300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (36 page)

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 1/2 large green peppers

1 large onion

1 clove garlic

Slice the sausage diagonally into 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) pieces and sauté it in the olive oil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, slice the peppers into medium-size strips and slice the onion about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick. When the sausage is about half done, stir in the peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook until the sausage is well done and the onion is limp and translucent. Serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 21 grams of protein.

Italian Sausage with Onions, Peppers, Tomato Sauce, and Cheese

Make
the Italian Sausage with Onions and Peppers
as described above. When it's done, stir in the following:

1 cup (245 g) no-sugar-added spaghetti sauce

Then top with the following:

1 cup (115 g) shredded mozzarella cheese

Cover the skillet for a couple of minutes to let the sauce heat through and the cheese melt. Serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 28 grams of protein.

New-Fangled Farm Fry

In Peg Bracken's classic cookbook,
The I Hate To Cook Book
, there was a recipe for eggs cooked with potatoes, onions, and cheese, called “Old Fashioned Farm Fry.” Here's my low-carb, twenty-first century version.

4 slices bacon

1 cup (100 g) cauliflowerets, chopped into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) pieces

1 cup (150 g) diced turnip, chopped into 1/2-inch (1.5 cm) pieces

1/2 cup (80 g) diced onion

4 eggs

1/2 cup (58 g) shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper

Chop the bacon up into smallish bits—kitchen shears are good for this. Start the bacon cooking in a big skillet. Combine the cauliflowerets and turnip in a microwaveable dish, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on High for 7 minutes.

Drain the vegetables when they're done. Drain all but a few tablespoons (45 to 60 ml) of fat off the bacon, and add the cauliflower, turnip, and onion to the skillet. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Scramble the eggs with a fork, pour them into the skillet, sprinkle the cheese over the whole thing, and stir until the eggs are set. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
2 servings, each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 24 grams of protein.

Shrimp and Mushroom Sauté

This is quick and easy enough for the family, yet it's impressive enough for company!

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

1/2 medium onion

1 pound (455 g) cleaned, shelled shrimp

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry white wine

Heat the olive oil and butter together in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion and sauté until the vegetables start to soften. Add the shrimp and cook until they're pink all over and the onion is translucent. Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, and wine, cook for just another minute or two, and then serve.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 32 grams of protein.

Smoked Sausage and Sprouts

This is a speeded-up version of a dish in
500 Low-Carb Recipes
—just cut things into smaller bits, and they cook faster!

1 pound (455 g) smoked sausage

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 pound (455 g) brussels sprouts

1/4 cup (40 g) diced onion

Slice the smoked sausage diagonally into 1/2-inch thick (1.3 cm) pieces. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and start cooking the sausage in it. Meanwhile, run the brussels sprouts through the slicing blade of your food processor. Add the brussels sprouts and onion to the skillet and continue to cook everything, stirring occasionally, until the brussels sprouts are wilted and the sausage is hot right through. Serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 12 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 8 grams of usable carbs (less if you choose very low-carb smoked sausage) and 19 grams of protein.

Sour Cream Ham Supper

Another updated, decarbed recipe from Peg Bracken's classic,
The I Hate To Cook Book
.

1/2 head cauliflower

1/2 medium onion, diced

2 cups (300 g) cooked ham, cut into strips

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1/2 cup (115 g) sour cream

Run the cauliflower through the shredding blade of your food processor. Put it in a microwaveable casserole, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and nuke on High for 6 to 7 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, dice the onion and cut the ham into smallish strips. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, ham, and mushrooms in it, stirring frequently. When the onion is limp and translucent, turn the burner to low and stir in the sour cream. Heat through but don't let it come to a boil or the sour cream will “crack.”

Drain the cauliflower, divide it between 3 plates, and spoon the ham mixture over it.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 8 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein.

Unstuffed Cabbage

Stuffed cabbage is a perennial favorite, but there's no way to stuff all those leaves and get 'em cooked in 15 minutes! Here's a recipe that gives you all the flavor of stuffed cabbage at breakneck speed. Do use very lean ground beef for this recipe—it saves you the time needed to drain off the grease.

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) ground round or other very lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped

1 can (8 ounces, or 225 g) tomato sauce

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Start the ground beef cooking in a heavy skillet over high heat; spread it out to cover the bottom of the pan so it cooks quicker.

While the ground beef is browning, chop the onion and crush the garlic. Plunk them in the pan with the ground beef and stir it up using a spatula to turn it over and break it up so that it cooks evenly. Cover the pan and let it continue cooking.

Meanwhile, chop the cabbage coarsely. Stir this into the beef mixture a bit at a time—it will come close to overwhelming your skillet, unless yours is bigger than mine. Again, take care to turn everything over to keep it cooking evenly. Re-cover the pan.

Continue to stir the meat mixture to keep it cooking evenly, covering in between stirrings. When the cabbage is starting to wilt, stir in the tomato sauce, lemon juice, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Re-cover, let the whole thing simmer for 5 minutes, and then serve.

Yield:
5 servings, each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 25 grams of protein.

Spanish “Rice”