Chicken “Risotto”

This tasty dinner came together in under an hour, start to sitting down to table.  I always buy chicken breasts with bones, as I stew the bones to strip for adding those bits of meat to my dog’s food and making chicken broth.  But you can certainly use boneless breasts for this dish if you wish to speed up this quick meal even more.  This risotto-like dish is very psychologically satisfying, as well as being literally quite filling.  My husband and I felt like we were eating a real rice or cous-cous dish!  It is extremely low-carb and suitable for all phases of Atkins, other Keto diets, Primal Blueprint and if the wine and cheese are omitted, it is also acceptable for Paleo followers.

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INGREDIENTS:

5 T. butter, unsalted

20 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or seasoning of your choice)

¼ tsp. black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 c. chopped parsley (I used flat leaf, but either type will work)

2 T. white wine (optional)

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 pkg (14 oz) Zeroodles brand Shirataki Rice-Shape Noodles w/ oat fiber

4 T. grated Parmesan Cheese (added at table)

DIRECTIONS:  Melt butter in large skillet over high heat.  Add chicken strips and begin to brown.  As it is browning, sprinkle with half the Seafood Spice Blend, salt and black pepper. Turn the pieces of meat over and brown the other side.  Sprinkle remaining spices on the side of meat now up.  When meat has nicely browned a bit on both sides, add in the parsley, garlic and wine (if using).  Lower heat to medium and stir occasionally as it simmers for about 5-10 minutes.  Open noodle package and drain in a sieve under running cold water to rinse.  Pour noodles into skillet and stir to blend ingredients well.  Continue cooking another 10 minutes and remove from heat.  Serve at table allowing each serving to receive 1 T. grated Parmesan on top.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

365.3 cals, 22.9g fat, 5.95g carbs, 4.42g fiber, 1.53g NET CARBS, 31.1g protein, 590 mg sodium

 

 

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Cheesy Crawfish-Yellow Squash Casserole

This casserole came out delicious.  The blanched kale “platters” were an afterthought, but I figured at the very least, it would  make a lovely photo.  Maybe they would even be good together.  Good decision!  Even my husband thought they complimented each other and what a lovely color contrast as well!

This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, and Primal as well, provided you use a phase or plan suitable bread.  You can use other spice blends, but the one called for is particularly crucial to the final Cajun flavor on this dish.  It helps to mellow any fishiness the crawfish might have.  Sometimes they can be strong.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also offer a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! Special pricing going on right now on the 10-volume set, or you can order just one volume if you prefer from Amazon or our direct order site for sale pricing: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1 c. celery, chopped

¼ c. each red and green bell pepper, chopped

2 oz. onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 small yellow squash (about 6″ long)

¼ tsp. salt

12 oz. crawfish tail meat (I buy Boudreaux’s frozen)

2 slices my gluten-free focaccia bread (or plan/phase suitable bread)

4 slices American Deluxe cheese

2 slices Cheddar cheese, diced or shredded

1½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend (or Emeril’s seafood blend)

DIRECTIONS:  Cut squash lengthwise into 4 quarters.  Then slice the wedges into ½” slices.  Chop the celery, onion, red and green pepper coarsely.   Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium high heat.  Saute the vegetables altogether just until about half tender (they’ll finish cooking in the oven.  Add garlic, Seafood Spice Blend and salt.  Stir and saute a couple minutes longer.  Add crawfish tails, stir & turn off heat.  Crumble one of the slices of focaccia into the mixture. Stir to mix.  Place 4 slices of American cheese on the top of the mixture.  Crumble the second slice of bread over the top and finally top with the diced/shredded Cheddar.  Place lid or foil on top and pop into 350º oven for about 30 minutes or until top bread crumbs and cheese just begin to brown.   Serve directly from the skillet the casserole baked in or as I did, atop blanched leaves of kale (submerged 2 min. in boiling water, removed gently and drained on paper towels).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 servings, each contains: (not including kale option)

237.5 calories

20.71 g fat

7.15 g carbs, 1.60 g fat, 5.55 g NET CARBS

19.7 g protein

724 mg sodium

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Beef-Eggplant Curry

Beef Eggplant Curry

This is a quick, tasty and wonderful way to use up leftover beef pot roast (chuck).  I made it again for dinner last night so I thought I’d share again for new followers to try.  This one’s a keeper, both for ease of prep and incredible flavor layers!  We are always pleased with this quick curry.  What it lacks in photogenic qualities, it gains in taste!  Using the Garam Masala spice mixture makese it taste more Indian; the Baharat makes it taste more Middle Eastern.  This dish can also be made with lamb.  I love how easy most Indian curries are to prepare!  This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto and Primal-Paleo as well.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Order your 10-volume set TODAY for special set pricing! (available individually also) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. olive oil or coconut oil

2 c. cooked beef (or lamb), trimmed of fat, cut in ½” dice (or use ground meat)

6 oz. eggplant (I used Japanese purple eggplant), cut in 1″ cubes

3 oz. onion, diced large

½ c. red bell pepper, chopped (omit for lower carbs)

½ c. cilantro, cut roughly

1 large tomato, cut in 1″ cubes (2 oz.)

