haitus

Just a quick note to apologize to whomever visits here - I haven't added any low-carb recipes in a while because I'm pregnant and cannot low-carb right now. I plan on resuming my low-carb lifestyle within reason after the baby, so I'll keep my blog open :)

Italian Stuffed Turkey Burger

Italian Stuffed Turkey Burger

Burgers:

• 1-1/4 lb ground turkey
• 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
• 3 Tbls. chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbls. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbls. chopped oregano
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4 oz. mozzarella, cut into 4 equal pieces

Topping:

• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 2 Tbls. chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt & pepper

For the burgers: combine turkey, parmesan, basil, parsley, oregano, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix gently with clean hands. Divide into 4 patties.

Press a piece of mozzarella into the center of each patty and shape meat around it. Each patty should be 3-1/2 to 4 inches in diameter.

For the topping: combine tomato, basil, oil and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with salt & pepper.

Heat broiler or grilll to medium-high heat. Brush grill with oil. Cook burgers to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium. The meat closest to the mozzarella will appear pink but will be cooked through. Serve hot with topping.

Per Serving:
Cal. 370; fat 23g; protein 39g; fiber 1g; net carbs 2g

Lion's Head Meatballs

Lion's Head Meatballs

• 2 lbs. ground pork
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsl. rice wine or dry sherry
• 2 Tbls. granular sugar substitute
• 1 Tbls. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbls. minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbls. dark sesame oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 2 Tbls. canola oil
• 1 large napa cabbage, leaves separated and cut into 5-inch lengths
• 2 cups lower sodium chicken broth

Combine first 9 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Shape into 8 slightly flattened meatballs.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook meatballs in batches, until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Place cabbage in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Arrange meatballs on top and add chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover partially and simmer for 40 minutes, turning meatballs once halfway through. Serve meatballs and cabbage hot, with cooking liquid.

Per Serving:
Cal. 750; fat 59g; protein 44g; carb. 8g; net carbs 5

Seared Scallops with White Wine Sauce

Seared Scallops with White Wine Sauce

• 1 Tbls. olive oil, divided
• 2 leeks, sliced thin, white parts only
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 lb. scallops
• 1 Tbls. flour, for dusting
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/3 c. dry white wine
• 1 Tbls. butter
• 1/4 c. half & half

In a skillet, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leek and garlic and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan.

Dust the scallops with the flour (I throw them all in a ziplock and shake them), salt & pepper them to taste. Heat remaining oil in the skillet and cook until nicely browned, about 3 minutes each side. Remove scallops and place with garlic and leeks, and turn up the heat on the pan. Add the wine to the skillet and stir up to get all the bits browned on the bottom. Cook for just a minute to allow the liquid to reduce slightly. Add the butter to the sauce and finally the half & half (I used 1% milk). Reduce the heat and allow to thicken, but do not boil (the sauce will break). Simmer. Add the scallops & leek mixture back into the pan & serve.

Per Serving:
255 cal.; 9g fat; 20g protein; 12g carb; 2g fiber; 51mg cholesterol; 228 sodium

London Broil au jus

London Broil au jus

• 4 (6 to 8 oz.) boneless sirloin steaks, about 1-inch thick
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
• salt & pepper
• 1 tbls. extra virgin olive oil
• 1-1/4 Tbls. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 Tbls. sliced shallot
• 1/2 c. lower sodium beef broth
• 1-1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

Position oven rack 6-8 inches from broiler. Heat broiler. Pat steaks dry with paper towel and rub well on both sides with cut sides of garlic clove. Discard garlic.

Season both sides with salt and pepper and place in large cast-iron or ovenproof skillet. Drizzle oil over steaks, turning so that both sides are covered with oil.

Broil for 5 minutes, turn and broil an addition 4 - 5 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from oven and transfer steaks to a cutting board, leaving juices in skillet.

Place skillet on stovetop over medium-low heat; add 1/4 Tbls of the butter and shallot and cook until transparent, about 2 minutes. Add broth, increase heat to high and cook until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in remaining tablespoon of butter and thyme. Slice steaks, spoon sauce over the top and serve.

This was wonderful. I made it first with top sirloin, but actually liked it better with the london broil because the slices were nice & big! This was so good, even my very finicky mom ate it, asked for the recipe and made it when she went home!

Per Serving:
Cal. 420; fat 24g; protein 47g; carb. 1g

Crispy wings with peanut dipping sauce

Crispy Wings with Peanut Dipping Sauce

wings:

• 4 lbs chicken wings (split apart, preferably)
• salt & pepper
• 1 Tbls. canola oil, plus more for pan
• 2 tsp dark sesame oil
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges

sauce:

• 1/3 c. creamy natural peanut butter
• 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut milk
• 4 tsp lime juice
• 4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 Tbls. minced fresh ginger

For the wings: heat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking pan.

Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Season well with salt & pepper. Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown wings in batches, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Place browned wings in a single layer on baking sheet, brush with sesame oil and bake for 8 t 10 minutes.

