Makes four servings. About 8.1 net carbs per serving. Prep time: 15 minutes chopping and measuring. Cook time 20 minutes sauteeing + 40 minutes simmer + 10 minutes sitting time This recipe is low carb, gluten free, dairy free, and paleo, and can be part of a low iodine diet if you use iodine-free salt and serve over cauliflower.
I am writing fast because I can’t wait to share this with you! This lovely curry can be as spicy — or not — as you want it. Like all Indian-influenced cooking, it benefits from cooking the spices in order and giving it the time to unfold.
Ingredients
4-5 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, about 1 pound, sliced, flavored with salt and pepper (1/4 tsp each)
1 pound eggplant (about one medium), peeled and sweated with salt then patted dry and chopped
2 medium leeks, chopped
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes (best results with three large ripe Roma tomatoes)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 – 1.5 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 Tbsp butter
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 red chilli, chopped fine (use discretion as to how much)
2 tsps of cumin
2 tsps of coriander
1 tsp of garam masala
1 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
Freshly chopped cilantro as garnish
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the mustard seeds, and heat until they pop.
Add leeks and fry till softened and turning brown, about 10 minutes, deglazing pan with stock if necessary.
Add more butter if necesary, then add the garlic and ginger and chicken thighs and fry until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the chilli and cook for 2 minutes.
Add cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and tomato paste. Stir until the chicken is evely coated.
Add the eggplant, chopped tomatoes, and stock and stir.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until eggplant is softened and sauce has thickened, about 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes.
Top with chopped cilantro and serve over sauteed kale or cauliflower rice.
Net carbs. 9.5 per serving. Prep time: 15 minutes, not counting marinara sauce. Cooking time: 30 – 60 minutes depending on temperature choice ((not counting marinara sauce, which can be commercial).
This is basically a fish-and-marinara stew with Middle-eastern influenced spices. It is one of my absolute favorite meals, especially when I use fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes for the marinara sauce. I like it best served on a bed of arugula, but you could serve it over zoodles or cauliflower mash.
Regarding temperature: Either slow-cook/low heat or fast cook/high heat works. Slow cook is more traditional in a tagine-style dish like this, but I choose based on what else I might be needing to put in the oven. (The higher temperature and shorter cooking time works well with roasting accompanying vegetables.)
Ingredients
2 six – eight ounce tilapia or swai fillets
1./2 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 small leek, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced (optional)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded (can be omitted, or leave seeds in for more heat)
1 medium tomato, sliced
2 tsp paprika
1 chicken boullion cube, smashed
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper(adjust to your preference); heat lovers can add 1/4 j- 1/2 jalapeno pepper.
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
a few sprigs of chopped parsley, dill, tarragon, or sage (combine to your taste)
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/3 tsp ground cloves
1 cup marinara sauce (Commercial or your own, made from fresh tomatoes. Flavor with herbs like oregano, thyme, plus a little garlic and ground cinnamon)
Your choice of spiralized vegetables (zucchini works well with this dish; about 1/2 zucchini per person, if you didn’t use it in the sauce) or a bed of arugula lettuce.
Directions
Preheat oven to 200 or 425 (see cooking times, below).
Pour a thin layer of olive oil on the bottom of a glass baking dish.
Combine the dry spices (paprika, bouillon cube, cayenne, coriander, and cinnamon) with the water and the remainder of the olive oil.
Spread the spice mix over the fish.
Arrange the peppers, leeks, zucchinis (if using) and tomatoes in layers on the bottom of the dish.
Put the fish on top of the the peppers, leeks, and tomatoes.
Cover with about 1 cup cup of marinara sauce (more, if you like)
Sprinkle with fresh herbs (parsley, dill, tarragon, sage).
Cover with lid or foil and bake for about 1 hour at 200 or 30 minutes at 425 — in either case, until fish flakes.
While the fish is baking, sauté the spiralized vegetable noodles in a combination of olive oil and butter.
Serve the fish over spiralized vegetable noodles. Top with bits of feta cheese and more fresh dill or parsley.
Carbs
Carb count includes zucchini in sauce, but does not include the bed of vegetables/lettuce you might put the sauce on, which is optional.
Approximately 10 g net carbs. About 35 minutes prep and cook time.
