Asian Grilled Pork Chops

It’s hard for me to believe this is one of the very first recipes I posted on my blog back in 2009.  My, time flies.  This grilling marinade recipe helps tenderize less-expensive cuts of meat.  You can use it to oven-bake the meat, but grilling takes it to a whole new level as you can imagine.  I have used this marinade on beef chuck, sirloin steak, flank steak strips, pork ribs and pork chops as shown above.  I like to serve with grilled slices of yellow squash, onion and tomato.  It is also good with my Eggplant in Garlic Sauce which I will post momentarily.  This recipe is only Atkins Induction friendly if you leave out the sherry/wine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

2 T. water

2 tsp. sugar equivalent sweetener of your choice

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

2 cloves minced garlic

1 T. white wine or sherry (omit for Induction)

Dash of red cayenne pepper

3-4 drops Tabasco

2 tsp. olive oil (to coat steak before grilling)

1 lb. pork chops (about 4) (or 4 servings thick pork country ribs)

DIRECTIONS:  Put first 8 ingredients into a gallon ziploc bag.  Zip and manipulate to mix well.  Add meat to bag, close and manipulate again until all meat is coated.  Marinate for 6-8 hours.   Remove from refrigerator and take meat out of bag.  Marinade should be discarded.   Pat meat dry with paper towels and baste with olive oil on all sides.  Charcoal over hot fire (3″-4″ from coals) to desired stage.  Remove to cutting board and let stand 2-3 minutes before slicing or serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings each containing:

207 cals, 20g fat, <1g carb, 0g fiber, 1g NET CARBs, 26g protein, 66mg. sodium

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Pork on “Lotus Leaf”

I often am smitten with a good recipe at my worst times.  I worked in my garden out back and the iris bed out front today.  I was so tired when I came inside I fell asleep watching TV in my favorite recliner.  It was already late when the hubs woke me up asking “Are you going to cook dinner or shall I order/pick up something for us?”.  I had thawed 3 small pieces of pork loin earlier in the day but hadn’t decided what I was going to cook for dinner yet.  A quick stir fry is usually what I do to pull off a fast, effortless meal.  This idea erupted in my head when I saw the fresh, small head of cabbage sitting right by the pork in the refrigerator.  So I proceeded iwth a dish I created some years back.

I understand the entire lotus plant is edible and is also used in Chinese medicines.  They say the tubers tastes a lot like sweet potato.  I’ve read they use the blossoms in cooking as well.  They do dry the slightly sweet leaves and sell them on-line.  I have read they tend to be aromatic when cooked.  If you have lotus flowers growing in a pond where you live, I would encourage you to use real lotus leaves for this.  Not being so lucky, I use outer cabbage leaves as a stand-in.  The shape is similar and visual impact is nice on th eplate.   Cabbage is also slightly sweet and is just so good in Chinese food!

We love this dish!  This dish may sound spicy upon first reading, but I assure you, it is not, as I don’t care for overly spicy food.   Many of you may want to increase the Sambal Oelek, in fact, or maybe double the jalapeno!  This dish has just a tingle of heat on the tongue (as written) and that’s all the heat I want.  A little bit of mashed cauliflower seasoned with a dab of Sambal Oelek chili paste really rounds the flavors out on this.

This recipe is suitable for Atkins Phase 2 and beyond as well as other ketogenic diets.  Omit the sherry and those on Atkins Induction can also enjoy this delightful concoction.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. coconut oil (or your preferred oil)

9 oz. pork loin, trimmed of all fat, sliced julienne-style

3 T. total dry sherry or white wine

3 T. total low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

2½ finely shredded green cabbage

½ c. green onions, chopped (I used the white ends only)

1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. sea salt

2¼-2½ c. butter-seasoned cauliflower mash

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chile paste

½ small carrot, peeled, shaved into long thin strips

VARIATION:  Use lean beef instead of pork.

DIRECTIONS:  Place julienned pork in a bowl with 2 T. of the sherry and 1½ T. of the soy sauce.  Mix with your hands and let marinate about 10 minutes while you cut up the other ingredients.

Peel off 3 outer leaves of cabbage and dunk in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to slightly soften.  If you want to actually eat the serving leaf (which we do eat), cook them maybe 4 minutes.  Remove from water, drain on paper towel and set them on serving platter (mine, as you can see, are shaped like a giant lotus leaf, hence the recipe name).  Discard water.

In a small non-stick skillet, mix the leftover cauliflower mash with the tsp. of Sambal Oelek.  It will turn the cauli pink when uniformly stirred.  Turn heat on low and warm while you do the stir-fry.

In a heated wok, melt the coconut oil over high heat.  Add the julienned pork and stir-fry until it begins to brown.  Add cabbage, green onion, jalapeno, ginger and garlic to the wok and continue to stir-fry.  Sprinkle the mixture with the sea salt, add the strips of carrot you have made with a carrot peeler and stir a couple minutes to let the carrot slightly cook. Add the remaining tablespoon sherry and the remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce.

To serve, spoon 1/3 of the pink cauliflower ‘rice’ onto each leaf of cabbage and spread out a bit, leaving the dark edge of the leaf exposed.  Then spoon on 1/3 of the meat mixture on top of the cauli-rice mixture and serve your family and guests at once.  I found one of these filled me up like a tick, as we say in the South.  My husband did eat two.  I do eat the ‘lotus leaf’ or cabbage leaf bowls, too.   🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

439 cals., 26.7g fat, 13.93g carbs, 6.0g fiber, 7.93g NET CARBS, 23.3g protein, 1178 mg sodium

Asian Pork Riblets

I’m a Baby Boomer, raised in the 50’s and 60’s.  My first memories of Chinese food were of Chicken Chow Mein, with those fun curly noodles on top, and the Pu-Pu Platter all the Chinese restaurants offered as appetizers.  No discussion of Chinese food would be complete without mentioning the Pu-Pu appetizer platter.  Besides, it’s just fun to say the name, non?  🙂 

It was the little, slightly sweet ribs I remember off those appetizer platters that were my favorite.  I was never a fan of the crab toast or cheese stuffed fried noodles.  If you love those ribs half as much as I did, you will want to give this recipe a try.  They are not too sweet or sticky, but do have a slight sweet edge.  There’s just the right amount of Asian spice on them for a nice flavor addition to serve alongside your next stir-fry dinner!  Or have them as snacks or appetizers at your next party!  These are suitable once you get past the first 2-week Induction Phase of Atkins and are OK for most Keto diets if the numbers will fit into your daily macro limits.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ lb. pork spareribs, cut apart into separate ribs/pieces 

10 drops liquid smoke

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ginger root, peeled & minced

2 T. low sodium soy sauce

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. dry mustard

1 T. molasses

1 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce

¼-½ tsp. Sriracha sauce

1 T. dry sherry or white wine (tenderizes)

2 T. tap water

¼ tsp. Chinese 5-Spice Powder

DIRECTIONS:  Cut ribs along bones to separate.  If using the point end of a rack of ribs, that is almost totally boneless, cut any wider strips of boneless meat into strips about 3/4″ wide, or roughly the  size of the bone-in ribs.  Set them aside for a few minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, measures out all other ingredients.  Stir to blend well.  Add meat and toss well to coat.  Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place marinated meat strips onto pan making sure they are not touching.  With a brush baste lightly with marinade.  When oven is hot, place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes.  Turn and baste the other side of the meat pieces and cook another 15-20 minutes.  When browned nicely on both sides, remove meat to a platter and serve with whatever other Asian fare you like or enjoy these as an appetizer.  Be forewarned this is finger food and can be a wee bit sticky.  Have plenty of napkins on hand. 🙂

You can also grill these for even more flavor!  They would also cook up nicely in an air fryer cooking at 360º for about 15-20 min. turning at the 10 min. mark.  Fryers vary, so be sure to keep an eye on them the first time you try them in your air fryer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

515 cals, 40g fat, 6.17g carbs, 0.27g fiber, 5.9g NET CARBS, 29.7g protein, 428mg sodium

Moo Shu Pork

               Roll Under Construction

                   The filling

And now, as promised, my recipe you can try out my Hoisin sauce on.  We were  first introduced to Moo Shu Pork by a friend in Houston probably 40 years ago (Has it been that long?) by a friend who was married to a girl from China.  We fell in love with Moo Shu Pork at first bite!  There’s something about the unusual ingredients and the sweet, tangy bean/plum sauce that is a flavor marriage made in heaven.  As with any Chinese food, more time is spent in slicing/cutting up the ingredients than the actual cooking takes, but this dish is so worth the effort!

I line up paper plates by my stove and get each ingredient chopped and onto a plate, ready to add to the wok at the right moment.  I first soak the tiger lily buds, cloud ear and mushrooms in little bowls in hot water to rehydrate them while I’m cutting other items up.  I make the marinade in a bowl and set aside.  I next scramble the eggs, chopping them when cooked into smaller bits (but not too small).  I slice all the veggies last.  Then I’m ready to cook!

This recipe is slightly higher in carbs than most on my site and therefore it is not suitable until you are closer to goal weight, but this dish is a special treat to me and I don’t indulge in this one often.  The way I look at it, I consider any recipe below 10g net carbs per serving to be OK, considering that is ever so much lower than the average carb count for most Standard American Diet (SAD) entrées of my past.  🙂

NOTE:  Shitaake mushrooms, Cloud Ear Fungus (also called wood ear mushroom) and Tiger Lily Buds are essential to traditional Mu Shu Pork classic flavors.  If omitted, you are not eating Moo Shu Pork.  Asian groceries will all carry these items.  I have to order mine on-line.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. mushroom soaking liquid

4 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce

1 T. rice wine vinegar

1 T. fish sauce (I use Thai Kitchen brand) [or a good bottled oyster sauce]

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce

¼ tsp. xanthan gum or preferred thickener

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs, scrambled in 1 T. butter

8 oz. lean only pork loin, sliced thin

3 T. peanut or olive oil (or your preferred oil)

½ c. cabbage, sliced thin as in photo above

4 large dried shitake mushrooms, soaked

3 large green onions, cut 3/4″ pieces

1 c. fresh bean sprouts

¼ c. canned bamboo shoots, julienne  sliced

½ c. dried Cloud Ear Fungus strips, soaked (if using whole, slice them)

½ cup dried Tiger Lily buds, cut in half, soaked

8 low-carb flour tortillas (I use ‘La Banderita’)

Hoisin sauce to “dress” each roll before rolling/eating

VARIATION:  Use slivered chicken in lieu of pork for a Moo Shu Chicken version

DIRECTIONS:  In 3 small bowls, soak mushrooms, Tiger Lily Buds and Clour Ear in very hot water until soft.  You want to save the mushroom liquid and just lift them out of that “stock”.  Cut out the tough mushroom stems and slice the mushroom flesh.  Place on paper towels to dry off for now.  Discard water off the Cloud Ear Fungus.  If using whole ones, chop or slice and paper towel dry.  If using pre-cut strips just set them on paper towel to dry.  Discard water off the Tiger Lily Buds and chop them in half.  Dry on paper towels.  Set these 3 ingredients near the stove.

Mix all marinade ingredients in the small bowl.  Add ¼ c. of the mushroom soaking water.  When well-mixed, pour half the marinade into medium bowl and add the sliced meat.  Toss the meat with your hands to coat meat well and let it marinade while you continue your prepping.  Remaining marinade will be added to the wok at the end of cooking.

Scramble the eggs over medium in the butter until set.  Remove from heat and chop into medium bits (but not too fine).  Set those aside by stove so they are at-the-ready.

Now you’re ready to cook.  Heat a dry wok or large skillet.  Chinese cooks have a saying:  “Hot Wok; Cold Fat.”  If you do it this way, the meat does not stick to the pan.  If you heat the oil as you heat the wok,  the meat almost invariably sticks to the pan!  When the steel is VERY HOT, quickly dump in the oil and promptly the meat into the cold oil.  Don’t worry, the oil will get hot quick when it hits the hot metal.  Stir-fry with spoon until meat is no longer pink.  Add in cabbage and Cloud Ear Fungus next.  Stir-fry until they just barely begin to go limp.  Next add the bean sprouts & scallions and cook those just 1 minute.  Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoot slivers and Tiger Lily Buds next, cooking the mixture 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the remaining marinade and stir well so all filling is now moistened.  Cook another minute or so for the thickener in the marinade to do its job.   Add the egg to the wok last, during the final minute of cooking. Turn off heat and stir once just to mix the egg in well.  Remove wok from heat.

Serve the filling at the table (I like to do it right in the wok so it stays warm) with low-carb tortillas and the hoisin sauce.  I haven’t gotten around to creating a Chinese-style pancake, but give me awhile and I may do that one day.  Place about ½-3/4 c. filling on the tortilla down the center.  Dab a little extra hoisin sauce down the filling edge (as shown above) and fold the bottom edge up like an envelope end (to catch juice as you eat).  Then fold the sides of the tortilla inward, first the left side, then the right side, much like you’d form a burrito.  Pick up and eat it with your hands, like a burrito.  Moo Shu Pork is traditionally eaten with hands and is actually rather messy/difficult to eat with a fork, to be quite honest.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 servings, each contains:  (Includes tortilla but does not include hoisin sauce)

216 cals, 12.4g fat, 24.35g carbs, 13.72g fiber, 10.63g NET CARBS (plus hoisin consumed), 13.7g protein, 814mg sodium

Asian Pork Patties with Dipping Sauce (dumplings optional)

Finally, a way I can at feel like I’m having delicious Pot Stickers on the table and EAT them with a clean conscience!  Since low carbers like me can’t have the dumplings they are traditionally wrapped in,  I’ve found a way to have this tasty dish without the traditional wrappers!   Instead, I make a batch of very small simmered dumplings that I make with glucomannan powder, sear separately from the meat bites and eat them alongside the meat and dipping sauce.  It’s almost like eating real steamed Chinese dumplings!!  So good!!  This dough is not very “rollable” else I would have tried to make my creation more like the original dumplings are formed in the traditional Chinese kitchen.   I may try introducing a little psyllium and see if they can be rolled, but in the meantime, this method of side-by-side works for us.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.  To make these suitable for Primal-Paleo, do not use the peanut butter in the dipping sauce and use a plan-suitable vinegar  and coconut aminos for the soy sauce.

Shown with seared “Dumplings”

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground pork

1 beaten egg

2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed and minced fine

2 tsp. coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)

2 cloves, garlic, minced

2 T. olive oil (for frying)

1 recipe and a half of the dough for my here: Dumplings

DIPPING SAUCE:

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. creamy natural peanut butter (omit if on Atkins Induction)

2 T.  rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. ginger root, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce (or Sriracha sauce)

2-3 drops liquid stevia or sucralose

1 T. low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

1 T. finely minced green onion

2 T. water

VARIATION:  Add 1 tsp. peanut butter to the dipping sauce

DIRECTIONS:   If you wish to serve this dish with the dumplings on the side, prepare a recipe and a half of my glucomannan dumplings at the link above according to that recipe’s instructions, simmering them in plain water that is barely at a simmer.  Be sure to make them real tiny, about ½” is what I did, as they swell to about 3/4″ during simmering.  When they are done, brown the dumplings in a hot skillet you have oiled lightly.  Set the plate of dumplings aside for now.

