Eggplant Lasagna

As a low carber one of the types of foods we may lament over is pasta dishes. Our very favorite place to spend time away from home is Italy. I've told you already about Mark's favorite meal of all being meatloaf, well neck and neck with that is LASAGNA.... so I had to join the ranks of coming up with a great noodleless make over. I have made several versions of lasagna that were good but when we sat down to this one..... heaven opened, a great light shown, and angels sang!!! ok, ok I'm back.
 I love it when recreating a dish comes out with nothing lacking from the original version. This recipe I developed from merging several others together.
 I think what made a big difference here is I found a great marinara sauce at Wholefoods that is SF, GF, and very LC.
 Rao's Homemade Vodka Sauce. It is kind of like a pink sauce instead of the dark red. I'm sure you can add a little cream or sour cream to another jarred sauce to get the same effect. It simply softened the flavor a bit which added to that velvety feel.
The best thing about lasagna is not just the flavor but those layers that meld together and give that luscious feel in your mouth. I can feel it even now.
You will get every bit of that and seriously, if you did not know there was not a noodle in this dish, it would simply be the best lasagna recipe without question all on it's own. You will never have to apologize with this dish that it does not have the beloved noodle in it. You will only get oooooz and ahhhzzz!!
As with almost any casserole dishe, the leftovers the next day are actually the best, so make extra. Mark and I actually had the leftovers for breakfast. Did I say we are also kinda weird. Now you have it.


China worthy

Ingredients:
2 lg eggplants, 1/2 slices
  olive oil spray
2 cps mozzarella cheese-shredded-(to top it off at end)

Sauce
1 lb ground chicken thighs
2 tsp dried fennel
1/2 lg white onion-diced
12 oz crimini mushrooms
2 24oz jars marinara sauce
1/4 cp red wine
1 TBS garlic powder
1TBS onion powder
1 TBS Italian seasoning
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp crushed red pepper




Ricotta Mixture:
1 15oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cp Parmesan/Romano cheese
1 cp mozzarella cheese
3 lg eggs
3 TBS fresh basil-chopped
 salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven 400

• Add fennel to ground chicken. Squish with hands to blend well. In a sauce pan brown meat, 1/2 way through add onion. Add the marinara sauce and all of the rest of the sauce ingredients. Simmer while making the rest of the dish.
• Slice eggplant in 1/2" slices. Easiest with a mandolin slicer. Sprinkle eggplant with salt & pepper. Spray both sides with olive oil spray. Place in 2 large baking sheets and bake until soft 10-15 min. Turn slices halfway through.
• In bowl combine all ricotta mixture ingredients.



Pike Place Market Eggplant

• Lower oven temp to 350.
• In 9x13 baking dish spread pasta sauce on bottom. Layer eggplant, ricotta mixture. Repeat. Finish with a layer of eggplant & sauce and top with a layer of mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Take off foil. Bake another 20-30 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes or more to set up.  

Adapted from: A Pinch of Salt and verious other recipes over the years

Meetballs over Sauted Cabbage

Spaghetti is one of my husband's favorite meals. When you add meatballs...he wants to marry me all over again. When I want him to know he's still #1 in my book I whip out Spaghetti with meatballs or Meatloaf. Since we have been doing a LC lifestyle I have to be more creative and still get the same effect.
I was thrilled as could be when I gave Lisa's 
"Meatballs Roma" a try out of her 24/7 Low Carb Diner Plan E-book. I purchased it some time ago and have been enjoying cooking and tweaking may way through it. I printed it out, put each page into plastic sleeves and binder. If you don't know how to get started on a Low Carb lifestyle, Lisa's E-book is a great way to launch and the recipes are common daily food that are converted to Low Carb...Five Stars from my family.
Of course I tweaked Lisa's amazing recipe a bit just because I can't control myself....

