Tag Archives: lemon

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Light and Delicious Chicken and Broccoli Skillet Fry

Photo Chicken with Broccoli

So, meals these days are pretty much dictated by whatever ingredients you happen to have in the house. Lucky for me, I had scored a large package of chicken breasts in March (actually, the roomie did the scoring), and I have several packets frozen. I also had a pretty good run on vegetables from a market order last week. So this recipe jumped out at me, but I made a couple of small adjustments to what I had, and you can do that also.

If you don’t have fresh broccoli, use frozen. Or you can substitute in Brussels sprouts. I had celery on hand, but it is optional. If you don’t have fresh or frozen chicken but have a couple of cans of it, you can use that also. Just skip the cooking the chicken and go right to heating it up with the broccoli.

This is truly a delicious and simple meal to make. So I think you’re going to love it. Add your favorite rice substitute or zoodles, toss a salad, and you have a great dinner. As a side note, I served mine with riced parsnips, which have a bit of a peppery bite to them, but actually worked well.

clos up: Chicken with broccoli

Chicken Broccoli Skillet Fry

2 1/2 tablespoons Oil
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
Salt and ground Black Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium stalks Celery, cleaned and sliced 1/4″ thick
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 medium Onion, diced
1/2 Lemon, zested and juiced

Cook the broccoli in the microwave for about 3 minutes to partially cook it. Or put it in boiling water for three minutes. This will reduce the cooking time when it is added to the skillet. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil and add the garlic, celery, and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring periodically, until the chicken is mostly cooked. Add the broccoli and stir in. Add the seasonings except for the lemon. Cook until the chicken is done, and the broccoli is tender (or to your preference.) Add the lemon zest and juice and stir it in.

Serve with riced cauliflower, or riced turnips, or with zoodles (zucchini noodles).

Makes 2 to 4 servings depending on your hunger and if you’re having a salad along with it.

Nutrition Informaiton

Desserts, Recipes

Lemon Cookies Made Easy

Like the taste of a lemon cookie? Want an easy way to make them in a low carb version? Read on…

Adapted a little from the version on the Atkins Diet site, these cookies are simple to make and taste really good. I made a couple of little changes to my version, starting with the flour. The original called for almond flour and coconut flour. I opted to use Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Flour for the main flour and used the almond flour in place of the coconut flour, but you can use whichever low carb flour you prefer. I did try it with coconut flour, but it tends to give the cookie a slightly gritty texture and adds a bit of bitterness to the taste. I also omitted the vanilla as I prefer to taste the lemon more.

So here’s my revised recipe for…

Yummy Lemonade Cookies

2 large Eggs
1 tablespoon unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 cup granular Sugar Substitute (xylitol)
1 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Lemonade Mix
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)
1 TeaspoonLlemon Zest (Optional)
1 cup Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup Almond Flour (or other low carb flour of choice)
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.) Line a cookie pan with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

Melt the butter. In a small bowl, add the eggs and whisk until blended. Add the butter, sugar substitute, lemon juice, Lemonade mix, zest, and vanilla (if you are using). Whisk all together. In a separate mixing bowl, add the low carb flours, baking powder, and salt and mix together. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir together. You may need to add water if it is not getting all the flour moist. You want it wet enough to pull all the flour together, but the dough should be fairly stiff. Mix with your hands if you’re having trouble getting the flour mixed in.

Take a tablespoon of the dough and roll into a ball and place on the cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. It will make 15 or 16 cookies. Flatten the top of the cookies a little. This cookie will not spread out in the pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cookie is slightly browned around the edges. I prefer to under cook a little to keep it moist. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar substitute or put the powdered sugar in a bowl and roll each one in it. Enjoy.

Nutrition Information per cookie (15 per recipe):
Calories: 54.3 Fat: 4.2 g Net Carbs: 1.4 g Protein: 2.9 g

Note: This count is using DCC All Purpose Flour and Almond Flour. Most low carb flours will be in this range.

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Easy Chicken Piccata Dish

Happy 2018. How’s it going for you? So far, it’s been busy and not perfect, but not too bad either. Currently, I’m editing two books, and although that’s time consuming, it’s also fun.

So not too much cooking going on in the year so far, but I did make this tasty chicken recipe yesterday. I found the recipe on a package of skinless, boneless chicken breasts and just made a couple of minor adaptations for low carb and my personal taste buds. It’s super low carb at only 1 net carb per chicken breast.

I love the light lemon taste of this sauce and the chicken is delicious. I am not a big fan of parsley as an edible garnish, so I added it to the pan at the end of the cooking and let it wilt and soak up the lovely flavor of the sauce. If you prefer the fresh taste of the parsley, then add it when you serve the dish or just omit if you don’t like it at all. No one will tell.

Chicken Piccata

4 boneless Chicken Breasts, no skin
2 tablespoon Low Carb Flour
6 tablespoon Butter
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
3 tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Chicken Broth
2 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground Sage or 2 tablespoons Fresh Sage
Salt and Pepper
Fresh Parsley, 1 or 2 sprigs

Dredge chicken in low carb flour and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoon of Olive Oil over medium heat. When the mixture starts to sizzle, put the chicken breast in the skillet and cook 3 to 5 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned. Turn chicken over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest. Don’t use a paper towel or anything to drain on in the plate. You’ll put the drippings back into the pan.

Remove skillet from heat and add lemon juice, chicken stock, onions, sage and garlic to the pan. Return it to the heat and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture, being sure to loosen any tasty bits from the pan. Add another 2 tablespoons of butter and melt it in as you stir.

Add the chicken, with any drippings on the plate,  back to the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until the breasts are done all the way through, but still moist. Add salt and pepper.

At this point, I added fresh parsley to cook in the sauce for a minute or so, but if you prefer, simply garnish with the parsley once the chicken is on the plate. Remove breasts to serving plates and spoon sauce over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 332.3 Fat: 27.5 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 20.4 g