Archive for the ‘PRIMAL-PALEO’ Category
German Brats and Vegetables
Posted on: June 30, 2020
We recently grilled some delicious German Beef Brats I get from my grass-fed beef supplier. The seasoning blend in his sausages is simply delicious! Very heavy with black pepper, but we like that. With the 3 leftover links I defrosted tonight, I created a quick, stir-fried dish that’s both tasty, satisfies and yet stays low in carbs, despite all the vegetables in it. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Paleo and Primal nutritional programs. You could also make this using any type of brats, smoked sausage or Kielbasa with equally good results.
INGREDIENTS:
2 T. bacon grease
8 oz. German beef brat sausages (or any lean link sausage), precooked & sliced
1 c. frozen green beans
4 oz. onion, sliced thinly
4 oz. green cabbage, sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 oz. red bell pepper, sliced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms, drained
Dash each salt and black pepper
¼ tsp. Sriracha chili sauce
DIRECTIONS: Heat the bacon grease in a non-stick wok or skillet. Saute the green beans and onion until it begins to wilt. Add the cabbage and garlic next and continue sauteing until it just begins to soften. Add the bell pepper, stirring as it softens just a bit (but isn’t mushy). Add sausage, mushrooms, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce and stir well for 2-3 minutes for flavors to blend. Remove and enjoy. I ate mine plain, but it would be good on brown rice for non-low-carb guests.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
274 cals, 22.5g fat, 10.1g carbs, 3.05g fiber, 7.05g NET CARBS, 8.7g protein, 384 mg potassium, 725 mg sodium
This simple dish will really please your family. It’s almost effortless to make if you have some of my Shawarma Mayo made up (I always keep it on hand in my fridge). You can use regular homame mayo, but it won’t come out quite as good, as the Shawarma mayo linked in the recipe really is quite good with Boursin cheese. This can be ready in 30 minutes or less! Truly delicious and suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal-Paleo as well.
INGREDIENTS:
24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, in 4 nice portions
4 T. my homemade Shawarma Mayonnaise
4 T. Boursin Garlic-Herb cheese (or garlic-herb Alouette cheese)
1 oz. pork rinds
½ c. parsley, chopped
¼ tsp. each black pepper, garlic powder & onion powder
¼ c. Parmesan cheese (any variety will work)
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Using the flat side of a meat tenderizer or mallet, pound the 4 breast filets between 2 sheets plastic wrap to flatten them a bit using the flat side of a meat tenderizer or mallet. Real thin is NOT necessary here, just flatten them so they aren’t too thick for fastest baking. Place filets on an oiled baking pan making sure they are not touching. Brush each with 1 T. of the Shawarma Mayo. Then dot each with 1 T. of the Boursin cheese. Place all remaining ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse to make a nice crumb mixture. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the chicken filets and pop pan in 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
500 cals. 29.3g fat, 1.5g carbs, 0.22g fiber, 1.29g NET CARBS, 59.5g protein, 975 mg sodium
Mini Meatloaves
Posted on: June 22, 2020
- In: ALL-STAR RECIPES | Beef | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO
- 1 Comment
You just can’t go wrong with meatloaf! But some nights you just don’t want to wait until a large meatloaf cooks. That’s when I do what I call mini meatloaves, in the skillet. These are quick to put together and just as good as the slow cooked larger version. These are suitable for all phases of Atkins.
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lb. lean ground beef (or 1 lb. beef+½ lb. ground pork)
2 oz. yellow onion, chopped
2 oz. green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 c. parsley
1 egg, beaten (or 2, if you want to omit the flax meal below)
1 T. flax meal soaked in 3 T. water (or a water-moistened crumbled low-carb biscuit/roll, or 1T. ground chia soaked 10 min in 3-4 T. water)
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated (more if you like)
1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. bacon grease or oil of choice for frying
4 oz. can tomato sauce (no added sugar)
DIRECTIONS: Soak flax meal or chia, if using, in water in a small bowl for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally as it thickens up. While it is soaking, add all other ingredients (but tomato sauce and oil) to a food processor or blender and pulse to mix well, until vegetables are chopped really fine (why I pre-chop them). Add soaked flax meal and pulse la couple more times to incorporate it well. Using water-dampened damp hands, form mixture into 6 thick patties resembling miniature meatloaves, slightly rounded on one side. Heat oil in skillet on high heat and brown the meatloaves on all sides until they are nearly done. Add tomato sauce to skillet, scraping up brown bits from frying as you stir it in. Put lid on skillet and simmer low for about 10 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Serve with tomato gravy on top of each portion.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings, each 4 oz. serving has:
349 cals, 22.9g fat, 4.27g carbs, 1.1g fiber, 3.17g NET CARBS, 30.2g protein, 588 mg. sodium
- In: MAIN DISHES | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO
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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
This dish goes together in 30 minutes and can be on the table in no time with a convection oven feature on your oven. Just marinate the chicken a half hour, cut the veggies up into your sheet pan and it cooks itself…….REALLY! My kind of meal, as my regular readers know. I’m such a lazy cook! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto programs, Paleo and Primal Blueprint as well! You can make it as spicy as you like, increasing the Tandoori spice and curry powder, but I’ve kept this recipe fairly “tame” as that suits my palate.
INGREDIENTS:
2 large chicken thighs, bone-in
1 large chicken breast, cut into 3 portions (they’re so big nowadays)
2/3 c. sour cream (or yogurt)
1 tsp. each curry and tandoori powders
1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
6 oz. sweet onion (I used yellow and red), cut into wedges
3 oz. red bell pepper, cut 1″ pieces
10 oz. eggplant, cut in large cubes (about 1-1½”)
1 very small head cauliflower (yield about 2½c. florets)
3 Roma tomatoes, cut into 4 wedges
1 tsp. minced ginger root
¼ c. cilantro chopped
Dash black pepper
¼ tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. my Garam Masala
DIRECTIONS: In a large mixing bowl, measure out the sour cream or yogurt. Add the tandoori and curry powders. Stir well to blend. Dip each piece of the chicken into the mixture, coating well on all surfaces. Place bowl in fridge for 30 minutes.
In the meantime, Preheat convection oven to 350º (375º for a regular oven). Place the EV Olive Oil into a large baking sheet pan. Cut the eggplant into 1-1½” cubes (I do not peel mine) and put it in the pan. Cut onions, separate the segments and add to the pan. Cut red bell pepper into 1″ pieces and add to the pan. Add the cauliflower pieces as well. Next add the ginger, Garam Masala spice, salt and pepper. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir all so the vegetables get well-coated with the oil and spices. Add the tomato wedges last and toss once or twice, very gently. Lay the chicken pieces on top of the vegetable melange and sprinkle all with the chopped cilantro. Pop into a hot 350º convection oven (or 375º regular oven) and bake under convection for about 40 minutes; for about 1 hour in a regular oven, or until meat is properly done. Please check before time is up, as ovens, convection or not, can vary quite a bit. Remove and serve with your favorite low-carb flat bread (if you can fit it into your daily number limits).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings, each contains:
410.2 cals, 29.66g fat, 12.04g carbs, 3.96g fiber, 8.08g NET CARBS, 24.52g protein, 461g sodium
- In: MAIN DISHES | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO | SIDE DISHES | Vegetables
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This is essentially a creamed spinach dish, but with a very special cream indeed. I decided to not stir it altogether as that does not photograph so prettily. The flavor of this creamy spinach dish will blow you away. It’s sinfully rich and ever so good! So good, in fact, I lick every bit of the sauce off the spoon and food processor bowl. Seriously good eats.
Of course, you can always stir the sauce right into the spinach. It certainly ends up mixed on my plate while eating it. 🙂 To be quite honest, ANY meat, seared chicken breast strips, beef or pork meatballs or smoked sausage would be good alongside (or on top as shown) this extremely nutritious dish.
This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly, as well as being suitable for Keto diets, Primal and Paleo followers as well.
VARIATION: This makes a great side dish without meat. In fact, that is the first way I ate it when I created this creamy sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
5 oz. lean pork bulk sausage (I use homemade sausage but any low-carb sausage will do)
6 T. my Shawarma Homemade Mayonnaise
1 avocado
16 oz. bag of frozen, chopped spinach
Water to cover spinach
DIRECTIONS: Place spinach in large saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil and cook per package directions, about 5 minutes. When done, drain spinach in strainer pressing out excess water as best you can. Set aside while you make the rest of the dish.
While spinach is boiling, roll sausage into 6 small meatballs and brown in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, turning and rolling them frequently to brown all sides. Cook until fully done (about 10-15 minutes, turn off heat remove and drain meatballs on paper towels.
In a bowl of a food processor (or blender), process the avocado with the 6 T. homemade mayo until fairly smooth. You can also just mash it well with a fork, as it doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth. Add a few drops of lemon juice (to prevent darkening) and pulse.
Spoon the spinach into your serving dish, Add the thick, creamy mayonado sauce to the top as shown (or stir into the spinach if you prefer) and top with your cooked meatballs. ENJOY!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings, each contains:
468 cals, 48g fat, 12.03g carbs, 8.66g fiber, 3.37g NET CARBS, 15.2g protein, 453 mg sodium
Indonesian Beef Soto
Posted on: March 12, 2020
- In: Beef | PRIMAL-PALEO | Soups & Stews
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Our best friends of some of 30+ years are wonderful cooks and often introduce us to interesting Indonesian foods and spices. Though he is as American as apple pie, she is American-born Indonesian and often cooks Indonesian foods. This dish came about from my exposure eating dinner with them and my reading of a number of Beef Soto recipes in cookbooks. I combined a mixture of spices traditional to the dish, and then added some veggies I thought would also be good in it. The result of this experiment was delightful, and quite simple since the grass-fed beef brisket I used in this was already cooked. This dish would also be good made with cooked lamb or venison. What a hearty, rib-sticking meal this was! You can prepare this from scratch with raw beef, but it will naturally take much longer than my version made with leftover meat, as the meat will have to be first browned in oil and then simmered in the broth/water for at least an hour to get tender before adding veggies to the pot. This dish could also be served as a dinner entree if you made it with less broth, thickened it with your favorite thickener or mashed veggie puree and served it over basmati rice (for the non-lowcarbers, of course). This dish is suitable for Atkins Induction and passes Paleo-Primal muster as well. 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
2 T. palm oil (or coconut oil)
3 oz. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped fine
10 oz. lean, cooked beef (or lamb), cubed large
8 oz. summer squash, cut up large (calaba, zucchini, or yellow)
12 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. dried red guajillo chiles (these are mild), seeded and chopped coarsely
Guajillo Chiles
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (or 1″ stick if you prefer)
1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
Dash of chipotle chile powder (or ½ canned chipotle chile, seeded and mashed)
1 thin slice ginger, minced
½ tsp. galangal powder (optional)
½ tsp. turmeric
around 2 c. beef stock (or water) (enough to cover meat)
DIRECTIONS: In a large soup pot, heat the palm oil. Brown the onion until it begins to caramelize. Add shallot and continue to saute until shallot begins to “toast” a bit. Add garlic and cubed meat and saute a few minutes longer. Lower heat, add liquid and the cinnamon, guajillo chiles, ginger, turmeric and galangal powder, along with the Thai curry paste. Simmer for 15 minutes if meat was already cooked, simmer for 30 minutes or longer if meat was raw when you started. This will allow the spices to mingle with meat and the meat to get tender. Add cubed squash and continue to simmer until squash is done. Add tomatoes and cook just until tomatoes have softened up a bit, but have not fallen apart. Thickening is optional, but you can if so desired. I had a dab of leftover sweet potato puree in the freezer and added 3-4 tablespoons of that for thickening my soup a bit.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 large servings, each contains:
309 calories
19.8 g fat
9.23 g carbs, 2.23 g fiber, 7 g NET CARBS
24.2 g protein
627 mg potassium
193 mg sodium
Kashmiri Mushrooms (Hedar)
Posted on: March 10, 2020
- In: PRIMAL-PALEO | SIDE DISHES | Vegetables
- 1 Comment
We love Indian food and they often have a mushroom curry on the buffet table at our favorite Indian restaurants. This is a recipe I’ve been cooking for some time now. It was inspired by a recipe I saw in Neerja Matoo’s cookbook Kashmiri Cooking. I’ve made quite a few changes and below is how I prepare this dish. This is great with charcoal-grilled beef, lamb, chicken or your favorite curry recipe. This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly and suitable for Keto diets as well. Use coconut milk for an acceptable Primal-Paleo version.
