Maggie and Wilson

Nachos

Chips: Low Carb Tortillas, cut and fried in 1" of Grapeseed Oil.  Drain on paper towel and salt.  (These will be more flaky than "normal" tortilla chips, but they are quite good!)

Filling:

• About 1 pound of lean hamburger
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano.  

Brown meat then add rest of ingredients.  Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat.  Put desired serving size of meat on a microwave safe plate, top with habañero cheese and heat in microwave just until cheese melts.  I'm trying to get away from using shredded cheese because they put some kind of chemical/wax to keep it from clumping together. 

Pepper-Crusted Burgers

Inspired by a burger from The YardHouse restaurant.  The pear I added because son didn't finish his and I didn't want to waste it.  It adds a nice flavor to the onions.  The original recipe calls for Gorgonzola cheese. I bought Gouda instead because I wasn't real excited about the Gorgonzola when I saw what it looked like (moldy!).  The Gouda was a little too mild - maybe a smoked Gouda or even Parm. Cheese would add a little bite to the meal.

• On a plate mix 1 T. pepper, 2 t. parsley flakes, a pinch of salt (enough for 4 small burgers)
• Roll uncooked patty through the pepper mix so that the entire outer edge of burger is coated.
• Cook hamburgers to your preferred taste.  Remove burgers to a plate, add slice of Gouda cheese and cover with tinfoil.
• Drain any excess grease from pan and then saute 1/2 onion, a pinch of salt and 1/2 of a chopped pear until onions caramelize.
• Place burger on a bed of washed and dried baby spinach and top with onions.

Meatloaf

Meatloaf

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 c. parmesan cheese
• 1 t. mustard
• 1/4 c. oatmeal or Atkins Bake Mix
• 1/4. c. mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauce: 

(Double amounts if you want extra sauce to dip your meat in)

• 1/4 c. Enchilada Sauce  (MUCH lower in carbs than the ketsup the original recipe calls for)
• 1 T. Brown Sugar Stubstitute (I used Whey Low)
• 2 t. Mustard

Coyote Tacos

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One of our favorite restaurants here in town serves something they call Coyote Tacos.  I have no idea why they are called that, but I DO know that they are delicious!  Here is my version:

• 2 Thinly Sliced Rib Eye Steaks
• 1 T. Olive Oil
• 3 Slices of Bacon, chopped
• 2 Green Onions, sliced
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 2 T. Salsa
• 2 T. Water
• Fresh Cilantro, washed and stems removed
• Salt, Pepper, and 1/4 t. Cumin
• 2 t. Cholula Hot Sauce
• Low Carb Tortillas or Flatouts 

 If you aren't starting with cooked bacon, use a frying pan to cook bacon, and then remove bacon from pan.  Omit the olive oil, and then saute the meat in the oil or bacon fat until slightly pink in the center.  If you are starting with leftover bacon, add the olive oil to the pan and saute the steak, bacon and green onions until meat is just slightly pink in the center.  Then, add garlic and salsas and spices.  Add two tablespoons of water to deglaze the frying pan (with meat still in it), then cover pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

 

While meat was resting I used a biscuit cutter to cut 8 circles out of the Flatouts, place on tinfoil or cookie sheet and warm under broiler for about 2 minutes.  The goal is to get them slightly less soggy, but not crunchy:

Add meat to shell and top with fresh cilantro and additional hot sauce if you wish.  I was able to make 8 small tacos with the ingredients listed above.

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Another recipe that got the thumbs up from the husband.  He says he would've licked the plate if I wasn't sitting there.

1 Skirt Steak, heavily seasoned with salt and pepper on both sides

1T. Olive Oil

Heat oil in deep frying pan and cook steak for about 8-10 minutes on each side, or to the "doneness" of your liking.  Remove from pan, cover and allow to sit for about 10 minutes and then cut meat against the grain, into thin slices.

