Shrimp bowl 6/21/22

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Beebamom
Shrimp over cauliflower rice with edamame, cabbage, cucumbers, jalapeño, and avocado with soy vinaigrette

Temperatures today soared to 100+F so we needed a dinner which would not heat up the kitchen. The components of this shrimp bowl are mostly raw. The cauliflower rice can be heated up in the microwave and the shrimp are a fast stove top cook.

The soy vinaigrette is especially delicious. Mix together 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, 3T white vinegar, 2T vegetable oil, 2T chopped green onions, 2T minced ginger, and 1/4t toasted sesame oil. You may want to consider putting in a dash of some sort of sweetener. We like plenty of the dressing so we make a double portion.

I set up bowls of the ingredients and let each person assemble their own bowl. This dish is such a hit around here that we usually make it either with salmon or shrimp once a week. You could probably make your bowl with chicken, pork, or beef as well. I am thinking of trying it with tofu too!

Posted in Asian, Easy, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, pescatarian, Recipes, Shellfish, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Burger with cole slaw and cauliflower 6/20/22

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled hamburger and cauliflower with cole slaw

If you are thinking, “wow, that looks a lot like last Monday’s dinner”, you would be mostly correct. Significant differences, though, abound. The topping on my burger has changed from cheese to a mix of mayo and sriracha and the cole slaw features fennel along with cabbage. So, different, you see?

Mad props to John who cooked the burgers to a perfect rare/medium rare. Our daughter rated them the best cooking job on a burger ever! That is high praise from someone who usually makes her own dinner rather than eat ours.

I had an excellent weight loss the first week of this low carb diet so I guess I will try it for another week. I do crave something crunchy, though. I tried fooling myself with celery dipped in pub cheese last night but it is definitely not as satisfying as popcorn or chips. Sigh.

Posted in American, Beef, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. June 20-26, 2022

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Beebamom
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Sort of eggplant Parmesan with zoodles. 6/18/22

Posted on June 19, 2022 by Beebamom
Sort of eggplant Parmesan with zoodles

I made up this dish while making it. I knew I did not want breaded and fried eggplant and remembered how much we had enjoyed the eggplant cubes that I roasted in the oven for our farro bowls. I decided to roast the cubes and then when they were done I would melt some cheese over the top in the microwave followed by some reheated spaghetti sauce that I had made previously

Since I am currently not eating pasta, I decided to have zoodles (zucchini that has been spiralized.) Previously I had expensively bought the noodles already made from the produce department in the grocery store. But would it be cost effective to buy a spiralizer? Our daughter found a hand held one for sale at Grocery Outlet and since it was only $9 I decided to give it try. As you can see our zoodles came out just like thick spaghetti. I zoodled 2 zucchini which was plenty for the three of us. And it was fun.

So what did I think of our dinner hack? The sort of eggplant Parmesan tasted very like the real deal. And I can see using the Vegetti (the brand of spiralizer) to make a spaghetti substitute which I can sauce in many ways. Win-win!

Posted in American, Italian, Low carb meals, Methods, Sheet pan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Scallops with roasted broccolini and asparagus. 6/17/22

Posted on June 18, 2022 by Beebamom
Pan-seared scallops with roasted broccolini and asparagus

Originally I had planned on making asparagus and a salad. When I went to the grocery store they had a pack of asparagus and broccolini together for $5. I shifted gears and decided that asparagus and broccolini totally went together and all I needed to do was find a way to cook them without dirtying two large skillets. Aha! I’ll roast them in the oven on a sheet pan!

First I pre-heated my oven to 425F. (Luckily it was unseasonably cool today.) Then I put first the broccolini and then the asparagus in a plastic bag along with some olive oil and salt and shook the bag to get everything coated. I put all the vegetables on a foil lined sheet pan and they cooked in 15 minutes.

In the meantime John cooked the scallops in our cast iron frying pan for a few minutes on the first side to give the scallops a nice brown crust and then flipping them over for an additional minute on the other side. Don’t overcook them!

