Category Archives: Main Dish

Main Dish, Pork, Vegetables & Salads

Tasty Spinach and Cabbage with Bacon

Sometimes a one-dish meal is a great choice for a light dinner. Bacon and cabbage is quick and delicious, but like a certain TV chef, I like to “kick it up a notch” or two. In this version, I add spinach, mushrooms, and kohlrabi to the mix. This makes a great dinner or a yummy side dish and it is low carb without any special ingredients.

Spinach and Cabbage with Bacon

3 cups Cabbage, shredded
4 slices thick-sliced Bacon
1/3 cup Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/3 cup Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 cup Spinach, fresh
1/2 cup Kohlrabi, cubed (or Turnips)
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/3 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
1/3 cup Mushrooms, sliced

Cook the kohlrabi in water until it is fork tender. Drain. In a deep pan, cook the bacon until almost crisp. Remove to a paper towel and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Let bacon cool, then tear into pieces. Add the garlic, onions and bell pepper and sauté until the onion is glazed. Add the kohlrabi, bacon, mushrooms, and seasonings, then continue to stir and fry until the mushrooms are lightly browned.

Stir in the spinach leaves, then add the shredded cabbage. Stir cook the cabbage until it Is limp and just tender, but is not overdone. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Serve.

Close up of the spinach and cabbage dish showing all the great, appealing colors.

Makes 2 dinner servings or 4 side-dish servings.

Nutrition Info per dinner serving:
Calories: 197.2 Fat: 12.4 g Net Carbs: 7.5 g Protein: 9.3 g

Nutrition Info per dinner serving:
Calories: 98.6 Fat: 6.2 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 4.7 g

Crock Pot Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Seafood, Soups and Stews

Slow Cooker East Texas Jambalaya

Hey, y’all!  This here recipe is a variation of one PK’s mother, Toni Kelly, used to make and we’ve adapted it a little to make it low carb and add more meat to it. The changes are in the choices of vegetables and tomatoes that go into it.  Always, a southern recipe includes the “holy trinity” of Cajun-cooking, which is celery, bell peppers, and onions.  This is a delicious and slightly spicy dish that warms you up on a cold day and just bursts with flavor as you eat it.

And it is pretty easy to make.  If you want to put it on before you leave for work, then do the prep work, including lightly cooking the chicken and bell pepper, onions, and celery the night before and refrigerating until morning when you put it all in the slow cooker.  Then just add the rest of the ingredients, except the shrimp and mushrooms, put it on low to cook all day.  When you come home, check the seasoning mix, adjust, then add the shrimp and mushrooms and cook for another 30 minutes to cook the shrimp.

You want to look for the lowest net carbs for the tomatoes that you can find. Check the nutrition information on the back of the can, which is per serving, and find the carbohydrate count, then subtract the fiber. This is the net carb count of one serving. I used canned tomatoes that were 8 net carbs per cup for the calculation. You can add more chicken without increasing the carb count, but the calorie count will go up accordingly. If you are making chicken only, then use two whole breasts (4 of the half breasts).

1 whole Chicken Breast, skin removed
1 link Andouille Sausage
1 oz. can whole or diced, peeled Tomatoes
1 cup Butternut Squash, cubes (optional)
1 cup Green Bell Peppers cut into strips
1 cup Zucchini, (Green and Yellow), sliced
3 stalks Celery, trimmed and chopped
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/3 cup Mushrooms, sliced
6 oz. Shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1/2 cup Ham, diced
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon Garlic
1/2 tablespoon Creole Seasoning
1/2 cup Onions, Chopped
2 tablespoons Pumpkin Puree

Cut chicken into cubes or small bite-sized pieces. Cut the sausage into small pieces and dice the ham. In a large skillet, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and over medium heat, sauté the garlic, celery, and onion until the onion sweats and softens a little, then add to the slow cooker. Add green peppers to the skillet, then the chicken. Add a little more olive oil if needed. Cook for a couple of minutes to just get the chicken to start to firm up. This is mostly to add flavor to it before adding to the cooker. Put the chicken and peppers in the cooker.

