Twice-Baked Portobello ‘Potatoes’

I’m going to make these again tonight to go with our grilled rib-eye steaks.  We just love these.  So glad I tried this veggie combo so I can feel like I’m eating “high on the hog” as my Dad used to say.  Of course, you can use homemade mashed cauliflower, but the Birdseye was so good, and so convenient, why would you bother?  😉  This side dish is suitable for all stages of Atkins, Keto plans, Paleo and Primal as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3  Portobello mushrooms (mine were 3-oz. each)

3 T. olive oil

12 oz. pkg. frozen Mashed Cauliflower (I used Birdseye), Sour Cream & Chive

1 T. unsalted butter

¼ c. green onion, chopped

¼ c. Cheddar Cheese shreds

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a pan with parchment (optional).  Using a spoon, scoop the dark gills out of the mushrooms.  With a basting brush, brush both sides of the mushrooms with olive oil.  Set them curved side down on the pan.  Pop them in oven for about 8-9 minutes.

While they are pre-cooking, cook the cauli-mash as instructed on the box.  I microwaved mine.  Remove film from tray and stir in the butter to mix and melt.  Remove mushroom pan from the oven and spoon 1/3 of the mixture into each of the 3 mushrooms.  Top each with 1/3 of the Cheddar cheese shreds.  Finally, sprinkle the green onion evenly on all 3 servings.  Return the mushroom pan to the oven and bake about 10 minutes more or just until cheese is melted.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

297 cals, 22.3g fat, 7.06g carbs, 2.33g fiber, 4.73g NET CARBS, 4.6g. protein, 261 mg sodium

Mushroom-Hemp Heart Pilaf

This recipe came about when I received my first order of  Zeroodle brand Shirataki (Rice Shape) “noodles” with Oat Fiber.  I swear by oat fiber.  It brings so much flour taste to baked goods; to shirataki noodles, it brings an improved opacity and texture.  Plus this type of shirataki does not have any of the off-putting rubber band smelling packaging water! The water these come in is odorless.  That’s a triple win in my book!  I like these MUCH better than tofu shirataki noodles, heretofore my favorite low-carb noodle substitute.  When cooked up with the right ingredients, these seem very similar to a classic risotto or rice pilaf/cous-cous dish.

My recipe’s inspiration was Barbo’s recipe for Mushroom Miracle Risotto posted recently on Low Carb Neighborhood forums.  Her recipe is more of a classic Italian risotto with cream and Parmesan cheese for richness.  Mine is more of a typical rice pilaf with a secret spice ingredient, as I wanted it to serve this alongside a delicious grilled Steelhead trout we did tonight. I can see this “risotto” being a great side for wild game or fowl.  I will be trying that application real soon!

I introduced hemp hearts to my pilaf for a slightly nuttier taste and some parsley, as I love it in such things.  I also threw in a bit of my Seafood Spice Blend so it would compliment the grilled fish we had tonight.   Man, was this mélange ever tasty!!  Even my picky husband, who doesn’t like shirataki noodles at all, loved this pilaf with the grilled fish!  He gave me the green light to fix this again any old time!

Our latest three volumes of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you. Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes! Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is hot off the press with more delectable goodies. Special prices going on right now as all proceeds are going to help team leader Jen pay off some big medical bills resulting from cancer surgery. Hurry and place your order today for one or more of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/sale.php or at Amazon. After your book(s) arrive, and you’ve had an opportunity to try a recipe, do stop by and leave a review at Amazon here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. unsalted butter

5 large mushrooms, chopped coarsely

½ c. green onion, chopped

2 T. parsley, chopped

½-1 clove garlic

1/8-¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

¼ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

¼ c. + 2 T. hemp hearts

14.11 oz. pkg. Zeroodle brand Shirataki Rice Shape with Oat Fiber

DIRECTIONS:  Pour shirataki rice into strainer and rinse with cold water.  Set aside.  In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat and saute chopped mushrooms, green onion, garlic and parsley.  Add salt, pepper and Seafood Spice Blend (linked above).  Saute 2-3 minutes. Now add in the drained shirataki rice and the hemp hearts.  Stir-fry a couple more minutes and serve at once.   Doesn’t get any easier!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

51 cals, 12.4g fat, 7.82g carbs, 6.22g fiber, 1.6g NET CARBS, 8.3g protein, 156 mg sodium

Cabbage Trifecta

This colorful triple cabbage side dish was most delicious with our broiled chicken last night.  I have always loved cabbage.  My husband, on the other hand, isn’t a big fan.  He’ll eat it, but gripes the entire meal.  But he dipped up seconds of this veggie side!  He “says” he doesn’t LIKE cabbage, but I prove him wrong on this regularly.  He prefers his cabbage raw in coleslaw.  In fact he LOVES coleslaw!  So maybe I got enough bacon in this recipe to disguise the flavor he finds offensive in cooked cabbage.  I know it was just right for my palate.  🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal and Paleo eating programs.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage

2 c. shredded green cabbage

1 c. shredded purple cabbage

3 oz. onion, sliced thin

5 slices bacon, cut in 1″ pieces

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Brown bacon in large skillet or wok until it begins to get crisp.  Add onion and saute until it begins to brown/caramelize.  Add green cabbage and saute until it begins to go limp.  Add napa cabbage and only saute a couple minutes until barely gets limp.  Add purple cabbage last so it won’t discolor too much.  Volume will reduce during cooking with cabbage. Sprinkle on the pepper, stir well and spoon up into your serving dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 1-cup servings (after wilting down), each contains:

193 cals, 16.2g fat, 7.37g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 5.12g NET CARBS, 5.65g protein, 324 mg sodium

Spinach Parmesan Bake

This has been a very popular side dish on my blog.  It is simple to make and I’m very please with the resulting flavor profile.  It went very nicely with our boneless baked rosemary-onion pork steaks tonight.   I did put 3 large sliced mushrooms in this, but they added absolutely nothing to the flavor impact, so I won’t include them again and I’m not including those in my recipe here.  This dish is Induction acceptable.  Popeye himself would brag on the nutritional stats for a serving of this spinach dish!

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. olive oil

2 oz. onion, chopped

Dash salt

10 oz. box frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 oz. cream cheese

2 oz. heavy cream

1/3 c. homemade mayonnaise

2 large eggs

3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

With Chicken Added for a meal!

VARIATION:   Add 2 c. chopped raw, boneless chicken meat to the skillet with the onion and turn this side dish into a delicious meal.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet over med-high heat.  Add onion and salt and saute the onion until tender.  Add the drained spinach and cook a few minutes, stirring several times.  Lower heat to medium.  Cut the cream cheese into little chunks and melt and stir it into the warm spinach.  Add mayonnaise and stir well.  Turn off heat.  Beat the eggs in a bowl with the cream and pour it evenly over the top of the spinach.  Top with Parmesan and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350º.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

420 calories, 38 g  fat, 6.78 g  carbs, 2.75 g  fiber, 4.03 NET CARBS, 15.28 g  protein, 622 mg sodium

Pork Loin in Mushroom-Wine Sauce

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

INGREDIENTS: 

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

¼ tsp. my Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

3 T. butter

6 large mushrooms, cut into quarters

1 clove minced garlic

Dash black pepper and sea salt

¼ c. white wine (I used Riesling)

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

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

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

 

 

Ham & Veggie Terrine

Dinner was kind of fun to make tonight.  And isn’t this one colorful?!  I don’t own a ceramic loaf pan anymore, so I just used my metal 8″x4″ lined with parchment. to prepare this recipe.  This dish is quick to make and quite delicious, not to mention nutritious with all those veggies in it.  A quick cut, sauté and fill the mold is all there is to it!  You could serve this tasty dish for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.  Paleo and Primal followers will want to sub in coconut milk for the cream here.  Omit the ham and you vegetarians can even enjoy this one!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large carrot, peeled, sliced thin

2 5″ zucchini (about 10 oz.), sliced thin

1 leek, washed well of dirt and sliced thin

3 T. olive oil

Dash sea salt and coarse black pepper

¼ tsp. garlic powder or 1 small clove garlic, minced

4 extra large eggs, beaten (or 5 large eggs)

2 T. coconut flour

3 T. oz. heavy cream, divided

5 T. water, total

1½ c. cooked, cured ham (omit for a vegetarian version)

VARIATION:  Substitute cooked bacon for the ham

CHEESE SAUCE:  5-10 minutes before terrine is done, mix 3 T. of the water, 2 T. of the cream in small saucepan set into larger saucepan (or use double boiler) and heat.  Add 4 slices American Deluxe or Cheddar Cheese.  Stir and blend until cheese is melted and all is incorporated into a smooth sauce.  Pour into serving bowl when terrine is out of oven, sliced and ready to serve.  Sauce will thicken fast, so do not dip it up one minutes before you need it.

