Tag Archives: broccoli

Breakfast & Brunch, Pork, Recipes

Breakfast or Brunch Strata

 I love stratas. I made my first one when I was a teenager and still living in El Paso, Texas. They’re a delightful combination of bread, eggs, meat, veggies, and spices that are baked to make a casserole. They’re not just for breakfast. They can make a hearty dinner as well. Of course, the problem with a low carb or Keto lifestyle is the bread. But it’s not an issue anymore. Several companies are now making Keto bread. In Reno, I can buy Orowheat Keto and Sola Bread at my local Wal-Mart store. Recently, Safeway resumed selling Inked Timber Wolf and Winter White bread, so I am a happy camper.

Not all Keto breads are created equal. Timber Wolf and Winter White are the lowest carbs I’ve found that actually taste like full-flour bread. And they are 1 net carb a slice.  Naturally, I used this bread for my strata and it came out excellently. If you can’t find them locally, you can order online, but beware the expensive charges on Amazon. Go to the company’s website to see if you can order direct. Still not as low priced as buying them from the market, but much lower than the prices on Amazon and Wal-Mart pages.

Ham and Broccoli Strata

1/2 cup Broccoli florets, broken into small pieces
3 slices Keto bread (1 net carb per slice)
1 cup Pico de Gallo *
1/4 teaspoon Garlic, minced
8 slices deli Honey Ham, shredded or diced ham
1/4 cup Bacon pieces
1/2 cup shredded Pepperjack Cheese or your favorite cheese
4 Eggs
¼ cup heavy Whipping Cream
Salt and ground Black Pepper to taste

Alternative to Pico,  make your own: Put 1 medium tomato diced, 1/4 cup onion, diced, and 1 small green pepper (Jalapeno optional), cut into small pieces. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried Basil, 1/4 teaspoon Garlic, minced, and 1/4 teaspoon Oregano. Stir together and let sit for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square casserole dish.

Steam the broccoli over hot water or for about 1 minute in the microwave.

In a large bowl, add steamed broccoli, bread cubes, tomato or Pico, ham, and pepper jack cheese together and mix together.

Use a separate bowl to beat eggs, cream, salt, and pepper together. Pour the egg mixture into the broccoli mixture and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and spread the filling evenly.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the eggs are set in the middle. Let rest about 5 minutes before cutting.

Makes 6 servings.

Note: If you don’t have a bread with 1 net carb per slice, add 0.5 carbs to each serving for each additional carb in the slice of bread. I used Inked Timber Wolfe bread, which is 1 net carb per slice. Other low carb or Keto breads may be 2 or even 3 carbs per slice, so adjust accordingly.

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. They are a close calculation and may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Chicken Casserole with Biscuits #2

Very similar to chicken pot pie, but easy to put together for dinner. This recipe makes 4 to 6 servings, depending on whether you serve it with a salad or other side dish or not. I used the leftovers from my roast chicken, but you can pre-cook about 2 large chicken breasts or get pre-cooked chicken from the grocery. I substituted potatoes, peas, and carrots for low carb vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, and kohlrabi. Celery is an optional ingredient. If I’d had some in the house, I would have used it. So it’s up to the cook.

I tried the biscuits included with the recipe, which are basic Bisquick biscuits with seasoning, but it either didn’t adapt well to Bakesquick or something was missing from the recipe. My gut feel was that the mix needed butter or shortening in it as my biscuits came out a tough. So, I am including  my tried-and-true low carb biscuits. If you have enough free carbs, you can use a can of biscuits instead (26 grams of carbs in one biscuit!).

Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

3 tablespoons Butter
1-1/2 teaspoons Garlic
1/3 cup Onions, chopped
1/3 cup Low Carb Flour or Thick It Up™
1-1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash™ Italian Seasoning Blend
2 cups Chicken Broth
3 cups Chicken, cooked light meat, chopped
1 cup Kohlrabi, cubed
1 cup Broccoli & Cauliflower Blend
1/2 cup Green Beans, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Celery, cleaned and diced
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

For Low Carb Biscuits
1-1/2 cups low carb Baking Mix or other Flour
3 tablespoons Butter or Shortening
1 tablespoon Cold Water + extra if needed
1 teaspoon Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Use a deep-sided skillet that can go into the oven, such as a copper or cast iron skillet, to save having to transfer the casserole to a baking dish. Otherwise, spray a 6×8-inch (medium) deep-dish casserole with cooking spray.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in the pan. Add the garlic, celery, and onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Mix in the flour, salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Stir the flour in well, then add the broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Continue to stir for 1 minute, then reduce heat. Stir in broccoli and cauliflower blend, kohlrabi, and green beans. Simmer 5 minutes, then add the chicken and mix well.