Some years ago, I was hiking across France on the GR-5, a trail that winds from near Rotterdam on the North Sea to Nice on the Mediterranean Côte d’Azur. Having a healthy hiker appetite, I was enjoying the food along the way: the Dutch-Indonesian blend of rijsttafel, the Belgium mussels and frites (okay, I no longer eat rice and frites, but I sure enjoy the memory!). And pretty much French anything.
It’s really a perfect vacation: Walk 10 or 15 or 20 miles and then eat all the French food you want.
About halfway through, in the Franco-German cultural collision zone of Alsace, I encountered a meal I couldn’t imagine — and it was on virtually every menu at every restaurant.
Choucroutes aux poissons.
Sauerkraut with fish. In — of all things — a cream sauce. It seemed like France and Germany were at war again. I wanted nothing to do with it.
Choucroute aux poissons
I’m a pretty imaginative eater, but somehow my imagination didn’t stretch that far. So I ordered other things. But the choucroute kept showing up and curiosity finally got the better of me. At which time, I discovered what was to become a favorite recipe.
The recipe below is based on a combination of sources. I started with Saveur‘s version and then altered it to match my memory. This is a flexible recipe: You can cook the fish all number of ways. The Alsatian version I liked the best involved multiple types of seafood. And for low-carb purposes, I took out the flour, added pork rind as an optional dredging ingredient, and gave the option of adding some of the fat back in.
Ingredients
Seafood of your choice: 2 – 3 ounces each of 3 selections: shrimp, scallops, trout fillets, haddock fillets, salmon fillets*
1/4 lb smoked bacon or speck cut into small pieces (Other smoked cured pork cuts like Coppa, country ham , Canadian bacon will work)*
½ lb. raw Sauerkraut, drained and rinsed (If you can’t find raw sauerkraut, the regular supermarket kind will do, but you’ll lose some of the popping fresh flavor not to mention the probiotics. But don’t let that dissuade you from trying this recipe. It’ll still be good.)
4 shallots, finely chopped
½ cups heavy cream
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Tbsp. olive oil (I use extra-virgin)
1 tsp. finely chopped thyme leaves*
½ tsp. cumin seeds*
2 pods star anise (fennel can be used instead)*
1 bay leaf*
1¼ cup dry white wine. Riesling is a traditional Alsatian choice*
Salt and black pepper to taste*
2 Tbs crushed pork rinds (optional)*
1 Tbsp of your choice of fresh herbs for garnish: parsley leaves, fennel leaves, tarragon, dill weed, chives, or chervil*
*These items not included in the carb calculations because they have only trace or zero carbs. But note, if you use scallops, you will have to factor in an extra 4.6 g per 3 ounces.
Directions
The sauerkraut
Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook bacon, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon, pour off some of the fat (Your decision as to how much to take off; you can reserve some and add it back later. But leave at least 1 Tbsp in the pan).
Reduce heat to medium and add half the shallots and all the thyme, cumin, star anise, and bay leaf. Cook until shallots are soft,(about 4 minutes).
Add sauerkraut, ½ cup wine, and ⅓ cup water plus salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook on low for about 25 minutes until the sauerkraut is soft. Check and stir every once in a while.
Add the bacon back in.
Set aside the skillet and remove the bay leaf and the star anise. Adjust seasonings. Cover and keep warm on a warming setting or warming plate.
The Fish and Seafood
Fish and Seafood, and then the sauce, can be cooked while sauerkraut is cooking and everything will be done at about the same time.
Season the fish and seafood with salt and pepper.
Optional: Dredge the trout or other white fish fillets in crushed pork rinds.
Heat remaining oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and/or seafood (in separate stages, if needed).
How you cook the seafood is very flexible, depending on the seafood you choose and your favorite ways to prepare. The simplest way to pan-fry. Shrimp and bay scallops take about 4 minutes. Fish fillets can be dredged in pork-rinds (optional) and sauteed until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
This recipe (if you read French) suggests placing haddock in cold milk, then poaching for 10 minutes. It suggests cooking the other fish in the oven with lemon, shallots, salt, pepper, and butter at 410 degrees for 7 minutes.
Once the fish — however you’ve cooked them — are done, transfer fish and seafood to a plate and cover to keep warm.
The Sauce
Add 2 Tbsp butter to the skillets and cook the rest of the shallots on medium-high heat until soft (about 4 minutes).
Deglaze the pan with the remaining wine and cook for another 4 minutes, until reduced.
Add the cream and cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens (about 3 minutes).
Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat, and stir in remaining butter, allowing it to melt.
