Category Archives: Main Dish

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Delightful Tostada Salad Features Butternut Squash

Butternut Chicken Tostada

Recently, I ran across a recipe for a taco filling using butternut squash, which is something that I had been thinking about anyway.  It’s similar to adding pumpkin to a recipe or acorn squash, which I think are almost interchangeable.  And they also substitute for sweet potato pretty well.  Add to this that I picked up two tostada molds at the dollar store and I had the inspiration for this Butternut Squash Tostada.    The metal molds are easy to use, just put the tortilla in and press it into the shape.  Put in the oven to toast and you’re done.

Based on a recipe from my local grocery store, Raleys. I made a few adjustments for low carb and added chicken to what was a vegetarian taco.

Butternut Squash Tostada Salad

1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 cup 1/4 -inch cubes Butternut Squash
1/2 cup diced Bell Pepper
1 cup Cooked Chicken, shredded or diced
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 cup Taco Sauce
4 low carb Flour Tortillas
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Fresh Cilantro leaves, torn
2 cups shredded Lettuce
1 Hass Avocado, cut into slices
4 tablespoons Pico de Gallo or Salsa

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.)

Use a tostada mold to make the tortilla shells or turn a muffin pan upside down and arrange the tortillas over the cup and press down to make a well in the tortilla. If the tortilla doesn’t bend easily, heat it over a burner for about 30 seconds until it softens or warm in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Bake the shell for 8- 10 minutes until it is lightly browned. Let cool.

In a large skillet, heat the oil, then add the onions and bell pepper and saute for about 1 minute over medium high heat. Add the squash cubes and the chicken and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Add the taco sauce, cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes. (If the vegetables are getting dry, add a little water to the pan.)

Put lettuce in the bottom of the tortilla shell, then spoon 1/4 of the filling into the shell, making sure to distribute it into the points. Top with shredded cheese and put a slice of avocado on top of each point of the tostada. Spoon the pico de gallo or salsa into the middle. Serve with a low carb chipotle ranch dressing if you like.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 191.2 Fat: 19.9 g Net Carbs: 10.2 g Protein: 25.5 g

TIP: Want to reduce your carbs a little? Omit the tortillas and just eat as a salad. This reduces the meal by 3 net carbs and 60 calories. To make this vegetarian, omit the chicken. 

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Deluxe Ham and Cheese Pizza

Ham and cheese just naturally go together, don’t they? Everyone loves a hot ham and cheese sandwich, right? Well, I do. So a ham and cheese pizza is a no-brainer.   Especially if you are using one of LC Foods new low carb pizza shells. For those who believe that bacon makes everything better, you can add it to the pizza without adding any more carbs. (There will be calories, though!)

Disclaimer:  I am not paid by LC Foods to say good things about their products, nor do they send me any free samples to review them.  I got the notice this new product was available, just like everyone else on their mailing list and I bought it.   So this bit of enthusiasm for their pizza shell is strictly my honest opinion.  They are really good!  And I make a pretty good pizza crust substitute myself, but this is the best one I’ve tasted.  For one thing it is an honest-to-goodness yeast crust and it is sturdy.  Just like the real thing!  Two pizza- sauce-covered thumbs up from this girl!

If you are outside the shipping area (the USA) or just don’t want to order the shells, you can build these pizza on any pizza base you choose.  You can refer to the Flax Almond Pizza Crust or use the chicken-based pizza crust or the cauliflower pizza crust.  They will all work with it.  Just follow the instructions for the crust of choice to make and partially pre-cook, then add the sauce and toppings.

Deluxe Ham and Cheese Pizza

2 cups Ham, cubed
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
4 tablespoon Bacon, crumbled (Optional)
1 LC Food Pizza Crust or other low carb pizza crust

Preheat oven to 385 degrees (F.)

Put pizza shell on a cookie sheet and spread Alfredo Sauce evenly over the top. It should be a thin layer but still cover the entire shell. If it is a little short, add another tablespoon or two.

Precook the vegetables in a microwave for 3 minutes or sauté them in a skillet with 1 tablespoon butter until they are just tender.

Distribute the ham and vegetables evenly over the top of the sauce. Top with cheese sprinkled evenly over the top.

Slide the pizza directly onto the oven rack or place on a baking rack in the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The crust doesn’t get really brown, so watch that the cheese is completely melted and just starting to brown. Remove from the oven. Let it cool about 10 minutes, then slice and serve. One slice is a serving; makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Info for 1/8th of the pizza (toppings only)
Calories: 158 Fat: 5.9 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 10.7 g

Nutrition Info for 1/8th of the pizza (LC Foods Pizza Shell only)
Calories: 131 Fat: 4.5 g Net Carbs: 2 g Protein: 13 g

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

An Old Favorite: Chicken Divan

This recipe has been around forever and often gets forgotten as new and exciting recipes come along.  But it is still one of the most delicious main course dinners I’ve encountered.   I took a basic recipe from an old cook book and made a few adjustments to make it low carb.  Hope you will give it a try soon.

Classic Chicken Divan

3 cups cooked fresh Broccoli spears
1 1/2 lbs sliced cooked chicken
3 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Low Carb Flour*
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Water
2 large Eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons cooking Sherry
Paprika

* I use CarbQuick for my flour.  Using 2 tablespoons of regular flour will add 100 calories and .3 g net carbs to each serving, so not a big issue.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange broccoli in the bottom of a 2 quart shallow baking dish or 6 individual baking dishes. Place chicken slices over the broccoli and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes until hot.

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, then blend in flour. Cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, then remove from heat. Mix the cream and water together and gradually stir into the flour mixture. Return it to heat and bring to a boil. Gradually blend half the hot cream sauce into beaten eggs, then gradually add the mixture back to the hot sauce mixture. Stir in the sherry.

