This is similar to a recipe that I made before for Salsa Chicken that is cooked in a skillet, but this recipe takes it a step or two further and you use your oven or toaster oven to finish cooking it, plus I’ve added zucchini and cheese to make a more complete meal. Serve it over a bed of cauliflower rice and all you need to add is a small dinner salad to make a great meal. If you love Mexican or spicy foods, this is a meal that pleases the taste buds.
I used a salsa from my neighborhood grocery store Raley’s that included corn in it. It is 2 net carbs per 2 tablespoons. La Victoria Medium Salsa is 1 net carb per 2 tablespoons, so you can save a carb per serving by using a lower carb’d salsa. Check the nutrition information on the bottle to look for the lower carb’d ones.
Baked Spanish Chicken with Zucchini
4 Chicken Tenders (about 2 breasts)
1/2 cup Zucchini, sliced
6 tablespoons Tomato Salsa
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1teaspoon Olive Oil or Coconut Oil
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese, grated
1 1/2 cup Cauliflower, riced
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon Chicken bullion
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F.) Spray a baking pan to fit the chicken with cooking spray.
Sprinkle salt and pepper (or any other seasoning you wish) over the chicken pieces. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat then add the minced garlic. Cook until it begins to brown, then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides. Put 4 tablespoons of salsa over the chicken and stir it in, then add the zucchini to lightly cook.
Cook and stir for about five minutes, then transfer to the prepared baking pan. Spread the remaining two tablespoons of salsa over the top, then sprinkle the cheddar cheese over it.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the chicken is completely done.
While the chicken bakes, prepare the cauliflower rice. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet to melt over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and stir well to coat with butter and lightly toast. Add 1/2 cup of water with the bullion and stir into the cauliflower. Lower the temperature to a simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes. Check the water in it and stir a couple of times while it cooks. If you need to add more water, then add about 2 tablespoons.
The cauliflower will be done about the same time as the chicken. Put 3/4 cup of cauli-rice on the plate and serve half the chicken over it, getting half the zucchini and sauce in the serving.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 419 Fat: 19.7 g Net Carbs: 8.6 g Protein: 47.7 g
I tried this wonderful parfait for the first time over the weekend and it is so refreshing and delicious that I had to share it. The recipe came from Ocean Spray Cranberries and I’ve made the adaptations to low carb. It does require a low carb granola and I use Sensato’s Nut and Flax Granola or make my own.
Let me take a moment to praise the granola from Sensato. They have three flavors, that I know of, to choose from: Plain, Apple, and Cranberry-flavored. They are all tasty, although the chunks are a little big. They can be broken into smaller pieces when you’re cooking with them. They’re high in fiber, a good source of protein and are only 2 net carbs per 1/2 cup serving. You can eat them for a cereal or as an out-of-the-bag snack or put them in your cooking where a recipe calls for granola or oatmeal. I’ve used them in coffee cakes and in cookies. Try your health food store to see if they stock this product or ask them to order it. Or you can order online from my favorite health food supplier,Netrition.com. I am sure there are other online sources, so just Google it.
Now, on to the recipe, which is delicious for breakfast, lunch or dessert. I use Carbmasters low carb yogurt product, which is a Kroger Foods brand, but you can use Greek yogurt in place of it. However, the carbs will be about 1/2 carb higher if you use a brand that is about 5 net carbs per 6 oz. For reference, Carbmasters is 4 net carbs per 6 oz. By the way, Pomegranate arils (the fruit covered seed) are okay to eat in their entirety. You might get a bit of seed stuck in your teeth, but that’s it.
Pomegranate Yogurt Parfait
2 tablespoons Pomegranate Arils
1 container CarbMasters Vanilla or other flavor yogurt
1/4 cup low carb Granola
In two serving glasses (I use ice cream glasses or you could use brandy glasses or tall flutes), put in 1 teaspoon of granola, 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 2 teaspoons of pomegranate arils, two teaspoons of granola, then the next layer of 2 tablespoons of yogurt, 2 teaspoons of pomegranate arils and top with the remaining yogurt, granola and pomegranate arils.
You can add a little whipped cream topping if you wish, but it isn’t necessary.
Serves 2.
Nutrition Info per serving: Calories:79.8 Fat: 3.9 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5.6 g
Will you give this treat a try and let me know if you like it or not? I’d love to hear from you.
This easy recipe for a delicious chicken dish popped up in my email from All Recipes. You can see a video of the preparation at AllRecipes.com.
Since it combines chicken and bacon, I had to try it! But I also had to add a little more, so I added the seasonings and the slice of cheddar cheese on top because it all goes better with cheese, right? The next time I make this, and it will be soon, I plan to add a thin slice of sweet red onion underneath the bacon strips, so it’s tucked in next to the chicken. Yum…
Have this for dinner with a nice dinner salad and you’ll be sitting pretty with low carb. I baked the chicken, but you can also do it on the grill if you’d prefer. It’s easy to double or triple if you are cooking for more than two people.
