All posts filed under: low carb

Keto Squash and Peppers

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I’ve been doing a modified Atkins thing lately just to drop some vacation pounds. With all the hoopla about the ‘Keto’ diet I decided to call this dish… Keto Squash and Peppers w/Cheese.  I love to enjoy this kinda soupy but feel free to cut down on the chicken stock by a cup or so to make it more of a side dish and less of a soup.  Before moving on I thought I’d share some of my personal history with this dish, my mother made a version of this for years, her famous ‘Calabacitas’. Her version was always so very delicious. One evening while I was in culinary school in the South of France I made my mom’s calabacitas for some of my fellow chefs in training, talk about a hit! Aw, such fond memories. 💖 My mom would use sautéd onions, tomatoes and garlic and many times she’d add a can a corn to her soupy dish too.  Since I’m doing the Atkins/Keto thing I omitted the (fresh) onions, tomatoes and corn and …

Baked Salmon with Rosemary 

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Hello again fresh and abundant Rosemary!  I love Rosemary, and I’ve missed having it around!  It grows so well here in the low desert, So. Cal.  Today I used a clipped sprig from our yard to star in my delicious salmon dish.  Here’s some info about Rosemary, so many varieties and they are all edible! http://pantrygardenherbs.com/shop-for-organic-herbs/rosemary-varieties/ Just before baking  13-20 minutes on 375  Oh my yummy Served it with a spinach salad and white rice  Nice end to a good meal!  and here is the original recipe I used… http://damndelicious.net/2016/05/23/garlic-butter-salmon-foil/ The only things I changed  I used a sprig of fresh rosemary cut into 6 equal pieces instead of the dried rosemary. I topped the salmon with the sprig pieces before baking.  I cut the salmon into serving size pieces before prepping, wrapping and baking.    I changed the the cooking time as well, depending on the thickness of your salmon cooking time should be between 13-20 minutes.  ps. 🙂  definitely scoop some of the warm buttery saucy goodness (left in the foil packet after cooking) over …

Sometimes When I Can’t Sleep, I Cook… Chori-Pollo Dip   

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Lately worry has been an almost constant in my life. Our youngest grandson 💙 has been in the NICU since his miraculous birth day about 6 weeks ago. Each day he is here continues to be such a miracle and I am thankful about that.  But, this Nanna sometimes needs a distraction. So getting up at 4am because I can’t sleep anyway and needing a distraction… cooking sure can help. 🙂  Of course I saved the putting together of this dish for my lunch/snack, it sure is tasty Here’s what you need. Plus a 1/4 cup water.  Begin to cook up your Mexican chorizo. Here is what the package looks like, in case you were wondering. It’s a soft sausage. Use 1/2 the package for this recipe.  Slice 1/2 an onion thin  Cook the onion until soft  Cook the chorizo until cooked, it will begin to get a tiny bit crispy when it’s done.  Here my onions are half way there… Dice into small cubes 8oz of velveta cheese, add the 1/4 water and the …

Sometimes I make extra bacon and highly pepper it, Cream Cheese Crepes.

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These are just delightful!  In a microwave safe bowl heat 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese to warm. (I did 1 minute on my microwave reheat setting) Add in 2 beaten eggs Next, add 1/8 tsp vanilla  Now add in a pinch of sugar or 1 packet of a sweetner of your choose, I used trivia today.  Mix until it is as smooth as a pancake batter, or close to it. I used both a whisk and a fork. My mix still had little lumps in it, all ok, it’s the yummy cream cheese anyway.  Butter a warm skillet Scoop out about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the batter onto your warm pan.  Cook, flip, cook Enjoy!  This mix made four smaller size crepes.  As you may know anything goes with crepes, fancy them up as you please.  Of course these crepes are yummy on their own, with a dash syrup of your choice, a sweet filling, etc…  My husband enjoyed his with a dollop of strawberry preserves. Try them savory with a cooked vegi filling …

Shirataki Noodles and Chicken Chop Suey

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So I heard about these noodle some time ago. I just happen to see them at my local grocery store recently and thought… hey, now’s my chance to try these no carb tofu noodles. I decided to make some of my yummy Chicken Chop Suey (stay tuned for that recipe) to top these noodles with. The store I was at only had the fettuccine type cut of Shirataki noodles, it did the job. I was definitely not disappointed here, the texture of Shirataki noddles is different, of course. They are a little on the chewy side, but not bad.  Also, I had to get past the fact that they have a not so pleasant odor when you open the bag. No worries there, just rinse them very well, pat them dry with a paper towel (and the odor dissapears), then quick cook them per package directions. I cooked mine in the microwave for 1 minute. I made white rice for my family members, as I am the only one counting carbs (or lack there of …

Sunday Cauliflower Cakes  

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I used my left over cauliflower mash to make few cauliflower cakes (like potato cakes) this morning. They were quite delish!  Here’s my recipe for the mash…  Cauliflower Mashers… https://ginasjoys.wordpress.com/2016/07/31/1869/ Spray a non stick skillet with cooking oil, I use olive in my kitchen normally, I did here too. Or you can use a scant amount of cooking oil.  Cook 5 minutes per side, the mix has egg in it so you want to make sure that’s cooked.  Top the cake with an egg, or whatever you like. A bit of sourcream would be good too.  Ingredients…  about a cup of leftover mash  2 tablespoons sharp cheddar cooking spray or cooking oil 1 beaten egg I did this very simply Process Combine the mash with the extra cheese Add in the egg mix, combine all well Heat your skillet to medium high Drop about a 1/3 cup mash mix on to your hot skillet, spread out into a circle shape Cook each cake for about 5 minutes per side *Flip these carefully, they will be …

