Category Archives: Vegetables & Salads

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Light and Cool Cucumber Salad or Salsa

This recipe isn’t my invention, but it was one of those that was posted and re-posted on Facebook. It is actually a salsa and works great as a dip, but it’s also an excellent summer salad with seafood, chicken, pizza — whatever you want to pair it with. I did make a couple of changes – one to simplify the recipe and the other to add a touch of sweetness to the dressing. I love fresh cucumbers so this is a great salad or dip. The refreshing taste would be fabulous with dippers at a party.

Crisp Cucumber Salad (Salsa)

2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1 cup (8 oz.) fresh Pico de Gallo
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
1 teaspoon sugar substitute

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, Pico de Gallo and garlic and mix well. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin, mayonnaise, sugar substitute and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.

Makes about 8 servings.

Use low carb crackers or cut vegetables as dippers.

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator a few days, but the dressing tends to become watery. Pour off water and stir the salad before serving again.

I used some of the leftover salad, diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese to make a delicious lunch salad. Use a curvy lettuce leaf to make a boat for it for a great presentation. You can also add sliced avocado to it or a few sliced radishes. Try it with diced chicken or diced turkey as well. This is going into my favorites.

Nutrition Info: (Salsa per serving)
Calories: 36.6 Fat: 2.9 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: .7 g

Posted on  8/14/2013

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Tomato Broccoli Spaghetti Squash Pie

So, what to do with the other half of the spaghetti squash that you cooked up? Make it into a tomato broccoli pie with the squash becoming the crust for it. Right now, fresh tomatoes are easy to get, but look for the vine ripened, firm ones. Check the local produce markets for the end of August crops. In my area, some of the summer plants are just really getting into full production.

This is a colorful and delicious dish that can easily become a main dish by adding bacon or diced chicken to it. Or serve it on the side with any grilled meat or fish. It goes with just about anything. I used a Mexican four cheese mix, which is what I had on hand, but I think it would really be great with a sharp cheddar.

Tomato Broccoli Squash Pie

2 cups Spaghetti Squash, cooked
2 Red Ripe Tomatoes, medium (about 2 1/2″ diameter)
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
2 tablespoons Carbquick or other low carb flour or thickener
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 teaspoon Garlic powder
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt,
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheese (your preference)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together the spaghetti squash, 1/2 cup of the cheese and the egg. Make sure to mix the egg completely into mixture. It is the binder that will hold this together. Spray a pie plate with cooking spray then spread the squash mixture over the pan and up the sides to form the crust. Put in the oven for 10 minutes to partially cook the crust.

Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch slices. Chop the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Spread the broccoli over the squash crust evenly.

In a sauce pan, make the cheese sauce. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add the flour and stir to mix to make a paste. Add the whipping cream, 1/4 cup of water, and garlic powder and stir well. Cook until it begins to thicken. Add the rest of the cheese and stir until it is melted and blended into the mixture.

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cheese sauce for the top, then spoon the rest over the broccoli. (If you want to add bacon, you can break four to six slices of cooked bacon into pieces and spread them over the broccoli.) Layer the tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper to your preference on top of this. Dot with the reserved cheese sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to toast.

Makes yummy 6 servings.


Nutrition Info:
Calories: 219.5 Fat: 17 g Net Carbs: 7 g Protein: 9.3

Posted on 9/4/2013

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Basic Cauli-Rice

Using cauliflower as a rice substitute isn’t my invention, but it works really well in many things. I do add riced daikon radish to my cauli-rice and that may be my original addition, but others may have also stumbled on this combination. The flavors go well together and while it doesn’t taste like rice – I think it’s tastier – it does give you a rice-like base for dishes you usually use rice in. If you want a bit more of the rice texture and starchiness, then add in a tablespoon of rice. It increases the carbs a little, but it isn’t as bad as a whole serving of rice!

1 cup of thawed Cauliflower florets or you can use fresh
1 cup of peeled Daikon Radish cubed (about 2 inches of a 2 1/2 inch around root)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth or water
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Butter
pinch of Pepper

Put the cauliflower and daikon into a food processor and process until they are the size of rice kernels. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter, then add the riced mixture, stir into the butter, then add the chicken broth or water and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and add water if it starts to get too dry. You can add sliced mushrooms or asparagus or other vegetables to the mixture if you wish.

Makes 4 servings

Basic recipe Nutrition Info:
Calories: 42.9 Fat: 3 g Net Carbs: 2.2 g Protein: .9 g

Posted on 8/1/2013

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Fresh Summer Strawberry Chicken Salad

Inspired by two or three different recipes (and delicious-looking photographs), I set out to make my own version of this cool summer dinner salad. Taking a cue from a recipe at AllRecipes.com, I decided to go with a ginger lime dressing that tastes fabulous. Of course, this is low carb and uses some of my favorite salad ingredients.

I served this for a quick light dinner as several of us were working on the decorations for Angelina’s wedding next month. It was a hit and is so cool and easy to serve.

