Part 18 (1/2)

Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, broth, bouillon, tomatoes, soybeans, coriander, and c.u.min and stir. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 to 8 hours.

Top each bowlful with cilantro and sour cream.

Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 25 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 5 g dietary fiber, 9 g usable carbs.

Oyster Stew This is a cla.s.sic recipe that simply started out fast, easy, and low-carb. My husband prefers me to cut really big oysters into quarters. Since you can do this as the cream and half-and-half are heating, it doesn't add any time to the recipe- indeed, since the pieces of oyster cook faster than whole ones, it cuts the cooking time a bit.

5 tablespoons (70 g) b.u.t.ter 1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half 1 cups (360 ml) heavy cream cup (120 ml) water 1 pints (700 g) oysters Salt and pepper [image]teaspoon cayenne Put the b.u.t.ter, half-and-half, heavy cream, and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. As it comes to a simmer, add the oysters and stir. Simmer until the oysters are cooked, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, add the cayenne, and then serve.

Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 11 grams of protein. Despite the modest protein count, this is filling because it is so rich.

If you'd like to speed this recipe up, you can combine everything but the oysters in a large microwaveable container and cook it for 5 minutes on high, but it's not essential.

Italian Tuna Soup Okay, it's not authentically Italian, but it's a lot like minestrone. It's easy, too.

1 quart (960 ml) chicken broth 1 can (14 ounces, or 410 g) diced tomatoes 1 can (14 ounces, or 410 g) Italian green beans or 1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen Italian green beans cup (125 g) frozen broccoli cuts cup (115 g) frozen cauliflower cuts 1 cup (115 g) thinly sliced zucchini, frozen or fresh 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tomato paste 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 2 cans (6 ounces [170 g] each) tuna Hot pepper sauce Combine the broth, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, tomato paste, seasoning, and tuna. Add a few drops of hot pepper sauce (more if you like it hotter, less if you just want a little zip) and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Yield: 5 servings 5 servings Each with 14 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 11 grams of usable carbs and 23 grams of protein.

Check the frozen foods section of your supermarket for mixed bags of broccoli and cauliflower and subst.i.tute 1 cup (235 g) of the mix for the separate cauliflower and broccoli. That way, you'll only have one partially eaten bag of veggies in the freezer to use up, rather than two.

Cream of Salmon Soup One person who sampled this soup p.r.o.nounced it the best soup they'd ever had. And it's so easy!

1 tablespoons (21 g) b.u.t.ter cup (40 g) finely minced onion cup (30 g) finely minced celery 2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream 1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) salmon, drained teaspoon dried thyme In a heavy saucepan, melt the b.u.t.ter over medium-low heat and add the onion and celery. Saute the vegetables for a few minutes until the onion starts turning translucent.

Meanwhile, pour the cream into a gla.s.s 2-cup (480 ml) measure or any other microwavable container big enough for it and from which you can pour. Place it in the microwave and heat it at 50 percent power for 3 to 4 minutes. (This just cuts the time needed to heat the cream through- you can skip this step and simply heat the soup on the stovetop a little longer, if you like.) Pour the cream into the saucepan and add the salmon and thyme. Break up the salmon as you stir the soup-I found my whisk to be ideal for breaking the salmon into fine pieces. Heat until simmering and serve.

Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 23 grams of protein.

Manhattan Clam Chowder 4 slices bacon, diced 1 large onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, diced 1 green pepper, chopped 2 cups (375 g) diced white turnip 1 grated carrot 1 can (14 ounces, or 410 g) diced tomatoes 3 cups (710 ml) water 1 teaspoon dried thyme 4 cans (6 ounces, or 185 g each) minced clams, including liquid Hot pepper sauce 1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal 1 teaspoon pepper In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot, start the bacon cooking. As the fat cooks out of it, add the onion, celery, and green pepper and saute them in the bacon fat for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the turnip, carrot, tomatoes, water, and thyme and let the whole thing simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Add the clams, including the liquid, a dash of hot pepper sauce, the salt or Vege-Sal, and pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes and serve.

Yield: 10 servings 10 servings Each with 11 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 21 grams of protein.

Seafood Chowder My sister Kim, who tested this for me, said that you don't have to stick to shrimp. You could use crab, chunks of lobster tail, or even a cut-up firm-fleshed fish fillet. Don't use fake seafood- ”delicacies” and such. It has a lot of added carbs.

1 cups (225 g) shredded cauliflower [image]cup (40 g) shredded carrots 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 clove garlic 1 tablespoon (10 g) finely minced green bell pepper [image]teaspoon cayenne teaspoon pepper 3 cups (710 ml) chicken broth 1 cup (240 ml) Carb Countdown dairy beverage cup (60 ml) heavy cream 8 ounces (225 g) shrimp, sh.e.l.ls removed 1 tablespoon (5 g) Ketatoes mix cup (25 g) scallions, thinly sliced Guar or xanthan Combine the cauliflower, carrots, thyme, garlic, green pepper, cayenne, pepper, and broth in your slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 4 hours.

Turn the slow cooker to high and stir in the Carb Countdown and cream. Re-cover the slow cooker and let it cook for another 30 to 45 minutes. If your shrimp are big, chop them coa.r.s.ely during this time, but little, whole shrimp will look prettier, of course!