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. mushrooms, wiped and cut into halves (leave whole if small)
2 T. butter, unsalted
2 oz. yellow onion, cut in thin slivers
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
Pinch black pepper
Pinch turmeric
½ tsp. my Garam Masala spice blend
Pinch Sharwood’s red-label Tandoori Spice (or regular mild curry powder if unavailable)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
¼ c. heavy cream
¼ c. chicken or beef broth/bouillon (preferably homemade)
DIRECTIONS: Wipe mushrooms clean of any dirt with a soft, clean dish cloth or paper toweling. If you wash mushrooms, they do not saute as nicely. If washed and then stored in the fridge, they will get slimy and rot faster. Remember: dry mushrooms are delicious mushrooms. 🙂
Halve the mushroom if extremely large, otherwise leave whole. Set the cleaned mushrooms aside. Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion, garlic and spices and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to saute, stirring until mushrooms are done (about 3-4 more minutes). Lower heat, add bouillon and cream. Simmer on lowest heat possible to slightly thicken. Use your favorite plan suitable thickener if still not thick enough for your preference.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains: (this only serves 2 for hubby and I, we love it so!) 119 calories 11.5 g fat 3.45 g carbs, 0.7 g fiber, 2.75 g NET CARBS 1.88 Protein 33.6 mg. sodium
Montreal Baked Chicken
Posted on: March 1, 2020
This Atkins Induction friendly recipe is super easy…..super good! It has been one of the most popular posts on my blog. Since I’m making it for dinner tonight, I thought I post it again for those who may have somehow missed this flavor delight. The secret to the crisp skin is to bake at high heat to start, then lower. This recipe is Induction friendly and I’m proud to say it also appears in Jennifer Eloff’s Low Carbing Among Friends, Volume 2. Order any of these cookbooks (set pricing available) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
VARIATION: A pinch of garlic powder and 1-2 T. Parmesan added to this is very good!
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole chicken cut up (I pull out the back, neck and fat to make chicken stock)
1 recipe my Montreal BBQ Sauce
DIRECTIONS: Cut up the chicken (I cut breasts in half, remove back, making 10 pieces) and place pieces in a zipper plastic gallon bag. Mix up the marinade and add to bag. Manipulate well with your hands and place in refrigerator for 1 hour. When ready to cook Preheat oven to 475º. Place pieces of chicken on metal baking pan large enough the pieces don’t overlap, for best browning. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and baste with juices in the pan. Lower heat to 350º and continue baking for 20-30 minutes longer. Time will vary due to size of chicken pieces and of course, ovens will vary.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 10 meaty pieces or 5 servings. It would be impossible for me to calculate the exact figures for a serving because that depends upon the pieces of chicken eaten. But to give you a rough idea, each 2-piece serving will have somewhere in the neighborhood of 393 calories, 28 g fat, .26 g carbs, .1 g fiber, .16 g net carbs, 33.12 g protein, 642 mg sodium. Basically, take the nutritional info for the particular piece of chicken and add in the nutritional info for 1T. of the sauce (.16 net carbs) shown on that recipe.
- In: PRIMAL-PALEO | SIDE DISHES | Vegetables
- 2 Comments
If you’re tired of the same old steamed broccoli, the usual cheese sauce and the not so unusual broccoli casseroles, give this recipe a whirl. It’s easy and ready in minutes. The sweetness of the caramelized onions in this sauce really smooths out the oft-perceived bitter taste of broccoli in an amazing way! This dish is Atkins Induction-friendly and suitable for other Keto diets as well. Primal-Paleo followers will want to sub in coconut milk for the cream and of course ghee for the butter.
INGREDIENTS:
9 oz. broccoli, cut up into large pieces or small spears
2 T. butter, unsalted
2 oz. yellow onion, sliced thin
½ clove garlic, minced
½ c. heavy cream
½ c. water
Dash pepper
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS: Cook broccoli stems until completely done and drain well a few minutes. Lay broccoli stems decoratively on your serving dish. In non-stick skillet over med-high heat, saute onion and garlic in butter until the onion begins to brown and caramelize. Lower heat and add cream and Parmesan. Add pepper and taste. Add pinch of salt if needed. Simmer a few minutes and it will slightly thicken. Add water. Simmer a few more minutes. Should be the right thickness when done. If the water made it too thin, add a bit of your favorite thickener. Dip or pour over broccoli and serve.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings each containing:
164 calories, 13.1 g fat, 9.4 g carbs, 2.57 g fiber, 6.83 g NET CARBS, 4.5 g protein, 73 mg sodium
Classic Shrimp Scampi
Posted on: February 19, 2020
My father introduced us to this dish when we lived in Hampton, Virginia. Of course, we had all the fresh seafood there in the world anytime we wanted it. What is amazing about Shrimp Scampi is how easy it is to make. Traditionally served over white rice, as a low-carber, I decided to spoon mine over a batch of my Foolproof Mashed Cauliflower. It was quite good actually. I like to add a bit of my Seafood Spice Blend to most of my seafood dishes, but it is not seen in most shrimp scampi recipes. Occasionally I like to add a splash of a couple tablespoons of white wine to this dish, but do not always do that, so I don’t show it in the ingredients below. Your call there. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets, as well as for Primal and Paleo followers. Those still on Atkins Induction should not add the white wine here.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. medium-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 T. butter, unsalted
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ c. parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper
¼-½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend
1 oz. (optional) dry white wine, (Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc are good)
DIRECTIONS: Preheat broiler. In a large skillet melt the butter over high heat. Add garlic and let saute a couple minutes. Add shrimp and saute until the begin to get opaque and golden on the edges. Add black pepper and spice blend. Saute couple more minutes. Finally add parsley and stir to blend. Remove and pop into broiler long enough for the shrimp to begin to brown just a bit. Remove from oven and serve immediately over bed of mashed cauliflower (or rice for non low-carbers at the table)
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings, each contains: (does not include mashed cauliflower, 1 cup of it would add around 2.8 net carbs to each serving)
306 cals, 18.1g fat, 3.73g carbs, 0.43g fiber, 3.3g NET CARBS, 31.4g protein, 233 mg sodium
Chicken in Sofrito Cream
Posted on: February 15, 2020
This was absolutely delicious and so incredibly quick to make! I keep the Sofrito Sauce made up in my freezer in a plastic zip bag and just break off what I need for a recipe. Once my chicken was seared, this took all of about 8-10 minutes to simmer to delectable deliciousness. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets. Primal followers can enjoy if you do dairy but Paleo folks will want to use coconut milk instead of cream.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large chicken breast, skin on (1o oz. of deboned meat)
1½ T. butter
1 c. homemade chicken stock
½ c. heavy cream (use 2 T. less if still on Induction)
Sprinkle xanthan gum
2 T. Sofrito sauce
DIRECTIONS: Melt butter in a non-stick skillet over high heat. Slice meat at an angle laterally into 4 smaller filets. I pounded mine, but that isn’t necessary. Just a habit with me and chicken. 🙂 Sear the chicken in the hot butter, both sides, until golden. Lower to medium when both sides are golden and the meat is fully done. Add chicken stock around the meat. Add cream and Sofrito sauce and simmer a couple minutes. Lightly dust with xanthan (less than 1/8 tsp.). Simmer until it slightly thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and serve at once with you favorite sides or a nice salad.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes two adult servings, each contains:
590 calories
46.3 g fat
2.6 g carbs, 0.3 g fiber, 2.3 g NET CARBS
37.4 g protein
470 mg sodium
Mmm, mmm, mmm. This colorful dish was just as tasty as it looks! And super, duper fast to get on the table for your hungry family!! Just creamy enough without being too “heavy”. My husband specifically asked for something light tonight since we went out for steak last night, had oysters and the whole shebang. 🙂 He said I accomplished that goal of “light” with this wonderful new dish. This is elegant-looking when served and most worthy of company fare. It is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal folks who eat dairy, and Paleo followers provided you use coconut milk instead of the cream.
INGREDIENTS:
2 6-oz. zucchini (two 6″), cut into zucchini noodles or ribbons
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts around 11-12 oz. each
2 T. total olive oil
4 T. total butter (or ghee)
1 link Italian sausage, casing removed & cut into chunks
2 oz. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ c. parsley, chopped (reserve 1T. for garnish)
8 cherry tomatoes, halved (or more if you like)
Several shakes coarse black pepper
Dash salt
½ c. heavy cream
DIRECTIONS: Place a non-stick skillet or wok on your burner. Add 1 T. oil and coat entire pan surface. Cut zoodles with a noodling tool, julienne peeler or ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Slow saute over medium heat until they are no longer opaque and just barely beginning to soften. Remove, dip out nicely onto a serving platter and keep in warming oven while you make the sauce.
Cut each chicken breast laterally into 2 thinner filets, cover with plastic wrap and pound with the flat side of a meat tenderizer or wooden kitchen mallet. I don’t pound them too thin, however.
Wipe skillet out with paper towel if any zoodles are hanging on for dear life. 🙂 Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, 1 T. of the butter and heat over high heat. Sear the chicken breasts on both sides until golden and remove to a temporary plate. Add remaining 3 T. butter, sausage, garlic and onion. Saute until onion is tender and sausage is no longer pink and begins to brown. Add parsley and tomatoes next. Saute 1 minute and tomatoes barely begin to soften. Finally, add cream, salt and pepper. Simmer just a couple minutes until cream thickens up for you.
Remove platter with your zoodles from warming oven. Place chicken filets across the top. Spoon the creamy sausage sauce on top and garnish with that reserved tablespoon parsley. Serve at once.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
531 cals, 39g fat, 7.8g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 7g NET CARBS, 38g protein, 703 mg sodium
- In: PRIMAL-PALEO | SIDE DISHES | Vegetables
- 4 Comments
Next time you’re contemplating making the low-carber’s classic dish, Loaded Baked “Potatoes”, try using leeks sometime instead of the green onion. WONDERFUL change!
Man, did my husband ever rant about this cauliflower dish tonight. I have my Twice Baked “Potatoes” that uses green onion, but leeks are much milder! I used half a large leek and it sliced up to made 2 c. sliced up! I used more cream cheese than I usually do in my similar dish and decided to use American Deluxe cheese tonight instead of cheddar cheese. WOW! What a difference in flavor those changes made. Who’da thunk? 🙂 Hope you give this one a try! This recipes is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto programs. Primal followers can enjoy this as written. Paleo people will need to leave out the cream cheese. It’ll taste OK, but not quite as rich. 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
½ large head cauliflower (6-7″) cut into flowerets
3 oz. cream cheese, cut into small bits
6 T. total butter, unsalted
Dash salt (omit if using salted butter)
½ leek, sliced thinly
6 slices American Deluxe or Cheddar cheese
DIRECTIONS: Under running cold water, wash all dirt from between the leaves of the half leek. Do this carefully, as the dirt hides on both sides of the leaves. Nothing worse than biting into grit at the table. Slice the leak thinly. Melt 2 T. of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute leeks just until tender. Turn off heat and set aside.
