300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (48 page)

My husband took a bite of these, pointed to his plate, and said, “You could make these again!” They are really wonderful.

1 pound (455 g) brussels sprouts

1/3 cup (37 g) chopped pecans

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

3 tablespoons (45 ml) orange juice

Trim the stems of the brussels sprouts and remove any wilted outer leaves. Run the sprouts through the slicing blade of your food processor.

In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, start sautéing the pecans in the butter. After about 2 minutes, add the brussels sprouts and sauté the two together, stirring every few minutes, until the sprouts soften and start to have a few brown spots. While they're sautéing, you can grate the orange zest and squeeze the orange juice. (You could use bottled orange juice, but since you need the zest, too, fresh just makes sense.) When the sprouts are tender and flecked with brown, stir in the zest and juice, cook for just another minute, and serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.

Brussels and Bacon

My husband and I thought we didn't like brussels sprouts. Turned out we'd only had them boiled and buttered—and that's the only way we don't like them. Once we tried them fried, it was a quick jump to sautéed, roasted, and grilled, and we loved them every way we tried them. So if you think you don't like brussels sprouts, think again!

2 bacon slices

1 pound (455 g) brussels sprouts

salt and pepper

Put your big, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and snip the bacon into it in pieces no wider than 1/4 inch (6 mm). Let that cook.

Trim the very bottoms of the brussels sprouts and remove any really ugly leaves. Now go stir your bacon.

Run your brussels sprouts through the slicing blade of your food processor. By now your bacon should be getting browned. Dump the sliced brussels sprouts in with the bacon and stir it all up. Cover the skillet and turn the burner up just a smidge.

Let the brussels sprouts cook for the remainder of your fifteen minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and then re-covering. Salt, pepper, and serve!

Yield:
3 to 4 servings, assuming 4, each will have 62 calories, 2 grams fat, 4 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, and 5 grams usable carb.

Mustardy Grilled Brussels

This recipe really requires frozen, thawed brussels sprouts—they cook faster than fresh ones.

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (22 g) brown mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1 pound (455 g) frozen brussels sprouts, thawed salt

Preheat your electric tabletop grill to its highest temperature; I set mine for 425°F (220°C).

Measure the olive oil, mustard, and pepper into a mixing bowl and whisk them together. Dump in the brussels sprouts and stir to coat.

Arrange your brussels sprouts on your grill—I have the big size George Foreman grill with the snap-out grill plates, and it fit a pound of brussels sprouts handily.

Set a timer for 10 minutes—longer if your grill doesn't get quite so hot. You want your brussels sprouts good and dark brown, nearly burnt, where they touch the grill plates.

When they come off the grill—use a pair of tongs—you can serve them just salted, which is very nice. Or you can put them back in the mixing bowl, toss them with the residual oil and mustard mixture, and then serve. They're super either way.

Yield:
3 to 4 servings, assuming 3, each will have 231 calories, 19 grams fat, 6 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams dietary fiber, and 7 grams usable carb.

Super Simple Grilled Eggplant

I really worked at getting a simple, quick eggplant recipe in here. This was my best try, but how many servings you can make and how quickly will depend on the size of your electric tabletop grill and how hot it will get. I have a good, big one with adjustable heat. Not to mention that it has grill plates that snap out and go in the dishwasher, which is a fine thing.

1 medium eggplant, whole

1 cup (235 ml) olive oil

Start your electric tabletop grill heating to its highest setting; I used 425°F (220°C).

Pour the olive oil into a large, flat pan.

Slice your eggplant crosswise, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. As you cut each slice, drop it in the olive oil. Keep slicing and after a few seconds, flip the ones already in the oil. When they're nice and oily both sides, put them on the grill and throw some more eggplant in the oil. You may need more oil; eggplant is like a sponge.

Grill the eggplant until it's a nice brown; I like it pretty well done, maybe 7 to 8 minutes. I can fit 6 slices on my grill at a time; figure that's three servings. I got 4 to 5 servings all told, but the second batch came in past the 15 minute mark. So this is a 15 minute recipe for three or for 6 who only want once slice of eggplant!

Just salt and pepper and eat it. It's yummy.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 507 calories, 54 grams fat, 1 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams dietary fiber, and 4 grams usable carb.

Cumin Mushrooms

This is a simply amazing accompaniment to the
Many-Pepper Steak
(see
page 141
). It's also a killer omelet filling (see
page 35
).

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 tablespoons (21 g) butter

1 1/2 tablespoons (23 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons (30 g) sour cream

Start sautéing the mushrooms in the butter and oil over medium-high heat. When they've gone limp and changed color, stir in the cumin and pepper. Let the mushrooms cook with the spices for a minute or two, stir in the sour cream, cook just long enough to heat through, and serve.

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

Mushrooms with Bacon, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Cheese

Just looking at the ingredients in the title, you know you'll love this!

4 slices bacon

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove fresh garlic

1/4 cup (14 g) diced sun-dried tomatoes—about 10 pieces before dicing

2 tablespoons (28 ml) heavy cream

1/3 cup (27 g) shredded Parmesan cheese

Chop up the bacon or snip it up with kitchen shears. Start cooking it in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. As some grease starts to cook out of the bacon, stir in the mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms cook until they start to change color and get soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cream and cook until the cream is absorbed. Scatter the cheese over the whole thing, stir it in, let it cook for just another minute, and serve.

Yield:
3 or 4 servings. Assuming 4 servings, each will have 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 6 grams of protein.

Mushrooms Au Gratin