Green Pea Soup

Keeping low-carb vegetables and fruit in the freezer is a great way to stay on top of your diet. Spinach, strawberries, peaches, edamame and green peas are just some of the frozen produce I keep in stock. Green peas are low carb and easy to throw into salads or soup. Here is a quick soup recipe.

10oz bag frozen green peas
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp butter or oil
salt and pepper
thyme
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup Greek or non-fat yogurt

Heat butter or olive oil in a soup pot. Add onion and season with salt, pepper and thyme. Cook 3-4 minutes, then pour in frozen peas. Stir a couple of minutes, then pour in vegetable broth. Bring soup to a boil, then cover, reduce and cook 15-20 minutes.
Pour soup into a blender or, using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Add yogurt and blender another 10 seconds. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Sesame Beef and Broccoli

1 lb lean beef, cut into bit sized pieces
1 onion, sliced thin
1 lb broccoli florets
1 tbsp sesame seeds

sauce:
1/4 cup peanut butter
2-3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp chili sauce (sriracha)
1 tsp minced ginger
1 green onion, chopped

Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Toss in onion and stir fry 2-3 minutes. Add beef and cook 4-5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 2-3 minutes. In a large bowl or a blender, whisk together all ingredients for sauce, then pour over beef and broccoli. Reduce heat and cook until broccoli is tender and the sauce has thickened; approximately 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Mushroom Turkey Burgers

These Italian-style turkey burgers take away the need for a bun by substituting delicious portabellas.

4 large portabella mushrooms
1 lb ground turkey or beef
1 roasted red pepper
3-4 oz mozzarella
salt and pepper
olive oil
fresh basil

Heat oven to 500. Clean mushrooms and cut the stems. Season with salt and pepper and place on a well-oiled baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil over each one, then cook 15 minutes in the oven. Pat out burgers into 1.5 to 2oz patties and season with salt and pepper. Grill, then place one patty on each mushroom. Top with a thin layer of roasted red pepper, a slice of mozzarella and fresh basil. Place under the broiler 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Blue Cheese Spinach

Spinach is almost a negligable carb because of it's extremely low count when raw. This particular spinach dish is richly enhanced by the salty, creamy blue cheese.

1 lb fresh spinach

2 tbsp crumbled blue cheese

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Lightly chop fresh spinach, don't worry about removing the stems. Start to add spinach, a quarter at a time so it all wilts. After the spinach begins to darken and wilt, add blue cheese, a little bit of salt and pepper. Toss continually until the blue cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

If you miss heavy, high carb Italian dishes, this is a great substitute. The rich Parmesan crust topped with tart roasted red pepper sauce makes a perfect date-night dish.

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2-3 chicken breasts cut into strips
salt and pepper

Sauce:
1 roasted red pepper
1/2 vine ripe tomato
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 500. Mix cheese, salt and pepper on a plate and roll chicken until well covered. Place on a well oiled baking sheet and cook 15 minutes, turning chicken over halfway through cooking. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way by cutting one piece in half to see if there is any pink.

To make sauce, combine red peppers, tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper in a blender and puree until smooth.

Sauteed Spaghetti Squash

1-2 cups precooked spaghetti squash
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp basil chiffonade
1/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet to medium high, then add spaghetti squash. Season with salt and pepper and saute 5 minutes, tossing frequently. Just before serving, add basil and tomatoes. Serve hot.

Fruit!

It is definitely citrus and apple season, so make sure you eat your fill. Not only are apples, oranges and other citrus high in fiber, they are also low on the glycemic index and can help combat colds.

All of these are equal to one carb block:
1 small apple
1/2 large apple
1 tangerine
1/2 large orange
1/2 grapefruit
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup grapes

*this is a photo of our kitchen table after donations from friends with citrus trees and shopping at Publix

Spicy Chicken with Salsa and Avocado

A new way to spice up chicken breasts!

2-3 large chicken breasts
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
salsa
1 avocado

Tenderize chicken breasts by smashing them with a meat cleaver or a hammer. Rub on the cayenne pepper, chili powder and salt, then grill 4-5 minutes per side. Top with a good salsa and sliced avocado.

Onion Churtney Sauce

When we cooked the tandoori chicken, I made this low-carb sauce on the spot to go on top of it and it turned out delicious! It would go well on any protein, but make sure you get "Major Grey's" Chutney.

1/2 white onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp Major Grey's Chutney
salt and pepper

Heat a small skillet to medium and spray with cooking oil. Add onions and season with salt and pepper, then cook 5-8 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Remove from heat and stir in the chutney. Serve warm.

Roasted Artichoke Salad

This delicious antipasto recipe comes from Ina Garten, one of my favorite TV chefs. Although most of her recipes are not nutritious, this roasted artichoke salad is low carb, high in good fats and extremely versatile. It is wonderful as a salad or as a protein topper.

2 15oz can artichoke hearts
1 roasted red pepper
3 tbsp capers
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

vinaigrette:
1 cup basil leaves
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 pinch red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 375. Rinse artichokes and cut into quarters. Cook on a baking sheet with olive oil, salt and pepper for 20 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before tossing with roasted red peppers (chopped) and capers.
In a food processor or blender, puree vinaigrette ingredients until smooth. Pour over artichokes mix and toss. Let the salad sit at least 30 minutes before serving.

Pureed Kale

This kale dish is similar to creamed spinach or the Indian dish palak paneer.

1 bag fresh washed kale
1/2 onion
salt and pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp curry powder
1-2 cups vegetable stock

Heat a pot to medium, then spray with olive oil or other organic cooking spray. Add onion and saute 2-3 minutes, then add the kale. Turn over and mix with a pair of tongs, then season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Pour vegetable stock over kale and simmer 5-10 minutes. Puree in blender until pretty smooth, then serve hot.

Sweet Potato Salad

I made this for our New Years day party and since so many people have already asked me for the recipe...here it is! This is a grown-up, elegant potato salad.

4-5 sweet potatoes, diced skin on
8 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Heat oven to 375. Mix 3-4 tbsp olive oil with salt and pepper and dried thyme. Pour over sweet potatoes and bake in a single layer on a baking sheet 1 hour. After 30 minutes, bump the heat up to 400, stir potatoes and continue cooking. Remove from heat after total 1 hour and let cook.
To make vinaigrette, whisk Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, shallot and basil, then mix in remaining olive oil. Pour over cooked potatoes and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.

Tandoori Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tsp each:
red pepper
chile powder
coriander
cumin
1/2 tsp each:
cinnamon
tumeric
salt

Trim chicken breasts and cut into strips. Mix oil, garlic, yogurt and spices in a large bowl. Put chicken in marinade for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. Grill 4-5 minutes per side.