Savory Bok Choy soup

©2012 Dawn Gagnon Photography

Boy Choy is loaded with health benefits and so easy to prepare. It is an ideal side dish but also a tasty and light soup as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of Bok Choy chopped
• 3 cups of low sodium beef stock
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 1/2 cups of diced mushrooms
• 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3-4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 package of bacon (you can also use diced pancetta) cut into two inch lengths

Instructions:

In one large skillet  saute bacon and drain on a towel leaving a small amount of bacon fat in the pan then saute onion and mushrooms. Cook until onions and mushrooms are tender. While pan is  hotm add beef stock and add all of the remaining ingredients: Bok Choy, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and red pepper flakes. Cover pan and let simmer until Bok Choy is translucent. Serve in bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. This soup tastes great with toasted french bread. Enjoy~

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Broccoli Chowder

If you're always looking for new and tasty soups to try while watching your carbs this recipe is relatively low in carbs and big on taste. It can be a great base as well for other stews like chicken and beef as well. Simply add to a blender and puree and add to any chicken or beef stew you have brewing.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

    2 cups carrots peeled and sliced                                
    2 cups water                                                   
    2 cups chicken cooked diced                                
    1 1/2 cups chicken broth                            
    1 pound broccoli fresh stems pared and cut in 1/2 -inch slices 
    1/2 cup onions finely minced                                  
    1 teaspoon salt                                                
    1/2 cup cream of chicken condensed soup                                  
    2 cups milk                                                    
    1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Combine carrots, water, chicken, broth, broccoli, onion, and salt in a saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add in Cream of chicken soup slowly add in milk. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until ready to serve. Top with cheese. You can add many different types of cheese, you're only limited by your imagination.

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Broccoli and Cheese soup

If you love broccoli and cheese you'll love this creamy low carb soup that is great for lunch time in the Spring. Try adding in different cheeses and spices to get a different flavor for your soup.
This recipe serves about 8. The carb count is around 10 grams per serving.


Ingredients:
    1/4 cup onions coarsely chopped                
    1 tablespoon margarine
    3 cups chicken bouillon                       
    2 cups iceberg lettuce chopped                
    1 10-ounce package frozen chopped broccoli  (you can use fresh too)
    1 cup of sharp shredded cheddar cheese        
    1/8 teaspoon black pepper                     
     Seasonings (your choice, see suggestions)
                                                     

In a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, sauté onion in margarine for a few minutes until the onions become translucent and soft.

Add chicken bouillon, lettuce, broccoli and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for around 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.

Add in shredded cheese and stir until melted.

Using a blender, take half of your batch and blend at the highest speed on your blender so that soup is pureed. Repeat with the remaining half.
You may need to reheat this soup once it has been blended.

Serving suggestions:
Add your choice of spices and herbs. Goes well with minced parsley, garlic powder, chives, and low carb bread croutons. A dash of red pepper flakes will give it a kick if added while cooking  the broccoli.

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Whats for supper? Pork cutlets in an apple onion soy reduction

Image via WikipediaWell, we all know the holidays are coming up and that means super rich foods that are so tasty and unfortunately fattening so I am trying my best to eat light and lean so that I can indulge a little when Thanksgiving rolls around.
Tonight I thought of a reasonably healthy and tasty supper. This is the low carb kitchen but it doesn't mean every meal is strictly low carb, it does mean however, they will be fewer calories in general and healthier. This meal is simple and comes to mind.

What I made..

Lean braised pork cutlets with a Macintosh apple, onion and soy sauce reduction
Pasta
Vegetable medley

Well this is a simple tasty meal for the family. Simply season your cutlets on both sides, place seasoned side down in a skillet and brown both sides. Remove from pan once browned, but not fully cooked through and set aside briefly.
Chop and dice one large onion, and core and chop two medium sized Macintosh apples.  You can peel your Macintosh apples if you like, but I left the skin on, I like the extra fiber and texture. Saute the onions and Macintosh apples in the same skillet. Add a small amount of liquid to coax the flavor from the bottom of the pan and let apples and onions simmer. When they are almost tender, add two to three tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce and add back into the pan the cutlets and finish cooking for an additional ten minutes. While the cutlets simmer, prepare pasta to directions on the box, I use Dreamfield's Low Carb pasta.

The veggie medley can be whatever you have on hand, I prefer fresh squash, zucchini and carrots, however, use frozen if you have to. Both are delicious.
Once your cutlets are thoroughly cooked, place on a clean platter, and add a couple of tablespoons of margarine to the apple soy reduction. If it needs a little more liquid, apple cider or water can be used but a reduction is about intensifying the flavor not watering it down so use only a little.

