When I wanted to spice up a pair of pork chops for dinner, I borrowed a recipe for Honey Garlic Chicken and added in Sriracha Sauce to the mix. This turned out wonderfully. The sugar-free honey gives it just enough sweetness while the sriracha adds the zing to it. It’s easy to do and can be done in one stove-to-oven pan. I have a set of copper skillets that can all go into the oven and broiler, but a cast-iron or any other skillet rated for the oven will work as well.
The same recipe works with chicken if you’d rather have bird for dinner. You can use chicken thighs or breasts, but allow a little more cooking time for thicker breasts or cut them horizontally and lay flat if they are too thick. You can easily double the sauce to make more than two pieces.
Honey Sriracha Pork Chops
1 tablespoons Butter
1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1 tablespoon Sriracha Sauce
1 pinch Salt
Ground Black Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons Sugar-free Honey
2 Pork Chops, 4-6 ounces each
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In an oven-usable skillet, such as copper or cast iron, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in honey and Sriracha sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Measure out half the sauce into a small bowl or cup and set aside.
Dip pork chops into the sauce, coating on both sides. Leave chops in the pan and use a pastry brush to coat any extra sauce on top of the chops.
Bake for about 30 minutes. Pork chops should be about 145 degrees on a food thermometer inserted to the middle of the chop. Remove pan from oven, turn the pork chops over with a fork to coat the top. Next, pour the reserved sauce over each chop and put under the broiler for 5 minutes to brown the edges.
Right now, it’s a difficult time to find any food, let alone low carb food, but we just do the best we can. I’m down to my last turnip that I used for this dish, but I hope to get more next week in my groceries. I was surprised that my store didn’t have any as turnips aren’t nearly as popular as potatoes. So, fingers are crossed. We were lucky enough to get chicken, so that was a big plus. I hope your supermarket foraging is doing okay.
Don’t stress if you can’t manage a low carb meal. Right now, any food is welcome, and the main objective is to stay healthy. We can worry about low carb when we’ve made it through.
If you have chicken, pork, rabbit, or even white fish in the house, this recipe will work well with it. Cream is a plus, but you can also substitute in regular milk or canned milk. Don’t have turnips or don’t like them? Substitute in riced cauliflower or even use regular rice, which is what the original recipe from 12 Tomatoes uses. You can also cut the chicken into cubes if you wish. The recipe called for 1 teaspoon of thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary, which I didn’t have in the house. So I substituted in Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning. You can go either way with it.
Garlic Chicken with Parmesan and Riced Turnips
2 large Chicken Breasts, sliced across the middle horizontally
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1 cups Chicken Broth
1 cup riced Turnips (about 1 medium)
1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat and melt the butter. Add the onion, stir and cook about 3 minutes. Sprinkle half the seasoning onto the chicken pieces and put them into the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn the pieces and season the other halves. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes, then add garlic and cook a little longer.
Next, add chicken broth and the riced turnips. Stir to mix them into the pan around the chicken. Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
Let simmer until the turnips are tender. Add salt and pepper and about 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese. Stir together, then remove from the heat. Add cream along with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Makes 2 to 4 servings depending on how hungry you are and your side dishes. For us, 1/2 chicken breast is enough, but for others, you may want the whole breast.
In my mind, and in the ones bought locally, the calzone has always been like a pizza sandwich. Mind you, I’ve since heard that real calzone has ricotta and other cheeses in it and no sauce or gravy, as they say back east. Nonetheless, I love the dough, which is like pizza dough, and the convenience of a pocket sandwich.
I’ve tried several low carb flour brands to create a passable pizza crust and the best one I’ve tried is from LC Foods, their Pizza, Calzone, and Bagel flour mix. I’ve also tried Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Flour and it works, but the dough is sweeter than I like. Other flours may work, but nut flours don’t give as good a result. For one thing, the yeast doesn’t seem to work well on them.
Ready for the oven, calzone made with DCC All Purpose Flour.
Basic Calzone Recipe
Based on the LC Foods Recipe for pizza crust.
3/4 cup LC Pizza Flour
3/4 tsp Sugar Substitute
1/8 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Rapid Rise Yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup Water, warm
Mix sweetener, salt, and yeast into flour. Add water and oil and knead dough by hand until a gluten film forms and the dough doesn’t break. You can use a bread hook or a bread mixer if you wish, but it is just as easy to do it by hand.
Pull the dough together in a ball, then place in an oiled bowl or on a bread board and cover then place in a warm place for the dough to double in size, around 30 to 40 minutes.
Dough rolled into a 5 to 6 inch circle.Calzone with pork filling ready to fold.
For calzone, divide the dough in half, then roll or stretch each out on a lightly floured, using low carb flour, bread board into 5 to 6 inch thin rounds. Place on baking screen or stone and fill one half with desired filling. Fold it over to make a half circle and pinch the edges closed. Small gaps for air vents are okay.
