Low Carb Cheese Straws With Bacon Food

CHEESY BACON STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and fit a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• In a small saucepot, mix the maple syrup, red pepper flakes, orange juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
• Line up the bacon slices on the wire rack and brush with the hot maple syrup mixture. Sprinkle some cheese on each piece of bacon. With a skewer in hand, fold the end of a piece of bacon in half lengthwise and press the skewer through the end. Do this to 4 pieces of bacon, spreading them out evenly across the skewer, and place the skewer on the baking sheet. Twist the bacon pieces into long spirals so as to create straws. Take another skewer and skewer the bottom of each piece of bacon to keep the bacon twisted. Do this to all the bacon.
• Bake until the bacon browns, about 35 minutes. Let cool slightly on the rack; the bacon will get crunchy as it sits. Serve immediately.

LOW CARB CHEESE STRAWS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Place the mozzarella and cream cheese in a medium size microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stir and then another cook for another 30 seconds.
• Stir in the beaten egg and almond flour, and season with salt and pepper.
• Let the dough cool slightly, then knead until smooth. Add a little extra almond flour if the dough is too sticky, then knead again.
• Place the dough on a large silicone mat. You need to roll it into a flat rectangle (use a rolling pin and parchment paper or just use your hands)
• Place the bacon side-by-side on the dough. Use a palette knife (or something similar) to score lines between the bacon.
• Pick up each strip of dough and bacon, and twist them around into the classic cheese straw shape, and place them on a baking sheet lined with (another) silicone mat.
• Brush the low carb cheese straws with a little melted butter, then bake in for 15 minutes, turning half way through the cooking time.
• Let cool for five minutes, (you might like to place them on a piece of paper towel if they look too greasy - it depends on your bacon!), then serve warm, garnished with fresh parsley.

CHEESE STRAWS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put the softened cheese and butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer. Using the heaviest mixer paddle attachment, beat until the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream, 15 to 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, sift 3 cups of the flour with the salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Gradually add the seasoned flour to the cheese mixture by large spoonfuls, beating well after each addition. Add the remaining 1 cup unseasoned flour incrementally until the dough is somewhat stiff but still soft enough to be pushed through a cookie press; you may not need to add all the flour.
• Lightly spray 4 cookie sheets with cooking spray. Put a portion of the dough into a cookie press fitted with the star tube and press the dough onto a cookie sheet in long strips that run the length of the pan. Repeat until the pan is full. Bake until straws are golden brown and crisp, about 20 minutes.
• With your hands or a sharp knife, break or cut the long strips into 3-inch lengths. Use a flat, thin spatula or an egg turner to remove the cheese strips from the pan. Allow them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, serve or store in a tightly covered container.