2 tsp. my Garam Masala Spice blend (or 1 tsp. Baharat Spice Blend)

1/4 tsp. curry powder

1/8 tsp. turmeric

Dash salt

½-1 c. water (beef stock if you have some is better)

OPTIONAL:  ½ tsp. crushed fenugreek leaves if available

DIRECTIONS:   Cut up meat, eggplant and onion as indicated above. Heat oil in non-stick skillet over hi heat.  Add onion and slightly brown.  Add eggplant and continue to saute, stirring often.  Add beef and brown a bit.  Add cilantro, tomato and all spices.  Add water as needed to just barely surround meat.  Lower heat.  You don’t want this soupy, but add more water as you cook the dish if all evaporates.  Simmer on medium heat about 15 minutes to allow flavor to mingle.  Serve on cauli-rice, cauli-mash, toasted low-carb bread or muffins, or eat it straight up!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

237 cals. , 12.5g fat, 7.05g carbs, 2.77g fiber, 4.28g NET CARBS, 24g protein, 107 mg sodium

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Mediterranean Meat Wraps

(On a homemade Flour tortilla)

These wonderful little meat patties were ready in just 15 minutes!  I most DEFINITELY liked the flavor and confess I ate two of them they were so good.  I served them with some tzatziki yogurt sauce and a lovely Greek salad.  The leftovers, 2 days later, ended up in the sandwiches you see pictured above.  The flavor of the leftover meat seemed to have improved on the refrigerator shelf!  This meat mixture would also make great meatballs and be great added to Mediterranean casserole dishes with eggplant, tomatoes and feta. I already had some low-carb no-flour tortillas made up so the sandwich you see above was on the table in no time.  This recipe can also be made with beef or lamb and is suitable for all phases of Atkins.  Primal-Paleo folks can eat this meat on a Greek salad or plan-suitable “wrap”.  When used in wraps, my delicious tzatziki sauce is also very good on these sandwiches, particularly with a little extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top!   Click here for the recipe for the tortilla wraps.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella, myself and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Order your 10-volume set TODAY! (available individually also) from Amazon or find special sales pricing at: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. lean ground pork (ground beef or lamb are more traditional)

about 1/3 c. kale (what I could easily pick up in 1 hand with my fingertips)

about ¼ c. parsley

1 oz. onion

1 clove garlic

½ jalapeno, seeded and chopped fine

¼ c. feta cheese, crumbled

Dash each salt and black pepper

1/8 tsp. Homemade Cavender’s Greek Seasoning

1 T. my chimichurri sauce

1 medium egg

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

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

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

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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 made small cut frozen green bean pieces (to lower carbs) and then served on a bed of shredded, sauteed cabbage.  I think I may even like it that way better than over the traditional basmati rice!    The nutritional info below does not include the cabbage (or rice).  My husband and I found my first attempt at Kheema Matar, which we have often had at Indian restaurants, to be pretty darn good!  It has rapidly moved into my quick and easy recipes category.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella, myself and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.   Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or use our direct order site for special sales going on right now: http://amongfriends.us/order.php 

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. ground beef, lamb or goat

1 T. olive or coconut oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove minced garlic

½ tsp. minced ginger

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. salt

2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped

½ c. frozen cut green beans, cut again into halves

1 carrot, cut into small dice

2 T. chopped cilantro

2 T. chopped fresh mint (I use spearmint)

½ jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1½ tsp. my Garam Masala

OPTIONAL:  Add 1/2-1 c. chicken stock and simmer a bit for a moist gravy.  Thicken a bit with your favorite thickener if desired.

DIRECTIONS:  Place carrots and green bean pieces in small amount of water in saucepan and cook just until tender crisp.  Add oil to large skillet.  Brown chopped onion.  Add meat and break apart as it browns.  Add garlic, tomatoes, jalapeno and all spices except mint and cilantro.  Lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 15-20 minutes until tomatoes and onion well cooked.  Now add the drained carrot/bean mixture, cilantro and mint and stir well.  Cover again and cook additional 5-10 minutes or so for flavors to blend well.  Serve atop bed of shredded stir-fried cabbage (my preference) or basmati rice for those non-low-carbers at your table.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 4, each serving contains: (does not include cabbage base)

187 calories, 23.8 g  fat, 7.55 g carbs, 2.38 g fiber, 5.17 NET CARBS, 23.8 g  protein, 620 mg sodium

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Skillet Pizza

Skillet Pizza (for 1)

I’m currently revisiting Atkins Induction for a “reset” and remembered this delicious recipe that literally got me through Atkins Induction 10 years ago.  I’ve tried so many of the popular low-carb pizza crust recipes and just don’t like but a few that I have developed or tried in the interim.  A lot of sodium in pizza toppings.  Even this amount of sausage and cheese packs a whopping amount of sodium, as seen in the nutritional stats below!  But hey, when you’re still on Induction and craving pizza, this’ll do occasionally.  Best of all, it can be ready in 10-15 minutes!  Moreover, I don’t end up with “sausage fingers” and swollen ankles the next day from water retention due to the sodium in most low-carb crust recipes.  I’m so sodium sensitive, I leave off pepperoni from my pizzas as a rule.  Just increase ingredients accordingly if you need more servings.

