Slow-Cooked Carnitas

Served with avocado slices, fresh cilantro, and cauliflower Mexican "rice"

I love carnitas, a Mexican braised pork dish. I wasn't sure what was in them, so I decided to Google a recipe. Rick Bayless is my go-to source for Mexican recipes, so I was excited to find that he has a recipe for these. However, it calls for, uh, 4 gallons of lard. No wonder they always taste so good! So, these are not authentic carnitas; it is more like a Mexican pulled pork. I remembered that the best carnitas I ever ate had Grand Marnier in them, so I included that too. Of course I made it in the slow cooker, so when I got home, the kitchen smelled wonderful and dinner was waiting for me!

If you are watching calories, use a lean pork loin for this dish. Otherwise, you can use pork butt or shoulder.


SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
Number of servings depends on size of pork roast

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pork roast, anywhere from 1.5-3 lbs
• 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp ancho or pasilla chili powder (you can make this yourself by toasting and grinding dried chilies. In a pinch, just use regular supermarket chili powder). 
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 canned chipotle pepper, finely minced
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional; leave this out if you don't like spicy food)
• 1 tsp salt (Kosher or sea salt; use 1/2 tsp if using regular table salt)
• 1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar or honey (optional)
• 1 orange
• 1 lime (2 if your limes are not very juicy)
• 50ml/about 1/4 cup orange liquor such as Grand Marnier (or substitute 1 Tbs orange extract, or use the zest from the orange)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup chicken broth + extra if needed

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin, oregano, cayenne, salt, pepper, olive oil, and optional honey to form a paste. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, sear the pork on the stovetop on high heat until the outside is well-browned.
3. Rub the pork with the spice paste. If you have a small pork roast, you may not use all of it.
4. Put the pork in your slow cooker. Pour the Grand Marnier and the juice from the lime and orange over it. Pour 1/2 cup chicken broth around the pork and toss in the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.
5. Discard the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Shred the pork with two forks and combine with the meat juices. You may add extra chicken broth to moisten if necessary.

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Posted in: pork,pork/lamb,slow cooker

Pistachio and goat cheese encrusted chicken with apricot mustard

This was a really tasty and easy way to dress up chicken breasts. It is adapted from a Robin Miller recipe, but of course I made quite a few changes. I used crushed pistachios instead of macadamia nuts, and just mashed them with goat cheese crumbles instead of spreading each ingredient individually on the chicken breasts. Additionally, instead of honey mustard, I mixed dijon with a bit of sugar-free apricot preserves; I love the taste of apricot with pistachios. This was a really nice, easy weeknight supper. I served it with some roasted cauliflower, which was tasty, but unfortunately did not make for the prettiest plates.

PISTACHIO AND GOAT CHEESE ENCRUSTED CHICKEN WITH APRICOT MUSTARD
Serves 2 (can easily be doubled)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp apricot preserves (sugar-free or fruit sweetened)
• 1 oz roasted pistachio kernels, crushed with a mallet or coarsely chopped
• 1.5 oz soft goat cheese (chevre)
• Salt and pepper (or poultry seasoning of choice)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mash the pistachios and goat cheese in a bowl with a fork until well-combined. Set aside.
3. Microwave the apricot preserves for 5-10 second to melt it if necessary. Combine it with the mustard. Set aside.
4. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Set them on a lightly-greased baking sheet. Spread each one with apricot mustard, then top with the pistachio-cheese mixture. It is easiest if you place dollops of the pistachio mixture on top of the chicken and then kind of mash it in with your fingers.
5. Cover pan with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and cook 5-10 minutes longer, or until the cheese is golden brown and melted. Serve.

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Posted in: chicken,poultry

Asiago-rosemary crisps, and easy microwave cheese crisps

I've seen lots of low-carb cracker recipes, most of which involve a lengthy process of mixing a dough, rolling it out, cutting out individual crackers, and so forth. These are significantly easier: just bake grated cheese with seasonings until crisp. I baked grated Asiago and cracked rosemary in silicone mini-muffin trays so that they came out perfectly round. If you use mini-muffin trays, they MUST be silicone, otherwise they will stick. If you do not have one, you can mound up the cheese on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. While cheese is somewhat calorically-dense, each crisp has only about a teaspoon of cheese. Thus, a small amount of cheese is stretched a long way.

