Category Archives: Recipes

Beef, Breakfast & Brunch, Recipes

Not-Quite-Traditional Corned Beef Hash

I had some left over corned beef and even though I have a great corned beef hash recipe, I wanted to try the more traditional version.  But it isn’t quite the traditional version since I used other root vegetables than potatoes for the hash.  While it doesn’t have the starch from potatoes to glue the hash together, it is still a very tasty dish with lots of wonderful flavor from my selected root – turnips and rutabagas, plus the addition of Irish cheddar cheese.

Just a note here, in the US, we call the purplish vegetable with the orange flesh a rutabaga, but I understand that in Ireland, and possibly other European countries, it’s referred to as a turnip.  Where US turnips are the white vegetable with a purplish blush skin.  Parsnips, on the other hand, look like a big white carrot and are higher in carbs.

Corned Beef Hash with Eggs

1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1 cup Turnips and 1 cup Rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
12 oz. cooked Corned Beef, cubed
1/2 cup Bell Pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried Thyme leaves
Salt to taste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground Black Pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup Kerry Gold Irish Cheddar, shredded
4 Eggs, fried
1/4 cup Beef Broth
OR 1 teaspoon Better than Bullion Beef in 1/4 cup hot water.

 Peel turnips and rutabagas and cut in half, then into quarters.  .  Put into a pot and add enough water to cover.  Cook for about 20 minutes, then check for fork tender.  The turnips will probably cook faster than the rutabaga, so remove to a colander to cool, add more water to the pot if necessary and cook the rutabagas another 20 minutes, until they are also fork tender.  Drain and cool.  Dice turnips and rutabagas into 1/4 inch cubes.

Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat, add the onion and cook until it turns golden brown. Stir in the corned beef and cook a few minutes, stirring now and then. Add beef broth or bullion and seasonings and stir. Add the root vegetables. Continue cooking about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender and meat is hot.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Serve with a fried egg on top, garnished with a few green onion slices, if you like.

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Info per serving
Calories: 383.2 Fat: 25.5 g Net Carbs: 5.8 g Protein: 26.6 g

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

Breads, Recipes

Golden Yeast Rolls

I have been trying to get a really nice low carb yeast roll that rises up, looks great and tastes terrific.  I finally have one that makes me very proud!  It uses Carbquick low carb flour, which you can purchase through Amazon or Netrition.com.   Other flours you could use are Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix, which might be at your grocery store, although it is higher in carbs.  Also LC Foods makes several flours, including one for breads.

I also used a plain whey protein powder  and an egg white powder to add to the texture and lift.  They are not required, but helpful if you have them.  If you don’t use the optional items, then add the equivalent amount of Carbquick.

Golden Yeast Rolls

3/4 cup Carbquick
1 tablespoon Wheat Germ
1 tablespoon Oat Fiber (optional)
1 tablespoon Plain Whey Powder (optional)
1 tablespoon Egg White Powder (optional)
3 Eggs
1 packet Quick Rising Yeast
1/4 cup warm Water
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute

Put warm water in a small recipe bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top to soften and let sit about 5 minutes. Stir.

Mix dry ingredient together. Add wet ingredients, including the yeast and mix well. Stir to incorporate all the flour into the batter and make a thick dough. Set in a warm place and cover with a clean towel. Allow to rise 30 minutes. Stir down.

Prepare cupcake molds by spraying with cooking spray. Spoon batter into molds, dividing evenly. Put pan in warm place and cover. Let it rise 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 365 degrees.

Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool.

Makes 6 rolls.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 80.4 Fat: 4.9 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 6.7 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