Cut up the cauliflower into flowerets, place it into a 4-qt. saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and medium boil until soft, or about 15-18 minutes. Remove from heat, pour all into a colander to drain and with a rubber spatula, mash out any water you can. Preheat oven to 350º. Pour cauliflower back into the saucepan and drop in the cut up cream cheese. Stir with you a rubber spatula to allow the cream cheese to melt a bit. Add 4 of the 6 tablespoons of butter and the salt. With a hand-held mixer or stick blender (I used the stick for mine), puree all until smooth. Add the sauteed leek, scraping all the butter you can get into the pot. Stir well to mix evenly. With your rubber spatula, scrape the cauli-leek mixture into a lightly buttered baking dish (mine is about 7″x11″). Top with 6 slices of cheese (you can shred the cheese first if you prefer). Pop into 350º oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted nicely. This tasty dish was delightful served with butter-seared pork chops and a salad.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings, each contains:
259.3 cals, 23.4g fat, 6.36g carbs, 1.99g fiber, 4.48g NET CARBS, 7.7g protein, 350 mg sodium
Bang Bang Dipping Sauce
Posted on: January 15, 2020
This delightfully spicy sauce is amazing with fried shrimp or chicken tenders. So much so I thought it deserved its own posting rather than just including the recipe with dishes I’ve created with it. Have some other ideas up my sleeve for this sauce as well, so stay tuned. You know what they say…………..the Saucier is the most important chef in a French Kitchen. 🙂
We just LOVE this stuff! Me, I’m not so fond of overly hot, spicy food, but this has just a little bit of tingle on your tongue that I don’t think most folks will find it too spicy. I do hope my readers will try it sometime, if you have not yet had the pleasure. This sauce is suitable for all phases of Atkins & Keto diets, as well as Primal and Paleo folks!
INGREDIENTS:
½ c. homemade mayo
2-3 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce
2 tsp. Sriracha
Dash each salt and black pepper
VARIATION: Add ¼ clove minced garlic for a new twist
DIRECTIONS: Measure out all ingredients into a small bowl, stir well and chill until ready to serve as a condiment with fried shrimp, chicken or whatever you little heart desires.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes five 2-T. servings of sauce, each contains:
161 cals, 17.68g fat, 0.84g carbs, 0.02g fiber, 0.82g NET CARBS, 0.52g protein, 140 mg sodium
Iranian Kubideh (meat kebabs)
Posted on: January 5, 2020
- In: Beef | Lamb | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO
- 3 Comments
When I was 10 years old, my family lived in Teheran, Iran. Dad, USAF, was teaching their then fledgling air force to fly F-86 jets. Our motor pool driver, Reza, loved good food and sometimes would cook for us to show off his skills in the kitchen. Kubideh was one of his favorites. Although I don’t have his actual recipe, my creation evokes the flavor of his specialty. The jalapeno is not traditional but I like it in these. It does not make these spicy “hot”, just adds a nice flavor layer in my opinion.
These kubideh can be made with the more traditional lamb, but I prefer using ground beef. Unless I can have mild Iranian lamb, which is highly unlikely now, I will not eat lamb that’s available here in the U.S. Just tastes awful to me. When grilling your kubideh, you want them somewhere between the done stage between these two photos. I like them as shown upper left; the hubs likes them as shown lower right. The other skewers in the photo are some lamb kebabs we grilled to freeze for a future meal. 🙂 This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo.
More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends. Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground beef or lamb (mine is 90% lean; omit bacon grease below if using fattier meat)
1 egg, beaten
¼ c. parsley
1 oz. onion, minced as fine as you can get it
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. black pepper
Optional: ½ jalapeno, seeded and minced fine
Optional: 1 T. bacon grease if your meat is very lean
DIRECTIONS: Soak wooden skewers for 20-30 minutes (if using). This retards scorching of sticks during grilling. Mix all ingredients well in a bowl with a fork or your hands like you would a meatloaf. Dry off the skewers. Form hot-dog like meat shapes on the wooden skewers, pressing the meat on tightly and as evenly as possible. Set them on a platter as you form them. Prepare a hot charcoal fire. Gently place the skewers of meat on your charcoal fire, disturbing the skewers as little as possible until the first side is lightly browned. Carefully, with a large spatula, flip the skewers over. If you use tongs, they are likely to tear up on you. The voice of experience here. Brown the second side of the kubideh. Serve at once with a nice creamed spinach, a cucumber-tzatziki or sour cream mint salad or perhaps a quinoa side. ENJOY! 🙂
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 kubideh, each contains:
371 cals, 30.4 g fat, 1.95 g carbs, 0.4g fiber, 1.55 g NET CARBS, 21.4g protein, 93 mg sodium (I add salt to meat at table so as not to dry meat out during cooking)
(Shown on zucchini noodles)
I have always loved clam sauce on pasta and this recipe is one I often turn to when it’s late and I’ve forgotten to defrost meat for dinner. I make sure I always have a few cans of clams in my pantry for this reason. Though you can serve this on real pasta for your non-low-carb guests, it goes nicely for low-carbers over sauteed zucchini “noodles”, as shown above, or shirataki noodles. Allow about 6 oz. zucchini noodles per person. The zucchini noodles soak up the sauce’s wonderful flavor. This dish is OK for Induction if served on zucchini noodles. I do NOT think this would be good atop spaghetti squash threads as I think the squash taste will negatively impact the overall flavor of the clam dish. If you are already to the OWL phase of Atkins, ¼ c. dry white wine is good added to this before thickening. You want to talk healthy? Get a load of the nutritional info below!! I think clams may just be the highest source of vitamin B12 in the food kingdom! And it’s mostly in the juice! Moral of the story: EAT MORE CLAM LINGUINE!! 🙂
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INGREDIENTS:
2 6-oz. cans clams with juice (do not drain)
4 slices bacon, cut into ½” pieces
2 T. butter, unsalted (or olive oil)
2 oz. onion, chopped
6 medium mushrooms, sliced
2 oz. red bell pepper, chopped coarsely
¼ c. parsley, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Dash black pepper
DIRECTIONS: Chop bacon and brown over med-high heat. Add butter to melt in with the bacon drippings. Add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until onion and mushrooms are both tender. Add red pepper, parsley and seasonings. Add clams with their juice and simmer 2-3 minutes to blend flavors. Thicken slightly with your favorite thickener and serve atop zucchini noodles. Garnish plates with a few sprinkles of parsley if desired. Serve on zucchini noodles or “zoodles” as shown above or shirataki tofu noodles.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings, each containing: (numbers are for sauce only, so be sure to add in your “pasta” numbers)
253 cals, 13.8g fat, 8.27g carbs, 1.75g fiber, 6.52g NET CARBS, 23.8g protein, 330 mg sodium
Indian Baked Chicken
Posted on: December 29, 2019
I recently created a tasty baked Indian chicken dish similar to tandoori chicken in flavor. Typically I would just take Indian spices and marinate the meat for 1 hour using some yogurt or sour cream, but I had neither dairy product on hand and tried using heavy cream. The cream worked just fine. This simple dish is delicious with a piece of my Flat Bread. We LOVE this recipe now and bake it often. It is even better grilled over charcoal for that true tandoori smoke flavor to enhance the spices. If baked indoors, the pan dripping are delicious basted up over the meat when serving, so don’t throw that away! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, and Primal as well. Paleo followers will need to use coconut milk in lieu of the cream.
INGREDIENTS:
1 large chicken breast, skin on, cut in half crosswise
2 chicken leg quarters, cut apart at joint
1/3 c. heavy cream, (or yogurt, sour cream or coconut milk)
1 tsp. tandoori spice blend (I use Sharwood’s brand)
¼ tsp. turmeric
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger root, peeled, minced
1 T. (1 oz.) onion, minced as fine as you can get it
Juice of ½ lime
VARIATION: Instead of indoor baking, prepare a hot bed of coals in your charcoal grill and cook about an hours until done. Then it will taste a lot like classic restaurant Tandoori chicken.
DIRECTIONS: Place cream in large marinating bowl. Add all spices, ginger, garlic and onion. Add lime juice and then the 6 chicken pieces. Toss to coat well and refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once during marinating. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375º. Place chicken pieces on a large baking pan (I used metal pan). Spread the marinating mixture atop each piece. Pop into 375º oven and bake for 1 hour or until 170º on a meat thermometer and browned nicely. Serve with your favorite side dishes.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 adult servings (2 pc. each). Serving contains approximately: (using heavy cream)
465 cals, 28.3g fat, 2.93g carbs, 0.40g fiber, 2.53g NET CARBS, 47.4g protein, 694 mg sodium
Chicken Cacciatore
Posted on: December 27, 2019
Chicken Cacciatore (shown with eggplant)
I asked my husband what he wanted me to prepare for dinner tonight with the chicken I thawed and he said “Something Italian.” You can’t get much more Italian than Chicken Cacciatore, so that’s what I cooked for him. It’s one of the dishes I made him before we got married (I was working at an Italian restaurant in Austin at the time). He tells me often this dish and my shrimp curry cinched the proposal. 🙂 This dish only takes about an hour from start to finish to get it to the table, so that’s always nice. This can be served on the tofu variety of shiratake noodles, but I find I really like it served with seared or baked eggplant slices.
This recipe is not suitable for Induction unless you leave out the red wine. But it just won’t be classic cacciatore without it, in my opinion.
INGREDIENTS:
1 chicken breast, (mine weighed 7 oz) deboned, cut into 3 slices (I leave the skin on)
1 large chicken thigh
1 large drumstick
2 T. olive oil
4 oz. sliced onion
1 medium green bell pepper, sliced
4 fresh large mushrooms sliced (or 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained)
1 clove minced garlic
3/4 c. chicken broth, low sodium
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) diced or crushed tomatoes (or 3 fresh Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges)
¼ c. red wine
DIRECTIONS: Cut up the breast into 3 pieces, the thigh into two. Heat 1 T. of the oil in a non-stick skillet and brown all the pieces well on all sides. Remove the chicken temporarily to a platter. Add remaining oil and saute onion and bell pepper a few minutes. Add all remaining ingredients to skillet, stir and replace chicken pieces into the skillet. Cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until the largest chicken pieces are fully done. If it isn’t cooked down enough to be fairly thick on its own (tomatoes will vary in water content), I would thicken it a bit with a light sprinkle of your favorite thickener and simmer, stirring for a few more minutes before serving. This is traditionally served on spaghetti, but I usually just serve it by itself or with sauteed eggplant as shown above. If you like them, the opaque tofu variety of shirataki noodles works well with this dish.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings each contains: (does not include the optional eggplant)
274 cals, 13.23g fat, 8.83g carbs, 2.33g fiber, 6.5g NET CARBS, 26g protein, 741 mg sodium
Mediterranean Meat Wraps
Posted on: December 21, 2019
- In: ALL-STAR RECIPES | Beef | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO | Sandwiches
- Leave a Comment
Mediterranean Meat Wraps (using low-carb Flour tortilla)
These wonderful little meat patties can be ready in just 15 minutes! I most DEFINITELY like the flavor and confess ate two of them on my wrap. Delicious! I served them with some tzatziki yogurt sauce and a lovely Greek salad. This meat mixture would also make great meatballs and be great added to Mediterranean casserole dishes with eggplant, tomatoes and feta. I already had some low-carb no-flour tortillas made up so the sandwich you see above was on the table in no time. This recipe can also 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 “wrap”. When used in wraps, my delicious tzatziki sauce is also very good on these sandwiches, particularly with a little extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top! Click here for the recipe for the tortilla wraps.
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 has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring 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 10-volume set TODAY and get special discounted prices! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. lean ground pork (ground beef or lamb are more traditional)
about 1/3 c. kale (what I could easily pick up in 1 hand with my fingertips)
about ¼ c. parsley
1 oz. onion
1 clove garlic
½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled
Dash each salt and black pepper
1/8 tsp. Homemade Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
1 T. my chimichurri 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 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, 15g protein, 155 mg sodium
Gingerbread “Bigfoot”
Posted on: December 8, 2019
- In: Cookies | HOLIDAY RECIPES | PRIMAL-PALEO | SWEETS
- 2 Comments
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist when I named this Christmas creation. 🙂 I bought the pictured 14″ tall Wilton Gingerbread Man cookie pan a couple years ago and haven’t really used it with any of my low-carb gingerbread recipes to date. But I came across a recipe on Robb Wolf’s website, posted by a Kim Ludeman, that inspired me to test this “behemoth” pan.
I changed up the sweeteners considerably to lower carbs and also added currants and raisins for decoration. Original recipe had no flaxmeal and used all almond flour. My longtime favorite gingerbread recipe has a bit of vinegar in the dough, so I also added a tablespoon to this recipe (don’t worry, you won’t taste it). I think it improves rise, but this stiff dough did not rise too much during baking. The resulting gingerbread cookie was moist and sort-of chewy on the edges, and most DEFINITELY tasty!! This cookie is less stiff than classic Gingerbread cookies, so it will tear apart in pieces nicely for you. Next baking I want to try this dough as individual cookies next baking, as I liked the chewy browned edges.
