Ensalada de "Arroz"

Menu: Chili Lime Chicken (pg. 335), Ensalada de "Arroz" (pg 145) and Sopa de Frijoles Negros (pg. 181)

The chicken would have been a lot better had I not overcooked it. It was "grilled" under the broiler and I based time on chicken that had bones in it when I was using boneless breasts. Oops. Tasted great, if dry.

The soup was gross looking. I like black beans. This recipe has you pureeing them. The taste was decent but as a soup, never again. A dip maybe. It would make a great bean dip.

The "rice" salad was delicious. I don't think my husband cared for it that much, but I thought it was really good. The flavors are very complimentary and you taste the vinegar based dressing more than the veggies, for those who are not big veggie fans.

Ensalada de "Arroz"

1/2 head cauliflower, shredded
6 green onions, sliced, including the green
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 ripe tomato, diced (I skipped this being the only tomato liking person in my house)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (skipped this too. cilantro doesn't work for us)
1/4 c. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

Microwave the cauliflower with a little water for 7-10 minutes.
Drain, dump into a mixing bowl and allow to cool. I was short on time so stuck it in the freezer for a few minutes to speed it up.
Stir in chopped veggies
Mix together everything else, pour over the "rice" and stir. Serve.

New York Style Cheesecake

Dessert is probably one of the biggest things I missed changing my diet. Everything is full of wheat and sugar and sugar substitutes don't really cut it for a lot of baking. It changes the texture. Bring in the cheesecake!

You do need a slow cooker big enough to hold an 8" pan for this.

New York Style Cheesecake (pg 519)

Crust:

1 1/4 c. almonds
2 Tbsp wheat germ (believe it or not, I couldn't find this when I made it, so I substituted 2 Tbsp ground flax seed)
2 Tbsp wheat bran
3 Tbsp splenda
pinch of salt
6 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 325. Run almonds through a food processor until they are ground to the texture of cornmeal (you can also use almond meal and cut out this step)
Add wheat germ (or flax), wheat bran, splenda and salt and pulse to combine.
While running processor (you could probably use a blender too) drizzle in melted butter and run till well combined. Stop and scrape the sides if need be.
Turn mixture out into an 8" springform pan and press along bottom and up sides. I don't have a springform pan so I used an 8" round cake pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes, and allow to cool.

Filling:

1 lb cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream (I was out so I used plain yogurt)
2 eggs
1/2 c. splenda
2 tsp vanilla
1 pinch salt

Beat the cream cheese, sour cream and eggs until they are smooth. Beat in splenda, vanilla, and salt. Pour into crust. Cover pan tightly with foil.

Take a big sheet of foil, make a cylinder and place in bottom of slow cooker (you are making a rack)

Pour 1/4" or so of water into crockpot and put the pan in. Cover slow cooker, set to high and let cook 3-4 hours.

Turn off slow cooker and uncover, allowing to cool 20 minutes before removing pan. Chill well before serving.

This was everything I was hoping for. I was not disappointed at all.

Cranberry Meatballs

I absolutely loved these meatballs. They were so so so good. Probably some of the best meatballs I have had. My husband and kids liked them as well (and when the kids like them, that is a WIN!)

Menu: Cranberry Meatballs (pg. 379), Cauliflower Kugel (pg. 218) and Roasted Cabbage

The cauliflower was pretty good. Not the best I have had. It does knock down the cauliflower taste a little, so if that is a problem then it might be good. Personally I like the taste, and we eat cauliflower so much that this recipe is not in my top listing.

The meatballs on the other hand... just yum!

Of course, my recipe is a bit different from the book. I am semi-lazy and dislike handling meat, so I use premade meatballs. I also could not find cranberries this time of year, so I went with a whole berry cranberry sauce. Higher sugar (and therefor carbs) but I didn't sit and eat the sauce so I think it is ok.

Cranberry Meatballs made my way (if you want the original recipe, buy the book ;)

1 bag premade meatballs

1 can tomato sauce

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 c. water

Blend together the tomato sauce, cranberry sauce, lime juice and water until well mixed. Heat a large skillet over medium. Add meatballs. Pour cranberry mixture over top and stir a little to make sure they are all coated. Bring to simmer, turn heat to low and allow to cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Easiest recipe you can get really.

Perfect Protein Pancakes

Breakfast time! I was amazed at how well this recipe turned out. They do taste like pancakes, although they have a firmer (and in my opinion better) texture. They also have less than 1g carbs per serving. You top these with sugar free syrup or fruit and whipped cream and you have a really good breakfast.

Perfect Protein Pancakes (pg. 124)

2 eggs
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. vanilla whey protein powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

Heat skillet or griddle over medium.

Whisk together ricotta and eggs until smooth. Add the whey protein, baking powder and salt and stir until just combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto hot griddle, and turn when bubbles start forming in the middle like you would with a regular pancake.

These do get a lot browner than the average pancake, so be aware. If you turn them too soon however, the middle won't be done.

