Grilled Grass-Fed Hanging Tender (“Hanger Steak”)

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I find myself liking grass-fed beef more and more.  Not only is it healthier for you, but if cooked properly, it is NOT tough.  Hanging Tender (also known as Hanger Steak, is one of the prized cuts of beef.  Is the one the butcher likes to save for himself!  Now I know why!  This was DELICIOUS!!  Here’s a little video from a professional chef that tells you all about this cut of beef: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MAR5XKd8lk The flavor of this cut falls  somewhere between grilled chuck and ribeye to me. The pictured piece of meat weighed about 2 lbs. and was marinated for about 3 hours in my Peppered Rib Roast marinade (I made up only 1/2 that marinade recipe) seen here:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/peppered-rib-roastd-beef/  Of course you can marinate your Hanger Steak in your favorite marinade, but this marinade never  disappoints on beef.  The nutritional counts for this recipe would naturally vary depending on the marinade you choose to use for your steak.  So all I am showing below is the count for a 4 oz. serving of grass-fed beef.  You will have to calculate the amount of meet eaten and then also add in the numbers for the marinade used.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and for Primal and Paleo devotees as well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. trimmed grass-fed Hanging Tender (Hanger Steak)

1 recipe your favorite beef marinade I used the one linked in the above paragraph.

DIRECTIONS:  Trim any sinew or membrane the butcher may have left on the surface of the meat.  Season the the meat with pepper (I don’t like to salt meat prior to cooking as I think this draws out vital juices). Mix your marinade ingredients in a shallow ceramic or glass dish. Place the meat in the dish.  Using a basting brush or spoon, drizzle the marinade all over the top surface of the meat. Flip and repeat on bottom surface. Cover and place in refrigerator for 3 hours (or longer).  Drizzle the marinade 2 more times times at hour intervals, turning the meat over each time so you can baste both sides.  When ready to cook, prepare a hot bed of coals on your charcoal grill.  You want to grill this like you would a large steak, fairly close to the coals for best surface charring.  If you want your meat rare, the above-pictured piece was cooked 15 minutes on each side. For medium rare, cook about 20 minutes on a side. For medium, 25 minutes on a side.  Larger pieces will of course take a little longer for each stage. You do not want to cook grass-fed beef well-done or you will likely render it unpleasantly tough. Remember, grass-fed beef grazes….and all that walking reduces fat marbling in those muscles. This meat is VERY lean!  I can tell you for certain the above-pictured steak was as tender as any rare ribeye or tenderloin I’ve ever eaten!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Number of servings determined by consumer.  I would guess 4-8 servings.  Each 4 oz. serving has approximately: (remember to add in your numbers for the marinade you select)

340 calories

22 g fat

0 g  carbs, 0 fiber, 0 net carbs

32 g  protein

50 mg sodium

29% RDA Vitamin B6, 305% B12, 33% copper, 90% iron, 10% magnesium, 56% phosphorous, 64% selenium, 10% thiamin, 182% zinc

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Low-Carb Crawfish Pies

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Man, oh, man, these little gems were perhaps THE best low-carb kitchen creation of my now 4+ years of low-carbing.  I’m even going to give this recipe my “mouthgasm” award.  I took my new Gluten-Free Grain Free Focaccia Bread recipe and with some considerable effort, created a crawfish pie to rival any I have eaten in Louisiana, and I wantonly admit to scarfing down a lot of them in my time there.  My filling consisted of basically my étouffé ingredients with a little glucomannan powder added to stiffen it up so it wouldn’t run out the edges.  I knew as this idea was germinating in my head this afternoon that  sealing the edges would be tricky and take some ingenuity, as I would be using a thick batter and not a traditional pie pastry.  IT WORKED!  And the dough ended up tasting amazingly like, ummmm………… PIECRUST!!!  Even my fussy, non-low-carbing husband said it tasted like piecrust  and gave tonight’s dinner two thumbs up! The ratio of filling to crust was just perfect on these, too!

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with this recipe and thought you’d enjoy listening to the song that made this Louisiana Cajun delicacy famous to put you in the mood:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnKOVPXhlnE.  I can even see berry/fruit empanadas on the horizon!  These pies are suitable once you reach Phase 2 Atkins nuts & seeds rung of the OWL carb ladder.   They would not be suitable for Paleo-Primal due to the oat fiber and dairy in the bread.  By the way, I started preparing this meal at 4pm and we were eating it at 5:30!  Longer than most of my recipes, but much faster than I thought it would take to prepare!  This recipe boasts some pretty impressive nutritional stats below as well!

INGREDIENTS: 

4 T. butter

2 oz. onion, chopped

½ c. each green bell pepper and celery, chopped (I used both red and green bell pepper in mine)

¼ c. each green onion and parsley , chopped

6 oz. crawfish tails (I use the frozen and defrost)

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. my Seafood Spice blend: http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

1/8 tsp. salt

6 drops Tobasco or other hot sauce

Dash each ground thyme and black pepper

1/3 c. chicken stock (preferably homemade)

¼ tsp. glucomannan (konjac) powder or your favorite thickener

1 recipe my Gluten-free Grain-free Focaccia Bread:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/gluten-free-grain-free-focaccia-bread/

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter in skillet over high heat. Add celery, green pepper and onion.  Add Seafood Spice Blend, salt, pepper and thyme.  Add Tobasco.  Saute until vegetables are completely tender.  Add green onion, parsley, garlic and crawfish and stir.  Add glucomannan powder and chicken stock and stir to blend altogether. Turn fire off.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Make the bread/”pastry” in a medium mixing bowl according to the directions for that recipe.  You need to decide on the shape you want your pies to have (I used a 3 x 6″ oval dish shape, but round or square would work as well) .  I inverted my dish on my parchment paper and drew five outlines of the dish with a marker pen, so I could be sure my pies would all be uniform in size and shape.  When the batter is ready, scoop up 3 T. onto each outline shape on your parchment.  I used a 2 T. measuring cup I have and added 1 T. to total 3T. batter for each pie.  Then using a fork, very gently spread the batter out thinly to within ¼” of the outlines you drew (you don’t want the batter to touch that ink!).  It will be thin, but should go nearly to the edges with effort.  Pop the pan into your 350º oven and bake just 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and increase oven temp to 375º. Using a spoon, section off the filling in your skillet into 5 equal portions and spoon 1/5 of the filling onto each of the 5 bottom “crusts”.     Spread the filling evenly to within ¼” of the edge of the bottom crust.