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a metal or ceramic 4×8″ loaf pan with parchment.  I don’t line the ends of the pan and just oil there lightly.  Set aside for now.  Stem and slice up all veggies.  I used a food processor for uniform, thin slice. Heat olive oil in wok or large skillet.  Add veggies, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Sauté stirring often over medium-high heat until veggies are tender but not mushy.  Stir in sliced/diced ham.  Turn off heat.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs, remaining 1 T. cream and remaining 2 T. water until smooth.  Add coconut flour.  Stir again.  Pour over veggies and stir well to blend.  With rubber spatula, scrape mixture into parchment-prepared pan.  Trim off excess paper above top of pan but leave a bit for “handles”. Pop into 350º oven for about 40 minutes.  Check at 30 min. as ovens do vary.  Top will be lightly golden and center should be firm (not damp) when touched.  Do not over brown as terrine will be dry if overcooked.  Remove from oven, run knife along ends of pan and lift out  of pan holding the paper, tipping onto your platter.  Slice into 6 slices (about 1″-1¼” thick).  Serve with cheese sauce (or some other favorite sauce if you prefer)

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings, each contains (including 1½ T. sauce):

288 cals, 21 g fat, 6.88g carbs, 1.48g fiber, 5.4g NET CARBS, 18.6g protein, 689mg sodium

Kale Mango Mint Salad

This colorful little salad came out yummy at dinner last night!  I would have rather used walnuts, but was out, so I made do with pecans.  They were good, but will use walnuts next time.  The onion and garlic tang along with the mint in the dressing are what pull this mango delight together in the flavor department.  This takes minutes to prepare and your family will love you for making them one of these salads.  Just increase the ingredients for the number of servings you need.  This recipe is for just one salad.  This recipe is not suitable until you get nearly to goal weight, as the mango is carb-y.  Strawberries could be subbed in for the mango to pull this down in carbs.

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 cup curly kale, stemmed & torn into small pieces

1 oz. mango, peeled and chopped

1 oz. jicama, peeled and chopped

1 tsp. onion slivers (I used red onion)

5 walnut or pecan halves, broken in half again

GARLIC MINT DRESSING INGREDIENTS:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

½ clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. dried mint (or 2 tsp. fresh chopped)

Dash each salt and black pepper

VARIATION:   Substitute 2 sliced strawberries for the mango to lower carbs.  You could also sub in roasted sunflower seeds roasted pumpkin seeds for the walnuts/pecans.

DIRECTIONS:  Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Set aside to make the base salad.  Stem kale and cut up the leafy part coarsely (not too fine or it’s more difficult to eat with your fork.  Place on service plate.  Peel mango and chop into small bites.  Add mango to greens.  Cut off about 1 oz. jicama, peel and chop into bite-size bits.  Add on top of greens evenly.  Sliver the thinnest possible bits of  (preferably red) onion and sprinkle on top.  Add broken nuts halves and drizzle salad dressing on top.  Serve and enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 1 individual salad which contains:

245 cals, 19.2g fat, 17.8g carbs, 4.2g fiber, 13.6g NET CARBS, 3.5g protein, 190mg sodium

Avocado Dressing

We grilled rib-eye steaks last night and I whipped up a delightful avocado dressing for our salad.  It was perfect with our steaks!  It only took 5 minutes to make and really pleased my husband!  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ripe avocado, skinned, seeded

3 T. sour cream

3 T. my Shawarma Mayonnaise (or other homemade mayo)

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Place all ingredients in small bowl or whipping container for your stick blender.  Blend until smooth.  You can also use a large blender to do this job.  Spoon into a serving dish and slather atop your favorite green salad mix or taco salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings (possibly 5), each of 4 servings contains:

168 cals, 19g fat, 4.42g carbs, 2.97g fiber, 1.45g NET CARBS, 1.5g protein, 102mg sodium

Mashed Cauliflower (Foolproof!)

Although I have been mashing cauliflower since I began low-carbing in 2009, I only recently discovered a way to really firm up this ever-popular dish, as they can mash up a little “soupy” if you get in a rush.  That secret ingredient is glucomannan powder, derived from the konjac tuber.  Although a bit pricey, a bag of this stuff will last you a year (or longer!), as you use such tiny amounts in cakes, cookies and puddings for thickening or texture enhancing of your baked goods.  In this recipe, only ¼-½ tsp. is needed to do the job.  Glucomannan is what they make shirataki noodles from (konjac tuber) if you were not aware.  I purchase mine at Netrition.com and like I said, it doesn’t spoil and a bag will last you ages and ages.  It’s pure fiber and will do wonders for your mashed cauli if you have problems with moisture bleeding out of the cauliflower after whipping, resulting in a “soupy” batch.  It is also said to help maintain steady blood glucose levels, so a good food for my Type2 diabetic husband to consume regularly.  This mashed cauliflower makes a wonderful Shepherd’s Pie topping!  Suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium head cauliflower

4 T. butter

2 T. cream cheese

1/8-¼ tsp. sea salt

1/8-¼ tsp. glucomannan powder

VARIATION:   Add 2-4 T. heavy cream for even richer results

DIRECTIONS:   Stem and cut up cauliflower into flowerettes.  Place in 4-qt. saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil.  Lower heat to medium and cook until very tender when poked with a knife or fork.  Drain off water in a colander or sieve.  After water is drained, using the back of a spoon, press the cauliflower against the wall of the colander or sieve to press out even more water until most appears to be released.  Spoon back into the saucepan.

Add the butter cheese and salt and whip with a hand mixer or stick blender until very smooth.  Add ¼ tsp. of the glucomannan and pulse the blender/mixer a few seconds.  If still a pretty loose mixture add the rest of the gluc powder, whipping once again to incorporate it throughout the mixture.  The mixture will continue to firm up a little more as it sits on your table.  You don’t want to overdo gluc powder, as it will REALLY get stiff if you put too much!  Any leftovers on this dish are fantastic great reheated with a bit of chopped green onion and cheese on top. 😉

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings, each contains: (not including any heavy cream)

109 calories, 11.36 g fat, 5.26 g carbs, 2.45 g fiber, 2.81 g NET CARBS, 2.35 g protein, 96.33 g sodium

Kale 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.  This just might be a good dish to try on those kale and cabbage haters among you, as neither tasted like themselves.  I can’t say enough about how good this colorful, tasty combo is!  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:  Heat the bacon grease over high heat in a large stew pot and saute the onion until caramelized in the fat.  When they just begin to brown, 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 cals, 3.04g  fat, 9.92g carbs, 2.42g fiber, 7.5g NET CARBS, 2.48g protein, 60 mg sodium

 

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing

We grilled rib-eye steaks last night and I whipped up a delightful avocado dressing for our salad.  It was perfect with our steaks!  It only took 5 minutes to make and really pleased my husband!  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.

Our latest two LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks, Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order.  Or you can order these or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.

When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leaving a review. Review here

INGREDIENTS:

1 ripe avocado, skinned, seeded

3 T. sour cream

3 T. my Shawarma Mayonnaise (or other homemade mayo)

1 T. red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Place all ingredients in small bowl or whipping container for your stick blender.  Blend until smooth.  You can also use a large blender to do this job.  Spoon into a serving dish and slather atop your favorite green salad mix.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings (possibly 5), each of 4 servings contains:

168 cals, 19g fat, 4.42g carbs, 2.97g fiber, 1.45g NET CARBS, 1.5g protein, 102mg sodium

Cucumber Salad with Hemp Seed Oil-Ranch® Dressing

I have recently found cold-pressed organic hemp seed oil in my local Walmart (Carrington Frams brand).  I have read that it (along with flax seed oil) is one of nature’s perfect healthy oils, with a near perfect balance of Omega 3 and Omega 6 oil and other needed amino acids.  To get the daily needed balance, you would only have to consume 2-4 tsp. a day.  A serving of my Ranch®-like dressing here has 3 tsp. (1 T.) per serving, so job done!  I didn’t find the oil to have much flavor, slightly nutty, which reminded me of the taste of flax oil.  I plan to keep it in the refrigerator to prevent its going rancid so fast ( as flax seed oil does).   This will add yet another delicious, healthy oil to my arsenal of oils for salads.  DO NOT HEAT/COOK with this oil as it loses a lot of nutrients if heated.  This recipe is suitable for all Atkins phases, Keto diets, Primal and Paleo.

Our latest LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8 and soon-to-be-released Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included are a few tasty new creations of my friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  For estimated October delivery on Vol. 9, order it or any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php or at Amazon.  LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER:  Currently we have a special offer on a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this incredible bargain!

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. cut up cucumber

6 tiny San Marzano tomatoes, cut into pieces (or cherry tomatoes)

2 T. hemp seed oil

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. my Ranch® Powder blend

Dash salt

DIRECTIONS:  Mix last 4 ingredients in a small ramekin and stir well.  Cut cucumber and tomato up and place in small serving bowl.  Drizzle dressing over all and stir well.  Chill 30 minutes and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 2 servings, each contains:

21 cals, 0.15g fat, 3.95g carbs, 1.2g fiber, 2.75g NET CARBS (dressing is about 1g of the 2.75g), 0g protein, trace sodium

Twice Cooked Cauliflower and Leeks

Next time you’re contemplating making the low-carber’s classic dish, Loaded Baked “Potatoes”, try using leeks sometime instead of the green onion.  WONDERFUL change!

Man, did my husband ever rant about this cauliflower dish tonight.  I have my Twice Baked “Potatoes” that uses green onion, but leeks are much milder!  I used half a large leek and it sliced up to made 2 c. sliced up!  I used more cream cheese than I usually do in my similar dish and decided to use American Deluxe cheese tonight instead of cheddar cheese.  WOW!  What a difference in flavor those changes made.  Who’da thunk?  🙂  Hope you give this one a try!  This recipes is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto programs.  Primal followers can enjoy this as written.  Paleo people will need to leave out the cream cheese.  It’ll taste OK, bu t not quite as rich.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

½ large head cauliflower (6-7″) cut into flowerets

3 oz. cream cheese, cut into small bits

6 T. total butter, unsalted

Dash salt (omit if using salted butter)

½ leek, sliced thinly

6 slices American Deluxe or Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Under running cold water, wash all dirt from between the leaves of the half leek.  Do this carefully, as the dirt hides on both sides of the leaves.  Nothing worse than biting into grit at the table.    Slice the leak thinly.  Melt 2 T. of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and saute leeks just until tender. Turn off heat and set aside.

