Keeping with the original subject of the thread, I am enjoying Lavash pizza nearly every weekend now. I have the method down pretty well; using a metal sheet pan with foil and a little spray/wipe of oil (not a bunch, just some insurance the pizza wont stick), pre-bake one lavash until its nearly a cracker (gotta check it vigilantly so you don't over bake it, its a fine line), remove that, lay another lavash on the sheet pan and pop in the oven for a minute or two just to evaporate some moisture from it. Oven at 450.

On the slightly baked lavash still on the pan, evenly distribute a decent amount of a shredded Italian blend cheese, the blend has firm cheeses in it other than just mozzarella. Mozzerella and Italian blends are the only cheeses I dont grate myself now and the carbs from the potato starch in them (keeps it from clumping) arent as big a deal to me at this stage of my diet where I'm allowing more carbs than induction.

Top with the almost cracker stiff second lavash, then spread sauce on that. I like to use a no sugar marinara...Walmart sells one thats pretty good. Spread the sauce evenly making sure to get sauce all the way out to and around the edges of both layers of lavash...the top/cracker layer will be a little smaller than the bottom layer not baked as much. At this point add some extra seasonings, garlic and onion powder, some dried oregano and thyme, black pepper, hot pepper flakes (if you are like me and my wife who like it spicy) and for some folks, even some coarse salt or some accent (MSG).

Now spread shredded mozzerella evenly on it doing the same thing, making sure you have cheese all around the edges too. Better to have to clean some up around the pizza with your fingers and plop back on the pizza, than not get the cheese to the edges.

Then top with pepperoni. I make sure the pepperoni covers pretty much the whole pizza, not just a few here and there randomly tossed on...I love pepperoni. Then I like pickled hot peppers or fresh jalapeno cut in judicious sizes, black olives and onions. Mushrooms would be good too but like the onions, right on top so the oven has a change to evaporate the moisture they release. I also like to put some sliced green olive on my side of the pizza...the wife is not into the green olives on pizza like me and my grandson.

Bake at 450. It usually takes about 15 minutes or so, but I always start watching it after 8-10 minutes and I spin the sheet pan 180 degrees at least once for more even browning. My oven has a convection setting that blows a fan around, I shift it to convection bake for the last few to several minutes and when its browned to my liking, remove.

Very important to let the pizza rest. I put the pizza on sheet pan on a cooling rack to speed this up. Let it rest to just warm...not far above room temp, then cut and serve. This provides a pizza you can eat with your hands, although not super hot like the really good stuff, but hey, no mouth burns!

The whole process takes about 45 from prep, to assemble, bake and cool so this is not a "quick and easy" recipe. It's a splurge for me since I have had no other real pizza since starting the diet January 1 this year.


Buttoni,

I did your chicken breader recipe last night and can confirm again, its a real winner. I used boneless thighs (my wife is not a big "on the bone" fan) and it was the first fried chicken that was really excellent other than deep fried chicken wings I've had since starting the diet.

I was surprised how the coating stuck and stayed so well to the chicken seeing as your method did not involve a pre-dusting of a flour of some sort, but I suppose the whey protein made a good "sticky" agent.

The boneless thighs were done in about 15 minutes or less. I used a meat thermometer rather than estimating doneness. I drizzled a little leftover buffalo sauce over and we ate with a knife and fork, although once cooled enough could have been eaten with fingers.

I made cauliflower and cheese to go with it like your recipe narrative.

Now I need to go find that fish breader you say works so well with vegetables!

I do simple vegetables too, but I lost my serious craving for veggies a year or two ago, so sometimes I need a little something extra to make me want to eat them. Don't know what caused that, I just suddenly didn't like vegetables as much...I've been eating them all my life, and now kind of force myself to. Green beans are coming in, in the garden so those will be good stir fried with chili garlic sauce Asian style and we've been enjoying lettuce and greens up until the summer heat hit from our garden...so I do get excited about what I grow!

Glad you're enjoying the chicken coating, Ken. Here's a link to the fish coating and the veggies I've tried it on: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/?s=Oven-fried Works divinely on eggplant slices, too!

Thanks! I was about to revisit this. So hot outside to be baking, but thats what I bought a large portable oven for! I can now bake on my back deck!

