Category Archives: Vegetables & Salads

Book News, Book Nook, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Cookbook Update and a Quick Recipe

August has been a busy month with lots going on in my life, but I did get the new cookbook out and I just released, a few days ago, the compilation e-book with all three of the LC15 cookbooks in one edition. I had planned to sell it for a little less than it actually ended up at $1.99, which is 1/3 off the price of buying the three books. Amazon sets a minimum price based on the data size and the photos increased the size. I compressed it as much as I could.  The 3-in-one is only available at Amazon right now, but I will be getting it uploaded to other formats soon.

I am also working on a print release of the 3-in-one book that should be ready to release in about two weeks. It will include all the recipes in all three books plus a few extra notes. I’ll announce when it is released.

The Magic Muffins books is available at all these links:/
Book Launch page: 
Kindle USA: 
Amazon UK: 
Amazon Germany:
iBooks: 
Scribd:
Kobo: 
NOOK: 
Playster: 
24 Symbols:

Mashed Cauliflower Pancakes

To end August,  here’s a quick recipe.   If you like potato pancakes, you might love this dish. You can start with leftover mashed cauliflower or use a frozen mashed cauliflower. Be sure you cook and cool the frozen cauliflower. The rest is easy to put together and pan fry.

1-1/2 cups leftover Mashed Cauliflower
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt, if you wish more
1 Egg
1/4 cup finely shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 tablespoon Minced Onions (optional)

If the cauliflower isn’t thick like normal mashed potatoes, drain the excess water by putting in a paper-towel-lined colander and press with the back of a wooden spoon. You want them as dry as possible.

In a bowl, combined the ingredients and mix well.

Put enough oil in a small skillet to bring to about 1/4 inch and heat until about 350 degrees (F.) Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the oil and spread into about a 1/4 inch thick pancake with a wooden spoon or spatula. Repeat if there is room for more patties. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve hot. Makes 6 pancakes.

Nutrition Information per pancake with onions:
Calories: 80 Fat: 5.4 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 4.1 g

Nutrition Information per pancake without onions:
Calories: 78.7 Fat: 5.4 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 4.1 g

You can add in bacon bits if you like. Or add in 1/2 cup cooked shredded cabbage for an Irish touch.

Tip: If you don’t want the fats in the oil, you can also put these on a baking sheet, spread into circles and bake in a 365 degree oven until they are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Extras heat up easily in the microwave or you can put them in a skillet with a little butter for a couple of minutes on each side. Put two together and make a sandwich with ham, turkey, chicken or beef and mayonnaise, more cheese, and other add-ins of your choice.

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Delightful Summer Vegetable Salad

Summertime is a great time for all kinds of salads. Looking for a substitute for potato salad to take on a picnic? This one might do the trick.It’s light, low caloried, and low carb’d, and it tastes wonderful. Like most seasoned items, it tastes better the longer it sits in the ‘fridge to allow the flavors to really come through, so allow several hours to chill if you can.

Originally, I spotted this recipe on Foxes Love Lemons website and I thought it looked delicious, so I wanted to adapt it for low carb. It was a pepe pasta recipe and the pasta is too high in carbs, so I pulled out the versatile cauliflower to stand in for it. After tasting it, I added in sliced radishes to give it a little more crunch and flavor and I also added in a little cayenne pepper. You can add sweet peppers for more flavor and color burst. If you prefer your salad dressing a little on the sweet side, add a teaspoon or two of sugar substitute when you mix the dill dressing.

By the way, the dill dressing is lovely for dipping vegetables in for a party. I cut back the amount of buttermilk for this as it made quite a lot, so unless you like your salad completely doused with dressing, the amount below should be enough.

This dish is good for all phases of Atkins except for Induction.  For induction, you can substitute the buttermilk with heavy cream and add more seasonings or make a straight mayonnaise dressing.

Vegetable Summer Salad

2 cups riced Cauliflower
2 tablespoons unsalted Butter
1 Leek (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/2 bunch Asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 cup Baby Corn, chopped
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup Radishes, sliced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers, chopped (optional)

Dill Dressing

1/2 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute (optional)
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried fill or 1 tablespoon fresh Dill
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper

If using purchased pre-riced cauliflower, cook according to directions on the package. Many of these are in steam bags that can be microwaved or cooked in a pot.

