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. :)

Fresh Tahoe Trout

Our neighbor, Bill, gave us a trout from his morning catch! Fortunately, he had already cleaned it. :P So, all I had to do was figure out the best way to cook it. I Google’d a few recipes and here’s what I came up with. Michael and I agreed that it turned out fantastic! Thanks Bill!

Ingredients

• Fresh Trout

• 1/4-1/2 cup white wine (I usually use a cheap dry white wine for cooking, but in this case I wanted to drink the leftovers so I got Joel Gott, which is one of my favorite Sauv Blancs)

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced garlic

• 1 fresh lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon truffle salt (or regular salt, if you prefer

How to Make It

1. Heat grill to about 375 degrees.

2. Mix all the ingredients (minus the fish) in a little bowl. Use only half of the lemon for juice in this mixture. Slice the other half and layer inserted into the fish.

3. Use your fingers to gather and rub the pasty stuff of the mixture all over your fish (including inside).

4. Pull a long enough sheet of aluminum foil that it will fold length-wise back over the fish.

5. Set the fish on the right side of the aluminum foil. Pour any remaining part of the mixture over the fish.

6. Wrap the fish with a bit of tenting on top as you want it to steam on the grill.

7. Place the fish on the grill for about 20 minutes.

Ta-da! The fish turned out flaky and delicious! The skin and bones were very easy to remove as we dove into it. And the mixture we made was very good. I wouldn’t change a thing for next time. Happy summer, ya’ll!

Caprese Salad a la Capisce?

My new take on Caprese Salad is an adaptation from our favorite Tahoe local Italian restaurant: Capisce? Everything is bigger! Big slices of fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil… yum!

How to Make It

It’s simple and quick to make. I even get the pre-sliced fresh mozzarella and the fresh/partially dried chopped basil from Safeway, which totally cuts down on the time to make. Layer slices of tomato and cheese. Mix about 2 parts chopped basil with one part olive oil and drizzle over the tomatoes and cheese. Then sprinkle your favorite balsamic vineger to taste. Finish with some freshly ground salt and pepper. We love this dish as a Spring/Summer side.

California Chicken Caesar Salad

Avocado, tomato, and bacon give this classic Caesar Salad a California twist. It’s my new favorite for lunch!

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped Romain lettuce

• 1 ripe California avocado, cut into bite sized pieces

• 1 ripe tomato, cut into bite sized pieces

• 2 tablespoons very thinly sliced white onion (I use a mandoline slicer on the thinnest slice setting), coarsely chopped

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese

• 2 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled

• 1 grilled chicken breast, coated with olive oil, salt & pepper

• 1.5 tablespoon creamy Caesar salad dressing (I used Ken’s)

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, I prefer a fishier dressing, especially without anchovies)

• Ground pepper

How To Make It

1. Turn on grill. While the grill is heating rub chicken breast with olive oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. When grill is ready, grill chicken breast for about 5 minutes on both sides.

2. Cook two strips of bacon to crispy (we prefer super cripsy)

3. Toss together Romain lettuce, pieces of avocado and tomato, and chopped onion.

4. Add 1 tablespoon of the grated cheese and crumbled bacon.

5. Whisk together the Caesar salad dressing and fish sauce. Add this to the salad and toss thoroughly.

6. Let the grilled chicken breast set for 5 minutes or so. Then thinly slice lengthwise.

7. Plate the salad mixture and add sliced grilled chicken over. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of grated cheese and grind pepper over.

8. 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!