Craving Killer - Low Carb Nachos! [10.5g Net Carbs vs 71g at Taco Bell!]

Back in my SAD days, I absolutely LOVED the Nachos BellGrande from Taco Bell. Of course, I wouldn't touch them now at a whopping 71g of Carbohydrates!! So... I had to come up with a decent substitution to satisfy that killer nacho craving that still hits me from time to time. This recipe is NOT super low carb - it still comes in at just over 10g/serving BUT that is still much better than 71g!!

What You Will Need:

2 Large Low Carb Tortillas

 1 lb Ground Beef 

2oz Shredded Cheese

2 Tablespoons Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons Salsa

1/2 Haas Avocado

3 or 4 slices of Pickled Jalapeno

These are super easy to make! Cut your tortillas up into whatever size "chips" you like. I kept mine sort of big for easier scooping. You will need to deep fry them to turn them into chips. I put mine in my deep fryer for 5 minutes but next time I will try 3 minutes because they almost got too browned. If you don't have a deep fryer you can probably just fry them up in a deep skillet. I use peanut oil in my fryer but I think coconut oil would probably work well too. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and cover them with a kitchen towel to keep them warm while you cook your ground beef. 

I put one tablespoon of salsa in with my ground beef to flavor it. You will want to check labels and find the lowest carb salsa. Once your meat is cooked, drain it a bit and pile it on top of your chips. I then sprinkled the shredded cheese and the chopped avocado on and then topped it off with the sour cream and remaining salsa. I also added a few slices of pickled jalapeno but you can omit them if you prefer. I forgot to add chopped tomatoes but I bet it would be a good addition - just remember to count the extra carbs if you choose to add them in.

Here is the Net Carb Breakdown: Just Over 21g for the whole dish, Serves 2 for 10.5g per serving.

Tortillas: 12g (I use Mission Whole Wheat Carb Balance and they are 6g/each)

Ground Beef 0g

Shredded Cheese 2g (I figure 1g/oz)

Sour Cream 2g

Salsa 3g

Avocado 1.8g

Jalapeno >1g 

Low Carb Lasagna [6.4g Net Carbs]

Low Carb Lasagna 

The secret ingredient here is spaghetti squash. By substituting the pasta for the squash, the carb count in this dish drops drastically while still maintaining great flavor. I make this in a 13x9 inch casserole dish and cut it into 8 pieces.

You will Need:


1 Small-Med Spaghetti Squash (roughly 5 cups)
2 Cups of Pasta Sauce*
1-1.5lb Ground Beef
1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups Shredded Italian Blend Cheese
1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning

To begin you will need to cook your spaghetti squash. There are numerous ways to do this but I use the microwave method because it is fastest. To cook your squash in the microwave you will need to cut it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and stringy bits in the center. Place both halves in a microwave safe dish, facing up. Add about a tablespoon of water into each well of the squash. Cover with Saran wrap and Microwave for about 9 minutes on high. When it is done it will be tender and the "noodles" will scrape out very easily.

While your squash is cooking, cook your ground beef and once it is cooked add your pasta sauce except for about 1/4 cup. The saved sauce will go on the bottom of the baking dish as your first layer. Then you just build your layers like you would regular lasagna - meat/sauce, "noodles", cheeses, etc... remembering to save enough of your shredded cheese to top the lasagna. Once you have it all layered pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes until everything is warmed through and the cheeses are melted, browned and bubbly.

This will not cut into perfect squares like regular lasagna will but it does hold together and looks pretty on a plate.

The Carb Breakdown: (This is in NET carbs which is carbohydrate MINUS the fiber)

Squash - 5 cups, 20g
Pasta Sauce - 20g  *Look for the lowest carb stuff you can find. I used the store brand Garlic & Herb (the stuff in a can) and it is 5g per 1/2 cup.*
Ricotta Cheese - 7g
Shredded Cheese - 4g
Total Carbs: 51g for the whole dish

If you cut it into 8 servings you wind up with roughly 6.4g per serving; If you cut it into 6 larger portions you wind up with 8.5g per serving. It is worth every one of them!  ^_^

Cheese Snacks - Puffs & Crisps

I have seen this idea floating around the low-carb community over the years but I never got around to actually putting it to the test until tonight. I was VERY happy with my results and wanted to share!!!

Cheese Crisps

 These remind me of fried cheese ^_^

Hard Cheese, sliced thin and then cut into squares like this, the amount will vary depending on how many crisps you want! Place them on a piece of parchment paper - it doesn't need to be sprayed or anything.

Pop them in the microwave - in my microwave, I cooked them for 1 minute but yours may need a little less time or a little more time depending on your microwave. You want them to look like this.

Let them cool - they will crisp up a bit more as they cool down - you should be able to pick them up like chips now! They are really good!!!!!