ASIAGO-ROSEMARY CRISPS
Makes 24 crackers

INGREDIENTS

• 2 oz (weight) Asiago or other hard cheese such as Parmesan (about 1/2 cup grated)
• 1/4 tsp dried rosemary (I used Penzeys cracked rosemary) or a teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. If the Asiago is in a solid block, grate it on the small side of a box grater. Alternately, you can shred the cheese, freeze it on a plate for an hour, and then pulse it in a food processor until powdery.
3. Toss the cheese with the rosemary. Place a teaspoon (approximately) of the mixture in a mini-muffin cup. Repeat with all 24 cups.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden but not brown. Rotate the pan halfway through.
5. Let the crisps cool in the muffin tins, then peel them out. Store in the refrigerator. They will keep for about a week.

--

One drawback is that using good-quality hard cheese doesn't get quite as crispy as I'd like. I've actually gotten the best results with supermarket semi-soft/semi-hard cheeses such as Monterey Jack or cheddar. You can easily make those in the microwave as follows.

Here, I cut up a 50-calorie low-fat string cheese into 12 pieces (I've also cut it into 16 pieces before and I actually preferred that). Put each piece in the cup of a mini muffin pan. You can sprinkle them with any kind of seasoning you'd like, or leave them plain.

Next, microwave for 30 seconds. Rotate the tray and nuke for another 15 seconds; repeat until crispy and somewhat browned. If your microwave is terrible like mine and cooks them unevenly, remove the finished ones as they are cooked. They will look like this as they cook:

Remove the crisps from the pan when cool, and eat!

ETA: This is one of my most pinned recipes so I wanted to update. I have made this many, many times, and I have found that this recipe works MUCH better with reduced-fat cheese rather than full-fat. Full fat cheese gets very oily and kind of crumbles. Reduced fat cheese puffs up nicely, gets crunchy, and the resulting "crackers" are very sturdy and perfect for dipping.

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Posted in: appetizer/snack

Fluffy buttermilk pancakes (low-carb, gluten-free)

Much like pizza, pancakes are one of those things that dieters, even low-carb dieters, refuse to give up. There are alternative pancake recipes all over the web, and I've probably made them all. Ultimately, this is what I've settled on as the most realistic alternative. It is based on coconut flour (which I briefly wrote about here) and uses whipped egg whites to create lift and fluffiness. I served these with a homemade blackberry compote, which I made by following these instructions except I substituted blackberries for raspberries and cut back on the sweetener.

FLUFFY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, separated (make sure not to get any drops of yolk in the white)
• 1/2 cup liquid egg whites or egg substitute (or 4 fresh egg whites)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup almond milk + 1/2 Tbs lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbs unflavored or vanilla protein powder 
• 1/4 cup coconut flour (use a finely-milled brand such as Bob's Red Mill)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Dash of cinnamon (optional)
• Sweetener to taste if using unsweetened protein powder (optional; I used a packet of stevia)
• Butter or oil for greasing the pan

DIRECTIONS

1. Beat the egg whites that came from the whole eggs with a big pinch of salt. Use an electric mixer with whisk attachment to beat the whites until they reach soft peaks. Set aside.
2. Combine the buttermilk, egg yolks, liquid egg whites, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized bowl and whisk well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Fold the whipped egg whites into the batter mixture, being careful not to deflate the whites (here is a video that shows the procedure for folding egg whites).
4. Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-low. For each pancake, spray lightly with oil or grease with a bit of butter. Pour a quarter cup of batter into the skillet, shaking lightly to distribute batter (it will be slightly mounded up due to the beaten egg whites). Cook until bubbles are visible on top, then flip the pancake over and cook until the other side is golden brown. Serve immediately.

