Category Archives: Recipes

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood, Vegetables & Salads

Scintillating Salmon with Orange Sauce

Photo: Salmon with Orange Basil Sauce

PK’s new doctor recently suggested she try the paleo diet to improve her health. With this pronouncement in mind, I took a look at some of the paleo recipes and chose some that I thought I could adapt to low carb that would suit both of us. As a result of this quest, I will be posting more recipes that work for both low carb like Atkins and South Beach as well as ones that work with keto and paleo.

This is a delicious recipe that I found as Orange Rosemary Salmon at PaleoLeap.com. I didn’t have any rosemary, so I substituted basil. Dried basil at that. But it worked exceptionally well, and we loved the flavor of this dish. I grilled the salmon on my new Copper Chef stove-top grill, which worked perfectly, and I cleaned it up in just a few minutes after I was done. Yay for that! I even grilled the asparagus spears along with it. The side serving that looks a bit like rice is actually riced kohlrabi, which is amazingly delicious when cooked with a bit of broth, butter, and basil.

If you were going true paleo, you would use all fresh ingredients and your chicken stock would be made from chicken bones. I, on the other hand, made mine from Better Than Bullion.

Orange Basil Salmon

Atkins, Keto, and Paleo-friendly

2 salmon fillets (about 1/2 lb)
1 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh Basil, minced 0r 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Use a grater or zester to scrape the orange skin until you have 1 teaspoon of orange zest. Cut the orange and squeeze out as much of the juice as you can from one large orange. I use a little of the pulp as well since I like to have it in my sauce. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, chicken stock, and zest.

Heat the grill on high heat until hot, then turn to medium heat. Brush the salmon fillets with a little olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill with skin side up and cook until the salmon is about half-way done, about 5 minutes. Flip so the skin side is down and continue to cook another 4 to 5 minutes. (Time will vary based on the heat and thickness of the salmon.) Add any vegetables to the grill at this point.

On another burner, heat up a saute pan and add a teaspoon of olive oil or cooking fat. Cook the garlic and fresh basil in it for a minute or so. If using dried, add it to the orange juice mixture. Pour the juice and broth into the pan and stir well. Lower the heat to medium-low and add salt and pepper to taste, about a pinch of pepper and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook until the mixture begins to thicken.

Meanwhile, check on the salmon as you work and turn any vegetables that need it. When the flesh looks done all the way through, use a pancake spatula and slide it between the skin and the meat. The salmon will lift off easily. Transfer it to a serving plate and spoon or pour half the orange sauce over the top.

Serve with vegetables and riced cauliflower or kohlrabi. Makes two servings.

Photo: Riced kohlrabi

Riced Kohlrabi with Basil

1 medium (4″) Kohlrabi
1/4 cup Chicken Broth or Better Than Bullion
1/2 teaspoon dried Basil
Pinch Salt
1 tablespoon Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, or Butter

Prepare this before you begin the main meal.

Peel kohlrabi, cut into cubes and put in the food processor. Pulse until the vegetable is chopped into rice-sized pieces.

In a skillet, add oil or butter, then add the kohlrabi. Stir and cook for about a minute, then add the broth, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add water if it is too dry. The kohlrabi will take about 20 minutes to cook until it is tender. Add seasonings about part way through.

When done the kohlrabi should look like rice in texture. Makes about three half-cup servings.

Nutrition: Salmon with Basil Orange Sauce

 

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Soups and Stews, Vegetarian

Delicious Turkey Ragout feeds the soul

Photo: Turkey & Vegetables Ragout

A rainy night or two ago, I pulled a package of frozen turkey from the freezer and pondered what I could throw together with it that suited this chilly night. I had canned tomatoes, an eggplant that needed to be used, and some of the mini-peppers in my fridge. So I threw this saucy dish together. It’s not quite a ragu nor is it a ragout exactly, but it’s closer to the latter, so that’s what I decided to call it. It’s a lovely combination of meat, vegetables, and sauce with Italian seasonings.

For my seasoning salt, I used Emeril’s Essence, but any seasoning salt will work. I also used red onion, which brings a bit more sweetness than a white or yellow onion, but any of them will work. In fact, this is a versatile recipe, so if you don’t care for eggplant, substitute in another vegetable, such as summer squash or mushrooms. Of course, you can also use ground beef in place of the turkey. For a vegetarian option, omit the meat and add in more vegetables, like the aforementioned mushrooms or chopped kohlrabi. Be aware that replacing the turkey with additional vegetables will increase the carb count a little.

Turkey and Vegetable Ragout

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 15-oz. can Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1 cup Eggplant, cubed
3 Mini-Peppers, sliced
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup Water or White Wine
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Pepper

In a large saucepan, brown the ground turkey, chopping into small pieces as it cooks. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent.

Add the eggplant and peppers and continue to cook another few minutes, stirring a few times, then add the canned tomatoes and 1/4 cup of water (or white wine). Add all the seasonings and stir the whole pan together.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for about 20 to 30 minutes until the liquid is reduced to a delicious sauce and the vegetables are tender. Taste the sauce and adjust any seasonings.

Serve with cooked zucchini noodles. You can either buy these in the frozen food section or make your own with a spiralizer or a vegetable peeler. Or you can do a wide shred with a food grater.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info for Turkey Vegetable Ragout

Breads, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

A quick bread recipe to end the month

Photo: {an of focaccia bread

Want a quick and easy bread to make? This is a focaccia-style flat bread that can be made into sandwiches, a soup or stew bread, or just toast and butter to serve with jam and tea. Unlike focaccia, this is a flat bread made without yeast. All the rise in it comes from the eggs and a little bit of baking powder.

