Category Archives: Pork

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Vegetarian

Low Carb Spinach & Artichoke Cauli-Mac

A lot of yummy recipes are shared on Facebook, like this one recently posted from BuzzFeed for One-Pan Mac and Cheese. This is a delicious recipe with lots of cheese flavor and the subtle taste of the spinach and artichoke hearts just enhances it.

For me, I immediately start adapting it to a low carb version because I know that macaroni, or any pasta, is too high carb’d for my lifestyle unless I make the pasta myself from low carb flours. So far, I haven’t tried that although it’s on my to-do list.

But in this case, the easier change to the recipe is to replace the macaroni with cauliflower. If you like this vegetable, and I know some people who don’t, then it is an amazing replacement for many starches in your cooking. You can chop it and use it to replace smaller pastas. You can rice it or chop it finely in a food processor to use it as a fill-in for rice, couscous, and other small pastas. You can also use it for pizza crusts, bread sticks, and assorted other bread replacements.

As a replacement for macaroni, it is fantastic. It doesn’t have a strong flavor, particularly if you start with fresh cauliflower or use frozen that hasn’t defrosted and sat in the refrigerator for a couple of days. While this recipe is very close to the one posted, I never make anything exactly the way it’s written. In addition to the cauliflower for macaroni swap, I also added bacon, because I love bacon and this just called out for it. The artichoke hearts may be a little hard to find but you can get them either canned or frozen. If you can get frozen, those are better. Do not get marinated artichoke hearts unless they’re the only option you have. If you do, wash them thoroughly before using unless you want the taste of the marinade in your meal. While I didn’t add them this time, the next time I make this, I think adding chopped green onions would be awesome.

I also cut the recipe in half so two people don’t have too many leftovers, but you can easily double it if you want the larger dish. I used an 8″ cast iron skillet and it filled it to almost over-flowing so even the larger cast iron skillet might not be big enough for the full recipe. Also, if you are making this recipe with macaroni instead of cauliflower, use 1/2 the amount called for as macaroni expands as it cooks, so one cup dry equals two cups cooked.

Don’t like cauliflower? Try dicing turnips or kohlrabi into small cubes to fill in for the macaroni. After they are diced, cook them in boiling water or in a bowl in the microwave until a fork can easily pierce them. At this point, this resembles a scalloped potato recipe more than it does macaroni and cheese, but they are similar.

Skillet Spinach Artichoke Cauli-Mac

1 tablespoon Butter
1 clove Garlic minced
3 oz. Baby Spinach
1/2 cup Artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 pound Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces(optional)
3/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Water
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
2 cups Cauliflower, chopped
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (F.)

In an ovenproof 8″ skillet, such as a cast iron one, melt the butter, then add the garlic, spinach and artichoke hearts. Cook and stir until the spinach wilts. Add the cream, water, salt and pepper. Stir until the sauce is boiling. Add the bacon and cauliflower pieces and stir into the sauce. Cool until the sauce coats the cauliflower pieces. Add the cheddar and one cup of mozzarella to the pan and stir until it is completely melted.

Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella on top and bake for about seven minutes or until the cheese if bubbly and golden brown.

Makes 4 servings. nutrition_Cauli-mac-bacon-artichokes

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Simple Low Carb Cracked Pepper Pork with Mushrooms

This is my take on a very delicious and easy to make restaurant dish.  I started with two pork loin steaks that I cut into three pieces each so they cook a little quicker.  Add freshly ground pepper while cooking and make a delicious pepper sauce to put over the top or return the pork steaks to the pan and smother them in it.  Either way, they are simply delicious and have gone into my “do often” recipe file.

The only real low carb extra in this recipe is the use of a low carb flour for coating the pork and thickening the sauce.  You can omit it completely and just coat the pork with ground pepper, then cook it in butter until it browns and is almost done.  Cook the sauce longer to reduce the liquid until it is thickened.

Cracked Pepper Pork with Mushrooms

3 tablespoons Butter
2 Pork Tenderloin Steaks, cut into three pieces each
Pinch of Salt
2 tablespoons Freshly Ground Peppercorns
2 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup chopped Onion
1 teaspoon chopped Garlic
1/2 cup sliced Mushrooms
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
1 oz. Burgundy Wine (optional)
2 tablespoons Heavy Cream

Put one tablespoon of low carb flour, 1 tablespoon of ground pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning salt in a plastic bag and shake it to mix it together. Add the pork pieces and shake to coat with the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 150 to 170 degrees (F). Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and just starting to bubble, add the pork and cook until golden crisp on each side. Remove the pork to a sheet of aluminum foil, wrap and put in the oven to keep warm. Add the rest of the butter to the pan, then add the garlic and chopped onion and sauté a few minutes, then add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they are lightly browned. Add the remaining flour and stir to a paste, then add the chicken broth, wine (if you are using it), remaining pepper and heavy cream. Blend together, then bring the heat up to high and continue to cook and stir until the sauce is thickened.

