Tag Archives: low carb Mexican food

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Mexican Style Asparagus Salad Sides with Tostado

Skinny Girl Bistro (R. Averett)

Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexican heritage and pride for those in the United States, and a day of victory over the French forces in the Battle of Puebla in the Mexican state of Puebla. In honor of the day, our household had Mexican themed food. I made tostadas using some of the leftover filling from my Enchiladas con Calabaza recipe and served a delicious, mildly spicy salad made with asparagus. The salad is a recipe that I got from a Wisconsin Cheese web site. To get the recipe, please visit this link.

Tostado Con Carne (with Meat)

To make the tostado, you need for each one:

1 or 2 Flax Corn Tortillas or 1 one low carb Flour Tortilla
2 or 3 tablespoons of the Filling
1/4 cup chopped or shredded Lettuce
1 tablespoon chopped Tomatoes
1/2 tablespoon chopped Olives
shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese
1 tablespoon Guacamole (optional)
1 tablespoon Sour Cream (optional)

Heat enough oil in a skillet to cover the pan with a 1/4 inch layer. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium high and slide in a tortilla. Cook a couple of minutes, then use a pancake turner or heat resistant spatula to flip the tortilla over and cook a couple of minutes on that side. It should get lightly browned. I usually flip them a couple of times. Remove to a paper towel on a plate to drain any excess oil. Repeat for as many tostadas as you plan to make.

Heat the filling and spoon two to three tablespoons onto the tostado base. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives and jack cheese. Finish off with a tablespoon of guacamole and a tablespoon of sour cream if you wish.

The calories and carbs for this are dependent on which tortilla you use and what you top it with, but it should be about what the enchilada count is.

Calories: 155.7 Fat: 8 g Net Carbs: 8.25 g Protein: 10.7g

Mexican Style Asparagus Salad

This is a recipe too good not to pass on, which is why I’ve included the link to web site above. I made it pretty much as written except for a couple of slight changes. I added three tablespoons of chopped olives to it, which are mixed in when the tomato is added. I only used half a serrano pepper because I thought it might be too spicy. It could have probably used a whole one. I could not find queso blanco at my local grocery store so I used Greek feta cheese and it worked fine. However, it is probably a little saltier than the Mexican cheese. Next time, I am going to make my own queso blanco and I’ll let you know how that goes.

The other slight change is that I didn’t remove the crushed garlic from the dressing, but let it sit in the mix and continue to add flavor. But then I love garlic. If you prefer the milder taste, let it sit for maybe 30 minutes and then remove it.

So my variation on it:

1 pound fresh Asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally in 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup Cilantro leaves, chopped finely
1/3 cup diced Onion
3 tablespoons chopped Olives
1/2 Serrano Chile, chopped

Vinaigrette:
1 clove Garlic, peeled and crushed
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano leaves
2 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh Lime Juice

Assembly:
1 medium Tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cup (about 4 ounces) crumbled Queso Blanco Cheese

For the asparagus salad:
Bring 2 1/2 cups water to boil and add a dash of salt, then add the asparagus. Let water return to a boil and cook for a minute and tests the asparagus with a fork. It should be slightly tender, but still crisp. If it isn’t, cook another minute and test again. You don’t want the asparagus to be overcooked. Rinse with cold water and drain. Place the asparagus in bowl, and add the cilantro, onion, olives and chile and mix together.

For the vinaigrette:
Combine all of the vinaigrette ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake well to mix. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then shake again and remove the garlic, if you wish.

Toss the asparagus mixture with the vinaigrette, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Just before serving, add the tomato and Queso Blanco Cheese, then stir it together.

While this is made with asparagus, which is now in season and is reasonably priced, I think it would work equally as well with broccoli or cauliflower or a mix of the two. It might work with Brussels sprouts as well, but I would cut them in half and steam them until tender. And don’t overlook zuchinni as a possible substitute. The flavors would be excellent.

Nutrition Info for the asparagus salad (1/4th recipe):
Calories: 199 Fat: 4.7 g Net Carbs: 6.4 g Protein: 3.9 g

Posted on 5/6/2013

Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Poultry, Recipes

Enchilada Casserole Turkey Transformation

Here’s another way I like to use the leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. This also works great with chicken or shredded pork. It goes together quickly using canned green enchilada sauce and pre-made salsa.

