low carb Herb Crusted Salmon

Sheet Pan Salmon- An easy and healthy dinner to get you through the Winter. I've been going 100 miles an hour lately between my baby turning 9 months in a few days to working full time to Christmas Prep, it's definitely the holiday season and I LOVE IT! But I need a quick and healthy meal to get me back to the important things like watching The Santa Clause and addressing my Christmas cards! If you also need a healthy dinner that is ready in a flash with minimal clean up then I got you covered!

**My recipe video and written recipe below are for one person but just double the recipe for 2 servings or multiple by however many people you need to serve. Just make sure your sheet pan is big enough to have all the vegetables on a single layer.

low carb Herb Crusted Salmon- Serves 1
6 oz portion of salmon, skin removed
3 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1/3 cup zucchini. sliced into circles or half moons
6 Asparagus spears, cut into thirds
1/3 cup crushed pork rinds
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 tsp fresh Thyme
1 clove garlic
Zest of one lemon (save lemon and slice for garnish)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet.
Place your vegetables (asparagus, onion, zucchini and mushrooms) on a single layer on top of the parchment paper.
Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle on the dried oregano and a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
Mix well and put back on a single layer.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

In a food processor add the garlic, pork rinds, parsley, thyme, lemon zest and pulse until everything is finely chopped then drizzle in the last 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper and pulse again a few times.
OR
You can chop the garlic, parsley, lemon zest and thyme all together and then add it to pork rinds that you have crushed by hand. Mix well in a small bowl and add in the last 1 tablespoon of olive oil along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.

Once the vegetables timer goes off take them out and give them a toss.
Then put your salmon filet on top of the vegetables.
Take the pork rinds mixture and top your salmon, pushing down to make sure the crust sticks. Try to cover the entire top of the salmon evenly.
Place back in the oven for 15 additional minutes.
Once it is done squeeze on some lemon juice and ENJOY!

lil carb Tuna Melt

Low carb sandwiches are right up my alley.  This melt came to me one day while I was making tuna salad and I just ran with it. It is surprisingly simple but really satisfied my craving for a tuna melt!  Plus - its only under the broiler for a short amount of time- just enough to melt the cheese so it's ready in no time! Perfect for hungry people like me who get hungry and want food in less than a minute. Yup- this works for me hehe

lil carb Tuna Melt- Serves 1

1/2 cup lil carb Tuna Salad, or fix tuna salad however you like
2 slices of tomato
2 slices of cheese, I use American
salt & pepper
2 iceberg lettuce cups, check out the how-to video above for how I make them

Preheat the broiler to high.
Cut the iceberg head so you make a cup shape. Discard the outer leaves and use the inner, crunchier leaves to make 2 lettuce cups. (Watch the how-to video above to see how I do this)
Put about 1/4 cup of tuna salad in each lettuce cup. Top each one with a slice of tomato and a little sprinkle of salt and pepper and lastly top with a slice of cheese.
On a foil lined baking sheet pop each lettuce cup under the broiler for 1-2 minutes just until the cheese melts- any longer will wilt the lettuce.

Let sit for about 1 minutes and then Enjoy!

lil carb Classic Tuna Salad

Watch me make this recipe!

*Spoiler Alert* - - -Tuna salad is not a new recipe- I have not invented anything new here. I am well aware of this haha BUT I wanted to share how I make tuna salad with everyone because whenever I make it I always get asked what exactly I put in it.  Lately I have been making a batch on Sunday and Jason and I have been eating it for lunch during the week on top of salads or I like mine with just a couple chunks of tomato. YUM!  It is a really great thing to use in meal prepping and
a nice way to switch up your protein. Plus I think tuna is a staple in any low carb diet so here it goes!...


lil carb Classic Tuna Salad
2 cans of tuna, I use Solid White Albacore in water----->
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Mayo
1 tsp spicy brown mustard, I use Guldens----->
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
Salt to taste

Open your tuna cans and drain out the water well.
In a medium sized bowl add your tuna, red onion, celery, mustard and 1/4 cup of mayo.  Mix well. Add the additional 2 tbsp of mayo or even more until you get the desired creaminess. I find that 2 extra tbsp is perfect for me.
Then add in the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, pepper and a pinch of salt.
Mix again and taste. Add more salt until it is seasoned to your liking.
Enjoy!

