Category Archives: Vegetables & Salads

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Too Hot to Cook? A Cool Turkey Salad Helps

With a few thunderstorms in the area this past week, it’s really been too hot and muggy to do much cooking in the kitchen after the lunch hour.  But it’s a great time for no-cook options or meals that you can prepare in the morning and eat cold or reheat in the microwave.  I went back to an old favorite chicken salad made as a spread for sandwiches and updated to turkey to put on top of a salad.  By adding a few beets and cooling cucumber, it makes a wonderful and filling evening meal.

If you want additional salad dressing, other than what is in the turkey, you can use a low carb French dressing or a Ranch Dressing (most are around 2 net carbs for 2 tablespoons) or you can make your own French from the recipe after the salad recipe.

Turkey Salad With Beets

10 oz. can White Turkey Meat or 1 cup cooked Turkey, chopped
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 large Egg, hard boiled
4 to 5 sugar free Sweet Pickles or 2 tablespoons sugar free Sweet Pickle Relish
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic Seasoning

6 cups lettuce, torn or chopped (I used Romaine and Bibb)
1 cup Baby Spinach, chopped or torn
1 Golden Beet, cooked and cut into cubes or small pieces
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup diced tomato

Drain the turkey meat if you are using canned meat. Put the turkey in a bowl. Cut the hard boiled egg into quarters to make it easier to mash and add it to the bowl. . Using a fork, mash the egg and the turkey together. If you are using whole pickles, chop them finely or put them in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add them to the bowl. Add the mayonnaise and use the fork to mix them all together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, mix the lettuce and spinach together and put into individual large salad bowls. Put 1/4 of the turkey mixture in the middle of the lettuce in each bowl. Arrange 6 slices of cucumbers and 6 cubes of golden beets around the edge of each bowl. Put 2 tablespoons of diced tomato on top.

Drizzle Low Carb French Dressing, if desired, onto the salad and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 216 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 16.2 g

Low Carb French Dressing

2 tablespoons Ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Two tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry Mustard

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until it is liquefied. Pour into a clean jar or dressing cruet and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Shake before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 48 Fat: 0.7 g Net Carbs: 1.5 g Protein: 0.0 g

TIP: Save a couple of your salad dressing bottles for putting your “from scratch” dressings in. Just be sure to sterilize them before using them. A trip through the dishwasher should do the trick.

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin Side Dish

I’m sure no one really misses potatoes with their meals, right?  Of course not, but, oh, the flavor of a potato with cheese casserole.  Yeah, sometimes it would sure be nice to have that with a steak or roasted chicken, wouldn’t it?

Well, this isn’t quite that potato recipe, but it is a very good substitute.  The truth is that after four years, I have only eaten potatoes twice, and they were baked both times, and I haven’t  missed them that much.  I have found that I honestly like the taste of turnips and the combination of turnips with cauliflower is deliciously good.

Not everyone agrees with that and  they absolutely hate turnips, but I say, at least give them a chance.  You could use kohlrabi  or celery root for the turnips or the cauliflower in this recipe or swap them around however you want.  Any combination equals a side dish that is very tasty and much lower in carbohydrates than using potatoes in the dish.

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin

1 1/4 cups Turnips, (about 2 medium), sliced thinly
1 cup Cauliflower,sliced thinly
1/2 Onions, sliced thinly
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream,
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Thyme, ground or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cloves Garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon Fresh Chives or 1 teaspoon dried
3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese or Parmesan Cheese, shredded
3 tablespoon Butter

Put the cream and seasonings, except chives, into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and taste to check the seasonings. Adjust, if needed. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Lightly spray a 9×9″ baking dish with cooking spray or butter the bottom and sides.

Peel turnips and boil them for 20 minutes. Cut into thin slices as evenly as possible. If you use a mandolin to cut, then cut the slices before cooking and only cook about 5 minutes to soften them. Drain. Cut 1/4 head of cauliflower into slices, put in a bowl and microwave for 4 minutes to partially cook. Cut a small onion into thin slices. You should have about 1/2 cup.

Layer 1/2 of the turnips on the bottom of the pan and dot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Remove the garlic from the sauce and spoon about 1/3 of the sauce over the turnips. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Layer the cauliflower and onions on top of the first layer, dot with butter and spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.. Layer the rest of the turnips over the top layer, dot with the remaining butter, pour the rest of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top if you would like.

Cook at 375 degrees (F) for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 195 Fat: 17.4 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5.1 g

As this stands, this is a nice vegetarian dish.  Want to make a main dish out of this?  Add about 6 to 8 slices of bacon torn into pieces or 1 1/2 cups of ham cut into cubes.  Just add them to the middle layer, then put on the top layer of turnips.

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

Cauliflower Curry with Snow Peas

One of my favorite vegetable dishes at Indian or Thai restaurants is a cauliflower curry.   The flavors just blend so well and it is a spicy sauce without overwhelming the other vegetables.   This version is
my own adaptation using S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, the one that comes with 5 little cubes in the package.  If you prefer to mix your own curry or work with curry powder, then feel free to substitute.  I like the mix because it seems to get the right balance for me.

