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Simple and Delicious Low-Carb Jambalaya Recipe

Looking for something new on your quest for a healthier, low-carb diet? Try some spicy cajun jambalaya! Jambalaya is traditionally a rice dish, but we have tested and adapted this recipe to substitute riced cauliflower. You have to change the cooking method some from the traditional way, but the results are delicious!

I make some long-grain rice separately too for our family, since not all of us are eating low carb. Everyone is happy and gets their fill of this hearty dish.

We all love cajun and creole food. I’m not sure why since we have always lived in the Northeast, but there’s just nothing like some Louisiana-style cooking!

Here’s how to cook up some yummy jambalaya yourself.

Ingredients:

1 pound andoille sausage, sliced thin. We have tried different varieties and like Johnsonville the most for this recipe.

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts or 3 skinless boneless thighs, cut into small pieces.

2-3 T olive oil

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes

2 diced bell peppers (I use red)

2 stalks of celery diced

1 medium to large onion, diced

4 t. fresh minced garlic

3 cups chicken stock

2 T Cajun seasoning

1/8 t cayenne pepper

2 t dried crushed thyme

3 dried bay leaves

1 package frozen riced cauliflower

cooked rice if serving part with rice

  1. Heat oil in a large stock pot.
  2. Add the sausage and chicken. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Remove the meats to a plate.
  3. Add more olive oil to the pot if needed. Add the onions, peppers, celery, to the pot and cook until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
  4. Add the can of crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and spices to the pot. Return the meats to the stock pot. Cover and reduce heat, cook for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
  5. Cook the frozen cauliflower according to package directions.
  6. Combine the soup with the riced cauliflower and allow the flavors to soak in for five minutes.
  7. Note that you can combine part of the jambalaya with rice if you would like to.
  8. Enjoy!
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Simple and Delicious Guacamole Salsa, Just in Time for Game Day (Low Carb)

Hello and welcome to the weekend! Is anyone else happy to have football back? I can tell you, we are! Mostly because it makes our son so happy! He absolutely lives for football season, and even though he has a developmental disability, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of the week’s football schedule. Every week I ask him what he wants for “game food” and his face lights up.

Most weeks, we have these crispy parmesan wings along with some other snacks. This guacamole salsa is one of our old standbys, but it’s so good we never get tired of it. My husband has developed this recipe over the years, and he’s definitely known for his guacamole. The other day our college-aged kid was away while we were having our game snacks, and she texted me, saying “don’t eat all the guacamole.”

Other times, I’ve invited our adult kids to stop by, saying “we have guacamole.” It gets them every time. 🙂 This recipe is mostly like a guacamole, but it has more of a spiciness and also contains tomatoes. It won’t look as green as traditional guacamole when it’s done because of the spices, but it will taste delicious.

Before we get to the recipe, thanks so much for checking out my blog! For those of you who are also eating low carb, consider trying out this wonderful low carb bread company, Omega Bun. You can take 10 percent off of any non-subscription order by using my code hip2keto. Nothing goes better with game day than a big sandwich on a bun!

Here’s the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!

Steve’s Guacamole Salsa

Ingredients:

3 Florida avocados, remove pits and mash with a fork

1 Medium tomato (diced)


1 Small onion (finely chopped)


1/2 c Mayonaise


1/2 t Black pepper

1 t Garlic powder

2 t Chili powder

2 T Franks Red hot sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to mix thoroughly. Eat immediately or cover and refrigerate. Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.

Have a beautiful day, and cook up something spicy! 🙂

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Cook Up Some Easy Mexican Shredded Pork with a Green Salad- Low Carb Recipe

Make this delicious  Mexican recipe using your leftover pork roast! Preparation is quick and easy using one skillet. If you’re eating low carb and also paying attention to your grocery bill, pork is a fantastic option. Often, we buy a large pork loin and roast it in the oven for a meal and use the leftovers for a second meal. Where we live, pork is by far the cheapest meat option. If you are eating a lean cut, pork is a healthy low carb protein as long as you’re not overdoing it. This recipe combines pork with a slew of veggies to really pump up the nutrient power!

