Low Carb Chicken Chow Mein

I find Spaghetti Squash to be an excellent low carb alternative to noodles. That’s what I used here to make this low carb version of Chicken Chow Mein. So much deliciousness!

Ingredients:

• 1 Spaghetti Squash

• 1 Tablespoon each Sesame Oil & Olive Oil

• 1 Tablespoon diced Garlic

• 1/2 cup each coarsely chopped Oyster Mushrooms, sliced Red Bell Pepper, sliced White Onion.

• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Breast cut into bite sized pieces

• 1 tablespoon diced fresh Ginger

• 1 tablespoon diced Cilantro

• 2 tablespoons sliced Green Onion

• 1 cup fresh Bean Sprouts

• 1 8 oz can whole Water Chestnuts

• Soy Sauce & Fish Sauce to taste

• Salt to taste

• 1 fresh Lime sliced in half

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice Spaghetti Squash in half length-wise. Drizzle lightly cut side with Olive Oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Poke several holes in the skin of each of the halves. Place in oven and roast for 30-40 minutes for an al dente type texture. Roast longer if you prefer to the noodles softer.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining Olive Oil at medium-high heat and saute Mushrooms, Onions and Bell Pepper for 3-4 minutes (until they begin to soften). Add Minced Garlic and saute another minute or so. Turn heat to low.

3. In a separate pan heated with Sesame Oil, brown Chicken 3-4 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except Chicken and Lime, to the vegetable mixture. Stir and cook on low 5-7 minutes or until warmed through.

4. Check to see that Chicken is cooked through, once confirmed add it to the vegetable mixture. Squeeze fresh lime juice over and toss together. Set on super low if you’re still waiting for the Squash to finish.

5. Pull finished Squash from the oven. With cut side facing up, use a fork and scrape the prongs against the flesh. This will result in spaghetti type strings.

Place the veggie mixture over the faux pasta, serve and dig in! I hope you enjoy. :)

Roasted Pork Loin with Au Jus

This Pork Loin with Au Jus is a surprisingly easy recipe. Perfect for when you want to do something special on a weekday after a long workday. :)

Ingredients

• 3 lb. pork loin roast

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon fresh minced Italian parsley

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper

• 1/2 cup stock (I used beef because that was all I had, but any stock will do)

• 1 tablespoon salted butter

• 1 tablespoon fresh minced Italian parsley

How to Make It

1. Be sure to take the roast out of the fridge and allow it to reach room temperature in order to ensure it cooks evenly.

2. Preheat oven to 375 F.

3. Mix together the minced garlic, 1 tablespoon minced Italian parsley, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt & pepper.

4. Score the meat by cutting crosses in the top of the roast. Rub this over the roast and into the score slices. This can be done overnight or right out of the fridge as you’re waiting for it to come to room temperature. Of course, the longer is sits, the more flavor will seep into the meat.

5. Roast about 25 minutes per pound — meat’s internal temperature should read 150-160 degrees

6. Cover the roast with aluminum foil and make the Au Jus while it’s resting.

7. Set the lower part of the roasting pan over a burner at medium heat. Add the stock and de-glaze with the stock.

8. Constantly stirring, add the butter, fresh parsley, and salt & pepper to taste.

9. Allow the sauce to reduce a bit — around 10 minutes. Serve your Au Ju over the roast. Enjoy!

I’ve done other variations of this using pesto in place of the fresh parsley. It’s super yummy, too!

Cheesy Spicy Low Carb Crackers

I’m experimenting with a new Paleo-friendly, low carb flour mix: Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour. My first experiment -- these super yummy cheesy crackers have a nice spicy bite! By the way, if anyone’s paying attention… I might be a bit into cheese lately. :)

How To Make It

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. hand shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• 1/2 cup room temp salted butter

• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 tablespoon mustard seed

• 1 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Paleo Baking Flour

Mix the cheese, butter and Dijon mustard together. Separately, mix all the dry ingredients together (all the remaining ingredients). Next, in 3 or 4 phases fold the dry ingredients into cheese mixture.

Separate the dough into three balls. Take each onto about a 14 inch layer of plastic wrap. Roll the ball out along the plastic wrap. Wrap the cheese log completely and manipulate the log until it’s about the width of a quarter (I use my hands to roll it out until it gets to the size I want). Place the cheese logs in the freezer.

From here, preparation takes about 25 minutes. So, when you’re ready, pull a cheese log from the freezer and let it sit for about 10 minutes to let it soften a little. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the cheese log into 1/4 inch disks. Place on cookie sheet (use a Silpat or parchment paper to avoid sticking) spaced at least 1/4 inch apart. Check after 10 minutes, they should be slightly brown around the edges. If they’re not, bake for another couple minutes or so.

Let them cool and enjoy the cheesy yumminess!

City Ribs Night

I’m at it again. This time, it’s imperative we keep the kitchen door closed as the oven will be on for 3.5 hours and it’s 80 degrees in our apartment. This is a great sheltering-in option when you don’t have access to an outdoor BBQ.

Step One

Lightly season the underside of the ribs and generously season the top side. I use Oakland Dust for pork - it’s delicious! We used baby back pork ribs, but you can really do this with any kind of ribs.

Step Two

Next, fold over the aluminum foil and seal. I try to keep a bit of a tent over the top of the ribs to protect the seasoning.

Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours.

Step Three

Peel back the top layer of foil and cook for another 30 minutes. You can also brush BBQ sauce over the ribs at this point, but we prefer them dry rub.

Step Four - Eat!

The ribs turn out so tender they literally fall off the bone! Serve with your favorite sauce.

As ever, stay healthy and safe, everyone!

Low Carb Turkey Pot Pie

This low carb turkey pot pie was made from Thanksgiving leftovers. The crust is so delicious and definitely does not taste low carb!

How to Make it

I modified the recipe I found on Kyndra Holley’s blog, Peace, Love and Low Carb, for low carb chicken pot pie. The recipe as I made it is shown below:

Ingredients

Pie Filling:

• 2 tbsp butter

• 1/2 cup onion, diced (about 2.5 oz)

• 1/2 cup celery, sliced (2 medium ribs)

• 1/2 cup carrots, slices (about 2.5 oz)

• I package sliced white mushrooms

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 12 oz turkey, cubed small

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 3/4 cup sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened/room temp

• 1/2 cup grated, fresh Parmesan cheese

• 3/4 cup almond flour

• 1 large egg

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Pie Filling:

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Next, add the onion, celery, carrots and a little salt and pepper to the pan. Sauté until the vegetables are soft.

2. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté until is is cooked though.

3. Add the heavy cream, chicken stock, and Dijon mustard to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5-7 minutes.

4. Mix in the cheese until melted.

Pie Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine mozzarella cheese, cream cheese and Parmesan cheese. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine.

3. Mix in almond flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, sea salt and black pepper. Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

4. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and place in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.

5. Spread the dough pieces out into large flat circles on parchment paper or a silpat.

6. Divide the pot pie filling between four mini pie pans or oven safe ramekins.

7. Top each one with a piece of dough, folding it down around the edges.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.