Mix the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Mix up the meat ingredients in a medium bowl with either a fork or your hands.  Heat the 2 T. olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Form into 10 patties (mine were about 1½ oz. each and about 2″ long).  Place the meat patties in the skillet and brown on both sides until golden brown, making sure pink juices are no longer coming out of the meat when slightly pressed with the edge of your spatula.  Turn off heat and dip them onto a serving platter in a circle.  Prepare dumplings per that recipe’s instructions.  When done, place those in the middle of the serving platter with the meat patties around the outside.  Pour the dipping sauce into 3 tiny bowls and place one at each person’s place setting.   Once on my plate, I forked 1 dumpling with a bite of meat, dipped into the sauce and shoved the two right into my mouth!  Pure heaven it was! I swear it tasted just like steamed and then seared pot stickers!  Must try to brown my little dumplings in a skillet next time!   Pic of the fried version shown above.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes ten 1½-oz. meat patties.  Each meat patty & sauce contains:  (includes 1/10th of the sauce).  NOTE:  The info below does NOT include the optional dumplings, but since they have negligible food value, I wouldn’t worry about them too much.  They are virtually pure fiber.  I get around 36-40 mini-dumplings out of the dumpling dough so 3 dumplings only have around 0.1 net carb (or less)!  Like I said, virtually negligible value:  167 cals, 14g fat, 1.11g carbs, 0.16g fiber, 0.95g NET CARBS, 8.7g protein

Hot and Sour Soup

This is my version of the well-known Hot and Sour Soup.  I always enjoy this soup when we’re at our local Chinese restaurant buffet.  Mine reminds me so much of the Hot and Sour soup served there, all but the tofu, that is.  I try to avoid soy as much as possible and used bean sprouts in place of tofu, but if you consume tofu, add about 1 c. small cubes of firm tofu to the pot during cooking for a more authentic soup.  This recipe is suitable for Atkins, ketogenic diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 oz. piece of pork loin, trimmed of all fat, slivered thin

1 T. olive oil

4 c. pork or chicken broth (I use homemade)

1½ c. bean sprouts, fresh (or canned, drained)

1 large green onion, chopped

1 bok choy leaf (green part only), or 1 leaf kale, chopped

4 oz. red bell pepper, sliced (not authentic, but very good)

¼ c. dried sliced shitake mushrooms (equivalent of 2 mushrooms)

½ c. dried clour ear fungi/mushrooms

few drops of toasted sesame oil

¼ c. rice wine vinegar (no substitutions)

½ Tamari or soy sauce (I use Kikkoman low-sodium soy sauce)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce (more if you like real spicy)

Water (as needed to adjust excess saltiness lower)

½ tsp. xanthan gum to slightly thicken

Dash toasted sesame seeds

VARIATIONS:  Add 1 c. diced firm tofu.  You can also sub in slivered canned bamboo shoots for the bean sprouts for a different look but not much flavor change.

DIRECTIONS:  Brown slivered pork in the tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a 4 qt. saucepan.  Add all remaining ingredients but the last 3 (water, xanthan gum & toasted seeds).  Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer just until red pepper is starting to soften (but is not mushy, limp), or about 5-6 minutes.  Bok choy (or kale) will be done by then.  Add optional tofu cubes if using.  Taste broth.  If too salty for you add the water slowly until to your desired salty level.

I use a salt shaker for my xanthan gum.  Lightly dust it over surface and stir in.  Simmer a couple minutes to let it take action.  Repeat until soup is thick enough (or until all used).  This should be enough thickener even if you add the cup of extra water.  Add sesame seeds and stir or you can serve them with the soup at table, letting diners sprinkle seeds on their own.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

251 cals, 18g fat, 9.87g carbs, 4.85g fiber, 5.02g NET CARBS, 18.5g protein, 1207 mg sodium (Use low sodium soy sauce to reduce, but I was out of it.)

Moroccan Grilled Chicken

 

The Moroccan spice blend in this grilled chicken is an interesting creation that will take ordinary grilled chicken to a whole new level.  I have also used it on on grilled beef chuck, lamb, pork and even for a whole grilled fish with good results.  For those who don’t do much grilling, this recipe bakes nicely in your indoor oven.  This one is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.  I do hope you’ll try it someday.  I think you’ll like it if you do!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. chicken breasts or 4 thighs, deboned only if you wish to speed up cooking

3 T. olive oil

1 T. my Moroccan Spice Blend

6 T. your favorite low-carb BBQ sauce + 3 T. water

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 400º.  Slice deboned chicken breasts laterally on an angle to form 4 thinner pieces.  If using thighs, slit with knife so you will be able to spread the meat out as flat as possible.  Place oil in baking sheet.  Dip each piece of chicken into oil to coat.  Sprinkle the spice blend over all meat surfaces.  Lay coated chicken onto awaiting hot charcoal grill or your oiled baking pan  if cooking indoors.   If meat is deboned, grill for about 12-13  minutes on a side.  Alternately, bake at 400º oven for about 20-30 minutes.  Baste with sauce a couple times during cooking.  Time will slightly vary depend on thickness of meat, type of meat/fish and of course, the heat stage of your fire/oven.   If grilling, cook as you normally would the particular meat you are doing, basting with sauce several times during cooking to keep meat moist.  I recommend serving with a green salad topped with tahini dressing, tabouleh salad, or roasted/grilled veggies of your choice.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

306 cals, 19 g fat, 3.1 g carbs, 0.95 g fiber, 2.25 g NET CARBS, 33.7 g  protein, 42% RDA Vitamin B6, 30% iron, 102 % niacin, 34% phosphorous, 275 mg potassium and 50 % selenium.  Another very healthy dish!

Mediterranean Meat Patties

Served on (Flour tortilla)

One can’t talk about Middle Eastern food without thinking of  meat wraps.  These I whipped up for lunch one day.  I was transported to all the Middle Eastern cafes I’d had wraps in in various places.  These wonderful little meat patties can be ready in just 15 minutes!  Grilling them, which is traditional, will of course take a little longer.  I most DEFINITELY liked the flavor and confess I can eat two of them they are so good.  I serve them typically with tzatziki yogurt sauce or my Shawarma mayo.  The flavor of the leftovers only  improves these!  This meat mixture would also make great meatballs added to Mediterranean casserole dishes with eggplant, tomatoes and feta. If you have some low-carb tortillas on hand, make the wrap shown above,  on the table in no time.  This recipe can be made with beef or lamb and is suitable for all phases of Atkins.  Primal-Paleo folks can eat this meat on a Greek salad or plan-suitable “wrapper”.  When used in wraps, my delicious tzatziki sauce is very good on these sandwiches, particularly with a little extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top!   Another great choice is some of my homemade Shawarma Mayo as the sauce reminds me of Shawarma sandwich wraps I’ve had in the past.  Click here for the recipe for my no-flour  tortilla wraps.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef or lamb (pork works for me, but pork is not eaten in the Middle East)

about 1/3 c. kale or spinach leaves

¼ c. parsley

1 oz. onion

1 clove garlic

½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine

¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled

Dash each salt, pepper & allspice

1/8 tsp. my salt-free Homemade Cavender’s Greek Seasoning

1 T. za’atar sauce

1 medium egg

DIRECTIONS:  Place all but the meat in a food processor or blender. Pulse until fine, but don’t reduce it to paste in texture.  You want it about like pesto sauce.  Place the meat in a bowl and with a rubber spatula, scrape the spice/herb mixture on the meat.  With a fork or your hands, blend it all together like you would a meatloaf mixture.  Form into 6 equal patties.  These are traditionally cooked over charcoal on your grill, but almost as good browned in non-stick or lightly oiled skillet on each side until meat in completely cooked.  Your choice. Serve at once with your favorite sides or veggies OR let it cool off a bit, slice the patties laterally so that each one will make a Mediterranean-style wrap sandwich butter-grilled on your favorite plan-suitable tortilla/pita type bread.  If you are using cold, leftover meat for a sandwich the next day, after slicing the patties, I would sear a couple seconds in a non-stick skillet to warm them slightly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 6 patties, each contains:  (numbers are only for the meat)

240 cals, 19g fat, 1.65g carbs, 0.33g fiber, 1.32g NET CARBS, 15 g protein, 155 mg sodium

Eggplant-Sausage Rollatini

These little Italian delights were fun to make and absolutely delicious so they deserve a seat on our Italian Food celebration train!  They would be a great dinner party choice as you can make them ahead and then just pop them into the oven when guests arrive.  This frees you up to visit with your dinner guests.  They have a rich, creamy, cheesy lasagna-like flavor with a little spinach thrown in for some added flavor nutrition.  I served this with a lovely green salad and two filled us right up!  Vegetarians can leave the meat out entirely and this is still a delicious dish for them.  🙂  Suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.  Paleo followers will need to leave the cheeses out.

INGREDIENTS:

1  medium (12 oz.) eggplant

¼ c. olive oil

3  links Italian sausage, casings removed (4″ links)

3/4 c. Classico® Spaghetti Sauce with Basil (or other low-carb sauce)

1 oz. baby spinach leaves

4 oz. cream cheese

3/4 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

1 Roma tomato, sliced into 8 thin slices

1/4 tsp. crushed dried basil leaves

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  Cut the stem and bottom bits off the eggplant and slice lengthwise into 8 long 1/4″ slices.  Brush both sides with the olive oil and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Pop into hot oven and bake 10-15 minutes.  Turn and bake on the other side for 15 minutes.  You’re not looking for brown here, just softened (partially cooked).  🙂  Remove and cool for handling.  Lower oven to 350º.  Spoon 4 T. of the spaghetti sauce onto a ceramic baking dish and spread thinly to prevent sticking.

While the eggplant is baking, remove casings from sausage and using your hands as with meatloaf, mix the meat up into a single log.  Divide the log into 8 equal portions and shape into smaller thumb-size logs.  Lightly brown them in a skillet and then remove from heat.  Alternately, you can just use 4 links of sausage and cut them in half lengthwise after removing the casings.  This will give you the 8 portions needed for the rollatini. 

When eggplant has cooled enough to handle, place a portion of sausage, 1 T. cream cheese, 4-5 baby spinach leaves, a tiny bit of the Mozzarella (about 2 tsp.) on one end of each eggplant slice.  Carefully roll them as tightly as you can and place seam down into the baking dish.  Spoon the remaining spaghetti sauce evenly over the tops of the rolls.  There won’t be much sauce, but these are so rich, you won’t need any more!  Sprinkle the Parmesan over the tops of the rolls.  Next sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top.  Slice the tomato into 8 thin slices and place one on each roll and dust with the dried basil leaves.

Cover with foil and bake in a 350º oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and baked about 15-20 minutes more or until bubbly and cheese appears to be all melted on top.  Dip up with a spatula so as to get the sauce off the bottom of the pan with each serving.  Serve with a nice green salad and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 rollatini, each contains:

280 cals. 23.3 g fat, 5.97 g carbs, 2.0 g fiber, 3.97 g NET CARBS, 12.5 g protein, 465 mg sodium

Zuppa Toscana

Having water on all 3 sides and that warm Mediterranean sunshine for gardening, you can imagine Italy would make some pretty incredible soups.  And they do!  Seafood chowders as well!  This soup I re-worked to be acceptable for my low-carb dietary plan, is similar to the Zuppa Toscana many of you have had at Olive Garden restaurants, but mine has diced cauliflower standing in for the potatoes in their soup.  

If I have some in the freezer, I use my Homemade Italian Sausage rather than Italian sausage from the store, as I find theirs to be excessively salty.  You just need to add oregano, fennel and garlic to ground pork really.  But you can certainly substitute in commercial Italian sausage if you prefer for convenience.  It will almost DOUBLE the sodium and increase carbs though.   Just be aware of that.  This soup is delicious and we both gave it a resounding thumbs up.  It will make the regular menu rounds at our house. 🙂

VARIATIONS:  Substitute 1/2 c. chopped parsley for the kale; substitute diced rutabaga or daikon for the cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices bacon, cut into 3/4″ bits

12 oz.  lean ground pork or Homemade Italian Sausage, coarsely broken up to 1/2″ chunks

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1½ c. coarsely chopped kale (about 3 leaves after stemming)

3 oz. cauliflower, diced to ½”-3/4″ pieces

1 oz. pimiento (half a 2 oz. jar)

3 large mushrooms, sliced or cut however you like

4 c. homemade chicken broth (32 oz.)

1 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

Dash black pepper

Dash crushed red pepper

3-4 drops Tobasco hot sauce

¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves

½ tsp. fennel seed, crushed

DIRECTIONS:  In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat, cook the bacon.  Add the pork, onion and garlic and sauté until meat is no longer pink.  Lower heat to medium.  Add all remaining ingredients but the cream.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Add cream and simmer 5 more minutes.  Thicken with xanthan or gum if desired.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes six 1½ c. servings, each contains:

356 cals, 30.5g fat, 5.51g carbs, 1.08g fiber, 4.43g NET CARBS, 15.6g protein, 865 mg sodium

Mega Meatballs

I don’t make meatballs very often, but my husband and I both like them.  Thought I’d post the recipe I use when I do make them.  The dish shown above not classic “saucy” Italian tomato gravy with meatballs, as actually very little sauce is put on each serving in the shown dish. But it is an adequate tomato relish there to make this a delightful dinner.

I’m providing the nutritional information for the individual parts of this, as many will use this meatball recipe with other sauces, serve it over other bases than the zucchini noodles and will use this thick veggie-heavy marinara sauce for other applications.  This dish is not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins due to the ricotta.  It is OK for Ketogenic diets.  It is however not acceptable for Primal-Paleo.

I like to make large batches of meatballs and freeze the extras for quick uses later on.  This recipe makes 20 meatballs or 10 servings of two meatballs.  Adjust your recipe as your needs dictate.

I absolutely love the Lucini “Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce” (no added sugar).  It’s made with all natural ingredients, has a lovely taste and I buy it for quick sauces and use it for quick pizza sauce.  It’s a great flavor foundation to build on.  🙂   It costs somewhere around $3.99/jar if I remember right.

MEATBALLS:

1 lb. ground beef (I used 90% lean grass-fed)

1 lb. ground pork

2 beaten eggs

½ c. ricotta cheese

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ tsp. each onion powder, crushed fennel seed and dried basil

½ tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1 clove minced garlic

¼ c. Parmesan cheese

MEATBALL DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out all ingredients into a large bowl and mix together with fork or hand until well blended.  Form large 1½” balls by rolling in your palms.  Place them on either a non-stick baking sheet or one with a silicone sheet liner.  Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes or until lightly browned and no longer oozing pink juices.

QUICK MARINARA SAUCE:

3 T. olive oil

½ c. celery, chopped

4 oz. onion, chopped

¼ c. bell pepper, chopped

5 large mushrooms, chopped

1  25.5 oz. jar (3c.) Lucini “Rustic Tomato Basil Sauce”, all natural ingredients with 4 NC per ½c. serving

2/3 c. parsley, chopped

3/4-1c. water, as needed

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:  Heat oil in skillet or large saucepan.  Add celery, onion and bell pepper and saute until nearly tender.  Add mushroom and saute until translucent. Add Lucini sauce, parsley and bring to a simmer on very low heat.  Cook on lowest setting while meatballs are baking.  Stir often, adding water, as needed, to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan and to maintain a thin marinara sauce consistency.

ZUCCHINI NOODLES “Zoodles”:    VARIATIONS: Serve over spaghetti squash.           

3 medium zucchini (about 10 oz. each)

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS FOR NOODLES:   Cut the zucchini into noodle shapes either with a hand held julienne peeler, a Vegetti, or a spiralizing tool like the counter-top Spirooli  that I used to use, but whose handle broke off.  Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.   Add zucchini threads to the pan and lightly saute just until they become translucent.  DO NOT OVERCOOK them or they will get mushy.

FINAL PLATING:  Plate about 1 cup zoodles on each plate.  Top with 1/2 c. sauce.  Place 2 meatballs on top and if desired, garnish with a sprinkle of grated fresh Parmesan.

MEATBALL NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 20 very large meatballs.  Two per serving.  Each 2-meatball serving contains:

290 calories, 23 g  fat, 1.18 g  carbs, .8 g  fiber, .38 g  NET CARBS and 20.2 g  protein, 155 mg sodium

SAUCE NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes ten 1/2 c. servings of sauce.  Each serving contains:

97 calories, 7.2 g  fat, 7.27 g  carbs, 1.93 g  fiber, 5.34 g  NET CARBS, 2.24 g  protein

ZUCCHINI NOODLES NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 10 servings of noodles.  Each 3 oz serving contains:

59 calories, 4.7 g  fat, 4.2 g  carbs, 1.4 g  fiber, 2.8 g  NET CARBS  1.5 g  protein

Homemade Italian Sausage

I’ve been making this Italian sausage for nigh on to 50 years now.  By making it yourself, you can ensure no sugar or hidden carb fillers are in your Italian sausage and you can control the salt as well!   I keep some made up in my freezer all the time.  It’s so good in recipes, with Italian food, in soups or just as a SNACK!  This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly and also suitable for Keto, Primal and Paleo lifestyles.