                                               

                                        

  Cheese Puffs

Two slices of American-type Cheese, I used White American. You want to quarter each slice so you wind up with 8 squares.











 Pop these in the microwave for the same amount of time as the crisps!These will puff up with air instead of spreading out and becoming lacy like the others.

Here are both of the finished products. I am undecided on a favorite - they are both sooooo yummy! The puffs are a bit more carby then the crisps because of the processed cheese - mine was 1g/slice but 2g for 8 of these is actually pretty good. They are VERY satisfying.

Low Carb Spicy Thai Soup

I have been sick with a sore throat (and some seriously bad sunburn!) for the past couple of days. I don't get sick very often at all but when I do, I crave soup. Canned soups are typically high in carbs and chemicals and low in flavor. I opted instead to throw together some homemade soup. This soup has only FIVE ingredients, yep - you read that right and it is also super easy to throw together and it tastes wonderful!! This recipe makes 4 bowls of soup.

Spicy Thai Soup

2C 100% Natural Thai Ginger Broth
2C Water
1lb Ground Pork
1C Shredded Cabbage
1T Coconut Oil




Start by sauteing your ground pork in your coconut oil. You want to brown your pork and then add your shredded cabbage and cook it until your pork is completely done. This is to decrease the cooking time after the liquids have been added, so less of your liquids cook off. Once your pork is completely cooked through, add in the water and broth. Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat a bit and allow it to cook for an additional 10 minutes. It's really that easy!! This can of course be served with crusty bread for the carb eaters in the family but I ate it just like this and it was WONDERFUL.

Here's the carb breakdown:

2C Broth (12g) - This broth isn't super low in carbs but it packs so much flavor that it's well worth the added carbs!!
2C Water (0g)
1lb Ground Pork (0g)
1C Shredded Cabbage (3g)
1T Coconut Oil (0g)

15g Total Net Carbs/Four Servings = 3.75g/per bowl ^_^


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Low Carb Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sushi Rolls w/ Spicy Mayo

For that sushi craving that just won't go away!! These were made with ingredients I just happened to have on hand because I didn't feel like making a trip to the market! ^_^
Some Ahi Tuna and Avocado would have made these even better but even without it they were pretty tasty! Mine did not turn out quite as lovely as I had hoped because I don't have a bamboo mat. I used plastic wrap to roll mine. An old friend of mine suggested that if you don't own a bamboo mat one of those cheap wooden like place mats from the dollar store would work just as good. I have one of those and will give it a try next time I make these!

What You Will Need:

For the Rolls:

1 Box of Nori Sheets

6oz Cream Cheese

1 Head of Cauliflower

1 Cucumber

For the Spicy Mayo:

2 TBSP Mayo

1 TBSP Hot Sauce

You want to start by "ricing" your cauliflower. You can do this by either grating it by hand or using a food processor. I used the S blade in my food processor.

The next step is to steam your cauli-rice. I added about a 1/2 TBSP of water to the bowl, covered it with plastic wrap and microwaved it for about 4 minutes. While it is still hot, you want to add 2oz of cream cheese and mix thoroughly. The "rice" will start to become sticky. You want it sticky enough that when you turn the spoon upside down, the "rice" sticks to the spoon!

Now your sticky "rice" is made! It will need to be cooled completely. I suggest refrigerating it for at least an hour but mine actually sat overnight. When it is completely chilled it will be even stickier and look like this.

The next step is the fun part!! ^_^ Now you want to lay your Nori sheet out (on your mat if you have one, I just used plastic wrap)  and using dampened fingers start spreading your "rice" onto the sheet, leaving a little space on the edge.

Make a groove down the center of your "rice" and add your fillings. I cut cucumber and cream cheese into "sticks". I used 1oz of Cream Cheese for 1 roll.

Now it's time to roll your sushi! The important part of rolling is to hold your fillings in place with your fingers while you roll with your thumbs. This will allow for a tighter roll. Mine are a bit loose - I think a mat of some sort would definitely make the rolling technique easier! Voila! Now you have your sushi roll!


Before I cut my roll up, I prepared my spicy mayo. It's super easy - just mix the hot sauce and mayo until well incorporated. You may decide you like a little less/more hot sauce then I do so experiment a bit! Once I had my mayo ready I sliced my roll up and was ready to dig in!!! They were REALLY good!



Here's the Carb Breakdown: This is for ONE roll, a small head of cauliflower will make about 4 Rolls - The spicy Mayo is also enough for all 4 Rolls so I have divided the carb count accordingly

Cauliflower  (2g) - I used about 1/4 of a small head of cauliflower
Cream Cheese (1.5g)
Cucumber (0g)
Mayo (0g)
Hot Sauce (1g)
Nori (1g)

Total Carbs: 5.5g/net per Roll including Spicy Mayo ^_^ VERY yummy and it satisfied my craving for Sushi!

