Polish Pickle Soup in One Pot

As I mentioned in my last post, I love pickles. When I saw a post on Tumblr mentioning pickle soup last night, I just had to try it. Many of the recipes I found used whipping cream, which would make it very much not carb friendly, so I searched for a vegan option and came across the recipe at http://ideliciate.com/quick-easy-polish-pickle-soup-vegan. This is a quick and easy low carb option, just 10g per cup. 

As always, I changed the recipe to include more spices to make the broth more flavorful and halved everything so I wouldn't waste much if I didn't like it. I didn't add salt as the bullion cubes are already loaded with sodium. I loved it and I will definitely be making it again!

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth (I used bullion cubes)
1 cup diced potatoes
1 diced carrot
Dried spring onions (to taste)
Minced garlic (to taste)
Ground pepper (to taste)
2 dill pickles (or to taste)
1/2 cup pickle juice (or to taste)

Directions:

1) Make the chicken broth with the bullion cubes and water, heat to dissolve the cube. You can also use prepared broth. The vegan version uses vegetable broth.

2) Add the onions, garlic and pepper.

3) Add the carrots and potatoes. Cook until they're soft, or about 15 minutes.

4) Add the pickles and pickle juice, then heat through.

Update:

The soup is good hot and cold!

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Fried Cheesy Pickles

I love pickles. I love cheese. I don't know if I love them together but I'm about to find out! A couple of Facebook friends posted the recipe, which I, of course, altered slightly. They're very carb-friendly as cheese and pickles have just few carbs. I used what I had in the house, which was shredded cheddar and bread and butter pickles. I may have overdone it on the chili pepper but otherwise, they're actually delicious. I will be making these again and I don't have to worry about sharing, my kiddo strongly dislikes pickles! I can see putting other things in the middle, like ham and tomato, which would make for a nice appetizer or snack. There are more cooking experiments to come!

Ingredients:

Shredded cheese of choice
Sliced pickles of choice
Garlic powder, to taste
Red chili pepper, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F. Spray the bottom of the muffin pan if  you're not using a non-stick pan.

2) Mix the cheese with the spices then spread some cheese on the bottom of the muffin pan.

3) Dry the pickles then put on top of the cheese.

4) Cover the pickle with the remaining cheese.

5) Bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy. 

6) Allow to cool. Put on a paper towel to absorb the excess grease then eat.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Hawaiian Pita Pizza

I love pizza. Unfortunately, having type 2 diabetes means I can only have a slice or two, depending on their size, and that's not generally very filling so I tend to avoid it. Seeking a lower carb alternative and find a thin crust, I turned to using whole high fiber pitas as the crust. 

The sauce is already relatively low carb, and I try to get one that is around 5 grams per tablespoon. Cheese is naturally lower carb and meats are usually carb free or very low carb. Adding vegetables or fruit can make the carb count go up quickly so best to minimize how much you use of them. This recipe was about 22 carbs for each pizza. Half a pizza is about the size of one slice of pizza.

Ingredients:

High fiber pita (8-inches)
Pizza sauce
Shredded cheese
Canadian bacon
Chicken bacon
Pineapple

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Put the pita in the oven for several minutes to toast for a crunchier shell.

2. Cover the toasted pita with the pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.

3. When the oven is heated, place the pizza on the top shelf. Cook for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

4. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Review: Skinny Cow Ice Cream Bar

Being a type II diabetic on a lower carb dietary plan, things like ice cream and other frozen treats are off limits because they simply have too many carbs. So when I find something that is sweet and makes me feel 'normal' then I'm all about it. 

I have to say that the only thing I enjoy about the Keto diet movement is the push for manufacturers to make more lower carb options so people can still eat the junk food they love without having to suffer the usual consequences of it..

This is the first time I've tried anything from Skinny Cow so I wasn't sure what it would taste like or if I would enjoy it but vanilla, chocolate and almond pieces are generally pretty safe. I'm happy to say that I really love it.

Each bar is a net 18 grams of carbs and only slightly smaller than the regular ice cream bars elsewhere in the frozen section. The "vanilla light" ice cream is flavorful and smooth. The chocolate provides a thick coating and the nuts are a nice addition.

And, the best part is that it costs about the same as a pint of Keto ice cream, which generally has three servings, while the box from Skinny Cow has five servings. 

I highly recommend these if you're looking to stay relatively low carb and need to curb your craving for something sweet.

