Category Archives: Main Dish

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Lawyer Up with Wonderful Lobster

T’is that time of the year again when I look at all my Irish-type recipes and try to figure out the St. Patrick’s Day dinner and dessert.  I have many Irish recipes in my house and quite a few Irish-American ones as well.  The corned beef we eat in America is not popular in Ireland and my Irish friends tell me that it doesn’t taste the same either.  But for those of us who’ve had it nearly every St. Patrick’s Day of their lives, it is the dish of the day.

But why not break out with something different?  This dish called “Dublin Lawyer” is a very good example of an Irish alternative.  This is an old Dublin dish with a colorful name that I haven’t been able to find the origin.  Possibly, given that it’s a lobster dish with whiskey in it, it was a favorite of the lawyers, who may have been the only ones who could afford it. It’s similar to Lobster Thermidor with whiskey substituting for the white wine or sherry in the latter.  I made very few changes to this recipe as it is just naturally low carb’d.

Dublin Lawyer

As prepared by Rene Averett

2 Lobster Tails (6 to 8 oz. each), cooked
2 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Irish Whiskey (Jameson’s or Paddy’s)
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup sliced Mushrooms (optional)
2 tablespoons Leeks, chopped (whites)
2 tablespoons Low Carb Bread Crumbs*
1 Egg Yolk
Salt
Cayenne pepper

Preheat broiler to 485 degrees (if you can control it) or heat a toaster oven set to Broil.

Remove the lobster meat from the tails.  Clean the shells and set aside.  Cut the lobster meat into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

Trim the leeks and cut them finely, using a combination of white and a little of the green part near the white.  Heat the butter in a pan and sauté’ the leeks and mushrooms until the leeks are tender. Add the cream, salt and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil. Remove pan from the heat and stir in the whiskey. Return to the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes,

Pu the egg yolk in a cup and beat with a whisk.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of sauce into the egg and whisk together, then add another 2 tablespoons.  Add the egg and sauce mixture to the pan and whisk it in gently.  Heat on simmer for a few more minutes and it will begin to thicken.  Add the lobster to the sauce and let it simmer another 3 minutes.

When you have the rest of your dinner almost prepared, put the lobster into the cleaned shells or into individual serving dishes.   Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and spray lightly with butter spray or olive oil. Put the tails into a small baking dish or individual dishes.  Cook under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned.

Serve immediately.  Serves 2.

Nutrition Info per lobster tail
Calories: 316 Fat: 25 g Net Carbs: 1.8 g Protein: 4.2 g

* I always have low carb bread crumbs on hand.  They can be from any quick low carb bread, such as the Wheat Germ and Flax Bread Rounds or the Irish Soda Bread, linked below.  If you don’t have them, look for the lowest bread crumb at your grocery store and add that carb count to the amount above.

For more St. Patrick’s Day options, here are more recipes from Skinny Girl Bistro to round out your celebration.

Use up the leftover corned beef in one of these dishes:
Corned Beef Hash
Corned Beef Quesadillas

Make side dishes for your Irish meal:
Irish Style Celery and Kohlrabi
Irish Soda Bread
Smashed Turnips and Leeks

Top your dinner off with a sweet or a drink:
Slim Irish Cream Cheesecake
O’Kelly’s Slim Irish Cream
Irish Apple Cake

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Popular Cauliflower Casserole, My Version

Just about everybody who does low carb blogs, and then some, has a version of this wonderful cauliflower cheese casserole.  I’ve made this numerous times and in various ways.  My version has a few added ingredients.  At this time of year, I like to take advantage of the asparagus that’s reasonably priced at the market.  You can also use broccoli or Brussels sprouts in it.  No matter how you make it, this is an incredibly delicious alternative to Macaroni and Cheese.

While this is a smaller version than some of the ones I’ve seen, it  serves 4 with a nice-sized portion or 2 really hungry people  and still give you a small net carb amount.

