Slow carb menu

Hello!  Along with my April workout challenge, I'm also dieting.  I heard a quote, "you can't crunch away a poor diet."  That really stuck with me, much like my spare tire.  I can't keep eating my "see food" diet and expect to see amazing results.  I was inspired by my friend's full month workout challenge layout so I decided to create a slow carb menu plan so I can stay on track.

I will post the shopping list and recipes soon!  Let me know what you think.

April Workout Challenge

April Workout Challenge 2016
Ok, seriously it's time to get my butt into gear!  I was asked recently to be a bridesmaid for my friend's wedding!  She is a workout queen who is sponsored! She is truly inspiring and so happy to have her in my life.
She came up with a workout calendar for April and we have been doing it everyday this week and honestly I already feel a difference with my body.  I'm so excited for May 1st!

Feel free to join me on this April challenge being physically fit!  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Jesus was from the Middle-East, so is this feast

Christmas Eve dinner is usually somewhat of a challenge, however this time I'm cooking food for my entire extended family.  My family has quite a long list of food allergies, thankfully they are not too picky with food, which would make cooking for them a nightmare.  Trying to please their pallet was almost my personal nightmare before Christmas.  Listing the food allergies is as follows: gluten intolerance, mild lactose intolerance, allergies to nightshades, fungi, and pork.  With all these allergies in one place you can rule out ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cornbread, rolls, tomatoes, eggplant, cheese, stuffed mushrooms, eggnog, cookies and pastries, and anything spicy.  What do you make for a large family that is traditional and will please people better than a chicken bento? By the way, we usually eat chicken bento when we are all together so I really wanted something other than chicken and rice.  Being the cook, I feel like I'm under pressure to have the best dinner ever, so I'm going to make the drink first.

Spiced Hard Cider
1 gallon fresh apple cider
1 bottle "White Christmas" (Brandy and Rum mix)
4 cinnamon sticks
1/4 cup sugar

Simmer all ingredients half hour and serve hot.
Drink while cooking to relieve stress

Menu

First Course
Grilled Shrimp on Rosemary skewers
Lentil Soup

Main Course
Lamb Tagine with Golden Raisin Couscous

Dessert
Flourless Chocolate Cake

Order of things to prepare by recipe

Lentil Soup

1 pound dried lentils
1 cup brown rice
1 quart chicken stock
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
5 carrots diced
5 celery stalks chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
lots of water to cover lentils with 4 inches of water

Place all ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low to simmer 45 minutes.  Who ever gets the bay leaves are the lucky ones :)  I got both Christmas eve so I guess I'm extra lucky.

Lamb Tagine
1 lamb shoulder about 10 pounds with bones, 3 pounds without, cut into 1 inch pieces. Can substitute beef
3 Tbs EVOO
2 onions chopped
5 pounds carrots chopped
6 cloves garlic minced
1 quart beef stock
3 bay leaves
2 Tbs Turmeric
2 Tbs cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
1 Tbs salt
1/2 tsp pepper

2 cinnamon sticks

2 sprigs of rosemary (use the needles off the shrimp skewers)

Garnishes

1 pound dried apricots

1 cup chopped almonds

1 bunch cilantro chopped

You can use a tagine if you own one already.  I don't, so I'm using a large dutch oven.
Brown meat in oil seasoned with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes over high heat. Add all other ingredients except beef stock and garnishes.  Cook until hot and then add beef stock.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 1.5 hours or so until meat and vegetables are tender. When you serve first course add apricots to the stew and continue simmering about 15 minutes.  If cooking in a tagine, garnish with cilantro and almonds, otherwise place stew into a large pretty bowl and garnish the same way.
Serve on top of couscous.

Shrimp Skewers

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, thawed, raw, de-veined, shelled, heads off, tail on
8 large sprigs of rosemary
3 cloves garlic crushed
4 Tbs EVOO
salt and pepper

Soak rosemary sprigs in water for about 20-30 minutes.  Strip needles off of the rosemary leaving about 3 inches of needles on the end of the sprig so it's both pretty and functional as a handle.  Skewer about 8 shrimp per skewer or as many as can fit.  Brush shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle crushed garlic, about 2 Tbs of rosemary needles, and salt and pepper.  Place in refrigerator until ready to cook.  Grill on high heat as people are arriving. 1-2 minutes per side.  DO NOT OVER COOK.  They will continue cooking after they are off the grill.