This recipe is fairly carby, since it has molasses in it, so I would not indulge in these unless you are in Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance phase. You can eliminate the raisins/currant decorations and decrease the molasses and increase the sugar-free maple syrup by that amount to reduce carbs a bit. My Paleo-Primal subscribers will of course want to use REAL maple syrup instead of the sugar-free maple syrup. The Steviva called for is a blend of erythritol and stevia and is about twice as sweet as sugar, but you could use another sweetener (2 T. sugar equivalent) if you prefer.
INGREDIENTS:
½ c. flax meal (I use 50:50 golden and dark mixed)
2½ c. almond flour
2 pkts. stevia
1 T. Steviva (a blend of erythritol and stevia)
1 tsp. each cinnamon and ginger
½ tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ c. blackstrap molasses
¼ c. sugar-free maple syrup (or regular maple syrup, or omit and use ½ c. total molasses for Paleo/Primal version)
1 T. white vinegar
DIRECTIONS: Lightly grease or line a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Preheat oven to 350º. Beat all wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Measure the dry ingredients on top. Slowly stir the dry into the wet below until smooth. Dough will be fairly stiff. If making a giant single cookie, spread the dough evenly onto the baking pan using plastic gloves or baggie “gloves”. My gingerbread man pan is approximately 14″ tall x 9″ wide. Use raisins for eyes and button, currants for his nose and mouth. Pop into preheated 325º oven for about 18-20 minutes. Do not overcook so you should remove from oven when the cookies are just browning a wee bit around the edges. Cool and enjoy.
If making individual round cookies, this dough should make about 24 small 1½ round cookies. I would roll dough into 1″ balls and then press flat into 1½-2″ cookies with your fingers or the bottom of an oiled glass. The individual cookies should only require 10-12 minutes to get done.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 huge gingerbread man or twenty-four portions town off. It will make around 24 round 1½-2″ cookies, each round cookie or approximately 1/24 of the giant cookie has: (calculated using sugar-free maple syrup). If making smaller cookie cutter gingerbread men, this recipe (I’m guessing) would make 8-10 of them, depending on the size of your cutter and how thick you roll out the dough.
107.8 calories, 8.73 g fat, 6.18 g carbs, 2.08 g fiber, 4.1 g NET CARBS, 2.96 g protein, 76.5 mg sodium
Roast Duck with Blueberry Sauce
Posted on: November 20, 2019
Since there are just two of us now gathering for Thanksgiving, I sometimes just roast a duck to avoid so many leftovers. This is a delicious recipe for duck which cooks up very moist. I usually serve a traditional cornbread stuffing and green beans with this delicious bird. I have never liked orange sauce on duck, so I decided to work up this blueberry sauce with a hint of herbs some years ago and that turned out to be a good decision. The herbs and bacon in the sauce bring so many flavor layers to the table. This can be served with your wine of choice, even red. This recipe is suitable once you reach the berry level of Atkins (OWL Phase 2). It is suitable for all Keto diets, Primal Blueprint and Paleo if you omit the wine in the sauce. This Tipsy Blueberry Sauce would be good with turkey, roast pork or probably any other wild game you might be cooking this holiday season.
Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included). Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection! You’ll LOVE these recipes! Order your copy today from Amazon or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php. Special prices available for the complete 10-volume set.
INGREDIENTS FOR DUCK:
5½ lb. duck
1/4 tsp. each onion powder, dried thyme and rosemary, crushed
Dash my Seafood Spice Blend (optional)
¼ tsp. salt
1 T. butter
DUCK DIRECTIONS: Remove sauce packet (I throw it away) and the innards. Boil the innards in 2 c. water for your dog. 🙂 Save the broth for your sauce. Preheat oven to 375º. Rub your fingers over duck checking for pinfeathers and remove any you find with the tip of a knife. Mix the herbs and spices in a small dish with the salt. Rub over duck skin all over. Place duck on a grate that is then set down in a large roasting pan. Baste with melted butter and pop into hot 375º oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven, baste skin with remaining butter and return to oven for 30-45 minutes longer or until skin is brown, crisp and the duck read internal temperature of 180º. While duck is roasting, prepare sauce.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
3 green onions, chopped coarsely
1½ oz. bacon (3 slices), chopped coarsely
1 c. blueberries (dried, fresh or frozen)
1 c. broth (or a little more if you simmer too long)
2 T. Port wine or Sherry
Dash each thyme, rosemary, onion powder and salt
¼ tsp. xanthan gum or your preferred thickener
SAUCE DIRECTIONS: Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add chopped bacon, brown it nicely. Add onion and saute until onion is very tender. Do not drain off grease. Add all remaining ingredients but the thickener. Allow to simmer until berries begin to burst open and turn the sauce blue. Here, I go by smell, and appearance, but when all appears to be cooked and it smells wonderful, slightly thicken to desired level with your preferred thickener. Allow guests to serve atop roasted duck slices at table.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 servings, each contains:
385 calories, 31 g fat, 3.82 g carbs, .81 g fiber, 3.10 g NET CARBS, 20 g protein, 277 mg sodium
Jalapeno Cheese Bread
Posted on: November 10, 2019
- In: ALL-STAR RECIPES | BREAD | Loaf Bread | PRIMAL-PALEO
- 7 Comments
I’ve created a delicious low-carb jalapeno cheese bread and am amazed how much it tastes like traditional cornbread. Please note: For me, this bread is better when completely cooled rather than right out of the oven. I suspect this is because some brands of leavening (baking sodas and powders) have a bit of ammonium bicarbonate (known as Baker’s Ammonia) in them. This ingredient facilitates leavening in flat goods like cookies and crackers and the gases are released from the flat cookie/cracker surface during baking. Thicker baked goods like cakes, breads and muffins don’t allow adequate release of this gas and it can linger. This ammonia smell (right out of the oven), if you have used one of the brands with ammonium bicarbonate, dissipates on day 2. If you have ever experienced this, take note of the ingredients in your leavening and avoid this particular brand if it is bothersome to you (or label and reserve it for cookies and crackers only). Flavor is not impacted at all. This bread is not suitable until you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins OWL phase. It is acceptable for Keto diets. It is suitable for Primal diners, if you eat occasional dairy, but not acceptable for Paleo.
This makes up nicely as muffins, too, as the crust is very nice on this bread. I also discovered that leftovers make an outstanding cornbread stuffing!! Muffins will only take about 15-20 minutes to cook depending on the size of your muffin cups.
I chose to use fresh jalapeno, but they should make up nicely with well-drained pickled peppers if you prefer. Those that like their jalapeno bread “hotter” may want to use 2 jalapenos. My husband and I don’t like ours too hot. 🙂
The corn flavoring I buy is Superior Products brand, which I last bought direct from Superior Products own website. They have since sold out or changed names to Select Products, but the flavoring hasn’t changed one bit! Only places I’ve ordered corn flavoring is at Select Products . Naturesflavors.com carries one but I haven’t tried it yet.
For many more delicious low-carb bread recipes, visit the Facebook page for the best-selling cookbooks, LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS by Jennifer Eloff and several other very talented cooks, including well-known Chef George Stella! There you’ll see a preview of the many recipes you will find in this wonderful 10-volume set. Have no fear, they are also available individually, in regular or coil-bound. Order yours today at Amazon or at our direct order site here.
INGREDIENTS:
1½ c. almond flour
2 T. coconut flour
¼ c. golden flax meal
1 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. shredded hard cheese of your choice (I used cheddar)
1 jalapeno, seeded, finely chopped (I use fresh, but pickled is fine)
5 eggs, beaten
2 T. coconut oil, melted
2 T. olive oil
1 T. cider vinegar
1 T. Fresh Corn flavoring (optional) Source: selectflavors.com
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside. I use an unusual shaped loaf pan, non-standard, that is 4½” wide, 2½” deep and 12″ long. Similar pans like mine can be found on the internet if interested. 
Measure all dry ingredients and cheese into a medium measuring bowl, stir and set aside. Seed and finely chop jalapeno and add. Add cheese and stir all dry ingredients together to blend. Add all liquid ingredients to the mixing bowl and stir to blend. Using a rubber spatula, scrape batter into greased loaf pan and pop into preheated oven for 30 minutes. Ovens vary, so check with toothpick test. Remove and cool in pan a few minutes. Run sharp knife around edges to loosen and gently tip out onto a cutting board. Slice into 10 servings. This is best cooled and then re-warmed. See note in red above.
SPECIAL NOTE: This bread makes an outstanding “Cornbread” Stuffing for your holiday turkey as well, with or without that corn flavoring!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 10 slices, each contains: (calculated using 1 c. cheese only)
242 calories, 21 g fat, 6.2 g carbs, 3.2 g fiber, 3.0 g NET CARBS, 9.95 g protein, 386 mg sodium
Turkey Day Feast
Posted on: November 5, 2019
CLICK THE LINKS UNDER EACH PHOTO TO SEE RECIPES:
I’m fond of turkey roasted in my roaster oven as they always come out so moist done that way. This year I’m actually doing a duck for Thanksgiving rather than turkey, so it will be interesting to see if those come out nicely roasted this way. If you don’t own a roaster oven, they are really getting cheap and around Christmas, can be had for around $25-$29. They are excellent for extra oven space when you entertain or during holiday gatherings and your oven is full to the brim. They bake cakes, muffins, cookies, and meats just beautifully!
And what turkey would be complete without a good batch of stuffing? This recipe, modified to be low-carb, has been in my family for years. I think you’ll like it. I like to bake my dressing separately from the bird as I like the crusty bits on top:
Although we debate on what side dishes we want to have “this year” with the two basics above, we keep coming back to these two recipes:
And of course, there must be a sweet, tangy cranberry sauce to top things off. And why not spike it a bit?:
To top it all off, a lovely dinner roll is in order for the holiday table:
That just brings us to the pièce de résistance, dessert. Oh, the dilemma! If I do my Black Forest Cake, a cheesecake, I have learned that most guests are full to the brim before dessert time. So I usually decide on light rather than rich and heavy and go with Mom’s light, fluffy, and tasty Pumpkin Pie baked off in a low-carb pie crust. My biggest decision then is simply whether to make a single large pie or individual serving pies. 🙂
At a time to be thankful for family, friends and good food to share with them, I can’t imagine a more bountiful meal to serve. May all my readers be blessed with a lovely holiday celebration this year.
Jicama Cajun “Fries”
Posted on: October 29, 2019
Man, I tried these on a whim and they are FANTASTIC! And best of all, you don’t have to stand over a skillet of hot grease to make them! I’ve tried making fries from turnips, eggplant, daikon, rutabaga and all sorts of veggies on my low-carb journey. But I have to admit, these are really my favorite to date. The Seafood Spice blend in the coating quite nicely takes away the inherent sweet taste edge that jicama has, without dominating the final fries. So don’t side-step this part of the recipe. It’s essential for best flavor results. Other spices and blends could be substituted in if you prefer but may not mask that sweet edge as well. I just don’t know. The coating really browned nicely and stayed crispy even as the fries cooled off (which really surprised me)! Even my picky hubby gave these a thumbs up, and at first, he wasn’t even going to taste them! These are Induction friendly, too!
Some may be tempted to take a shortcut and use spicy/BBQ pork rinds and omit the seasoning blend in my recipe. CAUTION: flavored pork rinds are laden with sugar and sometimes modified food starch as well……not acceptable ingredients for us low-carbers. Just read the ingredients listed fully if you don’t believe me. In fact, as a low-carber, you should ALWAYS read ingredient listings, for ALL processed foods. Hidden ingredients can stall your weight loss. The net carb count just isn’t the whole picture!
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As always, you can order them individually if you prefer.