Add the tomatoes, zucchini, butternut squash, chicken broth, Creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Turn the cooker on High and cook for 1 hour, then reduce it to low setting. Let cook for two hours. Check the seasonings in the sauce and adjust if needed, then add the ham and the pumpkin puree. The pumpkin will work to thicken the sauce and adds a little flavor. Cook another 30 minutes, then add the shrimp and the mushrooms. Cook another 30 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through, but not overcooked.

Serve with cauli-rice or stir-fried angel hair cabbage to keep the carbohydrates low. The butternut squash adds an interesting flavor to the Jambalaya, but can be omitted, which will also reduce the number of carbs per serving. Makes 8 servings, about 3/4 cup each.

Nutrition info with Butternut Squash per serving:
(doesn’t include the cauli-rice or cabbage)
Calories: 150 Fat: 5.1 g Net Carbs: 7.6 g Protein: 16.3 g

Nutrition info without Butternut Squash per serving:
(doesn’t include the cauli-rice or cabbage)
Calories: 140 Fat: 5.0 g Net Carbs: 5.6 g Protein: 16.1 g

Notes: Jambalaya is a flexible stew, but almost always includes chicken and the “holy trinity” of southern cooking, but the vegetable and meat choices vary with personal taste. You can add other vegetables such as okra, green beans, cauliflower, carrots or broccoli. The carbs will vary a little based on what you add, but it will be close.

Typical net carb (nc) values of the possible add-ins per half cup diced or chopped:
Okra – 1.6 g nc; Green Beans (fresh) – 2.0 g nc; Cauliflower – 1.3 g nc; Carrots – 4.3 g nc; Broccoli – 1.0 nc; Butternut Squash – 7.8 g nc; Turnip Greens – 1.1 g nc; Turnips – 3.0 g nc; Kohlrabi – 1.5 g nc; White Potato – 10 g nc

 

Beef, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Cottage Pie is Comfort Food

When winter is howling at the windows and the temperatures are dropping into the red zone of the thermometer, it’s time to look for warming, hearty food dishes that make you feel secure. One of those is the Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie. The basic difference between the two is the meat used for the filling. Strictly speaking, if it’s lamb, you have a Shepherd’s Pie. Any other filling is a Cottage Pie.

This Cottage Pie is made with minced up beef or ground beef. I found a package of chopped carne asada, which is basically steak meat cut in tiny pieces, at my grocery store or you can it into small bites yourself. Instead of using potatoes, I used a combination of cauliflower, turnips, and kohlrabi to make the mashed vegetables to top off the stew-like filling. You can use all cauliflower or any combination of the vegetables that you prefer.

This dish tastes wonderful and it fills you up with a warming winter dish that won’t add unwanted pounds.

Cottage Pie

1 lb ground or minced Beef
2 slices of thick-sliced Bacon
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 large Carrot, diced
1 cup Green Beans, diced, cooked
1 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup diced Turnips
1 cup Cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup Kohlrabi, chopped
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 cup Beef Broth
2 tablespoons Butter
Seasoning Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder, optional
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees(F.)

Cook turnips, cauliflower and kohlrabi in a pan of water until tender. Drain well, then mash with a masher or in a food processor. Add cream, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Cook bacon in a heavy skillet, drain on a paper towel. Pour off most of the bacon fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon, then add the garlic and onion and lightly brown. Add the beef and stir fry until lightly browned. Stir in the mushrooms and cook a few minutes. Mix the low carb flour into the beef broth and add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Break the bacon into pieces and add to the pan along with the cooked carrots and green beans and cook until the mixture thickens.

Pour into an 8×8 baking pan. Smooth the turnip and cauliflower mixture over the top to form a top crust. Sprinkle optional cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Let cool about five minutes, then serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:480 Fat:35.9 g Net Carbs:4.6 g Protein: 31 g

Breads, Breakfast & Brunch, Condiments and Sauces, Pork, Recipes

Brunch with Biscuits and Pumpkin Chorizo Sausage Gravy

Halloween is almost upon us and I am still celebrating pumpkin. If you’d like to make a special breakfast or brunch meal for Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas or traditionally for New Year’s Day, you can’t go wrong with biscuits and gravy. And yes, they can be made low carb.  In fact, this dish, using one biscuit, is less than 4 net carbs when made with CarbQuick.  It may be a little higher with other low carb flours.