Totchos (Tater Tot Nachos)

This is far from an original idea but it has become one of our favorite meals. The first time we had tater tots smothered in meat and cheese was at a local restaurant. When looking for a recipe I found the taco version. We used to make it with ground beef, but after trying it with the chicken we were sold and don't often use ground beef. This is a very filling meal and you only need about a quarter of the pan (about 15 tater tots). For those who are looking for a carb-friendly meal, this is only has about 40 grams including the garnishes we use.

We use cheddar cheese because we can get a lactose free version to keep our stomachs happier, but you can use any shredded cheese that you like. And, for the salsa we tend to go with a fruity salsa. We've had peach salsa on tacos and it is amazing. For this meal, however, we tried pineapple salsa and it was a good pairing.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag tater tots
1 lb. chicken
vegetable oil
garlic
spring onions
hot red pepper
chicken bullion cube
taco seasoning
8 oz. shredded cheese
garnishes like lettuce, salsa, sour cream, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven then bake the tater tots according the the instructions on the package. I use a small 8" by 10" pan that used to go in the toaster oven and cover it with as many tater tots as I can get on it, about half the bag.

2. Cut up the chicken then cook it in the vegetable oil with the garlic, spring onions, hot red pepper and bullion cube.

3. Add the taco seasoning according to the instructions on the package. Cook down the liquid most of the way. A little liquid to spread over the tater tots is not a bad thing.

4. Take the tater tots out of the oven then evenly cover with the taco chicken then the shredded cheese.

5. Put it back into the oven for 5-10 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and become bubbly. Allow to cool for a few minutes before diving in.

6. Serve with whatever garnishes you like. We typically use lettuce, fruity salsa and sour cream, but any of your regular nacho toppings will work well.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Quick Pickled Radishes

I love radishes and I love pickled things. I recently saw a friend use pickled radishes with a dish she shared on Facebook and I had to try it. My first batch was made with whatever I had in the kitchen that would work with it so it wasn't perfect (I blended white and red vinegar to get enough to fill the jar), but it was good enough to let me know that it was something I wanted to try to do again and follow a recipe that I, of course, altered. This is a blend of two recipes so that there's a bit of kick.

Ingredients:

Red radishes (as many as needed to fill the jar)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
4 Sweet 'N Low packets
1 tablespoons sea salt
½ teaspoon mixed peppercorns
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced onions
Chili flakes to taste
Jar with a lid

Directions:

1. Mix the water, vinegar, sugar and sea salt in a pan and heat for one minute to allow the sugar and salt to dissolve. Blend the peppercorns, garlic, onions and chili flakes into the brine. Set aside to cool.

2. Thinly slice the radishes and add to the jar.

4. Add the liquid, cover and put in the fridge.

Pickled radish slices will be ready to eat in about 1 hour. The radishes should have a light pink color when they're ready to eat. If you decide to half the radishes rather than slice them, it will take about 12-18 hours to be ready. They can be stored for two weeks. 

Bonus Recipe: Quick Pickled Carrots

Follow the recipe as above but use whole baby carrots. I also added a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon as it goes so well with carrots but not sure how it will work with the pickling. I'll have to let you know how it tastes! These will need to set overnight to really get pickled up nicely as they're a pretty dense vegetable.

Reviews

The radishes after an hour or so were delicious. I cannot wait to try them today! They have a bit of a kick, which I think comes from the chili flakes, but it just makes them more delicious in my mind. The brine is a lovely bright pink color, too, so I know I did it right.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!

Baked Chicken Rotini

I wanted to make something fast, easy and filling for dinner tonight that used things we already had in the house. We had rotini and sauce. Normally that would be enough but I wanted meat, too. Thus the idea for baked chicken rotini was formed and a quick trip to the Internet gave me a basic recipe that I, naturally, expanded on. I only had Italian sausage with garlic pasta sauce so it was meatier than intended but that was not a problem for us. And, I used some scallions fresh from the container garden. We served it with fresh steamed broccoli and pull-apart garlic bread.

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken (cooked or uncooked)
1 lb. rotini
1 16 oz. jar of pasta sauce
1 16 oz. bag of mozzarella cheese
Vegetable oil
Scallions
Garlic
Italian spices
Pepper and salt

Directions:

1) Heat the oven to 350F.  

2) If you're using raw chicken, cut it up into bite-size pieces and cook in the vegetable oil with the diced scallions, garlic, Italian spices, pepper and salt. The spices should be to taste. It is done when there's no more pink and everything is lightly browned.

3) While the chicken is cooking, start the pasta and cook it until it is al dente. Drain.

4) When the chicken and pasta are done, put them in a 13x9x2-inch pan. Mix with the sauce and 2/3 of the mozzarella cheese.

5) Cover the mixture with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

6) Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

If you try the recipe, let me know what you think of it in the comments!