Pucker Up Winter Fruit Salad with Roasted Cranberries

Many fruits are low carb or moderate carb and winter is the season to take advantage of apples, pears, grapefruits and cranberries. The carb count of this salad is too high for anyone on induction, but would work for maintenance or as a holiday treat.

I'm making it for a dinner party myself.

The recipe uses Splenda Brown Sugar blend as sweetener. I was not sure how the Splenda would work against the natural sweetness of the fruit, but it tasted great.

The colors are richer than Warren Buffet and the flavor is so tart, you'll be in the mood for kissing.

Ingredients

(Serves 4 to 5 people in full 1/2 cup servings)

-2 apples--I used Pink Lady which are sweet and tart
-2 pears
-1 red grapefruit
-1 orange plus its zest
-1 bag fresh cranberries
-1/4 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend

(Note: You can use all apples or all pears too if you want.)

Instructions

1.Zest the orange.

2.Wash the cranberries, tossing any soft ones.

3.Mix Splenda Brown Sugar Blend with crabberries and orange zest.

4.Line a jelly roll pan (because they have sides and you don't want cranberry juice all over the oven, right?) with aluminum foil.

5.Spread cranberries in a single layer across pan and roast at 375F for 15-20 minutes. You'll know they're done when they've split.

6.Cut up your fruit and put in a bowl. For the citrus, cut off the peel and pith--kind of like how chefs supreme segmented fruit, but half-a**ed.

7.Save the orange peel--there's usually some juicy fruit still attached which we can use to juice the salad which prevents the apples and pears from turning brown. In fact, it's a good idea to slice the oranges in such a way so you have some fruit to juice.

If this part makes no sense to you, that's okay. Just skip it, but if you have any extra orange bits that can be juiced on your salad, please do so.

8.Toss everything together, serve, eat and then kiss the person sitting to your left.

Moderate Carb Lemon Caper Chicken

This recipe uses a light coating of bread crumbs so not kosher at all for Low Carb. However, I do eat this and it is fine so long as my other meals are low carb for the day.

I make this once every 8 to 10 weeks. Everyone likes it and as long as I'm on plan, some breaded chicken isn't going to hurt me. Especially when it's homemade and not caked on like some fast food places like to do.

It is delicious and worth working into the meal plan rotation, just use the bread crumbs wisely.

Ingredients

-Chicken pounded flat
-Italian Bread Crumbs (amount varies depending on how much chicken you're cooking)
-2 eggs
-1/2 jar Capers-sliced
-Caper juice
-2 lemons, juiced
-Oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Pound the chicken so its thin. For chicken breasts, cut into strips and pound flat.

2. Dip in egg.

3.Dip in bread crumbs.

4.Drop into a pan with some hot oil and fry until browned on both sides. I like to cook each side for about 2 minutes each.

5.Flip the chicken and sprinkle a little bit of lemon juice and caper juice on the breading. This adds flavor, but be careful not to let it hit the oil or you'll get burned. And we're talking just a little bit, not trying to soak the chicken or cover every millimeter, okay?

6.Add the sliced capers when the last batch of chicken goes into the pan. Let them brown along with the chicken.

7.Transfer chicken to an oven proof pan and sprinkle with more lemon and caper juice. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with green beans or mashed cauliflower. Be sure to keep the rest of meal absolutely low carb to compensate for the bread crumbs.

Low Carb Salads: Asian Fusion Ginger Steak (or Chicken) Salad

This salad makes me feel like I'm living in South Beach and 'lunching' with my supermodel girl friends. It's light with flavor layered on flavor until your palate quivers with pleasure.

Plus it is SO far away from Thanksgiving food it's like a refreshing beach vacation for your taste buds without the bathing suit stress.

Beach vacations are good for us.

Try this. You're gonna like it.

It IS a little busy, but it is not a difficult recipe. Just take it step by step. I've broken it down into meat, salad dressing, and salad sections.

Time saving tip: Make the salad dressing and chop your veggies the same time you prepare the marinade. Then all you'll have left to do is cook the meat and assemble the salad.

Ingredients

For the Meat Marinade:

-1 1/2 to 2 lbs Beef or chicken cut into strips
-2 tbsps. Sweetener (either brown sugar, Splenda brown sugar blend or honey, whichever your diet allows or you feel like using.)
-1/2 cup Soy sauce
-2 tsp powdered Ginger
-1/4 cup Olive oil
-4 garlic cloves pulverized by a garlic press

Instructions

1.Mix all marinade ingredients in the container the meat will sit in. Add the meat and let marinate for 3-4 hours, two if you're short on time.

2.Either grill the meat (if the weather will let you) or quickly sear and fry in a pan on the stove (I like to use grapeseed oil because of its higher flash point).

Note: Be sure to make your salad dressing before you start cooking the meat.


Ingredients

For the Salad Dressing

-1/2 jalapeno, seeded and very finely diced
-1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
-1/3 cup Olive oil
-3 tbsps Soy Sauce
-2 garlic cloves pulverized by the garlic press
-1 tbsp fresh grated ginger (not powdered, don't do that, blech, for the marinade it's okay, but not for the dressing)
-2 tbsp sweetener (white sugar, splenda brown sugar blend, or honey, whichever works for you)
-Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

1. Throw everything into a bottle or bowl and mix. Taste and adjust flavors as need. Usually it either needs more soy sauce or more sweetener so start there.