Again using a spoon, make 5 equal portions of the remaining batter in your bowl.  Here’s where it gets a little tricky.  I spooned one of the marked off portions of batter into one hand and using my fork, dotted the batter evenly over the top and sides of the pile of filling, using the fork then to try to blend those tiny dots into a contiguous top “crust”.  It didn’t cover perfectly, but I was able to create a respectable top crust on each pie.  During the baking the top crust spreads a wee bit to fill in most of those gaps in the top “crust”.

Pop the pan into  a 375º oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on top.  Serve at once with a nice green salad or perhaps a favorite green veggie. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 5 large pies, each contains:

395 calories

30.5 g  fat

8.62 g  carbs, 3.64 g  fiber, 4.98 g  NET CARBS

24.6 g  protein

471 mg sodium

345 mg potassium

23% RDA Vitamin A

12% B6

51% B12, 25% C, 11% E, 21% calcium, 31% copper, 25% iron, 15% magnesium, 17% manganese, 10% niacin, 49% phosphorous, 17% riboflavin, 38% selenium, 16% thiamin and 17% zinc

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Montreal Meatloaf

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I’ve wanted to try McCormick’s “Grillmates” Montreal Steak Seasoning in a meatloaf for some time now and I finally got around to doing that today.  I shouldn’t have waited so long!  It was delicious!  This is nothing at all like my Italian Meatloaf I’ve been making for 40+ years, but is was flavorful and a pleasant change from our norm.  I ordinarily use tomato sauce atop my meatloaves, but I happened to have some very rich, grass-fed beef gravy in my freezer from the last grass-fed brisket I cooked.  So I decided to make a delightful sauce with that, adding a dab of tomato paste and red wine.  This recipe is suitable for Phase 2 (OWL) of Atkins.  Paleo and Primal diners can also enjoy this meatloaf provided they either omit the red wine in the sauce, or substitute straight tomato sauce for the top of the loaf (adding it the last 30 minutes of cooking).

Using grass-fed beef, check out the fantastic nutritional information below for this meatloaf!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. grass-fed ground beef

1 lb. ground pork (I use very lean ground loin)

2 oz. green bell pepper, finely chopped

2 oz. onion, finely chopped

1/4 c. parsley, chopped

1 T. flax meal soaked a couple minutes in 1/4 c. water

1 large egg, beaten

2 tsp. McCormick “Grillmates” Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 c. rich beef gravy

2 oz. red wine

1 oz. tomato paste

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  You can saute the onion and bell pepper in 1 T. oil first if you prefer, but I did not bother this time, as this loaf is large enough and will bake long enough to get the veggies tender without pre-sautéing.  Caramelizing these vegetables won’t have a great flavor impact here.  Your call there. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients well, either with a fork or your hands.  Spoon out onto lightly greased baking pan.  Shape into long loaf about 8″x 4½” (or whatever shape you prefer).  Pop into 350º oven for about 1 hr. 20 minutes, or until meat thermometer reads 155º.

While meat is cooking, Simmer the beef gravy, wine and tomato paste over low heat until thick and smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside until meat is done, reheating a minute or two right before serving. Remove meatloaf from oven when it reaches 155º internal temperature and slice into 8 servings.  Spoon sauce over meatloaf and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 8 servings, each contains:

404 calories

27.4 g  fat

3.83 g  carbs, .75 g  fiber, 3.08 g  NET CARBS

31.88 g protein

471 mg sodium

324 mg potassium

36% RDA Vitamin B6, 191% B12, 13% C, 29% copper, 64% iron, 12% magnesium, 26% niacin, 51% phosphorous, 37% riboflavin, 67% selenium, 48% thiamin, 124% zinc

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Sausage Cabbage Stir-Fry

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This was a 10-minute quickie lunch that was DELICIOUS!  Colorful, too!  Nothing to it, really, but how can you go wrong with stir-fried cabbage?  This is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Primal and Paleo diners as well. Ground beef could be used instead of ground sausage meat.  If using beef, you might want to add some sort of spice or seasoning.  Garam Masala would be nice on the beef variation.

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz. pork sausage (I make mine homemade:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/peggys-breakfast-sausage/ )

1 oz. yellow onion, sliced

1 cup green cabbage, coarsely sliced

2 oz. red bell pepper (optional, but I added for color)

Dash salt and black pepper

Add up to 1 T. bacon grease if your sausage is too lean to stir-fry successfully

DIRECTIONS:  Crumble and brown the sausage in a skillet.  Add the sliced onion and allow to soften.  Add bacon grease only if your sausage is particularly lean.  Add bell pepper, salt and pepper.  Saute a couple minutes longer.   Finally add cabbage and saute/stir until cabbage is beginning to soften.    Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve it up!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 serving (or 2 smaller servings).  Entire batch contains (calculated using 1 T. bacon grease):

289 calories

24.2 g  fat

9.7 g  carbs, 3.2 g  fiber, 6.5 g  NET CARBS

9.3 g  protein

388 mg potassium

483 mg sodium

14% RDA Vitamin A, 28% B6, 19% B12, 133% C, 9% E, 8% copper, 11% manganese, 23% niacin, 15% phosphorous, 14% riboflavin, 18% thiamin and 14% zinc

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Shrimp “Crowned” Swai with Creamy Cauliflower

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This delightful seafood dinner was just one of those incredibly successful uses of a dab of some leftovers in the refrigerator.   You’ve had those, too, I’m sure.  My husband calls me the Queen of Creative Leftovers!  I made my Smoked Gouda Cauliflower Easter Sunday http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/11/14/smoked-gouda-cauliflower/ and there was exactly 1 c. leftover.  It was right at eye level in my refrigerator today, sitting beside the two Swai filets and bag of shrimp I thawed for dinner.  I had yet to decide how to prepare my fish and shrimp this evening, but gumbo or étouffée just didn’t sound good  tonight.  Plus, I really wanted to use up that delicious cauliflower.  I just DO NOT like storing leftovers more than 2 days.  Thus, this creation was hatched in my brain and what a tasty “egg” it turned out to be!  I decided to serve it atop a bed of sauteed fresh spinach, but that didn’t have great flavor impact on the final dish, so I’d say that is purely optional here.  But since that’s how I prepared it and photographed it, I have included it in the recipe and nutritional calculations below.  This dish is perfectly suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal diners who eat occasional dairy.  This is not suitable for Paleo due to the cheese, but a creamy homemade mayo might be subbed into the cauliflower mixture, resulting in an equally tasty and allowable dish for even my Paleo readers!