I was thinking about using some zucchini sticks with breading as "fries". Funny thing...I finally got some sugar free ketchup and used some on smoked sausage eaten like hot dogs (yes I know, some shudder at the thought of ketchup on hot dogs...I like mustard and ketchup both) in your (Buttoni's) focaccia formed when still warm out of the oven in to hot dog roll shapes then allowed to cool. (they actually held together throughout the entire "dog" eating)...but I haven't found anything since to use the ketchup with.

I know you dont like to fry, but have you tried frying vegetables using the egg dip and breading method like you do with the fried chicken? I'll likely try it but thought to ask. Usually anything coated like that, that will stay together in a deep pan fry, would hold up in a deep fryer. I can see a lot of possibilities...like deep fried mozzarella! Also that coating (egg dip method) could bring back my baked jalapeno poppers!

I have used a roaster oven on my back porch for years as summer in Texas is just too hot for baking anything. Plus it's a nice overflow oven when baking for a large crowd.

Yes, have "fried" lots of different veggies now. All worked well, though the okra was the trickiest to do as I had to coat just a few pieces at a time. But it cooked up beautifully. I've also doen eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, and onion rings. Be sure to check out my Okra Fritter recipe, too. Those are just TOO good so I don't make those often. Way too carby). Just type in the vegetable name in my site search box and those should pop up for you. I'm not terribly consistent about using the words "oven-fried" in recipe titles, so typing in the veggie will grab more recipes with the oven-frying coating.

Peggy,

I just baked a casserole style cheese steak concoction last night on the back deck! Kept that heat out of the house. I have a cooking frying station in my garage too...6 burner cook-top and deep fryers. I air condition the garage in the summer but it recovers from my ventilation when cooking pretty quickly and keeps those heavy cooking smells out of the house.

I used a whole large box of steakums, fried them all up on a flat iron griddle and blotted them on paper towels. Then quick fried on nuclear heat onions and jalapenos to get that char on them but not cook through. Mixed up some softened cream cheese and mayo with Worcestershire, garlic and onion granules, salt and coarse black pepper. Chopped the meat and layered the meat, veggies and a can of mushrooms lightly chopped and blotted dry, mixed all together thoroughly while adding in a couple cups of Colby jack. Baked 350 for about a half our. Scooped out servings in to Josephs pita pockets (low carb pitas, available on Netrition, and to my pleasant surprise at my local Walmart too!). A great way to get that "philly"-ish sandwich in low carb form. Those Josephs pitas separate in to pockets better than a lot of regular pitas, so one pita makes 2 solid "pockets". The casserole style made it easy to serve and the leftovers will be easy too.

I am heading toward your "fried" veggies here soon. Looking forward to those experiments.

The lavash bread pizza is still a regular for us, at least twice a month. I have the method down solid now and its good every time. I've been experimenting with your focaccia, making another caraway seed version, and made my wife a rosemary version at her request. I plan to finally make an italian version and use as pizza crust. My thought is to put the pan on the bottom rack near the element so the bottom gets cooked the most, but pull it a little early. Then flip that hopefully well browned bottom up for the sauce and topping and what was the top (now bottom) hopefully still soft enough to cook well without burning for the actual pizza bake time. Should be fun!

Your cheese steak concoction sounds great! I swear by the Joseph's sheet and pita breads. I like to sear leftover grilled steak with onions and just roll it into one of those.

Those pitas open up in to a pocket it seems even easier than many other regular pitas. Its a great way to stretch them by making two halves in to pita-pockets!

I was just commenting on Mr SkinnyPants blog about how I am really surprised restaurants haven't started offering low carb bread products...boy they will cater to gluten free all over the place though (suddenly half the nation is gluten intolerant...right?), but not as much low carb. The burrito fast casual places could easily substitute low carb flour tortillas, a lot of restaurants offer wraps...no reason they couldn't keep a $4 pack of Flat-out lights on hand for the low carb diner and same with the pitas...say at greek restaurants.

And thats when the eureka moment hit me, I can go to a greek place or even Arbys (whose gyros are remarkably delicious) and bring my own pita! You can usually order like a gyro or souvlaki platter at Greek places, its more like a salad and they serve the pita on the side...now I can have a pita with it again! I'm going to really push it when I do and ask if they will griddle my pita for me!