Green Chile Turkey Enchilada Casserole

2 cups Turkey, diced
1 1/2 cup Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
4 low carb 7-inch Tortillas (should be 3 net carbs each)
4 tablespoons Green Chile Salsa
1 tablespoon Cilantro
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Mexican Cheese, queso fresco or other (optional)
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup Tomatoes, 0.25 chopped
1/2 cup Daikon radish, diced
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil or spray with cooking spray a round baking dish about 8 inches in diameter.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil on medium heat and add the daikon. Cook for about five minutes, then add the onions and tomatoes. Stir and cook until the vegetables start to get soft. Add the cilantro and salsa, stir well and turn off. Stir in the turkey and sour cream.

Pour 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce in the baking dish and use a wooden spoon to spread evenly on the bottom. Put a tortilla on top, then put 1/3 of the turkey and vegetable mix on top and spread evenly. Pour 1/4 cup of sauce on top and sprinkle 1/3 of the cheddar cheese on top. Repeat the layer beginning with another tortilla two more times, so you have three layers of tortilla, turkey, sauce and cheese. Put the last tortilla on top, cover with remaining sauce and cheddar cheese. Crumble Mexican cheese on top.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole is bubbly. Let sit for a few minutes to set, then cut into six wedges and serve.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 262 Fat: 13 g Net Carbs: 8.3 g Protein: 23.3 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 12/7/2013 11:24 PM

Beef, Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Recipes, Vegetarian

Mexican Food Twist – Enchilada Crepes

Mexican food has been almost a staple in my life. I love it! It’s spicy, it’s tasty and it’s oh-so-loaded-with-carbs. What seems like a healthy choice when you look at all the filling ingredients in an enchilada turns out really high in carbs when you add the corn tortilla. What to do to make this work on a low carb diet? I had an inspiration. Crepes! They are mostly an omelette and only a little flour in them. Granted, they can be a bit of a challenge, but they are worth the effort. So I present my newest – and first – Mexican French dish, Enchilada Crepes – low carb, delicious and with added vegetables. While they don’t taste exactly like an enchilada with a corn tortilla or even one of the low carb wheat flour tortillas, the taste is very close.

If you’d prefer the vegetarian version, just add about 2 cups of squash, a whole onion and 2 bell peppers to replace the meat. I am thinking that a winter squash would also be excellent in this, so you might try 2 cups of butternut or acorn squash in it. Wait! Why am I telling you this now when I can make it that way next time and put it out as a new recipe?! Because it sounds great and I’d like you to try it. When I make a winter squash vegetarian version, I will add pictures and any additional instructions.

Red Enchilada Crepes

Crepes:
3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Carbquick baking mix or other low carb flour mix
1 tablespoon wheat germ or flax meal
1/2 teaspoon red pepper powder (cayenne)
Salt, pinch
1 1/2 teaspoon oil
1/2 cup water

Filling:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup zucchini or other summer squash, chopped
1 small bell pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar jack cheese
1 teaspoon cayenne or red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon bullion paste or granules
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
10 oz can red enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas, but La Victoria or Old El Paso are about the same carb count per 1/4 cup. )

Prepare the crepes:
Mix all the crepe ingredients in a blender or food processor until they are well mixed. Heat a small crepe or omelette skillet on the stove burner on medium high heat. You want one that has about a 5 or 6 inch flat bottom. When a drop of water skittles on the pan, spray it with cooking spray then pour in a little less than 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle and tilt the skillet if necessary to spread it evenly around.

Cover and cook for 1 minute. Remove the cover and check to see if the crepe is completely set up. If not, let it cook a little longer. Carefully slip a flat, thin spatula under the crepe to make sure it is loose, then flip it over. Let it cook for another minute. Remove to a foil lined pan.

Repeat this process until all the crepes are made. If the heat is too high and the crepes are getting too dark, lower it a little. If they aren’t getting browned within a little over a minute, then raise the heat a little. Crepes are trial and error sometimes, do if one doesn’t come out well, make adjustments and try again. Stir your batter each time before pouring a crepe to ensure no ingredients have settled on the bottom.

Wrap crepes in foil until you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.

Makes 10 or 11 crepes (allowing for one that doesn’t come out in one piece.)

About 1 carb per crepe

Make the filling:
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, then add the garlic and onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the squash and bell pepper and cook for about 10 minutes until the squash is fork tender. Remove squash from pan.

I used both crookneck and zucchini in my mix.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and break into small pieces with your spatula. Stir in the seasonings and beef bullion mix. No need to add any salt. Cook until the beef is browned, then add the zucchini mix back in and stir it together, cooking just a few minutes longer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Assembly:

In a baking pan that will hold all10 enchiladas pretty closely to each other, put 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and spread it around with a spoon. Warm the crepes in the microwave for a minute to soften. Put one crepe on a plate, put about 1 teaspoon of the sauce on it and spoon about 1/10 of the filling down the middle. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of cheese on it, then roll and carefully slide into the baking pan. Repeat with the next one.