If ricing fresh cauliflower, put in a food processor and pulse until you have rice-sized pearls. Put in a microwave safe bowl, add a tablespoon of water, and cover. Microwave for about 2 minutes to cook the cauliflower. Set aside.

Cut all the vegetables up before starting so they are ready to go.

In a large pot or deep skillet, melt the butter, then add the leeks and sauté until they are softened, then add the cut asparagus spears. Continue to sauté over medium heat until the asparagus are just slightly tender. If using red peppers, add them when you add the asparagus.

Stir in the baby corn pieces and cauliflower and mix it well. Remove from the heat. Add radishes and grape tomatoes.

Mix the dressing by combining all ingredients in a small bowl and whisking until they are well blended. Taste for seasonings. If you want any of the flavors stronger, add a little more.

Put the vegetable mixture in a large salad bowl and pour the dressing over it. Toss to mix the dressing into the salad. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours. Can be prepared up to two days in advance of serving.

Makes 6 to 8 servings, 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup.

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 114 Fat: 7.5 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 2.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 servings):
Calories: 85.5 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 5.2 g Protein: 2.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving with sweet peppers (8 servings):
Calories: 86.7 Fat: 5.6 g Net Carbs: 5.5 g Protein: 2.1 g

Beef, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Healthy Life, Main Dish, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan Day 9

Today was a slow start day, so I took a short cut or two.  First, I skipped breakfast and just opted for an Atkins Lemon Bar. It’s 3 nc and I think it is safe for Induction. I couldn’t find any information on the box saying differently.  Then lunch was a leftover from earlier in the week as I finished off my fajita salad. It was less than what I had eaten at the restaurant, so I reduced the carbs accordingly, Therefore, the only new entrees were in the dinner and dessert.

Here’s the menu for the day:

Food NC
breakfast Atkins Lemon Bar 3
Coffee 1/2 tsp creamer 0.5
B12 Gummie 1
Lunch Fajita Salad leftover 6
Tea 0
dinner Steak 0
1.3 cup GG mashed cauli/bacon 3
sauteed zucchini 2.6
mini-cheesecake 1.6
Raspberry sauce 0.5
18.2

 

For an alternate breakfast option, try these Egg Puffs, little cupcake sized baked eggs. For induction, omit the tortilla pieces in it. They make great snacks as well.

 

A nice brunch alternative is this tasty Skillet Italian Frittata that has more sticking powder to it. It uses either turnips or kohlrabi or Daikon radish as a substitute for potatoes.

 

Now for the dinner options.  The main course is really simple as I used a bacon wrapped filet for the meat. You can purchase these ready to go at the grocery. Season with a 0 carb rubbing mix and toss them on the grill to cook or put them under the broiler. The problem I often have with bacon-wrapped items is getting the bacon done without over-cooking the meat. This is a particular problem when someone likes very rare meat. I cooked this on my broiled at 485 degrees (F) to try to slow the cooking a little and give the bacon a chance to crisp.

I paired this with Green Giant Mashed Cauliflower with bacon and cheese. This is a fairly new product from the Jolly GG and it is very good. The package contains about 4 servings, but I usually get 6 out of it by serving 1/3 cup of the potato substitute instead of 1/2 cup. The flavor and texture of the cauliflower mash is excellent.

The other side dish is a quick and easy saute of zucchini and tomatoes.

Zucchini with Tomatoes

1/2 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and add the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the sliced zucchini and stir fry it until it is lightly browned on both sides. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute.

Serves 2

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 58 Fat: 4.6 g Net Carbs: 2.6 g Protein: 0.8 g

Finally, for dessert, I went back to one of my favorites, cheesecake! Unlike the one I made earlier in this induction experiment, this cheesecake is baked so it is rich and creamy. I made it into 6 cupcakes for small, easy servings. At only 1.6 net carbs per cake, have two if you have the available carbs for the day.

Mini Creamy Cheesecakes

6 oz. Cream Cheese
1 large Egg
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 tablespoons Sour Cream
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Xylitol or liquid sucralose

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.)

Place softened cream cheese and egg in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer until they are blended and creamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat until blended and smooth.

Put cupcake papers in a 6-well cupcake pan and spray with baking spray. Put two tablespoons of batter into each well, then distribute the remainder evenly over the wells.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cakes are fully set.