Cauliflower, Bacon, Asparagus and Cheese Casserole

1/4 head Cauliflower
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Asparagus or 1/2 cup Broccoli, chopped
4 slices Thick Bacon
1/2 cup diced Ham
2 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon garlic
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam cauliflower until tender. (Microwave in a glass bowl about three minutes.) Cut the asparagus into bite sized pieces.

Cream together 1/2 of the shredded cheese, ricotta cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, onions and seasonings in a small bowl. Add cauliflower, asparagus pieces, bacon and ham to a casserole dish and mix in the cheese mixture until it is evenly distributed.

Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 260 Fat: 20.4 g Net Carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 14.4 g

Recipes, Seafood

Savory Rolls of Sole with Bacon and Zucchini

SONY DSC

I nabbed some Dover Sole at my grocery store a few days ago, which is something I don’t see too often.  I was very excited to do a recipe using the sole and found many of them on the internet.  But I settled on an adaptation of Chief John’s Crab Stuffed Sole.  I didn’t have any crab and I wanted to do something a little different with it anyway, so I came up with this recipe using vegetables and bacon instead.

For the low carb bread crumbs, you can crumble any low carb bread – you only need a 1 tablespoon – or use the lowest carb commercial bread crumbs you can find.  I have leftover bread stuffing mix from my Christmas dinner.  Not the stuff made into the stuffing, but the seasoned, cut up squares from my recipe here.

The result is a delicious, a lightly-flavored roll of sole filled with tasty vegetables and bacon and topped with a toasted mayonnaise sauce. Try the original with crab or try this version.  Either way, you’ll love it.  And if you can’t find sole, try cod or another boneless white fish filet.

Bacon and Zucchini Stuffed Sole

1/2 cup chopped zucchini
2 strips of bacon, fried and chopped
1 tablespoon low carb bread crumbs
2 teaspoons minced green onions
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt and black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pinch paprika
8 2 oz. sole fillets (1 lb.)
Paprika to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly oil a baking dish or spray with cooking spray.

Finely chop vegetables and break bacon into small pieces.
Combine vegetables, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, bread crumbs, and black pepper together in a bowl.

In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice and cayenne pepper.

Wash the sole fillets and pat dry. Place flat side up on your work surface or a silicone mat. Season fillets with a little salt and paprika. Divide stuffing mixture between the fillets, spreading it down the length of the filet. Roll each filet up around filling, rolling the full length of the filet so it makes a spiral roll with the filling in layers inside. Place rolled sole in the prepared baking dish.

Distribute filling the full length of the filet.
Distribute filling the full length of the filet.

Using a spoon or spatula, spread 1/2 the mayonnaise mixture over the sides and tops of each sole roll to coat. Place remaining mayonnaise mixture in a small plastic bag and cut the tip of a corner off to squeeze out the mayonnaise.  Pipe the mixture in a zigzag pattern over the top of each filet roll and sprinkle paprika over the top.

Roll the filets from the shorter side up to form roll.
Roll the filets from the shorter side up to form roll.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned on top and fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings (2 rolls each)

Nutrition Info per servings:
Calories: 336 Fat: 3.6 g Net Carbs: 2 g Protein: 28.7

Notes: As you can see from my photo, If you nip off too much of the bag tip, the flow will be too big for neat zigzags.  Also, try to get evenly sized fillets for this so that the rolls are consistent in size.

Beef, Main Dish, Recipes

Chicken Fried Comfort Food

Just because you’re trying to keep your carbs in check doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy one of the classic comfort foods of the south, Chicken Fried Steak.  For those not in the know, this is not chicken prepared to taste like steak, but cubed steak prepared as you would make fried chicken.

I have tried several versions over the years from the simple crust version, which is what this recipe is like, to the complete batter-fried version that uses a thick egg and flour mix to make a thick crust around it. This is my preferred version, using just a light flour coating so you don’t have a lot of carbs in the coating.  Both a low carb flour like CarbQuick or LC Foods Flour and Coconut Flour work well with this recipe.

This recipe is inspired by Alton Brown’s recipe with only a few substitutions to make it low carb. If you want those carbs, then go to Alton’s version.