Cut up the cauliflower into flowerets, place it into a 4-qt. saucepan.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.   Reduce heat and medium boil until soft, or about 15-18 minutes.  Remove from heat, pour all into a colander to drain and with a rubber spatula, mash out any water you can. Preheat oven to 350º.  Pour cauliflower back into the saucepan and drop in the cut up cream cheese.  Stir with you a rubber spatula to allow the cream cheese to melt a bit.  Add 4 of the 6 tablespoons of butter and the salt.  With a hand-held mixer or stick blender (I used the stick for mine), puree all until smooth.   Add the sauteed leek, scraping all the butter you can get into the pot.  Stir well to mix evenly.  With your rubber spatula, scrape the cauli-leek mixture into a lightly buttered baking dish (mine is about 7″x11″).  Top with 6 slices of cheese (you can shred the cheese first if you prefer).  Pop into 350º oven and bake for about 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted nicely.  This tasty dish was delightful served with butter-seared pork chops and a salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings, each contains:

259.3 cals, 23.4g fat, 6.36g carbs, 1.99g fiber, 4.48g NET CARBS, 7.7g protein, 350 mg sodium

Sofrito Zoodles

Early along in my Atkins journey, I learned that zucchini noodles not only made a great support for spaghetti sauce and to create a new twist on mac and cheese, but they could also be pretty delicious with not much added to the picture.  One of my favorite ways to serve them is just sautéed in butter and a good dousing of Parmesan cheese.  It reminds me of risotto.

When I created my version of sofrito sauce, I found it to be delicious on just a plate of zoodles.  These healthy “noodles” are delicious alongside a variety of meats and seafood.   Their flavor profile is most adaptable to what you are serving.  Last night I served them with broiled shrimp.  They will also serve as a foundation for a number of delicious meat stir-fries, Bolognese sauce, as well as numerous creamy seafood dishes I have tried on them.    They are exceedingly quick to make and Induction friendly on Atkins or Keto program.  This recipe is also acceptable for Primal or Paleo followers.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large zucchini (about 16 ounces)

2 T. unsalted butter

2 T. my Sofrito sauce

2 T. Parmesan cheese (finely grated)

VARIATION:  Use yellow summer squash instead of zucchini (or any combination of the two).  For added color impact, you could add some carrot you have run through the noodler.

DIRECTIONS:   Form the zucchini noodles in your preferred noodling tool.  I used my hand-held Vegetti® for this task as my larger Spirooli® broke irreparably not long ago.  I like the little Vegetti®!  I understand they make an electric Vegetti® now, but I’ve not seen them in the stores yet.  Saw it on the internet.  But the hand held model works just fine.  You will end up with about 3½-4 c. zucchini noodles.  Depending on your tool, you may want to cut them shorter with a knife (I did).    Place on a clean kitchen towel and pat/press to absorb all the water.  Wait a few minutes and press again to dry them well of their water.

Heat a non-stick skillet and melt the butter.  Add the noodles and with a large kitchen fork, stir them gently just until they go limp and translucent.  Add the Sofrito sauce and mix well.  Remove from heat and dip into a serving dish or onto plates.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top either in your serving dish or allow your diners to add it themselves at the table.  Enjoy!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings (about 3/4 c. each after shrinkage).  Each serving contains:

108 cals., 8g fat, 5.95g carbs, 1.9g fiber, 3.05g NET CARBS, 3.1g protein, 60 mg sodium

Cabbage Trifecta

This colorful triple cabbage side dish was most delicious with our broiled chicken last night.  I have always loved cabbage.  My husband, on the other hand, isn’t a big fan.  He’ll eat it, but gripes the entire meal.  But he dipped up seconds of this veggie side!  He “says” he doesn’t LIKE cabbage, but I prove him wrong on this regularly.  He prefers his cabbage raw in coleslaw.  In fact he LOVES coleslaw!  So maybe I got enough bacon in this recipe to disguise the flavor he finds offensive in cooked cabbage.  I know it was just right for my palate.  🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto, Primal and Paleo eating programs.

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INGREDIENTS:

2 c. shredded napa (Chinese) cabbage

2 c. shredded green cabbage

1 c. purple cabbage

3 oz. onion, sliced thin

5 slices bacon, cut in 1″ pieces

¼ tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Brown bacon in large skillet or wok until it begins to get crisp.  Add onion and saute until it begins to brown/caramelize.  Add green cabbage and saute until it begins to go limp.  Add napa cabbage and only saute a couple minutes until barely gets limp.  Add purple cabbage last so it won’t discolor too much.  Volume will reduce during cooking with cabbage. Sprinkle on the pepper, stir well and spoon up into your serving dish.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 1-cup servings (after wilting down), each contains:

193 cals, 16.2g fat, 7.37g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 5.12g NET CARBS, 5.65g protein, 324 mg sodium

Zucchini and Leeks

Something so simple can be absolutely delicious!  It’s hard to improve on tasty fresh vegetables in their most basic form.   This side was a perfect example of that.  My husband isn’t wild about either zucchini OR leeks yet he raved about this with our BBQ chicken last night.  Said I could fix that again any old time.  I have to admit it was delicious.  I reheated the leftovers with a Salisbury Steak today for lunch and my impression of this vegetable side just grew more favorable!  🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto programs as well as Primal and Paleo diets.

Many more simple, tasty low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Volume 9, due out in October, has mostly my recipes once again.

EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Order here for estimated October delivery:  https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php

Order any of our books from Amazon  or here: amongfriends.us/order.php. There’s currently a special offer of a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this bargain!  And please, if you’ve already bought Volume 8, I sure would appreciate your taking a moment to stop by this page and leave your personal review:

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium zucchini (about 6″ long), stemmed and sliced (about 2½ c.)

1/4 large leek, washed well between leaves, sliced thinly (about 1 c.)

2 slices thick bacon, chopped coarsely

Dash coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Brown the bacon in a skillet over high heat.  Add the zucchini and saute, stirring constantly for a few minutes.  Add the leek last and saute all just until the zucchini is tender but still a bit firm. Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings each contains:

80 cals, 4.92g fat, 7.7g carbs, 2g fiber, 5.7g NET CARBS, 2.3g protein, 174mg sodium

Holy Moly Beef Guacamole Salad

I’ve been on a “salads for lunch” kick lately.  Today, I had 3 avocados getting perfectly ripe all at the same time!  So I came up with this simple dish tat was super tasty.  Guacamole salad with beef added!  We didn’t have breakfast today (quite unusual for us, actually), so by 11am, we were both ravenous.  This recipe definitely makes 3 servings, but the two of us finished off all 3 servings!  We were just famished by the time I made it!  This was not intended to be a taco salad, so we didn’t add cheese or tomato.  You could though, if you like.  It’s fun to be bad every once in awhile.  🙂  As the name implies, Holy-Moly was this salad ever good!!……..and extremely filling! Avocados are so good for you, with all their minerals and nutrients, so we try to eat them twice a week.   The fiber offsets their carbs nicely.  🙂

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, but if still on Induction, you should reduce the guacamole “dressing” on your plate, as only half an avocado is allowed during Induction.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Volume 9, due out in October, has mostly my recipes once again.

EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Order here for estimated October delivery:  https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php

Order any of our books from Amazon  or here: amongfriends.us/order.php. There’s currently a special offer of a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this bargain!  And please, if you’ve already bought Volume 8,  I sure would appreciate your taking a moment to stop by this page and leave your personal review:

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups mixed salad greens (I used Romaine and Iceberg lettuce)

3 avocados, skinned, seeds discarded

1/4 tsp. total garlic powder

1/8 tsp. sea salt

11 oz. 90% lean ground beef

1/2 tsp. chili powder blend

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium skillet over high heat brown the ground beef with 1/8 tsp. of the garlic powder and the chili powder.  Reduce to lowest heat setting to keep it warm.  Remove skin and seeds from 3 avocados.  Scoop the pulp out with a spoon and mash with a fork on a paper plate.  Add the remaining 1/8 tsp. garlic powder and sea salt to the mashed avocado and stir well.  Set aside.

Chop the lettuce(s) you have chosen to use.  Place the lettuce equally onto 3 serving plates.  Top each portion with about 1/3 of the meat mixture (reserve 3 T.).  Then spoon 1/3 of the guacamole mixture in the center of each plate.  Top each with 1 T. of the reserved meat mixture. Serve at once lest the guacamole turn dark on you.  Holy Moly is this ever good!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 3 servings, each contains:

584 calories, 48.3g fat, 18.4g carbs, 13.76g fiber, 4.64g NET CARBS, 24.63g protein, 128 mg sodium

“Lobster Salad” Salad

We bought a huge box of lobster tails at Sam’s at Christmas.  We’re down to the last two tails in the box.  Going to make a nice lobster salad for our lunch today with them.    This salad was visually appealing and its flavor matched its attractiveness on the plate.  This salad, with avocado added, is extremely filling, so I would definitely call this one a main dish.  his recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.  Paleo and Primal folks can enjoy this one as well!

INGREDIENTS:

4 c. mixed salad greens

10 leaves baby spinach

4 San Marzano mini tomatoes, sliced crosswise (or use 8 cherry tomatoes)

2 oz. red bell pepper, sliced thin

½ green onion, chopped into ½” pieces

1 ripe avocado, skin & seed removed, sliced

4 T. homemade mayonnaise, seasoned with your fav blend (I used my Shawarma Mayonnaise)

2 lobster tails (10 oz. in shell, 8 oz. meat yield total)

VARIATION:  Add some finely diced celery and a dash of cayenne pepper to the lobster salad mixture.