Cauliflower Mashers 

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I had some cauliflower to use up so I decided to make cauliflower mash. This makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes, it is so yummy, you will hardly miss the potatoes. Depending on the size of the cauliflower head you are using, this recipe will serve approximately 3-6 people as a side dish.  Ingredient gathering, quick cooking the fresh garlic now… All chopped up.  Salting the water…  I also added garlic powder for an extra flavor punch. Into the boiling water the florets go  10 minutes on high, and walla they are done  Add the cauliflower to your blending/chopping/mixing vessel. Use a bowl if you like. The cauliflower is so soft after the cooking process it is possible to mash it with a fork or hand held masher.  Use a blender, cuisinart or a hand held masher to mash up the cauliflower  And there you go,  Oh my, so good.  Served it up today as my side dish. I  topped the mash with grated sharp cheddar cheese and green onion.  These yummy cauliflower mashers …

Simple and Semi-Homemade Chicken Cesaer Salad 

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A long healthy hike calls for a nice healthy lunch.  I did it, made it to the top!    This salad is both simple and delish. I just happened to have some chicken tenders to cook up,  Chicken Cesear Salad… that definitely worked.  Ingredients… One bag of Cesaer salad mix Cooked sliced chicken. I used 5 small chicken tender pieces per my 1 bag of salad (season the chicken as you like, I used s&p and garlic powder)  Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste for the salad mix Combine all ingredients  Enjoy Plan your next hike!  *currently I am counting carbs, so I skipped the croutons, normally… those lil crunchy morsels are yummy touch in my book. Go ahead, add them. *this salad would make an excellent light dinner as well.                                                                                        …

Low Carb Tortilla-like Wraps

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This recipe is a definite keeper for those counting carbs, 1 gram per serving, I like! Ingredients 4 oz bag bag spicy pork rinds 8 eggs (beaten) 1/4 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/3 cup water 6 oz cream cheese 2 oz whipped cream cheese Beginning to gather my ingredients… next, whipped cream cheese and water. 1st step, grind up the pork rinds in your food processor. They should look like this, a fine grind. Add in all other ingredients, blend until smooth The mix should look like this, consistency similar to a thick pancake batter Scoop the mix onto a medium high heat griddle or pan, use the back of a spoon to flatten out (if needed) and shape the mix. I used a plastic mixing spoon as my measure, this made them about a 8 inch circle size. Just about done, side 2 cooking. Cook for 3 minutes or so, on medium heat, per side. The edges will bubble a little when it is ready to flip. and …

Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Cream Sauce 

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All ready to begin… But first the Avocado Cream Sauce. By the way, I am using the term ‘cream sauce’ loosely (no puns there ;)) here, as a cream sauce is generally this…   Where’s my spiral-er guy?! Oh there he is to save the day. 💙 (It’s Comic Con International weekend here in San Diego, thanks for the appearance… Batman!) Cooking up the zucchini… Well now, that was sure yummy! Avocado Cream Sauce 2 ripe avocados 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/2 tsp dried dill 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 cup water 1/3 tsp salt (This makes more than you need for 2 serving here, refrigerate, in an air tight container, the left-overs for later use. This fine Sunday I’m looking forward to an omelette with a layer of this delish cream sauce and perhaps a bit of cheese added in too, yum.) Process… Cut the avocados in half and scoop out the insides. Place the avocado in a medium size bowl. Add in all other …

Broccoli Salad 

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It’s 9:40 am here in sunny San Diego.  In my world, it’s never too early to plan lunch and chill it.  Beginning to gather my ingredients… I had some giant mushrooms to use up, the mushrooms definitely work here.  I like using ingredients (if they blend well) I have on hand, it’s less waste and economical.  Even though I’m doing low carb and this red onion is not on my ‘ok’ list, I figure a tablespoon can’t hurt. I like the little crunch it gives the salad.  I took some tips from my favorite culinary book, “what else goes well with Brocolli you ask? “, parm cheese and  garlic, well ok then…  Here is my recipe for low carb Broccoli salad.  Ingredients…  4 cups chopped Broccoli  1 cup chopped mushrooms 2 slices chopped cooked bacon 1 Tablespoon minced red onion 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp dried thyme Dash of pepper  2 packed tablespoons grated parmessan cheese  1/2 cup mayonnaise  Process…  Combine all ingredients.   Chill for at least an hour.  Enjoy.      …

Chile Relleno (Green Chile), Chicken and Cheese Casserole. 

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I saw the original recipe just a few days ago on Facebook.  I wanted to add my own touches (like green bell pepper, for flavor without heat) and make it more substantial so that it would be more of a meal… chicken, that worked. Here I give you what some might call… A Lazy Chile Relleno (and Chicken) Casserole. Pair it with a salad and walla, a super delish meal can be had!  Layer 1.  Heavy cream and egg mix.  Ready to layer with the mix. Time to bake  Looking forward to cutting into this!  Ingredients… 1 cup cooked, chopped up, chicken mixed with a 1/3 cup of verde (green chile) sauce of your liking.  3 Anaheim or pasilla chiles, roasted, skinned and seeded. (you can use 1 can of whole green chiles if you like) 2 roasted bell peppers, skinned and seeded  (a how-to for you… ( Chile Charring 101  – Gina’s Joys https://ginasjoys.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/chile-charring-101/ )  1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese 1 cup heavy cream  4 eggs 2 tsp …