Smokey chicken casserole

We had roast chicken on Sunday so used this recipe from Erica for the leftovers, it is fast and really tasty.  You could also use a pre-cooked BBQ chicken to make it even quicker for a mid week dinner on the run.

•  a large roast chicken chopped into bite sized pieces
• 2 leeks sliced
• 1 red onion
• 200gm bacon (diced)
• various fresh and dried herbs (I used oragano, basil, garlic powder and black pepper)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs beaten
• 3 handfuls of grated tasty cheese

Place the sliced leeks and onion in a fry pan with a bit of coconut oil and fry to soften, then cook the diced bacon.  Move to a large bowl and add the herbs, a couple of handfuls of the cheese and chicken.  In a small bowl beat the eggs then mix in the sour cream until well combined.  Pour into the large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Place the mixture in a large lasagne pan, sprinkle with a handful of cheese.  Bake 30 minutes at 180c by which time it should be a lovely golden brown.  Serve with a green salad or selection of vegetables.

 

An excuse to eat prawns and avocado

I was told today you can’t do a quick dinner on the run and get out the door on time on a low carb plan – well HA! this recipe proves not only can you do it but you can get a cool arty photo on the way out the door! Don’t you love how the sky reflects on the window above my shiny marble benchtop (and how cool – did you also know you can’t see how smudgy your bench top is in a photo).

So here you go, grab an avocado from the bowl, peel, scoop and mush. Finely chop an onion, a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatos, a bit of capsicum you find in the fridge, some extra spicy tabasco and a bit of chunky ground black pepper – mix it all together and spoon onto a plate. Wash and dry 150g of defrosted frozen prawns per person and place onto the serve of the guacamole.

Now hurry up and enjoy or you really will be late ….

 

Megans Asian Pork Salad

This recipe came from my friend Megan, after a bit of confusion given she has know me for 17 years and I haven’t eaten pork, or any meat other than fish or chicken breast for 25 years.

I respect anyone choice to be vegetarian, I was myself for many years before adding fish and chicken back to my diet but that way or eating is no longer working for me.   After several years of annemia and being almost permanently depleted in iron and B12 no matter how carefully I manage my diet I have decided to accept it and begin the slow and fairly unpleasant process of convincing my body to accept meat again.

I needed to start with something that didn’t look or taste too much like what it was and this salad is tasty and nutritious.

• Trim pork fillet flattened and cut into thin strips
• 3T mango and ginger jam (or apricot will work, something without sugar and any preservatives if you can)
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2t curry paste
• 2t fresh giner
• 2T soy sauce
• 1T lemon juice

Mix the last 5 ingredients well and let the pork marinade in it for at least 2 hours (overnight is best)

Looking at the instructions now I was meant to bake it in a moderate oven for 45 minutes but we just cooked it in the frypan until pork was cooked.

Place pork on prepared green salad (

 

Honey Mustard Vinaigrette

With the honey it isn’t truly low carb but it does meet the criteria of no numbers or frankenfoods (artificial additives, colours, flavours, preservatives or thickeners).

This is one of my Mums recipes and is a great dressing on lightly steamed asparagus and green beans which are in season right now.

• 2T while balsamic vinegar
• 1T wholegrain mustard
• 2t honey
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Use a balloon whisk to gradually whisk in the oil until well combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.

 

Online cooking videos for low carbers

I found the Eating Low recipe video site a while ago but hadn’t been back to take a look for a couple of months. Amy’s site is looking great, no traces of Kimkins affiliation there now and there are a heap of new recipes with the ingredients lists on the recipe page rather than having to scribble it down. They are great ’starter’ recipes for inspiration and you can add and substitute based on what you fancy and what you have on hand.

Tonight we had a broad interpretation of the Hearty Chicken Chilli made with fresh ingredients and herbs to replace the tinned tomato mix and a heap of mushrooms. With some guacamole and cheese it was absolutely divine and I (hardly) missed the taco!

You can check out Amys recipes on Eating Low here.

 

Low carbers baking mix

In a lot of the low carb recipes books and forums from the USA they require Atkins bake mix which I can’t get locally so I’ve been wondering what it is exactly.

I found this recipe online today and apparently it’s a good substitute and works out at 3 carbs for half a cup. I haven’t tried it out yet but I’ll pick up some soy flour in the next shop and thought I’d have a go at some pancakes.