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. jicama, peeled and cut into fries
2 T. homemade mayo
2 oz. plain pork rinds, crushed
1/2 tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend
Oil to coat baking pan if not using non-stick sheet pan
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450º. Peel and cut jicama into stick shapes. Place in bowl and brush well with the homemade mayo. Make certain you haven’t missed any spots or they won’t get coated at those spots. You want total coverage for the pork rinds to adhere to. Crush the pork rinds in processor/blender. Add spice blend to crushed pork rinds in a small bowl and stir well. Now drop mayo-coated jicama (a few at a time) into the seasoned rinds and shake to coat well. Alternately, you can use a plastic bag and shake them to coat. Place fries directly on oiled or non-stick metal baking sheet. A word of experience, DO NOT BAKE THESE ON SILICONE SHEETS, as they will not brown and crisp up properly on the bottom. I found this out the hard way. Bake for 10 minutes until tops are nicely browned. Turn them and bake about 10 more minutes. Bottoms brown where they touch the metal pan.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings each contains:
165 Cals, 11.4g fat, 5.5g carbs, 2.78g fiber, 2.22 NET CARBS, 11.2g protein, 276g sodium
“Fried” Chicken Livers
Posted on: October 27, 2019
Southern girl that I am, I get a hankering for fried chicken liver every once in awhile and today was my day. This is not a food I’ve tried to low-carb before now. Frankly, I didn’t think they would come out very good without the crispy traditional flour coating they are often made with. My grocery store has taken to carrying their chicken livers in a huge 1.25# cartons instead of the 1# carton they have stocked in the past. My husband doesn’t like chicken liver, so I alone (or my puppies are most eager to) must polish off any leftovers. So it looks like I’m going to have 5-6 oz. leftover every time I bake my homemade dog treats with the size carton they sell them in now. Now I have a way to quell my fried chicken liver craving that crops up once in awhile.
Since this coating has worked well on everything I’ve tried it on to date, I thought I’d give it a go and these came out REAL good!! These are suitable for any phase of Atkins. They are also suitable for Paleo-Primal, if you occasionally eat pork rinds (otherwise, coat with almond flour).
VARIATION: Add some grated Parmesan cheese to the coating. Substitute or add in some chicken gizzards or hearts, if available and you like them.
What are you waiting for? Have you ordered our cookbooks yet? Volume 8, 9 and 10 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes! Included are tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff. Special complete set pricing going on right now. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe or two, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.
INGREDIENTS:
5 oz. raw chicken livers
½ c. homemade mayo
4 oz. plain pork rinds, crushed fine
1/4 tsp. spice blend of your choice (I used my Cajun Seafood Spice blend)
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425º. Place chicken livers on paper toweling and pat them with more paper towels to get as much moisture off as you can. Cut the really large ones in half for more even cooking. Pour mayo onto a paper plate. Place crushed rinds and spices onto a second paper plate and stir well. Dip livers into the mayo to coat both sides, then drop into crushed rinds. I curl the paper plate to facilitate rolling the rinds up over the tops of the livers. Place coated livers onto a non-stick cookie sheet (sided, to catch grease). Pop into 425º oven for 10 minutes. Turn gently with tongs and cook an additional 10 minutes. They should be done in 20 minutes and browned nicely on both sides. Enjoy quickly so they will still be crispy! Serve with your favorite sides.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 servings, each contains:
526 cals, 43g fat, 0.53g carbs, 0.03g fiber, 0.5 NET CARBS, 32.5 g protein
488 mg sodium
BBQ Crack Cabbage with Ham
Posted on: October 21, 2019
- In: Ham | MAIN DISHES | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO
- 2 Comments
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
Smoked Gouda Breakfast Pizza
Posted on: October 10, 2019
I often create new recipes when my husband is traveling out of town. This is one of those. When I open the fridge and just find a little dab of this, a bit of that, only one slice of something and think up a way to put them all together into something for a quick lunch or quick 1-serving meal. You’ve all been there. This is one of those recipes I created when the hubs ran down to Austin for a hobby convention. It came out very tasty and even better, is Atkins Induction friendly, too!
More delicious low-carb breakfast recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Many of my recipes are in these cookbooks, with 2 volumes almost exclusively my recipes. Order your 10-volume set TODAY for special price discounts. They are always, of course, available individually. Order at Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. seasoned, ground pork (or pork sausage, I make my own recipe.)
2 T. green onion, finely chopped
2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded or very thinly sliced to assist melting
2 beaten eggs
DIRECTIONS: Using a fork, press the raw pork sausage evenly into the bottom of a greased glass or non-stick quiche pan. It will be thin. I used a 7″ small quiche dish. Top with chopped green onion. I didn’t have any on hand, but chopped mushrooms would also be good in this. Top with grated or thinly slivered smoked Gouda cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer). Beat 2 eggs and carefully drizzle the egg evenly over the top. Bake at 350º for 15 minutes or until center is set. Cut into “slices” and serve.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:
325 cals, 25g fat, 1.95g carbs, 0.35g fiber, 1.6g NET CARBS, 23g protein, 335 mg sodium
Chicken-Guacamole Salad
Posted on: September 28, 2019
I had one leftover baked chicken breast in the fridge (didn’t even use it all, in fact) and 2 avocados that were at the peak of ripeness calling out to be used today, so I dreamed up this delicious little salad for lunch. Pretty, isn’t it? It rings in at just 4.95 grams net carbs (mostly the avocado), is very filling, ever so nutritious for your family, not to even mention it was delicious!
This simple-to-put-together dish can be enjoyed at all levels of Atkins and Keto diets if it fits your daily numbers limits. This one would be suitable for Primal-Paleo as well.
Our latest volumes are selling fast! What are you waiting for? Volume 8, 9 and 10 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes! Included are some tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff. Special complete set pricing going on right now. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe or two, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.
INGREDIENTS:
5 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped
1 Roma tomato, diced
1/3-1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
2 avocados, skinned and seeded
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
4 oz. cooked chicken meat (more if desired, but adjust numbers below)
4 shakes/dashes of sea salt (1/16 tsp.)
VARIATION: Instead of chicken, use 4 oz. leftover bits of grilled steak.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:
406 cals, 30g fat, 18.45g carbs, 13.5g fiber, 4.95g NET CARBS, 21.4g protein, 497 mg sodium
Indian Chicken Tikka Masala or Curry
Posted on: July 6, 2019
This particular curry recipe, similar to Chicken Tikka Masala, is the one I keep coming back to again and again. Typically one uses tomato paste in the creamy sauce, rather than whole tomatoes, but I prefer the fresh tomatoes in my curry. This is easy to make and incredibly DELICIOUS! This recipe is also great made with a firm-fleshed fish or shrimp. When doing it with fish, cut de-boned fish into large pieces and prepare sauce first. Add fish the last 5-10 minutes of cooking so it won’t overcook and fall apart. Red fish is an excellent choice for simmered dishes, if you can get it, as it is as firm as chicken or beef and won’t disintegrate in the sauce! This dish is OK for Induction and is also suitable for Primal diners. Paleo followers need to use coconut milk instead of cream. For variety, sometimes I add a little tomato paste to this sauce, which changes it up a bit. 🙂
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 has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and other wonderful cooks to bring you a wealth of recipes you will love! Some of my low-carb creations appear in each of the 10 volumes! Special discounted set pricing going on right now! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
1 T. whole cumin seed
2 T. olive oil
3 T. butter
3 oz. sliced onion
2 deboned 7-8 oz. chicken breasts, cut into 1-1½” chunks
¼ tsp. salt
¼-½ tsp. cayenne pepper (use ½ tsp. only if you like it HOT)
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ T. minced fresh ginger
½ tsp. ground turmeric
1 T. my homemade Garam Masala
4 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 c. chicken broth
1 whole tomato (3″) , cut into 1″ cubes (use 1 Tbsp. tomato paste for a redder Tikka Masala gravy or that Butter Chicken appearance)
¼ c. heavy cream (Paleo-Primal should use coconut milk)
DIRECTIONS: In a dry non-stick skillet or wok, dry roast the whole cumin seed, stirring, just until they become fragrant but not burned (about 1-2 minutes). Add olive oil, butter and onions & saute a few minutes. Add chicken and continue to saute until chicken is opaque. Add all remaining ingredients except heavy cream. Simmer covered on lowest heat about 30 minutes until tomatoes are tender but not falling totally apart. Add heavy cream and continue to simmer 5-10 minutes longer. If desired, slightly thicken with a few successive, light dustings of xanthan gum or glucomannan powder, whisking or stirring vigorously between additions. Serve over steamed cauliflower or basmati rice for non-low-carb guests. Sometimes I add my cauliflower right into the curry the last 15 minutes of cooking for a change of pace. Like the tomatoes, do not cook the cauliflower too long. Adjust info below if you add cauliflower or other vegetables to the dish.
VARIATION: Sprinkle in a few frozen green peas as shown above. But just a few!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 3, each serving containing:
527 cals., 34.6g fat, 7.83g carbs, 2.03g fiber, 5.80g NET CARBS, 44.3g protein, 194 mg. sodium
Chicken “Risotto”
Posted on: June 7, 2019
This tasty dinner came together in under an hour, start to sitting down to table. I always buy chicken breasts with bones, as I stew the bones to strip for adding those bits of meat to my dog’s food and making chicken broth. But you can certainly use boneless breasts for this dish if you wish to speed up this quick meal even more. This risotto-like dish is very psychologically satisfying, as well as being literally quite filling. My husband and I felt like we were eating a real rice or cous-cous dish! It is extremely low-carb and suitable for all phases of Atkins, other Keto diets, Primal Blueprint and if the wine and cheese are omitted, it is also acceptable for Paleo followers.
Our latest LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you. Special prices going on right now. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had a chance to try a recipe or two, I hope you’ll stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.
INGREDIENTS:
5 T. butter, unsalted
20 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or seasoning of your choice)
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c. chopped parsley (I used flat leaf, but either type will work)
2 T. white wine (optional)
¼ tsp. sea salt
1 pkg (14 oz) Zeroodles brand Shirataki Rice-Shape Noodles w/ oat fiber
4 T. grated Parmesan Cheese (added at table)
DIRECTIONS: Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add chicken strips and begin to brown. As it is browning, sprinkle with half the Seafood Spice Blend, salt and black pepper. Turn the pieces of meat over and brown the other side. Sprinkle remaining spices on the side of meat now up. When meat has nicely browned a bit on both sides, add in the parsley, garlic and wine (if using). Lower heat to medium and stir occasionally as it simmers for about 5-10 minutes. Open noodle package and drain in a sieve under running cold water to rinse. Pour noodles into skillet and stir to blend ingredients well. Continue cooking another 10 minutes and remove from heat. Serve at table allowing each serving to receive 1 T. grated Parmesan on top.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
365.3 cals, 22.9g fat, 5.95g carbs, 4.42g fiber, 1.53g NET CARBS, 31.1g protein, 590 mg sodium
This casserole came out delicious. The blanched kale “platters” were an afterthought, but I figured at the very least, it would make a lovely photo. Maybe they would even be good together. Good decision! Even my husband thought they complimented each other and what a lovely color contrast as well!
This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, and Primal as well, provided you use a phase or plan suitable bread. You can use other spice blends, but the one called for is particularly crucial to the final Cajun flavor on this dish. It helps to mellow any fishiness the crawfish might have. Sometimes they can be strong.
More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends. Chef George Stella also offer a wealth of delicious recipes you will love! Order yours TODAY! Special pricing going on right now on the 10-volume set, or you can order just one volume if you prefer from Amazon or our direct order site for sale pricing: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
3 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 c. celery, chopped
¼ c. each red and green bell pepper, chopped
2 oz. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small yellow squash (about 6″ long)
¼ tsp. salt
12 oz. crawfish tail meat (I buy Boudreaux’s frozen)
2 slices my gluten-free focaccia bread (or plan/phase suitable bread)
4 slices American Deluxe cheese
2 slices Cheddar cheese, diced or shredded
1½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or Emeril’s seafood blend)
DIRECTIONS: Cut squash lengthwise into 4 quarters. Then slice the wedges into ½” slices. Chop the celery, onion, red and green pepper coarsely. Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the vegetables altogether just until about half tender (they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Add garlic, Seafood Spice Blend and salt. Stir and saute a couple minutes longer. Add crawfish tails, stir & turn off heat. Crumble one of the slices of focaccia into the mixture. Stir to mix. Place 4 slices of American cheese on the top of the mixture. Crumble the second slice of bread over the top and finally top with the diced/shredded Cheddar. Place lid or foil on top and pop into 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until top bread crumbs and cheese just begin to brown. Serve directly from the skillet the casserole baked in or as I did, atop blanched leaves of kale (submerged 2 min. in boiling water, removed gently and drained on paper towels).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings, each contains: (not including kale option)
237.5 calories
20.71 g fat
7.15 g carbs, 1.60 g fat, 5.55 g NET CARBS
19.7 g protein
724 mg sodium
Beef-Eggplant Curry
Posted on: May 12, 2019
- In: Beef | Lamb | PRIMAL-PALEO
- Leave a Comment
Beef Eggplant Curry
This is a quick, tasty and wonderful way to use up leftover beef pot roast (chuck). I made it again for dinner last night so I thought I’d share again for new followers to try. This one’s a keeper, both for ease of prep and incredible flavor layers! We are always pleased with this quick curry. What it lacks in photogenic qualities, it gains in taste! Using the Garam Masala spice mixture makese it taste more Indian; the Baharat makes it taste more Middle Eastern. This dish can also be made with lamb. I love how easy most Indian curries are to prepare! This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and Primal-Paleo as well.
