Aug 4 2017

Kale-Orange-Walnut Salad

I bought a lovely bunch of kale at the store today and decided rather than cook it all, I’d like to try a salad with part of it. Since kale is a bit strong to me, I thought a bit of fruit might round it out. And it did! The earthy taste of the walnuts and walnut oil playing off the citrus in the orange vinaigrette are what make this for me. This salad is delicious alone, but would be delightful with boiled or grilled shrimp added as well, or some cooked bits of white chicken meat, making it a complete meal.

This recipe is not suitable until you reach the the higher fruit level of the Atkins OWL carb ladder (Phase 3). It is perfectly OK for Ketogenic diets (although you may want to use lower-carb berries rather than oranges). It is also suitable for Primal and Paleo as well.

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BASE SALAD:

1½ oz. kale leaves, stems removed, sliced thinly (this was 2 large leaves for me)

2 oz. raw onion, sliced thinly (I only had white on hand, but red onion would be perhaps even better)

½ oz. walnuts, coarsely broken apart (about 7 halves)

2 ½”-slices of orange, cut into thirds

VARIATION: Add some peeled, sliced jicama to the salad. It is VERY good in this recipe!

ORANGE VINAIGRETTE:

1 medium orange (use leftover part for a nice Pimm’s Cup!) 🙂

2 T. walnut oil (important not to substitute other oils here)

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 T. orange juice (fresh squeezed)

Dash each salt and coarse black pepper

Dash garlic powder (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Cut the orange in half across the segments. Peal one half of the orange with your knife. Cut away 2 slices about the size of two large sections and cut the two into about 6 bite-sized pieces. Set aside. In a small bowl, squeeze out 2 tablespoons of orange juice from the uncut half. to the orange juice, add the walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and if using, the garlic powder. Stir and set aside.

Remove the tough stems from the kale. Wash and dry the leaves. Julienne slice the kale (thinly) and place into a medium salad serving bowl (unless you plan to plate the salads individually). In that case, you can use any old bowl large enough to toss this in. Add the thinly sliced onion, walnuts and pieces of orange. Place the bowl of greens and fruit in your refrigerator until ready to serve.

Right before serving, pour the orange vinaigrette over the greens and toss well to coat. If you wish to plate it, place half the salad onto each of two individual serving plates. Garnish with a slice of orange if desired. I didn’t have any tonight, but a sprinkle of pomegranate kernels would be delicious as well as pretty on this salad. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

206 calories, 18.4 g fat, 9.85 g carbs, 3.20 g fiber, 6.65 g NET CARBS, 2.3 g protein, 90 mg sodium

Jul 29 2017

Caribbean Shellfish on Zoodles

This delightful dish was a very pleasant surprise. DELICIOUS! And check out the amazing nutritional stats below! Extremely healthy food, this one is! It uses my Puerto Rican Sofrito Sauce in yet another wonderful combination of flavors and is served on a bed of zucchini noodles, known as “zoodles” in the low-carb world. It can be served on regular pasta for your non-low-carb guests. The dish can also be made with shrimp or lobster. If you are not still in the Atkins Induction Phase, the addition of 1/4 c. white wine to the seafood mixture would be divine, otherwise use the stock as noted below. As written, this recipe is suitable for Atkins Induction and most other Ketogenic diets. If the cheeses are omitted it would be suitable for Primal and Paleo as well.

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INGREDIENTS:

4 T. unsalted butter

1 oz. onion, sliced

2 oz. red bell pepper, sliced

½ c. parsley, chopped

¼ c. my Sofrito sauce: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/sofrito/

1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

12 oz. crawfish tails (or shrimp, or lobster chunks or any combination of seafood)

¼ c. homemade seafood stock, chicken stock or white wine (no wine if still in Atkins Induction)

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash each black pepper and cayenne pepper

1 4-oz. can of mushrooms (with their liquid)

4 T. heavy cream

Dash of your preferred thickener (if you feel it is needed, I did.)

¼ c. Monterrey Jack or other cheese (for garnish)

16 oz. zucchini, washed and julienned into long “noodle” threads

DIRECTIONS: Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onion and red bell pepper and saute over high heat until the vegetables are tender. Lower heat to medium, add the parsley, Sofrito, shellfish and stock or wine. Add mushrooms, salt and peppers to season. Turn heat to lowest setting, add the cream and Parmesan cheese. Let simmer about 5 minutes, stirring several times to uniformly mix the sauce with the shellfish. this will allow the cream to reduce and thicken the sauce just a bit. If you want it thicker, use your favorite thickener to reach the desired thickness. Lower heat to lowest setting while you prepare the zoodles.

Julienne the zucchini into noodle-like strips with either a hand-held julienne peeler (what I use) or if you own one, a spiral slicing machine like a Spirooli. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tsp. olive oil. Saute and stir the zucchini noodles continuously in the heated oil just until they are softened and translucent. Spoon 1/4 of the sauce over 1/4 of the zoodles for each serving and garnish each serving with 1 T. grated Jack cheese. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

317 calories, 24 g fat, 7.25 g carbs, 2.50 g fiber, 4.75 g NET CARBS, 20.7 g protein, 525 mg sodium

Jul 4 2017

Ribeye with Parsley-Bacon Butter

A quick and delicious 4th of July meal tonight that didn’t require getting out in the 97º sun this evening to fire up a hot grill. I hate to send the hubs outside in such heat, even if it is a holiday. This came out real tasty and we’ll definitely make this one again. I think I might prefer it without bacon, but he actually thought the bacon was real good on it. I haven’t had much appetite the past few weeks, so maybe it’s just me. 😉 You can lower calories and fat by using sirloin or good quality chuck instead of ribeye (or by eating less of it 🙂 ).

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets as well is Primal and Paleo if using clarified butter.

VARIATION: Omit the bacon for a simpler flavor melange.

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, sliced fine

2 8-9 oz. ribeye steaks

2 T. unsalted butter (to sear steaks)

2 T. more butter for sauce

½ c. chopped parsley

1 large clove garlic, minced

juice of ½ lemon (about 1-2 T.)

Dash each sea salt & coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Brown the chopped bacon, drain and set aside for now. In the same skillet, add 2 T. butter over high heat. Sear steaks on both sides until done to your preference. Set steaks off on a platter for a few minutes while you make the quick sauce. Lower heat to medium low. Add remaining 2 T. butter to skillet and stir into remaining steak juices. Add garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper. Simmer just until garlic is slightly cooked. Add parsley and simmer just until parsley is barely wilting. Add cooked bacon and serve equally over the two steaks at table.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 adult servings, each contains:

758 calories, 47 g fat, 3.25 g carbs, 0.65 g fiber, 2.6 g NET CARBS, 77 g protein, 864 mg sodium

May 8 2017

Spinach Mayonado (with optional Sausage Meatballs)

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.

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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 calories, 48 g fat, 12.03 g carbs, 8.66 g fiber, 3.37 g NET CARBS, 15.2 g protein, 453 mg sodium

Apr 14 2017

Mexican Squash and Tomatoes

This makes a quick and delicious side dish for any roasted, grilled or fried meat entree you like: beef, pork, chicken, even fish. It is ready in under 10 minutes and will be a hit with your family, I’m certain. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets Primal and Paleo as well. Calaba or Mexican Squash tastes just like zucchini, but the flesh is slightly yellower and it has less water in it. I actually prefer it to traditional zuccini for the latter reason, as well as the fact it is consistently cheaper than its darker green cousin.

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz. Mexican Calaba squash, ¼” slice. (two medium 5-6-oz squash)

2 oz. onion, sliced thinly

3 T. olive oil (or your preferred oil)

2 Roma or 3 Campari tomatoes, coarsely chopped or sliced

1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves (or 1 tsp. fresh)

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash pepper and salt to taste

VARIATION: Sprinkle on a little fresh grated Parmesan when served.

DIRECTIONS: Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet or deep wok. Add the onion and saute until it begins to go limp. While it sautes, stem and cut the squash lengthwise in half and cut those halves lengthwise again. Slice the quarters into ¼” slice (click photo to enlarge). When the onion is softened, add the squash to the skillet. Saute, stirring constantly until squash is tender but not too soft yet. Add the tomato slices, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper and saute just until tomato softens. Squash will likely be plenty tender and done by then. Serve with your favorite entree.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

114 calories, 10.3 g fat, 5.22 g carbs, 1.52 g fiber, 3.7 g NET CARBS, 1.27 g protein, 92 mg sodium

Apr 2 2017

Tandoori Cornish Hens

I love tandoori chicken so much and there are so many recipes out there for the spice blends for it, I never tire of trying new ones! This one is my latest experiment. It was a recipe I found in a magazine a long time ago and finally got around to making it, with a couple of modifications. If you bake this recipe in your oven, rather than grilling over charcoal, I like to put some sliced onions in the bottom of the pan with some olive oil the last half hour of baking and de-glazed the pan brown bits with some water over stove-top burner on low for a nice sauce. This can also be done with regular cut-up chicken pieces or just wings (which will cook much faster!). To be more traditional, if your way of eating allows it, add 2-3 drops of food coloring to the marinate, for the traditional red hue in the picture, but this step is optional. This is not necessary for the flavor to be spot on, however.

This chicken pairs nicely with Indian Creamed Spinach (Saag Paneer) and my Indian Cauliflower.

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INGREDIENTS:

2 Cornish hens (about 1¼ lb. each) or 8 cut pieces of chicken

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp. salt (optional but included in stats below)

Pinch black pepper

1 T. fresh lime juice

½ c. sour cream or plain yogurt

1 large clove minced garlic

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

¼ medium onion, chopped

½ tsp. cumin seed (or ¼ tsp. ground)

½ tsp. ground turmeric

DIRECTIONS: Split the Cornish hens into halves or cut up 4 of your desired whole chicken pieces. You can skin the chicken if you like, but I never do. I LIKE the skin! Poke holes randomly in the skin, piercing through into the flesh as well. Mix salt, pepper and cayenne with lime juice and rub onto the pieces of meat. Set aside while you do the next step.

In a blender or food processor, puree the yogurt, garlic, ginger, onion, and remaining spices. Add optional 2-3 drops red food coloring (if using). Spoon into gallon plastic zip bag and add chicken to the bag. Zip bag and mix to coat meat pieces by manipulating with your hands. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours, manipulating occasionally during this period.

Tandoori Chicken, in India, is cooked in a Tandoori clay oven, which I certainly do not have. However a medium-hot charcoal fire will do nicely. But if neither is available, preheat your indoor oven to 400º. Place hen quarters skin up onto grill surface or on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush or spoon the yogurt marinate evenly over the pieces of meat. Depending on your charcoal fire, distance from coals to meat, or your oven accuracy, size of birds…….these hens will take about 45 minutes to an hour to get done. Test the thigh joints for internal temp of 180º on a meat thermometer or until juices are clear and not pink.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains:

381 calories, 23.4 g fat, 9.2 g carbs, 0.4 g fiber, 8.8 g NET CARBS, 31.83 g protein, 377 mg sodium

Mar 14 2017

Steak Diane with a Twist

I had two New York Strip steaks I thawed tonight and decided to make my Steak Diane recipe, but decided a bit of creamy cheese on top might be nice. GOOD decision, as it was indeed a delicious addition to the wonderful flavor of parsley and mushrooms. I served roasted asparagus on the side. A meal fit for a king, it was. This entree goes together so fast (a wonderful week-night dinner!), I actually had to wait a few minutes on my asparagus to get tender which caused some of my liquid in the griddle to evaporate. Could have added a little water of bouillon, but instead melted a wee bit more butter, which did the trick. If the calories and fat numbers below are too high for your diet, use smaller portions of meat and less butter when preparing this tasty dish. This is suitable for all phases of Atkins provided you omit the wine for Induction Phase. It is suitable for Keto diets and Primal as well. Omit cheese for Paleo.

INGREDIENTS:

20 oz. lean, trimmed steak (I used NY Strip Steaks)

2 T. unsalted butter

1 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, undrained

¼ c. white wine (omit if still on Induction)

2-3 shakes each sea salt and coarse black pepper

3/4 c. parsley, chopped

Sprinkle fresh lemon juice (maybe 1 tsp.)