Ingredients

For the Salad

Salad greens
Green onions
Carrot ribbons
Honey roasted peanuts
1 to 2 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
Cilantro

Other ideas: fresh peppers, cucumber, bean sprouts etc...


Instructions

1. How to toast sesame seeds: Dump in a small pot over medium high heat. Shake like popcorn and watch like a hawk, they toast fast, one to two minutes tops. You'll see them turn golden and the smell will be wonderful, that means they are done.

2.Peanuts are often not on the 'approved' list in low carb diets, but 8 peanuts are not going to mess anyone up and that's all I want you to use on each salad, just 8 peanuts. No more, no less.

Got it?

3.Carrots are also controversial, but this recipe doesn't have enough to really worry about. Promise.

Yes, I'm a bit of a low carb rebel. Not a traditionalist at all. Please don't run screaming!

4.To assemble your salad, put the greens onions and carrots on a plate. Top with meat, garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro and drizzle with salad dressing for the finish.

Phew! That was a long one! I hope you try it and love it as much as we do.

Post Holidy Back to Low Carb Menu

Here's what's going to be cooking this week at our house.

-Chicken (or leftover turkey) and green bean casserole (recipe forthcoming)

-Turkey Moussaka (recipe forthcoming)

-Hamburgers with salad

-Smothered pork chops with mashed cauliflower (recipe might be forthcoming, if it tastes good)

-Chicken Wings with celery and carrots on the side

-Kielbasa and kraut in the slow cooker (so simple there's no recipe, but it deserves its own post which I'm working on)

-Sausage cheese meatballs with salad (recipe might be forthcoming, if it turns out)


How are you getting back on track? What's your menu plan? I'm always looking for ideas!

Happy Thanksgiving Breakfast

The best way not to eat too much on a big holiday? Don't go to the party hungry. We had eggs and Pepper Poppers for breakfast today. Yum! And full of appetite suppressing fat.

To recap, for those who missed earlier posts on these miracles of yum, to make the Pepper Poppers you need:

-Peppers (mild:cubanelle, medium hot: hungarian hots super hot: jalapenos)
-Cream cheese
-Bacon

1.Slice your peppers in half.

2.Stuff with cream cheese.

3.Wrap in bacon.

4.Cook at 400F for about 20 to 30 minutes.

When done, pull out of the oven and let cool a bit while you whip up some eggs (and maybe some low carb pancakes too if you're feeling ambitious).

I always always always have peppers, cream cheese and bacon in my fridge for those days you just need to eat something to kill cravings. Pepper Poppers do it for me every time.

Low Carb Soups: Paprikash Soup

This soup is easy easy easy to make but offers such a depth of flavor, no one will believe you didn't have to go to cooking school to make it. If you like chicken paprikas, this is a great soup that utilizes a lot of those same flavors.

The original recipe is on the Kalyn's Kitchen site and I'll refer you there for the recipe as I did not materially change it.

However, here are some notes you may find helpful.

1. I do not water down stock, I use all stock in this soup. Meaning...this recipe can use a lot of soup stock which can get expensive. I would suggest putting this on your low carb menu plan for the day after you boil a chicken. Use the meat for some other purpose (chicken salad, low carb chicken enchiladas) and save the broth for this soup.

Or save your turkey bones and make turkey stock after the big holiday meal. (In fact you could use this recipe for any leftover turkey; make stock and add the turkey meat. Easy peasy.)

Yes I know this is not beef broth as the recipe requires, but I just add one or two cans of generic beef broth and no one is the wiser. This saves about $5-$6 on the cost of the recipe (the way I make it) as store bought broth is expensive.

Or you could just do it Kalyn's way with the 3 cans of broth and the rest made up in water.

2. I do not grind the caraway seed. I don't think it matters.

What the heck is caraway seed anyway, you ask? It's what makes rye bread taste so yummy. It is also used in E. European cooking to top roasted pork and in soups like this one. It is really good and so long as you don't hate rye bread, this should be a big flavor win for you.

3.Yes, you really do need all that paprika and both kinds. These are available in most grocery stores, but, if not, there's always the internet.

4.Do whatever you want veggie wise. I used fresh peppers each time and added shredded carrots. This soup is not picky, so feel free to experiment. However, I would not skip the cabbage as that gives the soup a lot of its bulk.

Chocolate for Breakfast

The latest batch of my 'chocolate for breakfast muffins' turned out so pretty, I had to share a photo.

Seriously, these muffins make life worth living. If you are not an egg person, which I am not, you would do well to get some almond flour and try these muffins.

As a busy mom to a busy toddler, it is GREAT to have these in the fridge on Sunday for the week ahead. No muss, no fuss instant breakfast that I can eat in the car. (Tip: Have some dental floss handy the almond flour does tend to get between teeth.)

Yes almond flour is expensive but a 5lb bag at around $30 will make at least 3 months worth of breakfast muffins which is less than a buck a day. For chocolate.

How can you not try this? Can you tell I'm a fan? :)

Here's the recipe.