P1: Sesame Shirataki Noodles - 5g

In case you happen to be obsessed with Asian flavors (like myself), or you're just really missing that pasta chew, the following recipe uses Shirataki noodles (made from tofu/fiber) for virtually NO carbs, and a savings of 200 calories/serving! There is an extra bounce to them, but when you're used to eating Japanese noodles, you won't hardly notice a difference.

Eat up, pasta/Asian lovers! :)

Ingredients:


1 small zucchini - sliced & diced (4g)
1/2 small onion - sliced
1 (8 oz) package of tofu shirataki noodles, rinsed, drained well, in the shape of spaghetti (4g/bag)
1 Tbsp peanut butter (I used organic, which only had 3g carbs/Tbsp)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp Thai chili sauce (or chili flakes)
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame seeds

Heat up a skillet (medium-high heat) and lightly spray with cooking spray. Once skillet is warm, add the peanut butter, oil, soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce/flakes and whisk together. Move this sauce to a different bowl and set to the side.

Add the squash and onions to the skillet and saute until tender (I added a little bit of peanut oil here, but you could add olive or whatever else you have, to help saute). Once the vegetables are soft, add the noodles and continue to saute until they are hot.

Lastly, add the sauce and sesame seeds and mix together, cooking until noodles are covered and everything is hot.

P1: Pancakes - 2g

I was getting slightly bored with the 3 slices of low sodium turkey bacon and an egg for breakfast every morning, so I decided to shake things up a bit for a nice Saturday breakfast.

The consistency is a little different than a fluffy white flour pancake, but the taste is the same. I have another recipe using cream cheese that I plan on trying next. Will post the results once I do!

Ingredients:
1/2 C almond meal (4g for the measurement)
1 egg
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sour cream (1g)
1 Tbsp water
1 packet of splenda (>1g)
Splash of vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together, and cook as you would a normal pancake. Takes a little longer to cook all the way through, so make sure the heat is slightly lower than a regular pancake recipe.

Makes 3 pancakes - 2g carbs/pancake

*For syrup:

If you can't find a sugar-free syrup with 0 carbs (I could only find one with 8 carbs/ 1/4 cup), pour 1/8 C sugar free syrup and 1 Tbsp of butter into a sauce pan just long enough to melt the butter. This will help to make your syrup go a 'longer way', without watering it down or adding extra carbs/sugar to your pancakes.  This recipe made syrup enough for the 3 pancakes above, and only added an extra 4g of carbs to the meal!  That's less than 2 carbs per pancake!

P1: Taco Salad - 6g

When buying the taco seasoning for your meat, make sure you use a lower carb one – mine had 3g / serving, which is why I only used half of it. If you halve the seasoning mix, make sure you’re careful and also halve the liquids it instructs you to add!

Ingredients:
½ Packet Taco Seasoning (3g)
1 lbs 93% Lean Ground Beef
Water (according to taco seasoning mix – mine called for milk, so I used a little almond milk)

Lettuce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Tbsp Guacamole (3g)

Add the ground beef, cheese and guacamole mix on top of the lettuce and mix well. Enjoy!

P1: Stuffed Mushrooms - 4g

I had leftover mayo/parmesan mix from the Parmesan Crusted Chicken, so I decided to make a few stuffed mushrooms with my baby portobello's before they went bad!

Ingredients:
4 Baby portobello mushrooms, stem removed
1 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
left over mayo/parmesan mix (exactly what it says - 2 parts mayo, one part parmesan)
dash garlic powder
italian seasonings to taste

Cut up the mozzarella into pieces small enough to fit into the hole at the base of the mushroom.  Top with the leftover may/parm. mixture (including any added seasonings such as garlic powder, italian seasonings, etc.). Top with some additional parmesan cheese, and bake in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes.

1 serving

P1: Parmesan Crusted Chicken - 2g

I heard about this one on the radio coming home from work today. Since it's a pretty simple recipe, and I had all the ingredients, I decided to try my hand at it! It was 'pretty good' for a quick fix.

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1/2 C Mayo
1/4 grated parmesan cheese (grated is key, but if all you have is shredded, you'll be find)
A few dashes of basil/italian seasonings
1/4 almond meal

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the mayo, cheese and spices together. Lather and coat your chicken breasts. Top with the almond meal, acting as bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes.

Use any leftover mayo mix you have for my stuffed mushrooms recipe!

P1: Cheesecake - 8g

I must confess - I messed up as I was trying to halve this recipe:
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/desserts/r/lcarbcheesecake.htm
So here is my new concoction! I have to say - this is one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had... now if only this wasn't phase 1, and I could add some strawberries or blueberries...

Ingredients:

3/4 C Almond Meal (with skins)
2 Tbsp melted butter
2 Tbsp artificial sweetener

Filling

1 1/2 packages of 1/3 fat cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice
3 eggs
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 C part skim ricotta cheese (or use more cream cheese if you have it instead)
1 C artificial sweetener (splenda)


Mix the almond meal, butter and 2 tbsp artificial sweetener.  Spread evenly in the bottom of an 8X8 glass pan. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes (or until it starts to brown slightly).