6 T. shredded white cheese (I used Monterrey Jack)

VARIATION: Make classic Steak Diane by omitting cheese. For a totally different dish, make Chicken Diane using seared, skinless/boneless chicken breasts instead of beef.

DIRECTIONS: Trim outer fat off the steaks. Laterally slice them into 4 thinner pieces. Pound on both sides to tenderize a bit. In a griddle or skillet, melt 2 T. of the butter over high heat. Sear the meat on both sides until done and browned to your liking. Remove meat to a waiting platter. In the hot griddle, add the rest of the butter to melt, the mushrooms with their liquid, parsley, lemon juice, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer just until parsley goes limp. Place steak strips back in the pan a couple minutes and sprinkle about 1½ T. cheese over each. The heat of the meat will melt by the time it is at table. When serving, dip 1/4 of the parsley-mushroom mixture/sauce over each portion. Serve with your favorite green side dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

569 calories, 47 g fat, 2.72 g carbs, 1.10 g fiber, 1.62 g NET CARBS, 30.4 g protein, 417 mg sodium

Mar 1 2017

Jicama Cajun “Fries”

Man, I tried these on a whim and they were FANTASTIC! And best of all, you don’t have to stand over a skillet of hot grease! 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. The Seafood Spice blend in the coating takes away the inherent sweet edge jicama has, without dominating the final fries. So don’t side-step this part of the recipe. It’s essential for best results. Other spices and blends could be substituted in if you prefer. The coating really browned nicely and stayed crispy even as the fries cooled off! 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 just use spicy/BBQ pork rinds and omitting the seasoning blend in the recipe. Please bear in mind the flavored pork rinds are laden with sugar and sometimes modified food starch as well……not acceptable ingredients for us low-carbers. Be sure you read the ingredients listed if you don’t believe me. In fact, you should ALWAYS read ingredients listings, for ALL processed foods. The net carb count just isn’t the whole picture!

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For those unfamiliar with what jicama is.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. jicama, peeled and cut into fries

2 T. homemade mayo

2 oz. plain pork rinds, crushed

1/2 tsp. my Seafood Cajun 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. They brown best where they actually touch the metal pan.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings each contains:

165 Calories, 11.4 g fat, 5.50 g carbs, 2.78 g fiber, 2.22 NET CARBS, 11.2 g protein, 276 g sodium

Feb 28 2017

“Ravioli” Bites

Here is an exciting and delicious way to use my incredible glucomannan dumpling dough! Man, are these ever good, and for only 1.28 net carbs per bite! Can’t beat that. Picture a platter full of these for Super Bowl next year! And guilt free! Very similar to Totino’s Pizza Rolls in taste but even better! The cooking is a two-step process, but necessary for the dough to fully cook all the way through. These are suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets. Omit the bit of flour, subbing in oat flour (slightly higher carbs), and these are suitable for Primal-Paleo as well! An added note, I reheated the leftovers in the oven for lunch today (350º for 15 minutes) and they were GREAT! I suspect these would freeze nicely, too, as the dumpling dough has proven, after simmering in sauces, to freeze well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 recipes my Peggy’s Original Dumplings dough

2 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. total Einkorn flour or oat flour (from certified gluten-free oats if required)

1 tsp. olive oil

6 oz. Italian sausage, cut into 3/8″ slices

½ c. low-carb spaghetti sauce (I use Lucini or Classico Italian)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Make the double batch of dumpling dough (adding the Parmesan and 1 T. of the flour to the dry ingredients) per that recipe’s instructions. When the dough has firmed up nicely, divide into eighteen equal balls around 1½” round. Dust the counter with the remaining flour and pat your fingers in it frequently to keep them from getting sticky as you pat/work each ball of dough into a small 2″ round on your fingers. You’re not looking for perfection here. This soft dough is very difficult to roll, so I just do this in my hands. Again, keep touching the flour with your fingers and patting onto the dough surface as you work so your fingers don’t get sticky as you work. Place a slice of sausage on one side of each circle of dough, fold the other side on top and very gently press the edges together to close it up. Repeat for all 18 ravioli. Set on counter or paper towel. When all 18 are made, heat oil on griddle and brown each side lightly. With tongs, gently lift them onto a parchment lined pan and pop into 350º oven for about 5-10 minutes to finish baking and browning. Remove and serve with a cup of your favorite low-carb spaghetti sauce for a light dip. ENJOY!

VARIATION: Use pepperoni slices instead of the sausage. Alternately, you can take the finished raviolis after griddle searing and just pop them into a huge pot of your favorite marinara sauce and eat them more like traditional ravioli is served. You could also, after baking, pour some of my Pink Cream Sauce over them and garnish with parsley. BE CREATIVE with sauces!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 “ravioli”, each contains:

43 calories, 3.06 g fat, 3.15 g carbs, 1.87 g fiber, 1.28 g NET CARBS, 2.57 g protein, 188 mg sodium

Feb 15 2017

Shrimp Putanesca on Zoodles

If you want a QUICK and tasty dinner, try my Shrimp Putanesca! It’s a low-carb version of a classic Italian dish. It is simply delicious and ready in about 20 minutes total! If you are still on Atkins Induction Phase, omit the white wine to be safe. This recipe (with that modification) is acceptable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well. I have owned/used several different noodling tools, but most recently I invested in a Vegetti and find it the easiest to use as well as being the most compact for storage.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. zucchini, cut into noodles

3 T. olive oil total

20 large shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

3/4 c. parsley, chopped

1 large clove garlic, minced

Dash black pepper

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

¼ tsp. sea salt

15 pitted black olives, cut into halves

¼ tsp. anchovy paste or 1 anchovy, mashed (optional but very good in this dish)

¼ c. white wine (I used Chardonnay), omit if still on Induction

DIRECTIONS: Coarsely chop the tomatoes and set aside. Halve the olives and set aside.

Cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-type noodles. Heat 1 T. olive oil in a non-stick skillet and saute zoodles on low heat for a few minutes, stirring and tossing them just until they “green up” and are no longer opaque. Turn off heat so they will not cook further. In another non-stick skillet on high heat the remaining olive oil. Saute the shrimp until opaque. Add the tomato and stir/saute just until it begins to soften. Add parsley, red and black pepper, salt and olives, anchovy paste (if using) and stir. Add white wine and lower heat to medium. Simmer just 3 minutes tops. If you prefer your tomato to be less cooked in such dishes, add them last. Dip mixture over the cooked zoodles or stir it together. Either presentation will look nice. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

160.8 calories, 10.9 g fat, 5.52 g carbs, 1.6 g fiber, 3.92 g NET CARBS, 8.25 g protein, 208 mg sodium

Feb 14 2017

Bacon-Onion Heart Quiche

These are phase 1 of our Valentine’s Day celebration today……..Bacon-Onion Heart Quiches. They were very tasty and the hubs was quite pleased. 🙂 I’m making him Strawberry Heart Mini Cakes for his dessert tonight (we’re eating Indian food out for dinner). These were made in a fun little pan I found somewhere years ago I just had to have. The slots are only 3/4″ tall, so it makes individual portion cakes (or whatever). These tasty breakfast “hearts” are as easy as pie to make. You can use any shaped pan molds, silicone molds or regular cupcake pans (or whatever you have available). There is nothing sacrosanct about the shape here. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets. Primal-Paleo will need to use a plan-suitable bread at the bottom.

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, chopped fine

2 oz. onion, chopped fine

1 slice low-carb bread (I had this on-hand focaccia bread)

3 extra-large eggs (or 4 large), beaten

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Using a brush, oil your baking pan slots with a dab of olive oil. Crumbled the bread evenly into the bottoms of the slots. Pour the beaten egg mixture into the slots.

In a non-stick skillet, brown the bacon. When it is done but not quite crisp, add the onion and saute until the bacon is browned and onion is beginning to brown as well. Sprinkle about 1 T. of the bacon-onion mixture over the tops of each portion. Pop pan into 350º oven for about 13-15 minutes or until egg is set up in the center when touched with your finger. Do not over cook lest they dry out. Lift them out gently with the tip of a knife and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 Heart Quiches, each contains:

146.4 calories, 11.8 g fat, 1.74 g carbs, 0.40 g fiber, 1.34 g NET CARBS, 9.14 g protein, 225 mg sodium

Feb 8 2017

Curried Meatballs and Cauliflower

My husband wanted something “Indian” for dinner tonight. I had thawed a pound of ground pork and also had half a pound of lean ground beef in the fridge. We both love those tiny meatballs that appear on Indian restaurant buffet tables, so I decided to give them a stab and see what I ended up with. Using what veggies I had on hand, this was the final dish and brother was it ever good! Not at all spicy, so double the jalapeno if you’re into spicy, or add a dash of cayenne pepper. For the non-low-carbers at the table, this would be delicious served with basmati rice, but it was pretty darn good just as is, quite honestly. This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, and would be OK for Primal-Paleo using coconut milk for the cream.

INGREDIENTS:

½ medium head cauliflower, cut into flowerettes

1 lb. lean ground pork

½ lb. lean ground beef

1 egg, beaten

2 oz. raw onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp. ground ginger root

1 tsp,. total Garam Masala

1 jalapeno, seeded and coarsely chopped (use 2 for spicier dish)

¼ c. cilantro for meat

¼ tsp. ground turmeric

¼ tsp. salt

2 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped

½ c. cream + ½ c. water

1-2 T. more chopped cilantro for sauce

Dash curry powder

2 T. coconut or olive oil for browning meatballs stove-top (or bake them on non-stick pan)

VARIATION: Add ¼-½ tsp. crushed dried mint to meat mixture (or 6 fresh leaves chopped). you can also use ground lamb in this recipe for a more intense meat flavor.

DIRECTIONS: Cut up cauliflower and partially cook in boiling water until just half tender. You want it under-cooked as it will cook more once in your skillet sauce. Drain and set aside for now.

In a food processor, pulse to a smooth mixture both meats, the egg, onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, ¼ c. cilantro, turmeric, salt and ½ tsp. of the Garam Masala spice blend. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (medium if not using a non-stick pan). You can also bake the meatballs if you prefer to eliminate the need for any coconut oil (for about 20 minutes at 350º). Form into twenty 1½” meatballs. Brown them rotating gently as they brown. Spoon/drain off excess grease, if any.

When meatballs are nice an golden and almost done through, add the cream and water to the pan. Using a silicone spatula, scrape up any brown bits off the pan so it will make the sauce richer. Add chopped tomato, the final bit of the cilantro (and dried mint if using), dash curry powder and the rest of the Garam Masala spice. Gently stir in the cauliflower chunks, coating each with sauce. Simmer on low heat until thick to allow flavors to meld together nicely. If the sauce is not thick enough for your taste, dust with the tiniest dusting of xanthan gum or your preferred thickener. Work it into the sauce with your spatula until it has done a proper thickening job. It will not take much at all.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings (4 meatballs each with 1/4 cauli/sauce mixture). Each serving contains:

428 calories, 33 g fat, 9.36 g carbs, 3.64 g fiber, 5.72 g NET CARBS, 25.5 g protein, 258 mg sodium

Feb 8 2017

Broccoli with Creamed Onion Sauce

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 sauce really smooths out the broccoli flavor. This is Atkins Induction friendly and suitable for other Keto diets. Primal-Paleo followers will want to sub in coconut milk for the cream.

INGREDIENTS:

9 oz. broccoli, cut up into large pieces or small spears

2 T. butter or ghee, 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

Feb 4 2017

Greek Stuffed Peppers

When I can find them, I buy the really big bell peppers for stuffing. Usually a recipe of my filling using 1 lb. of ground beef will make four stuffed peppers for me. The two colossal specimens shown in the photo above were SO ginormous, the two of them ALONE used up ALL the filling!! Now that RARELY happens, but on this occasion, this was the honest truth!