• 1 cup soy flour
• 2 cups soy protein isolate
• 2 T baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 2 T splenda

You then just sift it all together and store in an airtight container and use in place of Bake-Mix.

 

Mango Chicken

Mango’s are really plentiful and pretty cheap fruit here in Queensland at this time of year, although they are a little higher in carb than some other fruit they are delicious and nutritious, full of vitamins and fibre. Here’s a recipe for a change to your chicken, I like this with just some salad or vegetables but if you wanted you could serve it on rice.

Ingredients:

• 2 skinned & boned chicken breasts
  2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 mangoes, peeled, and chopped into chunks
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 60ml pineapple juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp fresh crushed ginger
• 1 capsicum, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• A little salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Combine soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, and ginger in a separate bowl.
2. Heat oil in wok or large frypan.
3. Cut chicken into 2-3cm cubes and brown in oil.
4. Add capsicum and almonds to wok and stir fry until slightly tender.
5. Add soy sauce mixture to wok and stir until thoroughly heated.
6. Reduce heat and add sliced mangos, salt and pepper. Stir only gently so the mango doesn’t get crushed or squashed.

 

Coconut coated chicken

For dinner tonight I made a style of chicken that I’ve come across in quite a few low carb forums, sites and books. In place of breadcrumbs dried cococunt flakes are used as the coating. It has a divine flavour and keeps the chicken really moist.

• 500g chicken breast sliced into thick strips or chicken tenders
• 1 egg
• Coconut flakes (I used the dessicated but still slight moist coconut flakes but I am sure any would work)
• Moroccan spices (cumin, ginger, coriander, cayenne, cloves, allspice and pepper)
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Wash and dry the chicken and moisten in the beaten egg. Blend the coconut and spices and dip the chicken into that, it doesn’t matter if it isn’t totally coated, just aim for a good even coating. Place into a baking dish (I lined it with baking paper for easy cleanup) then pour the melted butter evenly over the chicken.

Place in an over heated to 180c and bake for 30 minutes turning once.

 

A variation on mushroom pizza

Inspired by the Kimkins Portabello Pizza recipe but limited by what is left in my cupboards in the lead up to the move we made these for lunch today. They turned out really well, yummy and full of nutrients. You can add a green salad for a more substantial meal but these are quite filling and the mushrooms are a good source of vitamin B12, niacin and folate.

Ingedients

• four large portabello mushrooms
• red capsicum
• onion
• tomato
• low fat chicken bacon
• low fat cheddar cheese ( I use the weight watchers one)
• hummus (love the extra garlic one)
• herbs and seasonings to taste.

Remove the stalk from the mushroom and chop finely, along with capsicum. Cook bacon and onion and also chop finely. Mix ingredients with small amount of hummus to bind and season to taste.

Grill the mushrooms ‘bottoms up’ for 4 minutes, tops up for 3 minutes – then remove from grill and fill with stuffing mix. Sprinkle small amount of grated cheese on top and put back under the grill for another minute or two until bubbling.

Add fresh herbs or additional seasoning and serve.

 

Zucchini Pancakes

Some weeks I can eat salad after salad and it doesn’t bother me, other times, particularly when it is cold wet and miserable like it is in Auckland at the moment I need my vegetables to be interesting to stop me being tempted to eat other less nutritional carbs.

I found this recipe in an old Kimkin’s newsletter – she calls them latke’s after the crispy potato pancake that Jewish families enjoy at Hannakah. The zucchini version are not as crispy but definitely healthier and still very yummy. I think they make a good lunch option with a bit of salad or other cooked vegetables but the original recipe also suggests them as a breakfast alternative.

I collect recipes from a variety of places and haven’t been on the Kimkins plan but if you are wondering it is a low fat, low carb plan similar to the South Beach diet or Atkins. Their recipes are generally tasty and interesting.

Herbed Zucchini Pancakes

• 2 zucchini, grated & squeezed dry
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1/4 t salt & pepper
• Splash Tabasco (optional)
• Chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Mix all ingredients well, let sit for a few minutes for flavors to mingle. Heat nonstick frypan on medium, spray with cooking spray (or wipe with olive oil). Drop zucchini mixture in by large tablespoon fulls and cook until set & lightly browned (5-6 minutes), flip and cook 3-4 minutes on reverse.