Pork Chops Alfredo

Tried this recipe last night, and we really, really enjoyed it!


Pork Chops Alfredo

Ingredients:
2 pork chops
1 tablespoon butter
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 16-oz jar Parmesan alfredo sauce
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the chops on both sides with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
2. Melt butter and brown chops on both sides. Arrange chops in a baking dish.
3. Pour the alfredo sauce into the skillet and stir around to loosen any browned bits. Add parmesan cheese to sauce. Pour half sauce  over chops. 
4. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with low carb pasta, use the left over Alfredo sauce over the pasta.

We really enjoyed this recipe, sorry, no pictures! 

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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Italian Pork Tenderloin

I bought one of these double packs of pork tenderloins, you know the ones that you get at Sams Club and then think-- how will we ever eat it all?! But the freezer is my friend, and today I used up the rest of the pork tenderloin in a yummy "Italian" dish that all began when I read this recipe. But, since I didn't have some of the ingredients and wanted to add others-- this is what I came up with:

It's hard to photograph food... but trust me, it tasted great!

Italian Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup chopped Bacon, pre-cooked 
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp dried Sage
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning (herbs)
• 1 Tbs Sun Dried tomato paste
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 2 Tbs. Shallots, chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloins, cut into 1/2" strips
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/2 C. heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, saute bacon, sage, herbs, tomatoes, tomato paste and shallots, until the shallots are tender.
2. Mix the pork strips into the skillet, and brown about 10 minutes, turning once.
3. Remove the pork strips from the skillet. 
4. Stir the broth, wine,  and heavy cream into the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. 
5. Bring to a boil and reduce by about 1/3.
6. Add the pork back to the sauce.
7. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pork reaches a minimum temperature of 160 degrees F and sauce is thickened.

I served this with a green salad and over low carb linguine, it was very good!

nutrition for the recipe alone:

Calories 473.3   Total Fat 25.6 g       Saturated Fat 10.6 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5 g       Monounsaturated Fat 7.5 g   Cholesterol 175.8 mg   Sodium 300.0 mg   Potassium 840.4 mg   Total Carbohydrate 3.7 g       Dietary Fiber 4.5 g       Sugars 0.8 g   Protein 51.4 




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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

Baked Meatballs

I have seen various versions of this recipe. The original came from the Atkins website, but I have tweaked it to make it "mine", and I have to say that they turned out mighty tasty! I had made the recipe to the "letter" from Atkins a long time ago, and remember that they weren't very flavorful, but with my "tweaks" they surely aren't short on flavor!

BAKED MEATBALLS
1 pound ground turkey
1 pound ground pork
1 Tbs.  dried chopped onion
2 Tbs. Garli Garni
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, (I used the kind in a can)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon onion salt (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon pepper (to taste, I probably used more)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. (and I lined my baking sheet with foil)

2. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl using your fingers. Mix until the meat no long feels slimy from the eggs.

3. Shape in golf ball size meatballs and place on a large baking sheet with sides. Bake at 375� for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are done all the way through. (and I turned on the broiler once they were cooked and broiled them until they browned up a bit-- about 5 minutes).

Ready to bake

Makes about 20-30 meatballs  (I got 24)
Can be frozen

Ok, so I have to warn you that mine flattened out on the bottom-- didn't bother us any, and sure didn't impact the flavor.... here's a pic, I am sorry-- I know it's not the best.


Bake meatballs, the cheese sort of leaks out of them... oh well, if you really care you could remove it, we didn't!


I served these with a Trader Joe's spaghetti sauce (4 net carbs), shirataki noodles (1 net carb) and a salad. Very Yummy! Look for my post on  shirataki noodles for more details.

Per meatball: 92 Calories; 7g Fat; 6g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; .5g Net Carbs


Products mentioned in the post:
 Shirataki Noodles (Pack of 5)
 Garlic Festival Garli Garni - All Purpose Garlic Seasoning 2.8 Ounce

 Kraft Grated Parmesan, Reduced Fat, 8-Ounce Canister (Pack of 3)

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)

Fiesta Ground Turkey Skillet

Dinner tonight was ultimately very good. All I had planned was a salad and a chub of uncooked ground turkey! So, I had to make a plan. I found a recipe on Allrecipes.com and modified it to make it low carb. The original recipe was Fiesta Fry Pan Dinner Recipe, and by all means sounds yummy. BUT it was definitely too high in carbs. To be honest, I didn't actually measure all of the spices. We love our meals a bit spicy, and so I probably used more spices then I listed here. But the point of the recipe is to make it to your taste, and use this as a "suggestion" of ingredients... 


