Category Archives: Vegetables & Salads

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

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Colorful Slaw for the Holidays

When I was younger, and heavier, carrot salad was a favorite of mine, especially the kind with pineapple and raisins in it. Sadly, two of those three items are a little high on the carbs to endulge that salad. In fact, when I first started on Atkins, carrots were not part of phase 1 or phase 2 of the eating plan even though they aren’t that high in carbs. I still eat them sparingly, but have incorporated them into a few recipes.

I came up with this combination of vegetables and fruits to create a slaw that is similar to the carrot salad. It is really good and has quickly moved into my list of favorites.  This would be a really great salad with your holiday dinner.

The challenge in ingredients may be to get fresh kohlrabi. It is a cold weather crop so it may be available now, but it is not a common one in the markets in my area. I have convinced one of my local stores to carry it and I buy it whenever I see it. It keeps very well in the refrigerator for a month or two. It can also be peeled, sliced and frozen easily. If you can’t find kohlrabi, you may try substituting broccoli stems, but while the flavor is similar, it is stronger.

Cranberry, Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw

1/2 cup Carrots, grated
1/2 cup Kohlrabi, peeled and grated
1/2 cup Daikon Radish, peeled and grated
1/4 cup Broccoli, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Cranberries, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar substitute (liquid preferred)
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped and grated vegetables and mix together. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and sugar substitute together.

Add the mayonnaise mix to the vegetables and mix well. Chill and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition info per serving:
    Calories: 64.5 Fat: 5.1 g Net Carbs: 2.1 g Protein: 0.6 g

If you make this with one tablespoon of sugar rather than sugar substitute, then it changes the nutrition info to:
    Calories: 73.3 Fat: 5.1 g Net Carbs: 5.1 g Protein: 0.6 g

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Riffing the BLT Salad

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Just about anything with bacon is a winner for me. I love it and I love the over 100 years-old woman who claimed her longevity came from eating bacon every day. I’m in for that! A BLT sandwich is really great also and I have finagled a couple of ways to eat one on a low carb diet with low carb breads that are very tasty. But when I saw a recipe come across on Facebook for a BLT Pasta salad, I knew I had to figure an adaptation for low carb. Pasta is one of those things that you don’t eat or eat very sparingly when trying to maintain the lc lifestyle, so I turned to my favorite substitute item for pasta, potatoes, and rice — cauliflower.

So with just a few adjustments and a little enhancement, I present the low carb version of the …

BLT Plus C Salad

2 cups Chopped Cauliflower
8 ounces lean Bacon
2 medium ripe Tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Thyme
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Greek Yogurt
3 tablespoons Sour Cream
1/4 teaspoon Cumin, ground
2 tablespoons chopped Chives
4 cups chopped Hearts of Romaine lettuce
1 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

Bring a pan of water to a boil and add the cauliflower. Let cook for about 10 minutes until it is tender. Cut into bite-sized pieces if it is too big. Drain. Put into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Chop the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Pan fry the bacon or cook in the oven until it is completely done. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Put 2 tablespoons of bacon grease into a skillet and add the garlic, then add the tomatoes and thyme. Cook for about five minutes until the tomatoes are warmed, but not cooked. Crumble the bacon into pieces. Reserve 1/4 cup for garnish.

Add the tomatoes and bacon to the cauliflower and toss together. Add the shredded cheese and lettuce and toss again.

Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and yogurt and add the cumin, chives. salt, and pepper. Pour over the salad and toss to mix it in and coat it. Garnish with reserved bacon and chives. Serve warm. You can add slices of avocado or a tablespoon or two of guacamole if you wish. (Not included in the nutrition info.)

Refrigerate leftovers.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition info per serving:
Calories: 330.5 Fat: 24.1 g Net Carbs:5.6 g Protein: 21.4 g

If you’d like you can add more lettuce to the salad with only a little more in the carb count.

TIP: This can be a very versatile base salad. Instead of bacon (or in addition for real bacon lovers), substitute in tuna, ham, chicken, or taco meat. The possibilities abound.

Let me know how you like this salad in the comments.

A to Z Challenge 2015, Vegetables & Salads

Xigua is not Xeric

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Yes, I am truly reaching for the “X” in this and I have settled on using the Mandarin Chinese name of a commonly known melon… the watermelon. It actually is a specific kind of melon that is grown in China, but essentially, the same as watermelons around the world. The xigua, pronounced shee-gwa, is a small roundish melon with deep green stripes on a lighter green skin.