When the crust comes out, turn the oven to 400.

Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese with a mixer until 'fluffy'.

Be patient - this took me a good 3 minutes (and if your cream cheese is cold, it could take even longer). Start adding one ingredient at a time, mixing thoroughly each time, using a spatula in between each to scrape all the extra off the side of the bowl. 

Once all ingredients have been added, scrape and mix together one more time.  You should not see any lumps (or very tiny ones, if you're using the ricotta cheese). Pour the batter onto the crust, and place it in the oven, and about 1 minute later, turn the oven down to 200 degrees.  Bake for 70 minutes (while the oven is slowly cooling itself off).
**Check after 60 minutes, and check to make sure the middle is no longer liquid, but of more of a jello consistency. My oven ended up taking 70.

Remove once done baking, and place in the refrigerator until completely chilled. Slice up into 9 pieces, and enjoy!

P1: Marinade for Meats & Veggies (2g)

Ingredients:

1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C soy sauce
1/4 C worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp crushed/minced garlic
1 Tbsp honey dijon mustard

Mix together and marinade for desired length of time (the longer, the better). Delicious - I've tried this on shrimp, steak, asparagus, mushrooms and zucchini as well - all fabulous grilled vegetables!

P1: Kale Chips - 7g

These chips melt on your tongue! And your carb count comes from the kale itself, but it's so good for you, I feel as though it can negate some of the carbs you're consuming...

Ingredients:

2 kale leaves (7g carbs)
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 275.

Tear kale off of the stalk, in chip-sized pieces (your preference). 

Cover them in oil by massaging the oil around the entire leaf. As you coat each 'chip', place it on a baking sheet lined with tin foil, and lay as flat as possible.

Sprinkle with salt, and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes (watch that they don't burn/get too brown).

Remove from the oven and eat AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  The longer you wait, the less crispy they are. 

Experiment with other seasonings if you'd like - a garlic powder, paprika, etc.

P1: Root Beer 'Float' - 7g

It doesn't have the creamy texture, but does have the creamy flavor... and a little 'kick'.

Ingredients:

Diet Root Beer (I used an all natural one, sweetened with Truvia)
1 shot of Whipped Cream Vodka - 7g

Mix well, and enjoy!

(Could probably add a little cream in there if you'd like - I'll try that later and report back.)

P1: Cauliflower Pizza Crust - 5g

Ingredients:
2 C riced cauliflower
2 eggs
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 C parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasonings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To rice the cauliflower, take a (dry) raw bunch of cauliflower and remove the florets as close to the stems as possible. Place in a food processor and blend until the cauliflower is broken up into pieces smaller than rice.

Place 2 cups of the riced cauliflower mixture in a microwave safe bowl and steam (no water necessary) for 2 minutes. 

Add 2 eggs, cheese and italian seasonings to the cauliflower mixture and mix well.

Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  This step is NOT optional, unless you would like to eat your pizza off a baking sheet, or aluminum foil (I've tried both - neither works). 

Smooth out the dough until it is all about 1/4 inch thick, and bake for 20 minutes. Watch to make sure it is not burning. 

When it comes out of the oven, I like to flip it over onto the baking pan, and gently peel the parchment paper off.  Now comes the fun part - adding your own low carb/carb free toppings! I would suggest a pesto sauce instead of tomato, if you are trying to stay away from all carbs. Fresh mozzarella and red onions and sauteed mushrooms would be a great topping for that sauce!

*When adding toppings, set the oven on broil, and top your pizza with fresh cheeses and pre-cooked veggies (such as sauteed mushrooms and onions).  You won't broil your pizza toppings for more than 2 minutes, so the ingredients won't have time to cook while in the oven.  Cook them before if you prefer it that way!

P1: Fried Chicken - (4g)

Ingredients:

1 Chicken breast, sliced into 4 strips
1/2 C Almond meal/flour (1-2g/serving in this dish, depending on choice of flour)
Dash paprika
Dash garlic powder
Dash parsley
Dash salt

1 egg
1 Tbsp Cream (1g)

Lots of oil

Fill a frying pan with 1 inch of oil, and heat on medium high.

Mix dry ingredients together on a plate/bowl. Mix egg and cream in a seperate bowl.

Dip chicken strips into the egg wash, then roll in the flour mixture.

Once oil is hot (sizzles when you drop in a small piece of leftover egg/flour mix), add chicken strips and cook for about 2 minutes, or until outside is golden brown.

Serving - 2 strips of chicken

the 2 different colorings are the result of using 2 different almond meals. The one on the right was using the almond meal I bought from the health food market in bulk - skins included - for significantly less carbs.  The one on the left is using the almond meal you can buy at most grocery stores in the baking aisle.  It has 6 g of carbs/ 1/4 cup (the other one has 2).  Both tasted exactly the same - so use whatever you can get your hands on!

P1: Almond Spice Cookies - 4g (2g)

The carb count can vary depending on the almond meal/flour you're using. One I've purchased had 6g/ 1/4 C, and another one I found had 2g. Read the labels and decide for yourself.

