processor or blender. Start by adding eggs and banana to the processor, blend until thoroughly combined. Add in remaining ingredients and give it another whirl until it's smooth and creamy.
Spritz hot waffle iron w/ Pam cooking spray. Add half of the batter to the hot iron and close cover. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until medium golden brown. Remove and drizzle with melted butter.

6 carbs each

FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Here I am again, still on the quest to get hubby off his insulin. The apple fritters were a brain freeze. I didn't technically make them for home, but to take to a new family that had visited. But anytime there is any baking going on, hubby seems to sniff it out! :-) So I will be a good girl and bake things that 'if' he does come sniffing, and he will, the thing he devours, won't serve to kill him! Recently I tried a flourless chocolate cookie for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised! So I thought if that was so good, then I wonder if there is a flourless version of the good ol' PB cookie and voila! Didn't take much searching to find one! I did not have Sucanat on hand (have actually never used it) but I did have bulk Splenda, so I used that. Personally when I make these again, if I use Splenda again, I will knock the amount down to 1/2 cup rather than 3/4. They were amazingly tasty though. It's crazy how you can still make these yummy little treats w/out flour or sugar! Who knew? :-)

FLOURLESS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE
(Low Carb - Gluten Free)

3/4 cup Sucanat (if using bulk Splenda, reduce that to 1/2 cup)
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. (I used my PC stone sheet pan, so didn't need the parchment paper).
Place sucanat, egg and vanilla in mixing bowl and mix well until smooth. Add in peanut butter and baking soda and mix until combined.
Using a small cookie scoop, scoop up dough and drop on cookie sheet. I put 8 on each pan so they would have room to bake and not run into each other and it was plenty of space. Roll each ball with your hands, and flatten slightly with the tines of a fork, in two directions, giving it the classic " Plaid PB cookie design."
Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until desired doneness. I baked mine for exactly 8 minutes and when I removed the pan from the oven, I left the cookies on the stone for another 5 minutes before I removed them to my sheet of foil to cool completely.

Optional: If you want to make them PBJ thumbprint cookies, roll dough into balls, do not flatten with fork, but instead make slight indentation with thumb. Fill with about 1/2 tsp sugar free jam and bake as directed above.

Yield: 16 cookies

As best I could figure, these were 4 carbs per cookie

CREAM CHEESE WAFFLES (LC GF)

Wow I have really neglected my poor little food blog! Shame on me! I find it ironic though, that my last post back in February was also a waffle recipe! This one is totally different, although very tasty! I had to come back to this recipe and edit the photo! I just couldn't look at the sad photo anymore, that I had on here before!  I have always tried not to "overdo" it in the cooking and baking department here at home since my husband is diabetic. Many of the luscious recipes you see on here were made for a church fellowship or for dinner guests that we had in our home. Recently though, it is my undying quest to see my hubby be totally insulin free - no more shots. 9/10 of that is going to be done through our diet. Although I titled this "Low Carb - Gluten Free" I'm not totally beating the gluten free drum just yet. The idea was just recently introduced to us as a possible help with several health issues. But since one of the health issues we are dealing with is diabetes, I also have to consider carb intake. So for me to replace regular carbs with gluten free carbs really doesn't help the sugar reading. It is just easier for us to go w/out certain things like bread, pasta & desserts. Every once in a while though you find a golden nugget. That's what this little recipe is. The first time I made it I used a small, individual size omelette pan. It worked fine that way, to make the mix into pancakes. This morning I made fluffly, golden brown, belgian waffles for our grandchildren for breakfast. Hubby came into the kitchen and said, "Man what I wouldn't give to have one of those for breakfast!!" So I got to thinking ..... Hmmm... I'll bet I could cook my cream cheese pancakes in the waffle iron. But they needed a little tweaking to make them puffier - so I added the baking powder. Also the cinnamon. As best I could figure, I believe they are about 2 or 2.5 carbs each. If you are doing low carb or gluten free, I dare you to give these a try! You will be pleasantly surprised. I promise!

LOW CARB - GLUTEN FREE WAFFLES
Yield: 2 waffles

4 oz cream cheese
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
2 tsp Splenda (or sweetener of your choice)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 - 2 Tblsp Superfine Almond Flour

Heat Belgian waffle iron until it reads "ready." While it's heating, combine all ingredients in blender, magic bullet or food processor. They all work fine. Blend on high until the batter is smooth and cream cheese is completely blended in. Spritz waffle iron with spray of your choice or basted with butter. Pour half of the batter into the waffle iron and cook for 2 - 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with butter and if you desire - sugar free syrup. These are also VERY delicious with fresh fruit and whipped cream or butter & powdered sugar on them (or powdered Swerve if you're being strict), Depends on how many carbs you want to add.

* You may want to have a paper towel under your waffle iron to catch drips. My first one squeezed out the side and ran onto the cupboard and made a mess.