Tag Archives: low carb recipes

Crock Pot Recipes, Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Slow Cooker Honey Chicken is easy

Looking for something simple to put together and put in a slow cooker while you’re busy with other things, like work or playing golf or swimming? You can come home to a delicious meal with only a little effort to get it going in the morning. This recipe for Honey Cooked Chicken came in my news feed and I thought it sounded great and only needs a couple of adjustments to make it a low carb delight.

I use sugar-free Honey that I order from Netrition.com because I can’t find a brand in my local stores, but you may find one at your market or a health food store. Let your fingers do the walking and check via phone or an online web site before running around town. In a pinch, I think sugar-free Pancake syrup can substitute, but it will give it a slight maple flavor rather than honey. You can also order a honey substitute from Amazon.com.

Honey Chicken and Vegetables

8 skinless large Chicken Thighs or Breasts
1 pound Cauliflower flowerets
1 pound Broccoli flowerets
1/2 lb Baby Carrots
1 pound Green Beans

Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar-free Honey,
1/2 cup Reduced-Sodium Soy Sauce,
4 cloves Garlic (minced),
1 teaspoon Basil,
1 teaspoon Oregano,
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper

Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

In a regular-sized slow cooker, put four chicken thighs to make the bottom layer. Pour 1/2 of the sauce over the chicken.

On top of this add the cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Top with the other four chicken thighs. Pour the remaining sauce over the top. Put on the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or cook on high for 4 hours.

Add the green beans for the last 30 minutes of cooking, put the lid back on and continue to cook on high.

To add a little crispiness to the chicken, you can remove it from the pot and broil for about 3 minutes on each side.  Serve with the vegetables from the cooker.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 154 Fat: 3 g Net Carbs: 8.8 g Protein: 18.2 g

Recipes, Vegetables & Salads

Fries with Cheese? No, Cauliflower’s the Ticket!

Recently, I stopped by Carl’s Jr. for one of their low carb burgers and spotted the photo for their yummy-looking French fries with bacon and cheese.  Oh, my mouth watered for that! It looked so delicious… But I was good and just ordered the burger, but I started thinking about the potato substitute options with cheese.  I decided to try cauliflower with it and to do something I’ve not done with this vegetable before; I fried it.  And with that, this side dish was born.

Cheese and Bacon Fried Cauliflower

1/2 head Cauliflower, cut into flowerets
4 slices thick cut Bacon
1` cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Oil
Seasoning Salt to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the cauliflower. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain and let cool five minutes.

Heat the oil in a skillet to about 350 degrees over medium high heat. Add about 1/4th of the cauliflower flowerets to the hot oil and cook until golden brown, then turn over and cook until the backside is golden brown. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Cook the rest of the cauliflower in the same-sized batches and let them drain.

Preheat oven to 365 degrees (F.)

Cook the bacon until crisp, let cool, then break it into pieces.

Prepare a baking pan with a layer of aluminum foil and spread the cauliflower into four groups on the sheet. Put 1/4 of the bacon pieces on each group of cauliflower, then sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese on top of each.

Put in the oven for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove with a spatula to plates to serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 195 Fat: 14.9 g Net Carbs:2.4 g Protein: 12.1 g

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Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

Quick & Cool Sausages and Turnip with Greens Skillet

One of the joys of Spring is all the fresh greens available at the market. Most of these edible leaves have about the same carb and calorie count so they can be used interchangeably in this recipe. Sometimes you will find bags of mixed greens and other times, you have to buy them separately. This is a very Southern dish, but delicious and easy to make.

My recipe makes a large pan of greens that can make a filling meal for two people or serve four with additional side dishes, like fruit or squash, and a slice of low carb bread.

Sausage and Turnips with Greens

3 cups fresh greens (Spinach, Chard, Turnips Greens, or Bok Choy)
1 medium Turnip, peeled & diced *
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
2 cups shredded Cabbage
2 Louisiana Hot Link Sausages  (can be beef, chicken, or pork)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Salt to taste
White Wine Vinegar to taste

*May also use 1 cup of kohlrabi or celery root

Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the diced turnips and cook for about five minutes. Drain.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until it starts to sizzle, then reduce heat to medium and add the garlic.

Stir in the turnips and cook for a few minutes, then add the sausages and cook for about five minutes until the sausages begin to brown.

Add the greens and cabbage, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the greens are limp. Sprinkle wine vinegar over the top and serve.

Makes two large servings.

Turnips
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 174 Fat: 16.7 g Net Carbs: 8.7 g Protein: 12.9 g

Kohlrabi
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 188 Fat: 9.7 g Net Carbs: 9.5 g Protein: 8.1 g

Celery Root
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 191 Fat:10.0g Net Carbs: 13.4 g Protein: 7.3 g

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

One Pot Chicken with Broccoli and Cauliflower Dish

I’ve always been fond of casseroles and one pot dishes.  They’re easy, delicious, and quick to make.  The combinations of foods and seasonings adds up to a comfort food meal that satisfies the hunger.  A low carb lifestyle can easily include several of these types of dishes as it’s a great way to get your necessary vegetables along with your protein.

