Share your favorite low CHO, vegetarian food or dish

Food
1

I have been trying lots of different foods on low CHO and have found several favorites like olive stir-fried green cabbage, creamy spaghetti squash and cucumber salad. Share one of your favorites and tell us all how to make it.

Olive Oil Stir-Fried Green Cabbage
fry 1/2 chopped onion in 4-5 T olive or cannola oil…over a medium flame
add 1/2 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped, 1 carrot chopped or julienne style
add 1-2 cloves pressed and chopped garlic (don’t overcook)
1-2t cumin, 1-2t celery seeds, 1-2t summer savory, sea salt and pepper to taste, sometimes curry powder to taste
sometimes 1T-3T hot sauce
can add a little chicken flavoring (broth, boullion)…but, usually do not
steam and turn for about 10 minutes…want it to be bright green…not overcooked. Can tell when it is done…when your carrots are just right:)
add a little corn starch in water to the pan and stir until thickens sauce

Serves: 4 - 1 cup servings
Approx g CHO: 6-8g
g Pro: 2g
High in antioxidants, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C…carrot adds Vit A, Vit K and beta-carotene and more fiber:)

Yum:)

2

Thanks! Patricia, Your cabbage recipe turned out sooooo good. I’ve made it twice and it already is a requested family favorite.

The following recipe makes 12 quiches (6g carbs each). I like them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They’re fast & easy to make ahead, such as for overnight guests, as they can be made ahead & frozen. I use imitation egg & low or no fat cheese. Also, sometimes I substitute spinach for broccoli.

Crustless Broccoli & Cheddar Mini Quiches

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mild or sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups chopped, frozen broccoli, thawed & drained
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (optional)

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease & lightly flour twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups.

WHISK evaporated milk, eggs, flour, salt & black pepper in medium bowl until blended. Stir in cheese, broccoli & bell pepper. Spoon 1/4 to 1/3 cup of mixture into each prepared muffin cup, filling almost to rim*. Stir mixture frequently to evenly distribute ingredients.

BAKE for 23 to 28 minutes or until knife inserted near centers comes out clean & tops are lightly browned. Cool in pans for 15 minutes. Run knife or small, flat spatula around inside edges of muffin cups. Carefully remove quiches.

*NOTE: Number of quiches that you get will depend on the size of your muffin cups. Bake time may need some adjusting.

TIPS:
• Quiches can be made ahead & frozen. To reheat, place on baking sheet & bake in preheated 325° F. oven for 25 to 30 minutes or, place 2 to 4 quiches on microwave-safe plate & microwave on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 2 1/2 to 5 minutes or until hot.

Calories: 120 Calories from Fat: 60 Total Fat: 7 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g Cholesterol: 80 mg Sodium: 220 mg
Carbohydrates: 6 g Dietary Fiber: .5 g Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 8 g

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3

Here’s one of my favorites & easy. I promise it tastes just like potato soup. With seeded cucumbers, some water added to thin a bit & chilled, it tastes like vichyssoise.

CAULIFLOWER (Faux Potato) BISQUE

1 small cauliflower, cut into small chunks, about 20 ounces
1 small onion, diced, or leeks, chopped, 2 1/2 ounces
2 tablespoons celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 TBS dried parsley
1 TBS dried chives
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a stock pot, sauté the onion or leek & celery in the butter until tender. Add the chopped cauliflower, salt & pepper, herbs & chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low. Cover & simmer until the cauliflower is very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Pour in blender (or use a stick blender) to puree the soup until completely smooth & thick. Add the cream & mix well. Add more salt & pepper, if needed. Garnish with a bit of drived chives.

Makes about 6 servings

Per Serving: 150 Calories; 12g Fat; 5g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 3g Net Carbs

4

Both of these recipes look yummy:) Thanks for sharing…and Lucile…glad you liked the cabbage:) I cannot say how pleased I am w/ my blood sugars and weight since starting low carb. It is so nice to make yummy recipes that are healthy and know my blood sugar stability is so much improved. I have you guys to thank for that:) your encouragement and suggestions was all the push I needed to try. Will check back to see what other wonderful recipes accumulate:)

5

Ok…I have to share some ideas of how to fix one of my favorite vegetables…spaghetti squash:slight_smile:

Spaghetti squash (also called vegetable spaghetti, noodle squash, spaghetti marrow, gold string melon in JP, or fish fin melon in China) is an oblong seed-bearing variety of winter squash. The fruit can range either from ivory to yellow or orange in color or green with white streaks. Its center contains many large squash seeds. Its flesh is bright yellow, and orange or white for the latter variety. When raw, the flesh is solid and similar to other raw squash; when cooked, the flesh falls away from the fruit in ribbons or strands like spaghetti or shark’s fin (when cooked in a soup form). Spaghetti squash can be baked, boiled or steamed, and served with sauce as pasta, or used as a vegetable base for macaroni and cheese.

From experience, this squash is very easy to grow and will come up wherever birds and rodents have carried the seeds! We have had some come up in our flower garden in the front yard…often some of the most beautiful and tasty! I am never disappointed when I fix up a squash to accompany a meal…is very filling and tasty.

Creamy, Baked Spaghetti Squash With or Without Cheese:

Bake spaghetti squash halves (scoop out seeds), buttered/oiled, salt/pepper in a hot oven (350 degrees F, about 1hr)

Scoop out baked squash and mix in following ingredients:
1/2 chopped onion, 1-2 garlic cloves crushed and minced, as little milk as needed = about 1/2c (depends on size of squash), oil/melted butter, salt/pepper, 1t dried basal, 1T summary savory

put in a greased (oil) baking dish and top w/ melt-able cheese shredded or diced and mixed into squash

Bake until bubbly and top crusting:) Keep an eye on it…usually takes about 1/2 hr to 45 minutes…but, dependent on size of squash and amount of moisture. When done…remove from oven and let set about 15 minutes to set up before serving. This recipe can also be made w/o cheese and in this case add about 2t of corn starch or potato starch to the milk before adding…this will set up the dish = creamy.

