Saturday, November 20, 2010

Low Carb Thanks Giving Ideas!

So, its that time of year again...  Time for the feasts!!!  This is the time where its hard for a lot of people to stay on track with all the yummy potatoes, yams, stuffing, rolls, pies, cookies, cakes... Ok, I need to stop, I'm drooling. 

So, I wanted to think of some things I can cook that will help me stay good and still feel fulfilled when I go to my many different family feasts!  Because otherwise I just end up eating turkey and only turkey.  And, how lame is that?  I'm going to just have to look like a nerd at dinner and bring my own side dishes and desserts!  But that's ok, because I will still be looking hawt instead of gettin' fat!

Here are some recipes I'm considering:

Cornbread:
Servings: 8
Per Serving: 271 Calories; 20g Fat 9g Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 14g Dietary Fiber;
Net Carbs: 6g


Ingredients:
2 cups Carbquik
6 tablespoons cornmeal
2 eggs
1/2 cup Splenda
1 cup half and half
1/2 cup butter, melted

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients.
Bake 400 degree for 20 minutes in un-greased pan.

 Cinnamon Streusel Swirl Muffins:


This is what the bag looks like, even though these are different muffins than I have, Dixie Diner has a TON of muffin flavors to choose from!  I haven't tried these yet, so I'm excited to see if they are actually good!  You can find these here.








Cheddar Cheese Biscuits:

Servings: 10
Net Carbs Per Serving: 2
Total Preparation Time: 10-12 minutes


Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 cups Carbquik
2 ounces butter, cold
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 pinch garlic powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup water

Instructions:
-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-Cut the cold butter into the Carbquik with either a pastry cutter or two knives, till the mixture resembles coarse meal.
-Add the shredded cheese, a pinch of salt, and garlic powder and blend well.
-Mix the heavy cream with water to equal 1/2 cup of liquid, pour into dry mix.
-Mix till dough forms and comes together, but do not overwork the dough.
-Drop the dough onto a lightly greased cookie sheet approx 1 ounce size portions.
-Bake in hot oven 8-10 minutes till biscuits are golden brown.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes:


I also buy these from netrition.com along with the muffins.  They are also made by Dixie Diners.  But, I buy the Garlic Parmesan flavor.  Its sooo good!







These are just a couple of ideas for some yummy sides to help you get through Thanks Giving strong!  Let me know your ideas and yummy low carb foods that you're thinking about making too!  My mom is also going to make a low carb cheesecake for us to share!  I'm so excited!!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Low-Carb Stuffing
One of the tricks to making low-carb turkey stuffing is to use a lot of vegetables. Another is to use a bread made without a lot of starch. This stuffing can be cooked inside a turkey or chicken, cooked on the stovetop, or baked in the oven in a casserole dish. You may think it sounds like there is an overwhelming amount of celery in this dish, but it actually cooks down so much that it is fine.
Ingredients:
1 loaf low carb stuffing bread (see below) or low carb bread, crumbled or cut into cubes
1 large onion, chopped
6-7 cups chopped celery - about 2 small bunches
1 green Bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 teaspoons poultry seasoning, such as Bells
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt - start with 1/2 teaspoon, or 1 T chicken or turkey soup base (see below)
1 cup water or broth, plus more according to moisture needed
1 - 3 eggs if baking stuffing, and if desired (nutritional info includes 1 egg)
1 T cooking oil
Preparation:
1) Make low-carb stuffing bread, or use about 1 - 1½ lb loaf of low-carb bread if you have access to it. Different types of bread will bring different results, so you may have to adjust the amount of liquid, seasonings, etc. I based the nutritional information below on using my homemade stuffing bread. In any case, allow the bread to dry out for awhile, either on the counter on in a low oven. It doesn't have to be totally dry, just kind of stale-level dry.

2) Saute onion, celery, and pepper until soft. Add parsley and cook for a minute or so, until wilted. Add seasonings. I include about a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Soup Baseat this point.

3) Mix together the vegetables and the bread. Add a cup of broth or water, stir, and taste. Adjust seasoning and moisture. If you're going to stuff poultry with it, leave it on the dry side because it will absorb a lot of juices during cooking. You can eat it just as it is, but if you bake it, the flavors will come together better. Adding egg will make it come together in more of a melded-together form. I usually add one egg, but don't like it too melded. You can add 2, or even three eggs. Mix well and bake at 350 F. for about half an hour, or until browned on top.

Nutritional Information: This makes quite a lot of stuffing. Divided into 12 generous servings, each has 5 grams effective carbohydrate plus 4 grams fiber, 9 grams protein, and 244 calories.

Megs said...

OMG, my mom will love you! One of the things she says that she misses the most from the holidays is the stuffing!

If its alright with you I'd like to re-post this on the blog!! Terrific recipe! Thanks!