Arrange the pork on the serving plates and spoon the sauce over the top. Add a little more pepper if you wish. You can also put the pork back into the sauce to warm again before serving.

Makes two large servings or three smaller servings.

Nutrition information per large serving:
   Calories: 502.3 Fat: 35.2g Net Carbs: 6.8 g Protein: 37.9 g

 

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Pork, Product Review

Product Review & Pizza Recipe

2 Comments

LC-Pizza & Bagel Flour

I’ve been meaning to try LC Foods flour for making pizza, calzones, bagels, and English muffins for quite some time now. The only recipe actually included on the package is for pizza. I found a bagel recipe that sounded good and I tried that one before I tried to make a pizza. I can say that it works very well for the bagels. So this week, I mixed up the pizza dough and had a go of it.

First, this is a fine-textured flour that is excellent for baking these types of breads. LC Foods has severl milled flours in their online store that can be used for a variety of baking including pasta, cake, and bread, as well as the one for pizza. The flour is not as low priced as regular wheat flour, but it is a low carb flour and it’s worth the difference for a flour that is low in carbs and still produces a product that rises with yeast, tastes like bread, although not entirely like its wheat counterpart, but close enough that you can enjoy it. It’s also a sturdy pizza bread.

Note, this pizza flour is not gluten-free. It is made from a blend of wheat protein isolates, resistant wheat starches, flax seed meal and vital wheat gluten. You will need to add fast rising yeast, a bit of salt, a little sugar substitute, and olive oil to the mixture. The personal-sized pizza crust makes a 7 to 8 inch pizza round that will

For those who don’t want to make a pizza crust from scratch, LC Foods also sells a pre-made, partially cooked large pizza crust. You can add your favorite toppings and bake right at home and have a great pizza in no time.

So, on to the pizza dough and the toppings I used for this personal-sized pizza. For reference, each 1/4 cup of the flour is 2 net carbs and the whole small pizza used 3/4 cup of the flour. You can also shape the pizza dough into bread sticks, calzones, and strombolis. To make bagels or English muffins, you need to refer to a recipe for those breads as they have other ingredients and measurements. I will be putting up the basic bagel recipe next week.

I do have to say that of all the low carb flours I’ve used to try to make yeast breads, this flour has done the best job of rising, browning, and tasting very good. I give this flour my five cooking spoons of approval.

5-spoons

LC Pizza with Meatballs

This is made with LC Foods pizza and bagel flour. I bought pre-made poerk meatballs from Wal-Mart that are about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Use a low carb pasta sauce. I used Mario Batalli’s Vodka sauce, which is one of the lowest I have found.

3/4 cup LC Pizza and Bagel Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon rapid rise Yeast
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup warm Water
1 1/2 teaspoons Olive Oil

Toppings:
1/ cup Onions, chopped
3 mini Sweet Peppers
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/4 cup Pasta Sauce
6 medium-sized Pork Meatballs
1/2 cup Mozarella Cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano Cheese

In a medium bowl, add pizza flour, salt, yeast and sugar substitute and mix together. Add the water and olive oil and stir it together until combined and it begins to form a ball. Use your hands to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Clean the bowl, dry and lightly oil. Put the dough in the bowl and put in a warm place to rise. Cover with a plate. Allow it rise 30 to 40 minutes until the dough doubles.

Lightly oil a pizza pan or pizza stone. Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.)

Pull and stretch the dough into a circle and shape with your fingers until you have about a 7 to 8 inch round. Put on the pizza pan and bake for 5 minutes to get a partial bake on it.

Meanwhile, put a teaspoon of oil into a skillet and sauté the onions and peppers until just tender, then add garlic to the mix. Remove to a bowl. Cut the meatballs in half and if not already cooked, brown them in the skillet until they are almost done.

Spread the pizza sauce on the crust, then spread the vegetables evenly. Put the meatball halves even around the pizza and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, then the Parmesan Romano cheese over the top of that.

Bake for 10 more minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes to set, then cut into pieces and serve.

Makes 2 to 4 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Nutrition Information per one-half pizza:
Calories: 404 Fat: 21.3 g Net Carbs: 10.4 g Protein: 14.7 g

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

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