The watermelon itself is believed to have originated in south Africa and records from Egypt showed it was cultivated in the Nile Valley as far back as 2000 BC. Eventually, it began to spread across Europe and toward the east. Moorish traders carried the fruit to Spain where it was grown in Cordoba and Seville. By the 7th century, it was being cultivated in India and by the 10th century it had reached China, where it really took hold. Today, China is the world’s largest watermelon producer. It came to the Americas with European colonists and their African slaves. Spanish settlers brought it to Florida in 1576. By 1650, it was grown in Peru, Brazil and Panama and other settlers brought it to the British and Dutch colonies while Native Americans in the Mississippi Valley and Florida had begun growing the crop as well. Explorers took the seeds to the South Pacific where they were quickly adopted in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands. Who doesn’t love watermelons, after all? They are colorful, refreshing and delicious.

While I grew up with watermelons used as a dessert, basically a big slice or wedge of watermelon on a plate, I have had to cut back severely on them with a low carb lifestyle. Yes, they are primarily water, but they do have a lot of natural, although flavorful, sugar in them. I remember we used to sprinkle a little salt on the fruit and it would make it taste even sweeter. Mostly, I eat watermelon raw, just chilled and sliced is perfect, or I have actually processed them for a glass of watermelon juice. They also are a great recipe ingredient in salads and salsas.

Of course, it’s easy to make a basic fruit salad with cubed watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, sliced strawberries, and grapes, but the watermelon has a much larger range than that. It combines well in green salads, goes with avocados, olives, and beets or other vegetables to create different salads. You can even make a watermelon jelly – go ahead, Google it — watermelon lemonade and watermelon sorbet. In fact, I am inspired and when watermelon season comes into full swing this summer, I’m going to try to make a low carb version of a few of these recipes. That’s your cue to come back to see if I can meet this challenge.

WatPasantidhammaCarvedWatermelon

Another popular use for the xigua and other watermelons is carving. They are a wonderful artistic medium for food artists and are carved into flowers, animals, and whole scenes. To some artists, they can carve a watermelon the same way you’d carve jade. There are carved melon festivals around the world. Here are a few links to some of these:

Watermelon Festival of Italy 
Monticello Florida Watermelon Festival 
Pardeeville, Wisconsin Watermelon Festival
Beijing Watermelon Festival

For my dragon-loving friends, there’s this:

And there’s this peculiar use of watermelons from those fun-loving Aussies: Watermelon Skiing 

Nutrition Info for xigua (watermelon) 1 cup diced
Calories: 48.7 Fat: 0.7 Net Carbs: 10.2 g Protein: 1.0 g

Recipes

Recipes using Xigua or watermelons from Watermelon.org

Did you know you could use the watermelon rind as well as the fruit? Try this Watermelon Rind Slaw
Water Melon Glazed Meatballs 
Stacked Jicama Chicken Salad 

Information to help write this article came from Melons for Vegetables,  The Hungry Kitchen, Ask.com, and Wikipedia

Photos are from Wikipedia media Commons and used under public-use agreement. Top photo “Watermelon – Fruit Bazaar – near Besat sq – Nishapur 08” by Sonia Sevilla – Own work. Licensed under CC0 via Wikimedia Commons –

Food Carving photo by Rlevse  via Wikimedia Commons

A to Z Challenge 2015, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Victorious Vidalia Onions

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I say victorious because the Vidalia onion has an unusual history that results from the vegetable’s birth related to the location of its planting and gaining surprising success in spite of its differences. Intrigued? Of course, you are, so read on.

Back in 1931, Mose Coleman, a Georgia farmer in Vidalia, planted a field of onions. When he tasted the onions, he discovered they were sweet, not hot as he had expected. Coleman struggled a little sell his crop, but after some convincing, he sold his first crops for $3.50 for a 50-pound bag, which was actually a very good price for the times. Other farmers weren’t doing nearly so well with their crops. With successful sales came more plantings of the “sweet” onions and the production began to flourish.

In the 1940’s, the state opened a farmers’ market in Vidalia, which was then the crossroads of some major highways. People began to refer to the onions as “those Vidalia onions” and the name was bestowed on this new sweet onion.