Unbelievable Onion Rings

My husband was looking for some hearty, all American food. We haven't had onion rings in the longest time, so I was up for the challenge.

Menu: Italian Sausage with Onions and Peppers, Unbelievable Onion Rings (pg. 249) and Grilled Broccoli Salad (pg. 250).

The Italian sausage always goes over well. I buy the hot for my husband and I and the mild for the kids. Everyone eats it, although the girls will not touch the onions nor the peppers.

The broccoli salad has a very strong flavor (it has sesame oil in it) but it was good. Really good. Kids were not huge fans so next time I will just set some plain broccoli aside for them, but we will have this again.

The onion rings came out amazingly well. I changed a number of things in the recipe so I was worried, but wow. Definitely on for a repeat. I will post the original and my changes.

Unbelievable Onion Rings

3 medium vidalia onions (I bought 2, but after slicing one, left it at that. It made a ton of rings and my kids don't eat onions)
1 c. Atkins bake mix - I don't have any clue where to find this, so what I did was combine 1/2 c. almond meal and 1/2 c. soy flour
2 Tbsp Atkins cornbread mix - again, can't be found. I used cornmeal. I am not that worried about 2 tablespoons of cornmeal within an entire recipe.
1/4 c. oat flour
1 tsp seasoned salt
2 eggs
12 oz light beer. I use Budweiser Select 55 which is pretty much the lowest carb beer out there. Not the greatest for drinking but not too bad and works well for this.
Salt

Preheat deep fryer to 375. I almost never fry food, so we don't have one. I heat oil in a deep pan and throw a candy thermometer in it. Unfortunately, it makes it really hard to keep a steady temperature, so if you have access to a fryer, by all means, use it.

In bowl mix the baking mixes, or their substitutes, the oat flour, and the seasoned salt. Basically, all the dry ingredients.

Add the eggs and the beer, and whisk well.

When the oil is up to temp, dip the onions in the batter and let them fry. I recommend not doing too many at once because it doesn't take much more than a servings worth to make the oil temp start dropping fast.

Fry until golden. Pull them out and let them drain on paper towels. Salt. Enjoy.

Taco Salad

Ok, so this one is kind of obvious. This is my go to meal when we are in a hurry, and was one of my first low carb meals before I found websites and cookbooks to help me out.

Your base is lettuce. Your pick. I usually use a mix of iceburg for crunch and green leaf or romaine for a few extra vitamins.

Top with seasoned cooked ground beef. I have made my own seasoning and I have used the packets. Either one will work just fine.

Add favorite taco toppings. I personally like onions and tomato.

Add shredded cheese. Normally I like pepper jack. I think cheddar was what I had on hand this last time.

Top with sauces of choice. I go with salsa. My husband uses taco sauce. If I have sour cream I add that too.

Easy, takes about 10 minutes to put together and tastes good. Works for me.

Sour Cream, Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

It is.... it is.... it is a bread product!! This muffin has about 4.25 net grams of carbs. That means, I can have a muffin or two for breakfast. Yeah!

The taste is interesting. It is really good once you get past the first bite. The first bite is a shocker because it is dry. Very very stick to your mouth dry. However, I started chasing it with coffee and it worked very well together. Even my kids liked them!

Sour Cream, Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins

1 c. almond meal
1 c. vanilla whey protein powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c. splenda
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
1 c. sour cream
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water
2 tsp lemon extract

Preheat oven to 400.

In a bowl combine almond meal, protein powder, baking powder, salt, splenda, baking soda, and poppy seeds. Stir well.

In another bowl combine sour cream, eggs, water, lemon extract and whisk well.

Spray muffin cups or use paper. I recommend paper. They don't like to come out of the pan even when greased.

Dump the wet into the dry and mix until just combined. Spoon into muffin cups and bake 20 minutes. Except check it after about 10 because these seemed to cook a lot faster than the recipe claimed.

These things are pretty satisfying and stay with you.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

I will admit, I didn't hold out much hope for this one, which is the big reason I made it for lunch for myself rather than subject my family to it. I have had pumpkin soup in the past that I just didn't care for at all. I happened to have a can of pumpkin in the cupboard so I went for it.

And I liked it. It was really good. I think the curry is what makes the biggest difference. Topped with french fried onions (less carbs than crackers!) I ended up eating two big bowls of it.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1/4 c. minced onion
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp butter
1 quart chicken broth
1 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. carb countdown dairy beverage (I use half and half)
2 tsp. curry powder

In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in butter. When soft, add chicken broth and simmer 30 minutes. Stir in canned pumpkin, dairy beverage (of choice) and curry powder. Bring to simmer and cook another 15 minutes.

Enjoy

Blue Cheese Scallion "Risotto"

I love risotto. Absolutely positively love it. It is one of the things I missed. I knew that I had to try this recipe and see if something rice free could come anywhere close to the real flavor.

