Tag: Low Carb

Salads, Side Dishes

Recipe—Asparagus and Feta Salad

Diva di Cucina

divadicucina_asapargussalad1

California is one of the leading producers of asparagus in the United Stated. Asparagus is so big in California that the city of Stockton even throws an entire festival in honor of asparagus. True story! I grew up eating asparagus on a regular basis. (By the way, I am 33 and still crack up that it gives you stinky pee. I don’t think I will ever grow up.) I could eat asparagus every day. There are just so many ways to prepare it but I think I have found my favorite way to eat the lovely green spears, grilled asparagus and feta salad. Man this was awesome! My husband and I devoured the whole bowl so if you are cooking for more than 2 people just go ahead and double or triple the recipe. Trust me you will eat it all! There was just so much flavor in the salad and it was so light and refreshing. Perfect for spring or summer. We just served it with a simple grilled chicken breast seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper and it was the perfect complement. This my friends, is good eating.

Want to know more about asparagus? Then check out this old post and you will be an asparagus pro!

divadicucina_asapargussalad2

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch thick asparagus, ends trimmed
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
zest from one lemon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese

STEPS

  • Preheat the grill to about 325º.
  • Place the asparagus in a baking dish and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and then season with salt and pepper.
  • Place the asparagus on the grille making sure that they are perpendicular to the grates so that they don’t slip through.
  • Close the grill and cook for 3 minutes.
  • roll the asparagus over and cook for another 3 minutes.
  • Remove the asparagus and transfer to a cutting board.
  • Allow the asparagus to cool for 5–10 minutes.
  • Cut the spears into 1–2” pieces.
  • Place the cut asparagus into a medium bowl and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and half of the feta.
  • Top the salad with the remaining asparagus and serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from Once Upon a Chef.

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Dinners, Salads

Recipe—Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Cups

Diva di Cucina

If you have been following me for a while now then you have probably caught onto the fact that I love anything with buffalo sauce. If you haven’t caught onto that yet then pay attention! I’ve shared recipes for buffalo cauliflower bites, buffalo baked chicken, buffalo chicken tacos… you catch my drift? Okay, I may even call myself a buffalo sauce fanatic. I don’t know what it is about the spicy sauce that I enjoy so much but anything doused in Frank’s is good in my book.

Well I recently saw a recipe for crock-pot buffalo chicken wraps and I knew I had to try them. So I went to the store, got all my ingredients, and then…I forgot the whole preparing the crock-pot aspect that went along with the recipe. Whoops! Welcome to my life. No worries, I improvised. I just boiled the chicken along with the veggies, shredded it, and was back on track!

These turned out absolutely awesome! They were fairly quick and easy to put together and best of all they were light and refreshing. You have the nice crisp lettuce wrapped around the spicy tender chicken and then top it off with the rich blue cheese and some crisp veggies. Mmm… mmmmm… perfectly balanced!

INGREDIENTS
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 celery ribs, sliced
Small yellow onion, chopped
4 tbsp butter
1/2 c buffalo sauce (I love Franks’s)

FIXINGS
Large lettuce leaves (butter, romaine, green leaf, or iceburg)
Carrots, shredded
Celery, chopped
Blue cheese dressing
Blue cheese crumbles

STEPS

  • Place the chicken breasts, celery, and onions in a large pot.
  • Top off with water making sure everything is submerged.
  • Bring pot of water to a boil over high heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Pour the entire pot into a colander and remove the chicken breast.
  • Using two forks shred all of the chicken.
  • Using the pot you boiled the chicken in, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
  • Add the buffalo sauce and stir to combine.
  • Toss in the shredded chicken and the cooked veggies from the colander and mix to combine.
  • Place a scoop of the chicken in a lettuce cup and top with fresh carrots, celery, blue cheese dressing, and blue cheese crumbles.
  • Grab a napkin and enjoy!
Dinners

Recipe—Portobello Cordon Bleu

Diva di Cucina

There are two things I hated as a kid and refused to eat, raisins and mushrooms. I guess I had problems with eating wilted fruit and fungus. That’s understandable, right? To this day I still can’t eat raisins unless they are baked in something but I LOVE mushrooms! Love, love, love the fabulous fungi! I have come a long way and can now appreciate the rustic earthy flavor of mushrooms. My friend commented that if she has a good portobello that it is as good as a steak. And it is true! Don’t get me wrong I love steaks, but it is exciting when you find something that makes a great substitution and is lower in calories and is just as filling. Portobello mushrooms are super filling, rich in potassium, essential amino acids, and vitamin B. They are low in calories, fat-free, and are a great source of protein.