With time and research, Georgia agriculture realized that the soil, rain and weather conditions in the southeast of the state were perfect for producing sweet onions. The area has low sulfur soils, which prevents the bulbs from producing the pungent or hot taste that regular onions have. They like a lot of water and this also contributes to their sweetness. Having established that they have a true Georgia treasure, the state legislature declared the onions Vidalia onions and set strict regulations on their production and development. The legislation, passed in 1986, defined a 20-county region of Georgia as the growing area. The Georgia Department of Agriculture trademarked and still owns the name “Vidalia” so the only Vidalia onions come from Georgia.

Since the onions are harvested in spring and summer, that is the only times you are likely to see them in the market. I believe I have seen them now and then at the grocery store, but they are not always available. There are other sweet onions that you can use to make your batter fried onions, but they will have different characteristics. You can substitute Walla Walla onions from Washington state, Texas 1015 onions, Pecos Onions, or Sunbrero from Texas, Imperial Valley Sweet onions from California, Carzalia Sweet from New Mexico, Sweetie Sweet from Nevada, Maui Onion from Hawaii and the Bermuda onion from Bermuda.

Sweet onions are delicious on sandwiches or in a salad, but they also cook up well. They work well with many condiments, such as butter, cardamom, celery, cloves, and curry. They pair easily with mushrooms, asparagus, chiles, broccoli and any other place you might add an onion. The Vidalias bring a sweeter taste than regular onions, but still blend well with most food choices.

Nutrition information for 1 medium onion (148 grams)
Calories: 60 Fat: 0.0 g Net Carbs: 13.0 g Protein: 1.0 g

Recipes:

Almost any recipe on this site that uses onions in curry or a salad could easily benefit from a Vidalia or other sweet onion. But if you would like to try to make your own “Bloomin’ Onion” similar to the Outback’s, you can try this recipe from Alton Brown at Food Network. I tend to stay away from this because it is so delicious and the carbs are not low. You can make it using a low carb flour, but I haven’t tried it. I may see what I can do about creating “Onion Petals” that are a lower carb’d version, if I can find a Vidalia or even a Nevada Sweetie Sweet onion at the market.

Almost-Famous Bloomin’ Onion, by Alton Brown

Featured Recipe:

Vidalia Onion with Bacon Pie

Don’t have Vidalia onions?  You can make these with any of the sweet onions mentioned above.  Or with yellow onions with a little bit of sugar substitute added for sweetness, if you like.

2 Vidalia onions
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 pinch paprika
2 tablespoons chopped mini-peppers
1 hot dried chile crushed
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Bacon pieces

Pie Crust
1/2 cup Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Flax Meal
2 tablespoons Lard or Shortening
1 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese, grated

Prepare pie crust by putting the flour and flax meal in a small bowl and mix, then cut in the lard or shortening to make a crumbly mixture. Add the cold water and mix to pull the flour into a ball. Chill for about 30 minutes. Put a sheet of waxed paper on a board and sprinkle a little low carb flour over it. Pat the dough into a circle in the flour on the board, then flip it over. Put another sheet of wax paper over the top and roll out into a circle to make the pie crust. While you are rolling out the crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F.)

Peel off the top paper carefully, then put the crust top down into a  deep -sided 7″ or 8″ pie tin or plate and peel off the bottom paper carefully. If it breaks or sticks to the paper, ease as much in as you can, then make repairs. Crimp the edges of the crust if they come to the top. Pierce with a fork and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Slice onions thinly. Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large, deep skillet and sauté the onions over medium high heat until tender, about 15 minutes.

Break the eggs into large bowl and beat well. Add sour cream, seasonings, peppers and bacon bits and stir together. Add onions with butter sauce and mix together.

Pour the onion filling into the cooked pie crust and spread it around evenly. Sprinkle the shredded Parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees (F.) and cook another 35 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool at least 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition info per slice:
     Calories:223 Fat: 18.0 g Net Carbs: 4.4 g Protein: 9.6 g

Resources for the information in this article include  Vidalia Onion,  Food Reference, Specialty Produce, New Georgia Encyclopedia  and Wikipedia

Top photo from Wikimedia Commons, used with permission – By ryan griffis (originally posted to Flickr as Vidalia Onions) [CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons]