Tag Archives: cream cheese

Poultry, Recipes

Easy Chicken with Mushrooms dish

So easy you can make it on a busy night!

This simple dish is one of my throw-together combinations. Let’s see, I have chicken, mushrooms, and spinach. What can I do with that? Well, this is one delicious option. Simple, yet completely satisfying.

For a side dish, I added cut-up turnips and kohlrabi, cooked in the microwave until fork tender, then added butter and seasoning salt. Yummy. The fresher the turnip or kohlrabi, the sweeter the taste. If they sit too long in the ‘fridge, they will get tough and a bit bitter.

Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms & Spinach

2 large Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup Cream
1 oz. Cream cheese
1 teaspoon Mustard
1 cup fresh Spinach
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
2 tablespoons Butter

Cut chicken breasts into several pieces about the same size for even cooking.

In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of butter and let it melt. Add the chicken and brown on both sides over medium heat. Chicken pieces should be cooked most of the way through. Remove chicken to a paper towel or plate.

Add mushrooms to the pan and sauté until brown, then add cream cheese, cream, mustard, and cumin and stir. Continue to stir until the sauce begins to thicken. Tear and add spinach and stir in. Return chicken to the pan and add rest of the butter. Cook for another five minutes until chicken is done.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 329.5 Fat: 22.4 g Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 28.4 g

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season – Asparagus Pinwheel Appetizers

For my second holiday party last weekend, I made these tasty little appetizers that are so easy to put together. If you want to be nice to non-low-carbers, you can make one portion with low carb tortillas and the other three with regular or flavored tortillas. I used the tomato spiced tortillas for mine for the party and made mine with low carb flour tortillas. Either way, these are a delicious and colorful snack.

Asparagus Pinwheels

Low carb version with low carb flour tortillas.

1 (8 ounce) package Cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package Ranch Dressing Mix
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
1 Green Onions, finely chopped
4 large Low Carb Flour Tortillas
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 cup Celery, finely chopped
8 to 12 stalks Asparagus, depending on the length
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Trim asparagus spears and par boil for 3 minutes. Drain and cool.

In a mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cream. Beat with a mixer until blended and smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese.

Warm the tortillas to make them more pliable. Spread 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture on the tortilla, be sure to go all the way to the edge on the side that will be the end of the roll. Sprinkle 1/4 chopped onions, 1/4 peppers, and 1/4 celery evenly over the tortilla. Place two stalks of asparagus down the center of the tortilla, about 1″ apart. Make sure they go the full length. If they aren’t long enough, cut extra from the additional stalks you prepared.

Beginning at the side you did not spread to the edge, roll the tortilla tightly into a long roll and press the opposite side to secure with the cream cheese edge all the way to the bottom. If you didn’t get enough cream cheese on the edge, use a little extra on the edge to make it stick.

Wrap the roll tightly in aluminum foil. Repeat with the other tortillas.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Remove and use a bread knife to cut about 1/2 inch at each end off, then cut the rest into 3/4 to 1 inch slices. It should make about 10  slices per tortilla.

Arrange on a party tray and serve or refrigerate until ready to serve. Recipe makes 40 pinwheels.

Nutrition Information per pinwheel (based on 40):
Calories: 36.5 Fat: 2.9 g Net Carbs: 1.2 g Protein:1.7 g

Note: It helps to have a container of spreadable cream cheese handy in case you don’t have enough on the edges after you roll the tortilla.

Appetizers, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Holiday Cheeseball

If you’re like me, you can be sorely tempted at a holiday party this time of year.  When you have several to attend and you can bring a side dish or appetizer, you can at least make sure something you bring is low in carbohydrates. This past weekend, I had two parties to contribute a dish and I made two easy to make options that didn’t stress my low carb allotment, although a couple of the other goodies at them did make it tough. I’m posting the recipe for one of them today and I’ll put the other one up later in the week.

This one is based on a recipe from All Recipes with a couple of changes to suit my tastes, such as adding taco seasoning to give it a bit of spice.  It looks really cute on the table and is as delicious as it is attractive.

Seasoned Yule Tree Cheeseball

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon dehydrated minced onion or 3 tablespoons fresh minced onion
2 tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper, freshly ground

1/2 red bell pepper
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Sliced Almonds (optional)

If using dehydrated onions, add the minced onion to about 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and let sit until most of the water is absorbed. If you use three tablespoons of fresh minced onion, omit this step.

In a large bowl, add cream cheese and use a mixer to whip until creamy. Add cheese, minced onions, taco seasoning and garlic pepper and mix until completely combined. Use a wooden spoon or paddle to pull the cream cheese together into a ball.

Cover a plate with plastic wrap, then form the ball into a cone-shaped tree. Put in the refridgerator to chill until firm, about 1 to 2 hours.

When ready to decorate, cut the bell pepper into short strips and cut out a top decoration, such as a star or a circle, or whatever you would like. Chop the parsley sprigs or pull them off for longer greenery.

Press the parsley into the cheeseball tree to give it a lush green tree look. Add pieces of the bell pepper to form decorations or garlands on the tree. Top with the your topper choice. Add a few sliced almonds to make additional decorations.

Chill until ready to serve, then carefully use a wide spatula to slide under the cheeseball and move to a serving platter. Serve with low carb crackers or vegetables to keep the treat low carb.

Makes about 20 servings.

Nutrition Information per 1 serving:
Calories:106.2 Fat: 10.0 g Net Carbs: 1.7 g Protein: 3.1 g

Tip: If you’re having a small party or a family dinner, this recipe can be halved easily to serve 8 to 10 people.  Or make a full recipe, split it in half and make two trees for different parties. 

Other appetizer recipes for the holidays – click on the images:

Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Tomato Spinach Cheese Puffs

 

Tamale Pie ‘Shrooms

 

 

 

Atkins Diet Tips, Breakfast & Brunch, Desserts, Healthy Life, Main Dish, Pork, Poultry, Recipes

Induction Eating Plan – Day 7

Here I am at the end of the first week of the two week period. So far, so good. And this week ended with something a little special, a delightful whipped cream cheese, pumpkin, and cream dessert.  For the most part, there were a couple of repeats in the plan. If I make enough for two and I’m the only one eating, the food comes back into the menu pretty quickly.

You’ll notice I seldom have snacks in my eating. When I do, they tend to be carb free and things like a cup of bullion, a stick of 0 carb cheese, a piece of chicken or maybe a low carb serving of pork rinds. The joy of a this life style is that there a lots of things you can eat if you’re hungry that don’t cost you any carbohydrates,

So here’s what I have for the day:

6/11/2017 Food NC
breakfast Flax Waffle 0.6
1 slice Bacon 0
Butter 0
Syrup 0
Coffee 1
B12 Gummie 1
lunch Mozzarella Grilled Cheese 2
Flaxmeal muffin 0.6
Sugar free pickle 1
Mayonnaise 0
dinner Grilled Chicken Kabab 4
Asparagus 1.9
Salad with pico 1.2
Pumpkin Mousse 3.1
Cool Whip 0.5
16.9

 

Breakfast was a repeat of the previous day with the Flax Waffle with bacon. I love this waffle, so it will be a staple in the future, although I have several other tasty waffle options.

For those who would like to try something else, how about a Scot’s Egg? These can be made the night before and either warmed up or eaten at room temperature, which makes them a great choice to take to work or school or wherever.

Scottish Eggs

Or possibly Scot’s Eggs, but not Scotch Eggs since there isn’t a trace of alcohol in them.  This is a low carb adaptation of the famous Scottish recipe for these delightfully tasty sausage and eggs that can be breakfast, lunch or dinner.  We used to take them to SCA weekends and they were wonderful when cold or just warmed by the sun as a snack or quick lunch.

4 medium-sized eggs, hard boiled
1 large egg, beaten (see Note)
1/2 lb ground sausage meat
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon dried parsley. Crushed
1 tablespoon dried celeriac (optional)
1 tablespoon low carb flour or coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour

Bring four eggs to room temperature, then place them in a pan of cold tap water. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Remove from the heat and let the eggs continue to cook in the water for another 9 or 10 minutes. Run cold water over the eggs or plunge them into a bowl of ice water. This helps separation from the shell. I’ve had best results when cooking them the day before (or hours before) and putting them in the refrigerator. When the eggs are cooled, peel them carefully.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix the sausage meat and seasonings together. Split meat into four equal balls, then flatten a ball of meat.

On a saucer, spread the coconut flour around. Beat the uncooked egg in a small bowl and use another shallow bowl to put the almond flour. Mix 1/2 teaspoon of dried sage and a pinch or two of salt and pepper into the almond flour.

Take one hard boiled egg, roll it in the coconut flour, then wrap the sausage around it, completely enclosing it. Seal the meat by pressing it with your fingers.

(See note) Dip the wrapped egg in the beaten egg, then roll in the almond flour. Place on the baking sheet, then repeat this with the other three eggs.

Bake for about 35 minutes. The sausage should be cooked completely through with no pink showing. If there is pink, then cook it a little longer.

Cut the eggs in half, if you wish, and serve with any sauce or dressing you would like or just eat as they are. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info: per egg (with breading)
Calories: 328 Fat: 25.5 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g Protein: 19.2 g

Note: For induction, omit the flour coating, egg wash, and almond flour coating. It will reduce you net carbs by at least 1 carb.

My lunch was also a duplicate from earlier in the week, the flax meal muffin with mozzarella cheese, only I added two thin slices of ham in the middle. Delicious. Again, a filling and delightful lunch.

Dinner was Chicken Kabob. You can either prepare this on a grill or in the broiler. I went the broiler route.

Chicken Kabob

2 plump half-breasts of Chicken
1/2 Bell Pepper, red, green, or yellow
1/4 medium Red Onion
1 teaspoon BBQ Seasoning or other condiments of choice

You will need two large skewers

Cut the chicken into large cubes. Cut the bell peppers into quarters, then again across the middle to make 8 square or rectangular pieces. Cut the onion across the middle and separate the layers.

Thread the chicken, peppers, and onion onto the skewer in alternating pieces. Sprinkle seasonings on all sides.