I didn’t have any kind of recipe when I created these. I just decided to take some ground meat, cheese it up with several cheeses (including feta of course), add some typical Greek seasonings and see what resulted. Glad I did, as these came out GREAT!! Then, after dinner, I Googled “Greek Stuffed Peppers” and indeed, they do make something similar in Greece, but with rice added to the filling, which I can’t eat on a low-carb diet. These are only Induction friendly if you omit the red wine.

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INGREDIENTS:

4 3-oz. bell peppers, any color (try to select peppers with fairly flat bottoms)

16 oz. ground beef (or ground lamb)

2 oz. onion, chopped fine

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1 T. tomato paste

1/3 c. water

¼ c. red wine (omit if on Induction)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. crushed dried oregano

¼ c. parsley, chopped

½ c. feta, rinsed in strainer under cold water

½ c. Monterrey Jack cheese

2 tsp. Parmesan

VARIATION: Use some dill weed in place of the cinnamon

DIRECTIONS: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the tops off peppers and save for some other use. Remove seed core. Boil the main pepper bottoms 3-4 minutes to begin to tenderize them a bit, which will greatly shorten overall baking time on this dish. Remove and drain and place in baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350º at this point. Next brown the ground meat in a non-stick skillet. Add onion, garlic, tomato, tomato paste, wine and water. Next add the parsley and spices. Simmer about 10 minutes, stirring, until tomato and onion are fully tender and the liquid is evaporating nicely. Add feta and Jack cheese. Stir to blend and melt. Remove from heat. Stuff the peppers and sprinkle the tops with the Parmesan cheese. Pop in preheated 350º oven for 30-35 minutes or until pepper shells are tender, but not overcooked and falling apart. Serve with a nice Greek salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 stuffed peppers, each contains:

370 calories, 23.18 g fat, 8.15 g carbs, 2.1 g fiber, 6.05 g NET CARBS, 29 g protein, 720 mg sodium

Feb 3 2017

Kale and Cabbage Medley

I love braised kale and braised cabbage, but tonight’s creation with the two together was just amazing! Combining with my ingredient lineup totally changed the flavor profile of BOTH vegetables. Therefore this might be a good dish to try on those kale and cabbage haters among you, as neither tasted like themselves. This vegetable side is a little carb-y, but all those carbs are in the incredibly nutritious kale and cabbage, so they’re all GOOD carbs! This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets if you can fit the carbs into your daily allowance. This recipe is also OK for Primal-Paleo diners.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch of kale (about 4 cups stemmed and coarsely cut up)

2 c. cabbage, coarsely cut up

2 oz. yellow onion, sliced

3 oz. bell pepper, cut into medium-sized pieces (your color choice)

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Dash black pepper

1 T. Sriracha chili sauce

Water to cover all (I also added 3/4 c. baked ham broth/drippings)

1 T. bacon grease

DIRECTIONS: Melt the bacon grease over high heat in a large stew pot and saute the onion until caramelized. Add the stemmed, cut up kale, cabbage and water to cover. Add bell pepper, salt, pepper and Sriracha sauce. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve at once. This broth makes a tasty and nutritious base for soups, so I store mine in containers in my freezer. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 5 servings, each contains:

70 calories, 3.04 g fat, 9.92 g carbs, 2.42 g fiber, 7.5 g NET CARBS, 2.48 g protein, 60 mg sodium

Jan 31 2017

Middle Eastern Stuffed Eggplant

Shown with Iranian Mint Cucumber Salad

This tasty stuffed eggplant will fill you right up! It has a lot of flavor layers going on and will excite your palate. It’s actually quite easy to make, too. It’s a little carb-y, but that’s because of the eggplant itself. No empty fillers in this recipe. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets if you can fit the carbs into your daily limits. It is also suitable for Primal and will even work for Paleo if you sub in chia gel or an extra egg for the ricotta cheese.

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INGREDIENTS:

2 T. coconut oil

1 16-oz. whole eggplant, stemmed and cut in half lenghtwise

10 oz. ground beef (or lamb)

2 oz. onion, chopped

¼ tsp. sea salt

Dash black pepper

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cumin

1 Roma tomato, chopped coarsely

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. fresh spearmint, chopped (or 1 tsp. dried mint)

2 beaten eggs

1/4 c. ricotta cheese (use chia gel or an extra egg for a Paleo version)

DIRECTIONS: Melt the oil in a very large skillet over high heat. Place eggplant in the pan cut-side down. Brown the cut surface, pressing the eggplant halves down with your hand as they cook. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes. Remove them to a cutting board to cool a bit.

Add the meat to the skillet and brown over medium-high heat. Add the onion toward the end of the browning process and cook until pretty tender. Add the seasonings next. Lower heat and simmer 5 minutes or so to let the spices mingle in the meat nicely. Turn off heat.

Preheat oven to 350º. Using a knife slice or scoop out most of the eggplant flesh from the halves, leaving about 1/2″ of the flesh intact on the skin for support during baking. Place the two hollowed out shells in a baking pan.

Next, chop the scooped out eggplant flesh into ½” dice and add back into the meat mixture in the skillet. If the eggplant is still opaque in places (likely it is not fully done), turn the fire on to medium and stir/simmer the meat-eggplant mixture until the eggplant is pretty tender. Turn off heat.

Stir the beaten eggs into the ricotta and add to the meat mixture and mix well to bind and moisten the filling. Spoon half the mixture into each eggplant shell. Pop the pan into your preheated oven and bake for about 35-40 minutes or until the shells appear to be fully cooked. Pairs nicely with a sour cream/mint cucumber salad as shown.

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

467 calories, 42 g fat, 19.85 g carbs, 9.25 g fiber, 10 g NET CARBS, 38.4 g protein, 499 mg sodium

Jan 29 2017

Beef in Mushroom Wine Sauce

I love to make this recipe whenever I have a sizeable portion of a very large chuck or sirloin roast leftover. It’s very tasty, rich and a great way to tenderize that meat even further. Whenever I make a beef roast, I always save any leftover gravy or roast meat broth/drippings, no matter how little that may be. I invariably find many uses like this recipe for using it up. I freeze it in ½-cup and 1-cup blocks and once frozen, pop them into a gallon zip-loc bags for soups, casseroles and recipes like this one that just needs a little bit broth or gravy. I can then thin the gravy to use as beef broth. 🙂

This delicious dish can be enjoyed by all phases of Atkins provided those still on Induction omit the red wine. This is suitable for Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. rich beef gravy or roast drippings (or beef broth + ¼ tsp. xanthan gum (to thicken)

2 4-oz cans mushrooms, drained (liquid reserved)

2 T. tomato paste

¼ tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1½ lb. leftover cooked beef roast, sliced

¼ c. dry red wine (I used zinfandel, but any dry red will work) [omit for Induction]

VARIATION: Add 1/2 c. chopped parsley (I was out, or I would have used it here)

DIRECTIONS: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the beef gravy or beef stock. If using beef broth instead of gravy, whisk in xanthan gum to blend. Add the tomato paste and whisk again to blend well. Add salt and pepper and stir. If using, add parsley and red wine. Add beef next. Bring to a simmer and simmer covered on LOW heat for 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer 5 minutes longer. If gravy is too thick, add a bit of the mushroom liquid back to the pan; if too thin, add more xanthan gum (or your preferred thickener) in very light dustings on the surface, stirring in and allowing each addition to develop and thicken before adding more. You do NOT want to overdo xanthan gum lest the sauce get slippery in texture. Serve at once with you favorite green vegetable or side dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

255 calories, 6.9 g fat, 387 g carbs, 1.40 g fiber, 2.47 g NET CARBS, 40.3 g protein, 417 mg sodium

Jan 17 2017

Kale-Orange-Walnut Salad

not on Click to enlarge

BASE SALAD:

1½ oz. kale leaves, stems removed, sliced thinly (this was 2 large leaves for me)

2 oz. raw onion, sliced thinly (I only had white on hand, but red onion would be perhaps even better)

½ oz. walnuts, coarsely broken apart (about 7 halves)

2 ½”-slices of orange, cut into thirds

VARIATION: Add some small pieces of sliced, peeled jicama. It is VERY good in this salad!

ORANGE VINAIGRETTE:

1 medium orange (If not on Induction, use leftover orange for a nice Pimm’s Cup! 🙂

2 T. walnut oil (important not to substitute other oils here)

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 T. orange juice (fresh squeezed)

Dash each salt and coarse black pepper

Dash garlic powder (optional)

Remove the tough stems from the kale. Wash and dry the leaves. Julienne slice the kale (thinly) and place into a medium salad serving bowl (unless you plan to plate the salads individually). In that case, you can use any old bowl large enough to toss this in. Add the thinly sliced onion, walnuts and pieces of orange. place the bowl of greens and fruit in your refrigerator until ready to serve.

The final step right before serving is to pour the orange vinaigrette over the greens and toss well to coat. If you wish to plate it, place half the salad onto each of two individual serving plates. Garnish with a slice of orange if desired. I didn’t have any tonight, but a sprinkle of pomegranate kernels would be delicious as well as pretty on this salad. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

206 calories, 18.4 g fat, 9.85 g carbs, 3.20 g fiber, 6.65 g NET CARBS, 2.3 g protein, 90 mg sodium

Jan 8 2017

Kashmiri Mushrooms (Hedar)

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. In its original form, it appears in Neerja Matoo’s cookbook Kashmiri Cooking. I’ve made quite a few changes and this 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 halved (leave whole if small ones)

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

Jan 7 2017

Pork in Queso Flameado Sauce

If you’ve ever ordered Queso Flameado in a Mexican restaurant, it’s a flavor you don’t soon forget. It’s a thick melted cheese fondu with chorizo crumbled in it served with flour tortillas to roll it up in. It is considered an appetizer. It is sooo good! Traditionally, a bit of warmed brandy is poured over the fondu and the dish is lit when served (where the name “flameado” comes from), but I dispense with that step.

Well, this new dish I created a few years back, I made again last night for dinner. I used this tasty sauce over seared pork and it was simply outstanding! If you love Mexican food, you’ve GOT to try this dish! My husband just love this, as do I! This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Ketogenic diets. It is not, however, suitable for Primal/Paleo without revisions.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. pork loin, cut into 4 portions

1 link chorizo, removed from the skin and crumbled

2 T. unsalted butter

4 large green onions, chopped

1/2 c. red bell pepper, chopped

1 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/2 c. water

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

VARIATION: Use boneless chicken breast in lieu of the pork

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

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

Dec 24 2016

Steamed Lobster Tails

One of life’s culinary pleasures is lobster, in my opinion. Only thing that comes close is a cooked-to-perfection char-broiled ribeye steak. We love to prepare lobster at Christmas or New Years, as by then, we’re usually pretty “turkey’ed out”. My parsley-cilantro salad dressing https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/parsley-cilantro-salad-dressing/ really compliments lobster nicely. The lobster I can get locally is usually brought in from the Bahamas. Tastes a little sweeter than cold water lobster from New England, in my opinion. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Paleo-Primal as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1.25 lb. lobster tails (yields about 12 oz. tail meat after removing shell)

Water to boil

½ stick salted butter, melted and clarified (butter fat solids scooped off the top)

DIRECTIONS: Put about 1½ cups water in a deep boiling pot and bring to a boil. Run two skewers from the base of the tail up the center of the belly, all the way up to the center of the thickest part. This will keep the tail from curling so tight while cooking. When the water comes to a rolling boil, insert skewered lobster tail up in the pot. I usually lean the skewers out the top. Set a lid on the pot slightly offset to reduce water evaporation, but it really doesn’t have to be 100% closed. Lower to medium heat and let steam for 7-10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove skewers and holding shell with one hand, with the help of a kitchen towel or mitt, cut with kitchen shears straight up the belly shell from top to base of tail. Pull sides of tail shell apart and fork out the tail meat (I like to leave the tail fins attached and in tact) right out of the shell. Splay the tail fins out when serving lobster meat on plates or platter. Makes for a pretty presentation with the tail fins attached! Serve along a nice green salad and perhaps my Rosemary Onion Dinner Rolls: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/rosemary-onion-dinner-rolls/

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings and each contains (including ¼c. of the butter):

367 calories, 23.9 g fat, 2.2 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 2.2 g NET CARBS, 34.8 g protein, 1350 mg sodium

Dec 22 2016

Gingerbread “Bigfoot”

Click to enlarge

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 is for improving rise, but this stiff dough did not rise much during baking, so I may need a little more. I’ll try 2 T. next time. The resulting gingerbread cookie was sort of cake-like and sort-of chewy on the edges, and most DEFINITELY tasty!! I’ll be trying this 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 decoration and also decrease the molasses and increase the sugar-free maple syrup by that amount to reduce carbs. 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. backstrap 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 1½-2″ round cookies, each round cookie or approximately 1/24 of the giant cookie has: (calculated using sugar-free maple syrup). If making smaller gingerbread men, this recipe (I’m guessing) would probably make 12 of them.