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 has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Order your 10-volume set TODAY for special set pricing! (available individually also) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
2 T. olive oil or coconut oil
2 c. cooked beef (or lamb), trimmed of fat, cut in ½” dice (or use ground meat)
6 oz. eggplant (I used Japanese purple eggplant), cut in 1″ cubes
3 oz. onion, diced large
½ c. red bell pepper, chopped (omit for lower carbs)
½ c. cilantro, cut roughly
1 large tomato, cut in 1″ cubes (2 oz.)
2 tsp. my Garam Masala Spice blend (or 1 tsp. Baharat Spice Blend)
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/8 tsp. turmeric
Dash salt
½-1 c. water (beef stock if you have some is better)
OPTIONAL: ½ tsp. crushed fenugreek leaves if available
DIRECTIONS: Cut up meat, eggplant and onion as indicated above. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over hi heat. Add onion and slightly brown. Add eggplant and continue to saute, stirring often. Add beef and brown a bit. Add cilantro, tomato and all spices. Add water as needed to just barely surround meat. Lower heat. You don’t want this soupy, but add more water as you cook the dish if all evaporates. Simmer on medium heat about 15 minutes to allow flavor to mingle. Serve on cauli-rice, cauli-mash, toasted low-carb bread or muffins, or eat it straight up!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
237 cals. , 12.5g fat, 7.05g carbs, 2.77g fiber, 4.28g NET CARBS, 24g protein, 107 mg sodium
Mediterranean Meat Wraps
Posted on: April 30, 2019
- In: ALL-STAR RECIPES | Beef | Lamb | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO | Sandwiches
- 2 Comments
(On a homemade Flour tortilla)
These wonderful little meat patties were ready in just 15 minutes! I most DEFINITELY liked the flavor and confess I ate two of them they were so good. I served them with some tzatziki yogurt sauce and a lovely Greek salad. The leftovers, 2 days later, ended up in the sandwiches you see pictured above. The flavor of the leftover meat seemed to have improved on the refrigerator shelf! This meat mixture would also make great meatballs and be great added to Mediterranean casserole dishes with eggplant, tomatoes and feta. I already had some low-carb no-flour tortillas made up so the sandwich you see above was on the table in no time. This recipe can also 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 “wrap”. When used in wraps, my delicious tzatziki sauce is also very good on these sandwiches, particularly with a little extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top! Click here for the recipe for the tortilla wraps.
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 has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella, myself and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Order your 10-volume set TODAY! (available individually also) from Amazon or find special sales pricing at: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. lean ground pork (ground beef or lamb are more traditional)
about 1/3 c. kale (what I could easily pick up in 1 hand with my fingertips)
about ¼ c. parsley
1 oz. onion
1 clove garlic
½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine
¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled
Dash each salt and black pepper
1/8 tsp. Homemade Cavender’s Greek Seasoning
1 T. my chimichurri 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 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, 15g protein, 155 mg sodium
- In: Beef | Lamb | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO
- Leave a Comment
Shown on bed of sauteed cabbage
This dish can be made with either ground lamb or ground beef and is equally good with both. This Indian dish is traditionally cooked with peas and served atop basmati steamed rice. But I have I found it is just as good with made small cut frozen green bean pieces (to lower carbs) and then served on a bed of shredded, sauteed cabbage. I think I may even like it that way better than over the traditional basmati rice! The nutritional info below does not include the cabbage (or rice). My husband and I found my first attempt at Kheema Matar, which we have often had at Indian restaurants, to be pretty darn good! It has rapidly moved into my quick and easy recipes category.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground beef, lamb or goat
1 T. olive or coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
½ tsp. minced ginger
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. salt
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
½ c. frozen cut green beans, cut again into halves
1 carrot, cut into small dice
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. chopped fresh mint (I use spearmint)
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1½ tsp. my Garam Masala
OPTIONAL: Add 1/2-1 c. chicken stock and simmer a bit for a moist gravy. Thicken a bit with your favorite thickener if desired.
DIRECTIONS: Place carrots and green bean pieces in small amount of water in saucepan and cook just until tender crisp. Add oil to large skillet. Brown chopped onion. Add meat and break apart as it browns. Add garlic, tomatoes, jalapeno and all spices except mint and cilantro. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until tomatoes and onion well cooked. Now add the drained carrot/bean mixture, cilantro and mint and stir well. Cover again and cook additional 5-10 minutes or so for flavors to blend well. Serve atop bed of shredded stir-fried cabbage (my preference) or basmati rice for those non-low-carbers at your table.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains: (does not include cabbage base)
187 calories, 23.8 g fat, 7.55 g carbs, 2.38 g fiber, 5.17 NET CARBS, 23.8 g protein, 620 mg sodium
Skillet Pizza
Posted on: April 25, 2019
- In: Bacon & Other Meats | Beef | Others Snacks | PRIMAL-PALEO | SNACKS
- 1 Comment
Skillet Pizza (for 1)
I’m currently revisiting Atkins Induction for a “reset” and remembered this delicious recipe that literally got me through Atkins Induction 10 years ago. I’ve tried so many of the popular low-carb pizza crust recipes and just don’t like but a few that I have developed or tried in the interim. A lot of sodium in pizza toppings. Even this amount of sausage and cheese packs a whopping amount of sodium, as seen in the nutritional stats below! But hey, when you’re still on Induction and craving pizza, this’ll do occasionally. Best of all, it can be ready in 10-15 minutes! Moreover, I don’t end up with “sausage fingers” and swollen ankles the next day from water retention due to the sodium in most low-carb crust recipes. I’m so sodium sensitive, I leave off pepperoni from my pizzas as a rule. Just increase ingredients accordingly if you need more servings.
Now this “pizza” isn’t one you can pick up and eat with your hands. Even as it cools a bit and the cheese firms up, you’ll still have to eat with a fork. So I don’t do this recipe for company. 🙂 But I find not being able to pick it up and eat by hand doesn’t bother me one bit. This tastes just like the best sausage, mushroom, bell pepper pizza I ever had in any Italian restaurant or pizza parlor! You may prefer to use all sausage or all beef, your call, but nutritional info is for the recipe as written. If watching your sodium intake on doctor’s orders, using all ground beef and also lowering the cheese to 2 oz. would be wise choices.
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 has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Order your set TODAY! Special pricing going on right now, too! Books are always available individually or as a set from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php
INGREDIENTS:
Ready to dig in!
2 oz. pork sausage (breakfast or Italian)
1 oz. ground beef (or more pork sausage)
¼ tsp. fennel seed
Dash oregano
Sprinkle of garlic and onion powder
1/3 can drained, canned mushrooms (or 2 fresh, sliced)
2 oz. bell pepper
3 T. low carb spaghetti sauce (I use Bello Vita)
2 oz. grated mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS: Brown meat in no-stick skillet on medium heat. Add veggies and continue to cook until pretty tender, about 5 minutes. Add spices and stir. Using spoon or spatula, neatly push ingredients away from the edges of the skillet as shown in picture. Dot the surface with the tomato sauce but no need to stir. Top with the cheese, trying to keep it pretty much on the ingredients. Cover and lower heat to lowest setting and heat long enough to melt cheese. Should be ready in just a few minutes. Allow to cool a couple minutes so cheese will firm up a tad before attempting to “slice” into two slices. Using a broad spatula, slide a portion out of the skillet onto the serving plate (or toasted French bread, for non-Atkins eaters). Enjoy!
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 1 and contains:
531 cals, 39.3g fat, 11.2g carbs, 2.9g fiber, 8.1g NET CARBS, 34 g protein, 1312 mg sodium
Momma’s Baked Chicken
Posted on: April 25, 2019
This was the baked chicken I was raised on. Throughout my childhood, I disliked intensely the taste of vinegar. Wouldn’t eat pickles, wouldn’t eat pickled vegetables, wouldn’t eat salads or even condiments that contained vinegar. But man, when my mom made this baked chicken, I just could not believe I watched her douse it with such an “evil” ingredient and LIKED IT!!! The natural red grape sugar in the red wine vinegar caramelizes under high heat and gives the chicken skin such a sweet, tangy taste. The pan juices make a lovely gravy/baste for the drier breast meat. Fortunately, my taste has changed over the years and I will now consume vinegar without hesitation, provided the food isn’t drowning in vinegar. 🙂
This recipe can be used on a split/butterflied/spatchcocked chicken as pictured, or you and cut the chicken up into pieces. This method is delicious on Rock Cornish Hens, too. It is also excellent for BBQ’ing of the chicken, and even for BBQ pork. This recipe is perfectly suited to all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.
Many more delicious recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me, included). Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site with special discount pricing right now: http://amongfriends.us/order.php.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
6 T. melted butter
3 T. red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
THAT’S IT!!
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 400º. Place butter in baking pan (I use a metal pan) as the oven is heating up. Remove pan and add red wine vinegar to the butter, as well as the salt and pepper. Prepare the chicken. You can either split the chicken up the back with kitchen shears and spread it out as shown above, or cut the bird up into quarters or single pieces. Using a brush, baste the pieces of chicken all over. Sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper and pop into hot oven for about an hour (less time for smaller birds, a little more for the butterflied bird shown) or until golden brown and reaches internal temp of 170º at the joint where the thigh meets the torso and in the thickest part of the breast. I like to baste the chicken once or twice during cooking for the tastiest result on the skin. I’m a skin fan, so that’s real important to me. My husband just rips it off and hands it to me. That works out just great, huh? 🙂 Remove from oven and serve at once with your favorite sides. Be sure to put a spoon or brush into the pan for diners to baste their meat with the buttery juices if they wish (or pour the juices into a gravy boat).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: These numbers are for the baste/sauce only. You will have to add in the values for whatever pieces of chicken you eat. Makes enough for 10 pieces of chicken (1 whole l cut-up chicken). Each portion of the sauce, assuming you even eat that much of the sauce, has:
62 calories, 6.9 g fat, 0.02 g carbs, 0.00 g fiber, .02 g NET CARBS, 0.13 g protein (add in your piece of chicken)
This casserole came out delicious. The blanched kale “platters” were an afterthought, but I figured at the very least, it would make a lovely photo. Maybe they would even be good together. Good decision! Even my husband thought they complimented each other and what a lovely color contrast as well!
This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, and Primal as well, provided you use a phase or plan suitable bread. You can use other spice blends, but the one called for is particularly crucial to the final Cajun flavor on this dish. It helps to mellow any fishiness the crawfish might have. Sometimes they can be strong.