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Posted in: breakfast

Tequila-lime grilled chicken

This is quickly becoming my favorite marinade for grilled chicken breasts. Extremely flavorful, few ingredients, and the lime juice does a nice job of tenderizing the meat. For serving, I made a sort of beefed-up taco salad with lots of veggies. At the bottom of the bowl is spicy cauliflower "rice" (recipe follows). I also put a spoonful of it on top so that you can see in the photo; I accidentally overprocessed the cauliflower a bit but you can see a better-looking version of cauliflower "rice" in this recipe. I topped it with a combination of shredded romaine and shredded lacinato kale, added in some fajita veggies (sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms), and served it with low-fat sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

TEQUILA-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 cup tequila (cheap stuff is fine for this)
• 1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• Lots of fresh garlic, minced (I used about a whole head; if you're lazy you can probably just crush the cloves instead of mincing them)
• 1 tsp salt
• Chili powder or fajita seasoning to taste (I use Penzeys Chili 3000)

 DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients except for the chili powder in a galloc zipper lock bag. Place the chicken breasts in it and let it marinade at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.
2. When ready to cook, remove chicken breasts from marinade. Brush off the cilantro and garlic as well as you can. Sprinkle with chili powder or fajita seasoning and grill until cooked through. Serve.

MEXICAN CAULIFLOWER "RICE"
Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

• Half a head of fresh cauliflower, stemmed and cut into chunks
• 1 small can of diced tomatoes with chiles such as Ro*Tel, very well drained
• Large pinch of garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp salt)

DIRECTIONS

1. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles grains of rice.
2. Combine the cauliflower with the other ingredients in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes on high. Stir, taste, and microwave for another minute or two if necessary. Repeat until it reaches the desired consistency.

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Posted in: chicken,poultry

Klondike bars

A problem with low-carb ice cream is that, without sugar, it quickly hardens in the freezer so that it is difficult to scoop. So, I came up with a solution: if I make ice cream into single-serving hand-holdable bars, no scooping is required. I decided to make peanut butter flavored ice cream using PB2 with a dark chocolate coating.

Here's the basic idea:

1. I made a double-batch of Lauren's cottage cheese "ice cream" using stevia to sweeten.
2. I followed the directions from Chow.com for making homemade ice cream bars. You can see how they did it, along with pictures of the process, here.
3. Instead of tempering chocolate as per Chow.com's instructions, I made an easy chocolate shell coating in the microwave. I used unsweetened chocolate plus stevia.

I definitely recommend making these! It's easier than it sounds, and I guarantee that no one will know that it is a healthier version.

KLONDIKE BARS
Makes 8 bars

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cottage cheese (low-fat or fat-free is fine)
• Sweetener to taste (enough to equal about 1/2 cup sugar; I used stevia)
• Flavoring of choice. For peanut butter, I used 1/2 cup PB2 plus 1/4 cup liquid egg white to compensate for the extra powder added. For traditional vanilla flavor, just add a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
• 2 Tbs vodka (to help keep the ice cream soft and creamy)
• 7 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 2 Tbs coconut oil or non-hydrogenated palm shortening
• Additional stevia or sweetener to taste, for chocolate coating

DIRECTIONS

1. Puree the cottage cheese, sweetener, flavoring, and vodka in a blender until completely smooth. Pour into an ice cream maker (I use this one) and freeze according to manufacturer's directions.
2. Line a 9"x5" loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a substantial amount of overhang. Pack the ice cream into the lined loaf pan, cover with the overhanging plastic wrap, then press down with the bottom of a glass to distribute evenly. You can see photos of these steps here. Freeze until solid, at least three hours or overnight.
3. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper, taping it down at the corners. Remove the frozen ice cream from the loaf pan in a single block. Cut into 8 equal squares. If you have trouble cutting it, run the blade of your knife in hot water. Place each square on the baking sheet, spread apart so that they are not touching, and re-freeze for at least two hours.
4. When ready to dip the ice cream bars, finely chop the unsweetened chocolate. Place in a deep microwave-safe bowl with coconut oil or palm shortening. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir in the sweetener, then microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir until completely melted.
5. Working one at a time, drop a square of frozen ice cream in the chocolate shell. Quickly turn it over, pull it out with a fork, and shake off excess chocolate. Scrape the bottom of the fork against the rim of the bowl to remove excess chocolate coating. Place the dipped ice cream bar back on the wax paper lined baking sheet. See step 11 here for photos. Repeat with all ice cream squares.
6. Freeze until solid, at least two hours. To store, wrap first in plastic wrap, then in foil.