For the sauce: Puree' peanut butter, coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce and ginger in a food processor or blender.

Garnish wings with scallions and serve with peanut sauce and lime wedges.

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Per serving:
Cal. 760; fat 37g; protein 89g; carb. 7; fiber 2

These were EXCELLENT! I even used chunky peanut butter and it was awesome. We'd never had anything like this, but it was really good.

Turkey Pomodoro

This was FANTASTIC!

Turkey Pomodoro

• 2 Tbs. whole-wheat flour (*see notes below)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 8 turkey breast cutlets
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 2 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1 Tbs. butter

In a large ziplock back, place the flour, garlic powder, salt & pepper. In turn, drop the turkey cutlets into the bag and shake to coat in the flour mixture.

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Saute the turkey until lightly browned. Take out of pan and keep warm (I place mine in the oven set on warm).

Add the chicken broth and wine to the pan, deglazing with a whisk. Add the tomatoes, basil & lemon juice to the broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce a bit. When the sauce is almost done (the tomotoes are soft), add the butter and mix into the sauce. Place the cutlets back in and allow them to warm completely. Serve with the sauce on top.

For us, I cooked up a small amount of low-carb (Dreamfield) pasta, and served the turkey over top the pasta, and spooned just about 2 Tbls. of the sauce and it was just perfect. Not too much pasta (I used 1/2 a serving, so 2-1/2 net carbs), and the turkey didn't get lost in the pasta taste. I also served it with some canned green beans (didn't have any fresh). I used fresh basil, which equated to 2 good-sized leaves. For the turkey, I bought 2 turkey tenderloins, and sliced them in half lengthwise & then throughwise (made into quarters) to make cutlets. This would also be GREAT with chicken, and I'll do it with those next time.

I also noticed, as I was putting my whole-wheat flour back, that the soy flour is only 5 net carbs, so that would have cut this recipe carb count drastically, and so I'll try it with that next time as well. Even with that, this had GREAT numbers!

257 cal; 8g fat; 35g protein; 5g carb; 1g dietary fiber; 98mg cholesterol; 353mg sodium.

Revised Pepper Stuffed Chicken

Pepper Stuffed Chicken

• 1 Tbls Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/4 c. Feta cheese
• 4 chicken breast (with skin & bone)
• 3/4 c. white wine (I use Apple Fruitesia from Shaws market)
• 1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil, add the onion, pepper, garlic, salt & pepper, and herbs and cook until onion is translucent and peppers are soft. Let cool. When cooled, add the cheese, tossing well to distribute.

In the meantime, prepare chicken. Loosen the skin of the chicken and stuff 1/4 of the mixture in between skin and flesh. Sprinkle the tops with salt & pepper and place in a metal baking dish.

Roast chicken for about 30 to 40 minutes (mine needed about an hour, and I checked them with a meat thermometer first) or until chicken juices run clear when pierced. Remove hte hcicken from the pan and keep warm.

Heat the pan on the stovetop, about med. high heat. Add the white wine and using a whisk, get all the browned bits. Let the pan juices reduce reduce to about half. Remove the heat, add the butter, whisk well, and serve over the top of chicken.

Per Serving:
639 calories; 35g fat; 8g carb; 2g fiber; 202mg cholesterol; 321 sodium.

Crock Pot Chops

Crock Pot Chops

1 Tbs. olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1/2 in. thick
salt & pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper - chopped
2 Tbs. ketchup
2 Tbs. brown sugar

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Brown the chops on both sides, seasoning with the salt and pepper as you go. Set aside.

Now saute the onion and bell pepper together for 1 or 2 minutes, till wilted. Place at the botton of the crock pot. Place the browned pork chops on top of that.

In a small bowl, mix the ketchup and brown sugar; smear over the top of the chops. Cover and cook 7 to 9 hours on low, depending on the type of slow cooker you have.

Per Serving:
305 cal; 18g fat; 24g protein; 11g carb; 1g fiber; 74mg cholesterol; 151mg sodium

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower

Made this tonight for the first time and it was excellent!

Baked Cheesy Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower, steamed whole, about 1 lb
1 Tbs. butter
1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. low-fat Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F
Place the hot steam head of cauliflower in a baking dish. Rub the butter over the top evenly. Then brush on the mustard. Now cover the top with the cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly.

Per Serving:
80 Cal; 4g Fat; 6g Protein; 6g Carb; 3g Fiber; 11mg Cholesterol; 173 Sodium

So I only made a 1/2 of the head because I'm usually the only one who eats it, but tonight, even hubby & daughter ate it!

Italian Tilapia & Pasta

Dawn's Italian Tilapia & Pasta

1 lb. tilapia fillets
1 jar store-brand spaghetti sauce
2 oz. Dreamfield Spaghetti
4 oz. store-brand spaghetti
garlic salt
onion powder
parmesan cheese

On a foil-lined baking dish, I placed the fish fillets and sprinkled them with the garlic salt & onion powder. I then spooned approximately 1-2 Tbls. of pasta sauce over each fillet, put in a 400°F oven for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I boiled the pans of pasta and cooked them (seperately, of course). On the Dreamfield's, I only about 1-2 tsp. of margerine and then served the fish with that, so my carb count for this was the 5carbs for the pasta, plus approximately 1 carb for the pasta sauce. I then finished it off with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and added a salad. My kids & hubby had the regular spaghetti w/sauce, and we all practically licked our plates! My son, who hates everything, LOVED it (and subsequently ate ALL the leftovers this weekend!).