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INGREDIENTS:
3 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 c. celery, chopped
¼ c. each red and green bell pepper, chopped
2 oz. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small yellow squash (about 6″ long)
¼ tsp. salt
12 oz. crawfish tail meat (I buy Boudreaux’s frozen at Walmart)
2 slices my gluten-free focaccia bread (or plan/phase suitable bread)
4 slices American Deluxe cheese
2 slices Cheddar cheese, diced or shredded
1½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or Emeril’s seafood blend)
DIRECTIONS: Cut squash lengthwise into 4 quarters. Then slice the wedges into ½” slices. Chop the celery, onion, red and green pepper coarsely. Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the vegetables altogether just until about half tender (they’ll finish cooking in the oven. Add garlic, Seafood Spice Blend and salt. Stir and saute a couple minutes longer. Add crawfish tails, stir & turn off heat. Crumble one of the slices of focaccia into the mixture. Stir to mix. Place 4 slices of American cheese on the top of the mixture. Crumble the second slice of bread over the top and finally top with the diced/shredded Cheddar. Place lid or foil on top and pop into 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until top bread crumbs and cheese just begin to brown. Serve directly from the skillet the casserole baked in or as I did, atop blanched leaves of kale (submerged 2 min. in boiling water, removed gently and drained on paper towels).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings, each contains: (not including kale option)
237.5 calories
20.71 g fat
7.15 g carbs, 1.60 g fat, 5.55 g NET CARBS
19.7 g protein
724 mg sodium
Indian Broiled Fish
Posted on: April 1, 2019
I haven’t made this recipe in literally years! Originally posted in 2010, I thought of it today and am fixing this for dinner tonight. Can’t wait! This dish goes together really fast, so it is an easy meal prep during the summertime when you’d rather be outdoors having fun than cooking in the kitchen. If you wish, you can use whole fish for this recipe. This spice mixture would also be good on flounder or trout. This recipe is Induction friendly. The batch pictured has 1 small Roma seeded and finely chopped. I enjoy this entree both with and without the tomato. I have not included the tomato in the recipe or nutritional stats, however.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Tilapia filets (about 8 oz. each), or fish of choice
1 tsp. minced ginger root
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 finely chopped jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 T. chopped cilantro
¼ tsp. turmeric
Dash each of cayenne & black pepper
3 T. unsalted butter, melted
OPTIONAL: 2 tsp. tomato sauce smeared on fish before spices added.
DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl. Do not use a plastic bowl or the turmeric will permanently stain it. Add melted butter and mash it all up together. Place fish on oiled, non-stick or parchment-lined pan. Spread tomato sauce on (if using), add seasoning mixture evenly on the top of each filet. Broil for about 10 minutes (15or so for whole fish), until thickest part of the filet is firming up. Or, you can bake for about 20 minutes (30 minutes for whole fish, depending on size), but I personally think broiled is better.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 2, each serving contains:
327 cals, 15.5g fat, 1.6g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 1.1g NET CARBS, 45.5g protein, 123 mg sodium
This week-night easy-prep dish was simply delicious! You’re not going to believe how a bit of leftover chicken and bacon can transform themselves into something sooooooo good. Although I’m sure it is the smoky quality of the fire-roasted peppers that made this quick skillet sauce so tasty, there are lots of flavor layers going on here. You can serve this atop zucchini noodles, shirataki tofu noodles or spaghetti squash threads.
This dish is not suitable for Induction unless you omit the wine. Otherwise, it’s a go for Phase 2 Atkins and Primal followers. This is not suitable for Paleo unless you omit the wine and substitute perhaps homemade mayo for the cream. I do not believe coconut milk/cream would be good in this dish. 😉
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz. raw bacon, cut into 3/4″ pieces
2 oz. red onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. cooked, leftover chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
½ c. parsley, chopped (loosely packed)
3 oz. fire-roasted red bell pepper (I used imported from a jar), sliced in strips
1 c. chicken broth, homemade with no additives
3 oz. white wine (omit if still on Atkins Induction)
¼ heavy cream
1 small, mild anaheim chile pepper, seeded and sliced thinly (or you can substitute a jalapeno)
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (omit if you used a jalapeno above)
Dash or two of coarse black pepper
Pinch Italian seasoning
1 T. pesto sauce (I use my homemade pesto)
Sprinkle of your favorite thickener (optional)
DIRECTIONS: Cook your noodles or alternate “pasta” and have ready, as the sauce goes together quite quickly. Over high heat, brown the bacon in a non-stick skillet or wok. Add the onion and saute until nearly tender. Add garlic, jalapeno or anaheim pepper, and the roasted red pepper slices. Saute 1-2 more minutes for all to begin getting tender. Add all remaining ingredients but the cream. Simmer over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes to allow the wine to cook off a bit and the flavors of the ingredients to mingle. Lower the heat to lowest setting and finally add the cream. Stir well and simmer a few minutes stirring often. When you are just about ready to serve, add your thickener to the sauce, stirring constantly (if using) and allow the sauce to thicken a couple more minutes. Serve over your “pasta” on a large platter.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains: (numbers are for sauce only)
308 cals, 21g fat, 5.3g carbs, 1.07g fiber, 4.23g NET CARBS, 14.3g protein, 382 mg sodium
Indonesian Beef Soto
Posted on: March 12, 2019
- In: Beef | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO | Soups & Stews
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Our best friends of some 30+ years are wonderful cooks and often introduce us to interesting Indonesian foods and spices. Though he is as American as apple pie, she is of Indonesian heritage. This dish came about after receiving some Indonesian spices from them for Christmas one year as well as much personal reading of Beef Soto recipes on-line. I combined a mixture of spices traditional to the dish, added a bit of the spice blend they gave me, and then added my personal choice of veggies I thought would also be good in the soup. The result of this experiment was delightful, and quite simple since the grass-fed beef brisket I used in this was already cooked.
This dish would also be good made with cooked lamb or venison. What a hearty, rib-sticking meal this was! You can prepare this from scratch with raw beef, but it will naturally take much longer than my version made with pre-cooked beef meat, as the meat will have to be first browned in oil and then simmered in the broth/water for at least an hour to get tender before adding veggies to the pot. This dish could also be served as a dinner entree if you made it with less broth, thickened it with your favorite thickener or mashed veggie puree and served it over basmati rice (for the non-low-carbers, of course). This dish is suitable for Atkins Induction and passes Paleo-Primal muster as well. 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
2 T. palm or coconut oil
3 oz. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, chopped fine
10 oz. lean, cooked beef (or lamb), cubed large
8 oz. summer squash, cut up large chunks (calaba, zucchini, or yellow)
12 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. dried red guajillo chiles (these are mild), seeded and chopped coarsely
Guajillo Chiles
½ tsp. ground cinnamon (or 1″ stick if you prefer)
1 tsp. Thai red curry paste
Dash of chipotle chile powder (or ½ chipotle chile, seeded and mashed (from canned chipotle in adobo sauce)
1 thin slice ginger, minced
½ tsp. each galangal powder (I use Penzey’s)
½ tsp. turmeric
2 c. beef stock (or water), enough to cover meat
OPTIONAL: 1-3 tsp. Thai Seasoning Blend ( I used The Gourmet Collection brand)
DIRECTIONS: In a large soup pot, heat the palm oil. Brown the onion until it begins to caramelize. Add shallot and continue to saute until shallot begins to “toast” a bit. Add garlic and cubed meat and saute a few minutes longer. Lower heat, add liquid and the cinnamon, guajillo chiles, ginger, turmeric and galangal powder, along with the Thai curry paste. Simmer for 15 minutes if meat was already cooked, simmer for 30 minutes or longer if meat was raw when you started. This will allow the spices to mingle with meat and the meat to get tender. Add cubed squash and continue to simmer until squash is done. Add tomatoes and Thai Seasoning (if using). Cook just until tomatoes have softened up a bit, but have not fallen apart. Thickening is optional, but you can at this point if desired. I had a dab of leftover sweet potato puree in the freezer and added 3-4 tablespoons of that for thickening my soup a bit.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 3 large servings, each contains:
309 cals, 19.8g fat, 9.23g carbs,2.23g fiber,7g NET CARBS,24g protein,193 mg sodium
Coconut Shrimp Curry
Posted on: March 10, 2019
Curry (a similar version to this made with chicken) was the very first meal I ever cooked for my husband. He said my curry is what won his heart. 🙂 We just love Indian food and with my years of cooking it, I’m getting pretty good at it. I recently made a delicious version with coconut milk, absent from the chicken curry I made him when we were in college. Pretty good combination, coconut and curry. I served my shrimp curry atop a bed of sauteed fresh spinach leaves and they were delicious together! This Atkins Induction-friendly dish goes nicely with a cucumber mint salad or a crisp green salad. This recipe is suitable for most Keto diets and the Primal Blueprint program. Paleo folks will need to use all coconut milk and no cream.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. raw shrimp, shelled and cleaned
4 oz. onion, chopped or sliced thinly
3 T. coconut oil
4 oz. San Marzano tomatoes (8), cut in halves (or 2 small diced Romas)
1½ c. seafood broth (boil shells for 30 minutes in water and strain off broth)
1 tsp. my Garam Masala
1 tsp. curry powder
½ c. coconut milk
½ c. (4 oz.) heavy cream
½ c. cilantro leaves, chopped, loosely placed in cup
xanthan gum or glucomannan powder to thicken
DIRECTIONS: Heat a non-stick wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add oil and sliced onion. Saute until onion begins to brown. Add shrimp and stir-fry with onion until scrimp begins to sear on surface. Add seafood stock, spices, and lower heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 minutes or until onion is totally soft. Lower heat to lowest setting and add cilantro, tomatoes and cream and coconut milk. Continue to simmer on low heat for 10 minutes or so. Either thicken with several light dustings of the xanthan. Wait a couple minutes before each dusting, as too much can get kind of slimy. Or, you can mix a little of the curry liquid in a saucer with ¼-½ tsp. glucomannan powder. Stir the glucomannon paste slowly into the curry sauce. When thickened to suit your preference, remove from heat. For anyone at the dining table NOT ON LOW-CARB, this is divine on steamed basmati rice. Low carbers should eat it alone or over a bed of sauteed spinach or steamed cauliflower or cauli-rice. 🙂
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings (about 3/4-1 c. each). Each serving contains: (DOES NOT include spinach or cauliflower you serve this on)
438 cals, 31g fat, 7.4g carbs, 1.6g fiber, 5.8g NET CARBS, 27g protein, 331 mg sodium
Cabbage Trifecta
Posted on: March 10, 2019
This colorful triple cabbage side dish was most delicious with our broiled chicken last night. I have always loved cabbage. My husband, on the other hand, isn’t a big fan. He’ll eat it, but gripes the entire meal. But he dipped up seconds of this veggie side! He “says” he doesn’t LIKE cabbage, but I prove him wrong on this regularly. He prefers his cabbage raw in coleslaw. In fact he LOVES coleslaw! So maybe I got enough bacon in this recipe to disguise the flavor he finds offensive in cooked cabbage. I know it was just right for my palate. 🙂 This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal and Paleo eating programs.
INGREDIENTS:
2 c. shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage
2 c. shredded green cabbage
1 c. shredded purple cabbage
3 oz. onion, sliced thin
5 slices bacon, cut in 1″ pieces
¼ tsp. coarse black pepper
DIRECTIONS: Brown bacon in large skillet or wok until it begins to get crisp. Add onion and saute until it begins to brown/caramelize. Add green cabbage and saute until it begins to go limp. Add napa cabbage and only saute a couple minutes until barely gets limp. Add purple cabbage last so it won’t discolor too much. Volume will reduce during cooking with cabbage. Sprinkle on the pepper, stir well and spoon up into your serving dish.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 1-cup servings (after wilting down), each contains:
193 cals, 16.2g fat, 7.37g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 5.12g NET CARBS, 5.65g protein, 324 mg sodium
Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwiches
Posted on: March 9, 2019
- In: Beef | Lamb | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO
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I’m planning on making these tomorrow night for dinner. This recipe is deep in my blog archives so I thought I’d re-post it for my readers that love Italian food. This recipe is inspired by a dish my mother used to make when I was growing up. Of course, she used bread crumbs and not the pork rinds I used in mine to keep them lower-carb. Her dish didn’t have meat in it, just the eggplant. However this recipe takes it to a complete meal! This is a delightful lunch or dinner entree and is quite filling! It goes nicely with a tossed green salad. This dish can also be made with ground lamb if you prefer. It is suitable for Induction, too. Despite their name, it takes a fork and knife to eat these “sandwiches”.
INGREDIENTS:
½ recipe of my Oven-Fried Eggplant (adding the 1 oz. crushed pork rinds below to coating)
1 oz. crushed pork rinds
6 oz. ground beef (or lamb)
2 slices provalone cheese
2 1-oz. slices mozzarella cheese (or grated)
½ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (I used this: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/peggys-spaghetti-sauce/ )
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or ¼ tsp. dried)
2 T. Parmesan cheese
VARIATION: Use ground lamb instead of ground beef for a Greek twist, subbing in feta cheese for the provalone.