This easy one pot meal combines chicken with cauliflower and broccoli in a tasty cheese sauce. If you wish to add a little pasta, it only ups the carbs a little so long as you don’t over-do it, but it’s entirely optional.  The dish does fine without it.

One Pot Chicken with Cauliflower and Broccoli

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 to 3  large Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Bell Pepper or 4 small Sweet Peppers
1/4 cup Spiral Pasta (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup diced Onion (about half an onion)
2 cloves Garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 1/2 cups Cauliflower florets
2 cups Broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a large pot, heat olive oil in a large pot. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Brown chicken on both sides, then add the onions, peppers, and garlic and cook a few minutes. Add chicken broth and pasta, if you are using it and stir. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.

Bring a pan of water to a boil, then add the cauliflower and broccoli. Cook for 5 minutes, then drain. Add to the pot with the chicken and stir in. If there is still a lot of liquid, cook until it is reduced. If the pot is almost dry, add a little water. Stir while the broccoli is cooking. Add ricotta cheese, cream, and cheddar cheese and stir until the cheese melts. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, and nutmeg and stir in.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Information with pasta per serving:
Calories: 502.3 Fat:30.8 g Net Carbs: 9.2 g Protein: 43.2 g

Nutrition Information with pasta per serving:
Calories: 486.5 Fat:30.9 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 42.6 g

For variety, the leftovers can be put in a pan and reheated in the oven to bake it.  Cook on 375 degrees (F.) for about 30 minutes, then top with 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese and bake another 5 minutes.  OR you can do what I did, which is make a pot pie from it.  To do that, put 1 cup of the cooked chicken mixture in each of 2 ramekins and microwave for about 1 minute each to take the chill off.  In a small bowl mix these ingredients:

1/4 cup Low Carb Flour (such as CarbQuick or Almond Meal)
1 tablespoon Cream
1 tablespoon Water
Pinch Salt
1/4 teaspoons Ground Pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Egg

Put 1/2 the batter on top of chicken mixture in the ramekins and bake at 375 degrees (F) for 25 minutes. Pull out and sprinkle a little cheddar cheese on top and bake another 5 minutes to melt and lightly brown the cheese.  Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

 

Desserts, Recipes

Tasty Apple Yogurt Tart

Looking for a simple to make and low carb dessert? Look no further than this delightful Apple Yogurt Tart. It comes together quickly and tastes fabulous. For the base, I’ve used two flours that are usually available at grocery stores — almond flour and coconut flour. When cooking with these flours, allow the cooked results to completely cool and handle them carefully. They are delicate and break easily. If you prefer not to remove them from the mold (I used a silicone mold to make removal easier) then you can make them in a ramekin and serve them in it. Apples are not on the weight loss portion of the Atkins diet due to the higher count of natural sugars, but if you are on maintenance or are just trying to stay lower carb’d in your eating, this is great with apples. You can also use berries to top the tart.

I used Kroger Foods CarbMasters dairy yogurt product, but there are a couple of other low carb yogurts. The one I based the nutrition value on is CarbMasters at 4 net carbs for 6 oz. Look for a yogurt that is around that carb level. If you use Greek yogurt, it will probably be a little higher. Alternately, you can also use a 2-tablespoon layer of sugar-free vanilla pudding.

Apple Yogurt Tart

2 tablespoons Almond Flour
2 tablespoons Coconut Flour
3 tablespoons Butter, softened
3 tablespoons Sugar Substitute
1/2 cup diced Apples
2 tablespoons chopped Pecans
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 container low carb Vanilla Yogurt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F.)

Bottom crust:
In a small bowl, mix almond flour, coconut flour, 1/2 sugar substitute, and 2 tablespoons butter together. If dough is too dry, add a little water. It should come together into a crumbly dough. Spray 2 round 2 1/2 to 3 inch mini-cake baking molds with cooking spray. Press 1/2 the dough into each mold to cover the bottom.

Bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cookie tart is lightly browned. Remove and let cool completely before removing from the mold. Almond flour and coconut flour are very delicate and break easily.

Apple Topping:
In a skillet, melt remaining butter and add remaining sugar substitute. Add Pecans, apples and cinnamon and sauté over medium heat until apples are soft and a caramel sauce forms in the pan.

Once the cookie crusts are cool, remove from the molds and place on serving dishes. Spread 1/2 of the yogurt (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) over the cookie crust and top with 1/2 of the warm apple mixture. Add a dollop of whipped cream if you wish.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 434 Fat: 42.4 g Net Carbs: 6.0 g Protein: 5.5 g

Made with Strawberries (omit the cinnamon and pecans)
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 345 Fat: 31.3 g Net Carbs: 5.5 g Protein: 7.3 g

Note: The apple topping is also great over low carb ice cream.