Flour-less Chocolate Cake

1 pound semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
3/4 cup sugar
9 eggs separated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Separate eggs into two bowls with whites in one and yolks in the other, make sure there is no yolk in the egg whites.  Mix sugar and yolks until it turns a pale yellow.  In an glass bowl chop butter into small pieces and add in chocolate mix slightly.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stir and continue cooking in 30 second bursts until chocolate is smooth. Be careful to no over cook chocolate.  Add a small amount of chocolate into egg yolks mix throughly and then add all chocolate.  This will keep the eggs from scrambling.  Beat egg whites until they are stiff peaks.  Fold in chocolate mixture and egg whites together gently until well combined.
In a 9 inch spring form pan butter all edges very generously.  Add batter and bake 35-40 minutes. Turn off oven and let cake set in warm oven until ready to serve.

Couscous

3 cups dried couscous
1 cup golden raisins
1 Tbs Salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbs EVOO
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro

In a very large bowl add couscous and raisins and set aside.  In a sauce pan, bring chicken stock to a boil with bay leaf, salt and pepper.  Take off heat, add EVOO and pour over couscous, let set for 10 minutes covered with a plate.  Add cilantro and fluff with a fork.  Serve with lamb.

Fish Tacos with Green-go Salsa

Green-go Salsa

1 7oz can of verde salsa

1 advocado

2 cloves garlic chopped

2 green onions chopped

1 handful fresh cilantro

2 jalapeños chopped

1 lime juiced

Add all ingredients into a food processor or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate for about 20 minutes for flavors to combine.

Fish

1 Halibut Fish Fillet or any white fish of your liking
2 limes juiced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pakrika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Cut Fish into pieces and marinate in mixture for 20 minutes

Batter
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 can beer of your choice

Mix beer into flour until it's the consistency of pancake batter, you will not use all the beer.  Drink the rest while cooking :)

Prepare 1 quart of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet.  Heat over medium high heat until it's 350 degrees.
Dredge fish in flour and then dredge in batter.  Fry fish in hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes total.
Drain fish on paper towels

Serve fish tacos in two corn tortillas that have been heated with salsa and fresh shredded lettuce or cabbage.
A side of black beans is nice as well

Black Beans

Take 2 cups of black beans and cover them with water about 2 inches over.  Bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes.  Cover beans, remove from heat and let set 1 hour.
Drain water and rinse beans.  Add more water to cook again, about 1 inch of water over beans.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and cook for 45 minutes- 1 hour until beans are tender. Add 1/2 onion chopped, 4 cloves garlic, 1 Tbs butter, 1 Tbs salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp cumin, and 1 tsp paprika.  Once beans are tender, blend with an immersion blender or food processor until smooth.  Serve hot and enjoy.

Crab Chowder Latkes

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Instant Mash
1 Cup Water
3 Eggs
1/2 Small Onion Minced
4 Slices Bacon (Beef, Pork, Turkey, or my new favorite Chicken)
1/2 Cup Crab Chopped
1/2 Cup Corn Kernels
1 tsp Creole Seasoning or Seasoned Salt
1 tsp Parsley Flakes
Sour Cream for serving with the finished latkes

Directions

Chop Bacon into small strips and render out fat until bacon is crispy.  Let bacon drain completely reserving bacon fat.
Combine instant mash with water and mix well, add eggs and beat until smooth.  Add all other ingredients including bacon.
Reheat pan with bacon fat over medium heat.  Spoon mixture into pan and flatten into round flat pieces.  Brown on both sides, about 5 minutes each side.  Once browned, drain on paper towels and keep hot in a 300 degree oven.
This recipe will make 6 large latkes or about 12 small ones.
Top with a dollop of sour cream.

I came up with this recipe while having very limited groceries in the house.  I have been making latkes all week because I haven't gone to the store yet.  I have a huge box of instant mash and a flat of eggs, which means I have latkes all week :)  I was reading some recipes online and a new england clam chowder recipe came up.  I thought, that sounds really good, I want some chowder!  I didn't have any milk and I still hadn't eaten breakfast.  Time for a compromise.  I will have it all, I thought to myself.  I had some beef bacon in the freezer along with a thousand types of frozen vegetables.  I'm not sure why I have so many frozen vegetables on hand, I don't really like frozen vegetables, yet I continue to buy them out of habit...  However they are great in a pinch and I was thankful I had some this morning.  Fresh everything is better of course.  I can't wait until summer when fresh corn is available!
I have been cooking with crab a lot this week because it was on sale in bulk.  It's always best to buy in bulk and when items are on sale, that's the inner Jew in me speaking though. I think a lot of the best recipes that you create at home are sometimes you're own mini "chopped" challenges that you do rather than dragging yourself to the store for just one silly ingredient.  