I’m proud to say this recipe appears in Vol. 2 (p.298) of Jennifer Eloff’s cookbook series:  Low Carbing Among Friends.  Some of the very best low-carb cooks on the internet collaborated with her in producing a marvelous collection of kitchen-tested tasty recipes that will help you stick with your low-carb efforts.  GET YOUR COPIES TODAY! at Amazon or here.    I receive no remuneration for this promotion or my recipe contributions.  I do so simply because these are GREAT chefs creating WONDERFUL recipes!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef 
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 clove minced garlic
¾ tsp. fennel, crushed
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt

VARIATION:  For HOT Italian Sausage, add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper.  I prefer the mild myself.    

Traditionally this sausage is made with veal and pork, but as veal is so pricey I just use regular 90% lean ground beef. If you have or can get veal easily, GO FOR IT, by all means! Sometimes I use all pork in this recipe.  For freezing, I like to carefully lay a sheet of plastic wrap on a sheet pan, extended longer than the pan. I prefer patty shape and set four on the plastic in pan.  Then I fold the sides over and ends up and simply accordion the four into a stack, as pictured below.  I then place these bundles into a gallon Ziploc bag and freeze.

Lined up on plastic wrap on pan

DIRECTIONS:  Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with your hands or a fork.  Do not stop mixing until the garlic, parsley and spices are WELL-blended.  Shape either into 16 patties or 16 cylindrical link shapes.  If you prefer, you can stuff casings, if you have the equipment, but that’s way too much trouble for me.  😉   The patties/links will be approx. 2 oz. each. Freeze and use as needed.  For ease of defrosting, it’s essential that plastic separate each patty so you can just  pop the number you need off a stack (cutting plastic wrap if needed) and cook over medium-high heat to brown  These are great served alongside spaghetti.  Or you can put small meatballs of it right into your spaghetti sauce when it is cooked.  I sometimes put some crumbled right into my lasagna and other Italian casserole-type dishes.  And of course, it’s wonderful crumbled and browned for a pizza!

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:     Makes 16 patties, each 2 oz. patty contains:

149.3 cal, 11.88g fat, 0.29g carbs,  0.14g. fiber,  0.15g NET CARBS, 9.68g protein, 36 mg. sodium

Pork in Queso Flameado Sauce

I couldn’t have a Mexican Food celebration without one of my star creations in that repertoire.  Have you had the appetizer known as Queso Flameado in a Mexican restaurant?  If so, it isn’t a flavor you soon forget. Chorizo sausage at its best, in my opinion.  It’s a thick melted cheese fondu with Mexican chorizo crumbled in it.  It is served with flour tortillas so you can roll it up and enjoy.  It is sooo good!

Well, this dish I created takes Queso Flameado to a main dish.  If you love spicy chorizo, you’ve GOT to try this dish!  It has been one of the more popular recipes here on my blog!  My husband just loved it, as did I!   This dish also sports some very impressive nutritional numbers below, so it’s a keeper in my book.  It is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Ketogenic diets.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. pork loin, cut into 4 portions

1 link chorizo, removed from the skin and crumbled

2 T. unsalted butter

4 large green onions, chopped

1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped

1 c. cilantro, chopped (use parsley if not a fan)

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. water

6 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (or more if you can afford the carbs)

VARIATION:   (shown in above photo)   For something completely different, throw a few crawfish tails into the sauce right before baking.  I have used 1/2 or so.  You’ll be amazed what THAT does to this dish.  That’s what I call going off in a totally different direction.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Pound the 4 pieces of pork with a meat tenderizing mallet.  Melt butter in large skillet over high heat.  Brown pork on both sides until nearly done.  Remove.  Add crumbled chorizo and brown, crumbling as small as you can as it cooks.   Add the green onions, bell pepper and sauté until they are tender.  Lower heat to medium low and add cream, water and cilantro.  Simmer a couple minutes to reduce a bit. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce and lay pork on top.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and the meat appear to be done.  Serve 1/4 of the sauce over each portion of meat.  This pairs nicely with mashed cauliflower or a nice guacamole salad alongside.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

567 cals., 45g fat, 4.35g carbs, 1.15g fiber, 3.2g NET CARBS, 36g protein, 654 mg sodium

Greek Souvlaki and Grilled Vegetables

In my foray back into my old tried-and-true recipes, the theme for a couple days will be Greek foods.  When lived on  Galveston Island for over 25 years.  There is a large Greek community there that held an annual Greek Festival.  This dish was ALWAYS on the menu for the festival.  We both love Greek food immensely and so much of it is Atkins friendly! I’ve been making this dish for many years and thought I’d share with my low-carbing friends.  It is suitable for Atkins Induction, too!  By the way, this marinade is surprisingly good on grilled chicken and fish, as well!  Suitable for all phases of Atkins, most Keto diets and Paleo-Primal programs as well.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. trimmed, steak or lamb, cut into 1½” cubes (I’ve even used pork  for this)
4 oz. red bell pepper in 1½” pieces
4 oz. green bell pepper in 1½” pieces
2 small onions (1½” diameter or less)
8 oz. yellow squash(1½” thick slices)

MARINADE:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 1/2 T.)
1 T. white vinegar
2 small cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 small crushed bay leaves

Marinate meat in fridge in plastic bag/container 4-5 hours in the marinade. Stir occasionally or hand manipulate the bag to coat all pieces well. When ready to cook meal, parboil peppers 1 minute, squash 2-3 minutes, onions 3-4 minutes. Lift each type veggie out of water at appropriate number of minutes. I find veggies won’t get done as fast as the meat does if not parboiled.

For more even cooking control, we like to skewer veggies on their own skewers. Baste veggies in 1 T. more EVOO and a pinch of oregano or 1/4 tsp. Cavender’s No-Salt Greek Seasoning.

Now skewer meat on 5 long skewers.  Pieces can be pretty close together on the skewers. Grill over hot charcoal fire for approximately 10-12 minutes on a side, positioned VERY close to coals.  Voila! Dinner for three. If you have enough skewers (this amount takes 5 long skewers), this is a real easy company dinner served with a Middle Eastern cucumber, sour cream, mint salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:  Makes 3 servings, each contains:  (Can be 4 smaller servings, but as this is so good, portion size is difficult!)

492.7 cals, 35.43 g fat, 10.7 g carbs, 2.93 g fiber, 7.77g  NET CARBS, 33.1 g. protein, minimal sodium

Indian Meatball Curry

This delicious curry draws  much of its flavor from the dried fenugreek leaves.  I can’t really describe the flavor of fenugreek, other than it is similar to dried parsley with a musty, somewhat earthy taste.  Although it is available in whole seeds and powder, I prefer using the dried leaf form of this spice in curries.  Widely used in Iranian, and Indian cuisine, it is a nice backdrop flavor that adds something special to the other spice profile of this dish.  I order mine on the internet, but if you’re lucky enough to have an Indian or Middle Eastern grocery in your city, they will surely have it.  You can make this recipe without it, but it won’t be quite as unique in flavor, more like a lot of other curries you’ve had before………good, just not AS good.  🙂

I like to make meatballs in big batches and freeze the leftovers for quick, easy meals in the future.  Although this recipe of meatballs makes thirty 1½ meatballs, I only cooked 9 tonight in my gravy and found that 3 (plus 2 large spoons of gravy) made a nice serving over some cooked cauliflower “rice”.  My husband ate 4 meatballs.    The two leftover (with a couple spoons of sauce) will make a nice lunch one day for someone.

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS: Makes 30 (but leftovers are even better!)

24 oz. (1½ lb.) lean ground pork

18 oz. chicken breast (mine was skin on and bone-in, use only 16 oz. meat after boning, skinning)

2 oz. onion, finely minced

1/3 c. cilantro leaves, chopped

½ jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

½ sheet Joseph’s Lavash Flax & Oat Fiber flatbread (omit if still on Atkins Induction Phase)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. Garam Masala Spice Blend

½ tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

VARIATION:  Use ground beef or lamb for a change in flavor!

CURRY/GRAVY INGREDIENTS:

2 c. homemade chicken broth

¼ c. heavy cream

½ c. tomato sauce (or 2 T. tomato paste)

¼ cilantro leaves, chopped

½-1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

1 T. crushed, dried fenugreek leaves (or 1 tsp. ground seed)

1/3 tsp. nigella seed (optional), also called Charnushka or Kalongi

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper (or cayenne if you like curry spicy)

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ c. frozen peas (or frozen green beans to lower carbs)

3 Roma plum tomatoes, cut into chunks (added at very last of cooking)

Optional:  1/2 cup coconut milk for richer gravy (adds 1 more net carb than shown below)

DIRECTIONS: Mix all meatball spices in a bowl and set aside a moment.  Wet the bread with water to soften.  Squeeze out water and break/mush it up in a medium mixing bowl.  Add meat(s) and all other meat mixture ingredients to bowl.  Mix with a fork or your hands (like you do meatloaf) until all ingredients are uniformly blended into one mass of meat.  Using your palms, form thirty 1½” meatballs placing them on a non-stick or parchment-lined sheet pan.  I actually skillet browned the nine I was cooking for tonight’s meal.  Pop into 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until lightly browning.  Remove.

While the meatballs are cooking, if you skillet-browned tonight’s meatballs, in that very same skillet, add all listed gravy ingredients (except the tomatoes) and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and meatballs back into the skillet at this juncture.  Continue simmering about 10 more minutes to reduce liquid and blend flavors.  The gravy will slightly thicken as it cooks down (keep simmering it too watery.  It WILL thicken up).  If you like your curry gravy thicker, add a light dusting of your favorite low-carb thickener and simmer 1-2 minutes to set up. Serve at once with green side, salad or if preferred, a prepared bed of cooked cauliflower rice.

TIP: Freeze the surplus meatballs for future Indian curry recipes.  Just make up any of your favorite curry gravies and drop the still frozen meatballs, simmering all long enough to gently thaw them and compose you new dish!  A quick week-night meal at the ready in about 30 minutes with pre-cooked meatballs!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   (meat will make 30 meatballs total).  Using just 9 of them for this meal.  3= 1 serving.  Each serving plus 2 large cooking spoons of the curry/gravy will contain:

349 cals, 21.47g fat, 9.93g carbs, 2.08g fiber, 7.85g NET CARBS, 26.55g protein, 670 mg sodium

Pork & Chorizo Taco Salad

 

This is a variation on the popular taco salad we all know and love.  Constructing it with pork and chorizo, along with the spices and sofrito I included, I have discovered is quite delicious and a pleasant change of pace.  You can increase the ratio of chorizo to pork if you like, just maintain the total amount of meat if you do so.  You could also use 8 oz. ground beef plus the 2 oz. chorizo.  Any combination on the meats…..I say go for it!  I didn’t have an avocado in the house the night I took this photo, but when I do, I layer a nice spoonful of guacamole as a dressing, before adding the final cheese topping.   This salad is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. lean ground pork

2 oz. chorizo sausage, removed from casing and crumbled (more, using less pork above, if you’re a fan)

Dash ground cumin

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1-2 tsp. my sofrito sauce (optional, but real good in this)

1/8 tsp. my Smoky Chipotle Spice blend

2 c. Romaine lettuce, chopped

2 c. endive or curly leaf lettuce (green or purple), chopped

½ c. tomato, chopped

2 slices Monterrey Jack Cheese

½ c. shredded Cheddar Cheese

VARIATION:  Add 1 seeded, mashed avocado with a dash of garlic powder before the cheese is added last.

DIRECTIONS:  Have two plates ready by the stove.  If using guacamole layer as suggested above, make that now in separate dish and set aside (be sure to add it to the nutritional stats below if using).  Brown ground pork in a non-stick skillet, along with the crumbled chorizo until they are done.  Add salt, cumin, smoky chipotle blend, sofrito and garlic powder.  Stir often as the meat browns.  Remove from heat when done.  Mix the two types of lettuce in a bowl and plate half on each of two plates.  Add half the chopped tomato on top of each.  Place 1 slice of jack cheese in the center of each stack of greens. Top each with half the hot meat.  The heat should melt the jack cheese nicely.  If using guacamole, add it now.  Top each with ¼ c. of cheddar shreds.   If you like cilantro, some chopped and sprinkled on the top as a garnish is delicious.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 2 salads, each contains:  (does not include guacamole)

597 cals, 46.7g fat, 6.95g carbs, 2.2g fiber, 4.75g NET CARBS, 37g protein, 748 mg sodium  (coming from the chorizo and cheese)

Pork Chops in Mushroom-Tomato Cream

I love to sear off meats and then create a lovely sauce from de-glazing the pan of the tasty brown bits and adding a little of this and that for a delicious sauce to add moisture to a meat that I find somewhat dry typically.  This delicious dish pulls together in about 30 minutes.  I serve this with a side of seasoned French frozen green beans, but a salad is also nice with these.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and even Paleo if you sub in coconut milk for the cream.

VARIATIONS:   Substitute 2 boneless, butterflied chicken breasts for the pork.  Add 1/4 c. white or rose wine of your choice, simmering off the alcohol at least 4-5 minutes.  Just discovered a few weeks later that 4 oz. of either lean chopped cured ham or bacon, pre-browned added is quite good in this recipe.  Chop pork before browning and serve this dish over zucchini noodles for a totally different taste.

With optional cured ham added, served on “zoodles”

INGREDIENTS:

2   6-oz bone-in center-cut pork chops or 10 oz. boneless pork loin (yield two 5-oz. portions)

3 tsp. bacon grease for frying

¼ tsp. lemon pepper (I use Victoria Gourmet No-Salt Lemon Pepper)

½ c. water (or pork or chicken broth)

¼ c. heavy cream

1/3 c. chopped parsley

1 6-oz can sliced mushrooms, with their juice

10 cherry or San Marzano tiny tomatoes, cut in halves

Dash sea salt

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Heat the bacon grease in a skillet over high heat.  Coat the surfaces of the chops with the lemon pepper.  Sear them in the hot skillet until golden and completely done.  Lift them out onto a plate briefly.  Or you can remove the bone and chop the pork if you prefer and then sear the pieces.  I often do that if I plan to serve this on zucchini noodles. Add the water or broth to the skillet and with a rubber spatula, de-glaze the tasty brown bits stuck to the pan.  Add the cream, parsley, mushrooms with juice, salt and black pepper.  Simmer a few minutes to allow the cream sauce to thicken slightly on its own.  Add the tomatoes and simmer just until they begin to soften.  If sauce is still not thick enough for your preference, dust the smallest amount of xanthan gum lightly over the top, whisk constantly and allow time to thicken before repeating.  Place chops back in the pan and simmer just a couple minutes more.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes two 5-oz. servings (adjust for more people).  Each serving contains:

448 calories, 28 g fat, 6.85 g carbs, 2.30 g fiber, 4.55 g NET CARBS, 40.99 g protein, 432 mg sodium

Maple-Bacon-Bourbon Sauce

      Shown on seared pork chops

I often make compound butters and store them in my freezer.  There are literally limitless flavorings you can blend into butter for serving on grilled meats and vegetables.  They’re quick to make and ever so handy when you want an exotic taste FAST!  My Maple-Bacon-Bourbon Butter is one of my favorites.  I occasionally put it to work in creamy sauces like the one pictured above over pork chops.  This sauce is divine on pork chops and what a quick meal for week nights!  This recipe is not suitable until you reach Atkins Phase 2 (OWL) due to the bourbon.   It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo on several levels.

INGREDIENTS:

2 slices thick-slice bacon, chopped (3 oz,)

4 large mushrooms, sliced (optional)

3 T. Bacon-Bourbon Butter

1 tsp. sugar-free maple syrup

¼ c. cream

1/3 c. water

2 T. bourbon

Dash of your favorite thickener (optional)

Dash sea salt and black pepper

1 tsp. parsley, chopped (for garnish)

VARIATION:  Serve over seared chicken or duck breast for an interesting change.