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

Dec 18 2016

Dad’s Peppered Rib Roast

This recipe was my Dad’s pride and joy. In 80 years of cooking he never found a marinade he liked better. I often make this truly out-of-the-ordinary roast for company and holidays, but we do it on smaller cuts of beef year-round! It’s DELICIOUS! You grilling fanatics MUST try this recipe sometime! This is truly my all-time favorite beef marinade as well and has been since I was in high school over 40 years ago. I will be making it again for Christmas. We are usually turkey’ed out by Christmas and enjoy this change of pace. This recipe makes enough marinade for an 8 lb. boneless rib roast, which will (after shrinkage) serve 10 nice servings, with some leftover for the most delicious cold roast beef sandwiches you ever had. I do not recommend reheating this meat, as the meat and marinade loose some of their impact on reheating. But it makes the best cold roast beef sandwiches you ever ate! 🙂

In the beginning, I only made this roast for large dinner parties and holidays, not because it was hard to make, but because that’s when I tend to purchase, cook and serve rib roasts. But once I realized this marinade could just as easily be used on smaller cuts of beef, we enjoy it much more often now. I have done it for a 3-4 lb. rib roast, lean piece of boneless chuck, sirloin roasts and individual steaks. It’s also good on wild game you plan to do on the grill. It’s a truly unique flavor when cooked over charcoal (not so good oven-cooked though). It is Atkins friendly (just not Induction friendly, because of the wine). Leaving out the wine just isn’t an option for this recipe, so wait until the Atkins OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) phase to enjoy this wonderful dish. I guarantee, this is so good you’ll be fighting over who gets the two end slices, just like at my house. 🙂

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MARINADE INGREDIENTS: (remember, it is not all consumed)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. paprika

1/8 c. low-sodium soy sauce (1/4 c. if you can tolerate the sodium, I don’t though)

1/2 c. dry red wine (burgundy or claret work nicely but any dry red will do)

1 T. tomato paste

1½ T. coarse ground black pepper (or enough to entirely coat your meat thickly)

DIRECTIONS: Pound the coarse ground black pepper over all surfaces of an 8 rib roast using the butt of your palm or the smooth side of a meat cleaver. Use less pepper if doing a smaller piece of meat. Place meat in glass dish. I drizzle marinate every half hour (as often as you can remember to stop and do it) most of a day (minimum 6 hours). Most efficient way to marinate without disturbing pepper coating is to use a basting brush. Do not touch the meat with your brush, or you’ll wipe all the pepper off! Hold it over the meat and let it drip off the brush. When surface is soaked, put in refrigerator to marinate between “bastings”. I baste hourly until cooking time.

COOKING:

This recipe really is not good cooked inside in your oven. Not sure why, but it just isn’t. It seems it is the marriage of the marinade with smoke that makes this taste indescribable. You need to grill the 8 lb. rib roast for about 2 hours over medium coals (using a rotary spit if you own one). If you don’t have one, like me, just turn the meat every half hour to sear all surfaces nicely. Best if not cooked past medium to medium rare stage. I take mine off when my meat thermometer reads 120º degrees and set it on my cutting board for another 10 minutes to “rest”. A piece of meat this large will continue to climb to around 130º while resting. That’s usually a nice pink medium-rare inside.

If doing sirloin or chuck roast or individual rib steaks with this recipe, cook a 3-4 lb. chuck about 20 minutes on a side for medium-rare. This marinade really does a nice job of tenderizing a chuck or sirloin roast. Cook steaks as you usually would to your desired doneness.

This recipe always gets the WOWS when I serve it. Hope you folks will try it! I think you’ll find you won’t be sorry you did! The outside slices are so good we always fight over them at home. 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:

The marinade is discarded when you cook the meat. No further basting should be done while cooking as there is no raw meat juice co-mingling in the marinade. Calculating how much marinade is consumed is difficult. It would also be impossible for me to know how many servings you are able to get out of your roast. So I’m providing the totals for the entire batch of marinade and you will have to see how much it makes and how much is left in the pan before discarding to determine roughly how much is staying on the meat and thus consumed by how many people you are serving. Most of the sauce goes down the drain, to be perfectly honest, so you’re getting mostly sodium from the soy sauce and a few carbs from the wine and tomato paste that cling to the surface of the meat (a little more if you get the end slices). The figures below DO NOT INCLUDE THE MEAT.

The entire batch of marinade has:

131 calories, 0.7 g. fat, 18 g. carbs, 4.6 g. fiber, 15.4 NET CARBS (entire batch), 5.5 g. protein,

1070 mg. sodium

Dec 17 2016

Roasted Shawarma Vegetables

If you’re a Middle Eastern food fan, this is a must try! This dish is incredibly easy to make and is exceptionally good with charcoal-grilled meats. Shown above with a rib-eye steak. This flavor reminds me so much of the vegetable stew I ate when we lived in Teheran, Iran when I was a small child. I have even been known to cook the veggies in a grilling basket right on the grill with the meat! It’s even BETTER that way! This dish always elicits a thumbs up from diners and definitely sits proudly amongst my very best-tasting veggie recipes. You can certainly use other spice blends here, but the Shawarma blend is what makes this recipe truly unique! This is an Atkins Induction friendly recipe. If you have leftovers, I often cut up any leftover grilled meats and toss it right in the vegetables for lunch the next day. You will find that this is one of those dishes that just tastes better every time you reheat it, assuming there ARE any leftovers! 😉

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INGREDIENTS:

1 medium yellow squash cut in 1″ chunks (or zucchini is OK)
1 small eggplant (about 10-12 oz) cut in ½” slices, then cut those in quarters
4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters
1 green, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1″ chunks
1 red bell pepper seeded and cut in 1″ chunks
1 purple onion cut into ½” wedges, layers separated
12 cloves garlic (entire bulb, cloves peeled but left whole)
2 T. my Shawarma Spice Blend
¼ tsp. each salt & black pepper (opt.)

Splash of olive oil (about 2 T., or more if you can afford the calories)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425º. Cut up all veggies and place in large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over all and stir well to coat all veggies with oil and seasonings. Toss to try and coat all veggies with oil. Splash on the extra olive oil if using. Pour all into glass casserole dish and bake at 425º for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 6, each serving contains:

91 calories, 5.0 g fat, 11.45 g carbs, 3.48 g fiber, 7.97 NET CARBS, 2.22 g protein, 105 mg. sodium

Dec 16 2016

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Duck

I just love duck! I often cook it during the holidays. Here’s my newest recipe for preparing it that is delicious! Although duck is very nice cooked on the grill outside, it is also good just roasted in the oven. But no matter which way you choose to cook it, it will likely be very tasty. Duck is traditionally eaten slightly pink, but you can cook it longer if you prefer. This VERY nutritious recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins (use broth if still on Atkins Induction) and is suitable for Paleo-Primal followers if broth is used rather than wine.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. white wine (use chicken broth if still on Induction)

4 T. my Lemon-Parsley-Garlic Butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

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

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

DIRECTIONS: Remove neck and giblets from duck and save for other uses. My dog usually gets the giblets and neck meat I simmer until tender, but the neck will make great stock for soup if you want to add it to the carcass bones after dinner in a pot of water with chopped onion and carrot. Duck stock makes delicious soup!

Butterfly (spatchcock) the duck by cutting up the backbone and spreading it out in a marinating dish. Add wine (or broth), minced garlic and other spices. Marinate covered in plastic on your refrigerator shelf for 2-4 hours, turning and basting 1-2 times during this period with a basting brush.

VARIATION: Cook the marinated duck on a grill like you would grill chicken.

You’ll need to allow about 1½-2 hours to oven roast a 5# duck to internal temperature of 180º. Duck is traditionally served a wee bit pink. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375º. Remove duck from refrigerator and lift out of the marinating dish. Pour marinade off into a small saucepan. Add compound butter and simmer for 5 minutes or so to allow raw duck juices to fully cook. Place duck skin side up in a large baking pan, baste with marinade and pop in hot oven. Using a basting brush, baste duck with marinade and pan juices every half hour. At 1 hour cooking, remove duck and cover wing tips and leg tips with small pieces of foil so they will not over brown/burn. Pop pan back into oven, lower oven to 350º and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour longer (ovens will vary), or until a meat thermometer reads 180º at center thigh and center breast. Serve at once with your favorite sides for fowl. I served mine with steamed broccoli and broiled tomatoes. If I had char-grilled the duck, as originally planned, I was going to grill some fresh pineapple slices to go with it. Mmmm. How I DOOOOOOOO love grilled pineapple! 🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

791 calories, 65.3 g fat (duck is much fattier than chicken), 2.4 g carbs, 0.2 g fiber, 2.20 g NET CARBS, 36.4 g protein, 485 mg sodium

Dec 12 2016

Crawfish Dumpling Stew

WOW! I found a fantastic way to shake up my glucomannan dumplings! This is 5-star restaurant tasty as far as I’m concerned. Not many recipes strike me that way, either. It was every bit as good as the lobster ravioli served to my at Gershwin’s in Dallas, that’s for sure! My husband and I were absolutely astounded at how good this idea I hatched recently came out. I hesitated to actually make it for the longest time, as I was afraid putting that much bulk into the dumpling batter would make them just totally fall apart in the simmering water. As you can see in the pic, that just didn’t happen! What potential I now see for other recipes with this dumpling batter. 🙂

This recipe will be a keeper for sure! For those still on Atkins Induction, omit the wine and substitute 1/2 c. seafood stock or chicken stock in your sauce. This recipe is suitable for Atkins OWL Phase 2 or beyond and Keto diets as well if it fits your daily carb limits. You’d have to make the sauce with coconut milk for it to pass Primal-Paleo muster, but that’s doable. By the way, these freeze beautifully and tasted even better than the first night they were made! 🙂 I was only able to eat two dumplings (they are very filling) so my number of servings below reflects that fact.

VARIATIONS: Substitute either crab meat or shrimp for the crawfish. These made smaller would also be lovely in a simple wonton-style soup, standing in for the meat-filled wontons. 🙂

DUMPLING INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. cooked, cleaned crawfish tail meat (the rest of the 12-oz. package goes in the sauce)

4 T. butter, unsalted

2 oz. celery, chopped

2 oz. green bell pepper, chopped

2 oz. yellow onion, chopped

½ c. green onion, chopped

1/3 c. parsley, chopped (3 more T. needed for the sauce, so go on and chop 1/2 c. total 😉 )

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

2 recipes my glucomannan Dumplings batter

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

6 oz. remaining crawfish

½ c. white wine (omit for Induction)

1 T. lemon juice

3 T. parsley, chopped

½ c. heavy cream

½ c. water

1 small clove garlic, minced

Dash each salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Chop all the vegetables up. Melt 4 T. butter over high heat and add the celery, bell pepper, onion and minced garlic. Saute until they are tender. Add 6 oz. of the crawfish, the parsley, and seafood spice mix. Lower heat and let simmer 2-3 minutes for flavors to blend. Turn off heat.

Bring a large stew pot of water to a boil. While it is heating, make up a double recipe of my glucomannan dumpling batter and add the veggie crawfish mixture to the egg/water mixture and stir well. Stir the dry ingredients in and mix with a rubber spatula until it begins to thicken up. Keep turning the dough until it is stiff enough to roll. Roll 24 1″ dumpling in your palms and set on a sheet of silicone (best) or a baking sheet. When all 24 are formed, your water should be at a rolling boil. Drop all 24 dumplings gently into the water. This will cool the water down a bit. You want a medium gentle rolling water bath. Cover and cook for exactly 10 minutes without lifting the lid.

