Category Archives: Italian Inspired Recipes

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Italian Seasonings Make This Chicken Awesome

A couple of weeks ago, I happened to catch Rachel Ray’s afternoon talk show and she was making this chicken dish that is seasoned like sausage.  It sounded delicious and it also included butternut squash and Brussels sprouts, so I had to try it.  As near as I could jot down while drooling over the picture on mt TV, this is Rachel’s basic recipe.  All I’ve done is adjust the proportions a little and calculate the carbs in it.

I actually made this dish with four chicken quarters — thigh and leg – which were pretty large.   You can also use four whole chicken breasts or 8 half breasts.

Italian Seasoned Chicken Bake

Based on Rachel Ray’s recipe

2 cups Butternut Squash, cubed
1 Red Onion, sliced
2 cups Brussels Sprouts, halved
8 chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon grated Nutmeg
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Fennel
1/2 teaspoon powdered Onions
1/2 teaspoon Chile Flakes
1/2 teaspoon powdered Garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground Sage
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

Arrange the Brussels sprouts face down on the pan. Add the diced butternut squash and onions and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Drizzle one tablespoon of the oil over the top.

Clean, dry and oil the chicken thighs in a pan or large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together all the remaining seasonings. Sprinkle over the chicken thighs., then use your hands to turn and coat the chicken until the seasonings are distributed over the thighs. Place the thighs on top of the vegetables in the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.

Makes 4 to 8 servings depending on your appetite. I usually only eat one chicken thigh, but two per serving is okay.

Nutrition Info: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 274.3 Fat:9.3 g Net Carbs: 13.2 g Protein: 30.2 g

Nutrition Info: 1/8 of recipe
Calories: 137.2 Fat:4.6 g Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 15.1 g

Tip: To get down to the lower carb count and still eat 2 chicken thighs, cut the vegetable amounts in half. They are adding double the serving so using less still gives you about 1/3 cup of vegetables with the thighs. Using only half will bring the carbs down to 7 g.

Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Brunch Time Skillet Frittata

I often hear people say that they get so tired of eggs, which are just a mainstay in the low carb lifestyle.  The egg is super low carb’d, nutritious and very versatile.  There are so many ways to prepare eggs and they are ingredients in many things where they aren’t the star.  If you don’t like the taste of eggs,  then there isn’t much that will hide the egg flavor unless you bake them into custards, flan, cakes and muffins.  But dishes like this one change the basic taste and many more ingredients enhance the experience.

A frittata is like a quiche or an omelet, but is made in a skillet.  It’s the Italian version of a Spanish omelet that is not the same as an American omelet.  Typically, an American omelet is a fluffy, folded over egg with filling ingredients in the middle.  The European version has the ingredients baked into the eggs to make a skillet egg cake, which is essentially what the name means. The flavor is different from the American version and is just as versatile with the added filling ingredients.

Often a frittata will use potatoes or even pasta in the mix.  This version replaces the potatoes with diced turnips, but you can also use Daikon radish, kohlrabi or celery root in it to keep it low-carb’d.  If you aren’t too worried about the carbs in the potato, then use the potato.  You can get creative with the frittata and it makes a great breakfast or brunch dish.  It even serves up well cold or at room temperature so it can make a great summer dinner meal with a berry salad on the side.

Skillet Italian Frittata

3 or 4 Eggs
1 link Italian Sausage, removed from casing
1/4 cup sliced Sweet Peppers
1/2 cup diced Turnips, Daikon Radish or Kohlrabi, pre-cooked
2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/4 teaspoon Herb Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the sausage until it is browned, separating it into small pieces as you cook. Don’t overcook as it will cook more in the frittata.

If the turnips (or other vegetable) isn’t already prepared, peel it, dice it and cook in boiling water for about five minutes. The little cubes should be fork tender when you poke them.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, add seasoning, salt, pepper and heavy cream and beat with a fork until well mixed and frothy.

Over medium heat, melt a tablespoon of butter in an omelet skillet, then add the sweet peppers and sauté about five minutes. Add the turnips, pico de gallo and sausage and stir to mix into the peppers and butter. Stir the eggs again, then pour into the skillet.

Cook as for an omelet, letting the eggs set, the lift the edges to let the liquid egg in the middle run underneath to cook. Repeat until most of the liquid egg is set. Turn the heat to low and put a cover over the skillet and let cook about three to five minutes. Check to see if the eggs look set in the middle. If so, then sprinkle the cheese over the top and put the cover back on for two or three minutes. Turn off the heat (if using an electric range, move off the burner) and let sit a couple of minutes.

