Daily Archives: May 11, 2014

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Chicken with Tomatoes and Zucchini

My challenge this week was to use up the tomatoes my friends left behind when they headed off to France on holiday and to work on their house there. These were vine-ripened tomatoes and the skins were already starting to shrivel, so I wanted to do something to remove the skins and cook them into a tomato-based dish.  I had chicken thighs on hand, so it was a logical step to make a chicken with tomatoes dish. This takes a little time to cook, but the actual process is pretty easy.

While a base of pasta would be lovely, it’s simply too high carb’d so I would suggest you use spaghetti squash or shredded cabbage, lightly steamed or raw, as the base to put this on. I just ate it as is with a side salad.

1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves Garlic
4 large Chicken Thighs, bone and skin removed
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers,sliced
1 1/2 cups Red Ripe Tomatoes  or 1 1/2 cup canned stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock or cooking wine

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. Let them boil for about 5 minutes, then run cold water over them and drain. Let them cool until easy to hold, then use a sharp knife to cut the skin around the stem end and peel the skin off. It should slide off easily. Cut the tomatoes into pieces over a bowl so you can any juice that runs out as you cut them.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Remove to paper towel on a plate. Add garlic, additional butter, peppers and onions to the skillet and sauté until the onion is tender. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings to the pan and stir together over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of cooking wine if you would like or add 1/4 cup chicken stock for extra flavor. Stir the mixture together well, then arrange the chicken pieces in the pan. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, checking a couple of times to be sure there is liquid in the pan. Then stir the mixture around, add any liquid if it is getting low and turn the chicken pieces over, covering them with the tomato sauce. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 163 Fat: 8.7 g Net Carbs: 5.1 g Protein: 14.8 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Fabulous Brussels Sprouts Fritters

Apparently these lovely fried vegetable pancakes are also called Bellinis, but where I come from, they are fritters. And they are absolutely one of the tastiest fritters I’ve eaten. But, I admit that I do love Brussels sprouts and they may not be a hit with everyone, but if you’re a fan, do try them. In the fully loaded version of this recipe, the mix includes green peppers, onions and bacon pieces. For a lower carb’d version, omit the onions and green peppers.

Loaded Brussels Sprouts Fritters

2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon dried Celeriac Leaves
2 tablespoons low carb Baking Mix or Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Pepper
1/4 cup diced Sweet Peppers (optional)
1/4 cup minced Onion (optional)
1/4 cup Bacon pieces (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons Butter

Put Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel or plate and microwave for 1 minute to partially cook. You can also bring a pot of water to a boil and put the Brussels sprouts in for 1 to 2 minutes to par boil.

Drain any liquid off the partially cooked sprouts and pat dry with a paper towel. In the bowl mix the flour and seasonings together, then add the eggs and onions and mix. Add vegetables, bacon and stir together.

In a skillet add about 1/2 tablespoon butter to melt and add the onions. Sauté until onions are just tender.

Heat a skillet or griddle until a drop of water sizzles on it. Lower heat the medium, then melt about a 1/2 tablespoon of butter to cover the skillet. Spoon about 1/4th of the mix onto the grilled and spread into a patty. Repeat with two or three more (depending on how large your skillet is.) Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then lift to see if the patty is browned. If so, turn over and cook the other side for the same time. Repeat with the rest of the batter if needed.

Makes 4 fritters. Serve with sour cream or a dill sauce or mayonnaise with herbs mixed in.

Nutrition Info: (Fully loaded – all optional ingredients added) – per fritter
Calories: 159 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 4.9 g Protein: 9.3 g

Basic Fritter (No optional ingredients added) – per fritter
Calories: 127.6 Fat: 9.9 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 6.1 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 4/13/2014 1:39 PM

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Light and Delicious Springtime Coleslaw

Spring has so many foods to offer after a long, cold winter and a slaw is a great way to combine some of the flavors together. I wanted something green and a bit fruity to go with my Corned Beef Quesadillas, so got inspired to mix these flavors together. The recipe has now moved to my favorite collection.

