1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (103 page)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice

Slice the pork as thinly as you can into small strips (this is easier if the pork is half-frozen). Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork. Stir-fry the pork strips until they’re nearly done—about 6 to 7 minutes—then stir in the chili powder and lime juice. Continue stirring and cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes. These strips keep well for a few days in a closed container in the fridge.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 23 grams of protein.

You can serve this simple stir-fry over Cauliflower Rice (page 212), if you like, but it’s nice just as it is.

12 ounces (340 g) boneless pork top loin

2 tablespoons (12 g) grated ginger

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Splenda

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

4 scallions, sliced, including the crisp part of the green

2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry sherry

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil

Slice the boneless pork loin as thinly as you can— it helps to have it half-frozen.

Mix together everything else in a medium-size bowl. Add the pork, stir to coat, and let it marinate for at least a half an hour.

Over high heat, heat the oil in a heavy skillet or wok. Add the pork with all of the marinade and stir-fry until meat is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 31g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.

I know of few dishes that offer so much flavor for so little work.

1 pound (455 g) boneless pork loin

½ head cabbage

1 small onion

Canola or peanut oil for stir-frying

1 tablespoon (15 ml) black bean sauce

1 to 2 tablespoons (16.5 to 33 g) chili garlic paste

Slice the pork loin as thin as you possibly can—this is easier if the pork is partially frozen. Slice the cabbage about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick and cut across it a few times. Thinly slice the onion.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) of oil over highest heat. As soon as it’s hot, add the pork and stir-fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and the onion and continue stir-frying until the cabbage and onion are just tender-crisp. Stir in the black bean sauce and the chili garlic paste and serve.

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 32 grams of protein.

You can find black bean sauce, an Asian condiment, in Asian or international grocery stores or in the Asian section of larger grocery stores. I actually bought mine in the international aisle of Bloomingfoods, my beloved natural food

This has some sugar in it, but the amount of flavor it offers for the few carbs it adds is well worth it, to my mind. It keeps well in the fridge, so don’t think you have to use it all up quickly.

This is wonderful, and it cooks quite quickly because you pound the pork thin.

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless pork loin, cut into 4 slices across the grain

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter, divided

1 small onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

8 ounces (35 g) sliced mushrooms

1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth

2 teaspoons Dijon or spicy brown mustard

Put a piece of pork into a heavy resealable plastic bag and pound until it is ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Repeat for the remaining pieces of pork.

Melt 2 tablespoons (28 g) of the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and brown the meat on both sides (about 4 minutes per side). You’ll have to do them one or two at a time. Set the browned pork on a plate and keep it warm.

Add the rest of the butter to the skillet and add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms and onion are limp. Add the artichokes, chicken broth, and mustard and stir around to dissolve the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the skillet.

Add the pork back into the skillet (you’ll have to stack it a bit), cover, and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve the pork with the vegetables spooned over the top.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 25 grams of protein.

If you prefer, you can make this out of 4 pork chops with the bones cut out.

I confess, I came up with this to get rid of extra pork, smoked provolone, and mushrooms I had kicking around my fridge—and it got top marks from my husband! It is definitely worth making again.

2 pounds (910 g) boneless pork loin, in 4 slices about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick

6 ounces (170 g) sliced smoked provolone cheese

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

½ medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups (140 g) sliced mushrooms

1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

Guar or xanthan (optional)

You’ll need four pieces of pork loin that are roughly the same shape. One piece at a time, put the pork in a heavy resealable plastic bag. Using any heavy blunt instrument that comes to hand (I use a 3-pound dumbbell), pound your pork out until it’s between ¼ inch (6 mm) and ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick.

Sandwich the sliced smoked provolone between the pounded pieces of pork, using 3 ounces (85 g) in each of two “pork and cheese sandwiches.” Heat the oil and butter in a big, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and lay the pork-and-cheese sandwiches in it. Sauté for about 5 minutes per side or until golden, turning carefully.

When the pork-and-cheese sandwiches are browned on both sides, add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms to the skillet, scattering them around the pork.

Mix the wine and chicken bouillon concentrate together and pour around the pork. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

When time’s up, lift the pork-and-cheese sandwiches out with a spatula, put them on a platter, and cover with a lid to keep warm. Now turn up the heat under the skillet and let the sauce boil hard for about 5 minutes—you want just ½ cup (120 ml) or so of liquid left among the mushrooms and onions. Thicken this a trifle with guar or xanthan if you like, but it’s not essential by any means. Scrape the mushrooms, onions, and sauce over the meat and cheese and cut in portions to serve.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 39 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.

You can double this recipe if you like, but if your skillet’s the size of mine, you’ll have to cook it in two batches—which, of course, takes twice the time.

¾ pound (340 g) boneless pork loin, cut about ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick

1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (25 g) canned, crushed pineapple in juice

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons Splenda

1 teaspoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

First, pound the pork until it’s about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the pork, covering it with a tilted lid. Cook it 4 to 5 minutes per side.

While the pork’s browning, combine the pineapple, vinegar, Splenda, mustard, soy sauce, and garlic. When the pork is browned on both sides, add this mixture to the skillet. Turn the pork over once or twice to coat. Put the tilted lid back on the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, turn, re-cover the pan, and give it another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to serving plates and scrape any remaining liquid from the pan over the pork before serving.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 22 grams of protein.

Feel free to use thin pork chops, instead.

Boneless pork loin frequently goes on sale. It’s very lean, however, so it’s often both bland and dry. Slow cooking takes care of that little problem! Sadly, fresh pumpkin is only available for a couple of months in the autumn, so that’s when you’ll need to make this dish. Buy a small pumpkin, or you’ll have piles of it leftover.

2 pounds (910 g) pork loin

1 pound (455 g) pumpkin, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes

1 pound (455 g) rutabaga, cut into ½-inch (1.3 cm) cubes

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (40 g) low-sugar marmalade or orange preserves

¼ teaspoon orange extract

2 teaspoons Splenda

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth

Guar or xanthan

Put the pumpkin and rutabaga in the bottom of a slow cooker.

In a big, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and brown the pork all over. Put the pork in the slow cooker on top of the pumpkin and rutabaga.

In a bowl, stir together the marmalade, orange extract, Splenda, garlic, salt, and broth. Pour the mixture over the pork. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

When the time’s up, carefully remove the pork to a platter and use a slotted spoon to pile the vegetables around it. Use guar or xanthan to thicken the liquid in the pot to the consistency of heavy cream. Serve the liquid with the pork and vegetables.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 34 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 11 g usable carbs.

This was one of my first great slow-cooking triumphs, and it still ranks as one of the two or three best dishes I’ve ever cooked in my slow cooker. This is easily good enough to serve to company. By the way, some grocery stores label “fennel” as “anise.” It looks like a bulb at the bottom, with celery-like stalks above and feathery foliage. The stems are tough, but the foliage can be chopped up in salads or used as a garnish. It has a wonderful licorice-like taste.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) pork shoulder roast

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 bulb fennel, sliced

1 cup (240 ml) cider vinegar

3 tablespoons (4.5 g) Splenda

1 cup (240 ml) canned diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

2 cloves garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Guar or xanthan

In a big, heavy skillet, sear the pork in the oil over medium-high heat until it’s brown all over. (This will take 20 minutes or so.) Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of fat from the skillet and reduce the heat to medium-low. Sauté the onion and fennel until they’re just getting a little golden. Transfer them to the slow cooker, too.