Black Soy Bean Chili

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes by

Another great recipe from George Stella.  Unfortunately, I could not find canned black soy beans at Fry’s, Wal-Mart, Sprouts, AJ’s, Trader Joe’s or Lee Lee’s Oriental Supermarket (yes, I was obsessed in my hunt to find them).  We got them from Whole Foods.  I also notice you can order them on Amazon, and I think you might be able to get them at Safeway, but I haven’t checked yet.  I love black soy beans!  Who would have thought?  They look like and taste like black beans, so I am going to have to stock up on these beans (since they are low in net carbs).  This recipe is great by itself with cheese or sour cream, but is also terrific in Ginny’s Taco Salad, a recipe which I am also adding.

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 green bell pepper, cut into large dice
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into large dice
  • 1/2 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (you may use any cut of beef you like)
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • One 15-ounce can black soy beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (for garnish)
  1. HEAT the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the peppers and onion and cook until slightly tender.
  2. ADD the ground beef and spices and cook until the meat is thoroughly browned.  Drain off the excess fat using a spoon or turkey baster.
  3. Add the diced tomatoes and beans and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. To serve, garnish the chili with cilantro.

This recipe yields 8 servings and has 4 net carbs per serving.  Stella states the prep time is 15 minutes but he’s a professional chef; however, it takes me about 35 minutes to cut everything up.  🙂

Grain-Free Chicken Tenders

Posted in Main Dishes, Poultry by

This is a recipe I took from Allrecipes.com and is a definite keeper.  Ready in 40 minutes.

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted

DIRECTIONS:

  1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. MIX almond flour, Parmesan cheese, basil, thyme, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
  3. DIP chicken strips in the melted butter; press strips into almond flour mixture until completely coated.  Transfer coated strips to the prepared baking sheet.
  4. BAKE in the preheated oven on the middle rack until strips are golden brown and no longer pink in the center, at least 20 minutes.

Total net carbs per serving: 6 g.  Servings per recipe: 6.  YUM!!

Carbmasters at Fry’s

Posted in Breakfast, Helpful Tips, Snacks by

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Just another helpful tip that you all know about, but Fry’s has a yogurt called Carbmaster.  This really isn’t your normal yogurt per se but more like a greek yogurt (which I didn’t think I would like).  However, these have around 4 net carbs each.  I haven’t tried all of the flavors, but my favorites so far are banana cream pie, caramel spice cake, tropical fruit and carrot cake.  I also like to add slivered almonds or shredded unsweetened coconut or strawberries or blueberries into my Carbmaster.  This is a great breakfast food and tastes like dessert!  🙂

Chompie’s Low Carb Bread

Posted in Breakfast, Helpful Tips by

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I believe I shared this with everyone but I found low carb bread made by Chompie’s at Sprouts.  The sesame bread has only 1 net carb per slice and the cinnamon raisin bread has only 2 net carbs.  It is obviously more expensive than regular bread and it requires refrigeration but it is not too bad.  I really like the cinnamon raisin bread toasted with sugar-free jam.  I also used it this morning to make french toast with sugar-free syrup.  Yum!

Marinara & Mozzarella Meatloaf

Posted in Beef/Pork, Main Dishes, Pasta/Italian/Pizza by

This is an amazing recipe from George Stella.

  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce, divided (make sure no added sugar or corn syrup)
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
  1. PREHEAT oven to 350°, and ready a nonstick 9×5-inch loaf pan for baking.  (Or spray a regular loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.)
  2. IN a large bowl, mix the ground beef, 1 cup of the marinara sauce, diced red onion, eggs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic, onion powder, salt and pepper.  (This is easiest done with your hands.)
  3. EVENLY fill loaf pan with the meatloaf mixture, patting with your hands to form an even top.  Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
  4. REMOVE loaf from oven and spread with remaining 1/2 cup of marinara sauce, and then the mozzarella cheese over the top.  Return to oven and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 165°.  Drain fat from pan and let rest 10 minutes before cutting into 8 equal slices.

This recipe has 6.5 net carbs per serving.

Cole Slaw

Posted in Side Dishes by

Here is a great dish I adapted from George Stella:

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sugar substitute (more or less depending on your taste)
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (George adds 2 tbsp. but I think it is a little too much)
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (George adds 2 tbsp. but again a little much for me)
  • 12 ounces shredded green cabbage
  • 4 ounces shredded red cabbage
  • 1/3 cup shredded carrots
  • 1 teaspoon celery seeds
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients, in a large bowl, tossing to combine.  Chill for 2 hours before serving.  This makes 10 servings and has 3 net carbs per serving.  I have also tripled this recipe but have learned not to triple the mayo and vinegars.  Try just doubling those — otherwise there is too much liquid. 

The Danny Cocktail

Posted in Beverages by

This recipe comes from George Stella.

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 1/3 cup club soda
  • 1/3 cup Fresca brand soda
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges, optional, for garnish

 Pour the ingredients in a glass over ice and serve garnished with a lime wedge on the rim.  Not only does the recipe taste great, it is 0 carbs.  Woohoo!

Snickerdoodles!

Posted in Desserts by

This recipe comes from George Stella and is my favorite cookie recipe so far!  2 net carbs per cookie.Snickerdoodles

  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar substitute
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups Almond Flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

CINNAMON TOPPING

  • 2 tablespoons sugar substitute
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  1. PREHEAT oven to 375°, and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
  2. USING a stand or hand-held mixer, add the cream cheese, butter, sugar substitute, egg and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl, and beat on high until creamy and fluffy.
  3. ADD in Almond Flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and mix on medium until well blended.
  4. USING a teaspoon or 1 ounce ice cream scoop, drop 16 evenly spaced cookies on the prepared sheet pan, and push down slightly on each.
  5. COMBINE the cinnamon topping ingredients, and sprinkle evenly over the top of each cookie.
  6. BAKE for 8-10 minutes, or until they begin to brown around the edges.  Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Breakfast sausage and egg muffins

Posted in Breakfast by

I found this recipe on-line and made it last week. Ate the muffins all week as I was driving to work. Easy and filling.

  • 1/2 lb sausage (I used pork but next time going to look for a turkey sausage)
  • 1 bell pepper (or spinach)
  • 8 eggs
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese

Brown and drain the meat. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the meat, cheese and ingredients. Pour into greased full size muffin pan 2/3 full.  Bake 350  degrees for 30 minutes.egg sausage muffins