The reduction tastes wonderful spooned over the cutlets which can be sat on top of the pasta, and the colorful vegetable medley makes this a nice tasty, healthy meal.

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Reduced Carb Southern fried chicken

Image via Wikipedia

If there is one thing Southerners are known for it is our southern fried chicken. There is no family reunion, church function or Sunday dinner that doesn't have this wonderful feast for the senses. The savory crunch, and juicy tender meat with just the right spices will guarantee a full house on any event where food is served.
There are a lot of different versions and recipes for fried chicken.Some use buttermilk, some use egg and flour. The simplest way is the southern way. That being said, we all know that fried anything isn't particularly healthy. Trying to find the right taste, without the extra carbs and fat is a real challenge.
Here's a version that is lower in fat and carbs, but still retains most of the great flavors we all love in fried chicken. Now if Colonel Sanders would get a clue, we'd all be happy? Right? Try this next time you have a craving for fried chicken and see if you can taste the healthy difference? If you can't that is a good thing. 

Ingredients:

 
Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts
Seasoned salt
Paprika-smoked
Onion powder
Pepper
dash of Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups Canola oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup soy flour

Step one:
In heavy deep skillet, (cast iron is the best for frying chicken), heat oil to the point that a drop of water snaps or a little flour dropped in browns with out burning.

Step two:
Season rinsed and dried chicken breasts with seasoned salt,paprika, black pepper and a little Cayenne if you like spicy fried chicken.

Step three:
Once chicken is seasoned, place into a plastic bag, or even a paper bag filled with the all purpose flour and the soy flour. Shake thoroughly so that every piece is well coated.

Step four:
Add the chicken to the oil. Cook thoroughly, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. Boneless skinless chicken cooks quickly so keep an eye on it and don't neglect.
You save calories, fat and carbs by using lean chicken, less all purpose flour, blended with soy which is much healthier.

 

 

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How to Make Healthier Spaghetti

Image via Wikipedia

Healthy Spaghetti is just as delicious as the traditional version...
This spaghetti recipe has all the flavor of regular spaghetti with a lot less guilt. Using canned crushed tomatoes instead of store brand sauces, low carb pasta, and low sodium condiments make this a healthier choice.

Things You'll Need:
 
* 1-2 tbsp. Basil
* 1 tbsp. Oregano
* 1 tsp. Garlic powder
* 1 tsp. Onion powder
* 2 tbsp. Low sodium soy sauce
* 1 13.25 oz. box of Dreamfield's Spaghetti Pasta
* 3-4 lbs. of lean ground beef or ground turkey
* 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
* 2 15 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
* 1/2 of a large onion diced
* 1-2 cups of diced Portabella mushrooms
* 2 tsp hot sauce
* several cloves of garlic (minced)
* 1 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1 tbsp. Paprika
* 1 large diced bell pepper
* ground black pepper to taste
* 2 large pots, or one large skillet and one large Dutch oven
* Low fat Parmesan cheese

1.

In either a large skillet or pot, brown your ground beef or turkey. Add all diced veggies and spices. Once your meat has been thoroughly browned, drain all fat. To remove up to an additional 30% of the fat in the meat, you can leave it in a strainer, put the strainer over a large pot and rinse thoroughly with hot water. This practice removes most left over grease from the meat. If you choose to do this, wait to add your spices until after this is done. Set meat aside, and discard grease.

2.

In a large Dutch oven fill up to two thirds of the way with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add Dreamfield's Low Carb Spaghetti to the pot and cook for 9-10 minutes. Add a little Olive oil to the water to prevent over boiling and to keep pasta from sticking. Stir frequently to keep noodles separate as well. I like to break my spaghetti noodles in half before adding to the water so that they fit into the pot better and a little less messy when eating. Dreamfields Pasta has only 5 grams of digestible carbs per serving. Compared to regular pasta.

3.

Return your meat to the skillet, and add your diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes and heat through allowing to simmer while the spaghetti noodles are cooking. Cans of crushed tomatoes are far healthier than store bought sauces as they have less sugar added, less additives, and lower carbs per serving. This allows you to control the spices and flavors as well. Store brand spaghetti sauces are packed with sugar and sodium and cost far more per ounce. Do a little comparison shopping next time and see if I'm telling the truth.

4.

Strain your noodles, and if you like mix in with the meat sauce of serve separately with the meat sauce served on top. Add a little olive oil to the noodles if you are going to serve them separately and stir so they won't stick together.

For information on low carb pasta, see-         www.netrition.com