Category Archives: Vegetables & Salads

Recipes, Seafood, Vegetables & Salads

Delightful Summer Tuna and Cauliflower Salad

Photo: Tuna and Cauliflower Salad

Looking for summer to come around the corner any time now and my thoughts are turning to fresh, tasty salads. Actually, we had a hint of the warmer season this week in Reno before it turned chilly again. In celebration of those two days of bright sunshine and heat, I made this yummy tuna and cauliflower salad. It’s packed with delicious vegetables and enhanced with a light lemony mayonnaise dressing. If you like tuna, you should love it. If you don’t like tuna, here’s a tip… you can substitute in chopped chicken or turkey.

Tuna and Cauliflower Salad

2 cups Cauliflower flowerets
9 ounces White Tuna, water packed
3 tablespoons Lemon Juice, divided
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 cup Jicama, cubed
12 oz. jar Artichoke Hearts, drained and quartered
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Cheddar Jack or Swiss Cheese
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
2 cups Mixed Lettuce, (Spring Mix)
8 Cherry Tomatoes (optional)*

Bring a pan of water to a boil and cook the cauliflower for about 15 minutes until fork tender. Drain thoroughly.

Drain tuna and place in a large salad bowl. Use a fork to flake it apart. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and gently toss.

Add artichoke hearts, cauliflower, cheese, jicama, and eggs and toss together gently.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with remaining lemon juice, sugar substitute, and parsley to make a creamy lemon dressing. About 30 minutes before serving, add dressing to the salad, toss gently and chill for about 15 to 30 minutes, then serve over a 1/2 cup mixed lettuce in each bowl.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: (without tomatoes)
Calories: 430 Fat: 32.8 g Net Carbs: 4.5 g Protein: 26.1 g

* With tomatoes, add 0.5 net carbs per tomato.

TIP: Use foil packaged tuna packed in water instead of canned tuna. It’s a little dryer so it doesn’t need to be drained, and it doesn’t carry the tinny taste of canned tuna.

Without the tomatoes, this recipe is suitable for Induction on the Atkins Low Carb Diet.

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Yummy Roasted Vegetables

Even in winter, we have a lovely selection of vegetables that are simply scrumptious when roasted. This recipe is based on one Yummly sent in my email, but I’ve made changes to only include low carb vegetables in the mix. No potatoes or carrots in it. I did go a little overboard when I prepared my vegetables and ended up with enough to feed ten to twelve people. Good thing I love these veggies. So, I scaled it down to half that size and this should make enough nice side servings for six.

Hearty Winter Roasted Vegetables

2 small Golden Beets
1 cup Kohlrabi
1 cup Turnips
1 cup Cauliflower flowerets
2 stalks Celery, medium-sized
1 medium Yellow Squash
1 large Zucchini
3 small Sweet Peppers
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut all vegetables into about 1-inch pieces. Try to keep them close to the same sized pieces for even cooking. Keep the softer vegetables (celery, squash, peppers) separate from the harder ones (beets, kohlrabi, turnips, cauliflower).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F). Line a sheet pan with foil for easy cleanup.

Add water about two-thirds up a large pot and bring to a boil. Add hard vegetables and boil for about five minutes to partially cook them. Drain and run cold water over them.

In a large plastic bag, mix the olive oil, vinegar, paprika, garlic salt, garlic powder,and pepper. Stir or slosh it around in the bag until combined. Add the vegetables to the bag, seal and turn a few times to coat all of them.

Spread the vegetables out on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 125 Fat: 9.4 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 2.3 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Tastes of the Season: Crustless Brussels Sprouts Pie

Depending on how you feel about baby cabbages, as we tend to call Brussels sprouts around our house, this could be a great recipe or one to avoid. I will mention here that you can substitute other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi, for the sprouts and it will make a very taste quiche.

I served this with prime rib for Christmas dinner and it was a hit with even someone who wasn’t that crazy about Brussels sprouts. So, for the adventurous, here’s a different side dish for the holidays or any time. This is based mostly on a recipe I got from 12Tomatoes.com and adapted a little bit. I eliminated the crust since most of the carbs are in it, which leaves a much lower carb’d dish. I also added a little ricotta to tone down the eggs and add more texture.

My Christmas dunner with prime rib, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprout pie, creamed cauliflower, and Harvard beets; all low-carb.

Crustless Brussels Sprouts Quiche

2 cups of Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and outer leaves removed
1 cups Heavy Cream or half-and-half
1 cup Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Coat a pie plate with butter or cooking spray.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook Brussels sprouts for about five minutes until fork tender.

Arrange the sprouts in the bottom of the pie plate, standing them on end if possible. I used frozen sprouts and they refused to stand up. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

In a medium bowl, add eggs, cream, ricotta cheese, and seasonings. Whisk together until blended, then pour carefully over the sprouts.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool a few minutes before servings. It will deflate some.

Makes 6 to 8 servings depending on appetite.

Nutrition Information per serving (6 per pie):
Calories: 263 Fat: 23 Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 10.2 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 per pie):
Calories: 197.3 Fat: 17.3 g Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 7.6 g

Have you tried this recipe? Let me know how you like it.

Appetizers, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Make these Low Carb Zucchini Mounds

To be frank, I haven’t created too much new this past month or so. Late September and early October were so chilly that I turned to a favorite of mine, a simple stew, just like this recipe. Other than that, I have easy to make Zucchini Mounds, which I adapted from a recipe I saw on line from Mel’s Kitchen. It’s low carb and very tasty, and it’s very similar to zucchini fritters, except it is baked instead of fried. You can also add in bacon bits and/or minced onion for more flavor. I think this would work well with shredded or chopped cauliflower as well. The key to getting a good result is to get the vegetables as dry as possible before mixing them with the other ingredients.

This recipe will make from 12 to 18 mounds, depending on how big you make the mound. I’ve given you the nutrition information for both 12 and 18 as well as made with and without the almond flour. In this recipe, the almond flour is optional and is replacing bread crumbs in the recipe. I don’t believe it is necessary to make a very tasty bite.

Baked Zucchini Mounds

1 1/2 cups packed shredded Zucchini (About 2 large zukes)
1 large Egg
1/4 – 1/2 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese or Cheddar Jack Cheese or other cheese or choice (harder cheeses work better)
1/4 cup Almond Flour (optional)
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees (F.). Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spray with a light coat of baking spray.

In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly to mix the white and the yolk.

Shred the zucchini, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the excess water out to get it as dry as possible. Twist and wring the towel until the zucchini is very dry.

Put the zucchini in a medium bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until combined together.

Drop tablespoon-sized mounds onto the baking sheet and press down with the back of the spoon to flatten and shape a little.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until they are lightly browned. Let cool a few minutes, then enjoy.

Makes between 12 and 18 mounds.

Nutrition Information per 12 (without almond flour)
Calories: 28.2 Fat: 1.9 g NC: 0.8 g Protein: 1.7 g

Nutrition Information per 18 (without almond flour)
Calories:19 Fat: 1.3 g  NC 0.6 g : Protein: 1.1 g

Nutrition Information per 12 (with almond flour)
Calories: 41.5 Fat: 3.1 g NC. 1.0 g: Protein: 2.1 g

Nutrition Information per 18 (with almond flour)
Calories. 27.7: Fat: 2.1 g NC: 0.7 g Protein: 1.5 g

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.