Bake at 415 degrees for 9 to 12 minutes until browned or crisped to desired level.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 147 Fat: 3 g Net Carbs: 3 g Protein: 16.5 g
BBQ Pork Calzone-Style Sandwich
This is more a BBQ Pork sandwich in a calzone pocket than an actual calzone. It is delicious though and not too difficult to make. Works great with left over pork ribs.
1 Pizza Dough recipe made up and split into two balls
2 cooked boneless Pork Ribs (about 3 oz.), chopped or shredded
1/4 cup Sugar-free BBQ Sauce (I used Walden Farms, 0 calorie & 0 carbs)
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, chopped
1/4 cup Onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F.).
In a small skillet, heat the Olive Oil, then add the onion, peppers, and garlic and cook until almost tender. Add the pork and the BBQ sauce, stir together, and cook a couple of minutes.
Roll out one ball of dough to make a 5 to 6 inch circle. It will be very thin so try not to break through the dough. Place the dough on top of a pizza screen or on a pizza stone. If you have to use a baking sheet, line it with parchment paper.
Put one half of the toppings on one side of the dough leaving a slight edge clear. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together to seal it into half-round pocket. Brush a little melted butter over the top. Make the other calzone in the same way.
Bake in the oven about 15 minutes until the calzone is golden brown. Let cool a couple of minutes then serve. You can add an additional small dish of BBQ Sauce for dipping if you wish.
Nutrition Information for filling only: Calories:180.1 Fat: 12.0 Net Carbs: 2.9 g Protein: 14.5 g
Nutrition Information with calzone dough: Calories: 327 Fat: 15 g Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein: 31 g
Pizza-Style Calzone made with LC Foods Pizza, Calzone and Bagel flour.
Pizza Style Calzone Sandwich
This is a simple variation of the same recipe only using typical pizza ingredients for the filling. You can add in pepperoni or ground beef or any other meat of your choice without altering the carb count too much unless the meat has a lot of carbohydrates in it. For reference, I used Bertolli Vodka Pasta Sauce for this recipe. A couple of other pasta sauces are lower in carbs.
1 Pizza Dough made up and split into two balls
3 oz. Italian Sausage
1/4 cup Pasta Sauce of Choice (Look for lowest carb)
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped or slice Olives
2 tablespoon Mushroom slices, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/4 cup Mozzarella or other white cheese, shredded
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Greens of choice (optional)
1 teaspoon Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 415 degrees (F.)
In a small skillet, add cook the Italian sausage until lightly browned, remove and set aside. Add garlic and bell peppers to the pan and saute. When bells are getting soft, add the mushrooms and cook for about 30 seconds more. If you are using the green, stir them into the pan and cook until they start to wilt. Remove from heat. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir in the olives. Mix in the pasta sauce.
Roll the dough out for the calzones and place on pizza screen or on pizza pan. Spoon filling over one half of the calzone dough, sprinkle on cheese, and fold it over. Seal the edges, leaving a couple of open spots for venting. Sprinkle a little cheese over the top if you wish.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition Information for filling only: Calories: 188.4 Fat: 14.9 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 10.9 g
Nutrition Information with calzone dough: Calories: 368.5 Fat: 17.9 Net Carbs: 5.9 g Protein: 25.4 g
Tip: To get a golden brown and shiny bread, you can brush with olive oil or spray with an olive oil or butter baking spray before baking.
Today is the second day of the 20 net carbs or less diet plan. It’s not bad, really, but then I’ve done it before and my usual intake is about 23 net carbs. I’ve been exceeding them a little, which is why I’ve gained weight. Boy, I have a slooooow metabolism. Anyway, I’m on day 2 and here’s the menu for June 7, 2017. (I’m one day behind on reporting if you recall.)
If you’re doing this, remember to get enough salt, drink a cup of bullion to help with that, and drink lots of water. Your body goes into withdrawal a bit and you can feel lightheaded and sluggish while you’re adapting to the change in your diet.
Food
NC
chorizo scramble
2
Coffee with creamer
1
1/2 tortilla
1.5
Vitamin B12 Gummie
1
Chorizo and Eggs Scrambled
These are super-easy to make and you can use either Mexican-style or Basque-style chorizo. The former has a more liquid chile and melts more than the Basque type. But both work very well. I have a recipe on the site already for this, but the super low version I made follows:
4 oz. Chorizo, Mexican or Basque style
2-3 large Eggs
1 teaspoon dehydrated Minced Onions
2 tablespoons Cheddar Cheese, shredded
6 leaves Baby Spinach, torn into pieces
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk until mixed, add a little water and the dehydrated onions. Stir, then set aside.