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Posted in: dessert

Philly cheese steak melts

This isn't so much a recipe as it is an idea for dinner. My local Korean market sells beef that is sliced paper-thin for bulgogi, but I more often use it for this particular meal. You could alternately ask the butcher to thinly slice a steak for you, or do it yourself.

PHILLY CHEESE STEAK MELTS
Serves however many you want, I made it for two people.

INGREDIENTS

• Bell peppers, thickly sliced (I used one small red and one small green)
• Onion, thickly sliced (I used half a Vidalia) (note: as a shortcut, you can use a bag of frozen pepper and onion stir fry, such as this one, in place of fresh peppers and onions)
• Sliced mushrooms (optional; I used about 4 oz)
• Thinly-sliced beef 
• Sliced provolone cheese or cheese of choice
• Optional add-ons: bacon, mayo, olives...whatever you eat on a Philly!
• Salt and pepper or seasoning of choice (I like Penzey's 4/S)

DIRECTIONS

1. Saute the onion and mushrooms in a lightly-greased skillet over medium-high. Once the onions start to soften, add in the peppers. Saute until everything is cooked. Set aside.
2. Add some additional oil or butter to the skillet. Cook the meat on high until browned and cooked through.
3. Turn the heat down to low, add the vegetables to the skillet, and season everything with salt and pepper. Place cheese slices over the top, cover the pan, and cook until cheese is melted. Carefully spoon it out with a spatula and serve.

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Posted in: beef

Steak salad with fermented black bean dressing

One of my favorite Chinese dishes is beef chow fun with fermented black bean sauce. Of course, I rarely indulge in such dishes. However, my favorite component is really the beef and the sauce; I could take or leave the noodles. So, perhaps it only makes sense to serve the beef and sauce over lots of veggies. This is adapted from a flank steak recipe from Sunset magazine, but I tweaked it quite a bit.

I decided to make the beef in the oven, but if you don't want to heat up your kitchen, of course you could use the grill instead. I used an oven-grilling method that I read about in Cook's Illustrated and I absolutely loved the results. This is probably my new go-to cooking method for London broil. Just be sure to slice it very thinly as otherwise it may be tough. An electric carving knife was very helpful here.

STEAK SALAD WITH FERMENTED BLACK BEAN DRESSING
Serves 4 as a main dish

INGREDIENTS

• 1 top round London broil (about 1.5-2 lbs), excess fat and gristle trimmed
• 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth (chicken broth would probably work too)
• 1/4 cup fermented black beans, rinsed
• 3 Tbs shao xing wine or sherry
• 3 Tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 oz roasted salted peanuts or cashews, crushed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• Salad greens of choice (I used a baby spinach blend)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the tamari or soy sauce, broth, wine or sherry, ginger, vinegar, beans, and honey. Marinate the steak in this mixture overnight.
2. When ready to make the salad, preheat the oven to 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Remove the steak from the marinade and pat dry, reserving all of the marinade. Lightly grease a heavy cast iron skillet (I used coconut oil) and heat on the stove on high heat for 3-5 minutes. As soon as the steak smokes (about 5 seconds), transfer to the oven. Cook for 3.5-4 minutes, turn steak, cook for another 3.5-4 minutes, then remove from oven and let the steak rest for 5 minutes. Slice paper thin on the bias against the grain.
3. Meanwhile, boil the reserved marinade until reduced by half. When the steak is done cooking, add any accumulated meat juices from roasting or slicing to the dressing.
4. Mound salad greens on four plates. Top with bell pepper and scallions. Top with sliced steak and sprinkle with cilantro and crushed peanuts. Drizzle with the warm dressing and serve.