INGREDIENTS:

2   6-oz. filets of Swai (or mild fish of your choice)

12 medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on for visual impact

5 oz. raw spinach

1 T. bacon grease

2 T. butter (I use unsalted)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. lemon juice

1 c. cooked cauliflower, drained and slightly mashed with a fork

1 oz. each cream cheese (softened) and Smoked Gouda (grated)

1/8 tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

2 tsp. parsley, chopped (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat your broiler. Steam or boil cauliflower, slightly mash with a fork and stir in the two cheeses so they will begin to melt.  With the cold butter (or olive oil), lightly grease 2 individual baking pans or a heat-proof baking platter (which I used).  In another small baking pan, melt the rest of the butter in your oven.  Remove, add minced garlic and Seafood spice Blend to the butter and stir.  Holding the shrimps by the tail, coat each on both sides with the seasoned butter, lay them flat in the pan and broil the shrimp just a few minutes to slightly brown. Remove shrimp from broiler and change oven setting to 350º.

In a small skillet, melt the bacon grease and saute the spinach leaves just until wilted.  Place half the spinach into two lengthwise batches on your platter (or into individual serving dishes), roughly the size of your fish filets.  Lay a fish filet atop each batch of spinach.  Neatly spoon half the cauliflower mixture down the center of each filet, pressing flat with the back of your spoon (which will allow for more even cooking of the fish).  Attractively lay 6 broiled shrimp in a row on each filet as seen int he pic above.

Next, squeeze the lemon juice into the juices left in the pan you broiled your shrimp in.  Stir and drizzle over each serving.  Pop into 350º oven for about 20-30 minutes or until fish is opaque.  Shrimp should be beautifully golden now.  Remove from oven, garnish with the chopped parsley and ENJOY!  I served with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

435 calories

31.6 g  fat

7.6 g  carbs, 2.8 g  fiber, 4.8 g  NET CARBS

34.1 g  protein

73% RDA Vitamin A, 20% B6, 21% B12, 63% C, 13% D, 15% E, 18% calcium, 24% copper, 40% iron, 25% magnesium, 41% manganese, 13% niacin, 21% phosphorous, 20% riboflavin, 28% selenium, 9% thiamin and 13% zinc

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Chicken-Eggplant Parmegiana

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This Italian dinner was created with leftover cooked chicken breast meat I had in the refrigerator and a small amount of cooked spaghetti sauce and some commercial no-sugar sauce I wanted to use up.  I bought a beautiful eggplant yesterday and some mushrooms, so I created a quick Parmegiana casserole.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal followers that eat occasional cheese.  This meal would not be suitable for Paleo diners due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. cooked chicken meat, in bite size pieces

2 T. olive oil

6 oz. mushrooms, sliced

5 oz. eggplant, sliced 1/4″ thick (I do not peel)

¼ c. jarred Luccini spaghetti sauce (has no added sugar)

3/4 c. homemade spaghetti sauce (I used my recipe:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/peggys-spaghetti-sauce/ )  [you could use all homemade or all Luccini]

6 oz. Mozzarella cheese, grated

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

½ tsp. dried oregano (or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped)

¼ tsp. dried basil (or 1 tsp. fresh, chopped)

¼ tsp. dried rosemary (or ½ tsp. fresh, chopped)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 400º. Use a small amount of the oil to grease your casserole dish and a small baking sheet.  Place eggplant on baking sheet and bake at 400º for about 15 minutes, turning once during this pre-cooking.  Remove from oven and lower temperature to 350º.

In a non-stick skillet, saute the mushroom slices in the rest of the olive oil. Place eggplant in a single layer on the bottom of your greased casserole dish.  Top with the shredded chicken meat.  Spoon half the spaghetti sauce over the meat. Sprinkle on half the Parmesan and half the mozzarella cheese.  Sprinkle with half the spices.  Spoon on the remainder of the sauce. Sprinkle on the rest of the two cheeses and the last of the spices.  Top with the sauteed mushroom and pop into your 350º oven for about 30-35 minutes or until cheese is melted and the casserole is hot hot in the center.  Serve with your favorite salad or green vegetable and some garlic bread made with low-carb bread.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

427 calories

26.1 g  fat

10.4 g  carbs, 2.98 g  fiber, 7.42 g  NET CARBS

38 g  protein

408 mg potassium, 27% sodium

11% RDA Vitamin A, 28% B6, 58% B12, 37% calcium, 25% copper, 16% iron, 12% magnesium, 64% niacin, 66% phosphorous, 39% riboflavin, 49% selenium, 12% thiamin and 31% zinc

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Duck-Crawfish soup

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This soup actually came about from leftovers.  I made Cajun Crawfish on “Pasta” earlier this week and had 3/4 c. leftover:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/cajun-crawfish-on-pasta/.  I also roasted a duck and had 1 c. meat leftover (plus another ½ c. tidbits of meat stripped from the stewed carcass I used to simmer down for a batch of duck stock): http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/oven-roasted-garlic-duck/.  And I had just a bit of sausage leftover in my open package in the fridge. All these ingredients made a wonderful soup that was very gumbo-like.  I didn’t start out with a roux, so I would never call this a classic “gumbo”, but the flavor of the final soup was still quite good.    This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Paleo-Primal as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. cooked duck meat, chopped coarsely

5 oz. (about 3/4 c.) cooked crawfish tail meat

4 oz. chopped onion

1  10-oz. can (about 1½ c.) Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies

5 oz. frozen, sliced okra (about 1½ c.)

1 patty pork sausage

6 c. homemade duck stock (or chicken stock)

¼ tsp. my seafood spice blend:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

Few drops Tobasco or other hot sauce

8 oz. shirataki tofu noodles, rinsed well and chopped a bit (I used the “penne” shape)

DIRECTIONS:  In a large soup pot, crumble up the sausage and brown slowly over high heat.  When no longer pink, add the onion and saute until tender.  Add all remaining ingredients, including the noodles, and bring to a slow boil.  Then lower heat to medium-low and simmer just until the okra is tender.  Salt and pepper to taste at table.  Serve with your favorite low-carb crackers and a nice salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 large bowls, each contains:

203.5 calories

8.52 g  fat

5 g  carbs, 1.35 g  fiber, 3.65 g  NET CARBS

20 g  protein

260 mg sodium

551 mg potassium

20% RDA Vitamin B, 29% B12, 9% C, 45% copper,26% iron, 11% magnesium, 19% manganese, 47% niacin, 31% phosphorous, 40% selenium, 21% thiamin, 23% zinc

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Roasted Lemon-Garlic Duck

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I just love duck and we tried a new marinade tonight on the baby in the pic.  I was originally planning to have it smoked, but I could tell my husband didn’t want to fool with lighting up the grill tonight (he did some yard work today), so I oven roasted it instead.   It came out delicious!  So I’ll share the marinate/sauce I made for this bird with my readers.  This VERY nutritious recipe (check out the stats below!) is suitable for all phases of Atkins (using broth rather than wine for Induction) and is suitable for Paleo-Primal followers as well if broth is used rather than wine.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 c. white wine (use chicken broth if on Induction or Paleo-Primal)

4 T. my Lemon-Parsley-Garlic Butter seen here:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/lemon-parsley-garlic-butter/

2 cloves garlic, minced (I think more would be even better!)