This is a photo of his dish, but mine was prettier and my salad :)

Low-carb Mexican Casserole

Low-carb Mexican Casserole

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix
• 1/2 c. chopped green onion, divided
• 3/4 c. salsa
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped black olives
• 4 Tbls. sour cream

In a skillet, over medium-high heat, cook turkey. Stir in seasoning mix and remove from heat. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Spread cooked turkey mixture in the bottom of an 8-inch-square baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 the green onions over the turkey and top with salsa, then sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and hot. Garnish with the rest of the green onions, olives and a blob of sour cream.

LC serving suggestion: make taco chips from low-carb tortillas by cutting them into 8 sections, brush lightly with olive oil and bake at 400 for 5 minutes.

I can't make enough of this recipe. My family loves it and I have to double the recipe because they always come back for 2nds! Note, I do not use the black olives, which does remove 2 carbs from the the count.

Per Serving:
368 calories; 23g fat; 29g protein; 11g carbohydrate; 2g dietary fiber; 126mg cholesterol; 1172 sodium

tuscan meatballs

We picked up this recipe card from a Walmart Supercenter and I was shocked to find out how good it was.

I serve this on top of a bed of spaghetti squash and a salad and it's very filling. And best of all, it's fast. Prep Time: 19 min. Cook time 11 min.

• 1 lb. ground beef chuck
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sm. onion, finely chopped
• 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup thin sliced fresh basil leaves

In a medium bowl, mix beef, parmesan & chopped basil, 1 clove garlic, and egg until well blended. Shape into 24 meatballs (about 1 scant tablespoon each), 1 to 1-1/4 inches round.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until evenly browned, turning occasionally.

Add onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir 1 minutes. Increase temperature to medium-high heat. Stir in tomatoes, tomatoe paste, and salt. Reduce heat; cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked (internal temp of 160°f). Stir in strips of basil.

Per Serving: 187 cal, 13g fat, 49mg chol., 474 mg sodium, 3g carb, 16g protein, 1g fiber.

Enjoy!

Tomato & Shredded Cabbage Soup

I made this soup today with my kids and it turned out excellent. So excellent in fact that my son- Mr. Bologna Sandwich, even wanted to eat it. With CABBAGE. Gasp!

Here's the original recipe:

Tomato & Shredded Cabbage Soup
(From Healthy Living Magazine)

• 1 Tbs. ex-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 8oz bag shredded cabbage & carrots
• 1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes, no salt, drained
• 4 c. fat-free, reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. honey
• salt & fresh black pepper to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste, optional
  

In a soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until onion begins to brown lightly, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic and continue to saute another minute. Add cabbage, carrots and tomatoes. Saute for 3 more minutes. Add broth and cumin. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and honey. Season to taste with salt, black pepper and cayeene pepper, if using.

Per Serving: 70 calories, 3g protein, 10g carb, 2g fiber, 3g total fat (2g mono), 104 mg. sodium. Vitamin A, C, B3, Folate.

So my substitutions were:

I didn't have vegetable broth, so I used this:

0 carbs, which is all that really counted for me lol

So anyways, I tried it when it was finished simmering, etc. and it was really good. This is also when my son tried it and liked it. But I'd been told about adding some ground beef on a low carb recipe list I'm on, so I decided to try that. I put about 1/2 lb of ground beef in and it was even better! I finished it by shredding just a bit of fresh parmesan cheese over the top and voila! Yum!

Dawn's Super Tasty Chicken Salad

Look at what a pretty dinner I made last night for the whole family. It was so simple to make!

Now, the chicken I used I'd already pre-cooked when I bought it (AWESOME deal on boneless breasts), so all I had to do was slice it into about 1/2" slices and then I put it in the frying pan with about a tbls. of olive oil. I sprinkled some cajun seasoning on it and let it heat up. When they were getting some color, I flipped and added some paprika (just a sprinkle to give it some color). Meanwhile, I put on the plate:

• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 4 strips of fresh orange pepper
• some red onion on mine
• thinly sliced tomato wedges
• 1 tsp. milled flax seed
• 3 oz. chicken breast
  

I finished it off with 2 tbls of ranch dressing (after the photo) and it was awesome!

Spaghetti Squash

I buy a spaghetti squash at least once a week. This is how I cook it.

I split the squash in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds & pump. I cover each side with aluminum foil and back in the oven for about an hour at 400. I check it by poking it with a fork. Then I scoop it out with a fork and "fluff" it. I use this with sesame shrimp, these AWESOME meatballs that I found a recipe for... I love it!