All posts by Rene Averett

Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian

Fantastic Low Carb Veggie Chili

Photo: Low carb veggie chili

Ready for another meatless Monday? As the weather is turning cooler in my part of the world, I’m looking at a tricky beast to manage to make a low carb vegetables-only chili. While most of the root vegetables that give this dish some substance are lower in carbs than potatoes, the amount used to replace the meat option adds in quite a few carbohydrates into the overall dish.  So this offering checks in at a little under 11 net carbs per serving. If you only have 20 or 25 net carbs to spend, this could really push your limit. But if you plan for it, you can have a nearly 0 carb breakfast (omelet with cheese) and lunch (green salad with cucumber) to free up those carbs for the chili.

While this is a meatless option, it doesn’t lose any of the spicy and delicious chili flavor of the meat version. The vegetables are delicious with the butternut giving a hint of sweetness in the dish, and they are firm enough to satisfy.  If you want a short-cut on the seasonings, Mrs. Dash Chipotle Seasoning is very good and includes almost all of the spices listed. The Jalapeno seasoning is also good.

One other thing, this chili would work well as a filling for a meatless omelet and you would only need about 1/2 cup for it. Or make a burrito with a low carb tortilla and 1/2 cup of filling.

Low Carb Veggie Chile

1 3-1/2 oz. can Jalapeno chiles, chopped
1 15 oz. can Tomatoes with chile
1 cup Butternut Squash, cubed
1 cup Kohlrabi, cubed
1 cup Turnips, cubed
1 can Baby Corn, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
3 stalks Celery, chopped
1 cup Pumpkin Puree
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon Chili powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 tablespoon dried Parsley or Cilantro
1 tablespoon dried Oregano
2 tablespoon chopped Basil
1 teaspoon Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chop your butternut squash, kohlrabi, and turnips to about the same-size cubes. The bigger they are, the longer they will take to cook. If you can’t find kohlrabi, you can substitute in zucchini or cauliflower.

In a large pot, add oil and heat, then add garlic and onions and cook until they are fragrant. Add the chopped celery, stir, and cook about two minutes. Then add all the other ingredients except the pumpkin puree. Add enough water to just cover the vegetables.

Stir everything in the pot and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low cook, just above a simmer. Cover and cook for an hour. Check on the vegetables to see if they are fork-tender, If not, add more water if needed, then cook another 20 minutes. Test again. Check your seasonings. If you need more spice, add it now. If the vegetables are fork-tender, then add the pumpkin puree, stir in, cover, and cook another 10 to twenty minutes. The pumpkin will help thicken the chile.

Serve in bowls with a little cheddar jack cheese and sour cream if you wish.

Makes eight 1-cup servings. If you want a little fewer carbs, a 3/4-cup serving will bring the carb count down to 8.5 nc per serving.

Photo: Nutrition Information

Give this a try and let me know how you like it and/or any other ways to serve it.

Desserts, Recipes

Fall delight is spicy peach cobbler

Photo: Spiced Peach Cobbler

One of my favorite foods is peach cobbler. You can still grab peaches in grocery stores, so this is a great time to make this fabulous Spiced Peach Cobbler. Now, if you’re not a fan of cinnamon, you can move along and go eat your plain peach cobbler. But, if you’re like me and you love spice, this is the cobbler for you.

I made these from a batch of fresh peaches I’d parboiled, peeled, sliced, and frozen, so you can work from frozen or canned peaches with this if you don’t have fresh. I also use a little clove to add more zing to it, but my secret ingredient -well, not so secret anymore – is Swerve Brown Sugar. This is the only brown sugar mix with sugar substitute that I’ve run across that is 0 carbs! It’s made from sugar alcohol, and it’s really good. So, give this a try and you might just fall in love.

I also used Bakesquick from Dixie Carb Counters, but you can substitute almond flour or soy flour in it. If you use coconut flour, cut the flour to 1/4 cup,  add extra water, and one egg white in order to get the dough to rise.

Cinnamon Spiced Peach Cobbler

Photo: Serving of Spiced Peach Cobbler

1 cup peaches, with juice, sliced
2 Tablespoons Swerve Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves (optional)
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 oz. Sugar-free Peach Syrup

1/2 cup Bakesquick or other Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Cream
1/4 cup Water
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 385 degrees (F.).In an 8 or 9-inch skillet that can go to the oven, add the peaches, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, butter, and peach syrup. Stir all together and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about ten minutes. Turn off heat.

In a bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix together to form a dough. Drop one tablespoon dumplings on top of the peaches in the skillet. It should make about eight dumplings.

Bake for 15 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Remove and let cool about 5 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Makes four heavenly servings.

Photo: Nutrition Information Spiced Peach Cobbler

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian

Thinking About Going Meatless?