DIRECTIONS:  Bring a 4-qt. saucepan of water to a boil.  Drop in lobster tails and boil for about 7-8 minutes.  Remove, cool a bit and holding with a pot holder, cut the tail shell down the “belly” side and remove the meat from the shell.  Cut meat into 1/2″ bite-sized pieces and set aside for now to cool further.

While the lobster is boiling, plate your base salad greens, dividing the above vegetables equally between two serving plates.  In a small bowl, toss the cooled down lobster meat with the homemade mayo and spoon half of the mixture onto the center of the greens on each plate.  You can use a plain, unseasoned homemade mayo, but I like to use a seasoned mayo for salad dressings, particularly good that way with lobster.  Serve salads at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2 servings, each contains:

414 cals., 35.4g fat, 13g carbs, 7.25g fiber, 5.75g NET CARBS, 26.45g protein, 415 mg sodium

Chicken-Kale Salad

We baked chicken this week and earlier in the month as well, therefore I had quite a bit of leftover chicken meat in the freezer.  I decided to make an interesting salad with it for lunch today.  I’ve discovered I quite like raw kale in salads.  It’s not bitter or strong when used raw and in moderation.  But if you’re totally hung-up on not eating kale, you can certainly substitute fresh baby spinach leaves in this salad.  I would leave the baby spinach leaves whole and pinch off the stems.  This salad was surprisingly delicious and very filling.  If you are farther along in your weight-loss journey, you can add more chopped prune if you like a fruitier chicken salad.  I think it would be good with more prune, to be honest.  I always put some onion in the processor when making my homemade mayo, but if you do not, you might want to add a bit of slivered red onion to this salad.  This salad is not suitable until you are in phase 2 of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large (or 2 small) leaves curly-leaf kale (about 1 c. chopped)

4 c. cooked chicken meat, cut in ½” dice

¼ c. homemade Shawarma Mayonnaise

2 dried prunes, chopped (Del Monte=no added sugar), chopped

OPTIONAL:  8 black olives, chopped, 8 walnut halves broken up, some red onion

VARIATION:  Instead of 2 prunes, sub in ½ c. diced apple (careful, as it’s very carb-y!).  Instead of kale, you could use fresh spinach leaves.

DIRECTIONS:  Stem and coarsely chop kale and place in medium bowl.  If you prefer to use baby spinach, stem and leave leaves whole.  Add 4 c. chopped chicken meat to the bowl.  Next add the homemade Shawarma mayo.  Chop prunes small and add to the bowl.  I actually did add the optional black olives to this at my husband’s urging, but thought they added nothing and may just leave them out next time.  I’m not fond of them thrown into as many dishes as he is.  😉  Add walnuts if using.  Using a large spoon, toss all ingredients to coat well with mayo dressing.  Spoon into a serving dish and serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

447 cals., 33g fat, 4.8g carbs, 0.92g fiber, 3.88g NET CARBS, 37.6g protein, 624 mg sodium

Shawarma Carrot Salad

My regular followers know how I love my Chicken Shawarma Spice Blend!  Well, I’ve found yet another delicious way to use this flavor profile.  This tasty recipe is a new twist on an old favorite.  Carrot salad was one of my mother’s favorites!  Me, I wouldn’t touch the stuff growing up, because I didn’t like mayonnaise on anything.  But what I discovered, at about the age of 50, was that homemade mayo is a totally different animal than the junk sold at the store in jars.  From that point on, my food world changed!  Many new menu doors were then opened for me! Now I can eagerly add this popular classic to my buffet tables and actually some myself!

The only changes I made to the classic: use homemade mayo with my Chicken Shawarma Spice blend; substitute lower-carb no-sugar-added dried prunes for the “carb-ier” raisins.  You can snip a few raisins into this recipe instead, but bear in mind, in doing so, the carb count goes up and the numbers will need to be recalculated.  Although Colette Heimowitz, Atkins nutritionist, says a little bit of carrot is allowed on Atkins Induction, this recipe has so much carrot, I would wait until Phase 2 OWL to enjoy this delicious salad.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Volume 9, due out in October, has mostly my recipes once again.

EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Order here for estimated October delivery:  https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php

There’s currently a special offer of a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this bargain!  And please, if you’ve already bought Volume 8,  I sure would appreciate your taking a moment to stop by this page and leave your personal review:

INGREDIENTS:

2 large carrots

4 T. my Shawarma Mayo

2 dried prunes (Del Monte brand has no sugar), cut to small bits

VARIATION:  Add a little bit of diced, cooked chicken for a complete meal

DIRECTIONS:  Peel carrots.  Cut off root and tip ends.  Either grate the carrots, spiralize them, slice them thin and round, make them into ribbons, or any mixture of shapes you like.  I was testing a new spiral making hand tool and ended up with two different shapes (ribbons and julienne) LOL………….Obviously I was doing something wrong, but the salad was no worse the wear for this learning mistake.  Place the prepared carrot in a small bowl and toss well with the Shawarma Mayo and snipped up prune pieces. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

166 cals., 18g fat, 8.13g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 6.33g NET CARBS, 1g protein, 35 mg sodium

Chick Pea Tabouleh Salad

When I got home from a doctor’s appointment and the grocery store today, the chicken legs I bought on sale sounded so good I baked off 4 of them for lunch.  Needed something green to have with them and decided my fresh bunch of parsley and cut cucumber in the fridge would make a nice Middle Eastern salad.  Had a can of chick peas in the pantry and added a few of those to make this salad a bit more substantial.  DELICIOUS!

This recipe is suitable once you reach the legumes level of Atkins Phase 2 carb re-introduction ladder.  Although chick peas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a little carby, they are low on the glycemic load index, so they have little impact on your blood glucose maintenance.  Therefore they are one of the healthiest dried beans you can eat, if you eat beans at all.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Order your books from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

DISCLAIMER: I elect not to be paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so because they are wonderful cookbooks you will want to add to your low-carb cook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. parsley, chopped

½ c. cucumber, chopped

½ c. canned chick peas, drained

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 clove minced garlic

1 T. green onion, chopped fine

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

½ c. finely diced tomato

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

DIRECTIONS:  Chop vegetables and place in medium decorative serving bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.  Serve at once with your desired meat.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings each containing:

138 cals, 10.7g fat, 9.65g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 7.35g NET CARBS, 2.32 g protein, 188 mg sodium

Smoky Kale-Squash-Ham Casserole

I threw this little dish together for lunch today and it was so tasty I thought I’d share it  with my readers.  I just love one-pan dishes.  The cleanup is just as easy as the cooking. 🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.  Leave the cheese off for Primal-Paleo compliance.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

4 tsp. bacon grease

2 oz. yellow onion, sliced

5 oz. yellow squash, cut into medium chunks

5 oz. cured ham, sliced or chopped

3 oz. kale, stemmed and cut coarsely

2 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded

Dash black pepper

VARIATION:  Make without the ham for a lovely vegetable side dish.

INSTRUCTIONS:  If you’ll soak your ham in warm water for 30 minutes, changing water at least once, this will draw out about 50% of the sodium they put in cured ham, without hurting the taste at all.  Remove from water and pat dry with paper towels.  Cut in small pieces.  Heat bacon grease in non-stick skillet. Add onion and saute until the onion begins to caramelize.  Add squash and saute, stirring often, until it is half done (no longer opaque).  Add the pieces of ham and saute 2-3 minutes or until done (squash should be done by now, too).  Add kale and saute 3-4 minutes, just until kale begins to wilt but isn’t overly cooked.  You don’t it want to lose its pretty green color.  The ham will make this dish salty enough, but add a dash of black pepper and stir one last time.  If serving in the skillet, top with the shredded cheese and put lid or foil on top for a couple minutes to allow heat to melt the cheese.  If serving in a pretty ceramic dish, dip up the mixture into baking dish.  Then sprinkle with cheese and pop into microwave on 80% power for about 2 minutes to melt.  Serve at once.  This would be good with a piece of your favorite low-carb bread slathered in butter.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 3 servings, each contains:

227 cals., 15g fat, 6.63g carbs, 1.26g fiber, 5.37g NET CARBS, 16g protein, 609 mg sodium

 

Montreal Green Beans

“When trying to stay as low-carb as possible each day, salads and vegetables are de rigueur.  This dish is a quick, simple, delicious way to prepare green beans your family is going to love.  I know a lot of people don’t like mushrooms, so if you have mushroom haters in your family, just omit and either double the amount of beans or sub in slivered onions.  Either way, you will love these nicely seasoned, garlic-y beans.  They were a lovely side with our grilled rib-eye steaks last night.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto programs, Primal and Paleo tenets.

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. unsalted butter

2 c. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1½-2″ lengths

4-5 medium mushrooms, sliced (or yellow onion, sliced)

1 large clove garlic, minced

Couple shakes each sea salt and coarse black pepper

¼ tsp. my homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:  Place beans in saucepan with enough water just to cover.  Bring to boil and then simmer just until tender-crisp.  Drain off water.  Add butter, garlic, salt, pepper to the pan and saute beans over medium-high heat until they are just about done.  Add the Montreal Steak seasoning and mushroom slices to the pan.  Stir-fry just until mushrooms are no longer opaque, stirring occasionally.   Serve at once with grilled steak, pork,  seafood or whatever you like.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings, each contains:

100 cals., 8.8g fat, 5.05g carbs, 2.15g fiber, 2.9g net carbs, 1.85g protein, 83 mg sodium

Pork Loin with Curried Pumpkin

I know they add pumpkin chunks to curries in India and have always wanted to try pumpkin in an Indian dish.  We love Indian food so.  So I got creative tonight for our pork loin.  Took out my last remaining quart ziploc bag of frozen pumpkin made during the holidays this winter and defrosted it in a sieve over a bowl, allowing water to drain off.  I emptied the water numerous times throughout the afternoon and removed about 2½-3 c. total.  If you don’t drain off or squeeze out the water (using a sieve or kitchen towel to wring it), your final pumpkin recipes will be ruined, as it WILL bleed out and make a wet mess of whatever you are making.  Just a fact.