This is probably one of my favorite new ways to enjoy portobellos. The creamy Dijon sauce is amazing! And come on, add ham and swiss to anything and you know it will be awesome. The sprinkling of the panko on top gives you just the right amount of crunch. And best of all, this delicious dinner took about 20 minutes to make! Next time I prepare these I want to try and add a fried egg to the top and serve it for breakfast. Oh my goodness, I think that would be awesome! I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

INGREDIENTS
4 large portobello mushrooms
olive oil for drizzling
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 c heavy cream
1/2 c chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c parmesan, graded
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 lb thin sliced ham
8 slices swiss cheese
4 tbsp panko
salt and pepper

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
  • Remove the stems from the mushroom caps and slice a thin layer off the top to allow it to sit flat. (Save all of these pieces.)
  • Drizzle the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Place prepared mushrooms on the lined baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes.
  • While the portobellos are cooking, chop the mushroom caps and other pieces you trimmed off earlier on.
  • Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the mushrooms and garlic for 5 minutes.
  • Add the heavy cream, chicken broth, and parsley.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low.
  • Add the parmesan, Dijon, and a little salt and pepper to the sauce and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens up.
  • Remove the mushrooms from the oven and drain off any excess liquid from the baking sheet.
  • Fill the upside down caps with sauce and then layer with ham, cheese, ham, cheese.
  • Top with another spoonful of the sauce and a sprinkling of panko.
  • Place the prepared mushroom caps back in the oven and bake for another 7 minutes and then finish them off under the broiler for another 3–4 minutes or until the panko is lightly brown and crisp.

Recipe adapted from Peace, Love, and Low Carb.

Looking for more portobello recipes? Give this one a try!

Breakfast PortobellosBreakfast Portobellos

Appetizers, Side Dishes, Snacks

Recipe—Roasted Carrot Fries

Diva di Cucina

A couple of weeks back we got these GORGEOUS rainbow carrots in our box of organic produce and when my son saw them he honestly didn’t believe me that they were carrots.  They ranged from a deep purple to red and even white. They were just too pretty to get tossed into a salad or cooked any ordinary way. I wanted these to stand on their own. I know I have mentioned in many previous posts that I am always looking for fun and healthy after school snacks for my little man so we decided to make roasted carrot fries. They were awesome! I just sliced, baked, and served them with a little side of ranch (because every 3 year old loves to dip their food in sauce).  These were super quick and a wonderful way to enjoy these rainbow carrots.

INGREDIENTS
4–5 large carrots (I used rainbow carrots)
olive oil for drizzling
salt
ranch for dipping (optional)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 425º.
  • Carefully cut the carrots into “fry sized” pieces.
  • Place the carrots on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
  • Toss the carrots to coat and season with salt.
  • Bake the carrots for 15–18 minutes or until crisp tender, flipping once halfway through cooking.
  • Remove from oven and transfer to a serving dish or plate.
  • Serve with a side of your favorite dressing or enjoy all on their own.
Dinners

Recipe—Smothered Chicken

Diva di Cucina

I am not posting this recipe because it is super easy or quick. Not that it is challenging by any means, just lots of steps and dirty pans. But hey, sometimes meals are completely worth it. I am posting this recipe because it is rich, tasty, and a wonderful indulgence. This is the type of dinner for a romantic night, a special occasion, in or if you are entertaining a couple of guests. The name says it all, a simple chicken breast smothered in all sorts of wonderful, creamy, scrumptious, goodness. This is the perfect recipe for all the low carb lovers out there. When I’m focusing on eating low carb I typically go for lower fat items but sometimes you just need something rich to satisfy those cravings. This is it.  Even if you aren’t watching carbs, this will be a wonderful indulgent dinner.

