Tag Archives: Atkins friendly recipes

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Too Hot to Cook? A Cool Turkey Salad Helps

With a few thunderstorms in the area this past week, it’s really been too hot and muggy to do much cooking in the kitchen after the lunch hour.  But it’s a great time for no-cook options or meals that you can prepare in the morning and eat cold or reheat in the microwave.  I went back to an old favorite chicken salad made as a spread for sandwiches and updated to turkey to put on top of a salad.  By adding a few beets and cooling cucumber, it makes a wonderful and filling evening meal.

If you want additional salad dressing, other than what is in the turkey, you can use a low carb French dressing or a Ranch Dressing (most are around 2 net carbs for 2 tablespoons) or you can make your own French from the recipe after the salad recipe.

Turkey Salad With Beets

10 oz. can White Turkey Meat or 1 cup cooked Turkey, chopped
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 large Egg, hard boiled
4 to 5 sugar free Sweet Pickles or 2 tablespoons sugar free Sweet Pickle Relish
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil and Garlic Seasoning

6 cups lettuce, torn or chopped (I used Romaine and Bibb)
1 cup Baby Spinach, chopped or torn
1 Golden Beet, cooked and cut into cubes or small pieces
1 cucumber, sliced
1 cup diced tomato

Drain the turkey meat if you are using canned meat. Put the turkey in a bowl. Cut the hard boiled egg into quarters to make it easier to mash and add it to the bowl. . Using a fork, mash the egg and the turkey together. If you are using whole pickles, chop them finely or put them in a food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add them to the bowl. Add the mayonnaise and use the fork to mix them all together. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, mix the lettuce and spinach together and put into individual large salad bowls. Put 1/4 of the turkey mixture in the middle of the lettuce in each bowl. Arrange 6 slices of cucumbers and 6 cubes of golden beets around the edge of each bowl. Put 2 tablespoons of diced tomato on top.

Drizzle Low Carb French Dressing, if desired, onto the salad and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 216 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 6.9 g Protein: 16.2 g

Low Carb French Dressing

2 tablespoons Ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Two tablespoons onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon dry Mustard

Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until it is liquefied. Pour into a clean jar or dressing cruet and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Shake before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 48 Fat: 0.7 g Net Carbs: 1.5 g Protein: 0.0 g

TIP: Save a couple of your salad dressing bottles for putting your “from scratch” dressings in. Just be sure to sterilize them before using them. A trip through the dishwasher should do the trick.

Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin Side Dish

I’m sure no one really misses potatoes with their meals, right?  Of course not, but, oh, the flavor of a potato with cheese casserole.  Yeah, sometimes it would sure be nice to have that with a steak or roasted chicken, wouldn’t it?

Well, this isn’t quite that potato recipe, but it is a very good substitute.  The truth is that after four years, I have only eaten potatoes twice, and they were baked both times, and I haven’t  missed them that much.  I have found that I honestly like the taste of turnips and the combination of turnips with cauliflower is deliciously good.

Not everyone agrees with that and  they absolutely hate turnips, but I say, at least give them a chance.  You could use kohlrabi  or celery root for the turnips or the cauliflower in this recipe or swap them around however you want.  Any combination equals a side dish that is very tasty and much lower in carbohydrates than using potatoes in the dish.

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin

Turnips and Cauliflower Gratin

1 1/4 cups Turnips, (about 2 medium), sliced thinly
1 cup Cauliflower,sliced thinly
1/2 Onions, sliced thinly
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream,
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Thyme, ground or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 cloves Garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon Fresh Chives or 1 teaspoon dried
3/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese or Parmesan Cheese, shredded
3 tablespoon Butter

Put the cream and seasonings, except chives, into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and taste to check the seasonings. Adjust, if needed. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Lightly spray a 9×9″ baking dish with cooking spray or butter the bottom and sides.

Peel turnips and boil them for 20 minutes. Cut into thin slices as evenly as possible. If you use a mandolin to cut, then cut the slices before cooking and only cook about 5 minutes to soften them. Drain. Cut 1/4 head of cauliflower into slices, put in a bowl and microwave for 4 minutes to partially cook. Cut a small onion into thin slices. You should have about 1/2 cup.

Layer 1/2 of the turnips on the bottom of the pan and dot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Remove the garlic from the sauce and spoon about 1/3 of the sauce over the turnips. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Layer the cauliflower and onions on top of the first layer, dot with butter and spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese.. Layer the rest of the turnips over the top layer, dot with the remaining butter, pour the rest of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Sprinkle a little paprika over the top if you would like.

Cook at 375 degrees (F) for 35 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 15 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 195 Fat: 17.4 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 5.1 g

As this stands, this is a nice vegetarian dish.  Want to make a main dish out of this?  Add about 6 to 8 slices of bacon torn into pieces or 1 1/2 cups of ham cut into cubes.  Just add them to the middle layer, then put on the top layer of turnips.

Desserts, Recipes

Frozen Treats Cool Down the Heat

Summer took a while, but it has definitely arrived.  Almost 100 degree temperatures around Reno, Nevada and that’s hot enough for me.  So, it’s time for cool treats to make it better.  No, I am not racing for an ice cold beer!  Although I did pick up some Skinny Syrups for Mojitos, Margaritas and Cosmos, I am not talking about one of those either.  I am talking about frozen treats!  Ices!  Well, actually, creamy treats that make a great cool down snack or a refreshing dessert.

The recipe is simple to do, but the biggest drawback to keeping it low carb is the yogurt.  If you live in an area that has a Kroger Food Store (Smith’s Food in my area), then you have access to their yogurt-like product, Carbmasters Yogurt, which I happen to like. The other alternative is Great Value Plain Yogurt, which has about 2 more carbs per 6 oz. than Carbmasters.  So, if you can’t get Carbmasters or can’t stand the taste of it, then look for a yogurt that comes in around 6 net carbs for 6 oz.

