Heavy winds and rain are blasting my area as we approach the end of March. (I think it came in like a lion, but not sure it will depart like a lamb.) We can only hope April looks more like spring than March has. When the month started, I promised to post the recipe for a great salmon salad. Then it totally slipped my mind as I started getting more of the St. Patrick’s Day recipes up. But here it is. This works great if you have left-over salmon, or you can grill a piece before you make it. You can also use canned or packaged cooked salmon.
This is another yummy recipe from Paleo Leap’s web site, so it is good for Atkins, South Beach, Keto, and Paleo.
1 cup Salmon, grilled and flaked (8 oz)
1 hard boiled Egg, diced
1 Mini Pepper
1/2 Avocado, diced
2 slices Bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
1/4 Onion, minced
2 tablespoons Mayonnaise (homemade or your preference)
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried Parsley
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 drop liquid Sweetener
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups of fresh greens (Spring mix lettuce, spinach, arugula – your choice)
To make the dressing:
In a bowl, add the mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, cayenne, sweetener, and olive oil then whisk until it is blended.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the salmon, diced eggs, bell pepper, avocado, and red onion. Add the mayonnaise mixture and toss it together gently. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Divide the greens into two bowls, then top with half the salmon mixture into each bowl. Serve.
Makes two healthy servings.
TIP: If you’d rather have shell fish, make this with shrimp, crab, or lobster instead of salmon. It will work just as well.
Chicken with Peach Salsa with a side of sauteed Broccoli and Kale with Raspberry Vinaigrette.
Confession right up front here, I adore peaches. When I started the Atkins diet again four years ago, I was dismayed to see that peach was only an acceptable food in phase 4, the maintenance phase of the program. I eased them back into my program about a year ago as I do consider myself basically on maintenance at this point.
So image my surprise when I got a regular update from Atkins toutingthis wonderful recipe that included a peach salsa and it said it was ok for phases 2 to 4. That would be any time after the two-week induction phase. Good news for all of us, but with all things that are too good to be true, it doesn’t mean you can go crazy with it! You still need to watch the carbs because a medium peach is 9.1 g of sugar and that registers as 9.9 net carbs of the 10.1 carbs in it. That can be a bump in your daily allotment. So use in moderation.
So, peachy keen. I was anxious to try this recipe from Atkins, but I did make a couple of modifications to my version. It is absolutely wonderful, moving into the “make often” list. And when I served the peach salsa up, I found it was more than enough for the chicken and actually got three large servings from it. I put the last serving away and used it for two smaller servings as a side dish with Chicken Alfredo the next night. The salsa would also be wonderful with grilled, broiled or braised white fish and I just bet it would be great with pork chops.
Grilled Chicken with Peach Salsa
My version of the Atkins recipe is almost identical to theirs except I substitute bell pepper for the jalapeno pepper. Love jalapenos, but my stomach isn’t so crazy about them as I age. Besides, I had a Mexi-red pepper from m garden to add in.
2 chicken breasts halves (about 4 to 5 oz each)
1/2 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoons Red Chili Powder or Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
3 Teaspoons Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Peach, firm, but ripe, about medium-sized, diced
1/4 cup Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Red Onion, diced
1/2 medium Tomato, diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh chopped Cilantro
1 teaspoon Sugar Substitute
1 Tablespoons fresh Lime Juice
In a small bowl, combined the chile powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons olive oil to make a paste. Rub 1/2 the paste into the top of the chicken breasts, turn them over and rub the rest onto the back. Let the chicken marinate while you prepare the salsa.
If you are using a grill that take 10 to 20 minutes to warm up, now is the time to start pre-heating. I use a Foreman Grill for two, which is large enough for two small chicken breasts and takes about 5 minutes to do the job. It only takes a short time to warm up, so I go ahead with the salsa before warming the grill.
Chop the peaches, bell pepper, onion and tomato into bite-sized pieces. Be sure to remove the membranes on the pepper as well as any excess seeds or juices. Place in a small bowl. Add the cilantro, lime juice and sugar substitute with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix the oil and fruit, adding salt and pepper to season. Cover and refrigerate until the chicken is grilled. This can be prepared ahead of time and it will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator.
Grill the chicken until it is done and juices run clear. Place the chicken on serving plates and top with the peach salsa.
Makes 2 servings.
Nutrition Info per serving
Calories:272.5 Fat:13.4 g Net Carbs: 6.5 g Protein: 29.8 g
Peach Salsa only
Nutrition Info per serving – 4 servings per recipe
Calories:44.9 Fat: 3.6 g Net Carbs: 3.0 g Protein: 0.4 g
Ham and cheese just naturally go together, don’t they? Everyone loves a hot ham and cheese sandwich, right? Well, I do. So a ham and cheese pizza is a no-brainer. Especially if you are using one of LC Foods new low carb pizza shells. For those who believe that bacon makes everything better, you can add it to the pizza without adding any more carbs. (There will be calories, though!)
