300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (51 page)

The name says it all—a traditional stir-fry turned into a hearty soup. This works equally well with chicken or pork, so take your pick or use whatever is cluttering up the freezer.

2 quarts (1.9 L) chicken broth

1 pound (455 g) boneless pork loin or 1 pound (455 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 medium onion

3 tablespoons (45 ml) oil

1 bag (16 ounces, or 455 g) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed

1 1/2 tablespoons (23 ml) soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoons (23 ml) dry sherry

1 1/2 tablespoons (12 g) grated gingerroot

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Pour the chicken broth into a large microwaveable bowl or pitcher. Put it in the microwave and nuke it for 10 minutes on High.

Slice the pork or chicken as thin as possible. (This is easier if the meat is partly frozen.) Thinly slice the onion, as well. Heat the oil in the bottom of a large soup kettle and add the meat, onion, and stir-fry vegetables. Stir-fry everything over highest heat while the broth is warming in the microwave.

By the time the microwave goes “ding,” the pork or chicken should not be pink anymore. Pour in the broth, add the soy sauce, sherry, gingerroot, garlic, and sesame oil, cover, and let the whole thing simmer for 4 to 5 minutes before serving.

Yield:
6 servings, each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein.

Italian Sausage Soup

This takes some serious multi-tasking to get done in 15 minutes, but it was too good not to include.

1 1/2 quarts (1.4 L) chicken broth

1 bag (16 ounces, or 455 g) frozen Italian Vegetable Blend

1 pound (455 g) Italian sausage, mild or hot, as you prefer

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

3 eggs

5 tablespoons (25 g) grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

First, put the broth in a good-size saucepan, cover it, and place it over high heat. Next, put the Italian Vegetable Blend in a microwaveable casserole, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on High for 12 minutes.

Okay, that stuff is under control. Now, in a heavy-bottomed kettle, start browning the Italian sausage over medium-high heat. If the sausage is in links, slit the skins and squeeze it out, so you can crumble it; bulk sausage you can just plunk into the kettle. As a bit of grease starts to cook out of the sausage, add the onion and the garlic (you can chop the onion while the sausage is browning) and let them sauté together.

When the sausage is cooked through, add the chicken broth, which should be hot by now. Stir and add the Italian seasoning. Let the mixture simmer while you crack the eggs into a glass measuring cup and beat them with a fork. Pour the eggs in, a little bit at a time—pour, then stir, pour some more, and then stir some more. This will make lovely egg shreds in your soup.

The vegetables should be done by now, so pull them out of the microwave, drain, and dump them into the soup. Stir, let the whole thing simmer for just another minute, and serve with a tablespoon (5 g) of Parmesan cheese on each serving.

Yield:
5 servings, each with 11 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 26 grams of protein.

Pantry Seafood Bisque

This recipe 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 quantity of half-and-half to heat through. You could microwave it to speed things along, if you like.

1 pint (475 ml) half-and-half

3 tablespoons (48 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

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

In a largish 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, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Yield:
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 classic lobster bisque. However, if your budget allows, feel free to use lobster tail in this recipe instead.

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1 cup (235 ml) half-and-half

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

10 ounce (280 g) monkfish fillet

1/2 cup (120 ml) dry sherry

1 1/2 teaspoons
Dana's No-Sugar Ketchup
(see
page 309
) or other sugar-free ketchup

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 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-size pieces. Bring the sherry to a simmer in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the monkfish, turn the burner down a touch, 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, Worcestershire 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, each with 10 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 26 grams of protein.

Instant Chicken Soup

Okay, so this isn't quite as instant as those little packets you mix with boiling water. But it's a lot tastier, a lot heartier, and a lot better for you.

1/4 head cauliflower

1 quart (905 ml), or 2 cans (14.5 ounces, or 410 g) chicken broth

10 to 12 ounces (280 to 340 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 stalk celery

1 medium carrot

1/4 medium onion

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

Salt and pepper

Run the cauliflower through the shredding blade of your food processor. Put it in a microwaveable bowl, add a tablespoon (15 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on High for 5 minutes.

While that's cooking, pour the broth into a large saucepan over high heat. Dice the chicken breast into small bits—about 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes—and add it to the pot.

Take the shredding disc out of the food processor, put the S-blade in place, and put the celery, carrot, and onion, cut into a few big hunks, in the food processor bowl. Pulse to chop to a medium-fine consistency.

Melt the butter in a medium-size heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetables and the poultry seasoning. Sauté, stirring frequently.

When the microwave goes “ding,” pull the cauliflower out of the microwave and add it to the soup. You can add the other veggies straight from the skillet or if you'd like them to be a little softer, put them in the bowl you cooked the cauliflower in, add a tablespoon (15 ml) of the broth from the soup, cover, and microwave them for 3 to 4 minutes on High before adding them to the soup.

Either way, stir the vegetables into the soup, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Yield:
3 or 4 servings. Assuming 3 servings, each will have 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 28 grams of protein.