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

1 1/2 cup Cauliflower, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Snow Peas, fresh, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup Onions, chopped (remove)
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers (Bell or small peppers)
1/5 pkg Curry-S&B Golden Curry Sauce, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons Water
3/4 cup Coconut Milk unsweetened
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
2 tablespoons Thai Basil, fresh
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Heat a small pot of water to a boil and cook cauliflower for about three minutes, until just fork tender. Drain. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add the onions and sit until softened. Add the garlic and peppers, then cook about a minute longer. Next, add the curry pieces and stir until it melts and coats the onions. Add the coconut milk, and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a simmer. Add the cauliflower and snow peas and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cover pan or skillet and simmer, stirring a couple of times, for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 44 Fat: 1.7 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 1.9 g

Breakfast & Brunch, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Summer Fresh Mixed Vegetable with Sausage Dinner

Or lunch!  I used to go to a restaurant here in Reno that served a wonderful mixed vegetable dish with a cheese sauce for brunch and I just loved it.  Add bacon and it was all you could want for breakfast or lunch.    Following a visit to the local Farmer’s Market, I came home with fresh zucchini and scalloped summer squash and I kept thinking about that great steamed vegetable dish.  So I decided to try a low carb version of it and add sausage to it.

A bratwurst, either pork or chicken, would work well with this recipe.  Just be sure to check the carb count on the links to try to get around 1 net carb for a link.   We are talking the 4 or 5 links to a pound variety, not the little breakfast sausages.  Some of the fancier sausages are wonderful and have great additions to them but run the carbs up to 4 or 5 nc per sausage and unless you have a lot to spend on this meal, it could be more than you want.  An alternative is to buy bulk sausage with no added ingredients and make mini-sausage balls to add to the dish or fry up some bacon and add that.

For a nice vegetarian dish, simply omit the sausages.

Mixed Vegetables with Sausage Au Gratin

1 cup Broccoli, fresh
1 cup Cauliflower, fresh
1 cup Summer Squash
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 Brussels sprouts, fresh, cut in half
1 cup kohlrabi, diced
3/4 cup Turnips, about 1 medium
2 tablespoons Carbquick or other low carb flour
3/4 cup Heavy Whipping Cream or Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Butter
1 /2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 oz. Dubliner Irish Cheese
1 tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
2 links Chicken or Pork Sausages, sliced (look for 0 or 1 carb per serving)

Trim and cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Steam kohlrabi and turnips in a steamer until almost fork tender or in the microwave, covered, for about 5 minutes. Steam the rest of the vegetables for about four minutes, then combine with the kohlrabi and turnips and steam (microwave) another three minutes. Test that they are fork tender. If not, steam a little longer.

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the low carb flour, stirring to make a paste. Add the cream and seasonings and cook while stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the cheese and continue stirring until the cheese is completely melted. If the mixture gets to thick, add a little water to thin. Remove from heat.

In a small skillet, sauté the sausages until they are completely warmed and browned s bit.

Spoon a 1/4 of the vegetable mix into a bowl or on a plate, add 1/4 of the sausages and top with about 1/2 cup of cheese sauce. Sprinkle with a little pepper and serve.

Nutrition Info: 1 serving made with cream
Calories: 490 Fat: 39.6 g Net Carbs: 9.5 g Protein: 22.8 g

Nutrition Info: 1 serving made with Unsweetened Almond Milk
Calories: 348 Fat: 23.8 g Net Carbs: 8.7 g Protein: 22.5 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Fabulous Brussels Sprouts Fritters

Apparently these lovely fried vegetable pancakes are also called Bellinis, but where I come from, they are fritters. And they are absolutely one of the tastiest fritters I’ve eaten. But, I admit that I do love Brussels sprouts and they may not be a hit with everyone, but if you’re a fan, do try them. In the fully loaded version of this recipe, the mix includes green peppers, onions and bacon pieces. For a lower carb’d version, omit the onions and green peppers.

Loaded Brussels Sprouts Fritters

2 cups shredded Brussels sprouts
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon dried Celeriac Leaves
2 tablespoons low carb Baking Mix or Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Pepper
1/4 cup diced Sweet Peppers (optional)
1/4 cup minced Onion (optional)
1/4 cup Bacon pieces (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons Butter

Put Brussels sprouts in a microwave safe bowl, cover with a paper towel or plate and microwave for 1 minute to partially cook. You can also bring a pot of water to a boil and put the Brussels sprouts in for 1 to 2 minutes to par boil.

Drain any liquid off the partially cooked sprouts and pat dry with a paper towel. In the bowl mix the flour and seasonings together, then add the eggs and onions and mix. Add vegetables, bacon and stir together.

In a skillet add about 1/2 tablespoon butter to melt and add the onions. Sauté until onions are just tender.

Heat a skillet or griddle until a drop of water sizzles on it. Lower heat the medium, then melt about a 1/2 tablespoon of butter to cover the skillet. Spoon about 1/4th of the mix onto the grilled and spread into a patty. Repeat with two or three more (depending on how large your skillet is.) Let cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then lift to see if the patty is browned. If so, turn over and cook the other side for the same time. Repeat with the rest of the batter if needed.

Makes 4 fritters. Serve with sour cream or a dill sauce or mayonnaise with herbs mixed in.

Nutrition Info: (Fully loaded – all optional ingredients added) – per fritter
Calories: 159 Fat: 11.4 g Net Carbs: 4.9 g Protein: 9.3 g

Basic Fritter (No optional ingredients added) – per fritter
Calories: 127.6 Fat: 9.9 g Net Carbs: 3.7 g Protein: 6.1 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 4/13/2014 1:39 PM