To Serve
To serve, divide sauerkraut into portions on dinner plates.
Put the fish and seafood on top of the sauerkruat.
Spoon sauce around or over the fish and garnish with your choice of herbs.
Serve with dry Riesling wine.
Carb Count
Note: This recipe uses 6 ounces of trout per serving for the nutrition calculation. Add 4.6 carbs per 3 ounce serving of scallops, if you use them. For the label’s sake, I’ve assumed using Canadian bacon.
Another quick and simple recipe, which can be altered to suit your taste. It is based on a recipe found here. My version below is slightly different to add a few more flavors and to bring down the carbs. This recipe makes 5 servings.
*Carbs per serving: Approximately 13 net carbs This can be reduced if you cut out or lower the amount of scallops and/or sun-dried tomatoes. Nutrition information at the bottom.
Cooking and prep time: 15 to 20 minutes
Ingredients
1 1/2 pound seafood (your combination of medium cleaned raw shrimp and bay scallops. Note: scallops have carbs; shrimp do not.)
4 oz ground Chorizo sausage. (Remove from skin if you buy it in links)
1 large leek, diced
4 cups baby spinach; more is okay
3 tablespoons salted butter*
2 cups light cream
1/2 cup white wine, more or less to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
4 ounces sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and cut into small pieces (These are delicious, but high in carbs. Omit if you are on a strict regimen.)
6 – 8 cloves garlic
2 Tbs chopped parsley*
1 Tbs fresh winter savory or sage (optional; dried is okay)*
2 – 3 tsp dried Italian herbs*
To taste: salt, black pepper, Italian red pepper flakes*
Optional (not included in carb count) 1 Tbs sour cream or cream cheese as thickener.*
*these items were not factored into carb count because they have only trace amounts or zero of carbs or because they are optional.
Prep Directions
Peel and mince garlic
Remove chorizo from skin
Clean shrimp
Dice leeks
Measure out spinach, herbs, winter savory, parsley, sun dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, cream
Cooking Directions
In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook about one minute.
Add chorizo and cook until the meat has lost its pinkish color (about 5 minutes)
Add shrimp and cook until it starts turning pink (about 4 minutes)
Transfer shrimp and Chorizo to a bowl.
Fry leeks in the butter remaining in the skillet, adding more butter as necessary and deglazing with white wine .
After the mixture reduces and the leeks are translucent, add sun- dried tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Reduce heat and the cream. Stir and bring to a low summer.
Add salt and pepper to taste; adjust the wine.
Add spinach leaves and stir.
After spinach has wilted, add parmesan cheese.
Summer and stir until cheese is melted. Cream cheese or sour cream can be added if you would like a thicker sauce, but I don’t use this (and it’s not included in the carb count).
Add the shrimp back into the pan.
Sprinkle with herbs and parsley.
Options and Variations
Serve over spiralized turnips or zucchini noodles
Counting Carbs
Carb counts are approximate net carbs. based on Verywell.com nutrition label calculator,
5 portions, approximate 13 net carbs per serving. Carbs count includes 8 ounces bay scallops.
This is a quick, simple, and flavorful dinner with a prep and cook time of about 15 minutes. Serves two.
Carbs per serving: 5.2 net carbs. Nutrition info at bottom.
Ingredients
One medium green or red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
2 links or 8 ounces of fresh chorizo
2 ounces grated cheese (Mozarella, cheddar)
3 Tbsp fresh salsa
2 Tbsp full fat sour cream
1 cup black soy beans
1 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper,1/2 tsp Ancho chili powder. (Adjust spices to taste). *
1 Tbsp green onions
*items not included in carb count because they have negligible or zero carbs
Directions
Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise and poke holes in the bottom of them for drainage.
Stuff the peppers with the fresh Chorizo sausage (remove from skins if in links).
Cook in microwave on high about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan heat the black soy beans . Cook on medium until hot.
When peppers and meat are done in the microwave, remove from microwave . Spoon and reserve the fat and juices that have collected in the pan. Then sprinkle about one ounce grated cheese over the meat. Return to the microwave and cook about another minute until cheese is melted.
Drain the beans. Add the s;pices. Add the fat from the pepper pan. Stir.
Assemble
Put a layer of lettuce on each plate.
Follow with a circle of the black soy beans mixture
Place the pepper/meat combo in the middle of each plate
Ingredients
Ingredients