Do not use canned pumpkin to make this recipe as it won’t be very good, I fear.  This tasty dish gets a two thumbs up from both of us!  The hubs said this was one he’d like again!!  I’m really getting pretty good at this Indian food thing!   🙂  I order my Indian spices from Penzey’s on-line.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks  LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself, is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new creations by Chef George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.  Order your copy (or any of our  cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T. coconut oil

½ tsp. each: cumin seed, nigella seed, ground cinnamon and my Garam Masala

¼ tsp. each:  Asafoetida powder (or 1/2 clove minced garlic), turmeric, curry powder

3 dashes cayenne pepper (only gave it a slight bite)

2 oz. onion, chopped

Few light sprinkles of pure stevia powder (I use KAL brand), or sweetener to taste

½ tsp. maple extract mixed into 2 T. tap water (or 2 T. sugar-free maple syrup)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

3 c. pumpkin flesh, cooked (if frozen, drain in sieve for 1-2 hours over bowl)

1 c. cilantro (coriander leaves) chopped

1 lb.  boneless pork loin cut into 4 small chops

DIRECTIONS:  Either cook your pumpkin fresh or use frozen pumpkin from your freezer.  If using frozen, you will have to drain off the water for a couple hours.  I use a sieve over a bowl for this, but you can defrost and squeeze it out in a clean kitchen towel if you prefer.  Set aside.

Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Add all the spices and let them cook 1 minute.  Add the onion and saute until they are pretty soft.  Add the drained pumpkin flesh and stir the mixture well to incorporate the spices, onion and pumpkin evenly.  Add in the chopped cilantro and stir again.  Add the butter, stevia, maple flavoring and salt and stir to facilitate melting of the butter and uniform blending.  Lower heat to lowest setting and shift your attention to now browning the pork.  Occasionally, using spoon or spatula, flip or stir the pumpkin mixture several times while you brown the pork.  This will facilitate further flavor melding.

In another skillet lightly coated with oil, brown the pork on both sides until completely done, or about 7-8 minutes on a side.  I dusted mine with black pepper as well.  As I was planning to serve this meal with steamed spinach, I just made a bed of that on the bottom of my serving platter.  The spinach could be served separately as well.  Next spoon the pumpkin mixture onto your serving platter.  Lay the pork loin on top and serve at once.

VARIATION:  Cream the spinach either in the traditional manner or my linked Indian version.  

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

294 cals., 16.3g fat, 10.97g carbs, 2.6g fiber, 8.37g NET CARBS, 26.3g protein, 489 mg sodium

 

Oven-Fried Okra

This little experiment came out quite good.  I fully expected it would because this spiced coating has been good on every oven-fried vegetable I have tried it on so far.  🙂  It comes out of the oven crisp, but as with all fried okra, it doesn’t stay crisp for long, so bake these right before you plan to sit down and eat.   If you’re looking for the taste of fried okra but want an easier preparation, you might prefer my Okra Fritters (click link to see those).  This dish is Atkins Induction acceptable.

I have done this with fresh, whole okra pods, slitting them several times lengthwise to speed cooking.  The pic below lets you see how those come out: 

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. sliced frozen okra, UNdefrosted (8 oz), or whole pods, slit

2 oz. crushed plain pork rinds

4 T. my homemade mayo

½ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

DIRECTIONS:  I think these cook best on a non-stick metal baking sheet.  But if you don’t have one,  lightly oil a regular sheet pan, or use parchment to line your pan.  Whatever you do, DO NOT USE A SILICONE SHEET on your pan or these will not brown and crisp up properly.  Preheat oven to 450º.  Crush pork rinds (I use a food processor).  Using a slotted spoon or small sieve, discard any hard bits that didn’t crush finely.  Pour into a medium bowl and add spice blend.  Stir well.  In a shallow dish or pie plate, pour the mayo.  Making sure each piece of okra is separated, dip about ¼ of the okra into the mayo and coat well by turning each piece gently to coat on all sides.  Lift the pieces out one at a time (I like to use my ice-bucket tongs for this)   and drop into the rinds.  Shake the bowl to coat the okra on all sides.  Using tongs, lift each piece of okra onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the next ¼ of the okra, and so on until all is done.  The reason you don’t want to put all the okra in the mayo at one time is it may not get uniform mayo coating, which is essential for the coating to stick to the okra.  Pop into the hot oven for about 15-20 minutes, remove pan and turn each piece.  Pop back into oven for another 10 minutes.  Dip onto serving platter and eat at once or it will lose its crispness.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Make 4 servings.  Each 2 oz. serving contains:

195 calories, 15.65 g  fat, 4.35 g  carbs, 1.25 g  fiber, 3.1 g  NET CARBS, 10 g  protein, 268 mg sodium

 

Spicy Onion Rings

Taking that coating shown on my last post of Oven-Fried Squash, I took this coating to a Nirvana level for my husband.  I am not as crazy about onion rings as my husband is.  He has always just LOVED them!  That’s all he keeps talking about this week, so I think I’m going to have to cook him a batch of these soon.  😉  These are actually oven-baked instead of fried, so there’s no greasy mess on the stove to deal with after preparing these.  Such deliciousness, so I hope you’ll try these soon.  I think you will like them!

I will admit up front they are not as easily hand-held as traditional batter-fried rings.  No surprise there with an overall thinner coating used….but that’s how I keep them low-carb.   On the up side, the coating does brown nicely and is very crunchy.  Only the smallest diameter rings cut from the ends of the onion can be picked up by hand easily.  You just have to place the larger ones onto your plate and use a fork to eat those.  For me, that beats adding coconut flour to the picture, which I am NOT fond of at all.  I’ll have to test adding some other lower carb flour or maybe a few bread crumbs to the coating to see if that improves the “holdability” of these rings.  So many ideas; so little time, I think is the saying.  These tasty rings are Atkins Induction friendly!

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. onion cut into ½” rings

2 oz. plain pork rinds, crushed very fine

3/4 tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

4 T. my homemade mayo

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 450º.  You will need a large, preferably non-stick baking sheet to bake these.  Slice onion and separate rings until you have 8 oz.  That’s about 16 medium ½” rings.  Parboil for 1 minute in boiling water and lift out onto paper towels to totally dry. Crush pork rinds very fine in processor, blender or by hand.  Remove any larger, hard bits that are invariably in pork rinds when you crush them.  Mix spice into crushed rinds in a small bowl.  In a shallow dish or pie plate, pour the 4T. mayo.    Slowly dip an onion ring into the mayo, coating the outside and the inside (with your finger if necessary.  Then drop them into the pork rinds and coat well outside and inside.  Lay each onto the baking sheet.     Repeat until all rings have been coated.  Pop into 450º oven for about 25 minutes.  They tend to brown more and faster on the bottom where they touch the pan, so you will want to turn them over at the 15 minute mark.  Not much grease so no draining is necessary.  Lift onto serving platter and ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings of 2 0z. each.  Each serving contains:

196 cals., 15.6g fat, 5.1g carbs, 0.53g fiber, 4.57g  NET CARBS, 9.5 g  protein, 271 mg sodium

Grilled Chicken Salad

Grilled Chicken Green Salad (shown with my Balsamic Vinaigrette)

The light and delicious salad shown above makes a complete meal.  I’ve eaten it both for lunch or dinner.   It’s one of my favorite ways to use 1-2 pieces of leftover grilled chicken if that doesn’t go into a sandwich first.  I like to have my husband grill a few extra pieces of chicken and freeze for a quick thaw and quick lunch like this.  I remembered today I still had a char-grilled chicken breast in my freezer and decided to thaw and slice it to have atop our salads.  We both love smoked meats, and to go on green salads……well how can you go wrong?  A very nice and easy meal, this one!   This salad can easily help you stay within your carb limits!  This salad is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal-Paleo consumption 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.  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

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:

2½-3 c. loosely packed mixed salad greens of your choosing (enough to fill a dinner plate nicely)

¼ small carrot, sliced thinly (optional)

5 thin slices cucumber

3 cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves

3 oz. grilled chicken breast, sliced thin (I leave the skin on)

1½ T. my Balsamic Vinaigrette

DIRECTIONS:  Cut up and plate the salad greens, carrot, tomatoes and cucumbers.  Slice and add the grilled chicken.  Top with the dressing and serve.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes salad for 1 person.  This salad contains:

329 cals., 20.2g fat 8.9g carbs, 4.1g fiber, 4.8g NET CARBS (3.6 if you omit carrot), 25.7g  protein, 356 mg sodium

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

 

Asian Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

This recipe is an older one on my site, but it is so good and has been so popular, I thought I’d re-share it for those who missed it the first time around.  I love this recipe in the summertime!  It’s so easy to prepare and simply DELICIOUS!  Best of all, no oven required to heat up your kitchen.  Summer in Texas forces us to think about such things.  We’re already averaging 98º-100º daily! Lord what will July and August be like this year in Central Texas?  I don’t mind doing a quick skillet sear, but don’t want to turn that oven on very often in summer.   This salad is is just perfect for Texas summer weather and is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets 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.  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:

1 large chicken breast, skinned (8 oz.)