DIRECTIONS:   Fry the chopped bacon in a skillet.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.  If planning to serve with skillet-seared meat, sear the meat over high heat to nearly done stage right in the same skillet in that delicious bacon grease.  Or have your spouse grill the meat outside over charcoal to the desired stage.  When skillet chops are browned and done, remove them to a plate while you put the sauce together.  Add the 3 T. Bacon-Bourbon butter to the pan juices, melt and add the mushrooms.  Saute until mushrooms are done.   Lower to medium heat and add water, cream, bourbon, salt, pepper, and maple syrup.  Stir well and lay pork chops on top of the mushroom sauce.  If doing grilled meat, you won’t do this step. Simmer sauce on low heat 5-10 minutes to reduce/thicken the cream.  If not thick enough for you, you can slightly thicken with a dash of your preferred thickener. Gently pour mushroom sauce onto serving platter and set the meat on top.  Garnish with chopped parsley.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains: (does not include meat)

496 cals, 48.2g fat, 5.35g carbs, 0.95g fiber, 4.4g NET CARBS, 7.65g protein, 475mg sodium

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs are fantastic!  Love the allspice and nutmeg that is typically used in these.  We always have some when we shop at IKEA.  My husband just loves these things.  This is a very BIG recipe, so either make a half recipe or just freeze any leftover.  These are suitable for Atkins Induction ONLY if you omit the white wine in the sauce and use an Induction approved bread like this one in the meatballs.

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS:

1¼ lb. (20 oz) 80% ground beef

4 oz. pork breakfast sausage meat (or plain ground pork)

3 oz. onion

¼ c. parsley

Dash each salt and black pepper

¼ tsp. each nutmeg and allspice

2 large eggs

2 low-carb tortillas (HEB Carb Sense have 3 net carbs)

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

1 c. beef broth

½ c. heavy cream

½ c. white wine (omit if still in Induction Phase)

4 oz. can sliced mushrooms with juice

Few sprinkles xanthan gum to thicken (if needed)

Dash coarse black pepper

½ c. chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  You can brown your meatballs in a skillet if you prefer, but baking is so much simpler.  Place all meat ingredients in food processor and pulse until it it well blended and onion is well-chopped.  With your hands, form into 28 meatballs (about 1½”) and place on large parchment-lined baking pan (close together but not touching).  Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes or until they begin to brown nicely.  Remove pan from oven and using parchment to facilitate, lift the meatballs over to an awaiting large skillet.  Turn heat to high and allow to brown a little more in their pan juices, shaking skillet to roll them around a bit.

Add all sauce ingredients to the pan and let meatballs simmer in the gravy to allow flavors to co-mingle and to be sure meat is fully done.  Only thicken with xanthan gum or your preferred thickener if you feel the sauce is too thin.  Serve at once with your favorite green side dish (I served with buttered, steamed broccoli).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 meatballs.  Allowing 4 meatballs per serving, so this should serve 7 people nicely.  Each serving contains:

452 cals, 36g fat, 7.58g carbs, 3.61g fiber, 3.97g NET CARBS, 21.6g protein, 362 mg sodium

Pork in Queso Flameado Sauce

I couldn’t have a Mexican Food celebration without perhaps the proudest creation of mine in that repertoire.  Have you had the appetizer known as Queso Flameado in a Mexican restaurant?  If so, it isn’t a flavor you soon forget. Chorizo sausage at its best, in my opinion.  It’s a thick melted cheese fondu with Mexican chorizo crumbled in it.  It is served with flour tortillas so you can roll it up and enjoy.  It is sooo good!  Well, this dish I created takes Queso Flameado to a main dish.  If you love spicy chorizo, you’ve GOT to try this dish!  It has been one of the more popular recipes here on my blog!  My husband just loved it, as did I!   This dish also sports some very impressive nutritional numbers below, so it’s a keeper in my book.  It is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Ketogenic diets.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. pork loin, cut into 4 portions

1 link chorizo, removed from the skin and crumbled

2 T. unsalted butter

4 large green onions, chopped

1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped

1 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. water

6 oz. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (or more if you can afford the carbs)

VARIATION:   For something completely different, throw a few crawfish tails into the sauce right before baking.  I have used 1/2 or so.  You’ll be amazed what THAT does to this dish.  That’s what I call going off in a totally different direction.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Pound the 4 pieces of pork with a meat tenderizing mallet.  Melt butter in large skillet over high heat.  Brown pork on both sides until nearly done.  Remove.  Add crumbled chorizo and brown, crumbling as small as you can as it cooks.   Add the green onions, bell pepper and sauté until they are tender.  Lower heat to medium low and add cream, water and cilantro.  Simmer a couple minutes to reduce a bit. Sprinkle the cheese over the sauce and lay pork on top.  Pop into preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until bubbly and the meat appear to be done.  Serve 1/4 of the sauce over each portion of meat.  This pairs nicely with mashed cauliflower or a nice guacamole salad alongside.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

567 cals., 45g fat, 4.35g carbs, 1.15g fiber, 3.2g NET CARBS, 36g protein, 654 mg sodium

Zuppa Toscana

Having water on all 3 sides and that warm Mediterranean sunshine for gardening, you can imagine Italy would hake some pretty incredible soups.  And they do!  Seafood chowders as well!  This soup I re-worked to be acceptable for my low-carb dietary plan, is similar to the Zuppa Toscana many of you have had at Olive Garden restaurants, but mine has diced cauliflower standing in for the potatoes in their soup.  

If I have some in the freezer, I use my Homemade Italian Sausage rather than Italian sausage from the store, as I find theirs to be excessively salty.  You just need to add oregano, fennel and garlic really.  But you can certainly substitute in commercial Italian sausage if you prefer for convenience.  It will almost DOUBLE the sodium and increase carbs though.   Just be aware of that.  This soup is delicious and we both gave it a resounding thumbs up.  It will make the regular menu rounds at our house. 🙂

VARIATIONS:  Substitute 1/2 c. chopped parsley for the kale; substitute diced rutabaga or daikon for the cauliflower.

INGREDIENTS:

6 slices bacon, cut into 3/4″ bits

12 oz.  lean ground pork or Homemade Italian Sausage, coarsely broken up to 1/2″ chunks

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1½ c. coarsely chopped kale (about 3 leaves after stemming)

3 oz. cauliflower, diced to ½”-3/4″ pieces

1 oz. pimiento (half a 2 oz. jar)

3 large mushrooms, sliced or cut however you like

4 c. homemade chicken broth (32 oz.)

1 c. water

1 c. heavy cream

Dash black pepper

Dash crushed red pepper

3-4 drops Tobasco hot sauce

¼ tsp. dried oregano leaves

½ tsp. fennel seed, crushed

DIRECTIONS:  In a large Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat, cook the bacon.  Add the pork, onion and garlic and sauté until meat is no longer pink.  Lower heat to medium.  Add all remaining ingredients but the cream.  Simmer 5 minutes.  Add cream and simmer 5 more minutes.  Thicken with xanthan or gum if desired.   Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes six 1-1¼c. servings, each contains:

356 cals, 30.5g fat, 5.51g carbs, 1.08g fiber, 4.43g NET CARBS, 15.6g protein, 865 mg sodium

Sausage-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

If you’re a mushroom fan you MUST try these.  You can use either breakfast bulk sausage or Italian sausage to make them.  They will be delicious either way.  My Homemade Italian Sausage is what I used, as it is low in sodium or you can use my Homemade Breakfast Sausage for a different flavor.  If you use commercial sausage, bear in mind the sodium count will be much higher than shown below.   For the breadcrumbs, I used a slice of my homemade Grain-Free Fluten-Free Focaccia because I have it currently made and on hand.  Using other low-carb bread for your bread crumbs will also impact numbers and require recalculations be done. This recipe is suitable once you are at Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Portobello mushroooms (about 4 oz. each)

3 T. olive oil

14 oz. ground Italian (any casing removed) or bulk breakfast sausage, crumbled

1/3 c. chopped red bell pepper (or green)

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ c. chopped parsley

¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/8 tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. each sea salt and coarse black pepper

¼ tsp. Sriracha sauce (or 6-8 drops Tobasco)

1 slice low-carb bread (I used my gluten-free focaccia)

1 beaten large egg

4 oz. mozzarella cheese shreds

¼ c. grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Wipe mushrooms clean with a dry, clean cloth.  Stem and with a spoon, scoop out and discard black gills in center.  Chop stems and set on paper plate.  Chop/mince all listed vegetables and add to that same paper plate.  Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Brush mushroom cap domed sides with olive oil and place on baking sheet.  In remaining oil saute the sausage crumbles, breaking up smallish.  Add all listed vegetables, including the chopped mushroom stems, cooking until all are tender.  Turn off heat.  Add all spices shown and the Sriracha sauce (or Tobasco).  Crumb your low-carb bread and add to the mixture.  Beat the egg in a small bowl and add.  Stir the finished filling mixture well so all gets moistened with the egg.  Fill each of the mushroom caps with 1/4 of the filling.  Sprinkle 1 T. Parmesan on top of each mushroom.  Finish with 1 T. mozzarella shreds sprinkled on top.  Pop pan into preheated 350º oven.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy with a lovely green salad or green side of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

522 cals, 40g fat, 10g carbs, 3.37g fiber, 6.63g NET CARBS, 32.3g protein, 316 mg sodium

Jalapeno Meatloaf Burgers

I want a quick meal tonight so I’m making a favorite of ours.  We drove down to our cabin place this morning and I’m tired, so simple is the plan.  When I created this recipe, I basically started with my meatloaf recipe and added half of a huge jalapeno.  Ate these babies on a Carb Smart hamburger bun.  DEEEEEliscious!  We make these often they are so good!  Not quite the same as a meatloaf sandwich (without the tomato sauce topping one typically puts on a meatloaf), but super tasty in a new, bold way!  These are not suitable until late in Phase 2 Atkins OWL unless you substitute a phase approved bread for the Joseph’s pita or Carb Smart bun.  These will also fit into other Keto diets provided the carbs will fit your daily limits.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground beef (I used grass-fed with a stronger flavor)

8 oz. lean ground pork

1 oz. red bell pepper, chopped

½ large jalapeno, chopped fine (use the whole thing if you like “spicy” food)

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped fine

2 T. olive oil

½ c. parsley, chopped

¼ tsp. dried oregano

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 Joseph’s Flax-Oat Fiber Pita, moistened with a little water and mushed up

2 large eggs

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:  In a non-stick skillet, saute the celery, bell pepper and jalapeno in the olive oil.  When getting tender, add to a medium mixing bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir well with a fork or use your hands to blend like a meatloaf.  Form into 6 patties and brown on both sides on a lightly oiled griddle until they firm up and no longer exude pink juices.  Serve on your favorite low-carb bun and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 large burgers (we could only eat one!), each contains:

337 calories, 26 g fat, 3.08 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2.10 g NET CARBS, 24.3 g protein, 190 mg sodium

Pork Chops in Mushroom-Tomato Cream

I love to sear off meats and then create a lovely sauce from de-glazing the pan of the tasty brown bits and adding a little of this and that for a delicious sauce to add moisture to a meat that I find somewhat dry typically.  This delicious dish pulls together in about 30 minutes.  I serve this with a side of seasoned French frozen green beans, but a salad is also nice with these.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and even Paleo if you sub in coconut milk for the cream.

VARIATIONS:   Substitute 2 boneless, butterflied chicken breasts for the pork.  Add 1/4 c. white or rose wine of your choice, simmering off the alcohol at least 4-5 minutes.  Just discovered a few weeks later that 4 oz. of either lean chopped cured ham or bacon, pre-browned added is quite good in this recipe.  Chop pork before browning and serve this dish over zucchini noodles for a totally different taste.

With optional cured ham added, served on “zoodles”

INGREDIENTS:

2   6-oz bone-in center-cut pork chops or 10 oz. boneless pork loin (yield two 5-oz. portions)

3 tsp. bacon grease for frying

¼ tsp. lemon pepper (I use Victoria Gourmet No-Salt Lemon Pepper)

½ c. water (or pork or chicken broth)

¼ c. heavy cream

1/3 c. chopped parsley

1 6-oz can sliced mushrooms, with their juice

10 cherry or San Marzano tiny tomatoes, cut in halves

Dash sea salt

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Heat the bacon grease in a skillet over high heat.  Coat the surfaces of the chops with the lemon pepper.  Sear them in the hot skillet until golden and completely done.  Lift them out onto a plate briefly.  Or you can remove the bone and chop the pork if you prefer and then sear the pieces.  I often do that if I plan to serve this on zucchini noodles. Add the water or broth to the skillet and with a rubber spatula, de-glaze the tasty brown bits stuck to the pan.  Add the cream, parsley, mushrooms with juice, salt and black pepper.  Simmer a few minutes to allow the cream sauce to thicken slightly on its own.  Add the tomatoes and simmer just until they begin to soften.  If sauce is still not thick enough for your preference, dust the smallest amount of xanthan gum lightly over the top, whisk constantly and allow time to thicken before repeating.  Place chops back in the pan and simmer just a couple minutes more.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes two 5-oz. servings (adjust for more people).  Each serving contains:

448 calories, 28 g fat, 6.85 g carbs, 2.30 g fiber, 4.55 g NET CARBS, 40.99 g protein, 432 mg sodium

Montreal-Chipotle Pulled Pork

Occasionally my local grocer puts pork roasts on sale and I bought one recently, a picnic shoulder roast.  We didn’t feel like firing up the grill for this, so I just baked the pork roast low and slow in the oven.  Wanted falling-off-the-bone tender and that’s what we got!  I saved all the wonderful baking juices and froze them for future soup making.  Didn’t want the entire piece done as seasoned pulled pork, so I baked it just with salt, pepper and a little Homemade Montreal Seasoning on the surfaces.  Man, did this roast come out delicious!!  One of the best pork roasts I’ve ever done with this particular sauce.  Then I decided to put tonight’s dinner’s worth on the table as a seasoned pulled pork and went about making my sauce.  Mmmm.  Delicious indeed!  Next time we’ll perhaps do it on the grill, for that added smoked flavor layer.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo (provided you use ghee for the butter).

INGREDIENTS:

1 pork roast (I used a 9# bone-in picnic shoulder roast, but a Boston butt, shank, or loin will do)

Sea Salt and black pepper

1 tsp. my Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

SAUCE:  6 T. melted butter, 1 tsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tsp. Homemade Montreal Steak Spice Blend, ½-1 tsp. Tobasco Chipotle Sauce® and 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (any brand, but I use “Amish Meadow”.   Sorry, don’t remember where I ordered it from).

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325º.  Place pork roast skin/fatty-side up in a 9×13 baking pan.  Coat all surfaces with Black pepper, 1 tsp. Montreal Spice Blend, and I use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.  Cover pan tightly with foil.   Pop into 325º oven and bake for 30 minutes to allow it to heat to the center.  Reduce oven to 250º and continue slow baking (for an 8-9# bone-in roast) for about 5 hours. This could be done in a slow-cooker, but I’m not experienced with them, so check for a slow-cooker recipe on-line for guidelines for a 9# roast for setting and time.

Make the sauce in a small sauce pan over low heat, simmering the ingredients for 2-3 minutes only.  Remove from heat.

At the 5 hour mark, open oven, remove meat from oven and remove foil.  Slice off any thick skin and the fat layer from the top of the meat (it should almost slide right off effortlessly if meat is done properly to 160-170º internal temperature).  I freeze this for other uses and seasoning. My dog sometimes gets a bit on her dinner.  It’s very good for a dog’s coat and skin and highly digestible for dogs.

Increase oven heat to 350º and return pan uncovered to the oven.  Allow meat surfaces to slightly brown , about 30 minutes.  Remove meat from oven and cool slightly.  Shred off the meat with a fork or tongs, pulling off as much meat onto your serving platter as you think your family will consume.  Using a brush, baste the shredded meat with the warm Montreal-Chipotle butter sauce, coating it well.  Serve at once with your favorite sides or a salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Each 3 oz. portion of meat contains:

350 calories, 28.1 g fat, 0.90 g carbs, 0.30 g fiber, 0.60 g NET CARBS, 23 g protein, 87 mg sodium

Chicken (Pork) and Spanish “Rice”

It’s what’s for dinner tonight!