Boy-oh-boy, this is a favorite dish of mine, so I have been working to get a really good recipe for them. I use CarbQuick for my low carb flour baking mix choice, but you can also use Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix or Dixie Carb Counters or LC Foods. It might work okay with almond flour, but it’s best to try to mix another flour in with it. This recipe for biscuits is the tastiest one I’ve come up with so far. The gravy has a fall twist to it and also a bit of a spicy touch as I add pumpkin puree and chorizo sausage along with the regular sausage. It is a great flavor combination. Be bold. Give these a try.

Best Savory Biscuits

1 cup Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Shortening
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
Pinch Salt
Pinch ground Thyme
1 to 2 tablespoons Cold Water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, salt, thyme and sugar substitute and mix together. Add the shortening and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles crumbles. Add 1 tablespoon of water and mix it into the dough. If it doesn’t pull together easily, add a little more water. You want the dough stiff but completely mixed.

Mix in the cheddar cheese until distributed. Divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a 3-inch round about 1/2-inch thick and place on the baking pan.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Makes 4 biscuits.

Nutrition Info per biscuit:
   Calories: 152.5 Fat: 12.8 g Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 6.4 g

Pumpkin Chorizo Sausage Gravy

1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Low Carb Flour
4 oz. Pork Sausage
2 oz. Basque Style Chorizo Sausage
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 tablespoon Pumpkin Puree

In a medium skillet, brown the sausage and chorizo, breaking it into smaller pieces as you cook it. When lightly browned remove to a paper towel on a plate to drain. Stir the low carb flour into the grease in the pan to make a paste. If there isn’t enough, add a little oil to the pan.

Stir in the heavy whipping cream and 1 cup of water, the Worcestershire sauce and the cayenne pepper and mix well. Then stir in the pumpkin puree and the cooked sausage. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Split the biscuits in half and pour 1/4 of the sausage gravy over each biscuit.

Makes 4 servings or 2 hungry-man (or woman) servings.

Nutrition Information for both biscuit and gravy per serving:
   Calories: 327.4 Fat: 23.9 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 12.4 g

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Soups and Stews

Autumn Harvest Stew with Ham, Cauliflower and Butternut

Autumn is such a great time of year.  The days are cooling down and the leaves are such beautiful shades of red, orange, and gold.  It’s really my favorite season of the year.  And the various winter squashes are coming into season along with other winter produce such as pomegranates, quince, and cactus pears.

This lovely stew actually happened a bit by accident, but it tastes so great that I intend to keep it in my frequent meal file.  It combines the delicious flavors of ham, cheddar cheese, cauliflower and butternut squash in a sauce thickened with pumpkin puree.  That’s it, I’ve opened another can of pumpkin so I’ll be doing several pumpkin recipes over the next few weeks.  I love pumpkin and it usually helps to thicken stews and sauces without adding flour or cornstarch.

Harvest Stew with Ham, Cauliflower, Butternut & Cheddar

2 cups Cauliflower, chopped
1/4 cup Pumpkin puree
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 cup Water
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
2 cups lean Ham, diced
1cup Butternut Squash, cubed
1/4 cup Red Peppers, sliced
1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.)

Chop cauliflower into small pieces and cut butternut squash into cubes. Cook in a microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or put in boiling water for about 4 minutes to partially cook.   Cut ham into cubes.

In a saucepan, add butter and melt over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until the onion begins to get tender. Add whipping cream and water and stir together. Add pumpkin and ricotta cheese and stir in. Then add the cheddar cheese and stir until it melts.

In a large pot or baking dish, add the vegetables and ham, then mix the sauce into the pot. Sprinkle the cheddar jack cheese over the top and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve in bowls with a low carb biscuit or a side salad.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving: (6 servings)
Calories: 312.6 Fat: 22.9 g Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 17.4 g

Nutrition Information per serving: (8 servings)
Calories: 234.4 Fat: 17.1 g Net Carbs: 4.9 g Protein: 13.1 g