1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (22 page)

Yield:
1 serving

Each with 19 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 6 g usable carbs.

Say “peep-er-ahd.” This Basque peasant dish has so many vegetables in it that it’s a whole meal in itself.

2 tablespoons bacon grease

¼ cup diced onion

½ cup diced green pepper

cup diced tomato (very ripe fresh or canned)

3 eggs, beaten

Salt and pepper

Heat the bacon grease in a heavy skillet over lowest heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is soft.

Add the pepper and the tomato. Stir, cover, and cook at lowest heat for 15 minutes, stirring once or twice. (You want the vegetables to be quite soft.)

Pour in the eggs and scramble slowly until the eggs are just set. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

13 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein.

Variation: Hearty Piperade—Make just as you would regular Piperade, but add ¼ cup (40 g) diced ham for each serving. (This is a great time to use up any leftovers you’ve been saving.) Sauté the ham with the vegetables and then add the eggs and scramble as usual.

Yield:
1 serving

14 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 11 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein.

With all these vegetables, this is a meal in itself. It’s exotic and fabulous.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (30 g) chopped onion

½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) tapenade

¼ cup (60 g) canned diced tomatoes

3 eggs

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat and start sautéing the onion and garlic. When the onion is translucent, add the tapenade and tomatoes and stir. Now, whisk the eggs with the cumin and pour into the vegetable mixture. Scramble until mostly set and then add the cilantro and scramble until done. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

11 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein.

This is a good quick supper. Serve it with a green salad and some garlic bread for the kids.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (40 g) diced green pepper

¼ cup (40 g) chopped onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

3 eggs

1 tablespoon (6.3 g) grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the pepper, onion, and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is translucent.

Beat the eggs with the Parmesan and pour into the skillet. Scramble until the eggs are set and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

8 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 17 grams of protein.

This is so simple and so wonderful. If you like Italian food, you have to try this. It’s also easy to double or triple.

3 eggs

2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream

¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon ground rosemary*

½ teaspoon minced garlic

½ tablespoon butter

Whisk together the eggs, cream, cheese, rosemary, and garlic. Put a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat (if it isn’t nonstick, give it a shot of nonstick cooking spray first). When the pan is hot, add the butter, give the egg mixture one last stir to make sure the cheese hasn’t settled to the bottom, and then pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Scramble until the eggs are set and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

*You can use whole, dried rosemary, but you’ll have little needles in your food. If you do use whole rosemary, increase the amount to 1 teaspoon.

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (10 g) minced onion

6 good, strong, black Greek olives, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

¼ cup (38 g) crumbled feta cheese

Heat the oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion for a minute or two and then add the olives and sauté for a minute more.

Pour in the eggs and add the feta. Scramble until set and serve.

Yield:
1 serving

6 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 22 grams of protein.

This is for anyone who doesn’t think that eggs can be elegant.

4 ounces (115 g) sliced mushrooms

3 scallions, coarsely sliced

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped

6 eggs

½ cup (120 g) shredded Gruyère

If you haven’t purchased your mushrooms already sliced, slice them up while you slice the scallions. In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms and scallions in the butter. When the mushrooms have turned darker, add the artichoke hearts (I just slice mine right into the skillet) and stir the whole thing up. Then beat the eggs, add them to the skillet, and scramble the whole thing. When the eggs are about half-set, add the cheese and scramble until done. Serve.

Yield:
2 or 3 servings

Assuming 3 servings, each will have 10 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein. Note: Keep in mind that much of the carbohydrate in artichokes is in the form of inulin, about the lowest-impact carbohydrate yet discovered, so the blood sugar impact is less than the numbers would imply— which is pretty low to begin with.

This is a very famous dish originating, I believe, in the Gold Rush days of California.

8 large oysters

2 tablespoons (16 g) low-carb bake mix or rice protein powder

4 tablespoons (55 g) butter

4 eggs

2 tablespoons (30 ml) cream

2 tablespoons (12.5 g) grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons (7.6 g) chopped fresh parsley

Coat the oysters with the bake mix or protein powder, either by putting the bake mix or protein powder in a shallow dish and rolling the oysters in it or by shaking them in a small brown paper bag with the mix in it.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the oysters and fry until golden all over, about 5 to 7 minutes.

While the oysters are frying, beat the eggs and the cream together. When the oysters are golden, pour the beaten eggs into the skillet and scramble until set. Divide between 2 serving plates, sprinkle a tablespoon of Parmesan and a tablespoon of parsley over each portion, and serve.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 21 grams of protein.

Okay, it’s not haute cuisine, but I’ll bet your kids will eat it without complaining.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 hot dog, sliced into rounds

½ small onion, chopped

3 eggs, beaten

¼ cup (30 g) shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the hot dog slices and onion and sauté until the onion is limp and the hot dog slices are starting to brown.

Add the eggs and scramble until half-set. Add the cheese and continue to scramble until the eggs are set and the cheese is melted. Serve.

Yield:
1 serving

8 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 31 grams of protein.

Smoky and complex in flavor, chipotle peppers— smoked jalapeños—are very special, and they make these eggs very special, too. Personally, I think a side of avocado slices with a little lime or lemon juice would be nice with this.

½ cup (80 g) finely chopped onion

½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil

2 small chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, finely minced—about 2 teaspoons

6 eggs

½ cup (50 g) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Spray a large, heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray, place it over medium-high heat, and start sautéing the onion and garlic in the oil. When the onion is translucent, add the chopped chipotles, stir them in, and let the whole thing cook for another minute. (This is a good time to break and scramble the eggs.)

Pour the eggs into the skillet and scramble until nearly set. Scatter the cheese evenly over the top, turn the heat to low, cover the skillet, and let it keep cooking until the cheese is melted— just a minute or two. Serve.

Yield:
2 or 3 servings.

Assuming 2 servings, each will have 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein. This also contains 285 milligrams of calcium and 248 milligrams of potassium. (They’ll be more potassium if you have those avocado slices!)

Are you tired of all that scrambling? These next few recipes are, in one form or another, good old fried eggs.

If you’re like me, you like your eggs over-easy so that the whites are entirely set and the yolks are still soft—but you find it maddeningly difficult to flip a fried egg without breaking the yolk. Here’s the solution!

3 eggs

½ tablespoon butter or oil

1 teaspoon water

Spray your skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the butter and coat the bottom of the pan with it. Crack your eggs into the skillet—careful not to break the yolks!—and immediately cover them.

Wait about 2 minutes and check your eggs. They should be well set on the bottom but still a bit slimy on top. Add a teaspoon of water for each serving (you can approximate this; the quantity isn’t vital), turn the heat to low, and cover the pan again.