Disclaimer: I am not paid by LC Foods to say good things about their products, nor do they send me any free samples to review them. I got the notice this new product was available, just like everyone else on their mailing list and I bought it. So this bit of enthusiasm for their pizza shell is strictly my honest opinion. They are really good! And I make a pretty good pizza crust substitute myself, but this is the best one I’ve tasted. For one thing it is an honest-to-goodness yeast crust and it is sturdy. Just like the real thing! Two pizza- sauce-covered thumbs up from this girl!
If you are outside the shipping area (the USA) or just don’t want to order the shells, you can build these pizza on any pizza base you choose. You can refer to theFlax Almond Pizza Crust or use the chicken-based pizza crust or the cauliflower pizza crust. They will all work with it. Just follow the instructions for the crust of choice to make and partially pre-cook, then add the sauce and toppings.
Deluxe Ham and Cheese Pizza
2 cups Ham, cubed
1 cup Cheddar Jack Cheese
1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 cup Broccoli, chopped
1/2 Bell Pepper, diced
4 tablespoon Bacon, crumbled (Optional)
1 LC Food Pizza Crust or other low carb pizza crust
Preheat oven to 385 degrees (F.)
Put pizza shell on a cookie sheet and spread Alfredo Sauce evenly over the top. It should be a thin layer but still cover the entire shell. If it is a little short, add another tablespoon or two.
Precook the vegetables in a microwave for 3 minutes or sauté them in a skillet with 1 tablespoon butter until they are just tender.
Distribute the ham and vegetables evenly over the top of the sauce. Top with cheese sprinkled evenly over the top.
Slide the pizza directly onto the oven rack or place on a baking rack in the oven and cook for 20 to 25 minutes. The crust doesn’t get really brown, so watch that the cheese is completely melted and just starting to brown. Remove from the oven. Let it cool about 10 minutes, then slice and serve. One slice is a serving; makes 8 servings.
Nutrition Info for 1/8th of the pizza (toppings only)
Calories: 158 Fat: 5.9 g Net Carbs: 3.5 g Protein: 10.7 g
Nutrition Info for 1/8th of the pizza (LC Foods Pizza Shell only)
Calories: 131 Fat: 4.5 g Net Carbs: 2 g Protein: 13 g
This recipe has been around forever and often gets forgotten as new and exciting recipes come along. But it is still one of the most delicious main course dinners I’ve encountered. I took a basic recipe from an old cook book and made a few adjustments to make it low carb. Hope you will give it a try soon.
Classic Chicken Divan
3 cups cooked fresh Broccoli spears
1 1/2 lbs sliced cooked chicken
3 tablespoons Butter
3 tablespoons Low Carb Flour*
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Water
2 large Eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons cooking Sherry
Paprika
* I use CarbQuick for my flour. Using 2 tablespoons of regular flour will add 100 calories and .3 g net carbs to each serving, so not a big issue.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Arrange broccoli in the bottom of a 2 quart shallow baking dish or 6 individual baking dishes. Place chicken slices over the broccoli and cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes until hot.
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, then blend in flour. Cook and stir until smooth and bubbly, then remove from heat. Mix the cream and water together and gradually stir into the flour mixture. Return it to heat and bring to a boil. Gradually blend half the hot cream sauce into beaten eggs, then gradually add the mixture back to the hot sauce mixture. Stir in the sherry.
Arrange the broccoli and chicken on serving plates if they are in the baking dish. If in individual dishes, serve in the dish. Spoon sauce over the chicken and broccoli and sprinkle on a little paprika for color.
Makes 6 servings.
Nutrition Info per serving
Calories: 278 Fat: 24.4 g Net Carbs: 5.2 g Protein: 7.3 g
This is a delicious, Italian style casserole that makes an easy, flavorful week night dish or make it on the weekend and have it later in the week. It reheats well. I’ve based this recipe on one that Mom Kelly, PK’s mama, came up with one day. I’ve swapped the jack cheese out for mozzarella cheese and added bell pepper into the mix. This is a half recipe, but can be doubled easily to serve up to 10 people. You can swap the sausage for ground beef or ground turkey or even diced chicken.
Sausage Zucchini Bake
3 cups Zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch (about 3 medium-sized)
1/2 lb Pork Sausage
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano Cheese, grated
1 clove minced Garlic
1/4 cup chopped Sweet Peppers
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 cups Pasta Sauce
Wash and slice zucchini into 1/4-inch pieces. Place in pan with enough water to cover. Add chopped garlic and salt. Cook until tender but do not overcook. When done, drain in colander and gently mash to remove as much water as possible. Meanwhile, in a frying pan brown sausage, drain well.
Mix zucchini, sausage and shredded mozarella cheese together, reserving some of the cheese. Put into ovenproof dish leaving room for the juices. Top with spaghetti sauce and remaining mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan over top. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 to 40 minutes or until well browned on top.
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Info per serving (4 servings):
Calories: 396 Fat: 31.6 g Net Carbs: 8.3 g Protein: 22.9 g
OK for all phases of Atkins & likely for South Beach also. I don’t have a SB food list for phase 1.
