Sunday Food Porn...

because it's Sunday.

We try to eat Paleo or Primal around here.  That means no grains with wheat being the number one enemy.

However, sometimes you need a conveyance for things like tuna salad or egg salad, so the occasional soda cracker was allowed.  There's only so many carrot sticks or celery stalks a person can eat, right?

Not anymore.

I discovered baked cheese crisps.

There's lots of recipes around for paleo crackers, usually needing lots of ingredients, and frankly, not always tasting all that great.  Almond flour and flax seed is not always very tasty. 

This project started out with someone posting how to make taco shells or bowls using provolone cheese.  It quickly morphed for me into turning cheese into nice crispy little crackers for the egg or tuna salad.

I started with provolone cheese baked in the toaster oven.  As soon as it came out, I cut it up with a scissor.  Within mere minutes of cooling it becomes nice and crispy.

Next I tried Swiss cheese, cut into little squares.

In the toaster oven (note to self - next time clean the oven door before taking pics)

It takes about 20 minutes at 375°

Voila - crispy chips with zero carbs and a bunch of protein. 

The next method, and the winner, is the fry pan method.  Throw a slice of provolone in a non-stick pre-heated fry pan.  Within a few minutes it will be bubbling and the edges will start to brown.  Flip it over for about another minute and cut it into desired shapes or leave whole.

This is a non-stick fry pan in case you've never seen one.

This is a piece of provolone in the aforementioned and pictured non-stick fry pan.

Just look at that puppy puffing up in the non-stick fry pan. I am so easily amused!

Almost ready to flip. Time elapsed? About two minutes.  Looks like a pancake, doesn't it?

Lovely cheesy crispy goodness ready for toppings.

If you plan on cutting it up (scissors work great) do it immediately before it becomes brittle.

If you use the oven method, you must use parchment paper.

Want to make a taco shape?  When the cheese is done, pull up the sides of the parchment paper so the cheese looks like a taco shell and let it cool - about one minute.  You can use parchment paper in the non-stick fry pan if you want to make shells. 

You can also use pre-shredded cheese dropped by the teaspoon into the pan.  I have yet to try cheddar, Monterrey jack, or blends, but I understand they work well, too.

Breakfast this morning?  Cantaloupe and provolone crisps (whole) topped with egg omelet (and for me, ketchup and pepper, because I think ketchup and pepper are two of the 10 wonders of the world.)