Fiesta Ground Turkey Skillet


Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/4 C. Chopped Onion
1 Tbs. Garli Garni (you can use garlic powder, or any form of garlic to taste)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried cilantro leaves
1 tsp. red Chile pepper (optional)
1/2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (ok, any tomatoes will work)
1 c. cooked Dreamfields Linguine


Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Cook the pasta in a separate pan according to directions if you don't have nay on hand that's already cooked.
2. Sautee the onions until they have turned transparent, add turkey and cook until no longer pink.
3. Add all the spices, tomato paste, and tomatoes, simmer for about 8-10 minutes. 
4. Add the cooked Linguine, and mix in well, and make sure the pasta is heated through. 


Serves 4
There's approximately 9 carbs per serving


We liked this one!


Products in the recipe:
Dreamfields - Low Carb Pasta - Linguine
Garlic Festival Garli Garni - All Purpose Garlic Seasoning 2.8 Ounce

Pork Capri

What to do with Ricotta Cheese when you don't want to make lasagna? This is the question that I pondered as I searched the web. I finally stumbled upon a recipe for Chicken Capri from Fatsecret.com. I thought, hmmmm.... sounds good. But, you know me-- time to tweak it to fit my ingredients at hand. Armed with ricotta cheese, and pork chops I created my own version of this recipe:


Pork Capri


1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

• 1 cup ricotta, whole milk
• 1/2 tsp Garli garni (could use garlic powder)
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion salt
• 2 tbsps virgin olive oil
• 4 pork chops (bone removed would be easiest.... but I was lazy)
• 1 cup fire roasted tomatoes, canned
• 
  
• Directions

1. In a blender or food processor, combine the ricotta with the oregano, onion salt, and pepper. Process to blend.
2. Rub the pork with the Garli  Garni . Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 1-2 minutes per side.
3. Place the pork chops, side by side, in a large baking dish and allow to cool. (I didn't really let them cool too long... we were hungry)
4. Preheat the oven to 350° F .
5. Spoon 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture and 1/4 cup tomatoes onto each pork chop. Top each pork chop with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of a pork chop registers 160 °F° F (75° C) and the juices run clear.

This recipe serves 4, and has about 6 net carbs.

 This recipe is Induction friendly! 

We loved this recipe and will definitely make it again.

Products used:

Garlic Festival Garli Garni - All Purpose Garlic Seasoning 2.8 Ounce

Pizza Pita Pockets

So, I blame this recipe on too many pizza commercials on TV! :) But, every now and then I get a craving for pizza, and my husband would eat it nearly every day if I let him! Last night was one of those nights, besides I had just received our order from netrition.com with Joseph's Middle East Bakery Low Carb Pita Pockets.... and so I went online to find a recipe. I found one from Cooks.com (here), and tweaked it to make it more "our style".

Pizza Pita Pockets

1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil

2-3 Tbs. Garli Garni
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 c. commercially prepared pizza sauce (lowest carb you can find, ours had 3 net carbs)
1/2-1 tsp. Italian seasoning (dried herbs)

1 Tbs. dried onions
1/2 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. salt (I used onion salt)
1/8 tsp. pepper

2 mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c. diced Mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 (7") pita bread (Joseph's Middle East Bakery Low Carb Pita Pockets)

In a skillet heat oil over moderate heat.  Add meat, breaking it up with a spoon. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned. Spoon off and discard any fat. Add pizza sauce, garli garni, onions, italian seasoning, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Simmer 3 minutes. Stir in cheeses; cook a few seconds, stirring constantly, until Mozzarella begins to melt; remove from heat. Cut about a 1" slice off one edge of each bread, and open the pockets. Spoon meat mixture into pita breads. Heat a nonstick skillet over moderate high heat. When hot, add stuffed pitas. Cover and heat 30 seconds longer. Serve hot. Makes 2 servings.

Served with a salad, it was a great dinner! :) I will definitely make this again!