Thin-Crust Cheddar Ranch Pizza (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

This was my first try at a flax-based pizza crust, and it turned out a lot better than I thought it would. The original recipe called for baking powder, but I didn't want a thick pizza crust--I like my pizzas thin and crunchy. The modifications I made achieved a crunchy outer crust, and firm inner crust. This recipe could either make 4 very large slices or 8 medium sized slices. The pizza I made was actually shared between five people, with a slice left over.

A quarter serving of pizza is 4.5 grams of carbs.

Zucchini Pasta Salad (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

I made this pasta for my birthday lunch and received rave reviews. The idea for a pasta salad came to mind when I suddenly started craving my mothers macaroni salad. It's a summer staple, so I thought I'd make my own version of a cool and creamy side dish. As with most of my other recipes, the ingredients for this dish can be easily substituted, either with different cheeses, different cuts of meats, or even different salad dressings. The salad was paired with roasted chicken inasal and baked eggplant slices rolled with ricotta. My sister took a few quick shots of the tablescape. The pictures are down below the recipe. 

One serving of zucchini pasta salad is 6 grams of carbs.

The longer this dish sits, the better it tastes. Make a huge batch and pack it for work during the week for a quick and easy lunch. This would also be great to pack for trips to the beach and picnics just as long as it's kept chilled inside a cooler.

Matcha (aka Green Tea) Steamed Cake (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)

This is a quick, easy, and delicious cake recipe you can make even when you're on the go. It's a knockoff of Japanese green tea steamed cakes often sold in convenience stores. The total time spent on prep and cooking comes out to 10 minutes, and if you cook it in a coffee filter or even wax paper, you can take it anywhere with you. I've seen variations of the steamed cake sold with different toppings, such as red beans in this case. I didn't have red beans, so instead I ate mine this morning with a spread of peanut butter and sugar-free strawberry preserves. I could also see the cake paring well with cream cheese and walnuts.

One serving comes to 3 grams of carbs.