lil carb Marinated Salt Block Shrimp

Happy Valentines Day everyone!  In true Hart fashion- Jason and I said we weren't exchanging gifts. Which is what we say every year and every year we both end up with a new toy. lol This year we both broke the rules yet again. I got J a Food Saver food vacuuming and marinating system! I usually buy gifts that I can also benefit from and I am guilty for this gift.  And Jason gave me a Himalayan salt block to cook on! I was so excited to experiment with it. I have never used one before so I did some research online about the general use and care and came across very few recipes without buying a whole cookbook. So I decided to incorporate Jason's gift and my gift and cook something new for Valentines Day dinner.
The best part- you can use this recipe even if you don't have the fancy air- sucking-marinate-machine or the Himalayan salt block. lol  Sometimes just simple, fresh ingredients are what makes a meal seem fancy.  I am being completely honest when I say this is the best shrimp I've ever eaten and J agreed!




lil carb Shrimp Marinate- Serves 2
13-15 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails left on
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, sliced very thin
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
1/8 tsp black pepper
*If you are cooking on a salt block do not add salt- If you are cooking stove top add 1/8 tsp salt*

Combine all of the marinade ingredients and whisk together then add the shrimp and toss to coat.
At this point you can add this to a ziplock bag and place in the fridge for 6-8 hours.
You could also add to a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
Or you could vacuum seal it like we did! Then we let it chill in the fridge for about 8 hours.

Remove the shrimp from the fridge about 15 minutes before you're ready to cook them.

When I was cooking on the salt block it actually took about an hour for it to heat up. I started on medium low heat until it was very warm to the touch. That took about 25 minutes. Then I increased the heat to medium and let it warm up for another 35 minutes.

Next, I removed the shrimp from the marinade and layed them flat on the salt block.
I also put the garlic slices and rosemary bits right on the shrimp and the block.

*You could also cook these in a skillet with a little olive oil on medium high heat.

Overcooking shrimp is so easy to do. I go by a timer and when it goes off I know they are done.
2 minutes on the first side then flip and another minute and a half on the second side. Thats how quick shrimp cook! When you put the shrimp in the pan or on a salt block it should always sizzle right away.

How cool does that look!? I cooked on a block of salt!

I loved the way this shrimp came out and the crispy garlic gave so much extra flavor! 

The shrimp were kissed with a light salt flavor.  The block does not overpower with salt which is what I was afraid of. Nope, do not worry! If you are in to trying new cooking techniques I highly recommend grabbing one of these blocks!  I hope to share more recipes after I experiment with it some more. Even if you don't have one this shrimp marinade is simple, fresh, and packs so much flavor!

lil carb Salmon Entree

I have to admit I have never eaten Salmon cooked until just recently. I have eaten it plenty of times in sushi but I never tried cooking it. I know that sounds weird but that is just how random I am sometimes. Since we moved last year now, I am only a few miles away from Wegmans and they have such an amazing seafood department that I have been experimenting more and more with new ingredients. Now that I have perfected this salmon entree we eat it about once a week!  Jason loves it and it is SO simple that it really showcases how great fresh fish can be.  If you're like me and are "afraid" to cook fish - which I definitely was- try out this recipe and impress everyone in your family!  You can make this for one person, 2 people OR because of how it cooks you can literally feed as many people as you want.  It looks complicated but it's totally not! For an easy side dish cooked in the oven with the fish scroll all the way to the bottom!

lil carb Salmon Foil Packets- Serves 2 people
3/4 lb salmon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1 shallot, sliced thin
pinch of dried thyme
pinch of dried oregano
salt & pepper
tin foil


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Tear off 2 squares of tin foil big enough to fit your fish pieces.
Check salmon for tiny pin bones by running your finger along the top of the meat and remove them.
Cut the 3/4 lb piece in half and put one half on top of each tin foil squares. Each piece gets its own packet.

Top each piece with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Divide the garlic and shallot to top each one.
Add a pinch of thyme and a pinch of oregano to each one.
Cut the lemon in half.  Squeeze one of the halves over the salmon pieces. The other half cut into thin slices. Put 2 slices on top of each salmon piece(optional).Take each packet and wrap it up starting at the corners and then folding the seams closed until you reach the other side.