I used CarbQuick, a low carb flour that behaves a little like Bisquick, but with lots fewer carbohydrates. You can also make it with almond flour or any other low carb flour. I also used a little coconut flour in it, but I wouldn’t recommend making the whole thing with coconut flour.

Focaccia-style Flat Bread

2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Egg whites
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasonings, crushed
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Carbquick
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a small baking pan (about 10×6-inches) by cutting a piece of parchment paper to fit. I used a toaster oven-sized pan.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and seasonings together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, egg whites, and oil together. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until they are combined. Use your hands if needed. Add the Parmesan cheese and mix it into the dough.

Turn the dough into the baking pan and spread it evenly across the pan.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 6 slices of bread.

Image: Nutrition Facts

 

Desserts, Recipes

A Norse Viking Apple Cake for Your Sweetie

Photo: Viking apple mini-cake.

Back in 2014, I copied down a recipe for a Viking apple cake that was called Mandel Eplekake, which is apparently Norse for it. I filed it away and hadn’t tried it. Last night, I had half an apple left over that needed to be used, so I adjusted the recipe down to make two mini-cakes and made it low carb. The recipe called for almond flour so I used that although mine is the coarse raw almond flour with the skins ground into it, so it has a darker, more whole wheat type appearance, but tastes very good. I also added sugar-free honey, cinnamon, and cloves to the recipe.

Now, the Vikings probably didn’t have cinnamon and clove, but I am pretty sure they used honey. No matter, I put them in to enhance the flavor of the apples. The result is a delicious little cake with slices of apple and a light seasoning that is not too sweet. I added a heaping tablespoon of whipped topping and served it warm. You could top it with more of the sugar-free honey or just a little heavy cream. It’s simple to make and makes a satisfying quick dessert. I suspect it would work equally well with pears and peaches.

Give it a try and let me know how you like it. It would be a nice capper after dinner for your sweetie.  I would love to get the feedback on it.

Viking Apple Cake

Two mini-cake low carb version

1/2 medium Apple, cored and sliced thinly
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
3 tablespoons Almond Flour
2 tablespoons granulated Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Honey (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
2 dashes ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) prepare two 1/2-cup ramekins or custard dishes by greasing them with butter. Alternately, and to remove from the cup easier, put a piece of parchment paper cut to fit the bottom in each of the cups, then butter or spray with cooking spray.

Put apple slices and 2 tablespoons of sugar substitute (liquid or granulated) in a small pan with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook about 5 minutes. Drain. You can also do this step in the microwave by covering the slices with water in a microwavable bowl and cooking for 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, add the egg and the remaining two tablespoons of granulated sugar substitute. Whisk until they are well mixed and frothy. Add the honey and whisk again. Add the almond flour and stir it into the egg mix.

Put the apple slices on the bottoms of the cups, dividing them evenly. Sprinkle half the cinnamon and cloves over each one of the ramekins. Stir the batter again and use a tablespoon to scoop the mixture into each cup so that they are even.

Put the ramekins on a baking tray and bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

Let sit about ten minutes, then serve with whipped cream or just heavy cream.

Makes two servings.

Photo: Nutrition Info Viking Apple Cake

Breads, Recipes

Cream Cheese Bread checks out

Photo: Cream Cheese Bread from Coconut Flour

Recently, a photo with the ingredients for a cream cheese bread loaf was posted, but it lacked mixing instructions, and the carbohydrate information on it was way off since it claimed it had only 6 carbs in the whole loaf. Nonetheless, the recipe is valid, and the slices are pretty low in carbs. So, I decided to give it a try and let everyone know how it works.

First, I cut the recipe in half and made about three-quarters of a small loaf pan. From that, I can deduce that the full recipe below won’t make a large loaf of bread. The one I made is about 2 to 2-1/2 inch tall and about three inches across. It looks great in the photos. I also made it two ways– once with coconut flour and once with almond flour. I added 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar substitute to the recipe.

Both of them work pretty well although the almond flour needs to be adjusted to replace the coconut flour since the latter expands by two to three times in the liquid ingredients. Both of them taste pretty good. The coconut one is a little sweeter, but the coarseness of the flour comes through. The almond flour one is less sweet and lends itself to a more conventional bread. For my own use, I would pair the coconut flour version with fruit or make it into a fruit bread. The almond flour could stand up to adding herbs in it and pairing it with meat and cheese. I will be experimenting more with this recipe and will let you know if I come up with something wonderful.

Both are close to the same carb count per slice and both are fairly sturdy bread that can be thinly sliced if needed. A full loaf would make about 10 slices of 3/8″ thick slices The carb count is based on 10 slices.

Photo: Almond Flour Cream Cheese Bread
A 3/4 loaf of almond flour cream cheese bread.

Cream Cheese Bread Loaf

8 ounces Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Butter
1 tablespoon granulated Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
8 large Eggs
6 tablespoons Coconut Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and long sides of a small loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, butter, and sugar and cream together using a mixer until smooth.

Add the cinnamon, vanilla, and eggs and mix until combined.

Add the flour and baking powder and mix together thoroughly. Wipe the sides with a spatula to get all the mix blended together.

Spray the parchment-lined baking pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter mix into the pan and smooth.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Let cool 5 to 10 minutes, then run a knife around any edge touching the pan and lift the loaf out using the overlapped parchment paper, then slide it onto a serving plate.

Makes about ten slices.

For the almond flour version, add 1-1/4 cup Almond Flour to replace the 6 tablespoons of Coconut Flour. I used a less processed almond flour, but the higher quality ones will yield a finer grained bread.

Taste test with both the coconut flour (left) and almond flour (right) slices smeared with butter. The almond flour is a little taller.

Nutrition Coconut flour