Chicken Enchilada Sauce for Pasta

Enchilada Sauce and Pasta in the same meal?? What? No way! I was sitting here trying to plan dinner, but craving enchiladas, which is not the easiest meal to make low carb...and then it dawned on me... I have enchilada sauce, and I have low carb pasta! I bet I can make something out of that! Then I did a few searches online for enchilada pasta dishes, saw that I am not the only one out there with "interesting" tastes!


So, with ingredients I had on hand, here's what I came up with....


Chicken Enchilada Sauce (for Pasta)


Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Shallot (Onion would work, I only had shallots on hand)
• 1 tsp minced Garlic
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 Tbsp Garli Garni
• 1 19 ounce can of Enchilada Sauce 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp Splenda (our sauce needed it, because the enchilada sauce was soooo bitter)
• 2 lbs of Shredded cooked chicken (I used Pollo Asado from Costco)
• 1 Cup Shredded Cheese

Directions:

1. Dice the shallot (onion).
2. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add onions and garlic- cook until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is very fragrant. Mix in the oregano, cumin, and garli garni. 
3. Add enchilada sauce, heavy cream, lemon juice, and splenda (if you need it), stir to mix.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
5. Add chicken, and bring back to a boil, and then simmer for another 6-8 minutes.
6. Add shredded cheese, be sure not to boil it after you add the cheese. 
7. Serve over pasta with lettuce, tomato and avocado.

By my calculations this will serve 5-6 people. It has 54 net carbs total, that makes about 9-10 carbs per serving. 

Not as yummy looking as it tasted, trust me.... :)

Products for this meal:
Dreamfields Healthy Low Carb Angel Hair Pasta 13.25 oz. box
Las Palmas Enchilada Sauce, Medium, 19-Ounce Cans (Pack of 6)
Garlic Festival Garli Garni - All Purpose Garlic Seasoning 2.8 Ounce


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Ricotta, Mozzarella and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Dinner tonight was an interesting experiment in using ingredients that were readily available in my refrigerator, pantry and freezer. I got my idea for this recipe here.

Ricotta, Mozzarella and Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2-4 Tbs Garli Garni (use garlic powder, Italian herbs, and pinch of red pepper flakes if you don't have it) we like our food fairly spicy, so you have to add this to taste
• 8 spears of Asparagus, washed, trimmed
• 1/2 C. Red Wine
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/4" thick
3. Rub chicken with garli garni (spices), and salt and pepper
4. Place half of the ricotta and mozzarella  cheese on each breast (keep it in the middle)
5. Place 4 Asparagus spears on each breast
6. Fold the chicken breast over the filling, secure with toothpick(s).
7. Place chicken in baking pan, seam side down.
8. Pour the red wine over the chicken
9. Bake for about 25- 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (juices run clear, or instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F).

 Served with a big salad. Yum. 

Total Carbohydrate 5.2 g       Dietary Fiber 1.3 g = 3.9 g net carbs 

Calories: 191.8   Total Fat 7.7 g       Saturated Fat 4.5 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g       Monounsaturated Fat 2.1 g   Cholesterol 47.3 mg   Sodium 140.9 mg   Potassium 374.3 mg

Low Carb Fried Chicken!! {Yummy}

Ok, I know... Fried Chicken and low carb in the same sentence? No way, but it's true!! Thanks to the product, Carbquick! I toyed with the idea of using almond flour, hazelnut flour.... and finally settled on using the Carbquick.

My husband loved this dinner, served up with some Cheesy mashed turnips.... (recipe here), and a big salad! 

Low Carb Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cut into smaller about 3 or 4 pieces per breast

1 egg

Heavy Cream

Frying Oil (I used a mix of olive oil and coconut oil)

Garli Garni

1 Cup Carbquik

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons onion salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder


Directions:
1. Rub garli garni on chicken breast pieces.
2. Beat egg and a splash of heavy cream in a shallow bowl or dish, set aside
3. In a medium bowl mix 1 cup of carbquik with all of the spices.
4. Heat the oil on medium heat.
5. As the oil heats up, coat the chicken with the egg mixture, and then dredge chicken in the Carbquik mixture
6. Put chicken pieces in the hot oil, cook until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. (about 15 minutes)
7. Drain on paper towels.
8. Put the cooked chicken in a warm oven until it's all cooked, and then serve!

Couple of tips:
- I used 1 cup of carbquik, but it did not all get used-- so if you want, you could reduce it by about 1/4 a cup.
- Also, I used a bit extra on spices in our mix. We like spicy food, so I usually add more.

Net carbs: for approximately 2 net carbs for 1 chicken breast (3-4 pieces)


Products used:
Carbquik Baking Mix
Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 15-Ounce Tubs (Pack of 2)