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices, mozzarella cheese

CREAMED GREENS INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp red onion, minced
1 bunch of kale or chard, inner stalks stripped out and greens chopped
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

SAUTEED MUSHROOM INGREDIENTS
1/4 c butter
2 c mushrooms, sliced
1/2 c white wine
1 tsp garlic, minced
salt and pepper

CHICKEN STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • In a small bowl combine the garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken.
  • Place the seasoned chicken in a greased baking dish and bake for 16 minutes.

CREAMED GREENS STEPS

  • While the chicken is baking, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add the red onions and garlic to the pan and sauté for 2–3 minutes.
  • Add in the chopped greens and cook until they are completely wilted.
  • When the greens are done stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue cooking until the cream cheese is melted.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.

 SAUTEED MUSHROOM STEPS

  •  Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned all over.
  • Add the wine, garlic, salt, and pepper.
  • Continue cooking until most of the wine is cooked out.
  • Remove from heat and set aside.

ASSEMBLY

  • When the chicken is done cooking, remove the dish from the oven and flip the chicken over.
  • Divide the creamed greens over the top of each breast.
  • Add the sautéed mushrooms to each breast.
  • Top each breast with the sliced mozzarella.
  • Continue baking the smothered chicken breasts for another 14–16 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Butter, Bacon, Cheese, and Garlic.

Brunch, Dinners

Recipe—Mushroom and Swiss Cheeseburger Pie

Diva di Cucina

Finding family friendly low-carb recipes can be a struggle. One go to ingredient you can work miracles with are eggs. Yes, the incredible, edible egg! I love that you can mix in practically any ingredients with eggs, throw the mixture in a pie dish and voilá! Dinner is done! Call it a frittata, a quiche, a pie, whatever your heart desires. My son is a cheeseburger fanatic (what 3 year old boy isn’t?) so when I told him we were having a cheeseburger pie for dinner his little blue eyes lit up. (It amazes me that all I have to do to get him to try something new is give it a fun name. Now if only that trick worked with my husband…) When I initially made this it was for dinner, but I will tell you the leftovers make an awesome breakfast too. Who would have thought of throwing all your favorite hamburger toppings right into a pie dish? I will tell you who, this crazy diva!

INGREDIENTS
3/4–1 lb of lean ground beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 c slice white mushrooms
6 large eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a large skillet cook the ground beef over medium high heat.
  • When the meat is still a little pink add in the salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion, and mushrooms.
  • Cook until the onions are translucent and meat cooked through.
  • Remove from heat and drain off any excess fat.
  • In a large mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and 1 cup of the shredded Swiss cheese.
  • Add the cooked meat mixture to the mixing bowl and stir to combine.
  • Transfer the egg mixture to a greased pie dish.
  • Sprinkle the remaining Swiss cheese over the top.
  • Bake for 25–35 minutes or until set and no longer “jiggly” in the middle.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.
Dinners

Recipe—Caribbean Baked Chicken with Mango

Diva di Cucina

While there is nothing quite like being on a tropical island getaway, there are ways you can bring the tropical flavors to your very own kitchen. This easy baked chicken recipe combines some great jerk flavors with the sweetness of mango, refreshing flavor of cilantro, and a little bite of jalapeno. Spicy and sweet are classic flavors in Caribbean dishes. This recipe is flavor packed and light, a dinner perfect for the warm summer months. Get lost in your own little island getaway with this fantastic recipe.

INGREDIENTS
2 jalapenos, deseeded and deveined
1 white onion
1 tbsp garlic minced
1 slice of ginger, 1/2″ thick
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 c red onion, diced
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 450º.
  • In a blender or food processor combine the pepper, white onion, garlic, ginger, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, allspice, black pepper, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.
  • Process the ingredients until smooth, adding more olive oil if needed.
  • Spread the blended pepper mixture over both sides of the chicken.
  • Place the chicken in a large greased baking dish and top with any remaining pepper mixture.
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Transfer the chicken to plates and top each with some diced mango, red onion, and cilantro.
Appetizers

Recipe—Southwest Turkey Meatballs with Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Diva di Cucina

Every couple of months I get together with a fabulous group of ladies for a book club meeting. I don’t know why we really call it a book club meeting because about 20% of the time is spent discussing the book we read and the other 80% is spent drinking fabulous wines, eating delicious foods, and catching up with some good old fashioned girl talk. Maybe wine and food club meeting would be more appropriate? Either way, we always end with an awesome variety of the most wonderful treats. Our last meeting was on a Friday night right around dinnertime so I wanted to bring something filling and yet low carb (I try and cut out carbs from the food when I know I will be consuming plenty in the wine.) These were absolutely wonderful! They were light yet completely filling. The meatballs were packed full of wonderful Mexican flavors and they really complemented the turkey nicely. The refreshing creamy cilantro lime sauce is actually from a recipe I shared a couple months back for shrimp taco cups. I LOVED that sauce and wanted to make it again. I could put that sauce on everything. So tasty!