While they are baking, prepare the topping. Put three tablespoons of sour cream in a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons sugar substitute. Mix well. When the cupcakes are set, spoon onto the top of each cake, then bake for another 10 minutes to cook the topping.

Chill for at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving. Serve as is or top with a teaspoon of sugar-free jam or jelly and/or a teaspoon of Cool Whip.

Makes 6 mini-cheesecakes.

Nutrition information without jam or whip cream per serving:
Calories: 124 Fat: 11.9 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.3 g

Appetizers, Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Healthy Life, Poultry, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan Day 8

First day of the second week and I am hanging in there. I feel some of the limitations of Induction, but it isn’t bad. It includes a repeat and lunch out. PK and I went to the movies, so we stopped by Skipilini’s after seeing “Wonder Woman” and had our favorite appetizer, bacon wrapped jalapenos, along with a salad.

Here’s the menu for the day:

Day 8
Food NC
breakfast Cloud muffin 2
Sugar–free Jam 2.5
Coffee with creamer 1
Lunch Caesar Salad 2.8
Chicken 0
2 1/2 Jalapeno Poppers 1.7
Iced tea 0
Dinner Tilapia 0
GG mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar 4
sauteed greens 2
dessert pumpkin mousse 3
19

 

Breakfast was the Atkins cloud muffin from Day 4, but I toasted it and put 1/2 tablespoon of Smuckers Sugar-free Apricot Jam on it. Bliss!  For lunch, we had the aforementioned salad with the poppers. I’m including the easy to make recipes for these for home use. I had iced tea with liquid sucralose so 0 carbs on that.

For dinner, I made seasoned tilapia and served 1/3 cup of Green Giant mashed cauliflower with bacon and cheddar cheese with it. I also sauteed some greens, namely spinach and beet leaves with 1/4 cup of grated daikon radish. Recipes follow.

Your alternate breakfast option is:

Bacon and Avocado Omelet

3 or 4 large Eggs
1/2 Haas Avocado, cut into slices
1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese
4 tablespoons Southwest Style Salsa (optional)
4 slices thick Bacon, broken into pieces
Dash Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Water

Break eggs into a bowl, add water, seasoning salt and pepper. Beat until foamy. Heat a medium-size round bottom pan or omelet pan with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.

Add eggs and let cook for a couple of minutes until the egg sets on the bottom, then begin lifting the edges with the spatula and tilting the pan so that the uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat, working your way around the pan. Keep lifting and tilting until most of the liquid egg is gone. This builds a fluffier omelet.

Evenly distribute the bacon and most of the cheese down the one-half of the omelet. Use the spatula to lift and fold the omelet over the top. Reduce heat to low and put a lid over the pan. Let cook for about 3 minutes in order to melt the cheese.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese over the top. Cut the omelet in half and serve each half with 2 tablespoons of salsa and half the avocado slices. If you wish, you can heat the salsa before serving.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Info per servings
Calories: 430 Fat: 35.3 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 23.5 g

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Peppers

These are Skipolini’s bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers, but the recipe is similar. They can also be grilled rather than broiled.

Jalapeno Peppers, 5 pepper (remove)
2 tablespoons Cream Cheese, softened.
5 slices of thin Bacon
1/4 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning of choice

Set broiler to 485 degrees (F.)

Cut the peppers open on one side and remove the seeds if you don’t want them too spicy.

In a small bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of BBQ seasoning to the cream cheese and stir until it is completely mixed in.

Put the bacon on a paper towel on a plate and put in the microwave for one minute to partially cook. This will make it easier for it to get crisp without over-cooking the pepper.

Stuff each pepper with the cream cheese mixture, then wrap with the partially cooked bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Put on a sheet of aluminum foil under the broiler and cook for three to five minutes per side until the bacon is crisp.

Let cool a couple of minutes, then serve. Makes two servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 185 Fat: 16.5 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 6.5 g

Caesar Salad

One of the best spots for good recipes is AllRecipes.com, so I am going to give you the link to a good Caesar Salad recipe.  However, omit the croutons. They are not on the low carb diet at this point and quite possibly never again.

Broiled Tilapia Filet

The beet leaves are intent on dying everything pink.

PK and I weren’t all that hungry after our late lunch, so I split one filet down the middle for dinner, but feel free to make a full filet per person. They are carb free.