Put the foil packets onto a baking sheet and put in the oven for 22 minutes.
Take them out and let them rest for 3-5 minutes without opening the foil.
After that they are ready to go!  You can serve them right in the foil packet on your plate or transfer the fish and sauce to it's own dish. Enjoy!!

*To make this a complete meal ready in less than 30 minutes- I put the foil packets on one side of a foil lines baking sheet and then on the other half I spread out 10-12 asparagus spears. I use about 2 tsp of olive oil and coat the spears then sprinkle on salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder- easy as that!  Then I bake the spears right along with the fish. When the salmon is out of the oven and resting I crank up the heat to 450 for about 5 minutes to get that nice charred crust on the asparagus.  If your spears are thinner than the ones in my picture they will be done at the same time as the salmon!  
Check out my youtube video above to see how I did it!
Enjoy!

lil carb Spicy Mussels Fra Diavolo

It's time to fancy it up today in the Hart Kitchen!  I made the most amazing mussels dish the other night and after I instagram-ed (@princesskuttah) it I could not wait to share it with everyone!  I must admit, mussels were never my favorite thing but they had such lovely looking mussels at Wegmans and Jason loves them so I thought I would try to recreate the classic Mussels Fav Diavolo at home.  OMG-was I glad that I did. If you are on the fence about mussels go to a good quality fish market and check them out and give them a try! If you like clams or oysters you will probably like mussels.

Sometimes I love going out to eat- getting dressed up, people watching, having an elaborate cocktail, etc.  BUT making restaurant dishes at home is one of my favorite things to do. There are up sides to cooking your own food; You know the exact ingredients that went into a dish, strangers aren't touching your food and more importantly you get to eat the fruits of your labor at the end! The best part about this dish is Jason and I actually made it together- he cleaned and washed the mussels and then let them sit in a flour bath while I made the delicious sauce they would be cooked in. It was a team effort and I definitely ate too much but it was so much fun and definitely tasted better than any restaurant I have been to!

There are a couple steps that are involved in this dish but they are noting too complicated.


Step 1: Cleaning the Mussels
2 lbs mussels, beards removed
1/3 cup flour
Water

Start off my putting the mussels in a large bowl and removing the beard if any have it- it is a kind of fuzzy looking piece that is between the two mussels shells.  The mussels we got had most of them already removed but Jason took the rest off and threw them away.  If any are really dirty you can scrub them with a sponge.
So, in the large bowl add the mussels and cover them with water and the flour. Mix with a big spoon until the flour dissolves and let them set for 30-35 minutes.
This step is very important because it cleans out the mussels. They spit out any sand or grit they were carrying. P.S. They will move and wiggle! They are alive!

Step 2: The Marinara Sauce

For this step you need to make your signature marinara sauce.
The sauce I used was my simple marinara sauce that I use for almost everything!

Click here to get my recipe for Simple & Fresh lil carb Marinara Sauce!

You can also use jarred sauce- then just skip to the next step. Whatever you prefer!

Step 3: Cooking the Mussels

3 tbsp olive oil
1-3 tsp red pepper flake
2 shallots, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup white wine
3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley

In a large stock pot add the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flake.  Adjust the red pepper flake to your desired spice level- I used 3 tsp and it was perfect! Stir constantly for 1 minute.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine- I used Chardonnay!
Allow the wine to bubble for a few seconds then add in the marinara sauce.  Stir well.
Turn up the heat to medium high and allow this mixture to come to a boil.
Drain the mussels and rinse them from the flour bath from step one.
Add them to the boiling sauce mixture.
Put the lid on the pot and wait 3 minutes.
Stir the mussels around and put the lid back on and wait another 3 minutes.
If some are still not open put the lid on for an additional minute.
Spoon out the mussels into a large serving bowl then pour the sauce right over the top of the mussels and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

See!  That wasn't too bad! The key is having all of your ingredients ready to pour and drop into the pot once you are ready to cook the oysters.  It makes the process a lot smoother!

