On hot summer nights, you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen cooking and you don’t want to turn on the oven. Here’s a quick stir fry recipe that just fits the bill. You can prep the meal in the morning or the night before and store in the ‘fridge until you’re ready to cook. It has a great sweet and spicy taste from low carb honey and brown sugar substitute combined with Chinese style chili sauce. Just enough bite to give it zing and not too sweet. Add cauli-rice to serve and a nice green or cucumber salad to complete the meal. By the way, this recipe also works great with the other white meat – chicken!
Sweet & Spicy Pork
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Sugar-free honey
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Ginger Paste
2 teaspoons chopped Garlic
2 tablespoons Chinese Chili Sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound boneless Country Pork Ribs, cut into 1″ cubes
3 Green Onions, cut into 1/2 -inch pieces
1 tablespoon Oil (Olive or Coconut or Canola)
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar substitute (I use LC Foods), sugar-free honey, soy sauce, ginger paste, garlic and hot sauce. Cover with a plastic wrap until ready to use.
Lightly salt and pepper the pork cubes. Slice the onions, using most of the green sections as well as the bottoms.
Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over a medium high heat and add the onions. Cook and stir for about three minutes, then add the pork and brown the pieces on all sides. Takes about 4 to 5 minutes total. Pour the sauce over the pork and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Serve over 1/2 to 2/3 cup Cauli-rice for a fabulous meal. As an alternate to the cauli-rice, you can also serve over 1 cup stir-fried shredded cabbage or even mix the two for added flavor.
Nutrition Info per serving (pork dish only): Calories: 365 Fat: 25.5 g Net Carbs:1.6 g Protein: 28.3 g
Tip: If you can’t find sugar-free honey, you can use 1 tablespoon regular honey. It will increase the net carbs to 6.4 g and calories to 385 per serving.
This recipe came through a Facebook post that originated from Budget101’s blog, who in turn got it from the Maine Cookbook. I wanted to adjust it just slightly for low carb, and really, the main adjustment was to eliminate the breadcrumbs. But, having watched Emeril for so many years, I needed to kick it up a notch, so I changed the spinach to a spinach and kale combination and added bacon bits. You can’t go wrong with bacon. If you don’t like spinach, but do like kale, then make the filling all kale and vice versa. Want to kick this up a little more? Add 2 or 3 tablespoons diced green chiles to the filling.
If you can’t find pepper jack cheese where you live, look for a semi -hard white cheese with pepper in it or you can add chile peppers to it.
Incidentally, for the curious, the vegetable in the picture is celery root, diced and boiled until fork tender, then pan fried in a little coconut oil until lightly browned. I put a little jack cheese on top. The green veggie comes from a local grocery store and is broccoli salad.
Spicy Chicken Stuffed with JackCheese and Greens
6 boneless, skinless half chicken breasts (6 oz. each)
4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 cups fresh Spinach, chopped
1 cup fresh Kale, chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup Bacon Bits
1 teaspoon Cajun Seasoning or other spice
Salt
Black Pepper
Toothpicks, soaked in water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a baking pan with foil or with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
In a skillet, heat1 tablespoon olive oil, then add chopped spinach and kale. Sauté until they are wilted but not limp. Add bacon bits to the pan and mix it together, but don’t cook anymore. Set aside.
Cut chicken breasts down the middle but not all the way through to make a pocket or butterfly. If they are thicker than 1/4″, pound them with a meat mallet or put plastic wrap over the top and use a rolling pin to flatten. If you don’t do this, the breast may take longer to cook.
All wrapped up and ready for final steps.
In the pocket of the breast or the middle, add jack cheese, then spread the spinach mixture on top. Do not overstuff them. Fold the chicken over the stuffing and secure with toothpicks. Tuck the end of the chicken in and secure it.
Place the chicken, seam side up on the pan and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle the Cajun seasonings, salt and pepper on top. If you have leftover spinach, hold it until the chicken is almost done. Bake the chicken for 40 minutes until the juices run clear. Put the additional spinach on top and add any leftover jack cheese, if you wish. Return chicken to the oven for another five minutes to melt the cheese.
Serves 6
Nutrition Info per servings: Calories: 301.3 Fat: 13.1 g Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 41.1 g
Not everything works well with low carb flours or natural flours and it takes some experimenting to get it right. One of those experiments was this failed popover recipe that actually made a very tasty, simple egg bread muffin that I am calling a popover muffin. Where a popover would rise and collapse in on itself while creating a well in the middle, this muffin rose, but simply deflated, leaving a nice rounded surface. But the flavor is great and it makes a fabulous low carb bread to go with almost anything.
The bread is also sturdy enough to hold up to being turned into French Toast Rounds. So this is a two-fer-recipe day as it includes the recipe for the popover muffins and the French toast rounds.
If you give either one of these recipes a try or both, let me know what you think and if you have other ideas how to use them.
Popover Muffins
Popover Muffin
This recipe makes 6 popover muffins, which are delicious with almost anything — butter, jam, soup, a salad, but it isn’t hollow like a popover normally is. So I am calling them popover muffins. A popover pan will give you depth and make tall and nicely browned muffins, but you can also use a standard muffin pan.
This recipe is the very basic version without any kind of flavoring or seasoning. You can add a little sugar substitute to make them sweet or you can add grated cheese to make a cheese version that would complement a bowl of chile nicely. Add a tablespoon or two of chopped chiles to the batter along with the cheese and really enhance the flavor.
3/4 cup Low Carb Flour*
1/4 cup Almond Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Heavy Cream mixed with 1/4 cup water
Pinch Salt
* I used CarbQuick, but Bob’s Red Mill Baking Mix, LC Flour, Carbolose or any other low carb mix will work. I have not tried Coconut Flour, but I would guess it might not work as well.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F.) Make sure the oven rack is on the lower level to allow room for the batter to rise and to keep them from browning too quickly.