In a skillet, cook the chorizo over medium high heat. Use a spatula to cut and separate the meat until it looks like ground beef. Cook until lightly browned. Stir the egg mixture again, then pour into the skillet, reducing the heat a little so the eggs don’t cook too quickly. Stir the eggs and chorizo together and cook until they begin to firm up. Sprinkle the cheese and the spinach over the top, then stir into the mixture. When the eggs are done to your liking, remove from the heat and serve.
Makes 2 servings
Nutrition information per serving (with 2 eggs): Calories: 351.4 Fat: 28.2 g Net Carbs: 2.0 g Protein: 21.4 g
The third egg adds about 30 calories and 0.2 net carbs
Lunch:
Food
NC
Tuna Salad
2.3
Green Salad
1.6
Simple Tuna & Egg Salad
I like my tuna salad with a little bit of sweet, which I get from adding sweet pickles. There are several brands of sugar-free sweet pickles at the markets. I use Del Monte’s. I had left over salad from the first day, so that was the nest for the tuna salad.
5 oz. Tuna, canned or in packet
1 hard boiled egg
2 tablespoons Sugar-free Pickle Relish or chopped Sugar-free pickles
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Pickle juice
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Put the tuna into a bowl and break it up with a fork or a spatula. Cut the peeled hard-boiled egg into sections and chop it up with the fork, then add to the tuna. Add mayonnaise and mix into the tuna and egg, then add the chopped pickles or relish and the juice. Mix well.
Makes two servings. Great served over a green salad.
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories: 283 Fat: 23.4 g Net Carbs: 2.3 g Protein: 17.1 g
Dinner and Dessert:
Food
NC
Chile Verde with
3.5
1/2 cup Riced Cauliflower
1/4 avocado sliced
0.8
1 T Avocado Salsa
1
1 T Cheddar Cheese
0
Microwave Cheesecake
1.25
1 tsp Raspberry Sauce
0.25
Chile Verde Casserole
Really easy to make . I use Herdez Green Chile Salsa, which comes out to 8 net carbs per 1/2 cup. I find per-made PIco de Gallo at my grocery store. If you can’t find it, then it is chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, and cilantro. Find a recipehere at All Recipes.
1 lb Pork Loin or Pork Chop, cubed
1/2 cup Green Chile Salsa
1/2 cup pre-made Pico de Gallo
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 cups riced Cauliflower
Pre-cook the riced cauliflower in a pan or the microwave for about 6 minutes to soften.
In a hot skillet, add the olive oil then add the pork and cook until browned. Stir in the green chile salsa and 1/4 cup water, then turn the heat to a high simmer. Let cook about 10 minutes until the pork is tender. Add the Pico de Gallo and seasonings. Let cook another 10 minutes, then stir in the riced cauliflower. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes until the dish is thickened and the cauli-rice is hot. Serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 295 Fat: 15.5 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 33.1 g
For the Microwave Cheesecake, please visit this great website where I found it a few years ago. Total carbs for the day is 16.5 g.
That’s it for this day. Be back tomorrow with more.
Pork chops cook quickly when fried and combine wonderfully with other flavors. One of my favorite recipes when I was a child was pork chops with apples and corn. Well, corn is a tough one to do on low carb and even apples push it a bit, but this recipe combines apples with onions for a really fantastic flavor that is still under 7 net carbs per serving. My secret ingredient? Irish Whiskey. It brings a subtle flavor to the meal.
Whiskey Pork Chops with Apples
2 Pork Chops, about 3/4 inch thick (4 oz. each)
Seasoning Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Olive Oil or Vegetable Oil
2 teaspoons Unsalted Butter
1/3 large Onion, sliced
1 Scallion, sliced
3/4 Apple, cored and sliced
1/4 cup Irish Whiskey plus water to make 1/3 cup
Wash the pork chops and pat dry with a towel. Trim off any large pieces of fat. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and pepper to your preference on each side. Heat a cast iron or copper clad pan over high heat, lower to medium high. Add the olive oil and swirl around the pan. Put in the pork chops and cook for about five minutes on one side so you get a good sear, then turn the chops over and cook another five minutes. Set aside on a warm plate. (Put the plate on the turned off burner next to where you’re cooking to get it warm or put it in a low temperature oven.)
Add butter to the pan to melt, then swirl it around the pan. Add the onions, scallions, and apples. Saute until the onions begin to caramelize, around eight minutes. Stir in the whiskey and water, then add the pork chops back to the pan.
Cook until the pork chops are tender, around another fifteen minutes. About half-way through, turn the chops over and pile the apple mixture on top. Cover with a lid and finish cooking until the pork chop is done.
Serve with mashed cauliflower and a salad to complete the meal.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 378 Fat: 15.8 g Net Carbs: 6.8 g Protein: 32.2 g