Make the sauce while the dumplings are cooking. Melt 4 T. butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add the remaining 6 oz. crawfish, garlic, wine, lemon juice parsley and simmer long enough to cook the garlic well. Add the cream and salt and pepper to taste.

When dumplings have cooked 10 minutes, lift lid and using a slotted spoon or tongs, gently lift onto a serving platter and spoon the sauce around them. I served with steamed, buttered broccoli, but they would be good with a nice green salad and low-carb dinner rolls.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings of 4 dumplings each and ¼ c. sauce. Each contains:

258 calories, 20.4 g fat, 10.55 g carbs, 5.96 g fiber, 4.59 g NET CARBS, 13.25 g protein, 481 g sodium

Dec 11 2016

“Tortilla” Soup

Tortilla Soup is one of my favorites at Mexican restaurants, but they are not all created equal, I’ve learned.

My very first exposure to Tortilla soup was at a little place in San Antonio called El Mirador. My Dad and Mom kept bringing up how fantastic this soup was and we finally went to try it. What a flavor delight! It was every bit as good as my parents had advertised! Let me tell you, I’ve had it many places since and none shine a light to El Mirador’s rendering of it. 🙂 I know the restaurant is still there and assume they are still offering this wonderful soup, but it looks like at their website linked above, they have changed the name of the soup to Chicken Cilantro Soup. I’m sure it’s the same soup though. You San Antonio dwellers who were unaware of this culinary treat need to get on over to El Mirado and try it if you haven’t yet! The rest of you might want to try my version of it.

I’ve tried to recreate that wonderful soup ever since I tasted it! And I got pretty close, but not quite as good as theirs. This low-carb version of my creation, without the little strips of tortillas usually found in tortilla soup, is VERY good. If the base soup is good enough, you really don’t need the tortilla strips in this soup. I hope you’ll give it a try, as it is simply DELICIOUS! This recipe is Induction friendly and also suitable for Keto and Primal lifestyles. Paleo followers will want to omit the cream or sub in coconut milk.

This and many more low-carb soup recipes can be at your fingertips in Jennifer Eloff’s latest cookbook series: Low Carbing Among Friends. Jennifer has brought together a number of very talented low-carb cooks who offer some of their best low-carb creations. A sampling of what awaits you can be seen at their Facebook page. You can order copies of this 5-volume set (or individual volumes) at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

13 oz. cooked chicken meat (canned is OK if just meat, salt and water)

1 qt. water + 2 c. chicken broth

1 oz. tomato paste

1 c. yellow squash, diced (about ½ med-large squash)

2 oz. yellow onion

2 oz. green bell pepper

1 oz. poblano pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp. chili powder

dash chipotle chile powder (smoky)

1 small Guajillo chile, seeded and chopped (these are very mild and found in most stores’ produce dept. dried, sold in a bag)

Dash cumin

1/4 c. heavy cream

DIRECTIONS: Cut chicken meat up into small pieces. If using canned meat, just break up the large chunks. Put all ingredients but the cream into soup pot. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer until squash and all veggies are tender but not falling apart (about 15-20 minutes). Turn heat to lowest setting. Now add cream and stir. If you like, you can puree this soup with a stick blender or in small batches in your food processor. I think I like it better chunky myself. That’s how El Mirador served theirs as well. I’ve done it both ways though.

VARIATION: Cut 1 corn tortilla into thin strips, bake at 350º until golden and garnish each bowl of soup right before serving. Be sure to recalculate numbers below to add for this “carb-y” change.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Serves 4, each serving contains:

283 calories, 15.1 g. fat, 6.95 g. carbs, 1.6 g. fiber, 5.35 NET CARBS, 26.3 g. protein, 780 mg sodium

Dec 8 2016

Kielbasa with Cabbage & Kale

Having made keilbasa and cabbage many a time I don’t know WHY it has never occurred to me before now to throw in a little kale into the dish. Today for lunch, I did so and was it ever good! Even my husband wolfed this down and he’s not a fan of either cabbage or kale! So it sounds like a keeper to ME. 🙂 The onion brings a slightly sweet edge to the cabbage and kale, which is quite nice.

I used Kolbasa brand of sausage (newly discovered at HEB stores in Texas). I always like a brand that has much less garlic than most. Many companies just get way too much garlic in their smoked sausage. This hearty, delicious dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, other Keto diets and Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. bacon grease

4 links your favorite smoked sausage, sliced ¼”

3 c. chopped green cabbage

2 c. chopped kale (larger stem parts removed)

2 oz. slivered sweet yellow onion

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

VARIATION: Add a splash of your favorite vinegar to the skillet for the last few minutes of cooking for a more Polish or Czech-style of this famous dish.

DIRECTIONS: Heat bacon grease in a non-stick wok or skillet over high heat. Add sausage and stir fry until it begins to lightly brown. Add the onion and saute until starts to wilt and caramelize. Add cabbage and chopped kale, sauteing just until cabbage begins to wilt. Sprinkle with the black pepper and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 adult servings, each 1½-cup serving contains:

266 calories, 21 g fat, 9.37 g carbs, 2.5 g fiber, 6.87 g NET CARBS, 11.1 g protein, 378 mg sodium

Nov 27 2016

Baked Italian Eggplant Stacks

Baked Italian Eggplant Stacks

This tasty dish is incredibly easy to make! It’s just a matter of layering the ingredients in a pan. The really hard part is being patient while it bakes, because it smells so darn good while it’s cooking! It takes some time for the eggplant to get tender, but it is well worth the wait. It went very nicely with a seared pork chop and small Italian salad. This dish is Atkins Induction friendly and Paleo-Primal friendly as well if you eat the occasional cheese. Of course, you can add browned ground beef to this dish for a complete meal.

This recipe appears in Vol. 5 of Jennifer Eloff’s Low Carbing Among Friends cookbooks. Be sure you add this series to your cookbook collection as it contains some of the tastiest recipes from George Stella and other very talented low-carb cooks. You can order your set (or purchase them individually) from Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. olive oil

16 oz. eggplant, sliced 3/16″ thick or less

3 large Roma tomatoes, sliced thin

1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

1/3 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

4 oz. ricotta cheese

1 tsp. oregano (or Italian Seasoning blend of your choice)

½ c. low-carb sugar-free spaghetti sauce (I use homemade, Belo vita or Lucini Italia Tomato Basil)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Grease well a ceramic quiche or pie plate with the olive oil. Slice eggplant and tomatoes. I found I had enough eggplant and tomatoes for 3 layers in my pan. Begin with a layer of eggplant on the bottom of the quiche dish. Top with a layer of tomato slices. Next sprinkle with 1/3 of the oregano/Italian seasoning. Next sprinkle 1/3 of the Mozzarella and 1/3 of the Parmesan evenly on top. Dot surface with 1/3 of the ricotta. Repeat the layers two more times. Spoon the spaghetti sauce evenly over the top, spreading it with the back of your spoon. Pop into preheated 350º oven for about 1 hour 15 minutes. Check at 1 hour with a fork. The tomatoes and eggplant will produce a great deal of moisture during the first half of cooking (this is to be expected), but all of it will evaporate by the time the eggplant is tender. If the fork goes into the eggplant easily, the dish is done. If not, cook it another 15-20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 6 servings, each contains:

157.2 calories, 10.2 g fat, 7.65 g carbs, 2.78 g fiber, 4.87 g NET CARBS, 9.8 g protein, 274 mg sodium

Nov 26 2016

Brats with Purple Cabbage

A simple, quick meal for after your Black Friday shopping spree. This hearty meal is just what you need when there is a chill in the air but you’re too tired to go all out cooking dinner after your mall hopping.

I’ve made this dish for years, but I have always made it with regular smoked sausage. Thought I’d try it with brats this time. Good decision! It was quick, simple and very tasty. The caraway seed is optional, but adds a lot to the overall flavor of this delicious dinner dish. This pairs nicely with my cool, Mint Cucumber Salad. If I have a salad, one serving fills me right up because I find brats to be quite rich. The hubs eats 2 links however. 😉 This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

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.DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are GREAT cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

VARIATION: Substitute your favorite smoked sausage for the brats. You can also substitute in green cabbage for an equally delicious dish. It really doesn’t taste any different than the purple.

INGREDIENTS:

12 oz. beef brats (4 links)

1 T. + 1 tsp. bacon grease

4 c. purple cabbage, cut up coarsely (or green cabbage will do)

3 oz. onion, slivered thin

½ tsp. caraway seed

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS: In a small non-stick skillet, cook the sausage until browned on all sides. I like to start out with ½” water in the pan and basically let the brats boil in that water, covered with a lid, until they are totally gray and pretty firm and done. Then I pour off the water, pierce them with a knife or fork to allow grease to exude and brown them slowly in their own grease, rotating several times, until golden on all sides. Using a lid during browning will reduce spattering of grease a little.

While they cook, add the bacon grease to a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat. Add the onion, and stir-fry until it begins to brown and caramelize. Add cabbage and caraway seed. Lower heat to medium. Stir fry until the cabbage is wilted to the stage you like, but not completely or it will get quite strong tasting, in my opinion. You want a little crunch and natural sweetness left in it. Top with the browned brats and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains: Men will eat 2 servings, women only 1

354 calories, 28.5 g fat, 9.37 g carbs, 2.20 g fiber, 7.17 g NET CARBS, 14.5 g protein, 802 mg sodium (all from the brats, unfortunately)

Nov 17 2016

Roaster Oven Turkey

One year my oven died right before Thanksgiving and my roaster oven was my savior that Holiday. The new oven wasn’t to arrive and be installed until December. So I had to roast my Thanksgiving Turkey in my roaster oven that lives out on my patio. If you don’t own a roaster oven, they are excellent for extra oven space when you entertain or during holiday gatherings and your oven is full to the brim. They also come in handy used outside when the summer heat is oppressive, as it is here in Texas, and you just don’t want to heat up your kitchen or feel that blast of hot air using your regular oven. They bake beautiful cakes, muffins, cookies, and meats wonderfully. An added boon, they are getting so cheap, one can be had for under $30 around Christmas time!

I had done a turkey in my roaster oven before on this particular holiday, but probably not in 25 years or so. But I went about it pretty much as I would for roasting the bird in my regular oven, other than the fact that I covered my wing tips and drumstick tips with foil when I first put it in the oven. The bird came out delicious, moist and tender. More moist that my usual conventional oven cooked birds, in fact! Didn’t get quite as crispy skin, but it was crisp enough.

I used a Riverside turkey on this occasion. I have cooked them many a time and had good luck with them. Honeysuckle is another good brand of turkey that cooks consistently. Frankly, I’ve never had a Butterball come out that I was very happy with, so I just don’t buy them anymore, although I prefer their marketed whole breasts over the off-brands. Of course, this recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal and Paleo diets alike.

INGREDIENTS:

1 12-13 lb. turkey, thawed (follow chart on wrapper for a larger bird)

4 T. melted butter

Dash each of salt and black pepper

4 small pieces of foil

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325º. Open turkey wrapper and remove bird to a clean sink. Remove the leg binding gadget. Remove giblets and set aside for making your gravy. I only use the neck meat for gravy and my dog usually gets the liver, heart and gizzard in her dinners over a week or so. I like to eat them; I just don’t like them in my gravy much.

I like to rinse out the inside of the bird. Pat the exterior dry with paper towels. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Place turkey, breast side up in a pan large enough to hold it. Baste with the butter all over on the outside and inside with a basting brush, using half the butter. Sprinkle bird inside and out with salt and pepper. I cook my dressing outside the bird as I like it to brown. You can add some chunks of celery, onion and parsley if you like to the cavity, but I do not. Your call there, but be sure to add those carbs below if you do. Cover wing tips and leg knuckles with foil so they will not burn.