When I was growing up my mother made a braised chicken dish she called Chicken and Spanish Rice.  Of course, that was before the low-carb movement, so she browned and used REAL rice in the dish I had as a child.  The skin-on chicken pieces were first browned in oil, the rest of the dish was put together and then the masterpiece was oven-baked in a deep, tightly-covered Dutch oven.  Man, was it ever good!  The smell drove us wild while it was cooking.  I was thinking about that today and wondering what to do for dinner with 2 drumsticks and 2 chicken thighs.  Decided on this childhood favorite.  This consistently comes out fantastic, although I do change it up a bit with bits of leftover cooked squash, green peas, a few sliced green olives or some diced carrots.  I usually use all cauliflower rice in this dish, but had some rice I cooked for my husband for Indian food recently and just tossed that cup into the skillet to get it out of the refrigerator. 

This recipe is suitable for Atkins Induction, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well. 🙂  

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. cauliflower, riced by hand or processor coarsely

2 T. olive oil + 2 T. chicken fat or finely diced chicken skin (or 1/4 c. olive oil)

3 oz. onion, chopped coarsely

4 oz. green bell pepper, chopped coarsely

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ tsp. ground cumin

4-6 pieces chicken (I like thighs and drumsticks for this recipe)

Dash each chili powder and black pepper

2 chicken bouillon cubes

1/4 tsp. oregano (preferably Mexican oregano leaves if you have them)

1 can tomatoes, drained and chopped coarsely (or 3 fresh Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced)

Dash saffron threads (I use 3 threads only as too much is NOT a good thing!)

2 T. cilantro, chopped (optional)

VARIATION:  Add 1/2 c. sliced pitted green olives.

DIRECTIONS:  Heat cumin in dry skillet over medium heat until it smells toasty but is not burned.  Pour onto paper towel for now and set aside.  Rice the cauliflower either with a hand box grater or in a food processor.  I like to do the stems first and a little extra before ricing the flowerettes. Set aside to be added later. 

Preheat oven to 350º.  In your skillet (14″ skillet in my photo), heat the oil over high heat.  Add the meat and brown to golden on the surfaces.  Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper.  If using any raw carrot or yellow squash in the dish, saute those now as well.  Saute just to partially tenderize veggies. Add roasted cumin back to skillet, salt, pepper, chili powder, oregano and saffron threads, minced garlic and bouillon cubes.  Stir in the tomatoes.  Add the cilantro last, if using.  Stir to blend uniformly.  Turn off heat.  Add the UNCOOKED cauli-rice to the pot and stir to mix it evenly into the veggie mixture.  Top the dish with seared chicken pieces.  Cover skillet with a tight-fitting lid.  Pop into 350º oven for about 35-40 minutes and allow flavors to blend.  Check to be sure chicken pieces are thoroughly cooked before turning oven off.  Pairs nicely with a lovely guacamole or green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4-6 servings (based on pieces of chicken), each contains approximately:

240 cals, 14.4g fat, 8.61g carbs, 2.93g fiber, 5.68g NET CARBS, 18.6 g protein, 166 mg sodium

Coconut Pork & Vegetable Stir-Fry

I don’t usually use coconut oil for my Asian stir fries, but I did so last night and man, is that ever good in a pork dish! I suspect a bit in chicken stir-fries would also be quite tasty. I actually used 50:50 coconut and olive oil, to be more precise. The hint of background coconut oil flavor in this dish was amazing! If you’re a fan of Asian food, you must try this one soon. I think you’ll be very pleased with the outcome and response from your family! If you don’t have any sherry in the house, white wine can be substituted. This dish is only permitted on Atkins Induction if you omit the sherry/wine, however. Won’t be quite as good, but still a great stir-fry. It is suitable for all other phases of Atkins & other Keto diets, provided the numbers below will fit into your totals for the day.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. lean pork loin, sliced

2 T. each coconut and olive oil

2 oz. yellow onion, sliced

½ c. carrot, sliced

1 c. Chinese bok-choi, around 3 stems (white part sliced)

Bok-Choi leaves from 3 stems (torn in large pieces)

1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms

2 medium green onions, cut in 1″ pieces

VARIATION: Add a few snow pea pods with the carrots for a spot of color.

LIQUID INGREDIENTS: Mix all but the xanthan gum in a small bowl and set aside until dish is ready to finalize in the wok.

1 c. homemade chicken broth

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. fresh ginger root, minced

3 T. low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

1¼ tsp. Sambal Olek chili paste

1 T. rice wine vinegar

3 T. sherry

Hold back for last: 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum to thicken

DIRECTIONS: Old Chinese saying: “Hot wok; cold fat”. This prevents meat from sticking to the wok so it is one well worth remembering. Heat wok until very, very hot. Add the oils and immediately dump the pork into the hot oil. Stir fry until no longer pink and just beginning to brown slightly. I like to add the vegetables in the order shown above, the ones taking longer to get tender crisp are shown first. Add the onion and stir-fry until it begins to soften a bit. Add carrot and be sure to not overcook. Add white only part of the bok-choi stems, frying until slightly softening. Add mushrooms and green onions and stir-fry just until mushrooms begin to look a little softer and white look is gone. Lower heat and add green onion, torn bok-choi leaves and the liquid ingredients last. To thicken your final dish, slowly dust the xanthan gum into the liquid (tilt wok to help get it into the liquid). Allow each addition to thicken before adding more because everyone’s preference in thickness is different and you may want to use less or more xanthan gum than I’ve indicated. Serve alone or with a side of steamed, riced cauliflower (rice for non-low-carbers at the dinner table). Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

337 cals, 24.6g fat, 6.62g carbs, 1.72g fiber, 4.9g NET CARBS, 19.8g protein, 550 mg sodium

Montreal-Chipotle Pulled Pork

I have been wanting to cook a large pork roast this week for a few meals and to have some leftovers for sandwiches and snacks.   My grocery store had fresh pork picnic on sale for $.97 per# this week so I bought a 9# bone-in picnic shoulder roast.  We didn’t feel like firing up the grill for this, so I just baked the pork roast low and slow in the oven.  Wanted falling-off-the-bone tender and that’s what we got!  I saved all the wonderful baking juices and froze them for future soup making.  Didn’t want the entire piece done as seasoned pulled pork, so I baked it just with salt, pepper and a little Homemade Montreal Seasoning on the surfaces.  Man, did this roast come out delicious!!  One of the best pork roasts I’ve ever done with this particular sauce.  Then I decided to put tonight’s dinner’s worth on the table as a seasoned pulled pork and went about making my sauce.  Mmmm.  Delicious indeed!  Next time we’ll perhaps do it on the grill, for that added smoked flavor layer.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo (provided you use ghee for the butter).

INGREDIENTS:

1 pork roast (I used a 9# bone-in picnic shoulder roast, but a Boston butt, shank, or loin will do)

Sea Salt and black pepper

1 tsp. my Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

SAUCE:  6 T. melted butter, 1 tsp. red wine vinegar, 2 tsp. Homemade Montreal Steak Spice Blend, ½-1 tsp. Tobasco Chipotle Sauce® and 1/4 tsp. liquid smoke (any brand, but I use “Amish Meadow”.   Sorry, don’t remember where I ordered it from).

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325º.  Place pork roast skin/fatty-side up in a 9×13 baking pan.  Coat all surfaces with Black pepper, 1 tsp. Montreal Spice Blend, and I use Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.  Cover pan tightly with foil.   Pop into 325º oven and bake for 30 minutes to allow it to heat to the center.  Reduce oven to 250º and continue slow baking (for an 8-9# bone-in roast) for about 5 hours. This could be done in a slow-cooker, but I’m not experienced with them, so check for a slow-cooker recipe on-line for guidelines for a 9# roast for setting and time.

Make the sauce in a small sauce pan over low heat, simmering the ingredients for 2-3 minutes only.  Remove from heat.

At the 5 hour mark, open oven, remove meat from oven and remove foil.  Slice off any thick skin and the fat layer from the top of the meat (it should almost slide right off effortlessly if meat is done properly to 160-170º internal temperature).  I freeze this for other uses and seasoning. My dog sometimes gets a bit on her dinner.  It’s very good for a dog’s coat and skin and highly digestible for dogs.

Increase oven heat to 350º and return pan uncovered to the oven.  Allow meat surfaces to slightly brown , about 30 minutes.  Remove meat from oven and cool slightly.  Shred off the meat with a fork or tongs, pulling off as much meat onto your serving platter as you think your family will consume.  Using a brush, baste the shredded meat with the warm Montreal-Chipotle butter sauce, coating it well.  Serve at once with your favorite sides or a salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Each 3 oz. portion of meat contains:

350 calories, 28.1 g fat, 0.90 g carbs, 0.30 g fiber, 0.60 g NET CARBS, 23 g protein, 87 mg sodium

Sausage-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

If you’re a mushroom fan you MUST try these.  You can use either breakfast bulk sausage or Italian sausage to make them.  They will be delicious either way.  My Homemade Italian Sausage is what I used, as it is low in sodium or you can use my Homemade Breakfast Sausage for a different flavor.  If you use commercial sausage, bear in mind the sodium count will be much higher than shown below.   For the breadcrumbs, I used a slice of my homemade Grain-Free Fluten-Free Focaccia because I have it currently made and on hand.  Using other low-carb bread for your bread crumbs will also impact numbers and require recalculations be done. This recipe is suitable once you are at Phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Portobello mushroooms (about 4 oz. each)

3 T. olive oil

14 oz. ground Italian (any casing removed) or bulk breakfast sausage, crumbled

1/3 c. chopped red bell pepper (or green)

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ c. chopped parsley

¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/8 tsp. dried basil

1/8 tsp. each sea salt and coarse black pepper

¼ tsp. Sriracha sauce (or 6-8 drops Tobasco)

1 slice low-carb bread (I used my gluten-free focaccia)

1 beaten large egg

4 oz. mozzarella cheese shreds

¼ c. grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Wipe mushrooms clean with a dry, clean cloth.  Stem and with a spoon, scoop out and discard black gills in center.  Chop stems and set on paper plate.  Chop/mince all listed vegetables and add to that same paper plate.  Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Brush mushroom cap domed sides with olive oil and place on baking sheet.  In remaining oil saute the sausage crumbles, breaking up smallish.  Add all listed vegetables, including the chopped mushroom stems, cooking until all are tender.  Turn off heat.  Add all spices shown and the Sriracha sauce (or Tobasco).  Crumb your low-carb bread and add to the mixture.  Beat the egg in a small bowl and add.  Stir the finished filling mixture well so all gets moistened with the egg.  Fill each of the mushroom caps with 1/4 of the filling.  Sprinkle 1 T. Parmesan on top of each mushroom.  Finish with 1 T. mozzarella shreds sprinkled on top.  Pop pan into preheated 350º oven.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Enjoy with a lovely green salad or green side of your choosing.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

522 cals, 40g fat, 10g carbs, 3.37g fiber, 6.63g NET CARBS, 32.3g protein, 316 mg sodium

 

 

 

 

Pork Chops with Roasted Poblano Gravy

I picked up a couple of medium-size poblano peppers at the store yesterday as I wanted to make a creamy sauce for some pretty pork chops.  I added a mashed avocado to my sauce, which added nutrients, but absolutely no flavor whatsoever and I will not add it in future.  Waste of a good avocado in my opinion.  😉

This recipe was quite tasty if you like the taste of poblanos.  As a rule, these peppers are not spicy hot, especially when you roast them as I did for this recipe.  Although there are the occasional hot ones out there.  However, that has only happened to me one time in 45+ years of cooking with them.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal followers.  Use coconut milk instead of the cream for Paleo dining.

Variation:  Substitute 2 portions of seared boneless chicken breast or chicken thighs for the pork.

INGREDIENTS:

2  medium poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, cut into halves

2   pork chops (mine were 7-oz bone-in)

1-2 tsp. bacon grease

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ c. chopped cilantro

½ c. heavy cream

½ c. chicken broth (I use homemade)

Dash each salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  In a skillet, melt the bacon grease and cook the pork chops until brown on both sides and thoroughly done.  Remove to a platter for now.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Stem, seed and cut pepper into halves lengthwise.  Place cut side down on a baking pan and roast for about 20 minutes.  Peel as much of the papery skin off as you can get off. Cut into ¼” strips and set aside.

In the skillet you seared the meat in, add the garlic, pepper, cilantro, salt, pepper and saute over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the chicken broth and reduce heat to medium-low.  Add cream and simmer for 5 minutes.  Replace chops on top and allow them to reheat on low fire.  Serve with half the gravy dipped over each chop.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 adult servings, each contains:

552 cals, 39.3g fat, 5.4g carbs, 1.3g fiber, 4.1g NET CARBS, 41.7g protein, 239 mg sodium

 

Asian Pork Riblets

I’m a Baby Boomer, raised in the 50’s and 60’s.  My first memories of Chinese food were of Chicken Chow Mein, with those fun curly noodles on top, and the Pu-Pu Platter all the Chinese restaurants offered.  But it was the little, slightly sweet ribs I remember off those appetizer platters.  If you love those ribs half as much as I did, you will want to give these a try.  They are not too sweet but have a slight sweet edge.  There’s just the right amount of Asian spice on them for a nice flavor addition to serve alongside your next stir-fry dinner!  Or have them as snacks or appetizers at your next party!  These are suitable once you get past the first 2-week Induction Phase of Atkins and are OK for most Keto diets if the numbers will fit into your daily macro limits.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ lb. pork spareribs, cut apart into separate ribs/pieces 

10 drops liquid smoke

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ginger root, peeled & minced

2 T. low sodium soy sauce

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

1 tsp. rice wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. dry mustard

1 T. molasses

1 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce

¼-½ tsp. Sriracha sauce

1 T. dry sherry or white wine (tenderizes)

2 T. tap water

DIRECTIONS:  Cut ribs along bones to separate.  If using the point end of a rack of ribs, that is almost totally boneless, cut any wider strips of boneless meat into strips about 3/4″ wide, or roughly the  size of the bone-in ribs.  Set them aside for a few minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, measures out all other ingredients.  Stir to blend well.  Add meat and toss well to coat.  Cover and chill for 1-2 hours.  When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400º.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place marinated meat strips onto pan making sure they are not touching.  With a brush baste lightly with marinade.  When oven is hot, place in oven and cook for about 20 minutes.  Turn and baste the other side of the meat pieces and cook another 15-20 minutes.  When browned nicely on both sides, remove meat to a platter and serve with whatever other Asian fare you like or enjoy these as an appetizer.  Be forewarned this is finger food and can be a wee bit sticky.  Have plenty of napkins on hand. 🙂

You can also grill these for even more flavor!  They would also cook up nicely in an air fryer cooking at 360º for about 15-20 min. turning at the 10 min. mark.  Fryers vary, so be sure to keep an eye on them the first time you try them in your air fryer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

515 cals, 40g fat, 6.17g carbs, 0.27g fiber, 5.9g NET CARBS, 29.7g protein, 428mg sodium

Hot and Sour Soup

This is my version of the well-known Hot and Sour Soup.  I always get some when we’re at our local Chinese restaurant buffet.  It reminds me so much of the Hot and Sour soup served there, all but the tofu, that is.  I try to avoid soy as much as possible and used bean sprouts in place of tofu, but if you consume tofu, add about 1 c. small cubes of tofu to the pot during cooking for a more authentic soup.  This recipe is suitable for Atkins, ketogenic diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

5-6 oz. piece of pork loin, trimmed of all fat, slivered thin

1 T. olive oil

4 c. pork or chicken broth (I use homemade)

1½ c. bean sprouts, fresh (or canned, drained)

1 large green onion, chopped

1 bok choy leaf (green part only), or 1 leaf kale, chopped

4 oz. red bell pepper, sliced (not authentic, but very good)

¼ c. dried sliced shitake mushrooms (equivalent of 2 mushrooms)

½ c. dried clour ear fungi/mushrooms

sesame oil (my bottle says toasted)

¼ c. rice wine vinegar (no substitutions)

½ Tamari or soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce (more if you like real spicy)

1 c. water (as needed)

½ tsp. xanthan gum to slightly thicken

Dash toasted sesame seeds

VARIATIONS:  Add 1 c. diced firm tofu.  You can also sub in slivered canned bamboo shoots for the bean sprouts for a different look but not much flavor change.