Dash each:  salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

1  whole 5-lb duck, neck and giblets removed for other use

DIRECTIONS:  Remove neck and giblets from duck and save for other uses.  My dog usually gets the giblets and neck meat, but the neck will make great stock if you want to add it to the carcass bones after dinner in a pot of water with chopped onion and carrot.  Makes great soups!  Butterfly the duck by cutting up the backbone and spreading it out in a marinating dish.  Add wine (or broth), minced garlic and other spices.  Marinate covered in plastic on your refrigerator shelf for 2-4 hours, turning and basting again with a basting brush 1-2 times.  You’ll need to allow about 2 hours to cook a 5# duck to internal temperature of 180º.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375º.  Remove duck from refrigerator and lift out of the marinating dish. Pour marinade off into a small saucepan.  Add compound butter and simmer for 5 minutes or so to allow raw duck juices to fully cook. Place duck skin side up in a large baking pan, baste with marinade and pop in hot oven.  Using a basting brush, baste duck with marinade and pan juices every half hour.  At 1 hour cooking, remove duck and cover wing tips and leg tips with small pieces of foil so they will not over brown/burn.  Pop pan back into oven, lower oven to 350º and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour longer (ovens will vary), or until a meat thermometer reads 180º at center thigh and center breast.      Serve at once with your favorite sides for fowl.  I served mine with steamed broccoli and broiled tomatoes.  If I had char-grilled the duck, as originally planned, I was going to grill some fresh pineapple slices to go with it.   Mmmm.   How I DOOOOOOOO love grilled pineapple! 

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

791 calories

65.3 g  fat

2.4 g  carbs, .2 g  fiber, 2.20 g  NET CARBS

36.4 g  protein

485 mg sodium

446 mg potassium

23% RDA Vitamin A, 45% B6, 44% B12, 48% copper, 66% iron, 11% magnesium, 66% niacin, 44% phosphorous, 47% riboflavin, 69% selenium, 30% thiamin and 45% zinc

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Cajun Crawfish on “Pasta”

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I set out to make shrimp scampi for dinner tonight, but noticed the package of crawfish tails in my freezer and decided “Why not?”.  I also just made a fresh batch of breakfast sausage yesterday and it was staring up at me in the fridge.  So I decided to include a touch of that as well. My sausage recipe basically consists of 1 lb. lean ground pork and a pinch of my Dad’s poultry seasoning, salt and black pepper.  I always have some made up.  I was originally going to call it Crawfish Scampi, but that name is usually associated with shrimp and langoustines.  Then I thought about Crawfish Spaghetti, but spaghetti always evokes a red sauce for me. So my husband offered the name I settled upon above, as Louisiana Cajun cooking often mixes sausage and seafood together.   This dish is suitable for Atkins Induction if the wine is omitted.  It would also be suitable for  Paleo-Primal diners if the wine is omitted.

INGREDIENTS:

4 oz. ground pork, crumbled, seasoned with a pinch of poultry seasoning (or breakfast sausage)

5 T. unsalted butter

¼ tsp. each salt and black pepper

3 oz. onion, chopped

2 T. chopped shallot

2 large cloves garlic, minced

½ c. parsley, chopped

Pinch each paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper & thyme

1/3 c. white wine

Juice of 1 lemon

12 oz. shelled crawfish tails (I used frozen tails & rinsed off all fat/liquid)

Thickener of your choice

2    8-oz. pkgs. shirataki tofu noodles, rinsed

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter in non-stick skillet over high heat.  Add onion, shallot, garlic and crumbled pork.  Saute until pork is no longer pink and onions are soft.  Add parsley and all spices listed.  Add wine and lemon juice.  Lower heat to medium.  Add crawfish tails and set stove to lowest heat.  Simmer about 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.  While it is simmering on low, rinse the noodles well in a sieve or colander.  Dry them off on a towel and keep covered until ready to plate.  Thicken the crawfish mixture a wee bit with your preferred thickener.  Dip ¼ of the mixture over ¼ of the “pasta”.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

318 calories

22 g  fat

7.43 g  carbs, 1.73 g  fiber, 5.7 g  NET CARBS

20.4 g  protein

475 mg sodium

463 mg potassium

48% RDA Vitamin A, 11% B6, 85% B12, 26% C, 11% E, 11% calcium, 71% copper, 20% iron, 12% magnesium, 31% manganese, 15% niacin, 43% phosphorous, 57% selenium, 21% zinc, 25% thiamin

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Cheese-Bacon-Jalapeno Brats

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I’ve been trialing some different cuts from my grass-fed beef supplier.  I ordered some of his beef and pork bratwursts in my last order to see how they compared with what I can buy at my local grocery store.  I don’t like the sugar and fillers in the commercial stuff. I grilled the beef brats last month and those were delicious!  I decided to try something different with the pork brats I planned for tonight.  I partially cooked them in a skillet and then split them down the center.  After adding some cheese and jalapeno to the slits, I wrapped them with bacon and finished them off in the oven. They were DELICIOUS!  We liked these much better than the beef brats, in fact.  Not sure why, other than they clearly had a different spice mixture than the beef.  This dish can be made with either beef or pork brats and is perfectly suitable for all phases of Atkins or Primal diners as well.  These are not acceptable for Paleo followers due to the cheese.

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz. pastured pork (or beef) bratwurst (There were 5 links in my package)

¼ c. grated or sliced Monterey Jack cheese

2 jalapenos, seeded and cut into 10 strips

5 slices low-sodium bacon

DIRECTIONS:   Lightly brown the pork brats on all sides in a non-stick skillet.   You want them about 2/3 done.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Holding each with tongs, make a deep “canoe”-like knife slit down each one but not cutting through at each end.  Push an equal portion of the grated cheese down each slit.  Lay 2 strips of jalapeno into each sausage “canoe” (1 at each end).  Carefully wrap 1 slice of bacon around each sausage “canoe” and secure with a toothpick at each end.  I like to lightly sprinkle bacon with black pepper, but this is not necessary. Pop in preheated 350º oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes or until bacon is fully cooked.  Serve with a salad or your favorite sides.  Be sure to remind everyone at the table to remove the toothpicks before eating.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 5 servings, each contains:

301 calories

24.5 g  fat

.32 g  carbs,  .16 g  fiber, .16 g  NET CARBS

19.2 g  protein

310 mg potassium

183 mg sodium

25% RDA Vitamin B6, 24% B12, 10% iron, 28% niacin, 23% phosphorous, 21% riboflavin, 40% selenium, 61% thiamin, 25% zinc

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Chicken Chile Relleno Casserole

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I just love chile rellenos, but I don’t like all the fuss of actually stuffing them.  So I just make the dish up in a layered casserole.  Tastes exactly the same, but it’s much less trouble to put together.   My last similar recipe was with beef.  This is how I make this dish with chicken.   This recipe is Induction friendly and Primal diners who eat cheese can also enjoy this dish. It would not be suitable for Paleo followers.