Arrange the broccoli and chicken on serving plates if they are in the baking dish. If in individual dishes, serve in the dish. Spoon sauce over the chicken and broccoli and sprinkle on a little paprika for color.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving
Calories: 278 Fat: 24.4 g Net Carbs: 5.2 g Protein: 7.3 g

Condiments and Sauces, Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Six Hot Weather Dining Options

“Hot August Nights” is underway in Reno, Nevada and the weather is doing its best to provide the atmosphere for it.  For those who don’t know, “Hot August Nights” is a classic cars event with the highlights being on cars from the peak of Rock ‘n’ Roll, but really, lots of old cars, in excellent condition, are motoring all over town.

But when the weather is hot, the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  This is great for grilling outdoors if you can take the heat, but it’s also a good opportunity to make salads, particularly if you pick up one of the pre-grilled chickens from the grocery store and use that rather than heating the oven up to roast it yourself.  Other options are the deli-cuts at the store, canned tuna, turkey, chicken and salmon made into a tasty chicken salad.   You can add hard boiled eggs easily, and avoid the heat in the kitchen if you purchase pre-boiled ones — also saves on peeling them.

If you do have to cook ingredients, like for a tasty turnip cauliflower salad, do it early in the morning or late at night when it’s a little cooler.  With this in mind, here some links to a few salad options that I already have posted on this site and my latest offering, which is up today.  They are all delicious and low carb, so you enjoy the summer with cool, refreshing salads.

Turkey Salad With Golden Beets – My newest addition to the Summer Salad lineup is a delightful offering.  It’s easily made with canned turkey or freshly chopped cooked turkey, so it doesn’t heat up the kitchen when the nights are barely cooler than the days.   The page includes a recipe for Low Carb French Dressing or use a low carb commercial one.

Crisp Cucumber Salsa –  This is so refreshingly delicious.  I’ve made it a few times this summer already.  You can use it as a dip or as a salad.  The lovely sweet taste of cucumber mixes wonderfully with the slight bite of chile.

Mexican Style Asparagus Salad –  So very tasty.  It has a little bit of a bite, but it isn’t detracting.  Asparagus are a little pricier at the market now, but this salad may be worth it.  Make it a main meal salad by adding grilled or roasted chicken or salmon to it.

Springtime Coleslaw – This is just as good in the Summer as it is in the Spring.  The only iffy thing, carb-wise, in this is the pineapple.  It isn’t on Phase I or Phase II of Atkins, so you might omit it.  If you decide to use it, be sure it is fresh, not sweetened pineapple.

Strawberry Chicken Salad – This is one of my favorite salads.  I love the fresh berries in it, although it does come in a bit higher in carbs than I normally like my main meal to be.  It is filling and satisfying though.  To make it a little lower, you could omit the golden beets and cut the lime juice in the dressing back to just 2 tablespoons.   You can also swap out those strawberries for raspberries to get a slightly different flavor.  Or you could use salmon or turkey in place of the chicken.  Want to try a different dressing?  Why not?  Just be aware of the carb counts on the dressing.

Texas Style Turnip Cauliflower Salad – Such a part of my childhood, this style potato salad was a staple at every picnic and many Sunday dinners.  I had to recreate it in a low carb version and this was my solution.  Since I first put this recipe out, I have added kohlrabi into the mix and even a cup of celery root.  Both of these bring even more to the flavor and I don’t really miss the potatoes at all, because the dressing and the blended flavors of the vegetables are just as good.

 

 

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Too Hot to Cook? A Cool Turkey Salad Helps

With a few thunderstorms in the area this past week, it’s really been too hot and muggy to do much cooking in the kitchen after the lunch hour.  But it’s a great time for no-cook options or meals that you can prepare in the morning and eat cold or reheat in the microwave.  I went back to an old favorite chicken salad made as a spread for sandwiches and updated to turkey to put on top of a salad.  By adding a few beets and cooling cucumber, it makes a wonderful and filling evening meal.

If you want additional salad dressing, other than what is in the turkey, you can use a low carb French dressing or a Ranch Dressing (most are around 2 net carbs for 2 tablespoons) or you can make your own French from the recipe after the salad recipe.

Turkey Salad With Beets

10 oz. can White Turkey Meat or 1 cup cooked Turkey, chopped
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 large Egg, hard boiled
4 to 5 sugar free Sweet Pickles or 2 tablespoons sugar free Sweet Pickle Relish
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic Seasoning

6 cups lettuce, torn or chopped (I used Romaine and Bibb)
1 cup Baby Spinach, chopped or torn
1 Golden Beet, cooked and cut into cubes or small pieces
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup diced tomato

Drain the turkey meat if you are using canned meat. Put the turkey in a bowl. Cut the hard boiled egg into quarters to make it easier to mash and add it to the bowl. . Using a fork, mash the egg and the turkey together. If you are using whole pickles, chop them finely or put them in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add them to the bowl. Add the mayonnaise and use the fork to mix them all together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, mix the lettuce and spinach together and put into individual large salad bowls. Put 1/4 of the turkey mixture in the middle of the lettuce in each bowl. Arrange 6 slices of cucumbers and 6 cubes of golden beets around the edge of each bowl. Put 2 tablespoons of diced tomato on top.

Drizzle Low Carb French Dressing, if desired, onto the salad and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 216 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 16.2 g

Low Carb French Dressing

2 tablespoons Ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Two tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry Mustard

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until it is liquefied. Pour into a clean jar or dressing cruet and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Shake before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 48 Fat: 0.7 g Net Carbs: 1.5 g Protein: 0.0 g

TIP: Save a couple of your salad dressing bottles for putting your “from scratch” dressings in. Just be sure to sterilize them before using them. A trip through the dishwasher should do the trick.