DIRECTIONS:  Brown slivered pork in the tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a 4 qt. saucepan.  Add all remaining ingredients but the last 3 (water, xanthan gum & toasted seeds).  Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer just until red pepper is starting to soften (but is not mushy, limp), or about 5-6 minutes.  Bok choy (or kale) will be done by then.  Add optional tofu cubes if using.  Taste broth.  If too salty for you add the water slowly until to your desired salty level.

I use a salt shaker for my xanthan gum.  Lightly dust it over surface and stir in.  Simmer a couple minutes to let it take action.  Repeat until soup is thick enough (or until all used).  This should be enough thickener even if you add the cup of extra water.  Add sesame seeds and stir or you can serve them with the soup at table, letting diners sprinkle seeds on their own.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

251 cals, 18g fat, 9.87g carbs, 4.85g fiber, 5.02g NET CARBS, 18.5g protein, 1207 mg sodium (Use low sodium soy sauce to reduce, but I was out of it.)

Air Fryer Jamaican Jerked Pork Loin

These were some small 4-oz. pieces of pork loin I took out of the freezer tonight and I wanted to try my latest spice creation on them.  I chose to do these in my air fryer, but am sure they would be even better done on the charcoal grill.  Tomorrow is another day :).  Man, were these ever tasty!  Much better than the jerked chicken I had one time in a little cafe here in town (that has since folded, maybe that’s why).  I see much many Jamaican Jerk meats in my future with my toned-down version of Jamaican Spice.   This recipe, with the typical brown sugar eliminated from my version of the spice, should be suitable on any eating program, ketogenic or otherwise.

INGREDIENTS:

4   4-oz. pieces boneless pork loin

¼ c. light olive oil

2 T. my Homemade Jamaican Jerk Seasoning Blend

1 oz. onion, minced fine (I used red onion)

DIRECTIONS:   Pour the olive oil into a marinating dish.  Add the spice blend and minced onion to the dish.  Stir.  Dip each “chop” into the mixture, using it all up, trying to get the minced onion evenly onto all sides of the meat.  Cover and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

To air-fry, preheat your fryer to 375º for 3 minutes.  Open and place meat in the basket so they do not touch.  Cook at 375º for about 12 minutes.  Turn and if any left in the marinating pan, brush any marinade remainders onto the exposed side.  Raise fryer to 400º and cook for another 3-4 minutes.  As fryers vary, check before time is up to be sure yours doesn’t cook hotter than mine.  If charcoal grilling, have your coals very hot and place meat on the grate and grill for about 15 minutes on each side or until thoroughly done but not dried out.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 adult servings (shrink to about 3.2 oz. cooked ad they are so lean to begin with). Two chops contain:

578 cals, 40g fat, 6.9g carbs, 1g fiber, 5.9g NET CARBS, 49.1g protein, 204 mg sodium

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

My husband raved about our Char Siu tonight!  Throughout the meal he just wolfed it down saying “Yes!” over and over again, ending the meal with “You can make those again any time!”.  LOL  I have to admit, it did come out pretty darn tasty.  I had thawed 4 small pieces of lean pork loin, but when I decided to do an Asian grilled dinner, I thawed two more pieces so there would definitely be some leftover.  The marinade I came up with basically has all the usual things I like to put in my Chinese stir-fries.  I wanted a sweet edge, so other than the plum flavor in the hoisin sauce, all I had on hand was canned pineapple juice or fresh-squeezed orange juice.  But after seeing the carb count for both, I decided to go another route for the sweet factor needed:  diet orange drink and maple extract.  If you use the actual fruit juice, know your carbs will go up to around 8.5 net carbs per serving with the orange juice and around 10 net carbs with pineapple juice.

The vegetable combination in the side stir-fry was stellar with this delicious smoked meat.  If you don’t own a grill, you CAN bake this meat on a metal sheet pan in a 400º oven for about 30 minutes, but we don’t think kebabs of any sort are as tasty cooked inside.  🙂

MEAT:  1½ lb. boneless pork loin (leave bit of fat on edges), cut 3/4″ strips

VARIATION:  Substitute strips of chicken meat for the pork

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tsp. fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

2 T. my Homemade Hoisin Sauce

3 T. soy sauce (I use low-sodium)

1 T. rice wine vinegar

2 T. toasted sesame oil

2 T. dry sherry (or white wine)

¼ c. diet orange soda (Zevia® brand with stevia) (or squeezed from orange)

½ tsp. maple extract

¼ tsp. each black and cayenne peppers

VEGGIE STIR-FRY SIDE:

3 T. light olive oil

2 oz. onion, sliced

3 oz. red bell pepper, diced to 3/4″

2 c. bok choy (2 stalks)

Remainders of meat marinade

DIRECTIONS: Cut boneless pork loin into 3/4″ strips and set aside.  Measure up all marinade ingredients into medium mixing bowl.  Stir well and add pork.  Stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.  Stir contents every 2 hours to be sure all meat is getting a good soaking in the marinade flavors.  Also soak your wood skewers in water (to prevent catching fire during cooking) while your meat is marinating.

When ready to prepare meal, set meat out on counter to come to nearly room temperature. While meat is sitting, cut up the onion, red bell pepper and have ready by the stove.  Next cut leaves off the bok choy stems and cut or tear them into large pieces.  Cut the white bok choy stems separately into ½” slices.  Have all veggies at the ready by the stove.

Now go over and skewer the pork as evenly as possible onto your skewers (I do mine like a “Z” or snake, piercing meat 2-3 times for stability during grilling).  I put 2 long strips on each skewer (3 smaller pieces on a couple skewers) using this “Z” method.  I do make every attempt to put equal portions of meat on each skewer.

Prepare charcoal fire in your outdoor grill. When your coals are white hot, place skewers of meat directly over coals.  Reserve the marinade for final recipe step.  If coals are plenty hot, this meat will only take 2-3 minutes on a side to get done, provided it was cut as directed.

While someone is cooking/watching the meat outside, prepare the veggie stir-fry at your stove-top.  Heat olive oil in skillet or wok over high heat.  Add onion, cut up white bok choy stems and diced red bell pepper.  Stir-fry until all just begin to soften.  Add bok choy leaves last and cook the veggies until bok choy leaves just go limp.  Finally, add in the reserved marinade, stir-frying, stirring continuously, long enough to insure the marinade juices are thoroughly cooked, for health reasons.  Raw meat juices in the marinate MUST be fully cooked to be safe to eat (about 3-4 minutes).  Plate the veggies alongside the grilled meat on your serving platter and serve.  This would be tasty with some favorite low-carb dinner roll or bread.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 8 skewers.  Each 2-skewer serving with 1/4 of veggie stir-fry contains:

437.5 cals, 26.3g fat, 8.35g carbs, 1.82g fiber, 6.53g NET CARBS, 39.72g protein, 561 mg sodium

Air Fryer Montreal Pork

These plump, juicy chops were the most moist pork I have cooked in a long time.  I had to keep checking them as I didn’t know how long to cook them, but eventually reached the internal temp of 150º I was wanting.   I’m really having fun experimenting with my new air fryer (Power XL 7 qt.)!  These were sooooo easy to make!  Actually, I don’t know why I haven’t thought to try something like this recipe with Montreal seasoning before now, but I’m here to tell you these chops came out really moist!  Flavor was nice, too.  My husband and I both said this one is a keeper.

I used 1″ extra thick, boneless pork loin, each weighed 5 oz. raw (4 oz. after cooking).  You could certainly use bone-in chops, or thinner cut chops, but you will have to play around with your time, as those variables (ant the variances in air fryers themselves) will require close watching to be sure they do not overcook.

INGREDIENTS:

3   1″ thick pieces boneless pork (about 5 oz.)

2 T. olive oil (I cook with extra light)

2 T. Sukrin Gold (or other plan-suitable low-carb brown sugar sub)

2 T. my Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

VARIATION:  Baste at the turning point with 1-2 T. melted butter with minced garlic in it. 

DIRECTIONS:  Coat chops on all surfaces with olive oil.  I poured into shallow dish and dipped them in it, being sure to get the edges, since mine were so thick.  Mix the Sukerin Gold and Montreal Seasoning on/on a paper plate or little cup.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture evenly over all surfaces of the three chops, using it ALL up.  Preheat your air fryer for 2-3 minutes.  Cook chops at 400º for 16 minutes, turning them over at the 8 minute mark.  As with all air fryer cooking, check them a few times during cooking to be sure they are not burning.  Use a meat thermometer to check internal temp (desired 150º) to make sure they are done, cooking a couple minutes longer if needed.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 3 servings, each contains: 123.7 cals, 8.8g fat, 4.73g carbs, 2.23g fiber, 2.5g NET CARBS, 7.86g protein, 216 mg sodium

 

BBQ Pork Spare Ribs

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I find a great deal on pork ribs, I just can’t pass them up.   Our Aldi’s grocery store had them on sale this week so we BBQ’d two racks.  Might as well do two, my husband always says:  “One for now and one I don’t have to cook later in the month.”

I’ve never liked beef ribs done on the grill quite as much as I like BBQ pork ribs.  Must be because I was born in North Carolina.  But being a naturalized Texan now, by virtue of marriage and living here for 50 years, I do like a slightly sweeter sauce on my BBQ than the typical vinegar sauces of North Carolina.  I take a full bottle of G.Hughes low-carb BBQ sauce and cut it with 1/2 c. vinegar and 1/2 c. water to thin its consistency and sweetness.  This recipe is suitable of all phases of Atkins and keto diets.  It is suitable for Paleo if a plan-suitable BBQ sauce is used.

INGREDIENTS:

1  rack of pork spare ribs (silverskin/membrane removed from back side)

1 c. diluted G.Hughes BBQ sauce, diluted as stated above

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 325º.  Using a sharp knife, lift and remove the silverskin/membrane from the concave back side of the rack of ribs.  If done right, you can pull it all off the bones with one steady pull.  Place rack of ribs into a large baking pan that will hold them completely.  Pop into 325º oven., cover with foil and bake 1 hour only.  This is done to to pre-cook them a bit to speed up grilling time and also to facilitate ultimate tenderizing for tooth-tender eating.   If done this way you can cook a rack of ribs, start to finish, in just 4 hours.  If you cook them entirely on the grill, requiring multiple charcoal additions during cooking time, ribs take about 6 hours cook time to get to that tooth-tender, not quite slide-off-the-bone stage of doneness.

When your charcoal fire is hot, push coals to one side of the grill.  Lay the rack of ribs on the other side of the grill, away from the coals.  You will need to grill them for a total of 3 hours.  Using a brush, sauce the rack of ribs lightly on both sides.   After one hour cooking, sauce again with the brush and turn the rack over (sauce the cooked side up again, too).  At two hours cooking, turn the meat and sauce the side that is up again.  At 3 hours, sauce the bottom side one more time and allow to cook just until the sauce has caramelized.   Remove the ribs to a serving platter and cut them apart between the bones to serve with additional sauce at table.  Sides that compliment this are a lovely green salad, coleslaw, my Mexican Bean Casserole or Sweet Green Cabbage.

NUTRITION:   Contains 14 ribs, each rib contains approximately:

170 cals, 11.4g fat, 5.5g carbs, 0.1 fiber, 5.4 NET CARBS, 10.8g protein, 405 mg sodium

BBQ Crack Cabbage with Ham

I have cooked this recipe three times now and my husband and I just LOVE it!  It’s so simple and the mystery added ingredient to what is basically the Crack Slaw recipe, makes all the difference in the world!  The BBQ sauce is the KEY INGREDIENT, so don’t omit that for the true flavor impact of this dish.  Doing so would make it pretty much just an ordinary Crack Slaw in my opinion.  Carb count is a little high on this dish, but it is all in the healthy vegetables in it.  This recipe provides your daily requirements for Vitamins B6, C, iron, manganese, niacin, phosphorous and thiamin.  So the carbs are well worth the carbs in nutrition alone!

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and most Keto programs.  Paleo/Primal Blueprint folks must use a plan-acceptable BBQ sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. bacon grease

8 oz. cooked cured ham, cut in small strips

2 oz. red bell pepper, cut in small strips

1 leek (12 oz.), washed, sliced ½” (or 1 lg. yellow onion)

12 oz. green cabbage, cut in ½” stir-fry slices

¼ c. low-carb BBQ sauce (I use G.Hughes, thinned with vinegar & water)

Dash of coarse black pepper

VARIATIONS:  Instead of ham, use thinly-sliced smoked sausage, leftover grilled pork meat, breakfast sausage mini-meatballs, or grilled chicken meat.  Brown all meats first as was done with the ham in the directions.

DIRECTIONS:  In a large non-stick wok or skillet, melt the bacon grease over high heat.  Add cut-up ham and stir-fry to caramelize and lightly brown it for about 3 minutes.  Add the red bell pepper next and saute until just barely starts to soften.  Add leeks and stir-fry until it just begins to go limp (about 4-5 minutes).   Add the cut-up cabbage and cook all together just until cabbage begins to soften.  Drizzle the water/vinegar- diluted BBQ sauce over the top and turn off heat.  Stir to mix the sauce to coat all ingredients with its smoky, sweet goodness.  Sprinkle top of mixture with a quality coarse black pepper.  At this juncture, you have two choices.  You can either serve the dish at once if you like your cabbage to still be a bit crunchy.  Or you can pop it into a 350º oven for 15-20 minutes for flavors to develop further and for veggies to get a bit softer.  Your call.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Made with leek rather than yellow onion, makes 5 servings, each contains:

199 cals, 11.72g fat, 12.02g carbs, 2.78g fiber, 9.24g NET CARBS (only 7.5g NET CARBS using yellow onion), 11.78g protein, 768 mg sodium

Asian Meatball Lo-Mein

This quick lunch came about when I pulled some leftover Pork Patties and Dipping Sauce out of the freezer to have for lunch today.  But I instead decided to take them into a new direction and the result was quite tasty and most filling.  Needed to use up half a head of bok choy in the refrigerator, so this dish was born as my mind wandered.

Although this dish uses leftover meat patties cut up, you could also just make up a batch of the sauce and cook the base dish using thinly sliced, lean pork rather the cut-up leftover meatballs I used.  Your call there, bit I do think the seasonings in the meat mixture does considerably improve the overall flavor profile of the final dish.  This recipe is suitable for any phase of Atkins or other Keto plans.

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INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground pork

1 beaten egg

2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed and minced fine

2 tsp. coconut aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)

2 cloves, garlic, minced

4 T.  bacon grease (or oil of choice)

2 oz. onion, slivered in thin wedges

2 c. bok choy, coarsely chopped

12 oz. shiritaki noodles spaghetti shape

1/3 c. chicken broth (preferably homemade)

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. creamy natural peanut butter (omit if on Atkins Induction)

2 T. rice wine vinegar

1 tsp. ginger root, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce (or Sriracha sauce)

2-3 drops liquid stevia or sucralose

1 T. low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

1 T. finely minced green onion

2 T. water

DIRECTIONS:  Mix sauce in small bowl and set aside.  Mix meat ingredients in medium bowl.  Form into very small meatball shapes and set aside.  Open and drain/wash off noodles in strainer under running cold water.  Set aside for now. Cut bok choy coarsely, separating white stem from green leaves (leaves cook faster).  Set that aside for now.  Have all these items by stove at the ready.