I just recently posted a recipe for homemade Peach Jam, which is about 2 net carbs per tablespoon.  You can also use Smuckers sugar free, which is what the carb count in this is based on, or LC Foods Peach Preserves, which are about the same carb count as the homemade version.  I used silicon molds, which are easy to pop the frozen treats out, but you can use any 1/2 cup container or Popsicle molds.

Peaches and Cream Freeze

6 oz Carbmasters Peach Yogurt or other plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup fresh peaches, crushed
2 tablespoons peach jam
2 tablespoons Cool Whip or other whipped cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Note:  If you use plain yogurt, you probably should add two tablespoon sugar substitute to add a little sweetness to the mix.  Take a taste and decide if you need more sweet.

Mixed yogurt, peaches and Cool Whip with peach jam ready to swirl in. The flour shapes are the molds I used.

Use a food processor to crush the fresh peaches. Mix all the ingredients, except the jam, together. Put the jam on top and use a knife or spoon to swirl it into the mixture. Spoon into six 1/2 cup molds. Each will hold about 2 mounded tablespoons of the mixture.

If you want to make them into Popsicles, cut a straw in 2 and insert it into the center of the mold. The mixture will hold it in place.

Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Pop from the mold and serve on a dessert plate or with a napkin or paper saucer or cup with a hole in the middle for the straw or popsicle stick to go through to catch drips.

If you keep these in the ‘fridge, then take them out about 20 minutes before you want to serve them.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info: 1 serving
Calories: 23.6 Fat: .5 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 1.4 g

Don’t stop there.  You can make this with other fruit combinations.   The carb count will be about the same.

Strawberry/Blueberry Freeze

This is like an individual version of the frozen yogurt pie.

6 oz. Carbmasters Yogurt Strawberry
1/2 cup Blueberries, pureed
2 tablespoons Strawberry Preserves
2 tablespoons Cool Whip

Mix all ingredients together. Spoon into six 1/2 cup silicone molds.

Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Pop from the molds to serve on a dessert plate. Keep frozen until about 1/2 hour before you’re ready to serve.

I am also thinking that in place of the yogurt, you might substitute 4 oz cream cheese and 2 ounces sour cream plus 2 tablespoons of sugar substitute.   I haven’t tried this, but it could work.  Blend the ingredients together until they are mixed and about the consistency of yogurt,

Condiments and Sauces, Jams, Recipes

Peach Jam is Peachier Without the Carbs

I needed to clear some space in my freezer last week, so I took out the frozen peach slices that I’d done last summer and moved them to the ‘fridge.  By the time I got to them this week, they had gotten soft and there was about a cup of peach juice in the bag, so I decided to turn them into peach jam.  You can start with fresh ones, but they won’t have much juice, so you’ll need to add water.  But the flavor is great and sine they use sugar substitute for sweetening, they are low in carbohydrates and calories.

Easy Peach Jam

3 cup peach slices with juice, if there is any
1/4 cup water if there isn’t any juice
1 teaspoon Cert-O or other canning preservative
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar substitute
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground Clove (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized pot over medium heat and stir as you bring the pot to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Check a couple of time to stir and add water if needed. Check to see if the peaches are sweet enough. If not add a little more sugar substitute.

At this point you have peach compote which can be cooled a bit, then stored in a clean jar and used as topping, side condiment or even made into a peach pie.

For jam, put the cooked peaches into a food processor and pulse a few times until the jam is smooth. Put this back in the pot and simmer until the jam is thick and the consistency you like. Let the jam cool for about 15 minutes, then put into a clean jar and store in the refrigerator.

Fresh jam without preservatives will keep in the refrigerator for about two months. If you made more than you can eat in that time, put the rest in a freezer bag and freeze until you are ready to eat it.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam or 24 one tablespoon servings.

Nutrition Info per recipe
Calories: 219  Fat: 1.3 g  Net Carbs: 46.4  Protein: 3.6 g

Nutrition Info per tablespoon
Calories: 9.1  Fat: .1 g  Net Carbs: 2 g  Protein: 0.1 g

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

Cauliflower Curry with Snow Peas

One of my favorite vegetable dishes at Indian or Thai restaurants is a cauliflower curry.   The flavors just blend so well and it is a spicy sauce without overwhelming the other vegetables.   This version is
my own adaptation using S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, the one that comes with 5 little cubes in the package.  If you prefer to mix your own curry or work with curry powder, then feel free to substitute.  I like the mix because it seems to get the right balance for me.

Cauliflower and Snow Peas Curry

1 1/2 cup Cauliflower, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Snow Peas, fresh, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup Onions, chopped (remove)
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers (Bell or small peppers)
1/5 pkg Curry-S&B Golden Curry Sauce, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons Water
3/4 cup Coconut Milk unsweetened
1 teaspoon minced Garlic
2 tablespoons Thai Basil, fresh
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Heat a small pot of water to a boil and cook cauliflower for about three minutes, until just fork tender. Drain. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat, add the onions and sit until softened. Add the garlic and peppers, then cook about a minute longer. Next, add the curry pieces and stir until it melts and coats the onions. Add the coconut milk, and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a simmer. Add the cauliflower and snow peas and stir. Reduce heat to medium low and cover pan or skillet and simmer, stirring a couple of times, for about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil leaves. Makes 4 servings. Nutrition Info per serving: Calories: 44 Fat: 1.7 g Net Carbs: 3.3 g Protein: 1.9 g