The vegetables and the scallops were delicious! We opened one of our good chardonnays and turned our dinner into a special no-occasion occasion 😊.

Posted in American, Easy, Kitchen tips, Low carb meals, Methods, pescatarian, Sheet pan, Shellfish, Special occasion, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Red lentils with chicken, kale, and cauliflower rice. 6/16/22

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Beebamom
Red lentils with chicken and kale over cauliflower rice

First let me note that John ate this dish vegan by simply removing the chicken. Since I am eating lower carbs I needed to replace some of the lentils with more protein. I have rotisserie chicken in the fridge so chicken was my additional protein.

After sautéing cumin seed, onions, garlic, spices, and ginger in a little oil add the lentils plus some water or stock and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Use rice or cauliflower rice as a base, cover the rice with raw kale, and then ladle on the red lentils. For some extra zing, I garnished with sriracha.

Posted in Afghan, Easy, Indian, Legumes, Low carb meals, Methods, Poultry, stew, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pan-roasted salmon, broccoli, salad. 6/15/22

Posted on June 16, 2022 by Beebamom
Pan-roasted salmon with mustard sauce, steamed broccoli, and tossed salad

My new lower carb way of eating is going quite successfully and I am not feeling deprived hardly at all. Being able to use olive oil more freely has made cooking easier and the results tastier.

John cooked the salmon after a 20 minute brine in a pan over very low heat. He cooked it for 20 minutes on one side and then flipped it over for an additional 2 minutes. The salmon came out perfectly.

I made a mustard sauce to go with the salmon. It consisted of a tablespoon each of Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, mayonnaise and some water to thin it out to sauce consistency. I also put together a tossed salad dressed with olive oil and vinegar and steamed some broccoli.

Our tasty and satisfying dinner combined good-for-us vegetables, oil, and nutritious salmon. I will be featuring more meals like this in the weeks to come.

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Healthy tips, Low carb meals, Methods, pescatarian, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Hamburger with grilled cauliflower and coleslaw. 6/14/22

Posted on June 15, 2022 by Beebamom
Grilled hamburger and cauliflower with cole slaw

A hot day calls for cooking outside. While I made a cool cole slaw indoors, John cooked the burgers and cauliflower on the grill. While John and our daughter had burgers on sesame buns, I had mine without the extra carbs. I loved the grilled cauliflower and the cole slaw worked out well too. I am thinking of more grilled vegetables this summer!

Posted in American, Beef, Easy, Grilling, Hot weather meals, Low carb meals, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Chilean sea bass with salad and zucchini 6/13/22

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Beebamom

Today I started my low carb living with a delicious piece of Chilean sea bass with an accompanying salad and sautéed zucchini. We ate the salad as a first course dressed simply with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Salad with greens, tomato, and shredded cheese dressed with oil and vinegar

It seems strange to be sprinkling some cheese on when I basically have not eaten cheese for 2 1/2 years. Cheese has next to no carbs but not so the tomato. It is like an upside-down world!

Whole Foods had a sale this week on Chilean sea bass so we got a couple of nice pieces for John and me. As usual he cooked the fish to perfection in a 400F oven for 16 minutes. I sautéed the zucchini and onions in a little olive oil. Both the vegetables, and especially the onion, have carbs but the oil does not. I will need to watch my portion sizes after being on a diet that let you eat vegetables unlimited.

Chilean sea bass with sautéed zucchini and onion

Posted in American, Easy, Fish, Healthy tips, Low carb meals, Methods, pescatarian, Salad, Vegetables | Tagged | Leave a comment

Weekly Menu. June 13 – 19, 2022

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Beebamom

After following the WW food plan for 2 1/2 years, I am going to try something new. I have decided to experiment with low carb and see if I can get myself re-enthused by doing something new. I am also feeling that lowering my carbs will be beneficial to my health and easier to maintain when we go on our road trip in July. I am not going to try an extremely low amount of carbs. My plan is to keep them under 50 grams a day. This should allow me to eat all animal proteins, non-starchy vegetables, some fruits, legumes, and healthy fats.

My weekly menu planner has some options since John is not fully following this.

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