CREAMY CILANTRO LIME SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/3 c mayonnaise
1/2 c sour cream
2 tbsp milk
2 oz. canned diced green chilies
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

MEATBALL INGREDIENTS
1.25 lbs lean ground turkey
1 jalapeño, deseeded, deveined, and chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1/4 c panko or breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper

SAUCE STEPS

  • To make the sauce combine all sauce ingredients except the cilantro in a blender and puree until smooth.
  • Add in cilantro and pulse until combined.
  • Refrigerate sauce until ready to use.

MEATBALL STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 400º.
  • In a large bowl combine all meatball ingredients.
  • Using your hands mix well.
  • Using a large spoon, scoop a spoonful of the meat mixture and shape into 1”–1 1/4” round meatballs.
  • Place the formed meatballs into a greased baking dish making sure they don’t touch.
  • Bake for 16–20 minutes.
  • Serve hot with the cool cilantro lime dipping sauce.
  • Enjoy!
Dinners

Recipe—Rio Grande Spice Rub New York Steaks with Grilled Red Onions

Diva di Cucina

My husband is the grill master. Whenever we are grilling up any kind of meat I let him handle the seasoning of the meat. This steak dinner is the exception. This is a recipe that I like to prepare for him. (He still does the grilling of course. Grills have a way of making the mascara on my eyelashes melt. Grilling is not my thing.) This is actually a recipe I found in one of my many Rachel Ray cookbooks and it is probably my favorite recipe of hers. The spicy rub is out of this world amazing if you like a little heat, and I do mean little, I promise your mouth wont’ be on fire or anything like that. When this tasty steak is paired with the sweet grilled red onions prepare for a party in your mouth. Oh man, tasty goodness! Ladies if you want to impress your man with an out of this world steak then cook him this. You will make his palette and his stomach very happy. So happy, you may even be able to get a nice foot massage out of it. *wink wink*

INGREDIENTS
4 New York Steaks (10–12 ounces each)
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 large red onion, cut into 1/3” thick slices
olive oil
salt and pepper

STEPS

  • In a small bowl combine chili powder, cumin, coriander, kosher slat, and cayenne pepper.
  • Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and run an even amount of the seasoning all over the steaks.
  • Set the steaks aside and allow to rest for a half hour.
  • While the steaks are marinating, drizzle the slices of red onion with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (I use a toothpick inserted in the sides of the onion slices to help hold them together while on the grille.)
  • Preheat the grill to high heat.
  • Once the grill has reached temperature cook the onions and steaks for about 5–6 minutes on each side flipping once or until the steaks have reached desired temperature.
  • Transfer the steaks to a cutting board or serving dish and allow them to rest for 5 minutes for the juices to redistribute.
  • Garnish each steak with a pile of the grilled red onions.
  • Serve and chow down.

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray.

Salads, Side Dishes

Recipe—Broccoli Salad

Diva di Cucina

Broccoli SAlad

Over the past several months I have been on a total broccoli salad kick. Whenever we go to the store I can’t resist getting some at the deli counter. I figured I might as well learn to make my own, and so I did. And it was the bomb diggity! This broccoli salad is the perfect balance of crunchy and creamy, and sweet and salty. I could seriously eat this as a meal all on it’s own, okay I did eat this as a meal all on it’s own. I ate it by the bowlful! It is the perfect summer salad. It’s super light and refreshing. I don’t care if you are a fan of broccoli or not, you will love this recipe. I will make broccoli lovers out of all of you yet!

INGREDIENTS
3 heads of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 c craisins
1/2 c salted sunflower seeds
1 c mayonnaise
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar

STEPS

  • In a large bowl combine the broccoli, bacon, red onion, craisins, and sunflower seeds.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the broccoli salad and toss to coat.
  • Cover the salad and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
  • Stir right before serving.