Springtime Coleslaw

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 tablespoon Brown Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger
1/4 cup chopped Pecans
1/2 cup Brussels Sprouts, finely shredded
3 stalks Asparagus, chopped
1/4 cup crushed fresh Pineapple
1/2 (16 ounce) package shredded Cabbage
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream

I let my little food processor do most of the work on this. If you can buy the shredded Brussels sprouts, just add them to the processor and pulse it a few times to get finely chopped. Buy planks or cubes of fresh pineapple and let the processor turn them into crushed pineapple. Clean and cut the asparagus stalks and pulse them in the chopped until you have a nice chop. Easy.

In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugars, ginger, asparagus, nuts, pineapple and cream. Toss coleslaw mix and Brussels sprouts with dressing to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 190 Fat: 18.8 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 1.5 g

Posted on 3/14/2014 12:36 PM

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Cabbage and Spinach Vegetable Stir Fry

Once I discovered stir-fry, it quickly moved to my favorite way to cook vegetables. This particular mix combines fresh cabbage, baby spinach, broccoli, and celery to make a wonderfully delicious vegetable side dish. Don’t like spinach? Use kale instead. Not crazy about cabbage? Then substitute with bok choy or shaved Brussels sprouts.

Cabbage and Spinach Vegetable Stir Fry

1 cup sliced Cabbage, fresh
1 cup Baby Spinach, fresh
1/2 cup Broccoli, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 stalk Celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1/2 tablespoon Better Than Bullion Chicken or Vegetable paste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil

In a small pan, bring about 1 cup of water to a boil and parboil the cut broccoli for about 5 minutes. This gives the vegetable a deep green color and cooks it enough that it is more tender in the stir fry. If you prefer crunchy broccoli, then omit this step.

To 1/2 cup of hot water, add the chicken bullion and mix well.

Heat oil in a deep skillet, like a wok skillet, and add the garlic and celery. Stir fry until the celery is just tender. Add the cabbage and broccoli, stir and cook about five minutes, then add bullion and stir into the mix for a few minutes. Add the spinach and stir in, cooking until the spinach begins to wilt.

Makes 2 large servings or 3 smaller ones.

Nutrition Info for 1 serving (2 servings sized):
Calories: 57.2 Fat: 2.9 Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 2.7
Posted on  2/20/2014 5:13 PM

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Quick Roasted Turnips and Kohlrabi

I may be one of the few people who really finds the taste of turnips to be pretty darn good. As a substitute for potatoes, most people probably wouldn’t think it works too well, but as a really good vegetable with similar taste and a lot fewer carbohydrates, I think it’s a good choice. If you combine it with kohlrabi, it’s even better. You can also use celery root in this roast and it makes a great combination of similar flavors and textures. They roast very well and the seasoning I used is simply a half a packet of Lipton’s Onion Soup mix with Olive Oil.

Roasted Turnips and Kohlrabi

1 1/2 cups Kohlrabi (about 2 medium or 4 small)
1 1/2 cups Turnips (about 2 medium)
1/2 package Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix or any other onion soup mix
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute

Begin preheating oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Peel the turnips and kohlrabi and cut into about 3/4″ cubes. Bring a pan of water with enough water to cover the vegetables to a boil. Add the vegetables and sugar substitute and boil for about 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are just fork tender.

Drain the vegetables well, getting as much water off as possible and spread on a paper towel and blot to remove more. In a roasting pan or cake pan, spread the vegetables into one layer and sprinkle the soup mix over the top. Drizzle the oil over the mix and use a spoon to mix it together well so that all the pieces of vegetables have oil and mix on them. Spread them back to a single layer and cook in the oven for 20 minutes. Stir them around mid-way through, flipping them over if needed. Check at 20 minutes to make sure they are fork tender and lightly browned. If not, give them another 5 or 10 minutes until they are done.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 49.5 Fat: .2 g Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein: 1.7 g

Posted on 2/20/2014 4:35 PM