Photo: Baked rellenos with sauce

With many people thinking in terms of doing a “meatless Monday,”  I thought I’d start putting out recipes on Sunday for a meatless option on Monday. While doing a low carbohydrate life style, going without any meat in your meals could be challenging since the dishes often involve other things we don’t normally eat, such as grains, rice, and pasta. So, my goal is to give you alternatives that are satisfying and tasty while avoiding those things we don’t eat.

To kick this off, I’m offering my chile relleno  with zucchini recipe. If you don’t care about going meatless, you can add chicken to it or serve a grilled breast as a side dish.

For my dish, I used Anaheim peppers from my garden along with home grown zucchini. I chose to use Irish cheddar cheese in it since it is sharper than American cheddar, but any sharp variety will work. You can also use Poblano peppers. I used Herzes Taquera Salsa with a few cherry tomatoes from my garden to make the sauce.

Chile Rellenos with Zucchini

4 Anaheim or Poblano Peppers, charred and peeled
Or you can use canned whole chiles
4 to 6 thick strips of Kerrygold Irish Cheddar or other cheddar       cheese
1 cup sliced Zucchini, slightly cooked
3 tablespoons of Heavy Cream plus 3 tablespoons of Water
1/3 cup low carb Flour (I used Bakesquick)
1/3 teaspoon Baking Powder,1/3 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Egg, beaten
1/3 teaspoon Salt
1/3 teaspoon Cumin
!/3 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic Herb Seasoning

For the Sauce:
1 Small can Mexican-style Tomatoes with Chiles
Or 1 small can Taquera Salsa or other Salsa of your choice

To char and peel the peppers, put the peppers under the broiler on a sheet of aluminum foil for about three to four minutes until they are blackened on that side, then turn them, and cook on the other side. If they are large, it may take three turns to blacken the whole pepper.

Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag and let them sit for fifteen to thirty minutes. Run them under cold water and the charred part should peel off easily. Cut them open and remove the seeds and cut the top off.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Photo: Baked relleanos
Cooked and ready for a topping sauce to serve.

Put the peppers in a baking pan or a oven-friendly skillet (cast iron or copper). Place cheese strips within the middle of each of the peppers.

Cook the zucchini slices for a two or three minutes in the microwave or in a pan of boiling water to partially cook. Spread the zucchini over the top of the peppers.

In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, pepper, and herb seasoning. Stir in the beaten egg and stir together the well. The batter should be easily spreadable, so add a little extra water if needed. Spread over the top of the zucchini.

Bake for 25 minutes.

While the peppers are baking, prepare your sauce. This can be any kind of sauce you would like to use. Traditionally, I’ve usually seen a hot tomato salsa-type sauce. Put the tomatoes in a pan, add chile powder and cumin to make it spicier and cook until it begins to thicken.

For my dish, I used Herdez Taquera Salsa and added six cherry tomatoes cut in half to cut the spice a little. Heat for about 10 minutes to cook the tomatoes and reduce the sauce.

You could also put a cheese sauce over the top that has been spiced with chopped green chiles and taco seasoning.

Serves 2 large portions or 4 smaller portions.

Nutrition Info for Chile Rellenos with zucchini

Breakfast & Brunch, Product Review, Recipes

Use Prepared Mix to Make a Fiesta Scramble Breakfast Bowl

Mann's Nourish Bowl

I noticed this newish product in my grocery store among the prepared salad ingredients and bowls of cut fruit. I’d seen Mann’s Nourish Bowls on their web site when I was checking on what other prepared fresh vegetables they had. The Nourish Bowls are a complete meal for one that you may have to add an ingredient or two to complete. In this case, this was the Breakfast Fiesta Scramble bowl.

According to the instructions on the package, you just add two beaten eggs, pour in the included packet of sauce with chicken chorizo, and put it in your microwave for two or three minutes to cook. Add the small package of grated cheese on top and viola! You have breakfast. Well, I couldn’t let it sit at that since I prefer cooking my eggs in a skillet — not that I haven’t used the microwave. But in this case, I think all the fresh ingredients gained from cooking on the stove top. I did add a little extra cheese as the package has maybe a quarter of a cup. I also added two more eggs to make a total of four to serve two people. Honestly, they’ve packed enough veggies into this bowl to easily feed two and possibly three people unless you’re super hungry.

What kind of veggies, you may be asking? Good, low-carb ones. It includes cauliflower, kohlrabi, butternut squash, and kale. The packet also includes the sauce with chicken chorizo, (trust me, not a lot of it. In fact, I couldn’t really distinguish it in the sauce) and the packet of cheddar-jack cheese. You could make your own mix by chopping up equal parts of the same vegetables, but this is really convenient.

So, below are the directions to make the basic Fiesta Scramble Bowl using four eggs to serve two people. Below that are two possible variations to add more meat and flavor to the basic bowl. To be frank, I think there’s enough for two servings easily, and it wouldn’t be hard to eke out a third serving, which in turn keeps the carbs lower.

After this recipe, I’ve added two possible variations on the basic recipe that will bring more and different flavors to the bowls.