I serve the Meatballs over "Sauteed Cabbage". This is so great that you will never miss the pasta... really!!!!
Ingredients

Meatballs
1 1/2 Italian sausage-bulk
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup dry minced
1 cup Parmesan Cheese (the can)
2 eggs
 Sauce
1 15oz can tomato sauce
2/3 cup water
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup equivalent sweetener of choice (Splenda, Swerve, Zsweet)
 Preparation: In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Get right in there with your hands. Make into meatballs, (I make ping pong ball size).
Bake 375 for 20-25 mins.
 While meatballs are cooking, make sauce by adding all ingredients into a sauce pan and simmer on low until meatballs are done.

*Lisa's version of this makes twice as much and then you are able to serve now and freeze some for later. I have done this many times and it freezes great.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Bacon & Leek

I have to tell you that this soup makes the most AMAZING base for a cream soup. All by it's self it was a classy hit even for company. Statements like...."this could be on any high priced restaurant menu". But when you begin messin with it and adding this or that.... it morphs into a completely new wonderful delight.
I have made cream of cauliflower soup many, many times but I must say none has ever tasted as amazing as this one. I think the difference is that it is simmered for 90min on the stove before trying to blend it all together.     
WHAT A DIFFERENCE.
I have now made it 3 times and I made enough to be eaten for several meals. Each time I cook the left over soup, I make a different variation of it by adding various things.

I love using finishing oils and salts. Just before serving I add a drizzle of oil such as Lime Olive Oil and a couple pinches of finishing salt such as Smoked Garlic Sea Salt. OVER THE TOP. Fun to experiment.

Now these finishing oils and salts are not cheap by any means but just a few drops and pinches turns a good homey food into an exquisite chefs gourmet special.

Have I said we loved this soup????? I think you get the picture.

I have loved cream soups especially with cheese. Many however usually use some sort of high carb thickener to get that thick creamy feel. This one does not need any at all and has the most creamy thick consistency.

Ingredients
2 cps chicken broth
1 lg  head cauliflower-cut in large pieces
1 stalk celery, chunks
1 carrot-chunks
1 lg onion-chunks
1 cp whole cream
1 cp water-or more to desired thickness
1 1/2 cp shredded cheddar cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

garnishes: finishing oils/salts of your choice, crisp bacon, thin sliced leek, parsley,
optional: bacon,broccoli, kielbasa
                          the options are limitless

Bacon & Broccoli

Preparation: Add all ingredients except cream, cheese and water to a large pan. Bring to a boil and turn down to a low simmer for 90 mins. Ladle mixture into blender and process until very smooth. (May need to do this in 2 batches).
Return pureed mixture into saucepan and stir in cream and water to desired consistency. When hot stir in cheese.

 I have added bacon, broccoli, mini meatballs, kielbasa. All were amazing.

adapted from: framedcooks.com

Cheesy Zucchini Squash Casserole

After saute, before oven & cheese topping........Beautiful!!

 I grew up on a ranch/farm in WA state. Had lots of   horses (rode in rodeo's with my sisters). We also raised our own beef, pork, chickens etc.... so of course grew our own vegetables. I remember the hours weeding and tending the garden which at that age was not my idea of fun but so appreciate the benefits of now. I recently remembered one of my father's favorite dishes my mother used to make and since I had my mother and father over for dinner last night I made her famous zucchini squash casserole. Anyone who grows a garden and plants zucchini or squash knows that you end up with enough to feed a small country.

Very meaty, amazing flavor

Since my mother is in her golden years now and is not cooking much these days it was a real treat for them to enjoy a regular from the past we had almost forgotten about. It will now be a regular again breaking out of the archives.
My mother always added water chestnuts or bamboo shoots for a bit of crunch that we loved. I just happened to have water chestnuts in the pantry however I will from now on replace it with bamboo shoots which are much more carb friendly.
              (1/2 cp Water Chestnuts 8.7g/Bamboo Shoots 2.1g)
We have worked to eliminate nitrates and nitrites from our diet so I have been using Trader Joe's Uncured Bacon Ends for all of my bacon seasoning.