INGREDIENTS: 

3 small poblano peppers (mine weighed 2-2.5 oz. each)

12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, chopped into bite-size pieces

2 T. olive oil

2 oz. onion, sliced

½ tsp. dried guajillo chile, seeded and chopped fine (optional)

¼ tsp. dried ancho chile powder (optional)

¼ tsp. chili powder  (use ½ tsp. if guajillo and ancho above are omitted)

¼ tsp. garlic powder

3/4 c. Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, solids only

¼ c. cilantro, chopped

6 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 450º.  Roasting your peppers will make them milder and sweeter, so don’t bypass this step.  Cut tops off poblano peppers and remove seed cluster.  Cut in halves, lay the halves on a non-stick baking sheet and roast in 450º oven for about 15-20 minutes, turning once during roasting.  Remove and cool.  Lower oven to 350º. Peel tough skin gently off the peppers.  While they are roasting, heat oil in non-stick skillet.  Saute onion until tender.  Add chicken and saute until meat is no longer pink.  Add all remaining ingredients except the cheese.  Simmer 3-4 minutes for flavors to meld together.  Lay the skinned poblano pepper pieces in the bottom of 3 individual casserole dishes (or use one larger casserole dish if you prefer).  Top the peppers in each serving dish with 1 spoon of the chicken filling.  Spread 1/3 of the cheese over the chicken filling in each dish. Place the remaining chicken filling evenly in the dish(es).  Top with the remaining cheese.  Pop into a 350º oven for about 20 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.  Serve at once with a nice guacamole salad (and if you are in Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance, this is nice with a ½ c. of heated refried beans).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

547 calories

35 g  fat

7.70 g  carbs, 2.23 g  fiber, 5.47 g  NET CARBS

47.7 g  protein

541 mg potassium

1194 mg sodium

13% RDA Viatmin A, 54% B6, 15% B12, 67% C, 13% E, 12% copper, 22% iron, 12% magnesium, 104% niacin, 37% phosphorous, 15% riboflavin, 11% thiamin and 16% zinc

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Bacon & Leek Soup

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I opened the refrigerator to decide what to have for lunch on this chilly day and my bag of two remaining leeks was laying right beside my package of bacon.  Sounded like the makings of a good, hearty creamed soup to me!  Thus this simple dish was thrown together in under 30 minutes.  This recipe is suitable once you are past the Atkins Induction phase.   It is not suitable for Induction due to the quantity of cream in it.  Paleo-Primal followers will want to use coconut milk or coconut cream to make this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

5 slices low-sodium bacon, sliced

2 leeks, (white and green part) washed well, sliced thinly

2 c. homemade chicken broth

2 c. water

2 c. heavy cream (or coconut milk, coconut cream or any combination)

¼ tsp. each salt and black pepper

your favorite thickener (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Brown the bacon in a large soup pot.  When done, add the sliced leeks.  Saute for a couple minutes, stirring several times.  When the leeks begin to wilt, add the chicken stock, water, salt and pepper. Lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow ingredients to fully cook and flavors to mingle.  Add the cream and allow to get fully hot.    Simmer a few minutes.  If not thick enough for you, thicken with a few dustings of your favorite thickener (I used glucomannan, but arrowroot, xanthan gum or a little pureed leftover veggies like cauliflower or squash will work as well).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 large bowl servings, each contains:

377 calories

37 g  fat

5.58 g  carbs, .6 g  fiber, 4.98 g  NET CARBS

6.1 g  protein

211 mg sodium

216 mg potassium

47% RDA Vitamin A (less than 10% all other macronutrients)

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Chipotle-Lime Shrimp-Topped Fish

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The inspiration for this tasty recipe was very loosely a recipe I read over here:  http://themangoduck.blogspot.com/2011/05/orange-chipotle-tequila-shrimp_26.html .  But I changed it up so much my final dish really doesn’t resemble the original recipe, other than the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and the lime juice.  I’m not fond very of orange juice in foods much (though I do love orange juice to drink), so I had to sub that out and use a rich stock.  I also reduced the amount of tequila.  I added a bit of bulk pork sausage, as that is often combined with seafood in Cajun cooking.  The other changes I made can be seen below.  This dish is not suitable until the Atkins OWL phase due to the tequila in it.  It would not be suitable for Paleo-Primal due to the sugar-free marmalade and alcohol. You would have to omit or substitute to be able to have this dish.

This dish would be even more wonderful prepared with charcoal-grilled fish and shrimp.  But it was pretty darn good just doing it in the oven broiler!

INGREDIENTS: 

8 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

2   6-oz. fish filets (I used Swai)

3 oz. pork sausage, crumbled up

2 oz. chopped onion (or shallot)

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 2″ chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, rinsed, seeded and chopped (2 if you like things hots)

Juice of 1 lime

2 T. sugar-free lime marmalade (or some lime peel + 2T. sugar-free honey)

3 T. tequila (omit if still in Induction)

3/4 c. homemade seafood stock (or chicken stock)

Pinch Spanish Smoked Paprika

¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice blend:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

Dash salt

3 T. butter

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat broiler.

Prepare the seafood:  Melt 1 T. of the butter in a small non-stick pan.  Dip the fish filets (both sides) into the melted butter, laying it flat in the pan.   Coat the shrimp as well and arrange around the fish filets.    Sprinkle ½ of the chopped jalapeno over the shrimp.  Sprinkle the seafood spice blend over the exposed side of the fish and shrimp.  Set aside until sauce is made and simmering.

Make your sauce:  In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt the remaining 2T. butter and brown the sausage crumbles.  Add the onion or shallot, garlic and salt mid-browning and saute until onion is nearly tender.  Add remaining jalapeno, paprika and chopped chipotle pepper next.  Finally, add the lime marmalade, tequila and chicken or seafood stock, whichever you are using.   Lower heat to lowest setting and simmer for about 10-15 minutes to reduce volume by about half and allow those flavors to mingle.  While the sauce is simmering, broil your seafood.