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Posted in: beef

Strawberry cheesecake ice cream

The great thing about having an ice cream maker is that you can pour pretty much anything in there and it comes out resembling ice cream. My go-to is pureed cottage cheese, but I decided to attempt freezing cheesecake batter. I baked some low-carb grain-free graham crackers for making graham cracker crumbs. I will supply the recipe for doing so, but there are certainly easier options. You could buy some pre-made graham cracker crumbs and just use them sparingly. Or, you could toast some coarsely-ground almonds with cinnamon and sweetener. I think that the Emerald cinnamon roast almonds taste a lot like graham crackers; you could probably crush those up and use them as a topping. 

In any case, this was seriously good.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM

Serves about 4

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz straberries, washed, stemmed, and sliced
• 6 oz cream cheese (full fat or Philadelphia brand low fat), cubed and softened
• Sweetener (your choice; I used stevia) to equal 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs vodka (optional; use if you are planning to keep the ice cream in the freezer for a while, as it will keep it soft)
• Graham cracker crumbs (see above description for diet-friendly ideas, or use the below recipe to bake your own)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except for the strawberries and graham cracker crumbs. Puree until smooth.
2. Stir in the strawberry slices. 
3. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
4. Serve topped with graham cracker crumbs.

LOW-CARB GRAHAM CRACKERS

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 2 scoops plain or vanilla whey protein
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I used Penzeys Vietnamese cinnamon)
• 1 Tbs good-quality raw honey
• Sweetener to taste (I used stevia; amount depends on the sweetness of your protein powder. Start with the equivalent of 1/4 cup sugar, taste, and add more if necessary)
• 6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg + 1 egg white (or 6 Tbs liquid egg white or egg substitute)
• Extra cinnamon and granular sweetener for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (except sweetener) in a bowl and set aside.
3. Cream the butter in a standing mixer or electric hand mixer. Add the egg, vanilla, sweetener, and honey. Beat until smooth. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients.
4. Form dough into a ball and place on a large sheet of parchment paper. Top with another sheet of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 1/8"-14" thick, then remove the top sheet of parchment. Use a pizza cutter to trim the edges and score the dough into large crackers. Prick all over with a fork. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon and granular sweetener. 
5. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool and serve.

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Posted in: dessert

Strawberry pulled pork, blue cheese and apple slaw

After reading The End of Overeating, I started making a conscious effort to sweeten my food less. Whether it's Splenda, stevia, dates, honey, agave, or whatever else, I started forcing myself to use less sweetener and enjoy simpler flavors. My palate has since adjusted, and conventional barbecue sauce now tastes candy sweet to me. This recipe is a different. In this crockpot pulled pork, I use unsweetened ketchup and add whole strawberries to the sauce for a natural, mild sweetness. Berries are nutritional powerhouses and are relatively low-carb, so I include them in my diet. I did add a spoonful of molasses, but that was mostly for flavor and you can certainly leave it out if you prefer. It sounds strange, but I loved the taste of the strawberries with the barbecue. In fact, I wish that I had added some of them toward the end of cooking, as they completely fell apart and I think some strawberry chunks would have been nice. Blue cheese and apple slaw was a perfect and slightly unconventional accompaniment, adapted from this recipe. I used Marie's brand yogurt-based blue cheese dressing, which had a mild flavor and is relatively low-calorie. I used half a diced green apple; you can use more or less, depending on your taste and dietary needs.

STRAWBERRY PULLED PORK
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pork roast, 2-3 lbs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened ketchup or ketchup of choice
• 1 Tbs molasses (optional)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard (I've tried dijon and other nicer mustards in BBQ sauce, it never tastes right)
• 1 lb strawberries, washed and stemmed (I used a bag of frozen strawberries and dumped them in without thawing. You can alternately slice half of the strawberries and add them about 30 minutes before serving to get more strawberry chunks.)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs fresh minced rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco (I used 2 tsp green Tabasco)
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke or 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the pork.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the pork and shred it with two forks. If desired, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and reduce until thick. You can add some additional tomato paste to thicken.
4. Combine the pork with the sauce and serve warm.

