Tag Archives: low carb recipes

Recipes, Soups and Stews

Creamy Cock-A-Leekie Soup Warms the Spirit

… and makes you smile a bit at the name. This is a variation on a Scottish soup that features chicken and, that Welsh favorite, leeks in a wonderful chicken broth with other vegetables. While this usually uses potatoes in it, my low carb version harkens back to pre-Columbus times in Europe when turnips were more popular.

With Thanksgiving approaching this coming week, it also occurred to me that it would be fabulous with left over turkey in it.

Creamy Cock-a-Leekie Soup

2 cups cooked Chicken or Turkey, cubed
2 large Leeks, cleaned and sliced (about three cups of sliced leeks)
1 medium Onion, sliced and chopped
3 stalks Celery, sliced thinly
2 medium Turnips, cleaned and cut into cubes
16 oz. frozen Cauliflower florets or 2 cups chopped fresh Cauliflower
1 cup loosely packed, torn Baby Spinach leaves
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Butter
1 teaspoon Garlic and Herb seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon dried Parsley flakes or a handful of fresh Parsley
Salt to taste

Clean and prepare the leaks, making sure to wash any dirt off. You put the slices in a colander and rinse them off to make sure no dirt is in the inside rings. In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, melt the butter and sauté the leeks until they are limp and slightly tender. Add the onions and continue to cook until the onions are limp. Add chicken broth and garlic and herb seasoning and pepper. Stir well. Add the turnips, celery and cauliflower and stir the vegetables in.

Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Add a cup of water, cover and simmer for about 35 to 40 minutes. Add the  chicken or turkey, spinach leaves, parsley and cream and stir well. Check broth and add salt and water as needed.  Cook until the chicken is hot, usually about 10 minutes.  Serve with low carb bread or biscuits.

Makes about six 1 cup servings.
Nutrition Info: Calories 150 Net Carbs 9.6 g Protein 11.2 g

Posted on 11/19/2012

Recipes, Soups and Stews

Curry Spices Up Turkey Soup

The Thanksgiving turkey carcass always finds its way to the soup pot in my house. In most cases, there’s enough meat left on the bone to provide a hearty, filling soup for the cold nights that come at the end of November and beginning of December. This year I wanted to try something a little different from my usual cream turkey soup, so I added some different vegetables, chili powder and curry powder to the pot. The result is a yummy soup with a bit of bite. I use a scoop of leftover dressing warmed in the microwave (or oven) on top of the soup to add a bit more flavor and help soak up the delicious broth.

For the dressing, I used this great stuffing bread recipe.

Turkey Curry Soup

1 to 2 cups Turkey, chopped
10 cups Homemade Turkey Broth
1 Leeks, sliced
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 cup Butternut Squash, cubed
1 cup Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 cup Cauliflower, riced
1 cup Cabbage, chopped
2 stalks Celery, chopped
1 cup fresh Spinach, torn
1 tablespoon Curry powder
1/2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced

Use turkey carcass, with any meat on it, to make the broth. Place in a 10 quart pot, add water to cover, add bay leaf and a clove of garlic and boil for about 1 hour until the meat slides off the bones easily. Measure the meat and add extra turkey to make desired amount for the soup. Remove bay leaf. Discard bones.

Add vegetables and seasonings to soup, along with the turkey and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Check seasonings and adjust to your preference.

Serve with low carb bread or a tablespoon of left over low carb dressing.

Nutrition Info (based on 6 servings made with one cup of turkey):
Calories: 98.7 Net Carbs: 8 g Protein: 10.5 g

(Based on 8 servings made with one cup of turkey)
Calories: 74.1 Net Carbs: 6 g Protein: 7.9 g

(One additional cup of turkey adds about 25 calories per serving)

Posted on 11/30/2012

Recipes, Soups and Stews

Veggie Cleanup – Put in All in Soup

Do you have a veggie bin full of veggies that are “on the verge”? Then it’s time for a Cove Soup – clean out veggies easily. Just round up the veggies, clean them up, chop them and throw them in a soup pot with some broth. It will make a great soup. Here’s the recipe I used for my latest version of this. I’ve listed many vegetable options under the ingredients and they will come out to about the same carb count.

Cove Soup

1 cup Bok Choy, Brussels sprouts or cabbage, chopped
1/2 cup Daikon Radish or Globe Radishes, peeled and diced
2 medium Turnips, Rutabagas or Parsnips, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Kohlrabi, Broccoli or Cauliflower , (including stalks) peeled and diced
1 lb. Ground Turkey or ground Beef or ground Pork
1 Egg
2 cups Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens, Kale, Spinach or any other greens
1 teaspoon Rosemary, dried and crushed
1/2 teaspoon Thyme, ground
1/2 teaspoon Oregano, ground
1/2 tablespoon Parsley, dried
3/4 cup Zucchini, Summer Squash, or any squash, sliced or cubed
1/3 cup Sweet Peppers (bell), chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1 cup Leeks or Green Onions
15 oz. can of chopped or whole Tomatoes (check the carb count for lowest)
1 carton (16 oz) Chicken Broth
1 tablespoon Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine egg with meat, add a little salt and pepper if you wish, and roll into nut sized meatballs. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour. (TIP: I used 4 pre-formed turkey patties that were still partially frozen, cut them into cubes and just put them in the soup without any cooking.)

In a large soup pot, add butter and onions and cook until onion is glazed. Add broth and canned tomatoes, herbs, then the vegetables, except the greens. Stir in six cups of water, then mix the ingredients well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the meatballs or meat cubes, salt and pepper, and stir. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Check the broth and add additional seasoning if it is needed. Add the greens, stir in and cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve with a parmesan cheese haystack* or just sprinkle a little cheese on top.