2 Tilapia Fish Filets or other white fish of choice
1 tablespoon of Butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
Sprinkle of Salt
Dash of Pepper

Rinse and dry the fish, then use a spoon to pour butter and lemon juice on the top. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on the broiler pan then place the filets with the butter side face down. Spread the lemon butter over the side that is now exposed to the flames.

Broil for about 5 minutes, then turn and broil for another 5 minutes on the other side. Test for doneness with a fork. The fish should flake, but not be dry.

Use a pancake turner (spatula) to move to a warm serving plate. Add vegetables and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:134.2 Fat:7.3 g Net Carbs:0.1 g Protein: 18.1 g

 

 

 

Atkins Diet Tips, Healthy Life, Vegetables & Salads

Induction Eating Plan – Day 5

I’m a little late getting this post done. I ran out of time yesterday and couldn’t manage any more after midnight. So, here’s my Day 5 induction plan menu. I actually repeated a breakfast item and I went out to lunch, so I’ll put those in the diet plan, but I’ll also give you links to a couple of other options.

6/10/2017 Food NC
Breakfast chorizo scramble 2
Turnips/w butter 3
coffee 1
Vitamin B12 Gummie 1
Lunch 1/2 Fajita Salad 7.2
coffee 2
Dinner Pork Riblets 0
Coleslaw 1.8
Total Net Carbs 18

 

Breakfast was a repeat of Day  2 with the repeat of Chorizo with scrambled egg. I usually make enough for two from that recipe, so it’s simple to reheat. I had leftover hash brown turnips from Day 3, so I ate those.

Turnip home fries for breakfast. Give them a try.

Here’s a photo of breakfast with the turnips. Very tasty, believe it or not. They are one of my five go-to potato substitutes. The other four are cauliflower, daikon radishes, kohlrabi, and celery root. Don’t scoff! Almost all of them are 40% lower in carbohydrates than potatoes or sweet potatoes, have a similar flavor when prepared the same way as a potato, and are more equally as versatile to use.

This little chart compares the carbohydrates in all of these options. If you learn to rarely eat potatoes, you will save a bundle of carbohydrates every day.

Food Carbs/1 cup Fiber Net Carbs
Potato 23.6 3.6 20
Sweet Potato 32.3 4 28.3
Daikon Radish 9.4 3.6 5.8
Cauliflower 5.2 2.5 2.7
Kohlrabi 8.4 4.9 3.5
Celery Root 14 2 12
Turnips 8.4 2.3 6.1
Broccoli Stems 6 2.4 3.6

Link to another delicious and induction friendly breakfast recipe: Spicy Egg Casserole

My lunch was a treat on this day as PK and I went to a favorite restaurant and had a chicken fajita salad. At this time, I don’t have a homemade chicken fajita salad recipe or even just chicken fajitas. I’ll have to work on that.  But there are many on the internet if you want to hunt for one. Just be cautious of the ingredients. The one I ordered had white meat chicken, onions, bell peppers, an oil and spice marinade, and included a house salsa that had tomatoes, cilantro and oil in it. Add in lettuce, tomato slices, and cucumber slices with two tablespoons of chipotle ranch dressing and it is a nice low carb salad, but those veggies and dressing do add up to about 7.2 net carbs. I ate half the salad, so the full salad would have been about 14.5 net carbs. I like to leave a little extra space in my daily count for carbs I might have missed.

Here’s a link to a Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato salad that is on this site.

Tasty Coleslaw

Dinner was a pork riblet that was already seasoned and just needed to be grilled. Great for the summer grill or under the broiler. This was 0 net carbs for the rib, which was awesome.

This is simple to make, especially if you start with the angel hair grated cabbage that you can buy at the store.

2 cups grated Cabbage
1/2 cup grated Kohlrabi
1/2 cup grated Daikon Radish
3 tablespoon Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Sugar-free Pear Vinegarette or other sweet vinegarette

Clean, peel, and grate the kohlrabi and daikon. (If you can’t find Kohlrabi, you can substitute in broccoli stems.) In a 2 quart bowl, mix the vegetables together. In a small bowl, add the mayonnaise and pear vinegarette. Mix together until well blended, then pour into the vegetables and mix together until the dressing is well distributed.

When you are no longer on phase 1, this recipe can have additions to it, such as grated apple, reduced-sugar craisins, or even fresh blueberries or strawberries. It’s a refreshing salad.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per servings:
Calories: 82 Fat: 7.7 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 0.8 g