In large skillet, melt the bacon grease.  Add meatballs and brown all sides.  Add onion and allow to brown.  Add white stems of bok choy and stir-fry just until slightly soft.  Now pour the sauce over the ingredients.  Then add the chicken broth.  Add green leafy parts next and stir for just a minute to allow then to go limp.  Stir in the drained noodles and toss well.  Continue to simmer and stir 2-3 more minutes to properly heat the noodles, to blend flavors, as well as to dry out the mixture a bit.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 large adult servings, each contains:

367 cals, 30.5g fat, 8.02g carbs, 5.25g fiber, 2.77g NET CARBS, 12.32g protein, 232 mg sodium

Montreal BBQ Sauce and Marinade

Montreal BBQ Sauce (shown on grilled pork ribs)

This is a wonderful BBQ sauce for grilled pork and I’m having my husband grill 1/2 pork loin for dinner tonight.  So I thought I’d re-share this tasty sauce and marinade.  It is equally good on fish, chicken and shrimp.  I use this buttery BBQ sauce regularly on grilled pork, but also for inside baked chicken!  It is simply delicious!  And so simple to make!  It is certainly Atkins Induction friendly.  You can also use this as a marinade for grilling or baking fish filets.  Marinate for an hour in a [plastic bag in the refrigerator and then grill the meat or seafood as you do usually.  I always reserve some of the mixture for basting during cooking and a bit for table basting.  The pork ribs in the photo above are shown with Linda Genaw’s Just Like Stuffed Baked Potatoes recipe, a delicious side for any meat!

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INGREDIENTS: 

2 tsp. “Montreal Steak” seasoning (recipe below)

1 stick butter, UNSALTED since the above spice has salt (but luckily no sugar!) (4 oz.)

1-2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/8 – ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter, add Montreal Steak spice, vinegar and cayenne.   Simmer on lowest heat for 2 minutes.  Remove and use as grilling baste.  If marinating meat first in this, set a little aside for a final basting right before serving meat at table.

My Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning: 

• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated onion
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground
  
• 1 tablespoon dill seeds

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes around 8 tablespoons sauce.  Should be enough to marinate and baste 10 pieces (1 whole chicken cut up), a full rack of pork ribs, 8-10 fish filets, 4# shrimp or a 5-6 lb. pork roast.  Each tablespoon of this sauce contains:

103 cals, 11.5g fat, 0.26g carbs, 0.1 g fiber, 0.16g NET CARBS, 0.12g protein, 48 mg sodium

Ground Pork Fried “Rice”

My husband was down in Austin today and said he would stop by a BBQ place on his way home to bring some sliced brisket for our supper tonight.  Then at 5:30, he called and announced they were closed!  Luckily I had thawed some ground pork for tomorrow night and got to work creating something quick for dinner.  This dish was quite tasty and we will definitely fix it again.  I had my doubts about using ground pork rather than sliced pork, my preference for stir fires, but it was pretty good in this!  I’d sure do it with the ground pork “in a pinch” again.  🙂

This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins.  Those still on Induction or who are doing Paleo should leave out the sherry.  It is OK for Keto diets and Primal diets as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground pork

3/4 c. carrot, peeled, sliced or diced

1 stalk celery, sliced thinly

1½ c. cabbage, sliced thinly

½ c. green onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp. ginger root, minced

½ tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

Dash salt

1 T. sherry (optional, omit for Induction or Paleo)

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

1 pkg (14 oz)  Zeroodles shirataki rice-shape noodles with oat fiber, drained, rinsed

VARIATIONS:  Substitute chopped, cooked chicken for the ground pork.  I like to add some scrambled egg, chopped to all my fried rice recipes.  It just adds a nice flavor layer.

DIRECTIONS:  Drain and rinse noodles in sieve and set aside.  Heat wok or large non-stick skillet.  Add oil and then ground pork.  Brown over high heat.  Do drain off some of the fat if excessive (but not all of it), but I did not have to, as my meat was pretty lean.   Add carrots and celery and continue stir-frying until carrots nearly tender.  Add cabbage and green onion next, stir-frying until cabbage is getting limp.  Add all remaining ingredients, including “rice” noodles and lower heat to medium.  Allow to simmer, stirring frequently, for five minutes longer, allowing flavors to blend and mellow. Serve at once with Sambal Oelek chili sauce and soy sauce at table for those that like more of these.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

412 cals, 31 g fat, 9.55g carbs, 5.82g fiber, 3.73g NET CARBS, 22.2g protein, 288 mg sodium

Indian Meatball Curry

This delicious curry draws  much of its flavor from the dried fenugreek leaves.  I can’t really describe the flavor of fenugreek, other than it is similar to dried parsley with a musty, somewhat earthy taste.  Although it is available in whole seeds and powder, I prefer using the dried leaf form of this spice in curries.  Widely used in Iranian, and Indian cuisine, it is a nice backdrop flavor that adds something special to the other spice profile of this dish.  I order mine on the internet, but if you’re lucky enough to have an Indian or Middle Eastern grocery in your city, they will surely have it.  You can make this recipe without it, but it won’t be quite as unique in flavor, more like a lot of other curries you’ve had before………good, just not AS good.  🙂

I like to make meatballs in big batches and freeze the leftovers for quick, easy meals in the future.  Although this recipe of meatballs makes thirty 1½ meatballs, I only cooked 9 tonight in my gravy and found that 3 (plus 2 large spoons of gravy) made a nice serving over some cooked cauliflower “rice”.  My husband ate 4 meatballs.    The two leftover (with a couple spoons of sauce) will make a nice lunch one day for someone.

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS: Makes 30 (but leftovers are even better!)

24 oz. (1½ lb.) lean ground pork

18 oz. chicken breast (mine was skin on and bone-in, use only 16 oz. meat after boning, skinning)

2 oz. onion, finely minced

1/3 c. cilantro leaves, chopped

½ jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 large eggs

½ sheet Joseph’s Lavash Flax & Oat Fiber flatbread (omit if still on Atkins Induction Phase)

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. Garam Masala Spice Blend

½ tsp. curry powder

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

VARIATION:  Use ground beef or lamb for a change in flavor!

CURRY/GRAVY INGREDIENTS:

2 c. homemade chicken broth

¼ c. heavy cream

½ c. tomato sauce (or 2 T. tomato paste)

¼ cilantro leaves, chopped

½-1 tsp. Garam Masala

1 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. ground turmeric

1 T. crushed, dried fenugreek leaves (or 1 tsp. ground seed)

1/3 tsp. nigella seed (optional), also called Charnushka or Kalongi

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper (or cayenne if you like curry spicy)

½ tsp. sea salt

¼ c. frozen peas (or frozen green beans to lower carbs)

3 Roma plum tomatoes, cut into chunks (added at very last of cooking)

Optional:  1/2 cup coconut milk for richer gravy (adds 1 more net carb than shown below)

DIRECTIONS: Mix all meatball spices in a bowl and set aside a moment.  Wet the bread with water to soften.  Squeeze out water and break/mush it up in a medium mixing bowl.  Add meat(s) and all other meat mixture ingredients to bowl.  Mix with a fork or your hands (like you do meatloaf) until all ingredients are uniformly blended into one mass of meat.  Using your palms, form thirty 1½” meatballs placing them on a non-stick or parchment-lined sheet pan.  I actually skillet browned the nine I was cooking for tonight’s meal.  Pop into 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until lightly browning.  Remove.

While the meatballs are cooking, if you skillet-browned tonight’s meatballs, in that very same skillet, add all listed gravy ingredients (except the tomatoes) and bring to a boil over high heat.  Lower heat to a simmer and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and meatballs back into the skillet at this juncture.  Continue simmering about 10 more minutes to reduce liquid and blend flavors.  The gravy will slightly thicken as it cooks down (keep simmering it too watery.  It WILL thicken up).  If you like your curry gravy thicker, add a light dusting of your favorite low-carb thickener and simmer 1-2 minutes to set up. Serve at once with green side, salad or if preferred, a prepared bed of cooked cauliflower rice.

TIP: Freeze the surplus meatballs for future Indian curry recipes.  Just make up any of your favorite curry gravies and drop the still frozen meatballs, simmering all long enough to gently thaw them and compose you new dish!  A quick week-night meal at the ready in about 30 minutes with pre-cooked meatballs!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   (meat will make 30 meatballs total).  Using just 9 of them for this meal.  3= 1 serving.  Each serving plus 2 large cooking spoons of the curry/gravy will contain:

349 cals, 21.47g fat, 9.93g carbs, 2.08g fiber, 7.85g NET CARBS, 26.55g protein, 670 mg sodium

Pork on “Lotus Leaf”

I often am smitten with a good recipe at my worst times.  One day I had fallen asleep at the TV in my favorite recliner.  It was already late when the hubs woke me up asking “Are you going to cook dinner or shall I order/pick up something for us?”.  I had a bad cold and was a little foggy.  I had already thawed 3 small pieces of pork loin earlier in the day but hadn’t decided what I was going to cook for dinner yet.  A quick stir fry is usually what I do to pull off a fast, effortless meal.  This idea erupted in my head when I saw the fresh, small head of cabbage sitting right by the pork in the refrigerator.  So I proceeded, almost as if in cruise control.

The entire lotus plant is edible and is also used in Chinese medicines.  They say the tubers tastes a lot like sweet potato.  I’ve read they use the blossoms in cooking.  They do dry the slightly sweet leaves and sell them on-line.  I read the leaves tend to be aromatic/perfumey in cooking.  If you have lotus growing in a pond where you live, I would encourage you to use real lotus leaves for this.  Not being so lucky, I used outer cabbage leaves as a stand-in.  The shape is similar and visual impact is nice.   Cabbage is also slightly sweet.  Plus, cabbage is just so good in Chinese food!

Folks, I have no idea where the presentation idea was coming from, as I was not fully awake by any stretch of the imagination.  I sure know we both loved this dish!  My husband said  at table “Be sure to upload this one to your blog!”  I had already decided to do that after just one bite!  This dish may sound spicy upon first reading, but I assure you, it was not, as I don’t care for overly spicy food.   Many of you may want to increase the Sambal Oelek, or even double the jalapeno!  This dish had just a tingle of heat on my tongue and that’s all I want.

As I began preparation, I knew it would be too rich without something “bland” to stand in for rice.  Then I remembered a little of our cauliflower mash leftover from a couple nights before.  Seasoned with a dab of Sambal Oelek chili paste and voilà!  A miracle that disguised most of the cauliflower taste in my “rice”.  It really complemented the mélange of flavors of the meat mixture!

This recipe is suitable for Atkins Phase 2 and beyond as well as other ketogenic diets.  Omit the sherry and those on Atkins Induction can also enjoy this delightful concoction.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. coconut oil (or your preferred oil)

9 oz. pork loin, trimmed of all fat, sliced julienne-style

3 T. total dry sherry

3 T. total low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

2½ finely shredded green cabbage

½ c. green onions, chopped (I used the white ends only)

1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. sea salt

2¼-2½ c. leftover, butter-seasoned cauliflower mash

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chile paste

½ small carrot, peeled, shaved into long thin strips

VARIATION:  Use lean beef instead of pork.

DIRECTIONS:  Place julienned pork in a bowl with 2 T. of the sherry and 1½ T. of the soy sauce.  Mix with your hands and let marinate about 10 minutes while you cut up the other ingredients.

Peel off 3 outer leaves of cabbage and dunk in boiling water for 2-3 minutes to slightly soften.  If you want to actually eat the serving leaf (which we do eat), cook them maybe 4 minutes.  Remove from water, drain on paper towel and set them on serving platter (mine, as you can see, are shaped like a giant lotus leaf, hence the recipe name).  Discard water.

In a small non-stick skillet, mix the leftover cauliflower mash with the tsp. of Sambal Oelek.  It will turn the cauli pink when uniformly stirred.  Turn heat on low and warm while you do the stir-fry.

In a heated wok, melt the coconut oil over high heat.  Add the julienned pork and stir-fry until it begins to brown.  Add cabbage, green onion, jalapeno, ginger and garlic to the wok and continue to stir-fry.  Sprinkle the mixture with the sea salt, add the strips of carrot you have made with a carrot peeler and stir a couple minutes to let the carrot slightly cook. Add the remaining tablespoon sherry and the remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce.

To serve, spoon 1/3 of the pink cauliflower ‘rice’ onto each leaf of cabbage and spread out a bit, leaving the dark edge of the leaf exposed.  Then spoon on 1/3 of the meat mixture on top of the cauli mixture and serve your family and guests at once.  I found one of these filled me up like a tick, as we say in the South.  My husband did eat two of them, gluton that he is.  ENJOY!  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

439 cals., 26.7g fat, 13.93g carbs, 6.0g fiber, 7.93g NET CARBS, 23.3g protein, 1178 mg sodium

Pork Loin in Mushroom-Wine Sauce

To be so simple to prepare, these boneless pork loin chops were both delicious and especially tender.  My husband just loved these tonight and said to “please do these often!”  A quick pan dinner for a busy week-night when you’re tired, for sure.  Simply sear, simmer and EAT!  This recipe is not suitable until Atkins Phase 2 due to the wine, but subbing in chicken stock would allow this for those still in Atkins Induction Phase.

INGREDIENTS: 

2 boneless pork loin chops (or bone-in chops)

¼ tsp. my Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

3 T. butter

6 large mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 clove minced garlic

Dash black pepper and sea salt

¼ c. white wine (I used Riesling)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle Montreal Steak Seasoning on both sides of the pork.  Sear both sides of the meat until light brown.  Lift meat out to a plate when both sides are golden (meat will not quite be done).  Add garlic, mushrooms, black pepper and sea salt.  Saute  mushrooms until nearly tender, push them to the outside of the pan and replace meat in pan.   Lower heat to medium-low. Add wine to both de-glaze the brown bits from the pan bottom and to continue cooking the meat.  Simmer over low heat about 5-7 minutes or until meat is firmed up and fully done.  Remove from stove and serve at once with you favorite sides.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

443 cals, 31g fat, 3.3g carbs, 0.65g fiber, 2.65g NET CARBS, 33g protein, 143mg sodium

 

 

Kale and Smoked Sausage

What a pleasant surprise our lunch was today!  It was ready in under 30 minutes and DELICIOUS!  My husband isn’t as fond of kale as I am yet he dipped up seconds on this dish!  That tells you how well smoked sausage and kale taste together.  A flavor combination you really must try!  The addition of leeks and yellow onion, with their sweet edge, really mellowed the kale’s “greens” taste as well!  This quick and tasty dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo programs as well.

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. curly leaf kale, stemmed and cut into large pieces (3/4 bunch)

2 T. bacon grease

3 oz. yellow onion, cut up in wedges

1 leek, well-washed and chopped large

6 oz. smoked pork sausage

Dash salt

Coarse black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:  Melt bacon grease in large pot over high heat.  Add yellow onion and saute until it caramelizes.  Add stemmed and washed kale to the pot.  Add salt and pepper as well.  Add enough water to just cover the kale.  Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until kale is softening.  Add the chopped leek and continue simmering for only about 10 more minutes.

While the greens are cooking, cook the sausage in a separate skillet.  I like to slice my links as shown above so the meat cooks more quickly and more evenly.  Brown lightly on both sides over medium heat and remove when done.  When the meat is done, the greens should also be done, as they won’t take long.  Overcooked kale is not only unappealing in color (brownish-green) but they are both strong and bitter.  I’m certain, such overcooking is why many people do not like them. They only take about 15-20 minutes TOTAL to get tender, keeping their mild, delicate flavor.  Any longer on the heat and they are simply inedible, in my opinion.  Remove from heat at 20 minutes, drain and plate 1/4 of the greens on each plate.  Add 1/4 of the sausage on top of each serving of greens as shown above.

MY PERSONAL NOTE:  Be sure to get a small bite of sausage with each bite of greens, you’ll be amazed at the almost sweet taste the flavor combo has in your mouth.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

307 cals, 22g fat, 11.45g carbs, 1.92g fiber, 9.53g NET CARBS, 19g protein, 809mg sodium

Pork Carnitas

Slow-cooked & fork-tender!

I’ve been meaning to make some carnitas for some time so I recently bought some pork tenderloins on sale so that’s what I used to make these for dinner tonight.  Of course, you can use fattier cuts of meat, like pork butt or shoulder roast (some people actually prefer the fattier cuts for this recipe).  Your choice on cut. 

