300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (20 page)

Wow—this is sheer elegance. And it's done in a flash!

1 pound (455 g) shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 tablespoons (55 g) butter

1/3 cup (80 ml) brandy

3/4 cup (175 ml) heavy cream

Guar or xanthan (optional)

Sauté the shrimp in the butter over medium-high heat until cooked through—4 to 5 minutes. Add the brandy, turn up the heat, and let it boil hard for a minute or so to reduce. Stir in the cream and heat through. Thicken the sauce a bit with guar or xanthan if you like and then serve.

Yield:
3 or 4 servings. Assuming 3 servings, each will have 2 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 26 grams of protein.

Shrimp in Curried Coconut Milk

Coconut is emerging as a true super-food, and it certainly gives this dish a rich, exotic flavor. This is stew-like; serve it in bowls.

1/2 onion

1/2 green pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) coconut oil

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1 cup (235 ml) unsweetened coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1/4 teaspoon chili garlic paste

3 cups (384) frozen cooked salad shrimp, thawed

Throw your onion and green pepper in the food processor and pulse until they're chopped fine. In a heavy-bottomed skillet, start them sautéing in the coconut oil over medium heat.

When the onion and pepper are starting to soften, throw in the spices. Sauté another few minutes, add the garlic, and give it just another minute.

Add the coconut milk and stir the whole thing up. Stir in the salt and chili garlic paste, too.

Now add the thawed, drained shrimp, stir it in, and turn the burner up a little. Simmer for a minute or two, thickening with a little guar, xanthan, or glucomannan if you think it needs it. Then serve—with spoons, to get all of the sauce!

Yield:
3 servings, each with 235 calories, 11 grams fat, 28 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, and 5 grams usable carb.

Salmon in Ginger Cream

This has all the goodness of salmon in an elegant sauce.

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

2 pieces salmon fillet, 6 ounces (170 g) each, skin still attached

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 scallions, finely minced

2 tablespoons (2 g) chopped cilantro

4 tablespoons (60 ml) dry white wine

2 tablespoons (16 g) grated gingerroot

4 tablespoons (60 g) sour cream

Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat and start sautéing the salmon in it—you want to sauté it for about 4 minutes per side.

While the fish is sautéing, crush the garlic, mince the scallions, and chop the cilantro.

When both sides of the salmon have sautéed for 4 minutes, add the wine to the skillet, cover, and let the fish cook an additional 2 minutes or so until done through. Remove the fish to serving plates.

Add the garlic, scallions, cilantro, and ginger to the wine and butter in the skillet, turn the burner up to medium-high, and let them cook for a minute or two. Add the sour cream, stir to blend, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon the sauce over the fish 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 36 grams of protein

This dish also has lots of EPA—the good fat that makes salmon so heart-healthy!

Buttered Salmon with Creole Seasonings

12 ounces (340 g) salmon fillet, in two or three pieces

1 teaspoon purchased Creole seasoning

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

4 tablespoons (55 g) butter

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced

Sprinkle the skinless side of the salmon evenly with the Creole seasoning and thyme. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, turning carefully. Remove to serving plates, skin side down, and stir the garlic into the butter remaining in the pan. Cook for just a minute, then scrape all the garlic butter over the salmon, and serve.

Yield:
2 or 3 servings. Assuming 2 servings, each will have 2 grams of carbohydrates and a trace of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 35 grams of protein.

Glazed, Grilled Salmon

Of all the ways I've cooked salmon, this drew the most praise.

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses, or the darkest molasses you can find

12 ounces (340 g) salmon fillet, cut into 2 or 3 serving-size pieces

Mix together the Splenda, mustard, soy sauce, vinegar, and molasses in a small dish.

Spoon out 1 tablespoon (15 g) of this mixture and set it aside in a separate dish.

Place the salmon fillets on a plate and pour the larger quantity of the soy sauce mixture over it, turning each fillet so that both sides come in contact with the seasonings. Let the fish sit for a few minutes—just 2 or 3—with the skinless side down in the seasonings.

Now, you get to choose how you want to cook the salmon. I do mine on a stove top grill, but you can broil it, do it in a heavy skillet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, cook it on your electric tabletop grill, or even do it on your outdoor grill. However you cook it, it will need about 5 minutes per side (or just 5 minutes total, in an electric grill). If you choose a method that requires you to turn the salmon, turn carefully! Baste once, when turning, with the soy sauce mixture you reserved. (Don't do it after that—you want the heat to kill any raw fish germs!)

When the salmon is cooked through, remove it to serving plates and drizzle the reserved seasoning mixture over each piece before serving.

Yield:
This makes 2 generous servings or 3 smaller ones. Assuming 2 servings, each will have 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 35 grams of protein.

Peach Salmon

This makes a fruity-good summer supper.

24 ounces (680 g) salmon fillet in four servings

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

2 fresh peaches

1/4 onion

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice

1/4 cup (6 g) Splenda or its equivalent in sweetness

salt and pepper

Start the salmon sautéing in the butter over medium heat and cover it with a tilted lid.

Peel your peaches, halve, and remove the pits. Throw the peaches, onion, garlic, and curry powder in your food processor and pulse until the peach is chopped medium-fine. Go flip your salmon.

Mix together the lemon juice and Splenda. When your salmon is done through, plate it. Pour the lemon juice mixture in the skillet and stir it around, scraping up the yummy brown bits. Add the peach mixture and cook for just a minute or two, stirring. Salt and pepper to taste and then spoon over the salmon and serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 309 calories, 15 grams fat, 35 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram dietary fiber, and 8 grams usable carb.