300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (32 page)
Read 300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes Online
Authors: Dana Carpender
This is your basic chicken salad procedure, with one little addition. The first thing you need to do is chop your pecans and start them sautéing over medium-low heat in the butter. Then just cut everything up, throw it in a bowl, add the pecans (they'll take about five minutes to toast), add the dressing, and toss. It's easy-peasy. Not to mention that it's good.
Yield:
3 servings, each with 482 calories, 41 grams fat, 23 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, and 5 grams usable carb.
Roughly a million years ago, when I was working at the
Chicago School of Massage Therapy
, I used to walk out to a local health food store andâbeing sure back then that whole grains were good for meâbuy a chicken-almond salad with whole wheat noodles for lunch. It's been years, and I don't know how close this comes, but it's reminiscent of that salad. It's darned good in its own right, anyway.
1 package tofu shirataki, fettuccini width
3 tablespoons (21 g) slivered almonds
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons (28 g) mayonnaise
1 tablespoon (14 g) almond butter
6 drops Sriracha hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 cup (70 g) cooked chicken
2 scallions, sliced thin, including the crisp part of the green
Snip open the packet of tofu shirataki and pour into a strainer in the sink. Rinse well and use your kitchen shears to snip across them a couple of times since they're so long. If you want, you can put them to soak in a bowl of fresh water, but I didn't bother.
In a small, heavy skillet, over medium-low heat, start your almonds sautéing in your coconut oil.
Measure your mayo, almond butter, Sriracha sauce, ginger root, and soy sauce into a smallish dish and stir together. This is your dressing.
Go back and stir your almonds! In fact, stir them once in between measuring the dressing ingredients. You don't want them to burn. When they're just getting golden, take them off the heat.
Cut your chicken into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes. Slice your scallions.
Okay, time to assemble your salad. Dump the shirataki into a mixing bowl (drain them again first if you've been soaking them in water.) Add the chicken, scallions, and toasted almonds, then the dressing. Stir it all up and you're done!
Yield:
2 servings, each with 326 calories, 28 grams fat, 16 grams protein, 6 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, and 4 grams usable carb.
Note:
I used leftover roasted chicken; I always roast more than I need so I have cold chicken in the fridge for just such purposes. But you could, instead, throw a boneless, skinless chicken breast into your electric tabletop grill as you were starting; it would add a minute or two to your prep time, but then I finished with a couple of minutes to spare anyway. Or you could use packaged, precooked chicken breast strips.
I think 1/4 cup (3 g) of chopped water chestnuts would be nice in this, but keep in mind they'll add 4 grams of usable carb per serving.
Border Town Chicken SaladIf you don't have any leftover cooked chicken around the house, feel free to use canned, chunk chicken. It's not the same, but it's still good. Or you could cut up purchased, precooked chicken breast slices.
2 cups (280 g) diced, cooked chicken
3 stalks celery, diced
3 tablespoons (19 g) chopped ripe olives
3 tablespoons (3 g) chopped cilantro
1 batch
Guacamole Dressing
(see
page 298
)
6 scallions, sliced
Just chop everything up, make the dressing, combine it all, and toss. You can serve this on a bed of lettuce, if you like, but I've been known to eat mine straight out of the mixing bowl.
Yield:
4 servings, each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein.
This salad is healthy, offering 720 milligrams of potassium and meaningful doses of calcium, vitamin A, and folic acid.
Satay SaladSatay are little skewers of chicken or meat served with peanut sauce. This salad is quicker and easier than satay, and it turns what is usually an appetizer into a meal. This is also good if you substitute turkey tenderloins for the chicken breast. The 15-minute time on this recipe assumes that you've got
Dana's Chicken Seasoning
on handâwhich, if you eat a lot of poultry, you should!
18 ounces (510 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
Dana's Chicken Seasoning (see
page 303
)
1/3 cup (80 ml) rice vinegar
3 tablespoons (48 g) natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda
2 tablespoons (28 ml) oil
3/4 teaspoon grated gingerroot
2 tablespoons (28 ml) toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
3 tablespoons (27 g) chopped dry-roasted peanuts
6 cups (282 g) bagged romaine mix
1 cup (90 g) bagged coleslaw mix
6 tablespoons (6 g) chopped cilantro
3/4 cup (78 g) bean sprouts
Preheat your electric tabletop grill.
Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with
Dana's Chicken Seasoning
and slap them on the grill. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until cooked through.
While the chicken's grilling, put the vinegar, peanut butter, Splenda, oil, gingerroot, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a blender and run it for 10 to 20 seconds, scraping down the sides if needed. This is your dressing. Chop the peanuts while it's blending.
Assemble the romaine mix, coleslaw mix, cilantro, and bean sprouts in a large salad bowl. Pour the dressing over it and toss thoroughly. Divide between 3 serving plates.
By now the chicken should be done. Pull it out of the grill and slice each breast into thin strips. Divide the chicken between the 3 salads. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon (9 g) of chopped peanuts, and serve.
Yield:
3 servings, each with 14 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 48 grams of protein.
You'll also get 880 milligrams of potassium in each serving!
Aladdin SaladI thought I was done with this chapter. Then I went to the Aladdin Restaurant in San Diego and had this fantastic salad. It was easy to duplicate and way too good to leave out! If you're ever in San Diego, I highly recommend that you go to the Aladdin, by the way. I was very disappointed not to get back there before I left for home.
Salt and pepper
8 ounces (225 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 cups (376 g) romaine, broken up
8 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup (40 g) thinly sliced sweet red onion
1/3 cup (80 ml) bottled balsamic vinaigretteâI like Paul Newman's.
1/2 cup (75 g) crumbled feta
1/3 cup (41 g) shelled pistachios*
1 medium ripe tomato
* Look for these at Mediterranean or Middle Eastern groceries or at a health food store with a good bulk section.
Preheat your electric tabletop grill while you salt and pepper the chicken lightly. Throw it on the grill and set a timer for 6 minutes or so.
While the chicken's cooking, put the romaine, cilantro, and onion in a large salad bowl, pour on the dressing, and toss well. Pile this mixture on 2 serving plates. Scatter the feta and pistachios over the greens.
When the chicken is done, slice it into strips and divide it between the 2 salads.
Slice the tomato into eighths, arrange 4 slices around each salad, and then serve.
Yield:
2 large servings, each with 18 grams of carbohydrates and 7 grams of fiber, for a total of 11 grams of usable carbs and 40 grams of protein.
You'll also get 1,333 milligrams of potassium and 320 milligrams of calcium!
Lemon-Basil-Artichoke Turkey Salad