Heat the broiler to 485 degrees (F.) or bring the grill to ready to cook temperature. If you’re using briquettes, this will take from 10 to 30 minutes depending on the type used.

In the broiler, cook the skewers about 5 minutes on each side, then check the temperature. They should be 165 degrees F. in the middle. If not quite there, cook another 5 minutes.

The grill will take about 35 minutes to cook. Turn over to cook each side.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:163 Fat:3.2 g Net Carbs:4.0 g Protein: 27.4 g

Asparagus with Mayonnaise

This is a recipe I’ve had for ages and love. Very simple and so good!

10 plump Asparagus spear, trimmed
1 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese

Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the asparagus until just tender, about 5 minutes.

In the hot broiler, put the spears side by side into two groups on a piece of aluminum foil, then spoon 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise on each bunch and spread around the middle. Sprinke 1/2 of the cheese on each bunch. Broil until the mayonnaise is lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Watch closely.

Use a pancake turner (spatula) to pick up the bunch and put on the serving plate.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories:17 Fat: 3.7 g Net Carbs: 2.0 g  Protein:3.0 g

And for dessert:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Mousse

This is so easy you’ll want to make it often. And it’s completely legal on Induction. Use a mixer or blender to get this as smooth and creamy as possible. Don’t over-whip though.

4 oz. Cream Cheese
4 oz. Pumpkin Puree
4 oz. Heavy Whipping Cream
Pinch Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Dash ground clove (optional)
2 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/3 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Blend cream cheese and pumpkin until they are smooth. Add rest of the ingredients and beat until whipped and fluffy.

Spoon into serving glasses and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Makes four 1/2 cup servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 212 Fat: 21 g Net Carbs: 3.1 g Protein: 3.2 g

That’s it for this day. Second week starts tomorrow.

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes

Cinco de Mayo Taco Casserole

Happy May Day! Happy Beltane!

And in just 5 days, happy Cinco de Mayo! No matter where you live, you’re likely to find people celebrating this Mexican holiday. It’s a great excuse to drink margaritas and eat your favorite Mexican food. So the challege here is what can I eat that isn’t going to explode the carb count? A few things on the menu at a restaurant are not too high in carbs, but avoid the chips, the tortillas, the beans, and the rice. That doesn’t leave much, does it?

Chile Verde is a good choice if you eat without any of the trimmings. A Chile Rellano isn’t too bad but the batter may have flour in it. Albondigas Soup is usually pretty low in carbs, although some places add rice to it. No matter what you eat out, you are likely to find hidden carbs. So what to do? Make a Mexican dish at home to celebrate with family and friends.

Here’s one that is easy to do and uses spaghetti squash as a stand-in for rice and tortillas. It’s a casserole that can be made in a stove-to-oven deep skillet or prepared in any skillet and transferred to a casserole dish. I’ll be posting two more recipes this week, so check back to see what else you can do for the day and check out the blog for many recipes already on it.

If that’s not enough, I have a Mexican Food booklet that has 15 recipes in it, most of which are not on this site. Check it out at Amazon.com or Smashwords (link in the sidebar.)

Spaghetti Squash Taco Casserole

3 cups cooked Spaghetti Squash (cooking instructions below)
1 cup Mexican Style Shredded Four Cheese
2 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 lb. Ground Beef
1/3 cup finely chopped Sweet Peppers
2 teaspoons Taco Seasoning
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
1 can 15 oz. Tomatoes with Chile

To Cook the Squash:
About two hours before you want to make the casserole, roast the squash.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (f.)

With a heavy knife, like a Chef’s knife, cut the squash down the middle vertically from stem to bottom. Use a spoon to remove the seeds and any gummy strings. Rinse out and dry with a paper towel. Use about a teaspoon of Olive Oil and rub it into each side of the squash and sprinkle a little salt on it.

Spaghetti Squash face up waiting to be oiled. Turn them over to roast so the cut side is down.

Wrap a cookie tin or baking tin with aluminum foil and place the squash on top face down so the shell is on top.

Bake for 50 minutes. Remove and let cool about 15 to 20 minutes until you can handle the squash without burning your fingers. Use a fork to separate the strands of the squash into a bowl. Cover and set aside or refrigerate until you prepare the meat sauce.

Sauce and assembly:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (f.)

In a deep skillet-to-oven pan, such as a cast iron or copper skillet, brown the ground beef until it is lightly browned. Remove to a plate or bowl and wipe any excess oil from the pan. Put the cream cheese in the pan and add the taco seasoning, sweet peppers, and tomatoes. Cook and stir until it is blended and heat up. Add the ground beef, then stir in half the cheese and add the spaghetti squash and mix until the sauce is evenly distributed into the squash. Smooth with the back of a spoon until even.

If you don’t have a skillet that can go into the oven, then transfer the mixture into a large casserole dish and smooth it with the spoon.

Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and put in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and the dish is bubbly.

Cooked casserole in a skillet.

Let cool about 10 minutes, then serve with sour cream and guacamole if desired.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 292 Fat: 20.5 g Net Carbs: 7.9 g Protein:16.2 g

Nutrition Information per serving (8 servings):
Calories: 219 Fat: 15.4 g Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein:12.1 g