I wonder if a place that makes wraps will make me one with my own wrap?! A Mexican place use my own tortilla?...dont know till you ask, but I'll get their attention and maybe places will get the hint. I can order fajitas now and actually have the tortillas! But they wont be hot if they wont warm them for me of course.

Gotta plan ahead and have it with you though, but think about it when traveling by car on a road trip. Toss a package in the cooler (if already been opened) and you have something you can eat with any bread-less order! I could easily eat an Arby's roast beef on a pita or as a wrap. Danged shame the horsey and Arby's sauce adds 6 grams of carbs (somehow they snuck 2 grams in the beef!) but still, a half pound roast beef with a packet each of the sauces on a LC wrap or pita is 14net grams carbs...thats an easy special treat to have once in a while if well in to the stages of Atkins...having that sandwich with the bun is 42 net grams!

Oh, when we do travel, I always keep some "allowable" breads and my LC black pepper crackers with me. My husband even likes those around, and he doesn't low carb so seriously. My buddies over on the old Atkins forums were always after me to start a LC restaurant or frozen food line. Not interested in such things at my age, but I think there is a market for such things. Low-carbing has become a trendy/fad thing now so I think any town could support an establishment that catered to that WOE. As to frozen foods, I think there's definitely a market not only for LC, but "convenience" LC. The folks I hear on the forums much younger than I are not interested in cooking much from scratch if they can just defrost, zap and eat. With all the "order your meals on-line" places, kind of surprised none of them are exclusively LC yet.

FYI, Jen Hoberer, member on Low Carb Friends forums (now shut down) had a recipe for LC Arby's sauce you might like to try. I've never made it myself, as I don't use condiments much, but she's a great cook so it's probably pretty tasty and pretty similar to the original:

Jen's Low Carb Arby's Copycat Sauce

Half bottle (6.5 oz or 3/4 c) Heinz reduced sugar ketchup
10 drops EZ-Sweetz
1/4 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
6 drops hot sauce
2 t worcestershire sauce
1 t apple cider vinegar
1/4 t molasses
2 drops liquid smoke
1 T water

I'll try that sauce. I'll have to figure what carbs are and compare. My version would be even less though since I would probably use sugar free ketchup as the base. I've never tried measuring 1/4 teaspoon of molasses! I have all those ingredients though...and the horsey sauce could easily be replaced with mayo and horseradish, maybe even some wasabi in there but that would change the color a little. I HAVE to have both on my Arby's roast beef...its the law...

I'm headed over to try and find those black pepper crackers recipe right now! Sounds like something I would like.

I noticed that other web site had shut down. I wonder what keeps this one operating. Memberships? I'm one of those selfish ad blockers so I'm not seeing ads if they have them.

Here's a link to the pepper crackers, Ken. https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2014/...wroot-crackers/ These are also good without the pepper. Another friend uses Montreal Steak seasoning in lieu of the black pepper. That's good, too, but unless you make my homemade Montreal seasoning, https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/...teak-seasoning/ the commercial spice blend will have too much salt and sugar in it.

Thanks Peggy, I had already found it and made it that day (Sunday)! I like it, its real simple. The hardest thing was getting it all spread really thin and even, I used a small roller and a bench knife around the edges, rolling it out, then cutting the excess from the sides using the bench knife and replacing using those bits wherever there was a hole or thin spot elsewhere. Tedious but worth the effort in the end.

I used fresh grated parm and was a little worried because the parm was a little stringy shaped rather than more crumbly or granular like "shaker" cheese, but I think it made for a fine product in the end. It was nowhere near salty enough for me, but the fresh parm may not be as salty. I could not really make out the pepper either, weirdly enough and I used the 3/4 tsp. No worries, flavor intensity can be adjusted, the texture was very good...a basic seed cracker my adult daughter who loves to cook herself said.

