Category Archives: Recipes

Poultry, Recipes

Easy to make Teriyaki Chicken Zoodles

Photo: Teriyaki Zacchini Noodles

Here’s a quick-to-do dinner idea for these home-bound times. You can omit the pineapple chunks if you don’t have any or use water-packed ones. If you have fresh zucchini, you can spiralize it or cut it into thin strips. You can also use your grater with a wide setting or a peeler to make long strips. Or you can buy frozen zucchini noodles. Serve this with a side salad for a filling meal.

 Teriyaki Chicken Zoodles

1 pound boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts cut into strips or chunks
2 tablespoons Oil
3 medium Zucchini cut into noodles using a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler (3 cups)
1 cup chopped Pineapple Chunks, fresh (optional)
1 Green Onion, sliced thinly
1 cup Broccoli florets
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Sesame Seeds (optional)

Sauce
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon grated Ginger
1 teaspoon Corn Starch
2 tablespoons Water plus more as needed to thin out sauce
Salt, Black Pepper, and Red Pepper Flakes to taste, optional

Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, season chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of sauce over the chicken and let it marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat cooking oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Add in the pineapple chunks and cook for another 1 minute until slightly softened. Pour in the remainder of the sauce and turn the heat to high. Allow sauce to bubble and thicken while stirring – about 2 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add more water a little at a time.

Add salt, black pepper, and red chili flakes as desired.

Add the zucchini noodles to the pan. Using tongs or two forks, toss the noodles to coat with sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until zucchini is just tender but still firm. Do not overcook.

Remove from heat, then drizzle extra sauce in pan over chicken. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Information

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes

Not quite Irish, but close… Welsh Cheddar Egg Melt

Photo: Welsh Cheddar Egg Melt

Well, I’m a little late for St. Patrick’s Day, and I’m presenting a dish that uses Welsh cheese rather than Irish, although Irish White Cheddar is also excellent in it. I actually made a dish last night that I thought would be good, but I wasn’t happy with result. I’m going to work the recipe a little more to make it much better. That will come along when I perfect it. Besides, St. Patrick was originally kidnapped from Wales and taken to to Ireland as a slave, so it sort of fits, doesn’t it?

This makes a tasty breakfast or brunch meal. Add a little fresh fruit or broiled asparagus for a more filling meal.

Welsh Cheddar Egg Melt

4 strips thick-cut bacon or 2 slices Irish Style Bacon
1 slices low carb Focaccia Bread, cut through the middle
1/2 ripe Avocado, mashed
2 slices tomato
1/2 cup shredded Welsh (or Irish) White Cheddar Cheese
2 Eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it is crisp. Drain on paper towels. Lightly toast the bread in the oven or toaster oven. Put bacon on top of bread, then layer a tomato slice and spread avocado over the it. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Prepare eggs while the broiler heats. Use either fried, poached, or scrambled eggs to your preference. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep eggs warm.

Place sandwiches on the foil-covered broiler pan or in a pie tin and broil for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until the cheese is melted. Top each sandwich with an egg and serve.

Serves two.

This focaccia bread recipe is 1.8 g of net carbs per slice. So, combined with this recipe, it’s only 4.7 net carbs if you use the whole slice or 3.8 g if you cut it in half.

Photo: Nutrition info

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Seafood, Vegetarian

A quick stir fry made easier

Image: Shrimp Pad Thai

Happy Saint David’s Day! I should have included a leek in today’s recipe in honor of the patron saint of Wales. But I didn’t.  I’ll post a Welsh recipe later in the week, then it will be on to the Irish recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.  But for today, I was thinking Asian when I made this for dinner last night.

I like to experiment with the products I find in the produce department. A couple of days ago, I found Taylor Farms Pad Thai Kit. While it is not too high in carbohydrates, it is a little higher when made with the included sauce than I can use in my daily intake. So, I tossed the enclosed pack of sauce and made my own. This was about 6 or 7 carbs lower a serving than using theirs. If you can enjoy around 30 or more net carbs in the day, then this might work well for you.

I turned to making my own Pad Thai sauce with what I had on hand in the house. You can use fish sauce in it if you wish. I found the vegetables were pretty well chopped or sliced, but not as evenly as I’d like and some pieces required cutting. The carrots are thin slices where I would prefer thin rounds or sticks that cook faster, but they worked out okay. I made mine with 2/3 pounds of medium-sized shrimp, about 27 of them. You can also add in tofu or mushrooms as an alternate protein in the dish. This makes it a good candidate for meatless Monday.

