Sunday, July 31, 2016

lil carb Greek Frittata


Watch me cook this amazing Frittata!
Add another frittata to my breakfast list!  This one is inspired by Greek flavors and was actually created after I made my Greek Style Chicken Platter.  I had so many yummy ingredients that I decided to play around and make a frittata.  Once again you will hear me say that this is truly the easiest breakfast meal prep out there. Weekday breakfasts are so busy for Jason and I that having slices of yummy frittata in the fridge are truly a lifesaver!  So- get to the store and grab a few ingredients to make my Chicken platter for dinner and then my frittata for breakfast. You'll be thanking me!  hehe

lil carb Greek Frittata- Serves 6
 1/3 cup white onion, diced
1/4 cup kalamata olives, roughly chopped
3 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a lemon, tested
8 slices of bacon**, cooked and broken into bite size pieces
1/8 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp half and half
7 eggs, beaten
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese- depending on how much cheese you like

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
Spray a 9 inch pie plate (mine is glass) with non stick cooking spray.
Into the pie plate add in your raw onion, kalamata olives, sundries tomatoes, bacon, and lemon zest.
In another bowl crack your eggs and beat them with the half and half, oregano, a pinch of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt.
Once they are well mixed add them right to the pie plate.
Using a fork make sure the egg mixture coats all the ingredients.
Then top with the feta cheese.
Bake for 25 minutes then remove the fritatta from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
Then cut up, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top and ENJOY!

*This will keep in the fridge for about 5 days so feel free to heat it up all week long for a quick breakfast on the go!
**Make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon!

Thursday, July 28, 2016

lil carb Ginger Lime Chicken

Chicken marinades are my favorite things to create because with a good marinade you can totally transform chicken to be any flavor you want.  Definitely fun and SO easy.  This marinade was made with a few fresh ingredients- which are right up my alley- and it is the perfect dinner for a summer night.  I like to make this with my coconut cauliflower rice- it is heavenly!  Make this recipe and you will likely add it to your dinner rotation!

Ginger Lime Chicken- Serves 4
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh chopped ginger, skin removed and chopped
2 Tbsp fresh chopped garlic
2 limes, zested
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 large chicken breasts cut in half lengthwise or 4 small chicken breasts

In a small bowl or measuring cup add in your oil, ginger, garlic, lime zest, salt and pepper. Then add in the juice of both limes. Whisk everything together well.
Put your chicken in a baking dish or a resealable plastic bag and pour almost all the marinade in. Reserve about 3 tablespoons of marinade.
mix the chicken around so that it is well coated in the marinade and then refrigerate for 2 hours or preferably overnight.
*If you only have 30 minutes you can still make this! The flavor will not be as strong but it is still do-able!

After the chicken has marinaded grill it, bake it, sauté it, whatever you prefer and then... ENJOY!

This chicken goes phenomenally with my lil carb Basil Coconut Cauliflower Rice! Just take a look at how perfect that looks! IT tasted even better if you can believe it!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

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!


Thursday, July 21, 2016

lil carb Kale Side Dish

Watch me prepare this easy side dish!

I just love cooking with fresh vegetables.  One of my 'flavors of the week' for veggie sides lately has been kale. Not only is it a gorgeous green that is able to hold up to all different dressings and meals but it has so many tremendous health benefits.  Being that kale is a super food I enjoy cooking with it a few times a week. My old trusty recipe is a simple kale sauté that anyone can do with just a handful of ingredients. This dish sounds simple but the flavor is anything but!

lil carb Kale Saute- Serves 4
8 cups kale leaves, tightly packed
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/8- 1/4 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Squeeze of fresh lemon (1/2 tsp worth)

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Sauté the garlic for about a minute.
Add in the kale, in batches if you have a small skillet like me.
Continue to add kale, stir, let wilt, and then add more until all of your kale is in the skillet.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the red pepper flake if you are using.

Serve as an additional side dish with my lil carb Salmon Entree!!






lil carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers

    
Watch my YouTube video on how to make these!



I have yet to find a low carb sloppy joe recipe. Every one that I came across had brown sugar, granulated sugar, or BOTH in the recipe.  This will not do for me because I love me some sloppy joes!  SO... I began recipe testing and you all will flourish in my rewards of this perfect recipe. Dare I say this is the best sloppy joe mixture I've ever tasted?! Well it is.  I stuffed mine into peppers but you could easily take this healthy sloppy joe recipe and add your favorite hamburger bun for the traditional sandwich. SO GOOD- you need to make this asap- it might seems like quite a few ingredients but most of these ingredients I had in my pantry and fridge already- and don't be scared of the steps- I wrote everything out the way I did so that it would be easy to follow.
Get in the kitchen and whip this up tonight!


lil carb Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers- Makes 4 peppers
1 lb ground beef, Use 90/10
4 bell peppers, any color you prefer

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , to taste (optional)
Pinch of allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup low sugar ketchup
2 cups low carb tomato sauce (the cans that say tomato sauce, not marinara sauce)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
_______________________________________
Start off by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.
Cut off the very top of the peppers with the stem and reserve.
The bottom of the peppers remove the seeds and the cores from the inside.
Put the pepper bottoms in your oven for 8 minutes to soften them up.
Then take them out of the oven and set them aside while you make your sloppy joe filling.

Take the pepper tops and cut around the stem - chop up the good pieces so that you have about 1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper.
Chop all your other veggies and get them done before you heat your skillet.
In a large skillet over medium high heat add in 2 tbsp olive oil.
Then add in your carrots and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Then add in the onion, chopped up pepper tops, and celery.
Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring frequently for 8 minutes until the veggies soften. Lower your heat if the veggies start to get dark brown.
Add in the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minutes so the garlic does not burn.
Remove the veggies from the skillet  and put into a small bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet raise the heat to high and cook the ground meat until it is cooked through.
Drain off any excess fat.
Lower the heat back down to medium.
Add the cooked veggies back into the skillet with the ground meat.
Add in the dried thyme, paprika, cayenne (if using), allspice pinch, salt and pepper.
Stir to evenly distribute the spices.
Then add in the red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well.
Then carefully stir in the ketchup and tomato sauce.
Let this mixture bubble up and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat and it will become nice and thick.
Stir often.
After 10 minutes fill your 4 pepper bottoms with the sloppy joe mixture and top each one with about 2 oz of cheese.
I use a square baking dish to help them stand up and bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes then pop under the broil for 1-2 minutes until your cheese is brown and bubbly.
Let sit for a few minutes - they will be very hot.
Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley then.....ENJOY!