Baked BBQ Chicken with Bacon and Cheese
2 half Chicken Breasts
4 slices of bacon
2 slices of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese or similar
1/4 cup low carb BBQ Sauce
1 teaspoon of Seasoning Salt or BBQ Seasoning
Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees(F.). Prepare a baking pan to fit the chicken by spraying with cooking spray.
Sprinkle chicken breasts with the seasoning salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside for a few minutes.
Cook the bacon until almost done, but still flexible. Don’t crisp it. (I put my slices between two paper towels and microwaved them for 2 1/2 minutes, which kept them flat while cooking and absorbed the fat.)
Wrap 2 slices over each chicken breast, making an X across the front of the chicken and tuck ends in the back and place back side down in the baking pan. Use a pastry or kitchen brush or the back of a spoon to spread 1 tablespoons of the BBQ sauce on each of the breasts.
Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken is nearly done and juices run clear. Add cheese slices on top of each breast, then brush each with the rest of the BBQ sauce and bake for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese.
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Info per serving: Calories:401 Fat: 9.2 g Net Carbs: 0.0g Protein: 48.0
Note: Yes, that is the correct net carb if you use 0 carb BBQ Sauce and 0 carb cheese. I used Walden Farms Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce, which is 0 calories and 0 carbs. The cheese is also 0. If you use one of the higher ones, then you will likely add a carb or two to the total.
Try this recipe and I think you’ll love it. Let me know what you think!
Pizza is one of those things that is just so satisfying that it is missed terribly when you change to a low carb lifestyle. But it doesn’t have to be. You need to adjust your thinking. What makes a great pizza? For some, it may be the bread crust and if that’s the case, low carb is a definite challenge. But if it’s the toppings that are the main attraction, then it’s possible to make a different style low carb pizza. In fact, there are several ways to do it.
If you must have bread, you can make a flax meal pizza crust like the one here. Or you can order the flour or a completely made and partially cooked pizza crust, that is very good, from LC Foods. See it here. CarbQuick has a recipe on their box for a pizza crust that is also good. For those who may not know, CarbQuick is a low carb baking mix from Tova Foods. The box looks a little like Bisquick, but it is not the same.
Cauliflower crust pizza is a popular way to make a sort of crisp pizza crust that you can pile the topping ingredients on. There are many recipes on the web for this pizza, but here’s one from Your Lighter Side that is pretty tasty. One of my favorites, also from Your Lighter Side, is thechicken crust pizza. Don’t roll your eyes! It really works and it’s delicious. Chicken breast is baked, reduced to tiny crumbles in a food processor with mozzarella cheese and seasonings and pressed into your baking pan or pizza pan. It’s baked, flipped, then toppings go on and you bake it long enough to melt and brown the cheese. Delicious!
Other ways to make mini-pizzas include using a low carb tortilla base, a portobello mushroom base, and aneggplant slice base. Recently, I was thinking on this and inspiration struck! So I tried two new ways to do this. One is cauliflower base, but not like the riced cauliflower version, and the other is using spaghetti squash and this is my new favorite pizza base. Here are a couple of recipes with these options. I won’t say that these haven’t been tried before, but I came up with them, so they are new to me and the recipes are mine.
Cauliflower Pizza Slices
The roasted flavor on this gives a little more of the cauliflower than some people might like. It forms a solid base, but you still need a knife and fork to eat it.
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1/2 cup Bell Pepper, sliced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Pasta Sauce (about 4 carbs per 1/2 cup)
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon Dried Red Chiles (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F.) Prepare a baking sheet with aluminum foil and cooking spray.
Slice the cauliflower into 1/3-inch thick slices. Trim off any leaves, but you want the slices to be large and flat. This will be the pizza base. Brush melted butter on each slice, then sprinkle garlic and oregano on top. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of that.
Roast in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is lightly browned and a fork penetrates easily. Remove from the oven and let cool for about five minutes. Turn the slices over so the browned side is face down.
Pre-cook the sausage in a skillet until just browned. Add the peppers and mushrooms and sauté another few minutes. If you wish to add onions, add them at this time also.
Spread 1/4 cup of pasta sauce over each slice of cauliflower then spread 1/4 cup of the filling on each slice. Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle on dried red chiles, if you wish.
Makes 4 slices of “pizza”.