If you can’t find the Taylor Farms mix, you can make your own. The vegetable selection for this includes about 1/3 cup each of Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, green cabbage, snap peas, bok choy, and carrots. Most are chopped or sliced thinly.

Shrimp Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash 

6 ounces Shrimp, cleaned
1 package Taylor Farms Pad Thai Kit (vegetables only)
1-1/2 cups Spaghetti Squash (about 1-1/2-pound squash)
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Chicken Broth or Bullion
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Thai Chili Sauce
1/8 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar Substitute (Swerve or LC Brown)
1 tablespoon Canola Oil

Cook the spaghetti squash by roasting it or cooking it in the microwave until tender. It’s easier to remove the seeds if you cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop them out before cooking it. Use a fork to shred the squash into strings.

Clean shrimp, removing shells and veins. Cool until ready to use.

Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, add the rice vinegar, chicken broth, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar substitute, and pepper. Stir together to combine completely. Set aside.

Heat a bowl-sided skillet or wok on medium high heat. Add oil and swirl to distribute. Add the shrimp and cook until pink on both sides, about a minute and a half on each side for medium-sized shrimp. Larger shrimp will take a little longer. Remove the shrimp to a platter and cover to keep warm.

Add the vegetables from the Pad Thai kit into the pan and stir them around. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Lower the temperature to medium and add the prepared sauce. Stir it in and cook the vegetables a few more minutes, then add the shrimp back to the pan. Heat for two more minutes.

Put 1/2 cup of spaghetti squash in each serving bowl, then spoon the vegetables and shrimp on top. Sprinkle with chili flakes if you’d like a little more spice.

Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information

Recipes

Flavorful Pork with Apples and Butternut Squash One Pan Dinner

Image: Sheet Pan Dinner of apples, pork, and butternut squash

Oddly, I had several recipes for sheet pan dinners show up in my email feed this past week. They prompted me to create a delicious one pan dinner using pork. This one was originally written for chicken, but pork is frequently interchangeable with the bird.  The attraction with a single pan dinner is that it’s easy to get your dinner on the table at one time and the seasonings used enhance all the components. This one has a lovely sweet and lightly spiced sauce that works beautifully with the apples and squash. It uses pecans, but if you prefer, you can substitute walnuts or omit them.

Most of my recipes are 10 net carbs or below, but this ones comes in a little higher, depending on whether you want a large serving or a smaller one.  It will make four large servings or 6 smaller ones. You decide.

Apple and Butternut Pork Sheet Pan Dinner

Photo: Serving of pork with apples and butternut.

8 slices of Pork Roast or 6 boneless Pork Chops, about 1/2″ thick
2 Apples, cored and cubed
2 cups Butternut Squash, cubed
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 tablespoons Sugar-free Honey
1 1/2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees( F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easier. Spray with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, add olive oil, sugar-free honey, Dijon mustard, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg. Whisk to combine.

Place pork slices or chops in the center of the baking sheet and season to your preference with salt and pepper.

If you’re cooking about 1″-sized cubes of butternut squash, precook them in the microwave for about five minutes. Smaller cubes will probably get done in the allotted cooking time, but the larger ones won’t. Alternately, you can cook them for about five minutes in boiling water, drain, then add them to the baking pan. Place them on one side of the pork.

Toss apple pieces and pecans together and arrange them on the other side of the pork. Brush or pour the seasoned honey and oil syrup over everything.

Place the baking sheet in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pork is done. Let rest about 5 minutes, then spoon the squash and apples on the place and top with a pork chop.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Image: Nutrition Information

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

Photo: Stir-fry Brussels sprouts

A member of the cabbage family, Brussels sprouts have some of the same flavors, but still have a unique taste of their own. They pair well with most meats and fish and can be cooked in many different ways, from boiled to roasted to baked or fried. This recipe combines the sprouts with another of my favorite flavors, celery. Add in a little onion and stir fry the whole dish, and you have a delicious side dish. If you want to add a bit more, then cook a couple of slices of bacon and crumble them into the mixture. Yummy.

Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts

2 cups Brussels Sprouts, shredded or sliced thinly
1 large stalk Celery, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1/2 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Clean and slice the Brussels sprouts thinly or shred or chop them in a food processor. Clean and slice the celery stalk. Cut the onion into thin slices.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the onions and garlic. Cook for about two minutes. Add in the sprouts and celery slices and stir fry them about 8 to 10 minutes until the sprouts are cooked. Add seasonings and stir into the dish.

Makes 4 servings.

Image: Nutrition Info: Brussels sprouts