Place pan with bird into the roaster oven, cover with lid and cook, for 1½ hours. Open oven and baste with remaining butter. Recover and cook for 1 hour and check for doneness with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast and around the thick leg joint (slowest area to get done). You want the thermometer to read 170º. Cook for another 30 minutes or so, checking with thermometer every 10-15 minutes now so as to not over cook. Remove when it has reached 170º internal temperature. Set on cutting board for 15-20 minutes before attempting to carve to avoid tearing up the meat and all the juices running out. You want those juices to STAY in the meat. This turkey should be extremely moist. Roaster ovens do an incredibly good job at moist heat roasting.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: I can’t know what pieces or amount you will eat, so I’ll provide some numbers for both white meat and dark meat.

4 oz. dark meat contains: 250 calories, 13 g fat, 0 carbs, 0 fiber, o net carbs, 31 g protein and 269 mg sodium

4 oz. white meat, skin eaten contains: 222 calories, 9.4 g fat, 0 carbs, 0 fiber, 0 net carbs, 32.3 g protein and 255 mg sodium

Nov 2 2016

Thai Chicken-Pumpkin Soup

When there’s a chill in the air I find myself wanting things made with pumpkin. It’s also a time of year I love making new soup recipes. For this delicious soup, I just need a couple things in my pantry. I use Sam’s “Daily Chef” canned chicken meat as it only has chicken, salt and water in it. No modified food starch or other junk ingredients. I always have some homemade chicken stock in my freezer, so this is an easy lunch for me. This soup came out quite tasty and it turns out it’s very nutritious, too. I went for a Thai flavor today. GOOD choice for my key ingredients! This recipe isn’t suitable until you reach the nuts and seeds rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb ladder. It is perfectly suited to other Keto diets and Primal-Paleo as well.

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree (do not use pumpkin pie filling!)

1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk

3 c. homemade chicken broth

¼ c. packed, chopped fresh cilantro

¼ tsp. salt

Dash black pepper

¼ c. green onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. Thai Red Curry Paste (or to taste)

1 tsp. coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce

½ tsp. Thai fish sauce (I use Thai Kitchen found at Walmart)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 13 oz. can chicken breast meat (with broth)

Sprig of fresh cilantro or my 8-seed Spice Blend

DIRECTIONS: Basically, place all ingredients into a large soup pot, stir well and bring to a boil and then lower heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Although not absolutely necessary, use a stick blender to puree the soup if desired.

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

273 calories, 19.2 g fat, 10.2 g carbs, 2.6 g fiber, 7.6 g NET CARBS, 13.66 g protein, 432 mg sodium

519 mg potassium, 97% RDA Vitamin A, 39% copper, 55% iron, 19% magnesium, 41% manganese, 22% niacin, and 21% phosphorous (nice nutrient profile on this one)

Oct 28 2016

Induction Chicken and Dumplings

Man, this Induction-friendly dish is real Fall and Winter comfort food for us. It tastes even better than it looks! Just what you need on a chilly day. A cyber friend said it is snowing today where she is this week! So I thought I’d repost this Phase 1 recipe for those just starting out on their low-carb program can also enjoy this winter. It’s a marvelous use of Oopsie Rolls and I was astounded they held up to 20 minutes of broth simmering! The spongy, egg-like quality of Oopsie Rolls is just perfect for this application. You can also cut the rolls up into smaller pieces for adding “dumplings” to other soups at the last minute. 🙂 If you want to double or triple this recipe, it definitely freezes well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 chicken breast (large, about 8 oz.)

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth (plus enough water to cover chicken well if needed)

3 drops yellow food coloring (optional)

3 large stalks celery, chopped coarsely

1 chicken bouillon cube

Dash black pepper

2 Oopsie Rolls (also called Improved Revolution Rolls)

¼-½ tsp. xanthan gum to thicken

DIRECTIONS: Cut chicken breast in half for two servings. Place in stew pot. Cover with all remaining ingredients except Oopsie Rolls and xanthan gum. Bring to a boil, lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Break or cut up rolls into quarter-sized “dumplings” and drop into broth. Continue to simmer for 15-20 more minutes. Do not disturb with spoon too much and the “dumplings” will not fall apart at all. Right before serving, dust xanthan gum over surface and gently stir, waiting between successive dustings to allow to thicken. When you get to the desired thickness, remove from heat and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each contains:

350 calories, 16.2 g fat, 5.9 g carbs, 3.5 g fiber, 2.4 g NET CARBS, 41.5 g protein, 1500 mg sodium

Oct 28 2016

Shrimp-Stuffed Eggplant

One of my favorite ways to serve eggplant is to do a meat stuffing. Seafood and eggplant go so well together, this is by far my favorite recipe. This dish is a bit higher in net carbs than most of my dishes, but it packs so many nutrients into these little packages, it’s worth every single carb. A good bit of your daily veggie requirements in one meal! This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal-Paleo if you leave off the Parmesan. You can eat the entire thing, too, filling and shell. The shell will be so tender by the time it’s done you won’t find it offensive at all!

INGREDIENTS:

10 oz. peeled shrimp, cut into thirds

1 whole 10 oz. eggplant, stem cut off

3 T. unsalted butter

1 c.love minced garlic

2½ oz. each onion, celery and red bell pepper, chopped

1/3 c. chopped parsley

2 slices bacon, chopped

10 drops Tobasco (or 2-3 shakes of cayenne pepper)

¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (optional)

1/2 Flax Sandwich Bun, crumbled (or 1 T. flax meal + 1T. water)

1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated, for topping

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375º. Fill baking dish with ½” water. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and place cut side down in water. Bake for about 30 minutes until flesh is tender. Cool slightly, carefully scoop out pulp, leaving about 1/4″ flesh attached to skin for better support of the filling. Try not to tear/cut outer skin when scooping out the pulp. When cool, chop the scooped out eggplant pulp and set aside. Pour off any remaining water from the baking dish, lightly grease and place the empty shells right back in the same pan.

Brown the bacon in a skillet over high heat. Drain off bacon grease for other use. Melt butter in the skillet and add garlic, chopped onion, celery and red bell pepper. Saute until vegetables are tender. Add parsley, spice blend, Tobasco and the crumbled sandwich bun. I also like to add a shake or two of cayenne pepper. Add chopped eggplant pulp, shrimp and stir well. Fills shells (will be mounded quite a bit), sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 350º (lowering the oven from where it was baking the eggplant halves) for about 30 minutes. Serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 2 adults. Each stuffed half contains:

513 calories, 31.5 g fat, 19.3 carbs, 8.35 g fiber, 10.95 g NET CARBS, 40.8 g protein, 571 mg sodium

Oct 24 2016

Roasted Shawarma Vegetables

This dish is incredibly easy to pull together and is exceptionally good with charcoal grilled meats. Since we’re grilling T-bone steaks tonight, I thought I’s share this recipe from my archives. Shown above with a rib-eye steak. This flavor reminds me so much of the vegetable stew I ate when we lived in Teheran, Iran when I was a small child. I have even been known to cook the veggies in a grilling basket right on the grill with the meat! It’s even BETTER that way! This dish always elicits a thumbs up from diners and definitely sits proudly amongst my very best-tasting veggie recipes. You can certainly use other spice blends here, but the Shawarma blend is what makes this recipe truly unique! This is an Atkins Induction friendly recipe. If you have leftovers, I often cut up any leftover grilled meats and toss it right in the vegetables for lunch the next day. You will find that this is one of those dishes that just tastes better every time you reheat it, assuming there ARE any leftovers! 😉 This recipe is suited for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal Blueprint and Paleo diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium yellow squash cut in 1″ chunks (or zucchini is OK)
1 small eggplant (about 10-12 oz) cut in ½” slices, then cut those in quarters
4 plum tomatoes cut into quarters
1 green, yellow or orange bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1″ chunks
1 red bell pepper seeded and cut in 1″ chunks
1 purple onion cut into ½” wedges, layers separated
12 cloves garlic (entire bulb, cloves peeled but left whole)
2 T. Shawarma Spice Blend: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/shawarma-spice-blend/
¼ tsp. each salt & black pepper (opt.)

Splash of olive oil (about 2 T., or more if you can afford the calories)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 425º. Cut up all veggies and place in large mixing bowl. Drizzle olive oil over all and stir well to coat all veggies with oil and seasonings. Toss to try and coat all veggies with oil. Pour into glass casserole pan and bake at 425º for about 30-40 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 6, each serving contains:

91 calories, 5.0 g fat, 11.45 g carbs, 3.48 g fiber, 7.97 NET CARBS, 2.22 g protein, 105 mg. sodium

Oct 20 2016

Thai Fish Cakes

This little experiment was a delightful flavor surprise! Both I and my husband (who isn’t very fond of fish) really liked these tasty little fish cakes. It has become a regular for my menu rotations. Though some will likely sub in salmon or tuna, milder fish like Tilapia, white fish, swai and cod allow the spices to really come through. The spices in these are quite a nice flavor combo. This dish is super fast to whip up and makes eight 3″ fish cakes (2 per serving). This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets. They are also acceptable for Primal or Paleo regimens. They are great by themselves or add your favorite Asian soy sauce-based dipping sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

20 oz. boneless mild white fish filets

1 beaten egg

3 T. cilantro, chopped

1 ½ oz. yellow onion, chopped

1 T. jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1 ½ oz. red bell pepper, chopped

1 T. fresh lime juice

½ tsp. Thai red curry powder

½ tsp. Thai blend (I use Cost Plus World Market brand, or just add ¼ tsp. more red curry powder + pinch cinnamon and nutmeg)

1 T. Thai fish sauce

1 cl. garlic, minced

Dash each salt and black pepper

1 T. coconut oil for browning

DIRECTIONS: Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to reduce the fish to small bits (but not a paste). Heat coconut oil in very large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon mixture onto heated pan, spreading slightly with back of spoon into 3″ cakes. Brown nicely on both sides. Serve with nice green salad or your favorite green vegetables.

Optional Dipping Sauce:

2 T. lime juice

2 T. rice vinegar

2T. + 2 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. hot sesame oil

3-4 drops liquid sweetener

3 T. low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger

½ fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 fish cakes or 4 servings. Each 2-cake serving contains (These numbers DO NOT include the dipping sauce):

143.25 calories, 7.98 g fat, 1.63 g carbs, 0.73 g fiber, 0.9 NET CARBS, 18.15 g protein, 119 mg sodium

Oct 17 2016

Beef in Mushroom Wine Sauce

I love to make this recipe whenever I have a sizeable portion of a very large chuck or sirloin roast leftover. It’s very tasty, rich and a great way to tenderize that meat even further. Whenever I make a beef roast, I always save any leftover gravy or roast meat broth/drippings, no matter how little that may be. I invariably find many uses like this recipe for using it up. I freeze it in ½-cup and 1-cup blocks and once frozen, pop them into a gallon zip-loc bags for soups, casseroles and recipes like this that just need a little broth or gravy. I can then thin the gravy to use as beef broth. 🙂

This delicious dish can be enjoyed by all phases of Atkins provided those still on Induction omit the red wine. This is suitable for Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this 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: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: By personal choice I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote them because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. rich beef gravy or roast drippings (or beef broth + ¼ tsp. xanthan gum (to thicken)

2 4-oz cans mushrooms, drained (liquid reserved)

2 T. tomato paste

¼ tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1½ lb. leftover cooked beef roast, sliced

¼ c. dry red wine (I used zinfandel, but any dry red will work) [omit for Induction]

VARIATION: Add 1/2 c. chopped parsley (I was out, or I would have used it here)

DIRECTIONS: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the beef gravy or beef stock. If using beef broth instead of gravy, whisk in xanthan gum to blend. Add the tomato paste and whisk again to blend well. Add salt and pepper and stir. If using, add parsley and red wine. Allow to simmer covered on LOW heat for 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer 5 minutes longer. If gravy is too thick, add a bit of the mushroom liquid back to the pan; if too thin, add more xanthan gum (or your preferred thickener) in very light dustings on the surface, stirring in and allowing each addition to develop and thicken before adding more. You do NOT want to overdo xanthan gum lest the sauce get slippery in texture. Serve at once with you favorite green vegetable or side dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

255 calories, 6.9 g fat, 387 g carbs, 1.40 g fiber, 2.47 g NET CARBS, 40.3 g protein, 417 mg sodium

Oct 16 2016

Clams in Sofrito Sauce on Black Bean Noodles

My husband was out of town today and I knew he’d get home around 6:30, provided there was not too much traffic coming out of Austin on I-35. One little wreck can slow him down an hour! So I chose to whip up a simple dinner from a can of whole clams that I knew I could cook from start to finish in 30 minutes after he got home. This was a real treat and quite delicious.