Image: Fiesta Breakfast Scramble

Fiesta Scramble Bowl

1 package Mann’s Nourish Bowls Breakfast Fiesta Scramble
4 Eggs
1 tablespoon Butter

Add butter to a large skillet and melt. Stir in the vegetables from the Fiesta Scramble package and stir fry for about 5 minutes to soften the veggies. Check to make sure that the butternut cubes are almost tender. If not, stir fry a little longer.

In the meantime, break four eggs and add pepper then whisk in preparation.

When the veggies are softened, add the packet of sauce with the chorizo chicken in it. Stir it in well and rinse the package in about two tablespoons of water, then add it to the skillet. Stir until the sauce is mixed evenly.

Add the whisked eggs and stir to scramble them into the veggies. Cook and stir until the eggs are firm. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese on top.

Makes two servings.

Image: Nutrition Info - Basic Bowl

Variation #1 – Mexican Fiesta Bowl

1 package Mann’s Nourish Bowls Breakfast Fiesta Scramble
4 Eggs
1 tablespoon Butter
1 Chorizo sausage
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese

In a large skillet, add the ground chorizo sausage or cut the sausage into thin slices and put in the pan. Cook and stir for a few minutes to get the chorizo done. Remove to a plate while you add the chopped onions and saute them for a couple of minutes, then add the vegetables from the Nourish Bowl packet. Cook and stir for about 5 to 8 minutes to mostly cook the veggies.

Add the chorizo back to the pan, then add the sauce from the kit. Stir to combine with the vegetables. rinse the package in about two tablespoons of water, then add it to the skillet. Stir until the sauce is mixed evenly.

Add the whisked eggs and stir to scramble them into the veggies. Cook and stir until the eggs are firm. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese on top.

Makes two to three servings.

Image: Nutrition Info Mexican Bowl

Variation #2 – Italian Breakfast Bowl

1 package Mann’s Nourish Bowls Breakfast Fiesta Scramble
4 Eggs
1 tablespoon Butter
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Tomatoes, diced
3 slices Bacon, cooked & broken into pieces
1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese

Don’t use the cheese included in the kit.

Cook the bacon and break it into pieces. Cut up the tomato into small cubes.

Add butter to a large skillet and melt. Stir in the vegetables from the Fiesta Scramble package and stir fry for about 5 to 8 minutes to soften the veggies. Check to make sure that the butternut cubes are almost tender. If not, stir fry a little longer.

In the meantime, break four eggs and add pepper then whisk in preparation to cook.

When the veggies are softened, add the packet of sauce with the chorizo chicken in it, the bacon, and the tomatoes. Stir it in well and rinse the package in about two tablespoons of water, then add it to the skillet. Stir until the sauce is mixed evenly.

Add the whisked eggs and stir to scramble them into the veggies. Cook and stir until the eggs are firm. Remove from heat and sprinkle cheese on top.

Makes two to three servings.

Image: Nutrition Info: Italian Style Bowl

Desserts, Recipes

Fresh Taste of Blueberry Panna Cotta

Down to the last post of July 2019 and this is a simple recipe with all the delightful fresh flavor of blueberries and cream.  This is so easy to make that you’ll love it. The buttermilk adds extra richness to the taste.

The recipe says to use heavy whipping cream, but I made it with the slightly less heavy cream and it works fine. I adjusted it from the original recipe to use sugar substitute and I used lemon juice, which is just a tad lower in carbs than the orange juice. Either works really well with it.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberry Sauce

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoons unflavored Gelatin
2 tablespoons Water
1 cup Buttermilk

For Blueberry Topping:
1/2 pint fresh Blueberries
2 tablespoons Orange Juice or Lemon Juice
1/4 cup granulated Sugar Substitute

Either put 8 4 oz. ramekins on a tray that will fit in your refrigerator or you make this in one bowl and scoop out servings.

Either use a double boiler or use a pot filled half-way with water that a 3-cup bowl will fit into snugly without the bottom touching the water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to simmer. In the bowl, add vanilla, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar substitute. Whisk or stir vigorously to mix, then place bowl over simmering water. Stir or whisk until the cream mixture is just warm and sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small recipe bowl ans gentle stir with a toothpick. Pour gelatin into cream mixture and stir or whisk to mix it in completely. Let sit until the mixture cools, around 20 minutes,

Add buttermilk to cream mixture and divide equally into ramekins or leave in the bowl to set. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about six hours.

Make the Blueberry Sauce:

In a small pot, add the blueberries and cook for about five minutes to get them to release their juices. Add orange or lemon juice, and sugar substitute, and stir over reduced heat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced about fifty-percent. About 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool. It should get thicker as it cools. Place in a container and refrigerate until ready to serve panna cotta.

Run a knife around the edge of the ramekin to loosen the cream and slide into a servings dish. Or, if you used a bowl, dip out about 1/2 cup of creamy panna cotta into a serving dish. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of blueberry sauce over te top and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Info - Blueberry Panna Cotta