Nutrition Info per slice: Calories; 435 Fat: 34.2 g Net Carbs: 7.8 g Protein: 20.6 g
Spaghetti Squash Sausage Pizza
Simply the best tasting pizza crust that isn’t bread with delicious toppings highlighted by Italian sausage. This is basically the same topping as the pizza above, but you can vary your toppings however you like. The important part here is the crust. I have used spaghetti squash to sub for spaghetti, to make a tamale pie instead of masa and for many other things, so I thought, “Why not a pizza crust?” It does have a lot of moisture and I used a little almond flour to absorb the moisture. You could also use flax meal to do this. Or you could omit it entirely and it will still work. Just try to get as much water as possible out of the spaghetti squash.
Toppings:
2 links Italian Sausage
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, diced or sliced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, broken into pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cup Pasta Sauce (Vodka sauce is around 4 nc per 1/2 cup)
2 to 4 slices Provolone Cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed Chile Peppers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F.) Line a 6″ x 10″ pan with parchment paper.
Check the spaghetti squash to make sure all seeds have been removed. Squeeze as much excess liquid out of the squash as you can and pat with a paper towel to dry. In a large bowl, mix the spaghetti squash, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, garlic salt and 1 egg together. Use a serving glove or wash your hand thoroughly, then mix the ingredients together, breaking the squash into smaller pieces. (You could use a food processor if you want, but it isn’t necessary.)
If it is very moist, you can add 2 tablespoons of Almond flour to help absorb the moisture. When completely mixed, spread the squash mixture into the pan on top of the parchment paper and smooth evenly to the edges.
Bake for about 25 minutes until the crust is turning a golden brown. Remove and cool for a few minutes, then lift the paper and flip the crust in the pan. Remove the paper.
Spaghetti squash pizza crust. I started to spread sauce on before I remembered to take the photo. It’s about 1/3 inch thick.
While the crust is cooking, prepare your toppings. In a skillet, add a little Olive Oil and saute the mushrooms and bell peppers. Remove to a dish. Add the Italian sausage (remove from the skin) and use a spatula or wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces. Cook until lightly browned.
Spread the pasta sauce to your liking over the top of the crust. Use between 1/2 cup and 1 cup, but be cautious. Pasta sauce varies in carbs per half cup and the lowest I’ve found is Mario Battali’s Vodka Sauce. Or you can make your own sauce.
Next, distribute the sausage over the top of the crust, then add the mushroom and peppers, sprinkling evenly. Spread mozzarella cheese over the top, then place the Provolone cheese on top. Sprinkle with crushed chile peppers for a bit of spice, if you like.
Loaded with topping and ready to bake.
Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Let set about 5 minutes then serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen.
Makes 4 slices.
Nutrition Info per slice: Calories: 467 Fat: 34.4 Net Carbs: 8.2 g Protein: 28.6 g
So there you have my options for low carb pizza. What have you tried and which do you like best?
For most of my life, I didn’t like beets finding their taste too unappealing. But a few years ago, I tried the Harvard Beets dish and was surprised to discover that my taste buds had changed again and the flavor was very nice. Then I tried a fresh golden beet, cooked it and just loved the taste. It isn’t as “earthy-tasting” as the red beet and can be used a variety of ways.
This recipe for a stuffed beet is adapted using the golden beet and made as low carb as I possibly can. The beet is one of the higher vegetables in natural sugar, so generally you don’t want to eat too much at one time. Add a nice green salad to this and you have a very tasty meal.
Stuffed Golden Beets
2 large golden beets 3 to 3 1/2 inches
2 slices crumbled bacon
1/2 Italian sausage link, crumbled and cooked to light brown
1/4 cup Gruyere or mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, fresh
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
2 sprigs parsley
Pre-cook the bacon until crisp. I like to put the slices on a rack in the oven at 400 degrees (f.) for about 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool, then break the slices into small pieces.
Use 3 inch beets to make it easier to hollow out and fill. Trim the root and tops off the beets and put in enough water to completely cover the beets. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to low heat, cover the pot and cook until beets are fork tender. Some resistance is okay, but you want them soft enough to scoop out the middle with a spoon. Empty the water out of the pot and refill it with cold water. Let the beets cool until you can handle them easily – 15 to 20 minutes.
Peel the beets and trim the tops and bottom so they will stand easily. Cut off 1/3 of the top of each beet and put it away for use in a salad or elsewhere. This will give you about a 2″ beet for a meal course under 10 net carbs. Use a sharp knife to cut about the edge of the beet leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Scoop the meat out with a spoon and chop, then set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Prepare a small baking dish that can hold two beets.
In a skillet, cook the Italian sausage until light brown. Pour off an excess grease. Add garlic, black pepper and sour cream and stir and cook until mixed together well and hot. Add the sour cream and the chopped beets. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheese.
Spoon the meat mixture into the hollowed out beets. Mound any extra on top or alongside the beet. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Garnish with the parsley.
Makes two servings.
Nutrition info per serving: Calories: 433 Fat: 28.9 g Net Carbs: 8.6 g Protein: 25.8 g