I found this idea of Pinterest - just another reason to love Pinterest!! ^_^

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Low Carb Pizza

Who DOESN'T love pizza!? Pizza is admittedly one of the foods I missed the most when I first changed my diet. I tried lots of pizza "casseroles" and even tried my hand at a few different kinds of low-carb "crust" but I was never really happy with the results. I wanted a piece of pizza that I could PICK UP and eat that didn't contain soy (PCOS and soy are a bad combo!) I only recently discovered a low carb tortilla that I actually LIKE and today for lunch I thought I'd see how it would hold up as a pizza crust! I was VERY pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out! They are still a bit high in carbs (10.5g) but if you are craving pizza and have the carbs to spare, these are awesome! If you want to give these a try, this is what you will need:

2 TBSP Pizza Sauce (the lowest carb that you can find - check your labels)
2 Sausage Links (Cooked and sliced)
1 TBSP Chopped Green Pepper
1 Thin Slice Small Red Onion, Chopped
7 Pepperoni Slices
4oz Shredded Cheese
1 Large (Burrito size) Low Carb Tortilla

You will want to start by baking your tortilla - I did this in a 400 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. I baked mine on a cookie sheet.

While your tortilla is baking, you want to saute your peppers, onions and sausage together until the peppers and onions are tender. I did this in my tiny little egg size cast iron frying pan. You could really change these toppings up to whatever pizza toppings you prefer but I just happened to have some leftover cooked sausage links in the fridge.



You want your "crust" to be crisp and hold its shape. When the tortilla is good and sturdy, remove it from the oven. It's time to sauce it! The 2TBSP of sauce is really plenty for a tortilla this size. You want to leave an edge space all the way around your "crust".





Once you have your tortilla sauced it is time to start adding your toppings! I added most of my cheese then the peppers/onions/sausage and then the last bit of cheese. I topped this with my pepperoni slices. I then popped this baby back into the oven, under the broiler for just a few minutes.

Your "crust" should be nice and browned and all of your cheese should be melted. Let it cool for just a minute and then it can be cut into slices with a pizza cutter.




These slices can be picked up and eaten with your hands!  No forks needed!!

Here's the Carb Breakdown:

Tortilla (6g)
Sauce (1.5g)
Green Peppers (0.5g)
Onions (1g)
Cheese (1.5g)
Pepperoni (0g)

Total Carbs: 10.5g/net  *Yum*


****Update**** I later tried this same technique using a Fit&Active LC Flat Bread that I purchased at Aldi. The flat bread was even better, it was slightly thicker then the tortilla and it crisped up really well but the flat bread is 7g vs 6g for the tortilla. In order to counter that I made a philly cheesestak version using ranch dressing in place of the pizza sauce - PHENOMENAL.

Monterey Chicken

Mmmm.... this is one of my FAVORITE chicken dishes. I really love foods with heat and this dish has definitely got heat! It can be easily modified to be more mild for those who don't love the burn. ^_^

What You Need:

2 Pieces of Boneless/skinless Chicken

2 Mid-sized Jalapenos

4 Strips cooked Bacon, Crumbled

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1/2C Shredded Cheese 

1 TBSP Sour Cream

1 TBSP Salsa

Begin by pounding your chicken as thin as possible. I used breasts for this recipe. I don't trim the fat from chicken breasts prior to cooking (I think the juices help to keep the breasts from drying out) but you certainly can if you prefer. After pounding them thin, lightly dust the chicken pieces with the Cayenne pepper.


You now want to add your layer of Jalapeno peppers on top of your chicken pieces. You can use fresh or canned. I used fresh for this because we have an abundance of them from our garden but I have also used the kind that come pickled in a jar and they were very good as well. I cut the peppers into thick slices, leaving the seeds because I wanted them to be good and hot. Remember to wear gloves when dealing with hot peppers - you can actually get pretty nasty capsaicin burns if your skin comes into contact with the oils from the peppers. Ouch! These are now ready for the oven! I cooked these on 350 for about 20 minutes.

After about 20 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and start building your layers - Cheese, Bacon, Cheese.

Then pop it back into the oven under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly. This only takes a few minutes!

When you are ready to serve your chicken, top it with the sour cream and salsa! Voila! Super easy, super tasty chicken! *Yum*
I served this with a side of Parmesan Stuffed Mushrooms 

Here's the Carb Breakdown:

Chicken (0g)

Jalapenos (1g)

Bacon (0g)

Cayenne Pepper (0g)

Cheese (2g)

Sour Cream (1g)

Salsa (1g)*
*Mine is homemade and made with NO sugar, this will vary depending on the type of Salsa you use - check your labels! ^_^

The entire recipe is 5g/net which works out to 2.5g/net per serving. The whole meal, including the 2 stuffed mushrooms came in under 5g/net carbs!!