To make haystacks, use freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (not the canned type). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Put about a tablespoon of cheese on the sheet and spread into a circle. Repeat until you’ve made 8 Parmesan stacks. Put in the oven and bake a few minutes, checking often, until they are melted and just lightly toasted. Remove and let cool for a few minutes, then peel off the foil.

Makes about 8 one cup servings

Nutrition Info per serving:
Calories: 126.9 Fat: 4.2 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 13.5 g

Posted on 1/14/2014

Breads, Desserts, Recipes

Apple Fritter Bites

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apple-head-dolls
Apple head dolls from Google images.

Another of my challenges while using up fruits and vegetables left behind by my friends is doing something with the apples that are gradually wrinkling other than cutting them into faces and letting them wither into little old apple heads.  Did you ever make those when you were a kid?

Well, I had something a little more tasty in mind although strictly speaking, apples aren’t on the Atkins plan for phase I or phase II, but I believe they are ok for phase III and phase IV.  For me, with my very low carb burner, they are an “eat sparingly” item and I do love apples.   So I decided to peel these and chop them up with the thought of making apple compote in mind.  Mid-way through, I started thinking about apple fritters.  So, an apple fitter recipe came into being.  This isn’t your standard recipe because using low carb flours can be tricky.  In order to get something that would hold together while I was frying it and not absorb too much of the oil, I decided to partially bake the dough first, then cut it into squares and turn them into apple fritter bites that are then fried in a little oil.

These have all the flavors of apples and cinnamon without a doughy taste, but it does take a bit of will power to limit your serving to only two or three of the bites.

Apple Fritter Bites

A delicious treat with all the flavor of an apple fritter and very few of the carbs.

2″ Oil in a small pan
1 cup low carb flour (CarbQuick, LC Foods,  or Bob’s Red Mill) *
3 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Clove
1/4 cup unsweetened Almond Milk
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 tablespoon Oil
1 1/2 cups Apples or Peaches or Pears – peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup Cinnamon Sugar – 1/4 cup sugar substitute with 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

*  I haven’t tried Almond Flour in this, but it is more delicate and more likely to crumble.  I would mix it with 1/2 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour and add another egg to get it to hold together better.  

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (F).  Spray small baking pan (about an 8×12) with baking spray.

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix the egg, almond milk, oil, vanilla and seasonings together in a smaller bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix until the liquid is all mixed in, then add the apples and stir to distribute them through the batter.

Spread the batter onto the baking pan and distribute it evenly. Bake for about 20 minutes until the dough is mostly dried, but it isn’t browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.  Should you decide not to fry these, then bake them a little longer until they are lightly browned.

Cut the baked future fritters  into 24 pieces – 6 cuts across long side and 4  from the short side down, which are easier to cut if you don’t try to go the entire length with one cut.   Carefully remove each bite-sized piece with a narrow spatula, trying not to break them.

Heat the oil in a small pan or skillet until it is hot enough to cause a small piece of dough to sizzle. Turn the oil down to medium heat. Fry the bites about 3 or 4 at a time until they are golden brown. Use a spoon to pour the hot oil over the top or roll the bite over to brown the top. If it browns too quickly, turn the heat down. If it takes more than a couple of minutes, turn the heat up a little. Remove the cooked bites with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Cook the next batch and repeat until they are all done.

Sprinkle the tops of the bites with the cinnamon sugar while they are still warm.

Makes 12 servings (2 bites per serving)
Calories: 39.9 g Fat: 2.2 g Net Carbs: 2.4 g Protein: 2.1 g

 

Italian Inspired Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Chicken with Tomatoes and Zucchini

My challenge this week was to use up the tomatoes my friends left behind when they headed off to France on holiday and to work on their house there. These were vine-ripened tomatoes and the skins were already starting to shrivel, so I wanted to do something to remove the skins and cook them into a tomato-based dish.  I had chicken thighs on hand, so it was a logical step to make a chicken with tomatoes dish. This takes a little time to cook, but the actual process is pretty easy.

While a base of pasta would be lovely, it’s simply too high carb’d so I would suggest you use spaghetti squash or shredded cabbage, lightly steamed or raw, as the base to put this on. I just ate it as is with a side salad.

1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves Garlic
4 large Chicken Thighs, bone and skin removed
2 tablespoons Butter
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup Zucchini, sliced
1/4 cup Sweet Peppers,sliced
1 1/2 cups Red Ripe Tomatoes  or 1 1/2 cup canned stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup Onions, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock or cooking wine

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the tomatoes. Let them boil for about 5 minutes, then run cold water over them and drain. Let them cool until easy to hold, then use a sharp knife to cut the skin around the stem end and peel the skin off. It should slide off easily. Cut the tomatoes into pieces over a bowl so you can any juice that runs out as you cut them.

In a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Remove to paper towel on a plate. Add garlic, additional butter, peppers and onions to the skillet and sauté until the onion is tender. Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and seasonings to the pan and stir together over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of cooking wine if you would like or add 1/4 cup chicken stock for extra flavor. Stir the mixture together well, then arrange the chicken pieces in the pan. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, checking a couple of times to be sure there is liquid in the pan. Then stir the mixture around, add any liquid if it is getting low and turn the chicken pieces over, covering them with the tomato sauce. Cook another 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Info:
Calories: 163 Fat: 8.7 g Net Carbs: 5.1 g Protein: 14.8 g