300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (45 page)

Cauliflower Provencal

I had something similar to this at the Brattleboro, Vermont food coop and knew I could clone it. It's great hot or cold.

1/2 head cauliflower

24 cherry tomatoes

12 kalamata olives

1/4 cup (15 g) minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons (18 g) capers, drained

6 tablespoons (90 ml) extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

salt and pepper

Whack your cauliflower into chunks about 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) across. Throw them in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and nuke on high for ten minutes.

In the meantime, halve the cherry tomatoes, pit and chop the olives (just crush them with your thumb and flick out the pits), and chop the parsley. Throw it all in a big mixing bowl. Add the capers, too.

Measure and combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic and mix together.

Okay, the cauliflower's done. Drain it well, add it to the bowl, and pour in the dressing. Toss it all up and serve hot or cold.

Yield:
4 to 5 servings, assuming 4, each will have 254 calories, 24 grams fat, 2 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, and 8 grams usable carb.

Little Mama's Side Dish

This is just the thing with a simple dinner of broiled chops or a steak, and it's even good all by itself. It's beautiful to look at, too, what with all those colors.

4 slices bacon

1/2 head cauliflower

1/2 green pepper

1/2 medium onion

1/4 cup (35 g) sliced stuffed olives
^*

^*
You can buy sliced stuffed olives in jars.

Chop the bacon into small bits and start it frying in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. (Give the skillet a squirt of nonstick cooking spray first.)

Chop the cauliflower into bits about 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) chunks. Chop up the stem, too; no need to waste it. Put the chopped cauliflower in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and microwave for 7 minutes on High.

Give the bacon a stir; then it's back to the chopping board. Dice the pepper and onion. By now some fat has cooked out of the bacon and it is starting to brown around the edges. Add the pepper and onion to the skillet. Sauté until the onion is translucent and the pepper is starting to get soft.

By the time that confluence of events transpires, the cauliflower should be done. Add it to the skillet without draining, and stir—the extra little bit of water is going to help to dissolve the yummy bacon flavor from the bottom of the skillet and carry it through the dish.

Stir in the olives, let the whole thing cook another minute while stirring, and then serve.

Yield:
4 or 5 servings. Assuming 5 servings, each will have 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.

Easy Garlic Creamed Spinach

This is about the easiest creamed spinach ever and quite good too.

2 boxes (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed or 2 boxes (10 ounces, or 280 g) triple-washed fresh spinach

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 package (5.2 ounces, or 145 g) creamy garlic-herb cheese, like Boursin or Alouette

If you're using fresh spinach, you might coarsely chop it, quickly. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet and add the spinach. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes—you want fresh spinach just barely wilted and frozen spinach just well-heated through.

Cut the cheese into a few chunks and add it to the skillet. Stir until the cheese is completely melted and then serve.

Yield:
6 servings, each with 4 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 1 gram of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.

Sour Cream Spinach

My husband liked this so much that he yummed down the whole batch.

1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) package frozen chopped spinach

1/4 medium onion

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1/3 cup (77 g) sour cream

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Unwrap the spinach and put it in a microwaveable casserole with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and zap it on High for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, start sautéing the onion in the butter over medium-high heat.

When the microwave goes “ding,” check to see if the spinach is done—you want it good and hot right through but not cooked to death. If there's still a cold spot in the middle, stir it and put it back for another 2 minutes on High.

When the spinach is cooked and the onion is translucent, drain the spinach and stir it into the onion, combining well. Stir in the sour cream and the vinegar, heat it through without letting it simmer, and then serve.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.

Spinach with Feta and Pine Nuts

This is good with any Mediterranean-style main dish.

10 ounces (280 g) frozen chopped spinach

1/2 medium onion

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (18 g) pine nuts, toasted (My grocery store carries them already toasted.)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/3 cup (50 g) crumbled feta cheese

Throw your block of spinach in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, and cover. Nuke it on high for 6 minutes.

In the meantime, chop your half an onion; I used my little food processor. Put your big, heavy skillet over a medium-low flame and start sautéing the onion.

If you didn't buy your pine nuts already toasted (very convenient!), put them in a little skillet, dry, over medium low heat; don't forget to stir them every couple of minutes or at least shake the skillet.

Okay, your microwave has beeped. Stir up the spinach. If your microwave is like mine, it won't be hot through yet. Break up what's left of the block and nuke for another 3 to 4 minutes. Go back to your skillets! You don't want anything to burn. If your onion's translucent, turn the heat off. Ditto if your pine nuts have a touch of gold.

When your spinach is done (but not overcooked, hot clear through will do), drain it quite well and stir it into the onion. Add the garlic and stir it in. Then stir in the feta. Serve with the toasted pine nuts on top.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 187 calories, 16 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, and 4 grams usable carb.

Lemon-Mustard Asparagus

This is a simple variation of the traditional
Asparagus with Lemon Butter
in
500 Low-Carb Recipes
.

1 pound (455 g) asparagus

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons spicy brown or Dijon mustard

Snap the ends off the asparagus spears where they break naturally. Put the asparagus in a microwaveable casserole or lay it flat in a glass pie plate. Add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover (use plastic wrap or a plate to cover a pie plate), and microwave on High for 3 to 4 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, melt the butter over low heat and stir in the lemon juice and mustard. (If you prefer, you can wait until the asparagus is cooked and melt the butter in the microwave, too.)

When the asparagus comes out of the microwave, uncover it right away or it will continue to cook and become gray and mushy within 5 minutes! Arrange on 4 serving plates and divide the lemon-mustard sauce between the servings.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.

Asparagus with Soy and Sesame Mayonnaise