Zucchini Casserole with BBQ Smoked Pork Chop
& Cucumber Salad

 Ingredients
1 pkg Trader Joe's Uncured Bacon Ends
6 cps zucchini/squash-sliced
1 Lg white onion- lg chop
2 cans Bamboo Shoots-drained
1 15oz can diced tomatoes-drained
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cps shredded cheese
   
Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°. I use a dutch oven so I can saute and bake in the same cookware. Cut bacon into bite size pieces. Cook on med/low in skillet until cooked but not brown. Drain off a bit of the drippings if necessary, (it will depend on how lean your bacon ends are). Add onion and saute to just before softened.  Add sliced zucchini and all other ingredients except cheese and toss. Bake covered for 30 min. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the casserole. Bake, uncovered until melted.
option: add mushrooms,
Serves 6 to 8.

Vietnamese Pho Soup

Chicken Pho Soup

We used to live in Bellevue, WA where not far from our home was the most fabulous Vietnamese restaurant. We frequented it often or called in the big order for Chicken Pho Soup.
Now that we have moved to the desert and not one Vietnamese restaurant in town I went on the hunt to recreate it. After pouring over recipe after recipe and making many batches I found what is the closest to our favorite restaurant. Adapted from: steamykitchen.com. Great site with lots of delicious healthy dishes.
For us LCing, we do not use the noodles, we add LOTS of bean sprouts to our bowl of hot soup. You'll never miss the noodles.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
1 med onion-cut in half (char-see below)
3-inches of ginger-unpeeled (char-see below)

 Broth Spices
2 tbl whole coriander
4 tbl whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 tbl Splenda or sweetener of choice
2 tbl fish sauce 
small bunch cilantro- stems only-tie in bunch

Accompaniments at table
6 cups bean sprouts
4 large sprigs of fresh basil
1 jalapeno, sliced
cilantro tops-leaves and tender stems
1/2 cup shaved red onions
1/2 lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha hot sauce- add to taste
Hoisin Sauce-add to taste
 

As I began to cook this, I thought I would skip this 1st step as most of the other Pho recipes I read did not included it however I  the others I tried did not quite taste like what I remembered. So I grudgingly did it..... I think this is what made it the winner.

•  Place ginger and onion on baking sheet. 4" from the heating element. Set to broil on high 15 minutes. Turn them over a couple of times to char. The skin will get dark and the onion/ ginger will get soft. Let cool, rub to get charred skin off the onion.    
  Use a butter knife to scrape the skin off the ginger. Slice ginger into thick slices. 
• In a large stockpot, fill with water and boil. With a sharp cleaver, carve the chicken breast meat off and reserve. With the rest of chicken whacking hard through the bones to get sections about 3″ big. The more bone that is exposed, the more marrow that gets in the broth (translation: rich, flavorful). You can even whack several places along the bone just to expose more marrow. When the water boils, add chicken sections (not breast) and boil on high for 5 minutes. You’ll see lots of foam and “stuff’ come up to the surface. Drain, rinse your chicken of the scum and wash your pot thoroughly. Refill with about 4 quarts of clean, cold water.
• Add chicken, chicken breast meat, onion, ginger and all of "Broth Spices" in the pot and cover. Turn heat to high – let it come to boil, then immediately turn heat to low. Prop lid up so that steam can
  escape. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken breasts, shred with your fingers when cooled and set aside (you’ll serve shredded chicken breast with the finished soup). With a large spoon, skim the surface of any impurities in the broth. Skimming every 20 minutes ensures a clear broth. Simmer a total of 1-1/2 hours. Taste and adjust seasoning with more fish sauce and or sweetener.
• Strain the broth, discard solids. Add shredded chicken breast and ladle broth to into each bowl.
  Have accompaniments set at table for each person to add to their bowl. 
  Serves 4

Stuffed Peppers



My husband loves meatloaf. When I say "loves" meatloaf....he can have anything he wants for his birthday. He can go anywhere, order anything or I will make whatever he wishes....you guessed it, meatloaf at home with all the kids and grand kids is his request. So, now that he is eating low carb along with me (he's lost 20lbs, yeah Mark) he is willing to allow me to tweak my meatloaf a bit. Of course not for the big birthday dinner. Tonight I am taking my basic meatloaf to stuff peppers. Instead of the usual oatmeal I would normally put in my meatloaf, I am replacing it with Quinoa.