Broil and Assemble:  Pop pan of awaiting seafood into pre-heated broiler.  It will take about 10-15 minutes to get done.  The fish will be done when it is just opaque white at the thickest part.  Do not overcook.  Remove from broiler and plate the filets.  I have a wonderful extra-long spatula that is indispensable for dipping up long items like fish filets.  A worthwhile investment if you don’t own one.  Top each filet with about half of the sauce.  Top with the broiled shrimp and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 servings, each contains:

448 calories

32 g  fat

6.8 g  carbs, 1.35 g  fiber, 5.45 g  NET CARBS

22.5 g  protein

530 mg sodium

365 mg potassium

30% RDA Vitamin A, 11% B6, 39% B12, 70% C, 9% D, 9% E, 17% copper, 18% iron, 14% niacin, 17% phosphorous, 10% riboflavin, 20% selenium

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Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

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The stuffed roast I made for dinner tonight was, according to my husband, the best stuffed roast I’ve ever made.  When I start exploring with spinach, mushrooms and exotic spices to stuff pork with, we invariably find it way to heavy for us.  So this time I just did it with 2 cups of very good leftover stuffing I had in my freezer (made with about 1/3 loaf of this tasty bread:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2012/12/21/jalapeno-cheese-bread/, a  large patty of pork sausage leftover from breakfast today and ½ link of bratwurst, leftover from lunch yesterday.  It was AMAZING!  It roasted perfectly, was fork tender, moist, not heavy at all and made the best pan drippings for gravy!  This is not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL carb ladder.  Primal diners that eat occasional cheese can have this if they omit the corn flavoring in the bread; Paleo eaters will want to omit the cheese and the corn flavoring from the bread.    Of course you can always use YOUR favorite plan-suitable bread/stuffing, but you would then have to recalculate your per serving macronutrient numbers below. Be sure to check out the nutritional stats below. A VERY nutritious meal this one!

INGREDIENTS:

2¼ lb. pork loin, center cut roast, boneless

Dash each salt and pepper

2 oz. bulk pork sausage, cooked and crumbled

2 oz. bratwurst sausage (½ link), removed from casing, cooked & crumbled

4 slices low carb bread (8-10 oz), crumbled  (I used my Jalapeno Cheese Bread linked above)

2 oz. onion, chopped fine

2 oz. celery chopped fine

3 T.  parsley chopped

¼ tsp. poultry seasoning

1 beaten egg

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 300º. Double butterfly the roast.  I did this by slicing laterally right to left (not cutting the pieces totally apart) 1/3 down the meat thickness and laid that piece to the left.  Then I cut 2/3 down the meat left to right (not cutting the pieces totally apart) and laid that piece off to the right. The result is one large rectangle of pork.  I then pounded the pork with a meat cleaver to tenderize it a bit.  Set meat aside and prepare the stuffing.

Crumble the bread into a bowl.  Add sausage crumbles, finely chopped onion, celery and parsley (pre-sauteing veggies isn’t necessary since this will be baked so long).  Add poultry seasoning and beaten egg and stir well.  Add dash of salt and pepper to stuffing mixture. If a little dry and won’t hold together (breads vary), add a little water or chicken stock.  Spread stuffing evenly over the meat either with a rubber spatula, fork or I used my hands.  Roll the meat up carefully and place seam side down in a small roasting pan.  Brush lightly with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.   Pop into preheated 300º oven for 1 hour. Remove and baste with any pan juices.  Add about ½ c. water around the roast, raise oven temp to 325º and place back in oven for 1 hour at the higher temperature. Meat should be at internal temp of 165º at 2 hours cooking, but check with a meat thermometer to be sure, as ovens vary.  If the surface of the meat isn’t as brown as you like, turn oven to 375º and return meat for 15 minutes to brown it up a bit more.  Let meat sit for 10 minutes before slicing into 8 thick slices.  Slightly thicken pan juices over low heat with your favorite thickener if desired.  Makes a wonderful gravy!  Serve at once with your favorite green vegetable (I did steamed broccoli) or a green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 servings, each contains (calculated using my cheese bread):

408 calories

24.1 g  fat

4.43 g  carbs, 1.94 g  fiber, 2.39 g  NET CARBS

42.7 g protein

295 mg sodium

565 mg potassium

36% RDA Vitamin B6, 32% B12, 41% iron, 49% niacin, 55% phosphorous, 52% riboflavin, 116% selenium, 75% thiamin and 46% zinc

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Beef-Bok Choy

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The Bok Choy was particularly fresh and pretty in the grocery store yesterday so I bought the first bunch I have bought in a very long time.  The day before we charcoal grilled a marinated piece of grass-fed beef brisket and there was a lot leftover.  So I slivered some of the leftover meat just as thin as I could slice it to create this dish. Upon examining the refrigerator, I could see fresh mushrooms and a pretty red pepper were calling out to be added to this creation.. Mmmm.  The final dish was delicious!  This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Paleo-Primal as well.  I make my own hoisin sauce and this is the recipe I’m currently using.  The only change I make is I use my imitation honey recipe whereas the linked recipe uses real honey:  http://www.paleodigest.com/pd/?u=http://www.mypaleolife.com/paleo-diet-recipes/paleo-fied-hoisin-sauce

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. coconut oil

1 lb. thinly sliced beef (I used grass-fed brisket)

2 oz. onion, sliced

2 stalks bok choy, washed and sliced ½” thick

Bok Choy

2 oz. red bell pepper, sliced or ½” dice

6 medium mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp. ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. chile paste (I use Sambal Oelek)

3 T. Paleo-fied Hoisin Sauce seen here: http://www.paleodigest.com/pd/?u=http://www.mypaleolife.com/paleo-diet-recipes/paleo-fied-hoisin-sauce

½ c. beef broth

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

a bit your favorite thickener (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Slice, dice and mince all the listed vegetables and set by the stove burner. Set the bok choy white part and leafy part in two separate stacks   Gather all other ingredients and have them close at hand.  Heat a wok or large skillet and add the oils.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute 1 minute.  Next add the beef and saute about 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink.  Add all  vegetables BUT the green leafy part of the bok choy.  Also add garlic and ginger.  Saute all until vegetables are tender crisp, about 2-3 minutes.  Now add the leafy part of the bok choy to the pan.  Add the beef broth and all other ingredients and allow flavors to blend a couple minutes.  If you want, sprinkle your favorite thickener and stir until slightly thickened. Serve at once either alone or atop steamed riced cauliflower.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

281.3 calories

15.5 g  fat

7.73 g  carbs, 2.08 g  fiber, 5.65 g  NET CARBS

27.7 g  protein

512 mg sodium

881 mg potassium

29% RDA Vitamin A, 63% B6, 44% B12, 56% C, 9% calcium, 23% copper, 37% iron, 13% magnesium, 12% manganese, 62% niacin, 42% phosphorous, 28% riboflavin, 66% selenium, 13% thiamin, 59% zinc

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Shrimp Crepes

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Ever since I enjoyed Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Crepes at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans (before he went up to the New York restaurant), I’ve been wanting to try my hand at them.  In those days, he would be seen sitting at the back of the dining room (when he wasn’t in the kitchen) and often came over to your table to ask if you enjoyed what you ordered. 