Check out my latest pasta discovery! Black bean spaghetti that I stumbled upon at Thrive Market on-line. It’s organic, is certified gluten-free, high in fiber and protein! It has more carbs than zucchini noodles, but is a nice alternative to spaghetti squash and zucchini squash all the time. For lowest carbs, serve over 20 oz. of pre-cooked zucchini noodles. The verdict on the black bean noodles: both I and my husband liked them in taste and texture. They didn’t really taste of beans and reminded me of regular whole grain pasta in flavor. Texture was like any al-dente thin spaghetti. The color is black before they are cooked. After cooking they are an off-putting gray, so they are not something I’d ever serve to company, or that I chose to use in my feature photo above. I took a snapshot of them below so you can see the gray color after cooking. Only 11 net carbs per 2-oz serving, which is lower than Al Dente brand Carba Nada Noodles! Only listed ingredient is black beans.

Their gray color will elicit all sorts of comments from the kids. I will definitely buy and cook these tasty noodles again. Color doesn’t bother me at all. Of course, as I said above, you can serve this clam dish over zucchini noodles to cut carbs. I am posting nutritional info for methods of serving.

This recipe is suited to Atkins Phase 2 and beyond (make without wine and with zucchini noodles if you are still in Induction Phase). This can be enjoyed on Keto diets if you use zucchini noodles and Paleo-Primal provided you use the zucchini noodles as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 8-oz. box of black bean spaghetti

4½ oz. raw bacon, chopped

3 oz. red onion, slivered

3 oz. leek, chopped (or green onion)

2 T. my Sofrito sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

3 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 10-oz. can whole clams (with juice)

¼ c. dry white wine (omit for Atkins Induction)

Dash of your preferred thickener (I used 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum)

OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese (not calculated in below)

DIRECTIONS: In large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles for 6-8 minutes per box directions. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and brown chopped bacon. When nearly done, add the red onion and chopped leeks and saute until tender. Add sofrito sauce, minced garlic and chopped plum tomatoes. Add white wine. Stir as the mixture cooks for about 5-7 minutes. Add thickener and stir over low heat until it has begun to slightly thicken. Drain noodles when done cooking and spoon them onto a serving platter. Top with the clam mixture, a sprinkle of grated Parmesan if you like, and serve with a nice green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

USING BLACK BEAN NOODLES: 484 calories, 18.8 g fat, 33.25 g carbs, 13.87 g fiber, 19.38 g NET CARBS, 4.05 g protein, 471 mg sodium

USING 20 oz. ZUCCHINI NOODLES: 293 calories, 22 g fat, 15.32 g carbs, 3.72 g fiber, 11.6 g NET CARBS, 18.2 g protein, 470 mg sodium

Oct 15 2016

Jicama Mint Salad

I’ve had this sauce on cucumbers many a time and loved it. Tonight I decided to try it on jicama and it was WONDERFUL! Very refreshing salad for summer. Crunchy and slightly sweet.This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. of my Mint Sauce

1 c. jicama, peeled and cut into strips about 1″ long, as pictured above (or grated if you prefer)

Sprinkle of salt to taste

Splash rice wine vinegar (optional)

DIRECTIONS: Mix up the Mint Sauce recipe and set aside. Cut up jicama and place in bowl large enough to toss easily. Add 2 T. of the mint sauce and toss. Taste to see if you want to add salt. If you prefer your salads tart, add a sprinkle of rice wine vinegar (available in most grocery stores in the Chinese Food section) to the jicama as you toss it. Plate and serve with tomato slices.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 1 serving which contains:

78 calories, 2.4 g fat, 13.2 g carbs, 7.1 g fiber, 6.1 g NET CARBS, 1.7 g protein, 35% RDA Vitamin C

Oct 10 2016

Kielbasa and Cabbage Bake

This is my variation on a theme. I had this dish a number of times when I was growing up but I was not very fond of it back then, as Mom always got hers too tart with vinegar for my palate. This recipe is just right on the tang and spice combination. And the onions in mine add a sweet edge as well! We have made it this way several times now and we both just love this dish now! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo programs as well.

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this 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: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote them because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

5 links Kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced (I use Meyer’s from Elgin, TX)

3 ox. slivered yellow onion

¼ c. my homemade Shawarma Mayo

¼ c. my Balsamic Vinaigrette (or Italian dressing)

6 c. green cabbage, chopped coarsely

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over high heat, partially brown the sausage slices. When almost done, add the slivered onion and saute until the onion softens a bit and releases its sugar. Turn off heat. Chop the cabbage and stir it into the meat-onion mixture. In a small bowl, mix the mayo and vinaigrette, stirring well to blend. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the mayo mixture onto the cabbage. Add a couple shakes coarse black pepper and stir to blend well. I positioned the sausage above for photographic impact, but that is not necessary.

Cover tightly with foil and pop skillet into oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for about 15 more minutes until just slightly brown on top. I think you will love this dish as much as we do! I like to serve this with a tomato-cucumber salad or broiled tomatoes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

438 calories, 45 g fat, 10.17 g carbs, 3.95 g fiber, 7.22 g NET CARBS, 17.3 g protein, 566 mg sodium

Oct 10 2016

Bacon-Shawarma Salad

This was what I fixed for lunch today and it was delicious. It combines two of my very favorite things: bacon and my Shawarma Salad Dressing. This yummy, filling salad can be enjoyed at all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal-Paleo as well! Nutritional numbers are approximate, as I can’t know how much of the greens you will put into each salad bowl. Salads aren’t an exact science in my opinion. Most of the calories and fat are, as you might expect, in the dressing.

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this 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 a wealth of delicious recipes to these cookbooks that you will love! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: By choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote them because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. raw bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces

Enough greens for 4 salads: romaine or lettuce of choice, green onion, celery, bell pepper

1 small carrot, peeled and slivered with peeler

8 cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves

6 slices cucumber, sliced again into halves

4 T. my Shawarma Salad Dressing

3 T. hot bacon grease

DIRECTIONS: Prepare the salad greens in a large salad serving bowl. Set aside. In a skillet, brown the bacon until fully done to your liking. Dip bacon onto paper towels to drain. Turn off heat and let skillet cool a few minutes. Drain off for some other use all but 3 T. of the bacon grease. You only want 3 T. left in the skillet. Add the shawarma mayo to the skillet grease and stir quickly. Pour over the salad greens and top with the cooked bacon. Serve at once as this salad is supposed to be slightly warm at serving.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 salads, each contains approximately:

409 calories, 43 g fat, 6.45 g carbs, 2.75 g fiber, 3.7 g NET CARBS, 4 g protein, 380 mg sodium

Oct 5 2016

Pork Chops with Smoked Sausage-Green Chilies Gravy

This simple dish came about from a can of green chilies sitting in my fridge that I opened a couple nights ago and then decided not to use them in a recipe. Really wanted to use them up and created a tasty dish that takes just 30 minutes to prepare. Brown the chops, sausage, make the sauce and YOU’RE EATING! My husband really liked the bit of sausage in the gravy. Not so much as to make it salty though. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, and Primal followers. Paleo followers will want to use coconut milk in lieu of the cream.

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this 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: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote them because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tsp. bacon grease (or oil of choice)

4 4-oz. pork chops

4 oz. lean smoked sausage (2 links), diced small

1 c. rich pork broth (I save drippings from roasts and freeze for such uses)

3/4 c. heavy cream

4 oz. canned mild green chilies

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

OPTIONAL: 1/4 tsp. xanthan gum or your favorite thickener for thicker sauce

DIRECTIONS: Dice the sausage. I sliced and then cut those slices into quarters. Set aside. Heat the bacon grease in a skillet and sear the pork chops on both sides until nearly done. Remove to platter. Add the smoked sausage to the pan and saute until done, or a couple minutes. Add the pork broth and bring to a full simmer. Lower heat and add cream and green chilies (I did not drain). Finally add the black pepper and simmer on lowest heat for about 5 minutes to allow the cream to reduce & slightly thicken up. Add back the chops. Add a dusting of xanthan gum, whisking it into the sauce, allowing to develop and thicken further, if not thick enough for you. Remove from heat and serve with your favorite sides.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

374 calories, 30.5 g fat, 1.85 g carbs, 0.20 g fiber, 1.65 g NET CARBS, 22.9 g protein, 405 mg sodium

Oct 3 2016

Chinese Chicken with Peppers & Bokchoy

This colorful dinner creation came out delicious and much lighter than I expected. Once you have all the sauce ingredients handy and the veggies cut up, you can be eating this tasty meal in 15 minutes! We ate it as is since rice isn’t allowed on a low-carb regimen. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal-Paleo as well, provided you omit the xanthan gum or use a plan suitable thickener.

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this 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: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are great cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large chicken breast, de-boned and skinned (boil skin & bones for broth), cut into small pieces (mine was huge and yielded 10 oz. meat)

3 T. coconut oil

3 oz. yellow or white onion, sliced in wedges

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced thin

3 oz. red bell pepper, cut into small pieces

2 cups bokchoy, sliced (keep white & green part separate as you will add to wok separately)

½ c. canned mushrooms, drained (or 1 cup fresh, sliced)

¼ c. green onion tops, chopped ½”

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. minced ginger root

1 c. chicken broth (or rich leftover roasted chicken drippings from your freezer. I save for Chinese fare)

2 T. low-sodium soy sauce

½-3/4 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili paste (or ½ tsp. Sriracha sauce)

¼ tsp. xanthan gum or your favorite thickener

OPTIONAL: Sprinkle of sesame seeds for flare.

DIRECTIONS: In a medium bowl, stir the soy sauce, Sambal Oelek, garlic, ginger root and xanthan gum into the chicken broth/drippings. Set aside while you do the stir-frying.

Heat a wok over high heat a couple minutes. Add the cold oil and chicken immediately before the oil heats. The Chinese cook’s saying is “Hot Wok, Cold Fat”. This method prevents meat from sticking to the pan. Stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink. Add the yellow onion and carrots. Continue stir-frying until they just begin to soften a bit but are still quite firm. Add red pepper and white stem part of the bokchoy next. Stir fry until they are just slightly softened. Add mushrooms and green onion next, stirring a few times. Lower heat to medium-high and add the sauce to the wok. Add the bokchoy green leafy part and simmer just long enough for it to go limp, or about 2 minutes. If using, add sesame seeds and stir once. During this simmer stage, the flavors will co-mingle nicely. Serve at once.

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

250 calories, 13.2 g fat, 9.30 g carbs, 2.92 g fiber, 6.38 g NET CARBS, 25 g protein, 712 mg sodium

Oct 2 2016

Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwiches

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

Sep 28 2016

Triple Pork Rolls

My roll of Smoked Gouda cheese caught my eye when I reached for my two pork chops to sear for dinner. I had thawed some ground pork for another use and BINGO! This idea came to me! And what a good idea it turned out to be! I’ve seen cheesy low-carb meat rolls wrapped in bacon many times on the internet, but none to date using my favorite cheese, Smoked Gouda. Well, I’m here to tell ya these were GREAT! And I don’t usually like a lot of cheese with my meat dishes. So I got the amount just right! This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and Primal folks on the occasional dairy day. It would not be suitable for Primal followers unless you omit the cheese.

