Tag Archives: quick

Main Dish, Recipes, Seafood

Cod with Tomatoes is a great combination

Photo: Spicy Cod with Tomatoes

I am not a huge fan of fish, although I really love shrimp, scallops, and lobster. But I do enjoy a nice fish filet such as salmon, cod, trout, tilapia, and catfish. Some fish have too fishy a taste for me while others have an off-putting texture. Even though I enjoy them on occasion, I don’t cook them very often. So, I have resolved to prepare fish more frequently. Frequent is a nicely undefined term, so we’ll see how that works out.

With this in mind, I found a recipe for cod with butter and tomatoes and changed it slightly to what I had available in my pantry. I used Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning, but you can use any Chipotle seasoning mix you like. Cod is mild flavored, so the addition of the seasonings and sauce ingredients adds more dimension to the dish. It was not too spicy and very flavorful. Timmy, my male cat who turned 16 this month, enjoyed the few bites he got and was disappointed I wanted to eat my own dinner.

Cod in Spicy Butter & Tomato Sauce

2 Cod Filets 4 to 5 oz. each
2 tablespoons Butter, salted
1/4 teaspoon Better than Bullion Chicken
2 tablespoons Boiling Water
2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
10 Cherry Tomatoes
2 teaspoons  Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

Using the Southwest Chipotle seasoning, generously sprinkle on all sides of the cod filets and pat it into the fish.

Warm a skillet over medium heat. Mix the bullion with 2 tablespoons of boiling water (or use chicken broth). Add the broth, wine vinegar, and cherry tomatoes. Cook about 5 minutes or until tomatoes split open and release the juices. If they don’t split, poke them with a sharp knife to start the process.

Add the butter and stir until the butter melts. When is melted, add the cod filets. Cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side, looking for the fish to turn white half-way up before flipping them over. (This may vary, depending on the thickness of the filets.) Be careful to not overcook the fish.

Remove the cod to a serving plate and spoon the tomatoes and sauce over each filet. Sprinkle with parsley and add a slice of lemon if you wish.

Makes two servings.

Nutrition Info: Cod in Spicy Butter & Tomato Sauce

Main Dish, Poultry, Recipes

E-Z Cauliflower and Chicken Sausage Risotto

Photo: Cauliflower Rice Risotto with Chicken Sausage

Last night, I made a quick dinner using Green Giant’s frozen Riced Cauliflower Risotto Medley with Aidell’s Chicken with Gruyere Sausage in it. While I had a busy day yesterday, the deciding factor in making this meal was that the freezer tossed the risotto package back out on the floor when I put it in, and I didn’t notice. So, when I found it, I had a bag of thawed, but still cold, risotto. It’s not a big production to make, but it’s a good example of how you can manage a delicious quick meal on a low carb diet.

Now, if you want to start from scratch with the riced cauliflower, you can make it by running the cauliflower through the food processor, then chopping about a quarter cup of mushrooms and about three stalks of asparagus up finely. You will need to cook this a little longer than you would the frozen one that is already cooked.

For this version here’s the recipe:

Cauliflower Risotto with Chicken Sausage

1 package Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Risotto Medley, thawed
2 links Aidells Chicken Sausage – Roasted Garlic & Gruyere Cheese
2 tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
1 teaspoon Olive Oil

In a large skillet, add the oil, then add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant. Add the cauliflower medley. Stir for about three minutes, then add the chicken, cream, and about a quarter cup of water. Heat the mixture to a boil, then lower the temperature to a medium simmer. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Serve with a salad or other side dish. I used a broccoli salad from the grocery store.

Makes 3 servings.

Do you have a recipe that you would like for me to try to adapt to low carb? If so, let me know in the comments and I’ll tell you where to email it.

Desserts, Recipes

Quick Dessert with Cranberries and Pecans

Cranberry Pecan dessert photo

I cannot believe March is almost over! Where does the time go? I seem to be way behind on everything this month. But I did manage to try out a quick recipe for a wonderful dessert like Pecan Pie.

I’ve seen several recipes for “Impossible” pies that use the same technique as the Bisquick recipes that work so well to mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour them into the pie shell, and they separate while they cook to give you a crust on the bottom and sometimes a topping layer. So far, I haven’t been able to duplicate this using low carb flours.The food tastes great, but the crust doesn’t seem to come out on the bottom. This is another one of those recipes. It seems more like a very low flour cake than a pie, but the taste is wonderful.

The original recipe came from Dixie Carb Counters, but I made a few adjustments. I used the DCC All Purpose Flour to make this, but I think it will work equally as well with almond flour, soy flour, or coconut flour (use 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of water). The recipe uses a small amount of flour, so the crust isn’t very thick.I used my cranberries whole, but they might be distributed better if they are chopped.

Cranberry Pecan Pie Cake

Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/3 cup fresh or frozen Cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F.). Prepare a pie tin or an 8-inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. I also like to line mine with parchment paper, then spray the paper.

In a small bowl, add the sugar, flour, and baking soda and mix together. Set aside. In a larger bowl, add the eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk together until blended. Stir in the flour until it is all mixed in. Add 3/4 cup of the nuts and the cranberries and stir them in.

Pour into your prepared pan, smoothing until even. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans over the top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 20 to see if the edges are getting too browned. If so, cover with foil and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Makes 8 Servings

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories:162 Fat:15.7 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.7 g

Recipes

Light and Easy Summer Crab Salad

It’s summer and it’s hot around my neck of the woods. But not as hot as some of my friends are suffering. Nonetheless, it’s a great time for cool salads that require no cooking.

Crab, shrimp, and lobster can all be purchased already cooked and in nice packages that require little or no effort to get them ready for a salad. This recipe is based on Atkins version with only a few minor adjustments to it. It is good for all levels of the eating plan, including Induction, so enjoy it. It is made with crab, but feel free to substitute in shrimp or lobster, or even chopped or shredded chicken.

The recipe makes four servings, although I got five out of it… and it could have been six if I hadn’t pigged out to eat it before it went bad. You can also make a crab salad sandwich if you put it on a low carb bun.

Crab Salad with Avocado 

3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
1 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
8 ounces Crab, cleaned and picked free of shells
2 stalks medium (7-1/2″ – 8″ long) Celery or
1/2 cup Daikon Radish (diced)
1 Haas Avocado
4 leaves Romaine Lettuce leaves

Remove avocado from the skins, saving the skin for a bowl. Cut the avocado into small cubes. Put in a bowl with a 1/4 teaspoon of the lime juice and cover with plastic wrap.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix mayonnaise, cumin, lime juice, paprika, and cayenne pepper until it’s well-blended. Add the crab meat and celery or daikon radish. Mix together until completely coated wth the sauce. Add salt and pepper to your preference.

Stir in the avocado cubes. Chill for an hour before serving, if you wish. If you’re only serving two servings, put the crab mixture back in the avocado skins for display, then place on a lettuce leaf on the plate.

If you are serving four, then dispense with the avocado skins and serve on top of the lettuce.

Makes four servings.

Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 203 Fat: 15.2 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 12.6 g