300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (7 page)

Think of scrambles as omelets for the faint of heart. And please, feel free to experiment with scrambles of your own! The variety of things that taste good when added to scrambled eggs is never-ending.

Smoked Salmon and Goat Cheese Scramble

Sounds fancy, I know, but this takes almost no time and is very impressive. It's terrific to make for a special brunch or a late-night supper. A simple green salad with a classic vinaigrette dressing would be perfect with this.

4 eggs

1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

4 scallions

1/4 pound (115 g) chevre (goat cheese)

1/4 pound (115 g) moist smoked salmon

1 to 2 tablespoons (14 to 28 g) butter

Whisk the eggs together with the cream and dill weed. Slice the scallions thin, including the crisp part of the green. Cut the chevre—it will have a texture similar to cream cheese—into little hunks. Coarsely crumble the smoked salmon.

In a big (preferably nonstick) skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. (If your skillet doesn't have a nonstick surface, give it a shot of nonstick cooking spray before adding the butter.) When the butter's melted, add the scallions first and sauté them for just a minute. Add the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until they're halfway set—about 1 minute to 90 seconds. Add the chevre and smoked salmon, continue cooking and stirring until the eggs are set, and serve.

Yield:
3 servings, each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 27 grams of protein.

Deviled Ham and Eggs

If you don't have leftover ham lying around the house, you can buy modest-size chunks of pre-cooked ham in any grocery store. It's useful stuff!

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup (75 g) smallish ham cubes

1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion

3 eggs

1 teaspoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ham and onion and sauté until the onion is translucent and the ham has a touch of gold. Scramble the eggs with the mustard and horseradish and pour them over the ham and onion in the skillet. Scramble until the eggs are set and serve.

Yield:
1 serving, with 8 grams of carbohydrates (less if you use really low-carb ham) and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.

Parmesan Rosemary Eggs

This is so simple and so wonderful. If you like Italian food, you have to try this. It's also easy to double or triple.

3 eggs

2 tablespoons (28 ml) heavy cream

1/4 cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon ground rosemary*

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 tablespoon butter

* You can use whole, dried rosemary, but you'll have little needles in your food. If you do use whole rosemary, increase the amount to 1 teaspoon.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, cheese, rosemary, and garlic. Put a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat (if it isn't nonstick, give it a shot of nonstick cooking spray first). When the pan is hot, add the butter, give the egg mixture one last stir to make sure the cheese hasn't settled to the bottom, and then pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Scramble until the eggs are set and serve.

Yield:
1 serving, with 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 25 grams of protein.

Blue Eggs

Wow—here's some scrambled eggs with blue cheese and herbs. Yum!

4 eggs

2 tablespoons (16 g) crumbled blue cheese

3 scallions, finely sliced

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh parsley

1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Just scramble up the eggs, add the cheese, scallions, parsley, marjoram, and thyme, and stir it all up. Give your big, heavy skillet a shot of nonstick cooking spray, heat it
over medium-high heat, and pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Scramble until set and serve.

Yield:
1 or 2 servings. Assuming 2 servings, each will have 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 13 grams of protein.

Moroccan Scramble

With all these vegetables, this is a meal in itself. It's exotic and fabulous.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1/4 cup (40 g) chopped onion

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

1 tablespoon (8 g) tapenade

1/4 cup (45 g) canned diced tomatoes

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons (2 g) chopped fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat and start sautéing the onion and garlic. When the onion is translucent, add the tapenade and tomatoes and stir. Now, whisk the eggs with the cumin and pour the eggs into the vegetable mixture. Scramble until mostly set and then add the cilantro and scramble until done. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
1 serving, with 11 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 18 grams of protein.

French Country Scramble

This is for anyone who doesn't think that eggs can be elegant.

4 ounces (115 g) sliced mushrooms

3 scallions, coarsely sliced

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped

6 eggs

1/2 cup (60 g) shredded Gruyère cheese

If you haven't purchased your mushrooms already sliced, slice then up while you slice the scallions. In a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the mushrooms and scallions in the butter. When the mushrooms have turned darker, add the artichoke hearts (I just slice mine right into the skillet) and stir the whole thing up. Then beat the eggs, add them to the skillet, and scramble the whole thing. When the eggs are about half-set, add the cheese and scramble until done. Serve.

Yield:
2 or 3 servings. Assuming 3 servings, each will have 10 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 19 grams of protein. Note: Keep in mind that much of the carbohydrate in artichokes is in the form of inulin, about the lowest-impact carbohydrate yet discovered, so the blood sugar impact is less than the numbers would imply—which is pretty low to begin with.

Huevos Con El Sabor de Chiles Rellenos

Chiles Rellenos—green chilies stuffed with cheese, dipped in batter, and then fried—are irresistible and very time-consuming to make. However, since the traditional batter is egg-rich, it occurred to me to incorporate the chilies and the cheese into a scramble. It's delicious! If you haven't tried canned green chilies, you should know that they're only slightly spicy—this recipe won't leave you gasping and reaching for a glass of water.

6 eggs

1/4 cup (30 g) canned diced green chilies

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter or oil (15 ml)

4 ounces (115 g) Monterey Jack cheese, cut into small chunks