BLUE CHEESE AND APPLE COLE SLAW
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 8oz bag shredded cabbage for cole slaw
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing such as Marie's yogurt-based
• Half of a Granny Smith apple, diced (use less if you restrict carbs significantly)

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and chill.

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Posted in: pork,pork/lamb,slow cooker

Other peoples' recipes

This is a different sort of post than I normally make. Rather than posting one of my own recipes, I thought I'd toss up some links to recipes from other food bloggers. These are recipes that have become staples for me that I find myself making over and over again. If you enjoy this, let me know in the comments and I'll do a link dump every so often.

The kimchi, bacon, and shittake omelette from Closet Cooking is probably my husband's favorite dish that I have ever made. It sounds strange, but it is so tasty and easy to make. I always keep a big jar of kimchi around so that I can make it on a whim. The omelette filling would definitely translate well to other dishes, such as the pizza I made.

There are about a million recipes for grain-free protein pancakes out there, but this one is my favorite. I love the pumpkin protein pancakes from I Love Feta Cheese. I also add a teaspoon of baking powder to make them extra fluffy. I prefer the protein pancakes that use a veggie like pumpkin to add some extra nutrition.

I'm a huge fan of the green chile egg casserole from The Fitnessista (scroll down that page for the recipe). It's sort of like a crustless quiche, but I really like the texture from adding sour cream. Sometimes I substitute egg whites or Eggbeaters for some of the eggs and it's still great. If I have some scallions on hand I might add some of those as well.

Red Curry-Roasted Salmon with Green Beans, Red Bell Pepper, Mint, and Basil from Sidewalk Shoes is incredibly easy and tastes far more complicated than it is. I use Thai basil and I generally buy the bags of pre-washed destemmed green beans to make it even simpler.

These are more of a once-in-a-while treat due to the high calorie content, but the snickerdoodles from Genaw are my husband's all-time favorite cookies, low-carb or otherwise. He will take these over conventional flour-and-sugar cookies any day.

Finally, now that it is summer, I'm often in the mood for frozen treats. The frozen cottage cheese "ice cream" from Healthy Indulgences is a protein-packed way to satisfy my sweet tooth.

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Filipino Chicken Adobo, Coconut-Cilantro Cauliflower "Rice"

After reading about how simple Filipino chicken adobo is to make, I had to try it myself. I couldn't believe how good it is! This may become a new staple, as it's so easy to make and uses ingredients that I always have around the house. For the accompaniment, I made a simple cauliflower "rice" (cauliflower that has been pulverized to resemble grains of rice) flavored with cilantro, scallions, and toasted coconut.

FILIPINO CHICKEN ADOBO

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 chicken thighs
• 3/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 5 garlic cloves (more or less), smashed (peeling them is not necessary)
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 chipotle pepper, chopped
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan with 1 cup water. 
2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a slow simmer and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes or until done, turning halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, line a broiler pan with foil and heat the broiler on high. Remove the chicken from the pot, gently pat dry with paper towels, and place skin side up on the pan. Broil until the skin is crisp.
4. While chicken is broiling, reduce the cooking liquid to 1 cup. Strain out the solids and serve alongside the chicken and "rice".

COCONUT-CILANTRO CAULIFLOWER "RICE"

Serves 4-8

INGREDIENTS

• 1 head cauliflower, leaves and large stem removed, cut into chunks
• 1/3 cup (heaping) unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 Tbs fresh grated ginger or 1/2 tsp good-quality ground ginger
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped scallions
• 2 tsp coconut oil (probably optional)
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Toast the coconut flakes in a 350 degree oven (I used the toaster oven) until golden brown.
2. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles rice. Set aside and wipe out food processor bowl.
3. Put all remaining ingredients in the food processor. Blend until very finely chopped.
4. Combine the mixture with the cauliflower. Place in a large microwave-safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for about 4 minutes. Toss with a fork and taste. Cook for another minute or two if necessary. 

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Posted in: chicken,poultry,side dish