Tag Archives: Atkins friendly recipes

Condiments and Sauces, Italian Inspired Recipes, Recipes

Celebrate spring with a Spring Time Pasta

Spring has arrived… at least in my part of the world. It’s a lovely spring day with trees budding out, some almost in full leaf and the temperatures are sweater weather. Other places… well, some of you are still digging out of snow. Down under, folks are getting ready for fall, so it might well be pretty warm. So some of these vegetables in this gorgeous spring pasta may not be available, so make it with whatever you can muster up. It will still be delicious.

The idea with a Pasta Primavera (Spring Pasta) is to use vegetables that you can get fresh at the market so that it’s bursting with goodness and flavor. For the pasta part, I used Dreamfield pasta, which claims to have 5 effective net carbs per serving.  Generally, I eat about half a serving because it’s quite a lot of pasta. Recently I have heard that this claim is not true and the pasta is no lower carb’d than any other one.  I have also heard some people say that Dreamfield does affect their glycemic count, so if that is an issue, you can substitute in spaghetti squash or even shredded or thinly sliced zucchini or omit it altogether.  All I can say is that I have used it and it didn’t seem to slow my weight loss but this kind of thing will vary from person to person, so to be safe, use one of the other alternatives.  My recipe is based on one from Chef John at AllRecipes.com, but with a few modifications.

This recipe does use a pesto sauce. You can use a purchased one or make your own fresh. I’ve included the pesto recipe I created for this dish.

Spring Time Pasta
aka Pasta Primavera

2 cups Zucchini, sliced
1 cup Broccoli, fresh chopped or diced
6 spears fresh Asparagus, sliced
1 cup Leeks, sliced both white and green
3 tablespoons Green Onions, finely sliced
2 cups Brussels sprouts, shredded or sliced
1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced and cut into pieces
1 cup Chicken Broth or bullion
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Prepare all vegetables. Cut asparagus on the diagonal to expose more surface.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add garlic, onions and leeks and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add mushrooms, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Cook and stir for about five minutes. Add chicken broth and the rest of the vegetables. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Prepare enough Dreamfield pasta (I used angel hair spaghetti) to serve however many are eating at the meal. Measurement and cooking instructions are on the spaghetti box.

Per serving, mix 1 cup pasta and 1 cup vegetables together and add 1 tablespoon pesto sauce. (Recipe below.) Toss together and let sit about five minutes, then toss again before serving.

Nutrition Info: (for vegetable mix only – pasta is not included):
Calories:46 Fat: 0.2 Net Carbs: 6.6 g Protein: 2.9 g

Spinach Asparagus Pesto

This pesto can be made with basil instead of spinach, which is the usual for pesto, but I had spinach on hand and lots of fresh asparagus, so I thought, why not? It is very yummy and worth the little bit of effort to make, especially if you have a food processor. You can put any extra in a jar in the refrigerator to be used later. Just try to use it within a week or two. In addition to being a great sauce for the vegetable dish above, it is also wonderful on fish, chicken or pork.

2 cups Baby Spinach, fresh,, packed
1/2 cup Parsley
4 spears Asparagus, fresh – parboiled
1/3 to 1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic,
1/4 cup Pine Nuts
1 teaspoon ground Oregano
1 teaspoon fresh or ground Basil
Salt, dash
Black Pepper

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 325 degrees. Spray a pie tin or something similar with cooking spray. Spread the pine nuts over them to toast. Toast about four minutes, then stir or shake them around and cook another two or three minutes.

Par-boil 4 spears of asparagus – bring water to a boil and put the asparagus in for about two minutes. Cut into pieces and put in your food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Process until all the ingredients are finely chopped and blended. You will probably have to use a spatula to mix some down into the lower area where the blade is and process again. If the pesto seems a bit dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil.

Makes about 10 one tablespoon servings

Nutrition Info per tablespoon:
Calories: 92.3 Fat: 9.6 g Net Carbs: 1 g Protein: 1 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/20/2014

Condiments and Sauces, Recipes

Irish Horsey Sauce Highlights Flavor

So, my bowl in the picture is a little messy, but we all know I would never make it on Iron Chef! This is a quick Horseradish sauce that I whipped up to go with my Corned Beef Quesadillas. I used creamed horseradish, mixed with mayonnaise and just a bit of Irish green from the parsley. I didn’t have any fresh parsley on hand, so used dried parsley, crumbled into the mix. It makes about 2 to 4 servings, depending on how crazy you are about horseradish.

Irish Horsey Sauce

Add a bit of parsley to bring a touch of green to this easy to make horseradish mayonnaise sauce that works well with meat and with fish.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon horseradish
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 4 one tablespoon servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 92 Fat: 10 g Net Carbs: 0.4 g Protein: 0.2 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/14/2014 12:15 PM

Drinks, Recipes

O’Kelly’s Slim Irish Cream

Generally speaking, Irish Cream is not a low calorie or low carb drink, but it can be. You do need to make it yourself though. There are many Irish Cream recipes available and almost all of them call for sweetened condensed milk. While you can buy low carb sweetened condensed milk, you can also make your own. But the recipe I’ve adapted ever so slightly is from Mercy at Food.com, partially because it doesn’t require sweetened condensed milk and you are essentially making a sweetened cream. I called it O’Kelly’s in honor of my roomie’s Irish heritage.

Once you have the Irish Cream made, then try the Irish Cream Cheesecake made with it. Truly a great way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

This recipe makes over 750 ml — I got about 850 ml, so prepare a bottle that can hold at least 750 ml and maybe a small jar for the extra. You will also need a funnel.