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 cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Several of my own creations appear in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php. DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pork chops, de-boned (or 4 oz. boneless pork loin)

8 oz. ground pork

2 oz. Smoked Gouda cheese

4 thick slices of bacon

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Pound the pork chops with a meat tenderizer and cut each into two pieces, ultimately to make four rolls. Shred the cheese into a medium mixing bowl. Add the ground pork and mix well with a fork or your hands. Form into 4 small logs. Place a log of the ground mixture onto each piece of pork chop and roll. Finally, tightly roll 1 slice of bacon around each of the four rolls and place seam down in a baking pan (I used a metal pan). Pop into 350º oven for about an hour and lightly browned or until internal meat temperature reaches 160º. Serve with your favorite sides.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings (these are so rich 1 will fill you up), each contains:

283 calories, 0.20 g fat, 0.52 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 0.52 g NET CARBS, 23.3 g protein, 284 mg sodium

Sep 27 2016

Zucchini “Flower”

photocat

This fun creation was so easy!! You could even let your children help you grow THIS flower! And it tastes as good as it looks! It was ready in about 30 minutes (if you cut your zucchini very thin), start to finish, as I keep a recipe of my pesto sauce made up in the fridge at all times. Life is just so much easier when you keep stuff made ahead. This recipe is only Induction friendly if you leave the nuts out of the pesto sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

9-10 oz. zucchini, sliced thin, lengthwise

3 T. pesto sauce

6 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 Roma tomato

Dash each salt and black pepper

¼ tsp. dried oregano, crushed (or 1 tsp. fresh chopped)

1 T. olive oil

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Grease a shallow round baking dish or pie plate with a film of olive oil. First, slice the zucchini very thin (I used a Rival slicer on the thinnest setting). I had a very long zucchini, so I had to cut mine in half to get slices the right length for my ceramic quiche dish. After thinly slicing all the zucchini, pull out the prettiest, rounded-end slices for the top layer. After all, you’re striving for a pretty flower! 🙂 Fan out a single (about 1/3 of the slices), slightly overlapping layer of zucchini in a circular fashion. radiating from the center to make the first or bottom layer of “petals” of your zucchini “flower”. See the picture for what I’m trying to describe here. Dot with 1 T. of the pesto thinly over this layer. Next sprinkle with 2T. of Parmesan, salt, pepper and oregano. Now fan another layer of zucchini slices for your second layer, fanning out the outer ends a bit. Dot with another 1T. of pesto sauce and follow with a sprinkle on 2T. of Parmesan, salt, pepper and oregano. Lay the final layer of “petals” of zucchini prettily in a similar fan fashion. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, salt, pepper and oregano. Strategically place the tomato slice in the middle for your flower’s centerpiece. Drizzle the 1T. olive oil all over the final flower petals and pop into 350º oven for about 20-30 minutes or until zucchini is tender at the thickest/tallest center area when you insert a sharp knife point. Serve at once with your favorite baked or broiled meat or fish entree.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 4 servings, each contains:

147 calories, 13.45 g fat, 3.05 g carbs, 1.05 g fiber, 2 g. NET CARBS, 5.1 g protein, 162 mg sodium

Sep 20 2016

Indian Kheema Matar (Beef with “Peas” and Mint)

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.

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 cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef or lamb

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 or basmati rice.

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

Sep 19 2016

Lime Chocolate Candy

You know those cute little chocolate confections you always see at Christmas time in a box that are shaped like an orange cut into wedges just like an orange? The most popular selling flavor is the chocolate orange. But this one company used to also make these in LIME (though shaped like an orange) and man, oh, MAN, that one was to die for! I bought one every year!! Then all of a sudden in around 2008, I could no longer find it anywhere to save my life!! Not even at Cost Plus World Market Imports, where they still carried the orange and raspberry ones. World Market told me they thought the lime variety (and most of their flavors) had been discontinued.

So I decided to try to make something similar today myself, as we just loved that lime candy! Just made my basic low-carb chocolate bark recipe and just added one of my favorite citrus flavorings: Boyajian Lime Oil. BAM! That’s real close to the chocolate limes I’m remembering!! If you’re not familiar with Boyajian Citrus Oils, you’ve just GOT to get the Mini Box of lemon, lime and orange. They are fantastic and last a very long time, as you use so little in a recipe (couple drops). Best $10 you’ll ever spend in the kitchen!

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Paleo-Primal if you use ghee for the butter.

More delicious low-carb sweet treats 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 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

12-16 drops liquid Splenda (I used 16 because I like my candy sweet)

1 pkt. stevia

1/8 tsp. Boyajian Lime Oil

DIRECTIONS: Place butter in 8×11″ metal baking pan and pop into oven at 350º until butter is just melted. Remove and stir in lime oil and liquid sweetener. Mix well. You can either wait and add the stevia later, to taste, or go on and add it now to the cocoa powder in a small bowl. Sift the mixture over the butter surface. Using a rubber spatula, stir well, pressing out any cocoa lumps that form. From here, you have two options. Either pop pan into freezer on level surface for about 30 minutes. OR you can pour mixture carefully into silicone candy molds totally 48 pieces. If done in the pan, cut into exactly 48 pieces (6×8) and using a thin metal spatula, gently lift out each piece to a lidded storage container. If using molds, pop each piece out and place in a lidded storage container. Must be stored in refrigerator (or freezer) at all times. Eat them fast or it will melt in your fingers, but that’s not a problem for me!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 48 pieces, each contains:

35 calories, 3.88 g fat, 0.26 g carbs, 0.13 g fiber, 0.13 g NET CARBS, 0.12 g protein, 1 mg. sodium

Sep 19 2016

Chicken “Fried” Steak with Cream Gravy

I live in Texas and man, I have been missing classic Texas chicken-fried steak with cream gravy!! Well no more yearning for a long-lost love! I just created a low-carb CFS that’s pretty dang close to the real deal! I’ve had such good luck with my mayo-pork rind coating for “fries”, numerous veggies, fish filets and chicken, I thought today “Why not give it a whirl for chicken fried steak”? Well, IT WORKED!

My first thought on how to go about this was that the beef would exude too much moisture during baking, if I just coated it raw, even if I patted it very dry with paper towels. Didn’t want the pork-rink coating to get “soggy”, so I decided to sear the meat first to seal in those juices before I began the coating process. That turned out to be a VERY good decision!! This came out FANTASTIC! And the gravy was SUPER, even without the usual browning of flour. The natural caramelized meat juices deglazed from the skillet made a DELICIOUS cream gravy without one bit of flour!

I served this alongside a saute of radishes and onion and steamed broccoli. I got distracted cooking the radishes and almost browned my meat TOO much, at least browner than I usually do chicken fried steak. But it was STILL GREAT! Timing can be merciless in the kitchen. 🙂

You can use round steak for this dish if you prefer, but I have always preferred chuck or sirloin for my CFS. Much better taste in my opinion. I’m just not very fond of round steak. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal-Paleo if you eat pork rinds.

One reader’s comment:

Just made this and it is great! My 3 year old grandson ate it all and never knew that it wasn’t “real” chicken fried steak!

You can have many more delightfully tasty dinner menu ideas at your fingertips with your very own set of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, the best selling cookbooks by Jennifer Eloff, the famous George Stella and several other incredibly talented low-carb cooks. Click the link above to see a preview of what awaits you in these wonderful cookbooks. You can order the 5-volume set, or individual volumes, regular binding or coil binding at Amazon or here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. trimmed chuck, round or sirloin, sliced ½” thick, pounded to tenderize

1/3 c. homemade mayonnaise (if commercial mayo, may require more)

1 T. coconut oil (or oil of your choice)

2 oz. pork rinds, crushed fine

½ tsp. seasoning of your choice, I use my Seafood Spice Blend

1 c. water

½ c. heavy cream

1/8 tsp. black pepper

DIRECTIONS: Crush pork rinds fine and stir in spice seasoning. Place into shallow bowl with a spoon for applying and set aside while you prepare the meat. Trim meat of all visible fat and gristle along the edges. If using chuck or sirloin that is very thick, slice it laterally if need be to to create pieces about ½ thick. Preheat oven to 425º. Cut meat into 4 portions and pound the pieces with a meat cleaver or mallet to tenderize it a bit. Heat oil in skillet and sear meat on both sides until lightly browned, sprinkling lightly with black pepper as it sears. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP AND ATTEMPT TO COAT MEAT RAW DIRECTLY WITH COATING. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE, YOU WILL NOT BE PLEASED WITH YOUR SOGGY RESULTS! You don’t want to cook the meat DONE, just sear the surface to seal in the juices. Remove from heat.

Pour mayo into a saucer and using a brush, holding the HOT meat on one tip with tongs or a fork (I use tiny ice bucket tongs), coat both sides of each piece of meat well with mayo (don’t miss any spots!). Then move over to the bowl of crushed pork rinds and using a spoon, spoon the rinds over both sides of the meat. You’ll get decent coverage without any one piece getting excess. I have found that if you just dip the meat into the rinds, it “grabs” more coating than is necessary, resulting in not having enough rinds to finish the job at hand and you will then have to crush more (been there; done that) and increase calories. 🙂 Place the coated meat directly onto a METAL baking sheet, preferably non-stick. DO NOT line with silicone sheet or use a glass dish it won’t crisp properly. Pop into preheated 425º oven and bake about 20 minutes or until browned to your liking.

As the meat is cooking, make your cream gravy. Add 1 c. water to the skillet you seared the meat in and over low heat, over low heat, completely de-glaze all the tasty brown bits off the bottom of the skillet by scraping with a spatula. Add the cream and simmer over very low heat to reduce and thicken. This adds both color and flavor to your gravy. Add a dash of black pepper and salt to taste. If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can slightly thicken with your preferred thickener, like a light dusting of xanthan gum whisked in.

Serve with gravy dipped over meat. This goes well with many of your favorite vegetable dishes. I hope you enjoy this “national” staple of Texas!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes four 4-oz servings, each contains:

471.3 calories, 30.8 g fat, 1.9 g carbs, .03 g fiber, 1.87 g NET CARBS, 45 g protein, 356 mg sodium

Sep 17 2016

Chipotle Jicama Hash

If anyone had told me what I concocted one day for lunch would have been as good as it was, I would have said “Noooooo, Waaay”. But I’m here to tell you it was just DELICIOIUS! I’ll be making this dish often. So easy, so quick and so good! My husband liked this, too, and he’s not so fond of jicama. This dish reminds me a little of German Potato Salad, but jicama is somewhat crunchy. Jicama, although lower in carbs than potatoes, is still fairly carb-y. Substituting rutabaga will eliminate the crunchy quality jicama has if that bothers you, but will make the dish higher in carbs. Using diced turnips will pull down the carbs even lower and remain soft. In all honesty, the pièce de resistance here wasn’t the hash itself, but the chipotle mayo that went on top! I daubed 2 T. over the top of my serving of hash and just sort of spread it around with my fork. You could of course toss the entire batch in a large bowl with the 4 T. of mayo if you prefer. But I feared that wouldn’t take as pretty a picture here. Because this dish is slightly higher in carbs than most of my entrees, it may be difficult to fit this in to your menu during Atkins Induction. However all foods in it are suitable for Induction. It would perhaps be better to wait and have this when you get to Phase 2 OWL. This dish meets Paleo & Primal guidelines.

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Chipotle mayonnaise

INGREDIENTS:

4 slices bacon, chopped coarsely

12 oz. jicama, peeled and diced small

4 oz. purple onion, chopped

1 oz. green bell pepper (or poblano), seeded & chopped

4 T. my Chipotle Mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS: Brown the bacon in a non-stick skillet over high heat. Remove solids to paper toweling to drain. In the remaining bacon grease, saute the chopped onion and jicama until the onion is tender, caramelizing and the jicama is browning (the jicama will remain somewhat crunchy). Add the bell pepper toward the end of cooking and cook the hash just until the bell pepper is tender. Plate the hash onto 2 plates and serve each dabbed with with 2 T. chipotle mayo. If you prefer more mayo on your portion, you will need to recalculate the stats below to include any additional mayo used.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings of hash, each contains:

547 calories, 48 g fat, 21.15 g carbs, 9.4 g fiber, 11.75 g NET CARBS, 3.8 g protein, 482 mg sodium