"Lasagna" Stuffed Veggies (Low-Carb)

Prep Time:   15 Minutes

Cook Time:  50 Minutes

Servings:     4

Ingredients

• 2 large zucchini 
• 4 portobella mushrooms 
• 1 container of ricotta 
• 1 cup of freshly shredded parmesan 
• 1.5 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (From block)
• 2 eggs
• Rios or favorite marinara (the amount will be personal preference) 
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
• *Optional raw spinach

Instructions: 

1. Oil a large baking dish
2. Mix ricotta, cheeses (all but .5 cup of mozzarella), eggs, and seasoning 
3. Pull out mushroom stems
4. Cute zucchini into 2 inch pieces OR cut in half lengthwise and scoop out insides to make cups or boats
5. Place veggies in baking dish
6. Spoon in about 1 tbps of marinara to each veggie
7. Add some spinach leaves
8. Fill each veggie with cheese mix
9. Add another tbsp of marinara to top 
10. Use remaining .5 cup mozzarella to sprinkle on top
11. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes or until veggies are tender when poked with a fork. Enjoy!

Photo Credit: My mother, Joanne Beaulieu

Cajun Shrimp Tacos (Low-Carb)

Prep Time:   30 Minutes

Cook Time:  10 Minutes

Servings:     4 VERY HUNGRY teens and husband or 6-8 average people

Ingredients:

Cajun Shrimp (ingredients and recipe below)

Cabbage slaw (ingredients and recipe below)

Avocado salsa (ingredients and recipe below)

Cilantro sour cream (ingredients and recipe below)

Finely chopped green onion

Crumbled Queso fresco 

Egg thins or preferred low-carb tortilla substitue

For the Shrimp:

• Cajun seasoning 
• Tbsp: paprika 
• 1//2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 pepper (black or mix of black and white)
• 3/4 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/3 tbsp onion powder
• 1/4 tbsp dried oregano
• Dash of thyme
• 1/4 tbsp cayenne (more or less depending for spice preferences)
• Cooking spray (olive oil or avocado oil)
• 1 LB Shrimp. I used small, pre-peeled, frozen shrimp- thawed

Instructions:

1. Mix Cajun seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl
2. Place 8-10 shrimp on each skewer
3. Spray both sides of shrimp with cooking spray
4. Sprinkled both sides with homemade Cajun seasoning
5. Placed on high heat grill 4-5 minutes each side

For the Cilantro sour cream:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup Plain Greek Yogurt 
• A bunch of Fresh or dried cilantro 
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp Paprika 
• 1 tsp Garlic powder 
• 1-4 tbsp water
• Juice of a small lime or half a large lime

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together until well combined
2. Chill for later

For the Cabbage slaw:

• 1 bag of shredded green and purple cabbage (I used pre-shredded from Trader Joe’s)
• 3/4 the cilantro sour cream mix (save the other 1/4 for topping)

Instructions:

1. Mix the sour cream mix with the cabbage
2. Chill for later 

For the Avocado salsa:

• 2 avocados, diced
• 1 tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeño, de-seeded and diced
• 1/4 Onion (optional)
• Juice of 1/2 a lime
• Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Chill for later

To Assemble: 

Fill tortilla of choice with:

Cabbage mixture, shrimp, avocado salsa, sour cream, crumble a bit of queso fresco on top and garnish with a sprinkle of finely chopped green onion. Enjoy!

Low-Carb "Sugar" Cones

Prep Time:   10 Minutes

Cook Time:  5 Minutes

Servings:     2

Ingredients: 

• 10 tbsp powdered brown swerve 
• 10 tbsp almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
• 4 tbsp melted butter 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• A few dashes of cinnamon 
• 1 tbsp water

Instructions: 

• Combine flour, salt, xanthan gum, and cinnamon together in a small bowl
• In another bowl beat melted butter and sweetener together until combined very well
• Mix in eggs, vanilla, and water and continue beating
• Add in dry ingredients and mix until all ingredients are well incorporated
• Heat a small saucepan on medium heat
• Add two heaping tbsps of batter and tilt pan to spread (similar to crepes)
• Cook for a few minutes until the bottom starts to lightly brown
• Using spatula, cut them in half and flip over for another minute
• Place soft cone onto parchment paper and wrap the "crepe" around a homemade tinfoil cone. You'll have to work quickly because the "crepe" will start to harden once taken off the heat
• Let cool for a couple of minutes then take off cone mold and place upside down on cooling wrack
• Optional, melt chocolate (I use lily's) and coconut oil, add a few drops of chocolate to the bottom of the cone to seal any little holes, and dip the rim in chocolate.
• Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for a week or the freezer for a couple of months

Low-Carb Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Prep Time:   45 Minutes

Freezer Time:  6-8 hours

Servings:     8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (I use an almond milk creamer)
• 1/3 cup powdered swerve 
• 1/8 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 2 tbsp MCT oil — optional, but I would use it if you have it. You could sub 1-2 tbsp of vodka instead too. 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp maple extract 
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp butter (for pecans)
• 1 tbsp brown swerve (for pecans)
• Few pinches of cinnamon (for pecans) 
• A pinch of salt (for pecans) 
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

Pecans:

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Line baking pan with parchment paper
3. Mix chopped pecans, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar and spread out on parchment paper. Sprinkle cinnamon and salt over. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes, mix, then bake for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Ice cream:

1. Melt butter on stove top on low heat. Bring to mild simmer and lightly brown butter. 
2. Add cream and almond milk, bring to low simmer. 
3. Add sugar and dissolve. add xanthan gum and beat well. Turn heart to lowest setting. 
4. In separate bowl, beat egg yolks, vanilla and maple extract, and MCT oil together. 
5. Slowly add half a cup of the hot cream mixture to eggs while beating. Slowly pour eggs into cream mixture while mixing. Continue mixing for about five minutes. 
6. Remove from heat, let cool for 10-15 minutes, add pecans.
7. Pour mixture into freezer safe container and place in fridge for an hour then transfer to freezer. 
8. I like to give the container a shake or stir every 45-60 minutes for the first few hours to prevent the pecans from settling to the bottom. 
9. Thaw for 15 minutes before serving and enjoy! 

Low-Carb Gnocchi

Prep Time:   10 Minutes

Cook Time:  5 Minutes

Servings:     2

I recently asked a group of other vegetarian/pescatarian low-carbers for suggestions on foods they enjoyed before their low-carb lifestyle that they wish they could enjoy again. I received a handful of meals/desserts that I'll be trying to make over the next few months, but the first one I wanted to attempt was Gnocchi. I want to try this one first because I, myself, have already had this craving and have tried making it. I had found a few recipes online that I've tried. One recipe was just the fathead recipe boiled and fried, another was an almond and coconut flour heavy recipe that became mushy and fell apart. This morning I decided to make my own combination. I like the fathead dough because it has such a good taste and texture, but I felt it was missing the starchy dense texture. I've learned over the past few weeks that a mix of almond flour and psyllium husk can really create a starchy effect. After a few tries, I think I created what I think is a great keto gnocchi substitute. You can serve this with a huge plate of dark leafy greens (such as asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprout, kale, or spinach) and drizzle your favorite sauce over it. I suggest a super simple butter sauce recipe below.

Gnocchi Ingredients: 

• 4oz mild shredded cheese (from block cheese to avoid added starch in pre-bagged cheese). I used Monterey Jack, but mozzarella would be great too!
• 1.5 oz cream cheese (not the spreadable kind)
• 2 tbsp finely ground almond flour
• 2 tbsp ground psyllium husks
• 1/8 tsp Xanthan Gum
• 2 large egg yolks
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp boiling water
• Also...
• A quart or two of boiling water
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Salted Butter (or more... amount will depend on if you’ll also be using it as a sauce and what other sides you’ll include in the dish)

Sauce recommendation Ingredients:

• More butter
• Some parsley flakes (I recommend 1/4 tsp per tablespoon of butter)
• Dried basil (I recommend 1/4 tsp per tablespoon of butter)
• Garlic powder (I recommend 1/8 tsp per tablespoon of butter)
• *If you want it creamy, add a splash of heavy cream
• *If you want an alfredo style sauce, add parmesan cheese with the cream
• *If you want a vodka style sauce, add a few tablespoons are your favorite marinara to everything above

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, bring water and 1-2 tsps of salt to a boil
2. In microwave safe bowl (or in pan over low heat) melt cheese and cream cheese together (I do 30 seconds in microwave, stir, and 30 seconds and stir again). Let sit. 
3. in another bowl, combine dry gnocchi ingredients 
4. Add two egg yolks to the cheese mixture and quickly stir until it’s well incorporated. 
5. Create a pocket in the center of the cheese mixture, pour dry mixture in the pocket, add a tablespoon of the boiling water to the dry ingredients and then mix everything together. 
6. Stick mixture in the fridge or freezer until the mixture is cool to the touch and has firmed up enough to easily handle. 
7. Melt butter in saucepan on low heat (turn up to medium-high heat right before you place gnocchi in)
8. Divide mixture into a few sections and roll each one on cutting board or parchment paper into long 1 inch round pieces. Using a sharp knife, slice off 1/2 inch pieces into you gnocchi. 
9. Carefully place the cut pieces into boiling water. Be careful not to crowd the water, the gnocchi may stick together. Boil for 60-90 seconds. The gnocchi will float to the top when ready. 
10. Using a fork or slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to the saucepan with the melted butter. Lightly brown one side (about 60 seconds, but keep an eye on it), then flip and brown the other side a bit more (browning one side a bit more helps the gnocchi keep shape, but isn’t necessary).
11. Remove gnocchi from heat and serve warm. 

Simple (but very tasty) Butter Sauce:

1. Add a few more tablespoons of butter to the sauce pan and turn heat to low. Add parsley flakes, dried basil, and garlic powder to taste. If you you want a more creamy, Alfredo-like sauce, add a splash of heavy cream and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. If you want a vodka type sauce, do everything above plus add a few tablespoons of marinara sauce. 
2. Drizzle sauce on the gnocchi and leafy green veggies and ENJOY!

Here are the Nutrition Facts per 1 serving I got using MyFitnessPal. Keep in mind all brands can have different nutrition values, so feel free to enter your ingredients to your nutrition tracker of choice.