Menu: Aioli Fish Bake (pg 260), Blue Cheese Scallion "Risotto" (pg. 216) and Lemon Pepper Beans (pg. 228)

The fish was ok. It was bland. My normally fish loving kids were not huge fans of the aioli sauce, nor was my husband. Don't think we will do that one again.

The lemon pepper beans were ok. The flavors didn't quite fit together like I was thinking so it tasted weird. Not bad. Just weird. Again, probably not something I will be repeating.

The "risotto" was really good. It didn't taste like risotto, mind you. I don't think it is possible to duplicate the starchy goodness caused by real rice, but the flavor and the texture were very good and I think I would do this one again.

1/2 head cauliflower
8 scallions, thinly sliced
2/3 c. diced green pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules (which I did not have, so I dissolved in a cube instead)
1/4 c. dry white wine (I think I used St. Julian's Simply white, which is sweeter than it is dry, but it is relatively cheap which is what I look for in a cooking wine)
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese
1/4 c. grated parmesan
2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Put cauliflower through the food processor (go ahead and stick the stems in. For this it doesn't matter)
Put the cauliflower in the microwave in a covered casserole with a couple tbsp of water and cook for 7 minutes (I do 10, but I have a small microwave)
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute scallions and peppers in olive oil and butter. Drain the cauliflower. When the green peppers are soft, add the cauliflower to the skillet and stir. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook 3-4 minutes.

Try it! It is good :)

Mock Garlic Mashed 'Potatoes'

Dinner: Parmesan Chicken, Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Brussels Sprouts

The parmesan chicken is something that I have been making well before the diet started and never plan on giving up. What is to dislike about a chicken and cheese pairing?

The brussels sprouts were a last ditch effort to get my husband to like them. He doesn't. He probably never will, just like I will never be a fan of eggplant. I thought they were really good. This is the best way I have ever eaten them. Cut in half, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast a while. OMG so good.

The mock garlic mashed potato recipe I got from here  It is a good recipe and while the texture is the tiniest bit off, the taste is pretty darn close to mashed potatoes. I do recommend doubling it, as the first time I made it, there was not nearly enough. Also, make sure you get the cooked cauliflower as dry as you can before mashing. It really does make a difference in taste and texture.

Broccoli Blue Cheese Soup

I am a bit behind, so I am doing some of the recipe changes on memory. By all means, adjust them. I always do.

Menu: Burgers, Southwestern Unpotato Salad (pg. 150) and Broccoli Blue Cheese Soup (pg. 183)

The burger was a burger, and while delicious, I didn't do anything special. Meat and seasoning cooked on the electric skillet.

The Southwestern Unpotato Salad had good flavor, but I guess I was expecting it to be more along the lines of potato salad texture and it wasn't. Call this a decent cauliflower salad.

The Broccoli Blue Cheese Soup was very very good, so that is what I am sharing today.

1 c. chopped onion
2 Tbsp butter
1 turnip, peeled and diced
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 lb frozen broccoli thawed (I don't buy it because it's all stems. I go for fresh broccoli every time)
1 c. carb countdown dairy beverage (I used half and half
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 c. crumbled blue cheese

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the butter over medium heat.
When onion is soft, add the turnip and the chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook around 30 minutes.
Add broccoli and simmer again for another 20 minutes.
Puree the soup either in a blender or with a handheld blender. I use a handheld as there is less chance of making a mess and burning myself.
Stir in the dairy beverage (or half and half or just plain milk) and the cream and the blue cheese. Simmer another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally then serve.

This is thick and creamy and delicious and perfect for a cold snowy day.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Going for an asian flair again, dinner included Sweet and Sour Pork (pg. 418) over cauliflower "rice" and Stir Fried Green Beans with Water Chestnuts (pg. 229)

I like this, although I am not confident that my husband did. He isn't the biggest pork fan anyway, and add in a wicked craving for real rice and I don't think he enjoyed it as much as I did.

The recipe is fast. The whole meal was done in maybe 15 minutes.

12 oz boneless pork loin cut into thin strips (I bought a package of "stir fry pork" because I am lazy like that and it was cheaper)
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp Splenda
3 Tbsp crushed pineapple in juice
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp black strap molasses
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I didn't measure, just used one clove)
1/2 medium green pepper chopped into squares (I used what I had left which was about 1/3 of a green pepper and 1/3 of a yellow pepper)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
guar or xanthan (I am still using corn starch and adding a carb or two)

Mix together the vinegar, splenda, pineapple, soy sauce, molasses, and garlic. Set aside.

Heat oil in wok, then add pork and stir fry until about halfway done. Add peppers and onions and cook until pork is cook through. Add the vinegar mixture and let simmer 2-3 minutes. Thicken pan juices. Serve over cauli-rice or real rice if you are not on carb restrictions.

I think next time I may double the vinegar mix, because I would liked to have had a little more sauce, but it tasted like a sweet and sour dish is supposed to. I may try this over chicken next to make it more appealing for the husband.