Quinoa-the Gold of the Inca's

Ingredients

4-5 peppers (I like red or orange)
1 lb ground chuck or beef
1 1/2 cp cooked Quinoa (I cook it with broth instead of water for more flavor)
1 TBS olive oil1 Lg rib celery-finely chopped
1/2 med onion-finely chopped2 garlic cloves-finely chopped

4 oz.crimini mushrooms-trimmed & chopped
1/4 cp fresh flat leaf parsley-chopped
2 TBS Worcestershire
2 Eggs-beat
½ tsp pepper, salt

1Tbs Better than Bullion (or similar)
1/2 cp vegetable or chicken stock (can use water)
¼ cp dehydrated onions
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 tsp granulated onion
Sugar Free Ketchup
Sesame Seeds


Preheat oven to 350°. Cook quinoa according to package. Let cool.
Saute celery, onion, garlic & mushrooms in olive oil just until tender. Let cool. Combine all ingredients except ketchup and sesame seeds and mix well (con, de-bling and use your hands). Cut tops & clean out seeds of peppers. Fill peppers with meat quinoa mixture. Arrange in baking dish. Pour 1 cp wat er or broth in bottom of dish. Bake fore 35-45 minutes depending on pepper size. Baste tops with ketchup and sprinkle with sesame seeds half way through.

Chicken Quinoa Tabouli

I have been using Quinoa (keen-wah) now for sometime in place of grains. Although, it is not a grain as most of us thought at one time, and actually says "grain" on many packages you buy. It is a seed closely related to the beet and spinach family. Quinoa substitutes nicely for many diverse recipes that call for grain.
   Quinoa-the Gold of the Inca's          Quinoa is 100% gluten-free. If you are allergic to wheat or if you’ve been diagnosed gluten-intolerant, then quinoa is an ideal substitute.

For those of us keeping tight control on our blood sugar, even though quinoa is not low in carbohydrates it is low on the glycemic index because it will not spike most Type 2 diabetics blood sugar. It assimilates at such a slower rate than grains that it causes sugar to be released at a lower rate into the blood thus keeping it level. Of course it is always prudent to test after eating it with your meter to see it's effect on you personally.

I have found that I can eat 1/2 cup as a hot breakfast cereal and not have any spikes.
There are so many reasons to incorporate quinoa into your diet. In ancient times it was referred to as "the gold of the Incas," Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. It is a true Superfood. More on Quinoa here.

Leave chicken out for a side salad

Ingredients
2 cps cooked & chilled Quinoa
2 cps Chicken Breast-shredded*
1 cp Parsley-chopped
1/2 cup Leeks (or scallions)
2 TBS fresh Mint-chopped (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Garlic Clove, minced or pressed
1 TBS fresh Basil-minced  (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/2 cp fresh Lemon Juice
1/4  cp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I love to use Basil Olive Oil)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper
1/2 cp slivered toasted Almonds
Toss all ingredients except almonds together. Chill for 1 hour. Toss in almonds when ready to serve.
Serves 6.
Adapted from: Bob's Red Mill Recipes
*Leave out Chicken for a fresh, lighter side salad.

Jalapeno Deviled Eggs

   

 

 

Bite you Back Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

6 Hard Boiled Eggs
1/4 cp mayo
2 TBS minced black olives
2 TBS minced leeks-white part
2 Tbs minced jalapeno
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Cayenne pepper for garnish

Hard Boil Eggs. Instructions here.....
Cut eggs in half, remove yolks into bowl. Mash with a fork and add all other ingredients. Mix well. Fill eggs with yolk mixture. Garnish with sprinkled cayenne pepper.

Bradley Smoked Steelhead

The Bradley Smoker is a family member around the Carpenter house.
Smoked Steelhead is invited regularly.