Since the theme of our day was shellfish- Jason decided to learn how to shuck oysters! He did amazing! The perfect appetizer before we stuffed our bellies with mussels!

lil carb Bobby Flay Summer "Shrimp-spiration"

I am always on the look out for new recipes.  I browse Pinterest and my favorite blogs. I'm also addicted to the Food Network- if you couldn't tell.  I was watching Bobby Flays show last weekend and he made a shrimp dish that looked so amazing I had to make it this week. It was already low carb and falls into the "simple yet flavorful" kick that I have been on lately. As an added bonus it includes some of my favorite thing: fresh herbs, bacon, and garlic. Although garlic was not in the recipe itself I felt like adding it. Hey, it could only make this dish better! In my opinion garlic is a food group.

In the original recipe there is cilantro.  I am one of the few percent that cannot eat cilantro. I just do not like it!  Take note everyone because there are not many foods I won't eat. Easy fix though, I just subbed cilantro for fresh parsley from my herb garden!

I prepped my ingredients so I could drop them in the skillet when I was ready.

Fresh thyme, fresh parsley, scallions, garlic, and bacon!

It said to sauté the bacon in the skillet- I personally don't like when bacon has a rubbery consistency so I opted to bake mine in the oven and then I used some of the bacon drippings to start the vegetable sauté.

I had to get a second picture including the tomatoes.  I used Roma tomatoes and cut out the juicy centers.

I love cooking with all fresh ingredients!  This is the definition of feel-good-food!

Saute the tomatoes in about 1 tbsp of bacon grease over medium heat for about 1 minute then add all the other ingredients.

Then add in some red wine vinegar to create a lil sauce.

This doesn't take long at all. Saute just until everything is warmed through. After about 3-4 minutes I turned the heat down to low just to keep the pan warm. 

What beautiful colors! 

In the meantime Jason prepped our shrimp!  We used18 shrimp for the two of us.  He put them on skewers, patted them dry, brushed them with olive oil and then used a spice grinder that we have.  In the spice grinder was a mixture of sea salt, pepper, red pepper, cumin, garlic, and onion.  But really salt and pepper is all they need! He grilled them just until the shrimp turned a light pink.  Very proud of my hubby- he's the grill mater of our house.

Spoon some of the tomato mixture on the plate and top with the shrimp!

The fresh shrimp and fresh herbs really pop with this dish then you get the smoky bacon flavor and the crunch from the scallion and finish with the warm tomato- YUM!  

Thank you Bobby Flay for your inspiration and this recipe! 

Find the original recipe HERE!

My take on Bobby Flays Grilled Shrimp Dish- Serves 2

18 Shrimp- raw, deveined with shells removed

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper or a few grinds from your favorite spice grinder

Sauce:

10 slices of bacon- reserve 1 Tbsp of bacon grease

6 Roma tomatoes, juicy centers cut out and diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tbsp parsley, chopped *You can sub for cilantro*

2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

3 scallions, sliced thin

2 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Prep the shrimp by patting them dry, skewering them, brushing with olive oil and seasoning them with salt and pepper or your favorite spice grinder.

For the sauce I cooked the bacon in the oven at 395 degrees for about 20 minutes then cut it into large chunks and set aside along with the bacon grease.  

Add the 1 Tbsp bacon grease to a large skillet over medium heat.  Drop in the tomatoes and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Then add in the thyme, parsley, scallions, and bacon. Mix all the ingredients together and cook for another minute. Then add in the red wine vinegar and mix again. 

At this point you can turn the heat down to low and cook your shrimp. As soon as the shrimp are done spoon some tomatoes mixture onto your plate and top with shrimp and some extra salt and pepper. 

I served this with easy grilled asparagus- Thanks to Jason ;)  In a shallow dish mix asparagus spears with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder and onion powder and lemon pepper seasoning.  Sprinkle with salt and grill!

If you're baking the asparagus try my Simple Asparagus Side Dish Recipe!

Let me know if you try this or any of my recipes!  I would love to hear from you!

lil carb lil Clam Dinner

Weekends are amazing, aren't they?  Since Jason and I both work full time our weekends are all we look forward to and we try to get as much done as possible.  Today we were running errands all day and then we decided to grab lunch a lil later than usual.  Late lunches can be deadly - I know from experience.  It's so easy to eat lunch late and then come home and want to snack instead of make a full dinner.  Fear not of the deadly I'm-not-hungry-enough-for-a-full-dinner-muchies! There are low carb choices that you can make instead and you will feel satisfied and guilt free!  It's all about planning ahead.