 

Sauce
(This tastes better if you make it a few hours ahead of time so the flavors have more time to blend)

• 1  Clove of garlic
• 1/2 Bunch parsley, stems removed
• 1/2 Bunch cilantro  (you can use double parsley if you don't like cilantro)
• 1T. Vinegar
• 1T. Olive Oil
• 1/2 t. Red pepper flakes
• 1T. Lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste 

In a small food processor mince garlic, then add rest of ingredients and pulse until all items are chopped into small pieces.  Serve with the meat on a bed of lettuce or spinach. 

Note: This sauce will keep your house vampire-free for at least one night. 

I probably should have made a double batch of sauce!

Irish Stew

• 2 lb. Stew Meat
• Atkins Bake Mix (Optional)
• Olive Oil
• 4 Slices of Bacon, chopped
• 4 Stalks of Celery, chopped
• 1/3 C. Onion, chopped
• 2 Clove Garlic, minced
• 1 C. Beer
• 16 oz. Beef Bullion
• Fresh Thyme
• Salt, Pepper

Dredge stew meat in bake mix and then brown in pan with olive oil, bacon and onion. Transfer meat mix to crock pot.  To the same pan used to brown meat, add 16oz of beef bullion and celery.  Simmer for about 10 minutes until celery starts to soften and tasty bits from pan are dissolved.  Add this mix to crock pot.  Next add to the crock pot the garlic, thyme, beer, salt and pepper.  Cook on low heat for 7 hours or on higher heat for 4.  (Slower/low heat will make it more tender.)

For whole recipe: About 20g  (or roughly 5g per serving)

Dessert

SF Lime Jello made with 1/2 water and 1/2 Lime Zevia.  Top with fresh whipped cream sweetened with a drop or two of lime juice and stevia.
~Deb

Taco Casserole

I had the recipe for the "crust" written down on a scratch piece of paper.  I think I originally got it from a website a year or two ago, but I don't know which one!  If anyone recognizes the crust part let me know so I can give credit where credit is due!

Crust:

• 1 pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
• 4 eggs
• 4-6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt, Pepper and Taco seasonings (note: prepackaged taco seasoning usually has unnecessary carbs!)

Blend cream cheese, eggs and spices well.  Spread mix into a greased 9x13 pan and sprinkle cheese over the mix.  Bake at 375 for about 10-15 minutes until it is firm and golden brown.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes before adding topping.

Topping

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 4 T. Salsa
• Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano and a few dashes of Tabasco
• 4-6 oz. Shredded cheddar or Pepper Jack Cheese

Brown meat and then add salsa and spices.  Spread over crust and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted.  (I turned broiler on for a minute to speed it up a little!)  Serve over lettuce with additional salsa and/or sour cream. 

Note: Additional taco toppings like cilantro or black olives would have been a nice touch. (And would have made a prettier picture!)  I think next time I will use the sauce from Chipotle chiles instead of salsa - few carbs, more flavor.  I think the same crust with Italian seasonings and then using pizza toppings would also be very good.  That's probably my next experiment.  Husband says to share that it gets a thumbs up from him.

I didn't keep track of the exact carb count for this, but the only thing that lists carbs is the salsa, which would add up to about 6g for the whole pan, 8g if you figure the cheeses and eggs have a trace of carbs.  If you aren't eating anything with it figure on 1/4 to 1/3 of the pan for your meal for a total of 2-3g!  Very filling!

~ Deb

Burritos

• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 4T. of Salsa
• 3T. of the sauce from a small can of Chipotle Adobado
• 1packet of no MSG beef bullion
• 1/4 C. Water
• Salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin to taste.
• Flatout Light Wraps
• Lettuce
• Shredded Cheese

Brown Hamburger and then add salsas, chile sauce, spices and water.  Allow to simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes.  Using 1/2 of a Flatout Light add a scoop of meat and add shredded cheese, lettuce and cilantro.  Roll burrito and enjoy!

Carb count will vary depending on what toppings you use.  The Flatout and the Salsa are the main contributors of carbs at about 4-5 net carbs per burrito.