I'll step on the flavors next time, maybe use some granulated bouillon for the salt, that always adds great flavor, I make a version of lavash bread crackers, hand rubbing olive oil on the sheets then sprinkling with chicken bouillon granules, its pretty good...and another with my home made cajun/creole seasoning. After realizing these crackers were too bland for me, I spritzed the surface with water, then shook on some Cajun seasoning and popped them back in the over to set that up. I also hand tested each cracker and turned any soft ones over and back in the oven until crisp. It's labor intensive but made great crackers. I just finished the last of them with some chicken salad on them...really good...definitely a keeper recipe. A lot of variations could be used. They didn't need re-crisping at all in a sealed container on the counter for 4 days.

I used a pizza roller cutter for most of the cutting and a knife where that wouldn't get all the way to the edge. I might try a stoneware or other flat pan next time to avoid the rim. Had to pre-cut then re-cut, which was pretty much your directions, but I cut all the way through the first time and the joints melted back together a bit.

A lot of ways to eat them. Walmart sells some dip/spreads that have some pretty good numbers, I like the jalapeno artichoke. Tastes really good on these crackers which remind me of a better version of the Scandinavian Bran Crispbread...but with more flavor and chew.

Hmmmm. My recipe for the Black Pepper Crackers calls for 1-2 tsp. black pepper (I prefer 2 tsp), so I'm not sure which cracker recipe you "found" that would have called for only 3/4 tsp. One time I tried 3 tsp. and that was definitely too much pepper, but 2 tsp. was just right for me. You know, flax meal and Parm both have a heavy sodium load, and I find anything made with either one (or both together) to be real salty to me. One time I added salt and couldn't handle it. But we backed way off our salt consumption years ago. I find any cheese makes anything too salty for me now. Hmmm. Maybe that's why I'm not such a big pizza fan anymore. Pepperoni, its salty self, I can barely eat anymore, on pizza or baked as chips.

I agree, the pressing the cracker crumbles into the pan is the hardest part. But as you say, it's worth it in the end since it makes 2 big pans full. I still do it with a plastic glove and my fingers. To eliminate the rim on the outer rows, I just take a big knife edge and push the edge down to create a flat, straight edge. Only my four corner crackers have a "rim".

Hi Peggy, this is the recipe I used:

https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/...epper-crackers/

It is definitely telling the reader "½ – 3/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper (depending on your taste)". Maybe you revised the recipe and didnt make the changes on the wordpress site?

That explains a lot. I actually added some garlic powder and a teaspoon of chicken bouillon granules too. It did bring the flavor up, but still bland for me.

These are edible by themselves, but much better using them as a cracker with something on them, like Walmart has a jalapeno artichoke spread/dip that pairs very well with these crackers. Chicken salad tops them nicely as well. I've even broken some up and used it as croutons on a salad to good results.

I think amping up that pepper to 2 tsp and the same with the bouillon will get these up to snackable on their own for me. It's just such a more substantive cracker than lavash bread crackers.

Yes, people who remove a lot of salt form their diets become very sensitive to salt. My parents are like that. I'm a salt fiend but have found myself thinking something is too salty on occasion while my wife doesn't detect it in a dish...which is really weird! I'm the kid of guy that likes salt on the rim of a margarita...sugar free of course these days!

I'm going to use your fried chicken breader for baked chicken breast and zucchini fries. I cant see why it would not work, maybe not a crunchy as fried but we'll see. The ingredients and method aligns well with other recipes out there for zucchini fries. I didn't really want to have to paint the zucchini sticks with mayo...seemed like this may be easier and I know the breader works and tastes good. I'll let you know how they bake!

Oh, my, I had completely forgotten about that flax-meal recipe for pepper crackers when I mentioned Black Pepper Crackers. One of my earliest cracker experiments, that one. And I did use less pepper in that first batch I created to find out how much I liked in them.

The recipe I linked above is made with almond meal and arrowroot powder and is much crispier. You really ought to try this one. They are sheer cracker Nirvana! https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2018/...wroot-crackers/ Quite crisp, too! These are so good, I've honestly never made the older recipe since I developed this recipe! I'd remove the old recipe from my site, but some still like that one, as they are seeking the various health benefits of the greater amount of flax meal. I like the texture of this recipe (linked herein) better than any of my others or any recipes of others I've tried to date. These are good eaten alone, topped with butter or used as dippers (provided the dip isn't too stiff). Give these a whirl some time. You'll LOVE the black pepper taste in them. You might even like more, but 3 tsp. was too much the time I tried that much.