Prepare the biscuits. In a bowl, mix the baking mix or low carb flour, a little salt, and garlic powder together. If your using a flour, add in 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Cut in the butter or shortening or mix it in with your clean hand. Add the water, 1/2 at a time and mix it into the dough until you have a dough that pulls together into a ball easily, but isn’t too sticky. If it needs more water, add a little at a time. Add in seasoning or 1/2 cup shredded cheese if you wish. Separate the dough into six pieces and shape into balls, then press flat to a biscuit size.

If you’re using an oven-worthy skillet, place the biscuits on top in about the center of each serving. If you’re using a casserole dish, transfer the skillet mixture to the baking dish and put the biscuits on top.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 more minutes or until the biscuits are browned. Spoon chicken mixture over the biscuits to serve.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Image: Nutrition Information Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

 

Note: To see my original variation on this recipe, click here.  

You might also like my Chicken and Leek Pot Pie.

Asian Recipes, Recipes, Seafood, Vegetarian

A quick stir fry made easier

Image: Shrimp Pad Thai

Happy Saint David’s Day! I should have included a leek in today’s recipe in honor of the patron saint of Wales. But I didn’t.  I’ll post a Welsh recipe later in the week, then it will be on to the Irish recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.  But for today, I was thinking Asian when I made this for dinner last night.

I like to experiment with the products I find in the produce department. A couple of days ago, I found Taylor Farms Pad Thai Kit. While it is not too high in carbohydrates, it is a little higher when made with the included sauce than I can use in my daily intake. So, I tossed the enclosed pack of sauce and made my own. This was about 6 or 7 carbs lower a serving than using theirs. If you can enjoy around 30 or more net carbs in the day, then this might work well for you.

I turned to making my own Pad Thai sauce with what I had on hand in the house. You can use fish sauce in it if you wish. I found the vegetables were pretty well chopped or sliced, but not as evenly as I’d like and some pieces required cutting. The carrots are thin slices where I would prefer thin rounds or sticks that cook faster, but they worked out okay. I made mine with 2/3 pounds of medium-sized shrimp, about 27 of them. You can also add in tofu or mushrooms as an alternate protein in the dish. This makes it a good candidate for meatless Monday.

If you can’t find the Taylor Farms mix, you can make your own. The vegetable selection for this includes about 1/3 cup each of Brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, green cabbage, snap peas, bok choy, and carrots. Most are chopped or sliced thinly.

Shrimp Pad Thai with Spaghetti Squash 

6 ounces Shrimp, cleaned
1 package Taylor Farms Pad Thai Kit (vegetables only)
1-1/2 cups Spaghetti Squash (about 1-1/2-pound squash)
1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup Chicken Broth or Bullion
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon Thai Chili Sauce
1/8 teaspoon Ground White Pepper
2 tablespoons Brown Sugar Substitute (Swerve or LC Brown)
1 tablespoon Canola Oil

Cook the spaghetti squash by roasting it or cooking it in the microwave until tender. It’s easier to remove the seeds if you cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop them out before cooking it. Use a fork to shred the squash into strings.

Clean shrimp, removing shells and veins. Cool until ready to use.

Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, add the rice vinegar, chicken broth, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar substitute, and pepper. Stir together to combine completely. Set aside.

Heat a bowl-sided skillet or wok on medium high heat. Add oil and swirl to distribute. Add the shrimp and cook until pink on both sides, about a minute and a half on each side for medium-sized shrimp. Larger shrimp will take a little longer. Remove the shrimp to a platter and cover to keep warm.

Add the vegetables from the Pad Thai kit into the pan and stir them around. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, continuing to stir frequently. Lower the temperature to medium and add the prepared sauce. Stir it in and cook the vegetables a few more minutes, then add the shrimp back to the pan. Heat for two more minutes.

Put 1/2 cup of spaghetti squash in each serving bowl, then spoon the vegetables and shrimp on top. Sprinkle with chili flakes if you’d like a little more spice.

Makes 3 servings.

Nutrition Information

Main Dish, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads, Vegetarian

Vegetable Dinner Dish with Zing

Photo: Garden Vegetables with Cheese

For a quick, but tasty meatless meal, this easy skillet dish comes together in about thirty minutes. Starting with a frozen vegetable base, you can stir fry it, add in the fresh vegetables, make a cream sauce with cheese, and serve three people. If you want, you can make a flat bread, like this one, to go with it.

If you’re not worried about staying meatless, you can add in sliced sausages, bacon, or ham. Or you can add in shrimp and still count it as meatless.