Strawberry Spinach Chicken Salad with Lime Dressing

Salad:
2 half Chicken Breasts
1 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cups Baby Spinach, fresh
3 cups Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup Daikon Radish, shredded
1/4 cup Almonds, slivered
1/4 cup Golden Beets, cooked & diced
1/2 cup Red Onion, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese or other soft white cheese
12 Strawberries, fresh, halved

Dressing:
6 tbsp Mayonnaise, regular
4 tbsp Lime Juice
2 tsp Ginger paste
1 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 tbsp water
2 teaspoon sugar substitute or sugar free honey

Sprinkle garlic powder on the chicken and rub in. Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is done and juices run clear. I put mine in a foil lined pan and cover with foil, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking. You can also grill or broil the chicken to your preference.

Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lime juice, ginger, cream, water and sugar substitute. Mix until completely blended together, then pour into a small jar, shake a few times and put in the refrigerator.

Roast the almonds in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.

Cut up the lettuce, shred, julienne or dice the daikon radish (you can substitute regular radishes, but the flavor is a little sharper), and dice 1/4 of a cooked golden beet to make about 1/4 cup. Toss all the salad ingredients, except the chicken and strawberries, in a large bowl to mix it well.

To serve , place the salad on the plate, top with strips of chicken and pieces of strawberries. Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese over the salad, then spoon or pour dressing over the top. Enjoy!

Serves 4

Nutrition Info: (per serving)
Calories: 316 Fat: 3.6 g Net Carbs: 8 g Protein: 17.1 g

Posted on  6/12/2013 4:57 PM

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Mexican Style Asparagus Salad Sides with Tostado

Skinny Girl Bistro (R. Averett)

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexican heritage and pride for those in the United States, and a day of victory over the French forces in the Battle of Puebla in the Mexican state of Puebla. In honor of the day, our household had Mexican themed food. I made tostadas using some of the leftover filling from my Enchiladas con Calabaza recipe and served a delicious, mildly spicy salad made with asparagus. The salad is a recipe that I got from a Wisconsin Cheese web site. To get the recipe, please visit this link.

Tostado Con Carne (with Meat)

To make the tostado, you need for each one:

1 or 2 Flax Corn Tortillas or 1 one low carb Flour Tortilla
2 or 3 tablespoons of the Filling
1/4 cup chopped or shredded Lettuce
1 tablespoon chopped Tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon chopped Olives
shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
1 tablespoon Guacamole (optional)
1 tablespoon Sour Cream (optional)

Heat enough oil in a skillet to cover the pan with a 1/4 inch layer. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium high and slide in a tortilla. Cook a couple of minutes, then use a pancake turner or heat resistant spatula to flip the tortilla over and cook a couple of minutes on that side. It should get lightly browned. I usually flip them a couple of times. Remove to a paper towel on a plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat for as many tostadas as you plan to make.

Heat the filling and spoon two to three tablespoons onto the tostado base. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and jack cheese. Finish off with a tablespoon of guacamole and a tablespoon of sour cream if you wish.

The calories and carbs for this are dependent on which tortilla you use and what you top it with, but it should be about what the enchilada count is.

Calories: 155.7 Fat: 8 g Net Carbs: 8.25 g Protein: 10.7g

Mexican Style Asparagus Salad

This is a recipe too good not to pass on, which is why I’ve included the link to web site above. I made it pretty much as written except for a couple of slight changes. I added three tablespoons of chopped olives to it, which are mixed in when the tomato is added. I only used half a serrano pepper because I thought it might be too spicy. It could have probably used a whole one. I could not find queso blanco at my local grocery store so I used Greek feta cheese and it worked fine. However, it is probably a little saltier than the Mexican cheese. Next time, I am going to make my own queso blanco and I’ll let you know how that goes.

The other slight change is that I didn’t remove the crushed garlic from the dressing, but let it sit in the mix and continue to add flavor. But then I love garlic. If you prefer the milder taste, let it sit for maybe 30 minutes and then remove it.

So my variation on it:

1 pound fresh Asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally in 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup Cilantro leaves, chopped finely
1/3 cup diced Onion
3 tablespoons chopped Olives
1/2 Serrano Chile, chopped

Vinaigrette:
1 clove Garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano leaves
2 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh Lime Juice

Assembly:
1 medium Tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled Queso Blanco Cheese

For the asparagus salad:
Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil and add a dash of salt, then add the asparagus. Let water return to a boil and cook for a minute and tests the asparagus with a fork. It should be slightly tender, but still crisp. If it isn’t, cook another minute and test again. You don’t want the asparagus to be overcooked. Rinse with cold water and drain. Place the asparagus in bowl, and add the cilantro, onion, olives and chile and mix together.

For the vinaigrette:
Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake well to mix. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then shake again and remove the garlic, if you wish.

Toss the asparagus mixture with the vinaigrette, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving, add the tomato and Queso Blanco Cheese, then stir it together.

While this is made with asparagus, which is now in season and is reasonably priced, I think it would work equally as well with broccoli or cauliflower or a mix of the two. It might work with Brussels sprouts as well, but I would cut them in half and steam them until tender. And don’t overlook zuchinni as a possible substitute. The flavors would be excellent.

Nutrition Info for the asparagus salad (1/4th recipe):
Calories: 199 Fat: 4.7 g Net Carbs: 6.4 g Protein: 3.9 g

Posted on 5/6/2013