O’Kelly’s Slim Irish Cream

3 cups heavy cream
1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey
( I used Bushmill’s, but you don’t need an expensive whiskey, just an Irish one)
1 teaspoon instant Espresso coffee
2 tablespoons sugar free chocolate syrup (Hershey’s or Walden Farms)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup Ideal sugar substitute or other suger alcohol crystal
24 drops of liquid sucralose

Mix coffee powders with sugar alcohol crystals. Add a little whiskey and the chocolate syrup then stir to make a paste. This will dissolve easier when added to the recipe.

Place cream in a heavy pan and cook on very low heat until it is reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. If you want it a little thicker, cook until it is the consistency you prefer.
Cool until the cream is about room temperature.

Blend whiskey, liquid sucralose, coffee paste, and extracts and pour into a blender with the cooled cream and blend until smooth.

Makes about 25 1 oz servings

This will keep 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Shake well before pouring.

You can make this using a sugar substitute such as Splenda but the carbohydrates are higher due to the filler that is used to hold the sucralose. I use EZ-Sweet liquid sucralose, which you can purchase from Netrition or Amazon. I show the carb counts using the different chocolate syrups and using Splenda for all of the sugar replacement.

Nutrition Information:

1 oz serving With Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Calories: 89.5 Net Carbs: .6 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

1 oz serving With Walden Farm’s Sugar Free Chocolate Syrup
Calories: 88.9 Net Carbs: .4 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

1 oz serving With 1 cup Splenda & Hershey’s syrup
Calories:89.5 Net Carbs: 2.6 g Fat: 5.3 g Protein: .3 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 3/14/2013 1:06 PM

Drinks, Recipes

Pumpkin Nog for the Holidays

A few days ago, I concocted the most marvelous hot nog that I’ve had in quite some time… and it’s low carb! The cream version is rich and so satisfying. The lower car’d almond milk version for those who can’t handle milk products is also delicious although not as thick. Either way, it’s a great way to toast the holidays with a warm drink. It will become my midnight NewYear’s drink.

I used a sugar free Pumpkin Spice Syrup in it, but you can just add extra cinnamon, nutmeg and clove instead.

Hot Pumpkin Nog

Rich and Creamy Version – Serves 2

1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder *
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 oz. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
2 tablespoons Rum
6 drops liquid sucralose or 3 packets of sugar substitute

In a small sauce pan, mix together the protein powder, heavy cream and water. Cook over low heat until the powder is completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin, sweetener and Pumpkin Spice Syrup and stir until it is blended in. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture just starts to bubble around the edges. Turn off heat. Pour into small cups, 1/2 of mixture in each cup. Add 1 tablespoon of dark rum to each cup and stir it in, then sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice over the top.

Nutrition Info – 1 serving
Calories: 241 Fat: 22 g Net Carbs: 2.3g Protein: 1.3 g

Less Rich Version with Almond Milk – Serves 2

1 tablespoon Vanilla whey protein powder *
1 1/2 cup Unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon Pumpkin puree
1 oz. Pumpkin Spice Syrup
1/4 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie spice
2 tablespoons Rum
6 drops liquid sucralose or 3 packet if sugar substitute

In a small sauce pan, mix together the protein powder and almond milk. Cook over low heat until the powder is completely mixed in. Add the pumpkin, sweetener and Pumpkin Spice Syrup and stir until it is blended in. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture just starts to bubble around the edges. Turn off heat. Pour into small cups, 1/2 of mixture in each cup. Add 1 tablespoon of dark rum to each cup and stir it in, then sprinkle a bit of pumpkin pie spice over the top.

Nutrition Info – 1 serving
Calories: 59 Fat: 1.9 g Net Carbs: 0.6 g Protein: .9 g

* You may omit the Vanilla whey powder and add 2 teaspoons vanilla.  The powder makes it taste richer and thicker, besides adding protein, but it isn’t necessary.

To make the fully-charged sugar version, just follow the recipe using 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup water and 3 to 6 teaspoons of sugar to your preference. About 10.6 net carbs and 179 calories.

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/19/2013 12:25 PM

Drinks, Recipes

Hot Gingerbread Nog

Here’s another delicious hot winter drink for a bit of celebration this year end. It combines the flavors of gingerbread with espresso for a yummy holiday nog. This recipe makes two drinks but can be increased easily for more people.

Hot Gingerbread Nog

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar substitute
1 tablespoon sugar free maple syrup
1 tablespoon gingerbread sugar free syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/3 cup cream
2/3 cup water
1 teaspoon Espresso powdered coffee
2 tablespoon rum or boubon
Sugar substitute (to taste)

Have two 1 cup mugs ready.

In a small pot, add butter and brown sugar substitute and stir until melted. Add 1both syrups and mix in, then add cream and water, powdered coffee and spices. Stir and cook until the nog is hot but not boiling.

Put 1 tablespoon of rum in each mug, then pour hot nog into the mug and stir. Add sugar substitute to make it sweeter if needed.

Serves 2.

For a lower carb version, use 1 cup of almond milk in place of the cream and water in the recipe.

Nutrition Info for 1 serving using cream:
Calories: 229 Fat: 20.8g Net Carbs: 2 g Protein: 1 g

Nutrition Info for 1 serving using almond milk:
Calories: 104 Fat: 7.1 g Net Carbs: 0.9 g Protein: 0.7 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/28/2013