Cut the frittata in two and serve.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 388 Fat: 30.5 g Net Carbs: 4.6 g Protein: 21.9 g

 

Breakfast & Brunch, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Quick Breakfast – or Any Time – Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

This is a quick, low carb solution to the desire for pizza. It can be a great little breakfast pizza with an egg on top or leave off the egg, add more toppings and make it a lunch pizza. It uses a low carb tortilla for the base. If you can’t find them at your supermarket, you can order them from Netrition.com or you can make your own.

2 low carb Tortillas
1 Italian Sausage
4 tablespoons Pasta Sauce (look for low carbs – mine is 5 nc for 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Mozarella Cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, shredded
2 eggs (optional)
1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Peppers (optional)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees (F.)

Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray or butter. Put on a baking pan and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the tortilla is lightly browned.

Meanwhile, remove the sausage from the casing and brown in a skillet, breaking it into small pieces. When the tortillas are done, spread 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce on each tortilla. Add 1/2 of the sausage, spread evenly on top of the sauce. Mix the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and crushed red peppers, if you are using it, together and distribute 1/2 of the mixture onto each tortilla. Tope with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is just toasted.

While the pizza is baking, prepare the eggs. I used fried eggs, but you can make them how ever you prefer or leave them off.

Top each pizza with an egg, season and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories:358 Fat: 24.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 24.9 g

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

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Easy Ways to Warm the Heart

From me to you with love, here’s a few recipes to warm your heart or that of your special someone. I’m going to start with a delicious and quick to fix dinner of Parmesan Chicken. This is so good that it should really make a hit with your honey bun or the whole family. Pair it up with the wonderful taste of roasted celery root or kohlrabi.

This is based on a recipe from a mayonnaise company and it takes only a little adjustment or two to make it low carb. One of those adjustments is to make your bread crumbs from a low carb bread. If you don’t have a bread made up, a quick way to do it is to make a cracker bread. You only need a little, so here’s how you can do it.


Quick Almond Flax Cracker Crumbs

2 tablespoons Almond Meal
1 tablespoon ground Flax Meal
pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 tablespoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon Water

Mix together almond flour and flax meal. Add salt, oil and water. Mix well. You want a spreadable paste. Spray a pie tin or cookie sheet with baking spray. Spread the dough over the pan to about 1/4 inch thickness and about 3″ x 3″ square. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Let it cool. Crumble the crackers to make crumbs. Makes about 1/4 cup of crumbs.

Batter is shaped into a square, then baked until brown around the edges.

 

Nutrition Info for whole recipe

Calories: 216.8 Fat: 21.6 g Net Carbs: 1.5 g Protein: 3.8 g

One tablespoon is about 0.4 g

 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, fresh
4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast halves or 4 large Chicken Thighs*
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 teaspoons seasoned Low Carb Bread or Cracker Crumbs

Preheat oven to 425° (F)

Combine mayonnaise with cheese in a small bowl. Wash off chicken and dry with paper towels. Place in a baking pan and sprinkle with Italian seasonings and salt. Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over each piece of chicken, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 20 minutes to 25 minutes. The thighs may take a little longer to cook. Check at 20 minutes and cover the pan with foil if the tops are getting too brown and the chicken isn’t quite done.

Remove from oven and let the chicken rest a few minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 195 Fat: 14.2 Net Carbs: 0.7 g Protein: 15.7 g

* If you can’t find large thighs, plan for two thighs per serving.

Quick Roasted Celery Root

Honestly, I love the taste and texture of celery root, also called celeriac. It’s a strange-looking root, but the flavor is wonderful. With just a hint of celery flavor, it’s like adding celery salt to your vegetable. While it isn’t exactly a potato flavor, it comes closer to both the taste and texture of potato than anything else I’ve found, which makes it really satisfying with this type of meal.

1/2 Celery Root, cleaned, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend

Preheat oven to 425 degrees(F).

Bring a medium-sized pot half-filled with water to a boil. Put the cleaned and cut up celery root in the boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes. Check that the pieces are fork tender. Drain and dry the cubes.

In a tin pan or cake pan, put the olive oil and seasonings and mix together with a spoon. Add the celery root cubes and make sure they are coated with oil and seasonings. You could also put the oil and seasonings in a plastic baggie, then add the celery root to the baggies and roll them around with your fingers to coat. Then pour the vegetable and oil into the pan and spread around.

Put in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn each piece over and cook for another 10 minutes. Pieces should be lightly browned on each side.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 93.3 Fat: 7.3 g Net Carbs: 6 g Protein: 1.2 g

Coming Soon…

Look for some fast and yummy chocolate candy recipes tomorrow. I have three of them lined up that are taste-tested in my house.

Posted on 2/11/2014