Ingredients
2-4 lbs steelhead fillet
Marinade
3 cps soy sauce
2 Tbs crushed garlic
1/4 cp olive oil
3 Tbs brown sugar substitute (I use LC-Sweet Brown Non-Sugar Sweetener)

Marinade steelhead skin side up for at least 1hr. Place on rack.

Marinating 1 to 2 hrs

Smoker
Smoke with your favorite smoke puck for 2 hours. Our favorite so far is Alder or Mesquite.

Or in the Oven:
Preheat oven to 325° . Wrap steelhead  in foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
Optional: lay thin sliced onions and lemon on steel head prior to wrapping in foil.

Nut, Flax Seed Granola

Easy to make and easy to travel with. We take this all over the world in a big Ziploc and never get caught without a great LC snack on the plane or breakfast on the run

Ingredients
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sliced almonds1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 Tbs virgin coconut oil
1 cup flax seeds
3 tps cinnamon
2 TBS vanilla  or maple extract
2 Tbs Sugar Free Syrup (of your choice..maple, praline, vanilla)
1 Tbs equivalent sweeter of your choice (Truvia, Stevia or Splenda)

 Mix all ingredients together. (add flax seed at the end so it gets evenly distributed and does not end up all on the bottom. The liquids and oil will help to hold it). Pour into a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 325° for  20/30 minutes, stir every 5 or 10 minutes. This can brown quickly so check it often. 
Great with greek yogurt.
6 cups
I have been making this recipe for years, however I do not know where I originally adapted it from.

Crispy Brussel Sprouts

Not Yo Mama's  Brussel Sprouts!!!
Special order and I'll pay extra.

Ingredients

1 lb brussel sprouts
2 Tbs olive oil
1Tbs Balsamic
1/2 Tbs Montreal Chicken Seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
1 Tbs Almond Meal
1/2 cp shredded Parmesan cheese

Works best in a cast iron skillet, however a non stick will work as well.

Pre heat oven to 350°.
Clean, stem and half brussel sprouts (quarter if they are very large). Keeping clean leaves that may fall off.

Place into bowl including loose leaves. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the rest of the ingredients except the Parmesan cheese, stir carefully as to not create more loose leaves. Get cast iron skillet hot and add brussel sprouts. Cook until extra brown (charred) then turn making sure each one gets turned to char on other side. Add loose leaves 1/2 way through. Transfer to a cookie sheet and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cook until cheese is browned and brussel sprouts are crispy 15 to 20 minutes. 
Enjoy

LC Almond Bread

The best Almond Bread. Toasts great for little open face bites.
Shown with fabulous chicken salad. (recipe coming soon).

Ingredients

Wet
3 Eggs
1/4 cup of Water
1/2 teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Dry
2 1/2 cups of Almond Flour
1 Tbs Baking Powder
         cont.....
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

For bread machine.....
(follow placement of ingredients per your bread machine, most place wet ingredients first)
Mix egg mixture with fork, place in bread pan, add rest of wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients.
Set bread machine on cake setting. It will mix and cook. Could not be easier.

If not using bread machine.....
Combine ingredients in a large bowl and mix until blended. Lightly grease loaf pan.
Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake at 325° for 45 minutes, a toothpick inserted into the bread
should come out clean.

Stuffed Mushrooms

A holiday tradition at our home... although great any time

Ingredients

5 dz lg mushrooms
1 bunch green onions
1 lb. breakfast sausage
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese

1/8 tsp. red chili's (or more to taste)

Remove & cut up stems. Slice green onions including green ends.
Fry up sausage. Add mushroom stem pieces 1/2 way through.
Finish frying until sausage is done. Drain grease, let cool.
In a bowl, mix cooked sausage mixture with the cream
cheese. Add green onions and mix together.

Stuff mushroom caps with mixture. Bake on cookie sheet at 325°for 20 to 30 minutes, until brown.

*Can be made the night before then bake when ready to serve.