I was eating this out of the skillet while cooking. My husband asked me to please write down exactly how I made it, so I think he also liked it. 🙂 You can also use this seasoned pork for tacos if you prefer. Just add taco shells and you’re set!

Here’s how to make this yummy recipe. 

Ingredients:

Pork

four cups of lean cooked pork, shredded

1 T olive oil

1 4.5 can of mild green chilis

1 small onion, finely diced

1/4 cup bell pepper, finely diced

2 t salt

1 t pepper

1 t garlic powder

2 t oregano

3 t cumin

3 t chili powder

¾ cup water

Dash of hot sauce to taste

Salad:

1 head of iceberg lettuce or three romaine hearts, shredded

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tomato, diced

Sour cream for topping

Taco sauce for topping

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and peppers and cook until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes. Add chilis, meat, spices, and water. Reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.

Place lettuce on each plate, followed by pork, cheese, tomato, sour cream, and taco sauce. 

Enjoy! 🙂

Have a beautiful day and make it a taco salad Tuesday! 🙂

Use leftover cooked pork and dice up some veggies
Turn your pork into a flavorful Mexican-spiced dinner
Dice some salad ingredients

TAKE 10 PERCENT OFF ANY OMEGA BUNS NON-SUBSCRPTION PURCHASE! Use code hip2keto!

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Cook Up Something Hearty and Low Carb for Dinner: Saucy Spanish Chicken and Riced Cauliflower

Need a new low-carb dinner option? Try something saucy

Craving some comfort food that fills your tummy with something saucy and spicy but is low carb? Try this Spanish Chicken and Riced Cauliflower dish! I adapted it from our family Spanish Rice recipe, and it’s always a hit. Dinner in one casserole dish, chock full of veggies and protein!

Before we get right into it, thanks so much for reading my blog today! If you are also eating low carb, considering checking out this great bakery. They have a product with only one gram of carbs so you can enjoy a roll or sandwich and stick to your eating plan! Take 10 percent off any non-subscription order when you use code hip2keto!

Alright, here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

One pound ground mild Italian sausage

4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs

¼ cup butter

1 small onion, chopped

½ cup red bell pepper, chopped

½ cup green bell or mild Italian pepper

1 t minced garlic

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

20 ounces of frozen riced cauliflower, cooked according to package directions.

1 ½ t salt

⅛ t pepper

¼ t turmeric

½ t paprika

Directions:

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces.

Melt butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat

Brown the chicken pieces in butter, remove from skillet.

Add the Italian sausage, cook over medium-high, breaking into fine pieces as you go. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes until sausage begins to cook through.. 

Saute the onions and pepper in the same skillet with the sausage until onions are translucent, add garlic and saute another minute. 

Add the crushed tomatoes and spices to the skillet. Turn down the heat to low and cook 5 minutes to blend. 

Combine the steam riced cauliflower and the sausage mixture in a large casserole dish.

Top with the browned chicken pieces.Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (at least 165 degrees internal temperature)

Enjoy this hearty, carb-friendly dish! Have a beautiful day! 🙂

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Crispy Low-Carb Parmesan Wings Recipe, Just In Time for Weekend Sports

These wings are so, so good. I mean really crazy good. Crunchy, crispy, seasoned parmesan wings are our go-to recipe for football season dining. We watch sports mainly at home because of our son’s mobility issues (although he has occasionally made it to a stadium and had a fabulous time) but that does not stop us from feasting on all-out tailgate food when our favorite sports are on TV. 

Try this tasty recipe the next time you have a craving for wings. You will not be disappointed in this change of pace from the usual spicy buffalo wings.

Ingredients:

4 pounds of fresh chicken wings

1 6 ounce jar of 4C Homestyle Parmesan Grated Cheese

2 T dried parsley

2 T  dried oregano 

3 t paprika, hot paprika if you want a little kick

1 t garlic powder

1 ½ t salt

1 t black pepper

½ cup melted butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil.

Cut the fresh wings in half into drums and flats. Place in a pot of salted water for 15 minutes and then dry on paper towels. 

In a small bowl, mix together the cheese and spices. Blend thoroughly. 