1 T. butter

2 T. lime juice

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. olive oil

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. hot sesame oil (or 1/8 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce, or Sriracha)

2 drops liquid stevia

1/2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos

1 T. peanut butter

4 c. Napa cabbage, shredded (or mixture of lettuce or cabbage slaw mix)

½ c. fresh cilantro, chopped

2 large green onions, chopped

½  carrot (5″) shredded with a carrot peeler

1  fresh jalapeno, seeded, sliced in thin strips 1″ long

DIRECTIONS:  Slice chicken diagonally into smaller pieces for quickest cooking.  Heat butter in skillet and sear chicken well on all sides.  Remove and slightly cool.  Alternately, you can use leftover grilled chicken as I did in photo above.  Slice into smaller slices if desired.

For the dressing, whisk the next 8 ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside for flavors to develop.

In a large bowl or on your cutting board, shred cabbage and place in large bowl.  Add grated carrot, cilantro, green onion and chopped jalapeno.  Toss well and plate greens equally on two plates.  Top each with half the chicken meat.  Provide dressing in individual cups on the plate for each person to add as they please.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 large servings, each contains:

450 calories, 25.5g fat, 10.2g carbs, 3.35g fiber, 6.85g NET CARBS, 39.5g protein, 632mg sodium

 

Zucchini “Flower”

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.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! Chef George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights in Vol.  8! Order yours (or any of our earlier cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!  If you’ve already purchased a book, the team would appreciate it if you would please take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page to leave your personal review.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:

9-10 oz. zucchini, sliced VERY thin

3 T. pesto sauce (or commercial pesto sauce)

6 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 plum tomato

Dash each salt and black pepper

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

1 T. olive oil (a little more if using thicker, commercial pesto sauce)

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:

147.25 calories, 13.45g  fat, 3.05g  carbs, 1.05g  fiber, 2.0g. NET CARBS, 5.1g  protein, 162 mg sodium

Tomato Mushroom Salad

 

        Tomato Mushroom Salad

This Atkins Induction, Keto and Primal-Paleo friendly salad is ever so good and colorful, too!  I just love this stuff!

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8! You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

3 T. olive oil

1 portobello mushroom, cut into ¾” dice

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped large

10 black olives, cut into halves or thirds

2 fresh basil leaves chopped

¼ c. green onion, chopped

1 tsp. yellow onion, chopped

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 clove minced garlic

Sprinkle of black pepper and salt

VARIATION:  Add a little crumbled feta cheese on top.

DIRECTIONS: Saute cubed mushroom in olive oil with shallots and green onion.  Remove when mushroom is done and cool.  Add other ingredients and stir well.  Chill 30 minutes or so before serving.  Would also be nice to served in a lettuce leaf.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 2 servings, each containing:

251 calories, 23 g fat, 10.7 g  carbs, 3.1 g fiber, 7.6 NET CARBS, 3.75 g  protein, 190 mg sodium

Italian Sausage Salad

This delightfully tasty salad was what we had for lunch today.  It was filling yet light.  I was out of my homemade Italian sausage so I had to use some commercial from Sam’s I had in the freezer.  This is the time of year we like to eat light like this for lunch.  Too hot in Central Texas to be cooking at noon time. 🙂  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, Volume 8, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, and myself.  Volume 8 is almost completely comprised of my recipes! But George Stella and Jennifer Eloff are also including several tasty new delights to try in this latest Volume 8! You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes, so order yours (Volume 8 or ANY of our cookbooks) from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on the same order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!If you’ve already purchased a book, take a moment and drop by the our Amazon page and  leave your personal review on the latest book.  Inquiring minds want to know. 🙂

INGREDIENTS:

2 links Italian sausage

4 c. fresh raw baby spinach leaves

2 oz. red onion, sliced as thin as possible

1 Roma tomato, cut into pieces

6 black olives, cut into halves

¼ c. my Shawarma Mayo Salad Dressing

2 T. shredded Parmesan cheese

Dash each coarse black pepper and salt

DIRECTIONS:  Place 2 cups spinach leaves on each of two serving plates.  Sliver up the onion and sprinkle evenly over both salads.  Slice and add half the olives to each plate.  Cut the tomato into wedges and those in half and add half of the tomato to each plate.  Sprinkle 1 T. shredded Parmesan atop each salad.  Set aside for now.  Brown the sausage links in a skillet over medium-high head until fully done. Slice them and place slices on each of the salads equally.  Drizzle half the salad dressing on top of each salad and serve at once, allowing each person to salt and pepper to their taste at table.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes two servings, each contains:

642 calories, 62.1 g fat, 9.2 g carbs, 2.45 g fiber, 6.75 g NET CARBS, 23.25 g protein, 845 mg sodium

Spaghetti Squash Parmesan

This side dish is simply delicious, considering how little is in it and how easy it is to make!  The bacon and onion really GO together!  If you don’t overcook the squash and are careful when removing the threads, you can serve this right in the shell for its own “bowl” for festive occasions!   One reader suggests roasting the squash traditionally in the oven for added flavor if you have the time.  This is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She 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

INGREDIENTS:

½ large spaghetti squash (yields about 4-5 c. cooked threads)

4 slices bacon, chopped fine

3 oz. chopped onion

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Dash salt

¼ tsp. pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Cut a large spaghetti squash in half.  Remove seeds with a spoon and discard them. Place one half of the squash face down in glass baking dish, reserving the second half for some other use.  Surround with with ½” water and microwave 13-15 minutes.  Drain off water, invert, remove/discard seeds (or feed to the birds in your yard 🙂 ) and fork out the threads into the same dish.  If you prefer to roast your squash:  after you cut and seed the squash, add 2 cups water (1/2 inch deep) to a ceramic casserole dish; add squash face up and place in a 375 degree F oven for 45 minutes.  Then cover for 10 minutes with foil.  Fork out the threads onto a plate. Meanwhile, in a non-stick skillet, brown bacon bits and onion until bacon is done and onion is tender.   Sprinkle salt, pepper and Parmesan on top of squash.  Then spoon into the empty squash shell.  Spread onion/bacon mixture evenly on top.  Microwave 5 minutes on high, or bake in oven at 350º for 20 more minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: Makes 4 servings each containing:

107 calories, 6.7 g  fat, 4.8 g  carbs, .8 g  fiber, 4.0 g  NET CARBS, 7.1 g  protein, 429 mg sodium

Sofrito Deviled Eggs

I’ve found yet another wonderful use for my addictive Sofrito sauce.  Both I and the hubs love these eggs!  They’ll be so nice to have ready made on a plate in the fridge for snacks!  Wonderful for parties as well.  What a great way to use up some of those Easter eggs.  This recipe is OK for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal as well.  Paleo folks will want to omit the Ranch dressing.

INGREDIENTS:

6 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and neatly cut in half

2 T. my Homemade Mayonnaise

1 tsp. my Ranch Buttermilk Dressing (or dash onion and garlic powder)

1 T. my Sofrito

1/4 tsp. wine vinegar (or 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard)

OPTIONAL:  1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper for a little “bite”

DIRECTIONS:  Boil, chill, and peel eggs as you do normally.  Slice neatly into halves. With a knife point, tip the yolk part onto a paper plate. Set the whites onto your serving platter for now.     To the egg yolks add the mayo, the Ranch dressing, the Sofrito and wine vinegar.  Mash and blend until smooth with a fork.  Decide if it is stiff enough to pipe. Fill a piping bag with large tip or a quart plastic bag with a 1/4″ hole cut in the corner (or a cookie press with a large decorative tip) and pipe about 1-1½ T. of the filling (in a circular motion) into each egg white half.  You can optionally garnish the plate with chopped parsley or cilantro, and for even more color, 2 cherry tomato halves.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 deviled egg halves.  Each half contains:

60.33 calories, 5.14 g  fat, 0.38 g carbs, 0.05 g fiber, 0.33 g  NET CARBS, 3.25 g  protein, 51 mg sodium

Smoked Gouda & Bacon Green Beans

While at our cabin this weekend I decided to make some tasty green beans with what I had on hand in my pantry.  The nearest grocery is 20 miles away from our ranch.  Took a bit of already cut onion, a few slices of bacon I had thrown in the freezer our last visit down there and a dab of smoked Gouda cheese and tossed in some drained green beans.  I used canned beans as that is what I had on hand, but frozen would be much better and only add 1 carb per serving to the numbers below.  These were delicious with our nicely smoked chicken!  Do try this simple recipe sometime.  You’ll be amazed with the flavor this one packs!

This recipe is suitable for Atkins Induction and any Keto diet in which you can fit these numbers into your daily limits.  Primal Blueprint followers who eat occasional cheese are OK eating this but it would not be suitable for pure Paleo diners due to the cheese, which makes the dish and omitting just isn’t an option.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff, Chef George Stella and myself.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively devoted to my personal recipes but George Stella and Jennifer are also presenting several tasty new delights in this latest Volume 8 as well!  You’ll LOVE these delicious recipes!  Order Volume 8 or ANY of our earlier cookbooks from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.  For a limited time, there is free shipping if you order 2 or more cookbooks on your order.  Remember, they make GREAT birthday or holiday gifts!

