Day: July 1, 2016

Foods, Uncategorized

Low Carb Turkey Tetrazinni

HWA - Health and Wellness Associates

tetrazzini-565782113df78c6ddf34550d

Low-Carb Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini

 

This is one of my family’s favorite post-holiday meals. You can make it with either spaghetti squash or shirataki noodles, or any low-carb noodle you like. Of course, you can use leftover chicken or turkey.

 

Ingredients

3 cups cooked chopped chicken or turkey meat

¼ cup chopped onion

8 oz sliced mushrooms

2 Tablespoons oil or butter (or half of each)

1½ cup unsweetened soy milk (or see note below)

½ cup cream

Flour or other thickener (see note below)

Salt – start with 1/2 teaspoon, or 1 Tablespoon chicken or turkey soup base such as Better Than Bouillion

Pepper

1/3 cup dry sherry

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup almond meal or low-carb bread crumbs

Preparation

You need 2 cups of white sauce for this dish. The thickener and dairy in it are up to you — I use 1½ cups unsweetened soy milk (unsweetened almond milk would probably also work) and ½ cup cream. But you can use all milk or whatever is best for your own eating plan. For the thickener, I use 2 Tablespoons of flour and 1 Tablespoon commercial low carb thickener (Thicken Thin). For more information: Low Carb Thickeners.

For spaghetti squash: Prepare a spaghetti squash and take out enough strands to pretty much fill the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan. I figured on 6 cups tightly packed, but I don’t measure. This adds 6 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber to the basic recipe.

 

For Shirataki Noodles: I used three packages of the spaghetti type shirataki noodles. Rinse well in a colander, and cut into pieces with scissors. Drain very well — I even spread them on a paper towel to dry, though this might be overkill (they contain a lot of moisture). Tofu shirataki noodles add 3 grams of carbohydrate and 2 grams of fiber to each serving of the basic recipe. Put in 9 X 13 pan or other casserole dish. What Are Shirataki Noodles?

 

For Other Types of Noodles: Prepare according to package directions and add carb count to the basic recipe. Put in 9X13 pan or other casserole dish. Heat oven to 450 F.

 

  1. Saute the onions in the oil or butter.

Add the mushrooms and cook until they have given up most of their moisture. Add salt and pepper and stir.

 

  1. If using flour for thickener, add it here, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add liquid and other thickeners, and bring to a simmer. Add the sherry, if desired.

 

  1. Add the turkey, and bring back to a simmer.

Mix with noodles or squash in casserole pan.

 

  1. Sprinkle almond meal and cheese on top. Bake about 10 minutes, or until topping begins to brown.

 

Makes 8 average servings or 6 generous ones.

 

Nutritional Information: Each of 8 servings has 3.5 grams effective carbohydrate plus 1 gram fiber, 21 grams protein, and 232 calories. Be sure to add your pasta choice to these calculations.

 

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Foods, Uncategorized

Low Carb Stuffed Peppers

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stuffedpeppers-56a5c30c5f9b58b7d0de5bd9

Low Carb Stuffed Peppers

 

Stuffed peppers are usually made with Bell peppers, which makes sense – they are readily available, and they stand up in a baking dish. However, I’ve made them with pablano peppers (sometimes called pasilla peppers where I live, but apparently incorrectly) just by splitting them lengthwise and making two filled peppers out of each one. It’s nice for a change to have stuffed peppers that are a little spicier.

 

You can use any color of Bell peppers to make this recipe – its fun to have a mixture of two or three colors. You can also use whatever spice mixture strikes your fancy, from Middle Eastern to Asian. It’s fun to change it up.

 

Ingredients

6 Bell peppers, any color, medium or large*

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 8-oz can of tomato sauce or 4 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chili powder (or, really, any spices you like)

1/3 cup Mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

 

  1. Prepare the peppers – Slice off the top of the peppers and remove the ribs and seeds. Either microwave them on a plate or baking dish (whatever fits in the microwave oven) covered with plastic wrap for 4 minutes, or blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes.

 

  1. Cook the beef mixture – heat a large skillet, and cook the beef, onions, garlic, and spices. If you are using tomato paste, include that as well.

 

 

If you are using the tomato sauce, pour about 2/3 of the can in, and save the rest for a topping. Cook until the beef is cooked through and the onions are soft. If it gets too dry you can add a little water.

 

  1. Loosely fill the peppers with the beef mixture, and sit upright in a baking dish. If you are using tomato sauce, spoon some of the leftover sauce on top of each pepper. Add about a tablespoon of cheese on each one. Bake for half an hour in the oven, or 12 minutes in the microwave, turning half-way through the cooking.

 

Nutritional Information: Each of 6 servings has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 4 grams fiber (12 grams total carbohydrate), 32 grams protein, and 379 calories.

 

*I used large Bell peppers for computing the nutritional information, because the USDA defines a large as about 4 inches long and 3 inches across, which I think most people call a medium. We are taking the top off, though.

 

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Diets and Weight Loss, Foods, Uncategorized

Low Carb Thai Style Chicken Salad Recipe

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thaichickensalad

Low-Carb Thai-Style Chicken Salad Recipe

 

This Low-Carb Thai-Style Chicken Salad recipe is a terrific summer main-course salad. Also great in a wrap.

 

It’s crisp, refreshing and light, and its sweet-and-sour dressing adds a real zing. It also works to serve to people who are watching their fat or calories.  It’s an excellent way to use up leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken.

 

Ingredients

Salad:

1 pound cooked chicken breast, sliced thinly (can use dark chicken meat, if desired desired)

3 cups shredded Napa cabbage (or regular cabbage is perfectly fine)

3 cups peeled jicama, cut into strips

1 small sweet red pepper, cut into strips

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems

.Dressing:

3 tablespoons white vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

1/2 cup sugar equivalent from a substitute (liquid such as Sweetzfree is preferred)

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce (such as Sriracha) or other hot sauce

Garnishes:

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Mint leaves

Cilantro leaves

Preparation

Make the Salad

In a large bowl, toss together 1 pound thinly sliced chicken breast or dark meat, 3 cups shredded Napa or regular cabbage, 3 cups peeled jicama, cut into strips, 1 small red pepper cut into strips, 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint, 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, including stems. Mix well and set aside.

Make the Dressing

In a separate small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons white vinegar, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, 1/2 cup sugar equivalent from a substitute, 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger and 1/2 teaspoon Asian chili sauce such as Sriracha or other hot sauce.

 

Assemble the Salad

Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing, making sure the ingredients are coated nicely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Serve in one large bowl or on separate dinner plates garnished with a total of 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, minute leaves and cilantro leaves.

Nutritional Information: Each of 4 servings (including peanut garnish) has 8 grams effective carbohydrate plus 7 grams fiber, 42 grams protein and 297 calories.

 

More Asian-Inspired Low-Carb Chicken Dishes

Low-Carb Chinese Five-Spice Chicken Recipe: This dish can be grilled or baked and the five-spice blend in the ingredient list can be found at most supermarkets.

 

Low-Carb Asian Noodles with Pork Recipe: This recipes uses shirataki noodles or tofu noodles, as both are low in carbs. Chicken can be used in place of the pork here, if desired.

 

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