His entree had both crab and shrimp, but crab in Central Texas leaves much to be desired, so I just used shrimp for my creation.  Man, did these ever come out GOOD!  My hubby gave this dinner a two thumbs up!  These are definitely different from K-Paul’s crepes, but I think I’ve put together an equally good dish.  I don’t recall any wine in his either, but I like a little in my creamy seafood dishes, so I added a little sherry to these.  You need to leave it out if you’re still in Atkins Induction phase.   But they’ll still be good without it! These would not be suitable for Paleo-Primal followers.

For this creation, I used Jennifer Eloff’s latest low-carb crepe recipe, with a couple changes.  That recipe is here:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2013/02/ultra-low-carb-crepes-and-another-idea.html .  I omitted the sweetener and vanilla for this savory application and I also added 1/8 tsp. salt.  I also made my crepes earlier in the evening so those would be ready to go when it was time to prepare the dish and assemble.  I just stacked the cooked crepes with plastic between each one and left on the counter.  My crepe maker is 7″ in diameter (Jennifer’s is only 5″) so I only got 5 larger crepes from the recipe.  Therefore, each of my unfilled crepes have slightly more calories and carbs:134 calories, 10 g fat, 7 g  protein, 3.56 g carbs, .28 g fiber and 3.28 g net carbs and these numbers are reflected in the recipe per serving nutritional numbers below.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe crepes (five 7″ crepes, made by Jennifer Eloff’s recipe minus the sweetener and vanilla:  http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2013/02/ultra-low-carb-crepes-and-another-idea.html

FILLING:

5 oz. shrimp, peeled and chopped coarsely (leave 1 or 2 whole for garnish if desired)

3 slices low-sodium, no salt added bacon, chopped

1 large shallot, sliced thin

¼ c. red bell pepper, chopped

¼ c. parsley, chopped

¼ c. white wine or sherry

¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/20/my-seafood-spice-blend/

Dash each salt and black pepper

1 c. heavy cream

½ c. water

1/4 tsp. glucomannan powder (or use your preferred thickener)

DIRECTIONS:  Make the crepes ahead by that recipe’s directions.  Stack them with plastic wrap between each so they won’t stick together.  When ready to prepare meal, brown the chopped bacon over high heat in a non-stick skillet.  When it is browned, added the shallot and red bell pepper.  Saute until they are tender. Add all the shrimp, including those left whole for garnish. Turn the whole ones when the first side is browned. When those two are done, remove them from the pan and set aside for now.  Add the parsley, wine (if using) and the salt and pepper.  Simmer a few minutes. Lower heat to lowest setting.  In a bowl, whisk the cream, water and slowly dust the glucomannan over the liquid (or whatever thickener you’re using), whisking constantly until blended. Pour the liquid into the skillet and simmer the filling a couple minutes to meld flavors.  The sauce will turn slightly pink from the bell pepper.    Turn off heat and plate the crepes as follows:

ASSEMBLY:  Place your serving platter by the skillet and the stack of cooked crepes close at hand.  Try to visually judge in the skillet 1/5 of the filling as you have 5 crepes to fill. Using a slotted spoon, so as to get mostly just the solids, place 1/5 (about 1 cooking spoon) of the filling into one of the crepes, roll carefully and lift the filled roll onto the platter, placing seam down.  Repeat for the remaining crepes, lining them in a row.  The remaining sauce in the skillet will be dribbled over the crepes.  If you don’t have enough sauce left to do this,  add a little more cream, blend with a spoon and adjust salt if needed.  Then pour the sauce down the center of the crepes on the platter and garnish with the whole shrimp you browned and a sprinkle of chopped parsley if desired.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes five servings, each contains:

371.2 calories

30.5 g  fat

7.06 g  carbs, .62 g  fiber, 6.44 g  NET CARBS

15.44 g  protein

287 mg sodium

258 mg potassium

51% RDA Vitamin A, 10% B6, 42% B12, 20% C, 20% D, 10% E, 16% copper, 26% iron, 10% magnesium, 13% manganese, 30% phosphorous, 27% riboflavin, 46% selenium, 14% zinc

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Oven Roasted Grass-Fed Beef Brisket

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Because grass-fed, grass-finished beef is so much leaner than ordinary mass-produced commercial beef in grocery stores, it tends to cook up drier and a bit tough if you don’t take special precautions to compensate for that.   The 5# chunk of brisket you see in the pic above was cooked slow, surrounded by a little water and covered with foil for part of the cooking time and then cooked open for the remaining time.  It came out tender and VERY flavorful.  Healthy goodness!  I usually put a bit of rub on mine. This is suitable for all phases of Atkins and for Paleo-Primal diners as well. I served mine with a broccoli souffle and a tomato/cucumber salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1   4-5# piece of grass-fed beef brisket

½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. minced dehydrated garlic

½ tsp. onion powder

¼ tsp. dill seed

¼ tsp. dehydrated red bell pepper (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º. Mix all the spices together and sprinkle over all surfaces of the meat.   Place meat in large roasting pan and pop into oven, uncovered for 1 hour.  Lower heat to 300º and remove pan from oven.  Pour ½ ” water in the bottom of the pan around the meat.  Tightly cover with a piece of large aluminum foil and pop back into oven and cook for about 4-5 more hours.  Check once and replenish water if below 1/4″ deep.  Uncover for the final hour of cooking to get a nice brown crusty surface on the meat.  Meat is well done (how I prefer oven-roasted cuts like this) when it reaches an internal temperature of 140º on your meat thermometer.  I may like rare steak, but I don’t like my brisket rare.    Remove from the pan and let it sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting/slicing.  Thicken the juices in the pan with your favorite thickener, deglazing any tasty brown bits stuck to the sides of the pan, seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite sides.  Leftovers freeze and reheat well in foil.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   One 4 oz. serving contains:

340 calories

22 g  fat

50 mg sodium

0 g  carbs, 0 fiber, 0 NET CARBS

32 g  protein

22 % RDA Vitamin B6, 122% B12, 15% copper, 40% iron, 8% magnesium, 30% niacin, 39% phosphorous, 23% riboflavin, 50% selenium, 7% thiamin, 97% zinc

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Sausage Hash

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I just love quick skillet dishes that go together in minutes!  This was ready in under 30 minutes, start to finish.  This was delicious, considering it had none of the carb-laden potatoes one puts in traditional hash!      I ordinarily use beef in my hash, but had none thawed or leftover.  I realized there’s no law that says hash HAS to be made with beef, so I reached for the container of homemade sausage I keep in the fridge.