INGREDIENTS:

2½ c. cooked green beans (I used no-salt, canned, half-drained of liquid)

4 slices bacon

2 oz. onion

2 oz. Smoked Gouda cheese, shredded (or more if you can afford higher carbs)

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Chop bacon coarsely and brown over medium-high heat.  At end of cooking add in the onion to caramelize it to a slightly brown, sweet stage.  Add the beans and toss.  Lower heat to low and simmer a couple minutes to allow flavors to blend.  Turn off fire and sprinkle cheese on top.  Place lid on top and allow cheese to melt.  Remove lid, stir lightly and serve at once with your favorite meat side.  My photo shows it with butter-basted BBQ grilled chicken.   Mmmm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 5 servings, each contains:

106 calories, 7.9 g fat, 4.4 g carbs, 1.4 g fiber, 3.0 g NET CARBS, 5.3 g protein, 239 mg sodium

Bacon “Risotto”

This delicious low-carb version of risotto was ready for our lunch in about 30 minutes flat.  Really nice flavor and I could not taste “cauliflower” in this AT ALL.  Next time I think I’ll try it with crumbled Italian sausage, but bacon was all I had to work with today. This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets, Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium 5-6″ head of cauliflower, leaves & stem removed

3 oz. raw bacon, chopped (3 thick or 4 thin slices)

1 c. green onion, chopped

1 tsp. lemon pepper (I use this one: http://www.vgourmet.com/no-salt-lemon-pepper)

1 oz. cream cheese

3/4 c. shredded Parmesan Cheese

VARIATION:   Substitute yellow or white onion for the green.  Other tasty variations:  use crumbled Italian sausage or regular smoked sausage chopped in lieu of the bacon.

DIRECTIONS:  After removing stem from cauliflower, cut up into uniformly small flowerettes, placing them into a food processor bowl.  Pulse until it is fine like rice.  An alternate method is to grate it with a box grater but that can really get messy.  A blender will work but in small batches.  Set the cauliflower “rice” aside for now.

In a large non-stick wok or skillet, fry the bacon until done over high heat.  Add the green onion and stir fry until the onion wilts.  Lower heat to medium and add lemon pepper and stir.  Now spoon in the riced cauliflower.  Stir fry until cauliflower no longer smells raw (3-4 minutes) stirring often.  If it is browning, your heat is too high.  When it appears to be fully cooked but before it is cooked to mush, dot with the cream cheese and sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over the top of the mixture.  Stir to melt and uniformly blend both cheeses throughout the dish.  Serve at once with your favorite green salad.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 5 servings, each contains:

194 calories, 14 g fat, 8.44 g carbs, 3.40 g fiber, 5.04 g NET CARBS, 10.8 g protein, 426 mg sodium

 

Smoked Gouda Brussels Sprouts

I created this tasty veggie dish for people like me, quite frankly, who are NOT very fond of this vegetable.  It will make a lovely addition to your holiday table.  I love smoked Gouda cheese and this rendition of this nutritious vegetable even I like!  I just don’t say that very often about Brussels sprouts.  We both thoroughly enjoyed this and make it often now.  This veggie dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal Blueprint as well.

INGREDIENTS:

14 oz. frozen Brussels sprouts (cut in halves)

4 slices coarsely chopped bacon

2 oz. yellow onion, chopped

4 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, shredded/grated

VARIATION:  Omit the bacon for the cheese flavor to be more dominant.

DIRECTIONS:  Boil Brussels sprouts for 3 minutes.  Cut them in halves or smaller if you prefer.  In skillet, brown bacon.  Add chopped onion and saute together until onion caramelized.  Toss in the Brussels sprouts and stir, cooking for just a few minutes.  Transfer to baking dish if you prefer.  Top with grated cheese and bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Serves 4, each serving contains:

322 calories,  13.2 g  fat, 9.68 g  carbs. 3.9 g  fiber, 5.78 NET CARBS, 25.38 g  protein, 508 mg sodium

Mashed Cauliflower (Foolproof!)

I used to have trouble getting my mashed cauliflower “thick” enough to suit me.  Not anymore!  Since I often make these for either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I thought they would make a nice post with Thanksgiving around the corner.  I only recently discovered a way to really firm up this ever-popular dish with low-carbers.  That secret ingredient is glucomannan powder, derived from the konjac tuber.  Although a bit pricey, a bag of this stuff will last you a year (or longer!), as you use such tiny amounts in cakes, cookies and puddings for thickening or texture enhancing of your baked goods.  In this recipe, only ¼-½ tsp. is needed to do the job.  Glucomannan is what they make shirataki noodles from if you do not know this factoid.  I purchase mine at Netrition.com.  It’s pure fiber and will do wonders for your mashed cauli if you have problems with moisture bleeding out of the cauliflower after whipping, resulting in a “soupy” batch.

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

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: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium head cauliflower

4 T. butter

2 T. cream cheese

1/8-¼ tsp. sea salt

¼-½ tsp. glucomannan powder

VARIATION:   Add 2-4 T. heavy cream for even richer results

DIRECTIONS:   Stem and cut up cauliflower into flowerettes.  Place in 4-qt. saucepan, cover with water and bring to boil.  Lower heat to medium and cook until very tender when poked with a knife or fork.  Drain off water in a colander or sieve.  After water is drained, using the back of a spoon, press the cauliflower against the wall of the colander or sieve to press out even more water until most appears to be released.  Spoon back into the saucepan.

Add the butter cheese and salt and whip with a hand mixer or stick blender until very smooth.  Add ¼ tsp. of the glucomannan and pulse the blender/mixer a few seconds.  If still a pretty loose mixture add the rest of the gluc powder, whipping once again to incorporate it throughout the mixture.  The mixture will continue to firm up a little more more as it sits on your table.  You don’t want to overdo gluc powder, as it will REALLY get stiff if you put too much!  Any leftovers on this dish are fantastic great reheated with a bit of chopped green onion and cheese on top. 😉

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings, each contains: (not including any heavy cream)

109 calories, 11.36 g fat, 5.26 g carbs, 2.45 g fiber, 2.81 g NET CARBS, 2.35 g protein, 96.33 g sodium

Cheesy Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts

I’m not a big fan of Brussels Sprouts, although my hubs is.  I just find them to have a bitter, chemical taste.  I can eat kale, broccoli and other strong veggies, but just not sprouts.  It’s about the only green veggie I don’t like too much.  Well, I fixed them a new way tonight and we BOTH loved them and agreed we’d be having them again!  I’ve finally found a way I can eat this veggie willingly.  🙂  This dish was indeed yummy!  The cheese and onion, as well as slicing the sprouts up mellows out the strong taste.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Primal eating plans.

Many other delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection!  You’ll LOVE these recipes!  Order your copy today from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS: 

1 c. green cabbage, sliced or chopped

8-9 cooked Brussels sprouts, sliced thin lengthwise

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1 T. butter

Dash each sea salt and coarse black pepper

3/4 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice)

VARIATION:  Add 1 T. cream cheese to sauteing veggies until it is melted

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add cabbage and stir-fry until it gets half limp.  Add sliced, cooked sprouts and onion powder.  Stir fry just 1-2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and transfer to a baking dish.  Top with cheese and pop into 350º oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until cheese melts.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 4 servings, each contains:

123.5 calories, 9 g fat, 5.82 g carbs, 2 g fiber, 3.82 g NET CARBS, 6 g protein, 280 mg sodium

Tabouleh-Cucumber Salad

It’s so hot out these days, 99º yesterday afternoon, I wanted a no-cook lunch today.  Made a small batch of my “Hummus” and tossed together a quick Tabouleh-like salad, since I didn’t have quite enough parsley in the fridge to make a proper Tabouleh.  We both ended up liking this almost as much as the real recipe for Tabouleh, but we’re real cuke fans.  This delicious recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Ketogenic diets.  It is suited to a Primal or Paleo program as well.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection!  You’ll LOVE these recipes!  Order your copy today from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

½  large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced to ½” or smaller

1/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped

½ c. green onion tops, chopped fine

½ clove garlic, minced

Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 T.)

3 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (more if you like)

Dash each salt and coarse black pepper

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

DIRECTIONS:  Chop vegetables and place in medium serving dish.  Add all remaining ingredients and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to co-mingle.  Pairs nicely with hummus and low carb pita bread or other Greek/Mediterranean foods.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 2 adult servings, each contains:

213 calories, 20.6 g fat, 7.25 g carbs, 2.15 g fiber, 5.10 g NET CARBS, 0.45 g protein, 91 mg sodium

Creamed Artichokes and Mushrooms

This creamy artichoke side is a marvelous flavor pairing for seared or grilled pork.  If you love artichokes, you’re going to LOVE this recipe.  My husband doesn’t even particularly like artichokes, yet he really enjoyed this dish with our pork this week.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and most Keto diets as well.

We made an interesting discovery with the 3 leftover servings of this tasty dish.  I made a batch of zucchini lasagna later in the week and added the leftovers of this dish in the middle of my lasagna in lieu of ricotta cheese (I didn’t have ricotta on hand) and it was scrumptious!  My husband told me after dinner (he dipped up seconds) he was quite apprehensive of the concoction I described I was putting together 2 nights later with these leftovers but was truly AMAZED at how good this was in lasagna. Love when I  surprise him like that with a food he’s not all that fond of.  🙂

Many delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection!  You’ll LOVE these recipes!  Order your copy today from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS: 

½ recipe of Jennifer Eloff’s low-carb Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (or 4 large fresh ones, sliced and sauteed)

1   14-oz. can artichoke hearts in brine, drained

Dash each sea salt and coarse black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften the cream cheese on a paper plate, scrape into a medium mixing bowl and whisk.  Add the low-carb mushroom soup and stir well to blend.  Add the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, salt and pepper.  Stir again.  Pour mixture into a buttered medium casserole dish and bake at 350º for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Enjoy with grilled or fried pork chops or a nice steak.

NUTRITONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings, each serving contains:

144 calories, 11.85 g fat, 6.7 g carbs, 2.65 g fiber, 4.05 g NET CARBS, 3.56 g protein, 352 mg sodium

Kale-Leek Bake

I was cooking pork steaks this week and created two new veggie sides that were delicious with the pork.   At the left in the photo is the Kale-Leek Bake.  The Creamed Artichoke dish on the right will be posted on the site next as soon as I can work it up.  This kale dish is not only nutritious, but is packed with flavor.  If you’re not a fan of kale, you could substitute cabbage or spinach, but understand this will result in a totally different dish and flavor.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and most Ketogenic diets.