The key in this is having the celery root peeled and cubed before you begin cooking. It will take the most time of any of your prep. But it brings a slight celery flavor along with a texture similar to potatoes, that gives this dish a unique, but delicious component. If you want to skip this, you can replace with sliced celery or chopped turnips.

I used cheddar cheese, but you can vary with other ones to change the flavor of the dish slightly. If you use an Italian cheese, change the seasonings to an oregano mix to bring in that flavor profile. With Mexican cheese, add in more chili spice to give it more bite.

Garden Vegetables with Cheese Sauce

1 10–oz package frozen Cauliflower, Broccoli & Carrot Mix
1 cup Celery Root, cubed into 1/2″ inch pieces
1/2 cup Asparagus, chopped
1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth or Better than Bullion Vegetable base
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon Low Carb Flour or Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt or Mrs. Dash
1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

Partially cook the frozen vegetables in a microwave so they are defrosted. Cook the cubed celery root for 1 minute in the microwave. This will speed up the cooking time on the stove.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the garlic. Cook for about 20 seconds, then add the vegetables to the pan. Stir and cook the vegetables for a few minutes, then add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer. Add seasoning and let cook for about ten minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

In a cup, add 1/4 cup water and flour or corn starch, then stir to mix. Add the cream to the pan, then add the water mixture. Stir into the vegetables. This will begin to thicken after a few minutes. Add the cheese and stir in to make the cheese sauce. Cook a few minutes until it’s a thick sauce, then serve.

Makes 3 servings.

Image: Nutrition Info for Garden Vegetables

Asian Recipes, Condiments and Sauces, Recipes, Vegetarian

Quick Vegetable Stir-fry

Photo: Vegetable Stir Fry

Ready for “Meatless Monday?” Here’s a quick to make rice-less fried rice. This replaces the starch with a variety of crumbled or riced vegetables to give you a deliciously satisfying Asian-flavored vegetable stir-fry. To make this even easier, you can start with a bag of Green Giant’s Cauliflower Crumbles “Fried Rice” Blend, which is cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and onions. If you are on phase 1, you might want to make your own riced vegetables and omit the carrots.

If you can’t find the mix at your grocery, you can use your food processor or grater to process cauliflower, broccoli stems, carrots, and onions to make your own mix. You’ll need three cups for the recipe with about 2 cups of it being cauliflower with the rest split between the broccoli, carrots, and onions.

I added in mushrooms and my adapted recipe adds in fresh spinach, but I didn’t have any in the house. I’ve listed even more possible add-ins at the end of the recipe.  Even on Monday, you can add any seafood to the stir fry. Shrimp is a great option. Any other time you want to make this, you can add chicken, beef, or pork to it.

For my friend and others who are trying to keep sodium low, I’ve included a recipe for a substitute soy sauce. It doesn’t taste like soy sauce, but it brings flavor to the dish without a lot of sodium.

 

Vegetable Stir Fry

3 cups (1 package) California Crumbles Fried Rice Blend (GG)
2 Eggs, beaten
1 cup Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 cup Spinach, fresh (optional)
2 stalks Green Onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Oil

In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add garlic and ginger and stir for a minute or two. Add in the fried rice blend and mushrooms. Stir them in. Cook and stir for about 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender.

Stir in the beaten eggs and mix them into the vegetables, continuing to stir until the eggs are cooked. Add soy sauce or Non-Soy Sauce, which is much lower in sodium. Stir to mix. Top with chopped green onions if you wish.

Makes four servings.

Optional add-ins: peanuts, almonds, cashews, shrimp, any greens chopped, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, chopped celery or chopped peppers. Add Hawaiian flare on a non-meatless night by stirring in 1 cup of diced SPAM and 1/4 cup of chopped fresh pineapple. (The pineapple will boost those carbs a bit, but it really adds the island vibe.)

Just add in the carb counts for the additions.

Nutrition Information for Vegetable Fried Rice

Non-Soy Asian Sauce

For those with worries about low sodium or gluten or soy allergies, here’s a soy sauce substitute that adds flavor to the stir fry or anywhere else you might use soy sauce.

1 Beef Bone (sometimes butchers have these under soup bones)
3 cups of Water
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
A pinch of garlic powder, ground ginger, and white pepper
Or Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning

Put water in a small pot and add the beef or soup bone. Bring to a boil, then lower to a low simmer. Cook for about one hour for the bone to flavor the meat. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Continue to simmer until the mixture is reduced to about two cups.

Let cool, then pour into a jar. If you have more than you can use within 10 days, pour the rest into an ice cube tray and freeze. When frozen remove the blocks to a plastic bag to store until you need them. Each cube will be about one tablespoon.

Makes 32 1-tablespoon servings.

Nutrition information for Non-Soy Asian Sauce