Fettuccini Alfredo... only not - 12g

I was very skeptical about making a dairy, wheat and heat free fettuccine alfredo... but I gave it a whirl, and sure enough, it was very deceiving!  Granted, the kelp noodles have a different texture, but they have absolutely no flavor, so once you get past the chew, the rest is easy going!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 C raw cashews
3/4 C water
1/4 C lemon juice
2 tsp minced garlic (or more to taste)
1 tsp salt
Basil leaves
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/5 C nutritional yeast - it adds a bit of a 'nutty/cheese' flavor, but you can omit it if you don't have it

1 bag kelp noodles

Process all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Rinse and separate the kelp noodles.

Mix them all together, and voila! A completely 'raw' meal - no cook time necessary! 

Spaghetti Sauce Squash - 15g

 Ingredients:

1/2 cooked spaghetti squash
1/2 C hunts garlic & basil tomato sauce (from a can)
1/2 C ricotta cheese
garlic powder to taste - I'm a bit heavy handed on the garlic...
shallot salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the spaghetti squash in half, long ways.  Half of mine was 'bad', so I threw it out. You can do the whole thing, just double your ingredients.

Bake the spaghetti squash in a baking pan filled with about a half inch of water for 1 hour to 75 minutes - or until the spaghetti squash has a softer texture.

Scrape the squash out of the skin (throwing the 'guts' and seeds away).

Add the remaining ingredients, mix and enjoy!

(no one ever has to know the only 'prep' work involved was the baking of the squash...)

Walnut Crusted Tilapia - 8g

Delicious! Next time I'll make a dipping sauce out of the mayo/mustard to give it some added flavor. 

Ingredients:
1 C crushed walnuts
1 heaping tbsp mayo
1 1/2 tbsp mustard (I used honey, the recipe called for dijon)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp salt
3 tilapia filets

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together the mayo, mustard, basil and salt. Coat the tilapia filets with this mixture, and then fill a plate with the crushed walnuts. Press each side of the filets into the walnuts, and place on a baking pan coated with non-stick spray.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until fish is flaky.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs - 1g

 

Most meatball recipes call for breadcrumbs. I decided to sub the breadcrumbs with finely grated parmesan cheese.  It worked beautifully!

 

Ingredients:
1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

24 petite mozzarella balls

*Optional - basil & garlic tomato sauce - 4g/ 1/4 C serving (this adds 4 grams of carbs to the original 1)


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a mixing bowl, incorporating all of the ingredients well.

Scoop out the meat mixture with a tablespoon (using a rounded tablespoons worth for each meatball), and place a petite mozzarella ball in the center, then form the meatball around the rest of it and place on a baking sheet.

Should make about 24 meatballs:

Serving size is about 8 meatballs (for a meal) - and serve with a 1/4 C tomato sauce if need be (this just adds more carbs for those of you counting them...)

Mmmm... Hot Chocolate ~ 6g

"Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart." ~Unknown

This happens to be one of my favorite quotes. And very appropriate on a mug of hot chocolate which helps to bring about a wonderful sense of 'peace'. 

This hot chocolate is thick and rich - the perfect ending to a stressful (or cold) day!

Ingredients:
1 C unsweetened almond & coconut milk blend
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp splenda
1/2 tsp almond or vanilla extract
Dash of salt (be very careful with this dash!)

Pour the milk in a saucepan and heat at medium on the stove for a minute or two.

Whisk in the cocoa powder and splenda.  Continue whisking over medium heat for another two minutes or so - or until all of the powder is dissolved.

Add the remaining ingredients and let simmer for another minute or two before removing it from the heat.

Chicken & 'Rice' Soup - 4.5g

"Sipping once,

Sipping twice,

Sipping chicken soup with rice"

Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months

by Maurice Sendak

 

Is that a throw back for anyone??

It was a bleak, rainy day today, and all I could think about at work was coming home, putting on my sweats and cuddling up on the couch with a bowl of hot chicken (noodle? rice?) soup. Of course, noodles and rice don't go well with a diet that avoids wheat, gluten and other foods that spike your blood sugar, so it was back to the drawing board for me.

(My drawing board happens to be my refrigerator...)

I had asparagus and frozen spinach, which reminded me of the Asparagus & Leek Soup at Amelie's French Bakery in Charlotte, NC.  This soup is melt in your mouth good (can I say that if it's already in soup form?). I decided to use it as a bit of inspiration.

The cauliflower in my drawer also sparked an idea. I've 'riced' cauliflower before for the Cauliflower Pizza and the Fried Rice dishes I've made in the past... perhaps I could rice the cauliflower for a soup? *A side note: when ricing the cauliflower with a food processor, it creates very tiny, much smaller than rice pieces. To create a more 'rice-like' effect for the soup, I finely chopped the cauliflower instead.

At the end of the process, I had a very flavorful, nutritious and low-carb soup that hit the spot on this gloom & chill-filled day!  

Ingredients:
1/2 yellow onion
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
3 C cauliflower florets
1 C asparagus, chopped into 3/4 in pieces
1 package frozen chopped spinach
4 C chicken broth
2 C water
2 large chicken breasts
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp minced garlic

Add the butter, olive oil and onions to a pan, and turn on to medium-low heat to sweat the onions for about 3 minutes.  Next, add the cauliflower and continue to sweat for another 3 minutes or so. Last, add the asparagus and cook for another couple of minutes.

The next step is to add the frozen spinach, water and chicken broth. Turn up the heat to about medium and let this simmer while you cube the chicken into small 1 inch cubes. Add the chicken and garlic, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Last, before adding the salt, take a taste test.  I used low sodium chicken broth, so mine needed an extra boost after adding all the veggies and additional water. Add the salt, a 1/2 tsp at a time in order to avoid making it too salty!

This soup made 8-9 servings, and is full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that belong in a fall/winter soup - and sans the blood-sugar spiking carbs!

Curl up and enjoy...