Ingredients:

2 C almond meal (1-4g/serving)
1 1/2 Tbsp Apple pie spice (1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and a pinch of cloves/allspice)
1/2 tsp salt (or less)
1/3 C Splenda (a little more is fine) (1g)
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp softened butter

Preheat oven to 325.

Blend egg, splenda and butter.  Add vanilla. Mix all dry ingredients in. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet. Use a spoon or hand to flatten balls to about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake for 10 minutes.

P1: Maca'foni' & Cheese - 6g

To preface this one - if you don't like baked macaroni and cheese (a personal favorite of mine) you may not enjoy this one quite as much.

*To the faint of heart - when you read the word TOFU below, know that it will taste like nothing (because tofu doesn't have much of a flavor and absorbs whatever it is cooked in) and the texture will resemble pasta more than it does soft tofu thanks to dutiful preparation.

Ingredients:

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu (I prefer the organic, vitamin fortified kind) (3 g carbs)
Garlic powder
Paprika

2 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Onion, finely chopped
1/3 C cream (1-2g)
1/3 C low fat cream cheese (1-2g)
1 C Shredded cheddar cheese
1 C Italian cheese blend
2 eggs

Slice the tofu to 1/4 in thick pieces, press between multiple (4) paper towels for 20 minutes (stack books on top for weight). After pressing, place on a greased/sprayed baking sheet and sprinkle with dashes of garlic powder and paprika (to taste). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. This process helps to dry the tofu out and prevent it from turning to a mushy cheese casserole later.

While tofu is baking (with 10 min. left):

Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the onion and saute for 1 minute. Add the heavy cream and low fat cream cheese and mix. Once everything is smooth, remove the mixture from the heat, add the cheeses and 2 eggs. Mix well. (Be careful that the mixture isnt' too hot when you add the egg - you don't want to be cooking the egg just yet, let the oven do that)

When tofu is done baking, slice into 1/2 in strips and mix into cheese mixture. Transfer to an 8x8 casserole dish, and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Serves 4.

The texture is sliiightly off, but when you can't have pasta, this is second best!

P1: Chicken Alfredo with Mushrooms & Onions - 13g

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash (10g carbs/cup, but only 7 net)

4 Tbsp. Butter
1 C Cream ( 3g/serving)
1 C Parmesan Cheese (shredded or grated) (1g)
Dash nutmeg
Dash garlic powder
Dash salt

1/2 small onion
3 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced thin and halved
2 Tbsp Oil

1-2 Grilled Chicken breasts (I used a lemon zest seasoning)


To start, set the oven for 375, slice your spaghetti squash in half and bake on a cookie sheet for 40 minutes.

Saute onions and mushrooms with oil until onions are translucent. Set aside.

Prepare sauce as soon as you take the squash out of the oven:

For the sauce, melt the butter in the same pan as the onions and mushrooms (after removing them from the pan), and add the cream.  Cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring often to avoid the film that develops on the top of cooking milk. Next, add the cheese, and stir at same heat for another 3-5 minutes (until the sauce is smooth and creamy). Add a dash of nutmeg and salt (unless you used salted butter).

Once the spaghetti squash is done baking and has cooled enough for you to work with, use a large spoon and scoop out the strands of squash. The strands should be al dente - they will cook a little more in the sauce, and scooped out 'with the grain'. Add the spaghetti squash, onions and mushrooms to the finished sauce and cook another 5 minutes or so on medium heat.

When ready to serve, top with sliced grilled chicken. Should make about 4 servings.

Delicious, and coming in at about 13 g carbs/serving! (10 if you're only counting net carbs).

Here Goes Nothing... *other than shedding pounds

I am a first time blogger, but kitchen extraordinaire. I find myself very comfortable in the kitchen, and absolutely LOVE trying new foods. 

My most recent adventure has been down the path less traveled... low carb cooking.

When most people think 'cooking', there is typically a pasta or flour involved. For this reason, I feel that when people try to 'give up' carbs, they turn to over-processed, convenience items such as:

Sugar free jell-o
Cheese sticks
Lunch meats
Olives
Pickles
Turkey bacon

And the list goes on. That just happens to have been MY list, the last time I tried to cut out carbs.

I am a huge believer in the phrase "You live, you learn", and must say that each time I have tried this type of diet, I have learned a little more. Boredom avoidance is key for me, as I have quit before in part due to over indulgence in the same items, day in and day out. Also, in telling myself I couldn't have cookies, bread, pasta, etc. I only craved them even more. This time around, I am making it a point to recreate some of those craved dishes from the past, only with a much lower carb count - such as macaroni and cheese, cookies and pasta!

Third time's a charm: and I plan on seeing this one through - with the help of my handy, dandy recipe blog. I will attempt to blog about every low carb recipe I make. I am a few days behind, so I'll be playing catch-up today.

Hopefully this blog will help you overcome some of the similar hurdles I have faced, and get you more comfortable in the Atkins Kitchen along the way!

Here goes: Let my phase 1 begin!