While I was cooking this, my heater repairman working on my sick furnace said as he left, “Whatever you’re cooking sure smells good!  I’m gonna go get me some lunch!”    That made me feel real good!

I hesitated in adding the smoked Gouda on top of this dish, but I’m sure glad I went on and did so.  It was VERY good and brought a nice flavor layer to the overall dish.   This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins as well as Primal folks who eat dairy once in awhile.  This is only suitable for Paleo diners if the cheese is omitted.

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. lean homemade pork sausage (my recipe is here:  http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/08/07/peggys-breakfast-sausage/ )

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 T. bacon grease

1 c. cubed radishes

2 oz. Smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

DIRECTIONS:  Place bacon grease in a wok or skillet over high heat.  Add onion and saute until it begins to caramelize.  Add sausage, crumbled up and brown the meat well.  Add radishes and saute just until radishes are tender.  Dip onto 2 serving plates and top each with 1 oz. of the cheese.  Microwave just until cheese is melted.  Serve and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

465 calories

39 g  fat

5.1 g carbs,  1.2 g  fiber, 3.9 g  NET CARBS

23.2 g  protein

418 mg potassium

1050 sodium

23 % RDA Vitamin B6, 42% B12, 14% C, 19% calcium, 13% copper, 18% iron, 40% niacin, 23% phosphorous, 18% riboflavin, 25% thiamin, 25% zinc

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Pork Patties with Bacon

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I’m always trying to come up with new recipes for quick meat patties for lunch.  Today’s mélange came out particularly tasty so I thought I’d share it with my readers.  It was on the table in 15 minutes once the meat hit the skillet.  The sauce you see in the pic is optional, but Southern girl that I am, I like gravy on just about everything.    You can experiment with other spice blends in these patties if you have one you are fond of. This dish would be  suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground pork

1 large egg. beaten

1½ oz. finely minced onion

1/3 c. finely chopped celery

4 oz. bacon, chopped fine

3/4 tsp. your favorite lemon-pepper (I use Victoria Gourmet No-Salt Lemon Pepper)

Dash poultry seasoning

3 T. finely chopped parsley

Dash black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Lightly brown chopped bacon in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and celery and saute until tender.  Remove and spoon the sauteed veggies into medium mixing bowl.  Add meat to the bowl along with all remaining listed ingredients.  With fork or hands, mix all together until well blended, much as you would a meatloaf.  Divide into 4 equal portions and form into four (roughly 4-oz.) patties.  Brown the patties in the same skillet you were using over medium-high heat until golden on each side and they are fully done (no longer oozing pink juices). These patties can either be served plain or you can make a little sauce of your choosing in the same skillet you browned the meat in.  The one pictured was simply ¼ c. heavy cream, 2 T. water and 2 T. white or rose wine added to that skillet and simmered on low, scraping up “brown bits” off the bottom of the skillet. This would also be good as a sandwich on your favorite low-carb sandwich bun.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 large patties, each contains (not including any sauce you might add):

452 calories

38 g  fat

1.5 g  carbs, .3 g fiber, 1.2 g  NET CARBS

28.2 g  protein

325 mg sodium

440 mg potassium

35 %  RDA Vitamin B6, 48%  B12, 10% copper, 18% iron, 9% magnesium, 43% niacin, 40% phosphorous, 33% riboflavin, 68% selenium, 84% thiamin, 37% zinc

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Chicken Rochambeau

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Many, many years ago I ordered this wonderful dish somewhere in New Orleans down in the French Quarter.  But for the life of me I can’t remember if it was at Brennan’s, Antoine’s or where.  What I DO remember is it was REAL good! This dish was made with a seared chicken breast, a rich brown mushroom wine sauce and a Bernaise sauce to top it off.  The marriage of these two sauces, much to my complete surprise, was amazing!

You have to do a little bit of a juggling act with lots of little pans going on your stove-top all at the same time, but I’ve streamlined the directions as much as possible for you. The end result of your juggling act is well worth it.  As I don’t want my sides to have conflicting flavors that will compete with this delicate flavor synergy, I usually serve fairly simple vegetables with this.

This dish is not suitable for Induction due to the bit of wine in the brown sauce.  You could omit the wine and have the dish, however.  Won’t be quite as good, but doable.  This dish is suitable for Paleo-Primal if you leave out the wine.  Although this dish is higher in calories than most of my recipes, a quick review of the macro-nutrients may outweigh the high-cal price you have to pay to enjoy this dish. Very impressive nutritional stats on this one.

INGREDIENTS:

2   5-oz skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 T. unsalted butter

1 tsp. olive oil

1 c. rich brown gravy (I used leftover gravy from a stewed beef roast)

¼ c. chopped parsley

¼ c. red wine (or rose will do)

Dash each salt and pepper

4 oz. canned mushrooms, drained (or sauteed fresh if you have them on hand)

1 c. Bernaise Sauce (my recipe is here: http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/06/29/peggys-bernaise-sauce/ )

DIRECTIONS:  Make your Bernaise sauce and set on rear stove burner that is turned off.  If it gets thick while waiting to do remaining steps, add a bit more butter and warm it up slightly on lowest heat possible, whisking constantly.  You will have about ½ c. of the Bernaise sauce leftover, but it’s great warmed up with some butter the next day over scrambled eggs or a grilled steak!  Butterfly the chicken breasts with a sharp knife. Heat butter and oil in non-stick skillet on high heat and saute chicken until golden on each side and thoroughly done (about 5-6 minutes on a side).    While those are browning, in another non-stick skillet, add beef gravy, red wine, parsley, salt and pepper and the drained mushrooms.  Bring to light boil and then lower heat and simmer to reduce just a bit while you get the plates for plating.  To plate, spoon about 1/2 c. of the brown mushroom sauce in a tidy puddle on the plate.  Set a chicken breast on top.  Finally, spoon about ¼ c. Bernaise sauce on the top down the center and serve your favorite vegetables alongside.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 servings, each contains:

786 calories

55.7 g  fat

5.3 g  carbs, 1.3 g  fiber, 4 g  NET CARBS

46.7 g  protein

52% RDA Vitamin A, 59% B6, 52% B12, 27% C, 21% E, 25% copper, 62% iron, 20% magnesium, 10% manganese, 136% niacin, 54% phosphorous, 25% riboflavin, 86% selenium, 15% thiamin, 26% zinc

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