A few recipes

These are just a few of my favorite Atkins-approved recipes I've come up with during my time on this diet. I wanted to share them with you.

 Backwards Stuffed Peppers

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1/4C parmesan Cheese
salt and pepper
Thyme and Oregano
about 5 baby sweet peppers
5 chunks colby/cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with Pam or line with foil. In a bowl, combine beef, Parmesan and spices with your hands until well incorporated.
Prepare peppers by cutting the tops off, de-veining and de-seeding each one. Stuff with chunks of cheese.
Take a hamburger patty size portion of the beef mixture and flatten it as if you were creating a patty. Place the stuffed pepper in the center and mold the beef around it until completely enclosed. Place on baking sheet and repeat until all hamburger is used up. Bake for about 25-35 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow to rest about 5-10 minutes. Enjoy with a simple salad.

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 Low Country Boil - Atkins style (yields 1 serving) *adapted from Mrs. Paula Deen

3-4 Snow Crab clusters
Polska Kielbasa sausage (watch the carb count -- I like Butterball's Turkey version), cut into bite-size pieces
quarter of an onion, thickly diced1 lemon
4 cloves of garlic, divided
3 TBS butter
Parsley
Garlic Salt
1/4 can of Old Bay Seasoning, plus 2TBS for sprinkling later
Salt and pepper
a drizzle of olive oil
Shrimp *optional

Side:
half of a small zucchini, cut in half and then sliced thickly
handful of mushrooms

Additional items if your family isn't dieting with you:

small red potatoes (2-3 per person)
corn on the cob

Fill a large (15qt) stock pot about 3/4 full with water. Begin to boil over med-hi heat. Preheat oven to 375.
While it's heating up, juice the lemon into a small microwave-safe bowl, and cut the rind into quarters and throw in the pot. To the bowl, add the butter, 2 minced cloves of garlic, garlic salt, and parsley. Set aside.
Toss the remaining garlic into the pot with the onions, Old Bay, salt and pepper and olive oil.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam and add the mushrooms and zucchini in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside for now.

Once the water is boiling, add the potatoes if you're cooking for others. Boil them for about 10 minutes. At this time, add the sausage to the pot and put the mushroom/zucchini mixture in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
Add the corn and crab and cook 4 more minutes. Then add the shrimp and cook NO LONGER than 3 more minutes.

At this time, put the butter mixture into the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute just to melt the butter down, stir well.

Pull out crab with tongs and place into a large bowl. Drain remaining pot into a colander and serve straight from there if desired, or separate into smaller bowls. Line your table with newspaper. Sprinkle everything with more Old Bay.

Dig in!

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*the following two recipes I took from the Atkins website!

Ropa Vieja

• 1 1/4 Teaspoons salt
• 3/4 Teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 Pounds flank steak or skirt steak
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 1 Teaspoon jarred jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 1/2 Cups frozen bell pepper strips 
• 2 Cups chopped canned tomatoes

1. Season steak with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add steak and cook 5 minutes, turning once to brown.
3. Add onion and enough water to cover. Cover the saucepan and simmer about 2 hours and 15 minutes, adding water if necessary, until meat is falling-apart tender.
4. Remove meat from saucepan. Strain cooking liquid; discard onion. Shred the meat with hands or two forks; set aside.
5. Heat remaining tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add jalapeno pepper and spice, cook 30 seconds, stirring, until fragrant. Add bell pepper strips, tomatoes, 2 cups of reserved cooking liquid and meat, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
6. Mix well; cook 5 to 10 minutes more to heat through.

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 Bratwurst with Onions and Sauerkraut

• 1 Teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Cup sliced white onion
• 1/2 Cup canned sauerkraut, drained
• 1 pork bratwurst

1. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté about 3 minutes. Add bratwurst and sauerkraut. 
2. Continue to cook until bratwurst is browned on all sides and heated through. Serve immediately.
   
   
   This stinks and looks awful... but it tastes quite delicious. If it's too "sour" for you, try adding a little apple cider vinegar or chicken broth (or both if you really can't stand it!) 
   
   
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Meatball Soup

1lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2lb ground turkey
1/4C shredded parmesan cheese
oregano, basil and parsley
salt and pepper
half an onion, diced
4 celery stalks, cut in half lengthwise and then diced
1 bunch of chard, spinach, or other leafy vegetable
4 cans of chicken broth
1 spaghetti squash, cooked and "spaghetti'ed"

*can of tomatoes optional

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine the beef and turkey with the parmesan cheese and spices.  Roll into balls and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake about 15 minutes.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-hi heat. Add the onion and celery and saute about 5 minutes. Add the broth and leafy greens (and tomatoes if using) and bring soup to a simmer. Turn the heat down to low and add the meatballs and a little of the juices from cooking. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To serve: place a small fork-full of squash into a soup bowl and top with piping hot soup. Enjoy!

Mmmmm.... my mouth is watering!

Until tomorrow,
-S