Prepare a 6 well popover pan by spraying with cooking spray or buttering the wells. Deep muffin cups will also work.
Put the eggs into a bowl of warm water to bring them to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
When the oven is fully heated, begin preparing the batter. Whisk the eggs, milk and salt together in a medium bowl. Make sure the ingredients are mixed well, then add the flours at one time and continue to whisk until the flours are and it looks frothy. You can use a mixer with a whisk attachment to do this. Or you can mix it in your blender following the same sequence. Wet ingredients first, then add the flours. Add the melted butter after everything is mixed.
Pour the batter into the popover wells equally. They should be between 2/3 and 3/4 filled.
Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door while baking, especially during the first 20 minutes. They should be a deep, golden brown.
Nutrition Info per muffin Calories: 153.2 Fat: 13.5 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 5.8 g
Popover Muffin French Toast Rounds
This simple recipe uses an egg bread “popover” muffin as the base for a basic French toast for one. Add pumpkin butter or syrup to serve. A little bacon or sausage helps to round it out.
Slice the muffin across the middle, then slice each half across the middle again to make four rounds.. In a bowl or shallow pan, beat the egg, then add the cream, vanilla and pumpkin spice or cinnamon. Beat with a fork until well mixed. Dip the muffin slices into the egg mixture, turning them to completely coat both sides. Let them sit in the mixture while you warm up a small skillet.
Add the butter and set to medium heat. When the butter melts and is just getting to sizzle, add the muffin rounds. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip to cook the other side. They should be golden brown. If they aren’t, cook just a little longer. Remove to serving plate and top each with 1/4 of the pumpkin butter or butter the tops and cover with sugar free syrup.
Makes one delicious serving.
Nutrition info per recipe: Calories: 362.7 Fat: 31.6 g Net Carbs: 4.8 g Protein: 12.8 g
About this time of year, I see several recipes for breakfast casseroles to serve for the holidays and with New Year’s Day coming up, you might be looking for one you can make ahead and just put in the oven the morning after. For a low carb lifestyle, the main problem with most egg casseroles is that they include bread. This spicy dish doesn’t have any bread in it, but it is loaded with sausage, cheese and Pico de Gallo for a bit of bite. It goes together quickly. It can be partially cooked so you can put it in the refrigerator then finish cooking it in the morning or just prepare the filling, put it in the ‘fridge in a bowl, then mix up the eggs and finish it the next day. What could be easier?
Spicy Egg Casserole
8 large Eggs
1/2 pound Country Seasoned Pork Sausage
1/2 cup Sweet Bell Peppers , diced
1/2 cup Pico de Gallo
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Queso Fresco, crumbled
1 teaspoon Dried Mexican Oregano
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
4 tablespoons Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a deep dish pie tin or an 8’x8″x2″ cake pan by buttering the bottom and sides or spraying with cooking spray.
In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter and saute the bell peppers until just tender, stir in the Pico de Gallo and cook a minute longer. Remove from pan. Add the sausage, crumbling with a spatula until lightly browned. Sausage should be in small pieces. Remove from heat. Spread mixture over the bottom of the prepared pan. Crumble the Queso Fresco on top, then add 1/3 cup of cheddar jack cheese over the top.
In a bowl, mix eggs and seasonings together along with 2 tablespoons of water. Beat by hand until completely mixed together. Add salt and pepper to your preference. Pour over the sausage mixture, then top with 1/3 cup of cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes until the eggs are set and the top is golden brown. Add the remaining cheese and cook until it is just melted.
Cut into pieces and serve with sour cream and chopped green onions.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Info: 1/4 of recipe
Calories: 519 Fat: 40.5 g Net Carbs: 5 g Protein: 34.5 g
Nutrition Info: 1/6 of recipe
Calories: 346 Fat: 27g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 23 g
Tip: To prepare ahead, go right to step two and make the peppers, pico and sausage mixture, then put into a plastic container or bowl and cover with plastic wrap, then put it in the ‘fridge until the next morning. Then simply warm it up in a microwave for a minute, then spread it into your baking dish. Mix the eggs and bake.
Alternately, you can prepare the casserole and bake it for 20 minutes. Then pull out, cover with plastic wrap, put it in the ‘fridge. Pull the casserole out the next morning, put it back into a 350 degree oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes to finish cooking, then add the top layer of cheese and bake 5 more minutes to melt it.
A soup that can warm you up from the inside out on these cold nights is the Chinese Hot and Sour Soup. You don’t need to go out for it because it’s easy to make at home. If you have rice wine vinegar and soy sauce at home, then you have a good start toward the soup. I made it with what I had in the house — chicken bullion instead of broth, turnips instead of mushrooms, and celery added for a bit of crunch. Instead of scallions, I added dried minced onions and chives and I also added some mixed, chopped greens. The original recipe called for shitake mushrooms, but I’ve substituted regular mushrooms for a lower carb dish. This is a delicious soup with or without other Chinese food on the menu.
Hot and Sour Soup
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper
1 cup fresh Mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 large Egg, lightly beaten
1 deli Smoked Pork Chop, diced
1 stalk Celery, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger
3 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup mixed greens, torn or chopped
Prep all vegetables before starting as this will cook quickly.
In a large pot, combine broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, ginger and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium hea, then add celery, pork and mushrooms.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Whisk together 3 tablespoons vinegar and cornstarch. Add to pot; simmer, stirring, until soup is thickened, about 1 minute.
Drizzle egg into the soup and stir to form ribbons. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute. Taste; add additional vinegar, if desired.
Makes 6 servings
Nutrition Info: per serving
Calories: 57 Fat: 1.9 g Net Carbs: 4.3 g Protein: 5.6 g