1/2 cup baked squash = 5gm CHO, 1.1gm fiber, <1g Pro + other ingredients add about 1-2gms CHO (1T fresh onion = 1 gm CHO and about 1 for milk/cheese/starch)…I usually calculate about 6gms for each 1/2 cup serving…so can be a side dish (6gm) or a main dish (12gm).

Spaghetti squash contains many nutrients including folic acid, potassium, vitamin A, and beta carotene. It is also a food low in calories, averaging 75 calories in 8 cooked ounces (plain).

Enjoy:)

6

Can’t wait to try your cabbage recipe, Patricia. Sounds delish. I love cabbage. Lucile’s quiche sounds great, too.

7

Here are two more family favorites.

FRIED “RICE”

About 1/2 fresh cauliflower, grated to resemble rice
1 small onion, sliced (about 2.5 ounces)
3 tablespoons virgin olive oil or virgin coconut oil
1 TBS grated fresh ginger
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
3-4 scallions, chopped
2 TBS low sodium tamari
Toasted sesame oil

Sauté the onion in oil until just soft, not brown. Add grated cauliflower, Chinese five spice powder, garlic & ginger. Mix well. Lower heat & cook for about 10 minutes, until cauliflower is soft, but not mushy. During the last few minutes stir in tamari & a drizzle of sesame oil.

Garnish with chopped scallions. Other vegetables can be added. Bok choy works well. You can also add cooked shrimp, small pieces of cooked chicken or meat (great for leftovers).

Makes about 6 servings.

Per Serving: 5-6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 3-4g Net Carbs

MEXICAN “RICE”

About 1/2 fresh cauliflower, grated to resemble rice
1 small onion, sliced (about 2.5 ounces)
3 tablespoons olive oil or virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup salsa (check labels)
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in oil until soft, but not brown. Stir in the grated cauliflower & the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Lower heat & cook for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, stirring occasionally.

Makes about 6 servings
Per Serving: 56 Calories; 4g Fat; 1g Protein; 6-7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4-5g Net Carbs

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8

Last night I made braised bok choy(it was on sale this week) and used a modified recipe from justhungry.com (Japanese cooking site).
It uses olive oil, garlic, fresh ginger, broth, soy sauce, onions and bok choy (both cut up into chunks).
Heat up oil in pan w/ lid, throw in minced garlic and ginger (if using powder add in later w/ broth), let it cook for a minute or so and then throw in bok choy. Sautee for an additional minute or so, stirring to cover the pieces. Then add broth (used a regular bouillon cube dissolved in water). Then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Then add splash of soy sauce, garlic and pepper for flavor.
Sorry it’s not exact…

9

That sounds great!

10

How about this traditional favorite

Carbquik Veggie Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup Carbquik
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water
1 whole egg
8 oz veggie broth (1-2 veggie boulion cube in water)
16 ounces fresh cooked vegetables (I microwave bags of frozen mixed veggies)
2 tbs Carbquik
2 tbs butter

Preheat oven to 400 deg.
In a saute pan make a roux with the carbquick and butter, slowly add the veggie broth. Put veggies, cream and blended egg in bowl and pour roux over mixture. Pour mixture in pie pan. In same bowl (clean if you care, I don’t) mix 1c carbquick and 1/4 cup water forming dough. Roll dough on board out to size of pie and place over veggie mixture. Cook for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve.

About 5 g net carbs per serving.

11

Sounds yummy:) tell me what “carbquick” is. Thanks for sharing.

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I love the flavor of fresh ginger…made some potstickers once and the fresh ginger made the recipe. I will have to try this one!

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Sorry for the typos! Can always tell later when my BGs were running a little low!

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Carbquick is basically a low carb substitute for a baking mix like bisquick. It is made by Tova Industries and can be bought on-line from places like netrition for about $12/3lb box. The cup measure of carbquick used above has 46 g carbs and 42g insoluble fiber for 4 net grams of carbs compared to 78g of carbs and 3g fiber for 75 net grams of carbs for regular bisquick.

15

Brian,

Do you like the taste of Carbquick? I tried it & didn’t like it. Funky aftertaste. I threw it out.

16

Hi Patricia, thanks for sharing this and for the pix. Question: is spaghetti squash only available in the summer? I live in the UK and have never seen this before but maybe I was not looking hard enough or in the right places. I can easily find pumpkin and butternut squash but both of those are pretty carby right?

17

Ina Garten’s Stuffed Mushrooms. Will post recipe later on under Food and Nutrition. She uses them in lieu of stuffing at Thanksgiving and they do hit the spot. Baby portobellos stuffed with 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese, 6 chopped scallions, 2 minced garlic cloves, mushroom stems from mushrooms, chopped, 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage sauteed out of their casings, 1/3 cup grated parmesean cheese, and 2/3 cup panko bread crumbs. Makes 22 stuffed mushrooms. Next time, I will use more mushroom stems and less sausage (my own personal preference). Recipe from memory so will post exact amounts later. Really, really good.

18

Here is another with red cabbage.

In a heavy based casserole dish lightly fry an onion in a little oil until soft. Add finely sliced red cabbage and stir till coated, add a chopped green apple and stir till coated in oil, add a little water (or cider, or apple cider vinegar, or red wine) really only just cover the bottom of the pan with liquid, put in 180C oven for about 30 mins. Forgot to say add seasoning as desired.
This is a delicious winter dish.

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