Crab Lasagna

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Butter (1 stick)
1/2 Cup Flour
3 Cloves Garlic Minced
2 Cups Milk
2 Cups Chicken Broth or Stock
1/8 tsp Ground Red Pepper
Pinch of Salt and nutmeg
2 Cups Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
2 Tbs Parsley
2 Tbs Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Pepper
3 Cups Mozzarella Cheese Grated
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
3 Cups Crab
1 Box Lasagna Noodles (Oven Ready)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Combine butter and flour in a saucepan and whisk over medium heat until smooth and bubbly.  Add milk, broth, red and black pepper, nutmeg, salt, and garlic whisking vigorously.  Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring until cream sauce is a desired thickness.  I like my cream sauce rather thin, so I add a little water or cream to it to thin it out.
Mix all reaming ingredients excluding the noodles and grated cheese, in a mixing bowl, stir until combined well.  In a 9x13 baking dish, ladle in 2 cups of cream sauce in the bottom.  Layer uncooked pasta on top of sauce.  Then add half of the crab filling and cover with another layer of lasagna noodles, repeat.  Once all the crab filling is covered with noodles add remaining cream sauce into the pan.
You can add the cheese now and bake, but I would recommend waiting until the last 20 minutes of baking to add the cheese otherwise it gets lost.  It's your choice.
Bake lasagna for 1 hour.  Let cool for at least 10 minutes before diving in, otherwise you'll have a scalded mouth and it gives the cheese sometime to recombine.  This makes amazing left overs!  I swear it tastes even better the next day.

I received this recipe from my best friend.  It has been a favorite of ours for a long time.  We go crabbing quite a bit and we always want to make crab lasagna afterwards.  Usually by the time we boil the crabs an pick them there isn't enough crab meat left to make a lasagna or really anything.  We eat most of the crab while picking because we're still really slow at it and why not enjoy fresh crab especially if you have it.  I make my crab lasagna with imitation crab because... I'm cheap and I eat all the crab I pick

Diet Crab Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Ingredients

2 Medium-Large Zucchinis

1 Cup Crab Meat Chopped (Imitation Krab)

1 Cup Non-fat Ricotta Cheese

I Can Diced Tomatoes Drained

2 Cups Spinach Blanched and Drained 

1 Tbs Italian Seasoning

3 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 Egg scrambled 

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Wash and cut off ends on zucchini and then cut length wise.  Prepare a steamer and steam zucchini for about 5 minutes remove from steamer and allow to cool.  When cool, scrape out pulp with a spoon, discard pulp and then transfer zucchini to a non stick baking sheet.

For filling, roughly chop crab and mix with all the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Spoon filling into zucchini boats and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Finish with broiler until crispy on top if desired.  

Total Calories: 340 :)

Serve with a salad or steamed green beans.

Enjoy:)

My workout buddy Sara and I came up with the recipe when we wanted to make something healthy that included crab.  I have a deck of playing cards that I bought at the coast that have recipes of every single one. The cards are great and all the recipes sound really good, but they mostly include mayo, cheese, butter, bread crumbs... everything that makes food super fatty.  We wanted to make a meal that was healthy and and delicious.  I took a casserole recipe as inspiration and needed a vegetable to shove it into.  With the Curves diet plan a lot of vegetables are considered "free."  Free meaning, eating as much as you want within reason, and they don't count towards your daily caloric count.  I really wanted something cheesy without feeling guilty about it and of course crab. 

A few years ago I was vegan a stumbled upon a great cookbook that had a zucchini boat recipe in it.  I made them weekly and I remember them being very filling and my husband really liked them.  Needing I vehicle of vegetable variety to transport delicious crabby cheesy filling to my mouth I remembered the zucchini boats. Crab stuffed zucchini boats were born!  We also came up with an appetizer variation that required the same ingredients.  Cut the zucchini into medallions and then top with the crabby filling.  Bake 20 minutes and enjoy. 

After eating our new creations we decided that it needed to be a staple in our diet.  It is such a satisfying meal meal with very low carbs, it's gluten free, and of course delicious.  I hope you enjoy our creation as much as we enjoyed creating it and eating it.