Dip each wing into melted butter, cheese mix, and then place on the baking sheet in a single layer. 

Bake for one hour or until browned and crispy and the chicken is done through.

Serve with celery and your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing.

Mix the cheese and spices together in a small bowl.
Coat the wings with butter, then cheese mix and bake.

Sit back and enjoy some crispy oven-baked wings, and here’s to a more normal football season next year!

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Three Amazing Low-Carb Zucchini Dishes With Recipes

Late Summer: fireflies, warm nights, last quick getaways, and….zucchini. 🙂 If you’re a gardener, live near a gardener, or are related to a gardener, you probably are feeling a little overrun with zucchini right about now. I’ve got to tell you though, I actually love zucchini. In fact, it’s one of the few veggies that all of us agree is something to look forward to seeing on the dinner table and sometimes we even fight a little over the seconds! We don’t even make it into bread. Here are some of our favorite ways to cook up all that zucchini!

If you’ve never tried spiralizing your veggies, you really, really should! A few years ago, our daughter gave us this handy gadget. We were skeptical. I mean, as seen on TV? Vegetable pasta? But I’m telling you, I wouldn’t want to be without it now. It makes veggie noodles in minutes, goes in the dishwasher, plus cooking those zucchini noodles is so simple. This year, we even gave a veggetti to our zucchini supplier (aka my mother-in-law). This delicious recipe only uses four simple ingredients and takes about seven minutes of cooking time!

Easy Butter Garlic Zucchini Noodles

Ingredients

3 Small Zucchini

4 T. Butter

2 t. Dried Oregano

2 t Garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Spiralize the zucchini and place it on paper towels for 15 minutes to absorb some of the liquid. Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Add all ingredients to the skillet and saute, stirring constantly, until the zucchini is cooked through, about seven minutes.

Oven-Baked Zucchini Parmesan

  This easy, cheesy side dish is oh-so-delish. This week when I made it my family wished I had made a double batch! For a lower carb option, eliminate the breadcrumbs and use double the grated parmesan.

Ingredients

2-3 Zucchinis, sliced thin (about enough to cover one cookie sheet)

1 T Olive Oil 

¼ cup grated parmesan (we love this 4C Homestyle for this recipe and really all cooking. It tastes fresh but is so convenient)

¼ cup panko bread crumbs (for a lower carb option, use ½ cup parm and omit bread crumbs)

!/2 t garlic powder

¼ t white pepper

¼ t salt

Preheat oven to 450.

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini slices with olive oil, stir to coat

In a separate bowl, combine parmesan, bread crumbs, garlic powder, white pepper, and salt. 

Line a baking tray with foil and spray with non-stick spray

Cover the zucchini slices in the cheese mixture and put on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

My husband requested we try substituting zucchini in our favorite lasagne recipe to cut out the carbs. Making a whole meal with one pound of lean ground chuck and this tasty vegetable turned the typical heavy lasagna into a healthy dinner option! As a bonus, we had some leftover pieces for lunch the next day.

Cheesy Zucchini Lasagna

Ingredients

2-3 large zucchini- enough to make “noodles” for your lasagna

1 pound ground chuck

1 24 ounce jar of pasta sauce (we use RaguTraditional)

15 ounces ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1 egg

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Slice the zucchini lengthwise using a mandoline. Slice them thin (about ⅛ inch) so they will retain less water. Place the slices on paper towels while you mix the rest to help them dry a little before cooking. 

Combine the ricotta, parmesan, and egg in a bowl, set aside

In a large skillet, brown the beef until no longer pink, chopping it up as you go. 

Add the jar of sauce to the meat, reserve about ½ cup

Put this reserved sauce in the bottom of a 9 by 13 baking dish

Add a layer of zucchini noodles

Place ½ cup of the meat sauce on top of the zucchini

Place ½ cup of the ricotta mix over the meat sauce

Sprinkle with mozzarella

Repeat these layers three times

Top the lasagne with a generous amount of the grated mozzarella

Bake for 45 minutes

Let cool for five minutes before cutting.

Happy summer! Enjoy those zucchinis while you have them and let me know how you cook them! 🙂