Chicken Fried Steak

1 pound Cubed Steaks (4)
1 teaspoons Salt
1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
3/4 cup Low Carb Flour
1 whole Egg, beaten
1/4 cup Coconut Oil

Gravy:
1 cup Chicken Broth
1/4 cup heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
Dash Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. You’re going to use it to keep your steaks warm while you’re preparing them and making the gravy.

Season each piece of steak on both sides with the salt and pepper. Prepare two shallow pans, one with the flour and one with the beaten egg, Lightly dredge the steaks in the flour, then pound them with a meat tenderizer to work the flour into the meat and get it to about 1/4 inch thick.

Dredge the meat again in the flour, then dip in the egg and back in the flour again. Repeat the process with each steak.

Place the meat onto a plate and allow it to rest for about 15 minutes before cooking.

Place enough of the oil to cover the bottom of a 10 inch skillet (cast iron works well) and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the meat two at a time. being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove the steaks to a wire rack set in a small sheet cake pan and place into the oven. Repeat with the remaing steaks.

Add the rest of the oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to the pan. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of the leftover flour. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan with the whisk.  Continue to whisk until the gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add the milk and thyme and whisk until the gravy thickens enough to coat the spoon, approximately  10 minutes.  (Low carb flour will not thicken as quickly or possibly as thick as you would like.) Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over the steaks.

Nutrition Info per steak
Calories: 325 Fat: 20.2 g Net Carbs: 2.4 g Protein: 31.7 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Pork, Recipes

Make A Low Carb Breakfast Casserole

About this time of year, I see several recipes for breakfast casseroles to serve for the holidays and with New Year’s Day coming up, you might be looking for one you can make ahead and just put in the oven the morning after.  For a low carb lifestyle, the main problem  with most egg casseroles is that they include bread.  This spicy dish doesn’t have any bread in it, but it is loaded with sausage, cheese and Pico de Gallo for a bit of bite.  It goes together quickly.  It can be partially cooked so you can put it in the refrigerator then finish cooking it in the morning or just prepare the filling,  put it in the ‘fridge in a bowl, then mix up the eggs and finish it the next day.  What could be easier?

Spicy Egg Casserole

8 large Eggs
1/2 pound Country Seasoned Pork Sausage
1/2 cup Sweet Bell Peppers , diced
1/2 cup Pico de Gallo
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled
1 teaspoon Dried Mexican Oregano
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
4 tablespoons Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a deep dish pie tin or an 8’x8″x2″ cake pan by buttering the bottom and sides or spraying with cooking spray.

In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and saute the bell peppers until just tender, stir in the Pico de Gallo and cook a minute longer. Remove from pan. Add the sausage, crumbling with a spatula until lightly browned. Sausage should be in small pieces. Remove from heat. Spread mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Crumble the Queso Fresco on top, then add 1/3 cup of cheddar jack cheese over the top.

In a bowl, mix eggs and seasonings together along with 2 tablespoons of water. Beat by hand until completely mixed together. Add salt and pepper to your preference. Pour over the sausage mixture, then top with 1/3 cup of cheese.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown. Add the remaining cheese and cook until it is just melted.

Cut into pieces and serve with sour cream and chopped green onions.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Nutrition Info: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 519 Fat: 40.5 g Net Carbs: 5 g Protein: 34.5 g

Nutrition Info: 1/6 of recipe
Calories: 346 Fat: 27g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 23 g

Tip: To prepare ahead, go right to step two and make the peppers, pico and sausage mixture, then put into a plastic container or bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then put it in the ‘fridge until the next morning. Then simply warm it up in a microwave for a minute, then spread it into your baking dish. Mix the eggs and bake.

Alternately, you can prepare the casserole and bake it for 20 minutes. Then pull out, cover with plastic wrap, put it in the ‘fridge. Pull the casserole out the next morning, put it back into a 350 degree oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes to finish cooking, then add the top layer of cheese and bake 5 more minutes to melt it.