Jason and I knew we would be victims tonight- so we came prepared.  We stopped at Wegmans and picked up some little neck clams. They are so good!!  Once we got our hunger pains around 7pm Jason cooked them right on the grill!  My favorite way to eat clams.  They spit out a lot of the extra juice they're carrying, and before they spit it out they cook in it.  I am not a fan of boiling anything so the grill is my go to!  Once the clams are open they are ready to go.  I melted some butter and served with some lemon slices. Nothing better.  Fresh, flavorful, simple, and totally light.  This night could have gone bad but we saved it by being prepared with a low carb and tasty dinner!

Throw the clams right on a preheated medium high grill.

Close the lid.

Check on them in 2-3 minutes.

As they start to open up pull them off, squirt with some lemon, dip in melted butter and close your eyes and savor how amazing life can be :)

Gorgeous!  So simple yet fresh and light. It really is easy to eat healthy you just have to plan ahead!

There you have it!  A bowl full of shells. 

I'd say this dinner was a success! 

lil carb Extra Saucy Shrimp Scampi

Watch me cook this EASY, fresh dinner! :)

Here I go again craving things I really shouldn't have... pasta! How cruel of me to deny a girl pasta!  Its just not right.  To ease my growling tummy I had to get creative and think up a pasta dish without actually eating pasta.  After thinking about it I wanted something light but with tons of flavor.  Then it hit me- Shrimp Scampi! This was a bit of a splurge for me considering I spent $12 on 1 pound of shrimp but they were peeled, deveined, and fresh so in my eyes it was worth it! What a great dinner!  Fresh seafood with perfectly cooked garlic and a sauce that you can slurp right up.  My "pasta" was spaghetti squash and as Jason and I were eating this dinner he literally said "I feel like I'm eating pasta." I really think I have perfected cooking spaghetti squash in the microwave- its a gift! ha!  You could easily serve this shrimp n sauce combo over rice, pasta, grits, or a veggie noodle like zucchini or squash.  Either way, this dinner takes minutes to put together but tastes like what you would order at a restaurant. Plus it's low carb! I love the sauce or the gravy of dinners so as with most of my recipes there will be plenty of sauce for 2 people and you can certainly cut it in half if you're not a saucy person like myself.

Extra Saucy Shrimp Scampi (Serves 2):
1 lb Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined- tails left on
7 Garlic Cloves, minced or grated
1 cup Chicken Broth OR Vegetable Broth
1 cup White Wine
1/2 cup Lemon Juice, fresh or bottled
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 cup Parsley, chopped- plus more for garnish
1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp plus 3 Tbsp Butter

Add 1 tbsp butter and oil to a skillet on medium heat.  Add in the shrimp and sauce for about 2 minutes- just until pink.  Be careful not to overcook.  Then add in the garlic and stir around for another 45 seconds.  Remove shrimp from skillet and keep warm on a plate by tenting it with tin foil.  Next combine the wine, lemon juice, chicken broth and 1/4 cup parsley.  Stir to combine. While this is heating up add in salt and pepper to taste.  Bring this mixture to a boil and reduce for 10-12 minutes uncovered.  As soon as the sauce is reduced by about half add in last 3 tbsp butter and whisk furiously until melted into sauce. Arrange shrimp on top of spaghetti squash (quick preparation below) and top with desired amount of sauce.  Garnish each plate with a sprinkle of parsley and a lemon wedge.  YUM!

Easy Spaghetti Squash- makes 4 servings:
2 1/2 lb Spaghetti Squash
Microwave

Pierce squash with about 8-10 knife holes.  Microwave on high for 5 minutes then flip squash over and microwave another 4 1/2 minutes.  Let sit in  microwave of 1 minute.  Remove with oven mitts, cut in half, scoop out seeds and mushy center and "rake" out the flesh to resemble noodles.

Should I bring your tab?! ...ha! Almost feels like a restaurant instagram pic! #foodie #nomnom #itoldyouitwassaucy ;)