Here are 2 main course ideas that feature eggplant. If you don’t like eggplant, you may substitute cauliflower.
Quick and Easy Eggplant Lasagna
1 eggplant, sliced thin
desired pizza, tomato, or pasta sauce (about 28 oz)
1 lb meat, precooked, crumbled or diced
16 oz low-carb frozen veggie mix (optional)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
grated mozzerella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix the sauce with meat, veggies, onions, and garlic in a bowl. In a large oven-proof casserole
pan, layer the sauce mixture, followed by a layer of eggplant, then more sauce, then cheese, followed by layers of eggplant, sauce, and cheese in that order until you run out of eggplant. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown and eggplant softens. Serves 4-8. Freeze leftovers. (Note: you may also try microwaving this in a glass casserole dish until eggplant is soft if you want it done faster).
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This recipe is based on the classic American dish. I substituted eggplant for potatoes in this.
Hot Dog Casserole
1 eggplant, chopped into bitesized pieces (may substitute 1 head cauliflower)
2-4 hotdogs (or whatever looks right)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 egg
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper or seasoned salt to taste
grated cheese
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix everything together in large casserole dish. Make sure you add lots of cheese! Put in oven and bake until done (about 30 minutes). Serves 4-8. Freeze leftovers. This is also a microwavable dish if you use a glass casserole pan.
This is from the South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook and I was astounded at how tasty it was. I buy Reduced Carb Whole Wheat Tortillas and frozen fish at Trader Joes. (Frozen Albacore filets are $6.00 a pound and 1 package feeds both people in the house for 2 meals.)
Grilled Fish Tacos with Spicy Melon Salsa
3TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 lb mild white fish filets (the original recipe says sea bass, halibut or scallops. I’ve tried it with cod and albacore tuna filets and both were excellent)
1/4 tsp salt (optional. I’ve never used it and haven’t missed it)
Fresh ground black pepper
2 cup finely chopped cantalope
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, seeded & minced
Reduced carb whole wheat tortillas (I use 1 for my portion and 2 for my husband’s)
Add 1 TBSP each of olive oil and lime juice to a ziploc bag. Add fish, close bag, shake and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Combine cantalope, cilantro, scallions, jalapeno, remaining lime juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
Heat grill to medium high and spray a grill pan with cooking spray. Put fish on grill pan and sprinkle with pepper. Grill fish until tender, approximately 5 minutes a side (a little less for tuna). Transfer fish to cutting board & cut/shred into one inch chunks.
Dampen 2 paper towels, place tortillas in between and microwave for 30 seconds. Divide fish among tortillas, top with melon salsa and serve warm.
Nutritional Value does not include a tortilla
Surfing the web two days ago and came across several recipes. Tried this one and would try it again, mainly because it is for a Slow Cooker and YES the waite was worth it.
Chef Meg’s Slow Cooker Provencal Chicken and Beans
Ingredients:
24 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 (16oz) can canneltini beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5oz) can petite diced tomatoes with basil
and oregano or any style of canned tomatoes
1 dash of salt
1 dash black pepper
2 t dried basil
1 t dried thyme
Directions
Place all ingredients into slow cooker, stir and cover with lid; cook on low heat for 7 hours. If you are running late, the mixture will hold for 8 hours, so don’t rush.
Number of servings: 6
Nutritional info: Calories: 212.8. Fat: 1.5g, Carbohydrates: 19.8g, Protein: 30.2g
You can modify this recipe to suit your individual taste preference.
Tofu Stir Fry
1 package tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger powder
1 yellow onion, chopped
a bunch of leftover low-carb veggies, chopped, sliced, or julienned
cauliflower or soybean sprouts for faux rice or faux noodles
Marinate the tofu in the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger powder for at least 4 hours, turning once halfway through marination time. In a frying pan or wok, place the onion and other veggies. Stir fry the veggies and tofu mixture until tender-crisp. For the faux rice, grate cauliflower and steam. For the faux noodles, snip off the leaves and steam. Serve the stir-fry over the steamed faux rice or faux noodles with extra soy sauce.
This is a recipe I figured out on my own. Enjoy!
Mexican Casserole
9 faux tortillas (you can use Debra’s coconut pancake recipe, or I might post one later…)
1 pound sausage or ground meat or chopped meat
4 green onions or 1 yellow onion, chopped
1 can enchilada sauce, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or salsa
1 can green chilis, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can olives, sliced (optional)
1 pound other low carb veggies
1- 2 pounds Mozzerella, monterey jack, or cheddar cheese
sour cream and guacomole to garnish
Preheat oven to 350 F. Cook the meat with the onions, veggies, sauce, and garlic until meat turns brown and onions are soft. Mix in green chilis. Spoon a layer of sauce mixture in a casserole pan. Put a layer of 3 tortillas over the sauce, followed by sauce, olives, and lots of cheese. Keep layering it up for a total of 3 layers of tortillas. Garnish the top with olives. Bake for about 30 minutes. Slice and serve with sour cream and guacomole. Serves up to 12, so freeze leftovers.