 

 

 

 

When all the rolled enchilada crepes are in the pan, spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the tops and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over them.

You might notice that a couple of my crepes broke through. It’s okay. Just roll them and slide into place. The cheese will conceal these problems.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Serve with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Makes 5 servings of enchiladas, 2 per serving

Nutrition Info for serving of 2:
Calories: 544.4 Fat: 42.9 Net Carbs: 7.5 g Protein: 31.8 g
For 1 enchilada
Calories: 272.2 Fat: 21.5 Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 15.9 g

If you want to keep the calories and carbs a little lower, you can eat one enchilada and a big side salad with it. Using less hamburger will lower the calories, but not the carbs in this.

TIP: If you have leftover filling, put it in the fridge and use it as an omelette filling. Delicious.

Main Dish, Mexican/Spanish Recipes, Pork, Recipes

Tasty Pork Carnitas at Home

I love carnitas! They are tender, wonderfully spiced and so delicious. You don’t need to go out to a Mexican restaurant in order to get these to enjoy. You can make them easily at home.

Carnitas are simply little bites of meat that have been cooked in seasoned liquid until it dries or you fry or bake them until they have a nice crisp exterior. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole and you have a delicious meal. Luckily, not all recipes have to be adapted for a low carb lifestyle and this is one that requires no special ingredients. This also adapts well to a slow cooker. The picture at the top shows them with the standard condiments and a serving of my Tex-Mex Spanish Cauli-rice.

2 pounds pork butt or 1.5 pounds of cubed pork
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large clove garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon herb seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 cup chicken or beef broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt or garlic salt, to taste

Cut pork butt into large cubes. In a three quart saucepan, combine pork, onion, garlic, seasonings and broth. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about two hours until the pork is tender and breaks apart easily. Check the water a couple of times to make sure it hasn’t all boiled out before the pork is tender.

If you are cooking in an oven, heat the oven to 300 degrees F. during the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the meat, draining any excess water off and place in an oiled roasting pan. Sprinkle with garlic salt or any other preferred seasoning.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning the meat once. If your meat isn’t thick, it may take less time to brown and crisp, so check a couple of times. Remove from oven, cut large chunks into smaller, bite-sized pieces or pull apart with two forks for a shredded meat.

If you prefer to fry the meat, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1″ cube) and heat the oil in a heavy skillet (I prefer cast iron for this.) Add preferred seasonings, then fry the meat until it is lightly crisped.

Serve carnitas with grated cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole. User a tortilla to make a burrito or to just pick up pieces for dipping in the condiments. I use La Tortilla Factory flour tortilla, which are 3 net carbs per tortilla, but you can use any brand you choose.

This recipe serves 6.

 

Nutrition for just the carnitas per serving:
Calories: 334 Net carbs: 1.3 g  Protein: 28.9 g

POSTED BY RENE AVERETT AT 10/3/2012 3:31 PM

Desserts, Main Dish, Recipes

Gearing up for Cinco de Mayo

Right about now, everyone is looking at their Mexican food recipes in anticipation of the coming celebration of Cinco de Mayo (5th of May for those who don’t know).  Originally a celebration of the Mexican-Americans in the west to celebrate freedom and democracy during the Civil War, the Mexican state of Puebla now celebrates the same day commemorating the Battle of Puebla.  However, there are other parts of the world where it is also celebrated because all you need is a small excuse to have a great party, right?

And really, you need no excuse in order to enjoy the great flavors of Mexican and Spanish food.  So here are my offerings for Cinco de Mayo, but feel free to enjoy them any time you have a craving for something with a bit of bite or a sweet that’s a little out of the ordinary.

If these don’t appeal, here are some more great recipes on my site:
Pollo Pequitos – Game Day Tostados – Cornmeal Pancakes and Eggs – Spicy Breakfast Eggs – Eggs with Asparagus – Green Chile Turkey Enchilada Casserole – Spaghetti Squash Tamale Pie – Mexican Style Asparagus Salad – Enchiladas with Chicken and Butternet Squash – Chicken Chile Rellano Casserole – Tasty Pork Carnitas – Tex-Mex Cauli-Rice – Orange Almond Cake

Red Chile Beef Enchiladas

1 pound Ground Beef
10 oz. Enchilada sauce (about 3 net carbs per 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
4 taco size Low Carb FlourTortillas (3 Net carbs each)
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1/2 cup canned Green Chili Peppers, chopped
1 tablespoon Red Chile Powder
1  cup Zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

In a skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat.  Add garlic and onions and cook until onion is just tender.  Remove to a bowl.  Add ground beef and cook, breaking into small pieces, until it is lightly browned.  Drain any liquid off.  Add 1/8 cup enchilada sauce and stir to mix.  Add onions back to the pan and add green chiles.