Stir in the Ketotoes mix. Now stir in the shrimp and re-cover the pot. If your shrimp are pre-cooked, just give them 5 minutes or so to heat through. If they're raw, give them 10 minutes. Stir in the scallions and salt to taste. Thicken the broth with the guar or xanthan.

Yield: 5 servings 5 servings Each with 17 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs.

Quick Green Chowder 1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed 2 cans (6 ounces, or 185 g each) minced clams, including the liquid 1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream 1 cup (240 ml) water Salt and pepper Put the spinach, clams, half-and-half, cream, and water in a blender or food processor and puree.

Pour the mixture into a saucepan and bring to a simmer (use very low heat and don't boil!). Simmer for 5 minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.

If you prefer, you can puree everything but the clams, adding them later so they stay in chunks.

Cheater's Chowder This recipe is so called because you're cheating on the usual ingredients, and you sure are cheating on the cooking time! You are not, however, cheating on your diet. This filling soup is a meal in itself.

head cauliflower 1 medium turnip (just bigger than a tennis ball) 3 slices bacon medium onion 2 cups (480 ml) half-and-half 1 can (10 ounces, or 280 g) minced clams Salt or Vege-Sal and pepper Whack the cauliflower into a few good-size chunks and put it in your food processor with the S-blade in place. Peel the turnip, quarter it, and drop it in there, too. Pulse the processor until everything is chopped to a medium-fine consistency. Put the cauliflower and turnip in a microwaveable ca.s.serole dish with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (30 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on high for 12 minutes.

While that's cooking, chop up the bacon-I snip mine up with cooking shears, right into the pot-and start frying it over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring from time to time.

Put that food processor bowl back on its base with the S-blade in place, throw in the half-onion, and pulse until it is chopped medium-fine. Dump the onion in with the bacon, which should be giving off some grease by now. Fry the onion and bacon together until the onion is translucent.

Pour the half-and-half and the clams into the pot-don't bother to drain the clams. Stir it and then let the whole thing come to a simmer, stirring from time to time.

When the cauliflower and turnips are done, add them to the pot, too-no need to drain. Stir them in, add salt or Vege-Sal and pepper to taste, let the soup simmer just another minute or two, and serve.

Yield: 3 servings 3 servings Each with 16 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 15 grams of usable carbs and 31 grams of protein.

By the way, I tried running the nutritional a.n.a.lysis for this soup using heavy cream in place of the half-and-half. It only cut 1 gram of carb off each serving-but it added 175 calories. Not worth it, if you ask me.

Pantry Seafood Bisque This soup is quick, easy, tasty, and what a gorgeous pale pink color! It's simple to double, of course, but it'll take a little longer for the larger quant.i.ty of half-and-half to heat through. You could microwave it to speed things along, if you like.

1 pint (480 ml) half-and-half 3 tablespoons (49.5 g) tomato paste 1 can (4 ounces, or 115 g) tiny shrimp, drained 1 can (6 ounces, or 170 g) flaked crab, drained 1 teaspoon dried dill weed teaspoon lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste In a large saucepan over low heat, heat the half-and-half to just below a simmer. Whisk in the tomato paste and then stir in the shrimp, crab, dill, and lemon juice. Let the whole thing cook together for just a minute or two, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Yield: 3 servings 3 servings Each with 11 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein. Each serving also has 254 milligrams of calcium!

Almost Lobster Bisque Monkfish has long been known as ”poor man's lobster,” so I decided to use it in a cla.s.sic lobster bisque. However, if your budget allows, feel free to use lobster tail in this recipe instead.

cup (120 ml) heavy cream 1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half cup (120 ml) water 10-ounce (280-g) monkfish fillet cup (120 ml) dry sherry 1 teaspoons Dana's No-Sugar Ketchup (page 463) or other sugar-free ketchup teaspoon Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce teaspoon lemon juice teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal Guar or xanthan (optional) 1 scallion, finely sliced First combine the cream, half-and-half, and water in a large, microwaveable dish. Microwave for 5 to 6 minutes on 70 percent power.

While the cream is heating, cut the monkfish fillet into bite-sized pieces. Bring the sherry to a simmer in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the monkfish, turn the heat down a little, and let the fish simmer in the sherry, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Stir in the cream, which should be hot by now. Stir in the ketchup, Worcesters.h.i.+re sauce, lemon juice, and salt, and heat it only to a simmer. If you'd like your bisque thicker, feel free to use guar or xanthan, but it's mighty nice the way it is. Ladle into dishes and top each serving with a scattering of sliced scallion.

Yield: 2 servings 2 servings Each with 10 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 26 grams of protein.

8.

Sides

Cauliflower Puree (a.k.a. ”Fauxtatoes”) This is a wonderful subst.i.tute for mashed potatoes with any dish that has a gravy or sauce. Feel free, by the way, to use frozen cauliflower instead; it works quite well here.

1 head cauliflower or 1 pounds (680 g) frozen cauliflower 4 tablespoons (56 g) b.u.t.ter Salt and pepper Put the cauliflower in a microwaveable ca.s.serole dish with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (30 ml) of water, and cover. Cook it on high for 10 to 12 minutes or until quite tender but not sulfur-y smelling. (You may steam or boil the cauliflower, if you prefer.) Drain it thoroughly and put it through the blender or food processor until it's well pureed. Add b.u.t.ter, salt, and pepper to taste.

Yield: At least 6 generous servings At least 6 generous servings Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.