My Husband and I tried this last evening and LOVED it! It has far more uses than just shrimp. I will be experimenting with this on steak, hamburgers, vegetables and many other foods. This is a GREAT sauce! I have included it in main course ideas because it can really be so versatile.
Made this tonight, Hubby and kids LOVED it. Rather rich, so the 12 servings is accurate. I rounded up the 6 carbs. I used a low carb spaghetti sauce that had 4 net carbs per 1/ 2 cup and do make sure you use full fat ricotta cheese. I hope you all enjoy this. We did.
I modified this recipe from www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com to be low-carb.
Kahlua Pork – A simple oven recipe
Thursday, September 4, 2008 posted by Jerry 12:51 pm
What if I told you that you could make a dish that would wow your guests with less effort than it takes to order-in? What if I told you that you don’t need a huge arsenal of cooking skills or prior knowledge to turn out a perfect meal each and every time? What if I told you that all of this can be done with just five or six ingredients that can be found in any big-scary-mega-mart anywhere in the country, for somewhere around $10.00, depending on the price of pork in your area?
It’s all true, every word of it. With just a few minutes of prep time and a few lazy hours spent doing… Well, whatever it is that you’d like to do… You can produce something so sinfully delicious and decadent that everyone who tries it will think you’ve slaved your day away working on the perfect meal. And I’m going to tell you how to do it.
Hey, I won’t tell anyone it was easy. That will be our little secret, O.K?
Note :For those of you who have never heard of Kahlua pork, you may be surprised to discover that there is not actually any Kahlua liqueur involved. the “Kahlua” portion of the name has to do with the Kahlua pit method used in Hawaii. Now that we’ve gotten that straight, let’s move on…
Kahlua Pork
(Adapted from my sister’s recipe. Thanks Nik!)
Ingredients:
•1 pork butt or blade roast, approximately 5 lbs.
•4 tbsp. liquid smoke
•Salt and Pepper to taste.
•1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
•2-4 cups cooked faux rice (grated cauliflower would work)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Season pork liberally on all sides with salt and pepper. (Be generous, you’re seasoning a lot of meat!) Place on aluminum foil of a large enough size to completely wrap the roast. Pour liquid smoke over roast and seal foil tightly.
Place pork roast in a roasting pan fat side up. Add stock to pan and place in oven for four hours.
Remove, shred with forks and serve over rice using pan juices as a sauce if desired. Optionally, garnish with thin-sliced scallions.
Serve piping hot and enjoy!
What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:
I’ve actually made this dish twice in the past few weeks. The first time just to give it a try, the second time so that I could post it here as my entry for Frugal Fridays #13. Both times I used the same method, and I’m thrilled with it.
Having said that, this recipe is versatile and can be made with anything else you would like to put in the pouch with the pork. Try some onions, garlic or fresh herbs to change it up a bit if that’s what you’d like. Be creative, make it your own!
This recipe has been modified from a Foster Farms chicken package. It’s one of my husband’s favorite chicken recipes and tastes so good you won’t need dessert.
Simmered Chinese Chicken
1 defrosted whole chicken
2 tbsp oil
Sauce ingredients:
2/3 cup soy sauce
equivalent of 2/3 cup brown sugar (I use either stevia or Splenda)
at least 1 cup water
2 pressed cloves garlic
2 tbsp tomato sauce or low-carb ketchup (recipe in condiments)
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chicken broth (original recipe calls for apple juice or Sherry, but broth works better for low-carb purposes)
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. crushed red peppers (optional)
Optional other ingredients:
equivalent of 4 tbsp corn starch (may use low-carb flour or other thickeners)
4 tbsp water
4 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Remove giblets, rinse chicken & pat dry. If desired, brown chicken in oil on all sides in a Dutch oven. Mix sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over chicken. Cover and simmer 35-45 minutes, or until meat falls off the bones easily, turning chicken halfway through to cook evenly. Remove chicken to platter, draining juices back into pan. You may easily shred the chicken as soon as it cools if desired. Thicken the sauce with the other ingredients as desired. Serve chicken with sauce. May serve over steamed grated cauliflower if desired.
I just tried this the other evening. I personally think It could use something more but my husband LOVED it just the way it was. I think the next time I will add some cauliflower to it. Experiment… That’s the name of this game.
Low Carb Meat Loaf
Base Recipe
(add low carb ingredients to your likings)
2 lbs Ground Beef
3 T Low Carb Catsup
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 C. Ground Flax seed meal
3 T dried onion flakes or a very small fresh onion chopped.
2 Eggs
Mix together ingredients divide into 2 loaf pans cook at 375 for 1 hr.
And like I said above EXPERIMENT!
This is what I ate for dinner tonight. You may use other precooked meat if you wish.
Hamburger Stuffed Bell Peppers
1 pound ground beef, seasoned lightly with seasoned salt and precooked
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 thick slice red onion, chopped small
1 pickle, chopped
some bell peppers for stuffing
some grated cheese if you want it to be more like a cheeseburger (optional)
Mix all ingredients for the filling. Put it in the peppers and top with the cheese if desired. Cook in the microwave until the cheese melts and peppers are soft if desired, or serve as is. Serves up to 4. May freeze leftovers…