To make as a casserole:

Assemble the layers in a deep 9 inch round casserole dish beginning with 1/8 cup of enchilada sauce.  Place a tortilla on top, then spread another 1/4 cup of sauce on top, then 1/3 of the meat mixture over the top of that.  Arrange zucchini slices in a circle then top with 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.   Place another tortilla on top of that, then top with 1/4 cup sauce,  then meat mixture, remaining zucchini slices distributed evenly around the outer circle and top with 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.  Place another tortilla on top and repeat with 1/4 cup sauce, the remaining meat and 1/2 cup cheese.  Top with tortilla, spread remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle cheese over it.

To make as individual enchiladas, as pictured:

Warm a low carb flour tortilla and place on a plate.  Spread two tablespoons of red enchilada sauce over the tortilla.  Spread 1/4 of the meat mixture on top, 1/4 of the zuchinni slices on top of that and sprinkle a tablespoon of cheddar cheese on top.  Roll the tortilla into a flute and placed into a lightly sprayed baking pan, seam side down.  Repeat with the remaining three tortillas.  Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and top with the rest of the cheese.

Enchilada loaded and ready to roll up.

Bake in 350 degree (F) oven for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and casserole is bubbly.  Cut into six slices.  Top each serving with a fried egg if you would like.  Serve with Mexican Style Cauli-Rice as a side dish or a nice green salad.

Nutrition Info: Per enchilada – 4 servings
Calories: 516 Fat: 39.8 g Net Carbs: 8 g Protein: 31.3

When made in a casserole, this can make 6 servings with each servings being:
Calories: 333 Fat: 20.5 g Net Carbs: 7 g Protein: 20.8 g

 

Light and Refreshing Orange Flan 

Flan is a light custard dessert that is very popular in Mexican restaurants.  It is also very easy to make.  The trickiest part in converting this to low carb is the caramel sauce that is made from burnt sugar.  Sugar substitutes don’t really melt the same way and I hesitated to get them too brown.  But with the light sugary sauce, this is a delicious orange flan (Flan de Naranjas).  It was inspired by a recipe that used orange zest in the custard and I thought the best orange flavor is in the pulp, so this one uses the orange pulp in it.

1/3 cup sugar substitute
1 teaspoon butter

3 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar substitute
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F.)

If using Splenda or Equal, these sugar substitutes don’t melt well, so add 1 tablespoon water to a small sauce pan or skillet with the 1/3 cup of Splenda or Equal. Sugar alcohol will melt without water added. It gets gummy, then melts. Be sure to do this over low heat. Bring the melted sugar sauce to a light golden brown rather than a dark caramel. Remove from heat and stir butter into the sauce.

Divide into five1/2 cup ramekins. Place ramekins in a baking dish large enough to allow 1 inch of water up the sides.  You can also make this as a large flan in a 2 1/2 cup flan dish or casserole dish.

Separate the orange segments in 1/4 of a large orange, remove any membrane and chop the orange into small pieces or process in a food processor to get a nicely chopped pulp.  Should make about 1/4 cup of orange bits.

Stir cream, coconut milk, water, eggs, sugar substitute, orange extract and chopped oranges together and measure 1/2 cup into each ramekin.  Or pour all of it into a flan mold.  If you use a mold, stir to make sure the orange pieces are distributed in the dish.

Sugar sauce in the ramekins. I used one two serving ramekin so just doubled the sauce and the custard mix in that one.

Carefully, to avoid getting water in the dishes, add warm water to the pan to come up to 1 inch.

Bake for about 1 hour until a thin knife (I use a citrus knife) inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the ramekins or mold from the pan and cover the top with plastic wrap, allowing the wrap to touch the surface of the flan. Chill 3 1/2 to 4 hours before serving.

To un-mold, loosen the edges with a thin bladed knife and lift up the bottom a little. Put the serving plate on top of the ramekin or mold and flip.  The flan should drop right out.  If  it doesn’t, put hot water in a bowl and set the ramekin or mold in it for about 10 seconds and try again to un-mold it.

Deliciously topped with Cool Whip and orange pieces.

Spoon any melted caramel over the top of the flan. Serve with dollop of whipped cream or Cool Whip on top, if you wish, and top with an orange segment or pieces of orange.

Makes 5 servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 196.6 Fat: 10 g Net Carbs: 2.5 g. Protein: 5.6 g