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450º. Make ½ recipe my Oven Fried Eggplant per instructions for that recipe, with the one addition of 1 oz. crushed pork rinds to the coating mixture. This takes about 20 minutes to bake at 450º. While this is baking, form two nice beef patties from the meat and brown them in a non-stick skillet. When eggplant is browned nicely, remove from oven (remember, it will be browner on bottom than on top). Lower oven to 350º. Place 2 T. spaghetti sauce atop each of two slices (the other two slices will form the second layer of these stacks). Next place a browned meat patty on them. Top them with a slice of provalone cheese and ½ T. of the Parmesan. Sprinkle on half the basil. Now place another slice of eggplant on top. Spoon 2 more tablespoons of sauce on top. Top each with 1 oz. grated or sliced mozzarella. Top each with half the remaining Parmesan and basil. I had one small slice of eggplant leftover and laid it on top of the serving simply for photographic impact, but I don’t usually do this. Sauce and cheese are usually the final layer. Pop sandwiches back into oven at 350º for about 5-10 minutes to melt cheeses. If the tops slide off, just push them back on top before serving. 🙂 Happens all the time to me. Cheese is slippery. 🙂
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes two servings, each contains:
502 calories, 31.7 g fat, 8.1 g carbs, 3.4 g fiber, 4.7 g NET CARBS, 44.4 g protein, 1144 mg sodium
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This dish can be made with either ground lamb or ground beef and is equally good with both. This Indian dish is traditionally cooked with peas and served atop basmati steamed rice. But I have I found it is just as good with small cut frozen green bean pieces served on shredded, sauteed cabbage and found it even tastier than served over rice! The nutritional info below does not include the cabbage. My husband and I found my first attempt at Kheema Matar, which we have often had at Indian restaurants, to be pretty darn good! It has rapidly moved into my quick and easy recipes category.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. ground beef, lamb or goat
1 T. olive or coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove minced garlic
½ tsp. minced ginger
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. salt
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
½ c. frozen cut green beans, cut again into halves
1 carrot, cut into small dice
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 T. chopped fresh mint (I use spearmint)
½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
1½ tsp. my Garam Masala
DIRECTIONS: Place carrots and green bean pieces in small amount of water in saucepan and cook just until tender crisp. Add oil to large skillet. Brown chopped onion. Add meat and break apart as it browns. Add garlic, tomatoes, jalapeno and all spices except mint and cilantro. Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until tomatoes and onion well cooked. Now add the drained carrot/bean mixture, cilantro and mint and stir well. Cover again and cook additional 5-10 minutes or so for flavors to blend well. Serve atop bed of shredded stir-fried cabbage (my preference) or basmati rice for those non-low-carbers at your table.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains: (does not include cabbage base)
187 calories, 23.8 g fat, 7.55 g carbs, 2.38 g fiber, 5.17 NET CARBS, 23.8 g protein, 620 mg sodium
This delightful seafood dinner was just one of those incredibly successful uses of a dab of some leftovers in the refrigerator. You’ve had those, too, I’m sure. My husband calls me the Queen of Leftovers! I had a little leftover Smoked Gouda Cauliflower , exactly 1 c. to be exact. It was right at eye level in my refrigerator today, sitting beside the two fish filets and bag of shrimp I thawed for dinner. I had yet to decide how to prepare my fish and shrimp this evening. I just DO NOT like storing leftovers more than 2 days. Thus, this idea “hatched” and what a tasty “egg” it turned out to be! I decided to serve it atop a bed of sauteed fresh spinach, but that didn’t have great flavor impact on the final dish, so I’d say the bed of spinach is purely optional here. But since that’s how I prepared it and photographed it, I have included it in the recipe and nutritional calculations below. This dish is perfectly suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal diners who eat occasional dairy. This is not suitable for Paleo due to the cheese, but a creamy homemade mayo might be subbed into the cauliflower mixture, resulting in an equally tasty and allowable dish for my Paleo readers!
INGREDIENTS:
2 6-oz. filets of mild fish of your choice
12 medium shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails left on for visual impact
5 oz. raw spinach
1 T. bacon grease
2 T. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. lemon juice
1 c. cooked cauliflower, drained and slightly mashed with a fork
1 oz. each cream cheese (softened) and Smoked Gouda (grated)
1/8 tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend
2 tsp. parsley, chopped (for garnish)
DIRECTIONS: Preheat your broiler. Steam or boil cauliflower, slightly mash with a fork and stir in the two cheeses so they will begin to melt. With the cold butter (or olive oil), lightly grease 2 individual baking pans or a heat-proof baking platter (which I used). In another small baking pan, melt the rest of the butter in your oven. Remove, add minced garlic and Seafood spice Blend to the butter and stir. Holding the shrimps by the tail, coat each on both sides with the seasoned butter, lay them flat in the pan and broil the shrimp just a few minutes to slightly brown. Remove shrimp from broiler and change oven setting to 350º. In a small skillet, melt the bacon grease and saute the spinach leaves just until wilted. Place half the spinach into two lengthwise batches on your platter (or into individual serving dishes), roughly the size of your fish filets. Lay a fish filet atop each batch of spinach. Cook cauliflower until tender. Drain and stir softened cream cheese and Smoked Gouda into hot cauliflower. Neatly spoon half the cauliflower mixture down the center of each filet, pressing flat with the back of your spoon (which will allow for more even cooking of the fish). Attractively lay 6 broiled shrimp in a row on each filet as seen int he pic above. Next, squeeze the lemon juice into the juices left in the pan you broiled your shrimp in. Stir and drizzle over each serving. Pop into 350º oven for about 20-30 minutes or until fish is opaque. Shrimp should be beautifully golden now. Remove from oven, garnish with the chopped parsley and ENJOY! I served with a nice green salad.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:
435 calories, 31.6 g fat, 7.6 g carbs, 2.8 g fiber, 4.8 g NET CARBS, 34.1 g protein
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Because grass-fed, grass-finished beef is so much leaner than ordinary mass-produced commercial beef in grocery stores, it tends to cook up drier and a bit tough if you don’t take special precautions to compensate for that. The 5# chunk of brisket you see in the pic above was cooked slow, surrounded by a little water and covered with foil during cooking except the last hour. It came out tender and VERY flavorful. Healthy goodness! I usually put a bit of rub on mine. This is suitable for all phases of Atkins and for Paleo-Primal diners as well. I served mine with a broccoli souffle and a tomato/cucumber salad.
INGREDIENTS:
1 4-5# grass-fed beef brisket
½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. minced dehydrated garlic
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. dill seed
¼ tsp. dehydrated red bell pepper (optional)
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Mix all the spices together and sprinkle over all surfaces of the meat. Place meat in large roasting pan, cover tightly with foil and pop into oven for 1 hour. Lower heat to 275º and remove pan from oven. Pour ½ ” water in the bottom of the pan around the meat. Recover with foil and pop back into oven and cook for 4-5 more hours. Check once more after about 2 hours, replenishing water if below 1/4″ deep. Uncover for the final hour of cooking to get a nice brown crusty surface on the meat. Meat is well done (how I prefer oven-roasted cuts like this) when it reaches an internal temperature of 140º on your meat thermometer. I may like rare steak, but I don’t like my brisket rare. 🙂 Remove from the pan and let it sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes before cutting/slicing. Thicken the juices in the pan with your favorite thickener, deglazing any tasty brown bits stuck to the sides of the pan, seasoning as needed with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite sides. Leftovers freeze and reheat well in foil.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: One 4 oz. serving contains:
340 cals, 22 g fat, 0 g carbs, 0 fiber, 0 NET CARBS, 32 g protein, 50 mg sodium,
Kale and Smoked Sausage
Posted on: February 2, 2019
- In: MAIN DISHES | Pork | PRIMAL-PALEO
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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
Chipotle-Guajillo Baked Chicken
Posted on: January 31, 2019
Yum!!!!!
It’s what’s for dinner tonight! This simple baked chicken recipe delicious and a wonderful choice when you don’t feel much like cooking. Those are the nights I tend to bake chicken as simply as possible. The seasoning flavor profile is subtle here and once you try it, you’ll be baking this bird again. I usually serve this tasty dish with an avocado/green salad and ½ roasted sweet potato. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and also for Paleo-Primal diners. Clarify the butter if you follow a Paleo diet.
INGREDIENTS:
1 whole chicken, butterflied
4 T. unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp. guajillo chile powder (or 1 seeded, ground whole dried guajillo chile)
¼ tsp. smoky chipotle powder (or 1 rinsed, seeded & mashed/minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce)
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. onion powder
Dash of salt
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450º. Cut up the back of the chicken (butterfly or spatchcock). Melt the butter in your baking pan (I prefer metal pans for roasting meats) and brush over all chicken surfaces. Mix the spices in a small saucer or paper plate and sprinkle over the chicken. Sprinkle with a dash of salt to facilitate browning. Pop pan in the oven and in 15 minutes, take it out. Using a brush, baste the chicken with the melted butter. Return to the oven and bake at 450º for around 20 minutes. Remove and lower heat to 350º. Baste again with buttery pan juices and return to hot oven. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer stuck into the leg/thigh joint and breast reads internal temp of 170º. Baste one last time with pan juices and serve with a nice guacamole or green salad and/or your favorite, low-carb vegetable(s).
NUTRITIONAL INFO: I will provide the nutritional info for 1/10th of the basting marinade as I get 10 pieces of chicken from a whole bird. Bear in mind the pan juices are not all consumed, but there is no other way to break this down as it is dependent upon how much of those you actually eat. You will need to add in the info for the specific piece(s) of chicken eaten.
Will coat 8-10 pieces of chicken (1 whole chicken); One serving of spice mix contains: (does not include the particular pieces of chicken, since I can’t know which you will eat, co add meat values to these spice baste numbers)
46.3 cals, 5.1g fat, 0.31g carbs, 0.08g fiber, 0.23g NET CARBS (seasoning only), 0.07g protein, trace sodium
Beef Bok Choy
Posted on: January 18, 2019
- In: Beef | MAIN DISHES | PRIMAL-PALEO
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The Bok Choy was particularly fresh and pretty in the grocery store yesterday so I bought the first bunch I have bought in a very long time. The day before we charcoal grilled a marinated piece of grass-fed beef brisket and there was a lot leftover. So I slivered some of the leftover meat just as thin as I could slice it to create this dish. Upon examining the refrigerator, I could see fresh mushrooms and a pretty red pepper were calling out to be added to this creation.. Mmmm. The final dish was delicious! This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Paleo-Primal as well.
I make my own Hoisin Sauce and the link is the recipe I’m currently using.
INGREDIENTS:
2 T. coconut oil
1 lb. thinly sliced beef
2 oz. onion, sliced
2 stalks bok choy, washed and sliced ½” thick
Bok Choy
2 oz. red bell pepper, sliced or ½” dice
6 medium mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp. chile sauce (I use Sambal Oelek)
3 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce
½ c. beef broth
1 T. low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos
a bit your favorite thickener (optional)
DIRECTIONS: Slice, dice and mince all the listed vegetables and set by the stove burner. Set the bok choy white part and leafy part in two separate stacks Gather all other ingredients and have them close at hand. Heat a wok or large skillet and add the oils. When the oil is hot, add the onion and saute 1 minute. Next add the beef and saute about 2-3 minutes or until no longer pink. Add all vegetables BUT the green leafy part of the bok choy. Also add garlic and ginger. Saute all until vegetables are tender crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Now add the leafy part of the bok choy to the pan. Add the hoisin sauce to the beef broth and stir well. Add this mixture and all other ingredients and allow flavors to blend a couple minutes, stirring several times. If you want a thicker sauce, sprinkle a dash of your favorite thickener and stir until slightly thickened. Serve at once either alone or atop steamed riced cauliflower.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:
281.3 cals, 15.5g fat, 7.73g carbs, 2.08g fiber, 5.65g NET CARBS, 27.7g protein, 512 mg sodium