This recipe can be done in your oven on low temp (275º-300º), in a roaster oven low setting, in your crock pot, just as you would any slow-cooked roast or pulled pork recipe.  I actually like to cook mine stove-top, in a lidded stew pot, on the lowest burner setting.  Any method will render fork-tender, delicious shredded meat for eating in flour tortillas with your favorite sides.  I just had a guacamole salad on the side; the hubs spooned his guac right into his tortillas along with the meat filling!  Made them a little messier to eat, but that didn’t slow him down.  These were delicious!One filled me up; the hubs had two.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, but if still on Induction, you need to sub in meat broth for the wine.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. fresh-squeezed orange juice

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lemon

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T. fresh spearmint, chopped (optional)

¼ c. cilantro, chopped (omit if you’re not a fan)

¼ dried ancho chili pepper, seeded & chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed (or 1 T. fresh chopped)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 T. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

6 oz. white wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction)

¼ tsp. chili powder

1/3 c. olive oil

OPTIONAL:  ½ tsp. sea salt, but I like the sweet edge of the citrus and didn’t use any

DIRECTIONS:  Use with this sauce, your choice of pork tenderloin, boneless pork loin, pork shoulder or butt roast.  Heat olive oil in a stew pot on high heat.  Sear your pork (whole) on all sides until brown.  Add rest of ingredients to the pot.  When it comes to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and tightly lid the pot.  Simmer for 3-4 hours or until meat is falling off the bones or a fork slides right into it easily.  Check every hour and add a bit of water to the pot if all your liquid is cooking away too fast before meat is fork tender and fully done.  Remove from heat and set meat on a cutting board or platter.  Using 2 forks, pull the meat off the bone, separating into shreds.  Slide the meat shreds back into your pot and stir well to coat with remaining juices/sauce.  Serve at once with warm low-carb flour tortillas (I use HEB’s “Carb Sense”) and a nice guacamole salad.  I like to serve some chopped lettuce, tomato and fresh cilantro at table as well.  Cilantro (if you like it) is really good added right before eating.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes about 1 cup sauce or 16 tablespoons.  Each 2 T. serving of sauce (sauce only!) contains:

FYI:  2 oz. pork will add about 5g. fat, 115 cals and 16g protein.  My HEB tortillas are 3 net carbs each.

116 cals, 9.1g fat, 5.11g carbs, 0.48g fiber, 4.63g NET CARBS, 0.57g protein, 4.37 mg sodium (more if you add the optional salt)

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

I haven’t cooked a pork tenderloin in ages and picked up a couple twin-packs at the store this week on sale.   I prefer mine pan-seared for sandwiches, but decided to roast a couple tonight for a change of pace.  Just started putting things on top and popped them in the oven.  They were done in 25-30 minutes flat as they were fairly small tenderloins (from a small pig)!  My kind of quick meal prep!  I served these with a combo of butter-sauteed red radishes and onion along with some some green beans seasoned with ham drippings from my Christmas ham.  We loved this particular seasoning tonight!  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto programs provided the wine is omitted for those still in their first 2 weeks of Induction.

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INGREDIENTS:

2-2½ lb. pork tenderloin (mine weighed 2#)

2 T. any dry red wine (optional, omit for Atkins Induction)

1 T. low-sodium soy sauce

½ tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

1½ T. sliced fresh shallot

½ c. homemade pork or chicken broth (as needed)

1-3 T. olive oil (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375º.  Place the two pork tenderloins on an appropriate size baking pan (I used metal, but any oven-proof pan will do).  Stir the onion and garlic powders with the black pepper in a little saucer.  Holding each piece of meat up for easy handling, sprinkle this mixture on both sides of meat and lay them back down on the pan.  You can sear off the meat in a hot skillet of oil first if you prefer.  I did not, but did pop mine into the boiler for 5 minutes at the end of cooking.  Sliver the shallot and lay separated slices atop each piece of meat.  Mix ½ c. of the broth with the wine and soy sauce and baste each strip of loin.  Drizzle meat with olive oil if desired (I did).  Pop in 375º oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 130º-140º.  Check pan halfway through cooking and gently pour the broth mixture around the outside of the pan.  Remove when meat reaches temperature.  Broil 5 minutes if you prefer yours browner.  Rest the meat on a cutting board with a piece of foil laying on top (to retain heat) for 5-8 minutes.  This wait will help retain the juices in your meat.  Slice on the diagonal about 3/4″ thick.  Baste slices with any pan juices and serve at once with your favorite sides.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 5 adult servings, each contains:

231 cals, 6.3g fat (more if you use olive oil drizzle), 1.26g carbs, 0.08g fiber, 1.18g NET CARBS, 38.9g protein, 228 mg sodium

Swedish Meatballs

These meatballs are fantastic!  Love the allspice and nutmeg that is typically used in these.  We always have some when we shop at IKEA.  My husband just loves these things.  This is a very BIG recipe, so either make a half recipe or just freeze any leftover.  These are suitable for Atkins Induction ONLY if you omit the white wine in the sauce and use an Induction approved bread like this one in the meatballs.

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS:

1¼ lb. (20 oz) 80% ground beef

4 oz. pork breakfast sausage meat (or plain ground pork)

3 oz. onion

¼ c. parsley

Dash each salt and black pepper

¼ tsp. each nutmeg and allspice

2 large eggs

2 low-carb tortillas (HEB Carb Sense have 3 net carbs)

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

1 c. beef broth

½ c. heavy cream

½ c. white wine (omit if still in Induction Phase)

4 oz. can sliced mushrooms with juice

Few sprinkles xanthan gum to thicken (if needed)

Dash coarse black pepper

½ c. chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  You can brown your meatballs in a skillet if you prefer, but baking is so much simpler.  Place all meat ingredients in food processor and pulse until it it well blended and onion is well-chopped.  With your hands, form into 28 meatballs (about 1½”) and place on large parchment-lined baking pan (close together but not touching).  Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes or until they begin to brown nicely.  Remove pan from oven and using parchment to facilitate, lift the meatballs over to an awaiting large skillet.  Turn heat to high and allow to brown a little more in their pan juices, shaking skillet to roll them around a bit.

Add all sauce ingredients to the pan and let meatballs simmer in the gravy to allow flavors to co-mingle and to be sure meat is fully done.  Only thicken with xanthan gum or your preferred thickener if you feel the sauce is too thin.  Serve at once with your favorite green side dish (I served with buttered, steamed broccoli).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 meatballs.  Allowing 4 meatballs per serving, so this should serve 7 people nicely.  Each serving contains:

452 cals, 36g fat, 7.58g carbs, 3.61g fiber, 3.97g NET CARBS, 21.6g protein, 362 mg sodium

Pork Florentine in Wine Sauce

This was a super quick and easy dish to prepare I think my readers will enjoy.  I’ve made Chicken Florentine for many years but never thought to do a florentine rendering with pork.  Well, I should have tried it years ago!  This was a delicious dinner tonight.  I served it with some buttered, “candied” carrots which complimented the meal nicely.  This recipe is not suited for those still in the initial 2-week Induction phase (unless you leave out the wine) but can be enjoyed anytime after your Induction period.  This dish should me fine for those on most Keto diets as well.  This recipe can be stretched easily for 4 portions if you add 2 more portions of pork to the recipe (carb count would go slightly down since sauce would be distributed among 4 servings).  There was ample sauce to do this.  Alternately, you can reduce the chicken broth, cream, wine and peppers to just 2 slices for less sauce on just 2 servings.  We’re creamy sauce lovers, so we ate all the sauce!

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INGREDIENTS:

2   4-5 oz. pieces boneless pork loin

1 T. each unsalted butter and olive oil

½ c. heavy (whipping) cream

½ c. white wine (I used Chardonnay)

1½ c. chicken broth (I use homemade, virgin broth)

1 c. frozen leaf spinach

Dash coarse black pepper

Dash red pepper flakes

2 oz. red bell pepper, sliced crosswise into 4 slices

1/8 tsp. xanthan gum or preferred thickener

DIRECTIONS:  Pound the two pieces of pork with a meat tenderizer.  Place butter and olive oil in skillet over high heat and sear the pork on both sides.  Remove to a paper plate while you construct the sauce.  Add the cream, chicken broth, wine, spinach, black and red pepper flakes to the pan.  Sprinkle the thickener over the sauce now.  Simmer the pan contents a couple minutes until until spinach is cooked and sauce has begun to thicken.   Add the red pepper slices around the outside of the pan.  Place the chops back on top of the sauce in the center and simmer just until red pepper slices are softened but not falling apart.  Serve pork with an ample serving of the sauce and pepper slices on top.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 servings, each contains: (numbers go down with 4 portions of meat)

631 cals, 44g fat, 8.3g carbs, 3g fiber, 5.3g NET CARBS, 37g protein, 142 mg sodium

 

 

Moo Shu Pork

               Roll Under Construction

                   The filling

And now for my recipe to try out that Hoisin Sauce I just posted this morning.  We were  introduced to Moo Shu Pork by a friend in Houston many years ago by a friend who was married to a girl from China.  We fell in love with Moo Shu at first bite!  There’s something about the unusual ingredients and the sweet, tangy bean/plum sauce that is a flavor marriage made in heaven.  As with any Chinese food, more time is spent in slicing/cutting up the ingredients than the actual cooking takes, but this dish is so worth the effort!

I line up paper plates by my stove and get each ingredient chopped and onto a plate, ready to add to the wok at the right moment.  I soak the tiger lily buds, cloud ear and mushrooms in little bowls first in hot water to rehydrate them.  I make the marinade in a bowl and set aside.  I next scramble the eggs, chopping them when cooked into smaller bits (but not too small).  I slice all the veggies last.  Then I’m ready to cook!

This recipe is slightly higher in carbs than most on my site and therefore are not suitable until you are closer to goal weight, but this dish is a special treat to me and I don’t indulge in this one often.  The way I look at it, I consider any recipe below 10g net carbs per serving to be OK, considering that is ever so much lower than the average carb count for most Standard American Diet (SAD) entrées of my past.  🙂

NOTE:  Shitaake mushrooms, Cloud Ear Fungus (also called wood ear mushroom) and Tiger Lily Buds are essential to traditional Mu Shu Pork classic flavors.  If omitted, you are not eating Moo Shu Pork.  Asian groceries will all carry these items.  I have to order mine on-line.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS:

¼ c. mushroom soaking liquid

4 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce

1 T. rice wine vinegar

1 T. fish sauce (I use Thai Kitchen brand) [or a good bottled oyster sauce]

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce

¼ tsp. xanthan gum or preferred thickener

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

2 large eggs, scrambled

1 T. butter

8 oz. lean only pork loin, slivered thin

3 T. peanut or olive oil (or your preferred oil)

½ c. cabbage, slivered thin

4 large dried shitaake mushrooms, soaked

3 large green onions, slivered thinly lengthwise, cut 1″ pieces

1 c. fresh bean sprouts

¼ c. canned bamboo shoots, julienne  slivered

½ c. dried Cloud Ear Fungus strips, soaked (if using whole, slice them)

½ cup (small handful) Tiger Lily Buds, cut in half, soaked

8 low-carb flour tortillas (I use La Banderita)

Extra hoisin sauce to “dress” before eating (not calculated into stats, as amount used varies)

VARIATION:  Use slivered chicken in lieu of pork for a Moo Shu Chicken version

DIRECTIONS:  In 3 small bowls, soak mushrooms, Tiger Lily Buds and Clour Ear in very hot water until soft.  You want to save the mushroom liquid and just lift them out of that “stock”.  Cut out the tough mushroom stems and slice the mushroom flesh.  Place on paper towels to dry off for now.  Discard water off the Cloud Ear Fungus.  If using whole ones, chop or slice and paper towel dry.  If using pre-cut strips just set them on paper towel to dry.  Discard water off the Tiger Lily Buds and chop them in half.  Dry on paper towels.  Set these 3 ingredients near the stove.

Mix all marinade ingredients in the small bowl.  Add ¼ c. of the mushroom soaking water.  When well-mixed, pour half the marinade into medium bowl and add the sliced meat.  Toss the meat with your hands to coat meat well and let it marinade while you continue your prepping.  Remaining marinade will be added to the wok at the end of cooking.

Scramble the eggs over medium in the butter until set.  Remove from heat and chop into medium bits (but not too fine).  Set those aside by stove so they are at-the-ready.

Now you’re ready to cook.  Heat a dry wok or large skillet.  Chinese cooks have a saying:  “Hot Wok; Cold Fat.”  If you do it this way, the meat does not stick to the pan.  If you heat the oil as you heat the wok,  the meat almost invariably sticks to the pan!  When the steel is VERY HOT, quickly dump in the oil and promptly the meat into the cold oil.  Don’t worry, the oil will get hot quick when it hits the hot metal.  Stir-fry with spoon until meat is no longer pink.  Add in cabbage and Cloud Ear Fungus next.  Stir-fry until they just barely begins to go limp.  Next add the bean sprouts & scallions and cook those just 1 minute.  Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoot slivers and Tiger Lily Buds next, cooking the mixture 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the remaining marinade and stir well so all filling is now moistened.  Cook another minute or so for the thickener in the marinade to do its job.   Add the egg to the wok last, during the final minute of cooking, and stir just to mix.  Remove wok from heat.

Serve the filling at the table (I like to do it right in the wok so it stays warm) with low-carb tortillas and more hoisin sauce.  I haven’t gotten around to creating a Chinese-style pancake, but give me awhile and I may do that one day.  Place about ½-3/4 c. filling on the tortilla down the center.  Dab a little extra hoisin sauce down the filling edge (as shown above) and fold the bottom edge up like an envelope end (to catch juice as you eat).  Then fold the sides of the tortilla inward like a burrito.  Pick up and eat it with your hands, like a burrito.  Moo Shu Pork is traditionally eaten with hands and is actually rather messy/difficult to eat with a fork, to be honest.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 8 servings, each contains:  (Includes wrapper but does not include hoisin sauce)

216 cals, 12.4g fat, 24.35g carbs, 13.72g fiber, 10.63g NET CARBS (plus any added hoisin), 13.7g protein, 814mg sodium (and that’s using low-sodium soy sauce!)

Sausage-Chicken Bean Soup

My husband had to go have some lab work done for his doctor this morning so he volunteered to get my groceries on the way home.  Of course, it started raining, is a might chilly out as well, so when I asked him what he wanted for lunch today, I wasn’t surprised he said soup!  Well, since I’m always trying to use up leftovers and one-of’s in the fridge, I put together what turned out to be a very tasty soup!  My husband was doubtful when I said what all I was throwing into the pot, but ended up eating TWO bowls of it, so clearly not a problem for his palate.  LOL

What I had to work with was a small piece of a smoked sausage rope, 1 baked chicken thigh, half of a large yellow squash, and some fresh kale.  Also had in my freezer the cooking pan juices from my last batch of Montreal Baked Chicken (I always save it for just such uses) and homemade chicken broth that is always in my freezer.   VOILA!  A delightful lunch fit for a chilly, rainy day that you can have once you get to phase 2 of Atkins.

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INGREDIENTS:

3 T. unsalted butter

2 oz. onion, chopped

1 c. chicken meat, pre-cooked, chopped

4″ piece smoked sausage (beef or pork), sliced

1 can Eden soy black beans, with juice (not regular, high-carb black beans!)

2 large kale leaves, stemmed, rinsed and chopped

3 oz. yellow summer squash, diced or sliced

3 c. homemade chicken broth (mine is just chicken boiled in water)

¼-½ tsp. my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

¼-½ tsp. Sriracha Chili sauce (or other hot sauce to taste)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt the butter in a soup pot over high heat and saute the onions until they begin to brown.  Add the sausage and squash and saute until all are partially cooked.  Add all remaining ingredients and bring to just a simmer for about 15 minutes or just until the kale is just done.  Add salt to taste only if the sausage hasn’t already made the soup salty enough for your palate.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings (large bowls), each contains:

385 cals, 27 g fat, 12.25g carbs, 6.27g fiber, 5.98g NET CARBS, 21.4g protein, 485 mg sodium