Many delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection!  You’ll LOVE these recipes!  Order your copy today from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

3 oz. raw bacon, chopped

3 c. curly-leaf kale, stemmed and chopped

1 c. leek, well-washed, chopped

1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack or other mild white cheese

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Chop bacon and partially cook in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and stir fry a few minutes.  Add kale and stir/saute until it just goes limp (do not get distracted as kale is bitter when overcooked).  Top with the cheese and pop pan into oven for about 15 minutes to finish cooking and flavor melding.  Enjoy with your favorite pork chops or ham.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 6 servings, each contains:

161 calories, 12.3 g fat, 5.66 g carbs, 0.93 g fiber, 4.73 g NET CARBS, 7.3 g protein, 295 mg sodium

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.

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: amongfriends.us/order.php.

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

Bacon Wilted Salad

This was the very first salad I was willing to eat for my Mother and to this day, is my favorite.  I do this one often with grilled steaks.  For years  I didn’t like anything with vinegar in/on it! But of course, the rest of the family added a splash of red wine vinegar in varying amounts.   That was their personal preference, but my preference was just the warm bacon grease on this.  This makes a lovely lunch all by itself, with a little extra bacon on it perhaps.  It is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Primal-Paleo as well.  It’s a great way to boost your day’s fat macros, too!!

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

INGREDIENTS:

3 slices thick slice bacon, chopped

2 c. salad greens of your choosing (spinach, lettuce, arugula, radicchio,etc)

6 slices cucumber

Sprinkle of green onion, chopped

3 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

OPTIONAL:  Splash of vinegar of your choice

DIRECTIONS:  Prepare the plate of salad greens, adding the cucumber slices and tomatoes on top.  Brown the bacon over high heat in a medium skillet.  Do not drain unless there is more than 3 T. grease in the pan.  Pour bacon with 3 T. of hot bacon grease over the greens to wilt them.  Serve at once with a heavy sprinkle of coarse black pepper and some nice grilled steaks.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 serving which contains:

504 calories, 49 g fat  (use less bacon/grease to reduce fat), 7.6 g carbs, 3.8 g fiber, 3.8 g NET CARBS, 8.2 g protein

Broccoli and Mushrooms al Pesto

I decided to take some of my low-carb glucomannan dumplings and add some pesto sauce recently and was that ever good!  I need to post that gnocchi recipe, too, soon.  We had a few gnocchi leftover so I created this tasty way to serve broccoli tonight.  Simple really and quite tasty with baked chicken.  Just a little caramelized onion, mushrooms and cream and VOILA, a tasty side!  It was so good with chicken, next time I think I’ll saute cut-up bite-size chicken bits and add it right into the dish for a casserole, with some fresh Parmesan cheese grated over it for a binder!   This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets.  It is not suitable for Primal-Paleo due to dumpling ingredients.

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

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 recipe my Dumplings made into small gnocchi

1 oz. slivered onion

2 T. butter

4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, undrained

2 T. heavy cream

1/8 tsp. xanthan gum (optional to thicken sauce slightly)

10 broccoli flowerets

1½ T. pesto sauce (or a commercial sauce is OK)

Dash each salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:   Make a batch of my dumpling dough in a small bowl, stirring ½ tbsp. pesto sauce right into the batter.  Cook according tot he directions in that recipe (linked above).  You will only need a small part of it for this vegetable dish.  Roll ¼ of the pesto-flavored dough into a ½” “rope.  You can make up the rest of the dough into more gnocchi or larger dumplings for a soup or other meal.  Cut the “rope” into small bites about ½” balls, allowing the cut off pieces to land on a silicone sheet, Silpat® or waxed paper.  These DO swell up and will almost double in size when gently simmered.  When the dumplings are done cooking dip out of the water with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels until ready to serve.

In a medium ceramic vegetable dish, steam the broccoli in a bit of water until nearly done (about 3-4 minutes on HI in your microwave).  Drain off water.  Stir in the cream, xanthan gum, mushrooms with their liquid (or drain if you prefer), the remaining pesto sauce, salt and pepper and set aside.

Now melt the butter in a small skillet and saute the onion until it begins to brown.  I didn’t brown mine quite enough and will do so next time.  🙂  Remove onions from heat.  Stir the pesto gnocchi into the broccoli-mushroom mixture.  Finally spread the caramelized onions on the top.  You can add fresh grated Parmesan cheese to the top if you like, but I have not included that in my numbers below.  You can serve at once (which I did) or pop into an oven for 15-20 minutes to allow flavors to mellow even more.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 3 servings, each contains:

168 calories, 15.8 g  fat, 5.73 g  carbs, 2.06 g  fiber, 3.67 g  NET CARBS, 3.73 g  protein, 248 mg sodium

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.

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

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

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.

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 each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

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

 

Broccoli and Mushrooms

This dish is a variation on a broccoli dip a friend of many years often served at parties.  I didn’t chop my broccoli as fine as she did, and there was no cheese in her dip.  Mine instead is made with a delicious low-carb soup.  The flavor was so memorable I decided to try and reproduce it as a vegetable side dish today.  It came out delicious!  Just as good as her dip, maybe even better with my addition of cheese!  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets but not acceptable for Primal or Paleo.

VARIATIONS:  Add 1 c. cooked leftover chicken or 1 cup cooked shrimp for a complete meal.  You can also substitute fresh coked green beans for the broccoli.

INGREDIENTS:

½ bunch broccoli, stems and flowerettes cut into medium chunks (about 3 cups)

1 oz. onion, chopped

6 large mushrooms, sliced (or a 4-oz can sliced mushrooms, drained)

1 T. olive oil

½ recipe Jennifer Eloff’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

½ c. shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

¼ c. heavy cream

Dash black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly grease a medium casserole or vegetable dish and set aside. Make a recipe of the mushroom soup.  You will only use half of it for this recipe.  The remaining soup should be reserved for some other use.  It will keep a week in the refrigerator.  Chop and steam the broccoli over water or in your microwave just until tender crisp.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the onion and mushrooms until nearly tender.   Turn off heat.    Toss the broccoli into the skillet and toss lightly.  Stir the cream into the soup mixture and blend well.   Spoon it over the broccoli-mushroom mixture, add the cheese and stir gently with a spoon to mix. Sprinkle with black pepper and bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 4 servings, each contains: (does not include optional meat)

215.5 calories, 18.35 g  fat, 7 g  carbs, 2.22 g  fiber, 4.78 g  NET CARBS, 6.45 g  protein, 348 mg sodium

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 but these are equally good with grilled chicken.  This flavor reminds me so much of the vegetable stew I ate when we lived in Teheran.  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 is also good cooked in the oven indoors!

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 (one 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

Spicy Purple Coleslaw

Everyone has their own favorite coleslaw recipe.  Mine is here.  But here is a NEW take on an old favorite, adding jalapeño to the  picture.  The final salad has a bit of a bite, so adjust the jalapeno to your family’s taste tolerance for spicy. We just love this slaw!  And it’s so colorful!  Goes great with fried seafood or BBQ fare.  This delicious salad is suitable for Atkins Induction and all Ketogenic diets.  It also fits into a Primal-Paleo lifestyle.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. sliced purple cabbage, cut real fine

1 lg. or 2 small, whole jalapeños, seeded (or not), slivered into thin strips

1 oz. red onion, slivered very thin (or 1 whole green onion, chopped)

4 T.  homemade mayo

¼ tsp. seasoned salt, Emeril’s Cajun Blend or my Shawarma Spice Blend

1/8 tsp. coarse black pepper

Dash granulated onion powder

DIRECTIONS:   Cut up the cabbage as you usually would for coleslaw and place in a mixing bowl.  You can use a food processor for this if you prefer, but I don’t like mine as fine as my processor blade chops it.  Add all remaining ingredients and toss to coat well.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 3 servings, each contains:

202 calories, 18.6 g  fat, 6.87 g carbs, 1.6 g fiber, 5.27 g NET CARBS, 76 mg sodium

Broccoli Croquettes

My mother used to make these when I was growing up, but the original recipe had mashed potatoes in it.  I suppose you could sub mashed cauliflower or turnip, but I don’t think that’s necessary really. Mom also coated hers in lots of bread crumbs and deep fried them like one does Chicken Kiev.  A lot of trouble done that way in my opinion, and they are inclined to fall apart cooked in deep grease.  Now, when I do these, I put the breadcrumbs and shallow fry in a skillet.  Be sure you are using a low-carb bread that is suitable for the phase of Atkins you are in.  This method is just as good in my opinion and much, much easier.  Induction friendly recipe if you use an Induction bread.

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 each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

6 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, cooked according to package and drained

2 oz. finely chopped onion

2 T. olive oil

Dash each salt and pepper

2 beaten eggs

¼ slice low carb bread or ½ low-carb biscuit

DIRECTIONS: Cook broccoli in water per package directions until just tender.  Drain and pour into bowl.  Saute onion in non-stick skillet and 1 T. of the oil.  When tender, add onion to broccoli in the bowl.  Stir in all remaining ingredients and mix well.  Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in skillet.  Spoon broccoli into hand and attempt to form croquette (will be loose).    Gently set each of the 6 croquettes onto hot skillet and press slightly with spatula to a size of about 1/2″ thick x 2.5″ diameter.  Do not disturb patties as they brown.  When first side is set/browned, gently flip over with spatula and brown on second side.  Serve at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 7 croquettes, each containing:

86.17 calories, 7.0 g  fat, 2.6 g  carbs,  1.37 g  fiber, 1.23 NET CARBS, 4.23 g  protein, 69 mg sodium