Now this “pizza” isn’t one you can pick up and eat with your hands.  Even as it cools a bit and the cheese firms up, you’ll still have to eat with a fork.  So I don’t do this recipe for company.  🙂  But I find not being able to pick it up and eat by hand doesn’t bother me one bit.  This tastes just like the best sausage, mushroom, bell pepper pizza I ever had in any Italian restaurant or pizza parlor!  You may prefer to use all sausage or all beef, your call, but nutritional info is for the recipe as written.  If watching your sodium intake on doctor’s orders, using all ground beef and also lowering the cheese to 2 oz. would be wise choices.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Order your set TODAY! Special pricing going on right now, too!  Books are always available individually or as a set from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

Ready to dig in!

2 oz. pork sausage (breakfast or Italian)

1 oz. ground beef (or more pork sausage)

¼ tsp. fennel seed

Dash oregano

Sprinkle of garlic and onion powder

1/3 can drained, canned mushrooms (or 2 fresh, sliced)

2 oz. bell pepper

3 T. low carb spaghetti sauce (I use Bello Vita)

2 oz. grated mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS: Brown meat in no-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add veggies and continue to cook until pretty tender, about 5 minutes.  Add spices and stir.  Using spoon or spatula, neatly push ingredients away from the edges of the skillet as shown in picture.  Dot the surface with the tomato sauce but no need to stir.  Top with the cheese, trying to keep it pretty much on the ingredients.  Cover and lower heat to lowest setting and heat long enough to melt cheese.   Should be ready in just a few minutes.  Allow to cool a couple minutes so cheese will firm up a tad before attempting to “slice” into two slices.  Using a broad spatula, slide a portion out of the skillet onto the serving plate (or toasted French bread, for non-Atkins eaters). Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Serves 1 and contains:

531 cals, 39.3g fat, 11.2g carbs, 2.9g fiber, 8.1g NET CARBS, 34 g  protein, 1312 mg sodium

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Momma’s Baked Chicken

This was the baked chicken I was raised on.  Throughout my childhood, I disliked intensely the taste of vinegar.  Wouldn’t eat pickles, wouldn’t eat pickled vegetables, wouldn’t eat salads or even condiments that contained vinegar.  But man, when my mom made this baked chicken, I just could not believe I watched her douse it with such an “evil” ingredient  and LIKED IT!!!  The natural red grape sugar in the red wine vinegar caramelizes under high heat and gives the chicken skin such a sweet, tangy taste.  The pan juices make a lovely gravy/baste for the drier breast meat.   Fortunately, my taste has changed over the years and I will now consume vinegar without hesitation, provided the food isn’t drowning in vinegar.  🙂

This recipe can be used on a split/butterflied/spatchcocked chicken as pictured, or you and cut the chicken up into pieces.  This method is delicious on Rock Cornish Hens, too.  It is also excellent for BBQ’ing of the chicken, and even for BBQ pork.  This recipe is perfectly suited to all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo as well.

Many more delicious recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me, included).  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site with special discount pricing right now: http://amongfriends.us/order.php.

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

6 T.  melted butter

3 T. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter)

1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper

THAT’S IT!!

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 400º.  Place butter in baking pan (I use a metal pan) as the oven is heating up.  Remove pan and add red wine vinegar to the butter, as well as the salt and pepper.  Prepare the chicken.  You can either split the chicken up the back with kitchen shears and spread it out as shown above, or cut the bird up into quarters or single pieces.  Using a brush, baste the pieces of chicken all over.  Sprinkle lightly with the salt and pepper and pop into hot oven for about an hour (less time for smaller birds, a little more for the butterflied bird shown) or until golden brown and reaches internal temp of 170º at the joint where the thigh meets the torso and in the thickest part of the breast.  I like to baste the chicken once or twice during cooking for the tastiest result on the skin.  I’m a skin fan, so that’s real important to me.  My husband just rips it off and hands it to me.  That works out just great, huh?  🙂 Remove from oven and serve at once with your favorite sides.  Be sure to put a spoon or brush into the pan for diners to baste their meat with the buttery juices if they wish (or pour the juices into a gravy boat).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  These numbers are for the baste/sauce only.  You will have to add in the values for whatever pieces of chicken you eat.  Makes enough for 10 pieces of chicken (1 whole l cut-up chicken).  Each portion of the sauce, assuming you even eat that much of the sauce, has:

62 calories, 6.9 g fat, 0.02 g carbs,  0.00 g fiber, .02 g NET CARBS, 0.13 g protein (add in your piece of chicken)

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