New Series *LO-CARB* : Let's Start Off With 4 Low Carb Veggie Dishes!🌞

[justaprogressive]

Holiday Green Bean Casserole

You know that green bean casserole that mom serves every holiday?
The one with the mushroom soup and the onion rings? It's pretty high
carbo I'd rather have beans amandine, myself. But for you green bean
casserole diehards-and I know that there are more than a few of you
out there!-here's the new, decarbed version.

1 medium onion
1/4 cup (30 g) low-carb bake mix or rice protein powder
1/4 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Oil for frying
4 cups (600 g) frozen green beans, cut style
1 4-ounce (115 g) can mushrooms
2 tablespoons (20 g) minced onion
1 tablespoon (15 g) butter
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon concentrate
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon guar or xanthan gum

Slice the onion thin, and separate into rings. Mix together the bake
mix or protein powder, salt or Vege-Sal, and paprika. "Flour" the onion
rings-the easiest way is to put the "flouring" mixture in a small paper
sack, and shake a few onion rings at a time. Heat about 1/4" (6.25 mm)
of oil in a heavy skillet, over medium heat, and fry the "floured" onion
rings, turning once, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on absorbent
paper. You can do this part well in advance, if you like.

When you're ready to make your casserole, start your green beans
cooking-I like to microwave mine on high for about 7 or 8 minutes,
but you can steam them if you prefer. While that's happening, drain
the liquid off the mushrooms, and reserve it. Saute the mushrooms
and the minced onion in the butter until the onion is limp and
translucent. Now add the cream, the reserved mushroom liquid, the
Worcestershire sauce, the bouillon concentrate, and the soy sauce,
and stir, then salt and pepper to taste.

Now you have a choice: you can either pour this mixture into a blender
or use a hand blender. Either way, sprinkle the guar or xanthan over the
top, and run the blender just long enough to blend in the thickener, and
to chop the mushrooms a bit-but not to totally puree them; you want
some bits of mushroom.

Okay, we're on the home stretch. Drain your cooked green beans, and
put them in a 1 1/2-quart (1.4 L) casserole dish that you've sprayed
with nonstick cooking spray. Stir in the mushroom mixture and half of
those fried onions. Bake it in a 350°F (180°C) oven for 25 to 30 minutes,
then top it with the rest of the fried onions, and bake for another 5 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Each with: 254 calories; 11 g carbohydrate and 4 g of fiber, for a usable
carb count of 7 g; 6 g protein. For the record, this comes to just over half
of the carb content of the original recipe-and just about the same calorie count.




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Cathy Sparks's Creamed Onions

Never had creamed onions? They were a fixture at every holiday meal of my
childhood. Remember that onions are a borderline vegetable, and judge your
portions accordingly.

1 pound (455 g) bag frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken broth
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
1 pinch each of sea salt, white pepper, and nutmeg
1 teaspoon minced parsley or chives

In a large covered skillet, simmer the onions in the butter, broth, and wine
about 20 minutes, until tender.

Add the cream and gently simmer, uncovered, until thickened to suit.
This may take 20 minutes or more for a thicker consistency. Stir in
salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Place in serving dish and sprinkle with parsley or chives.

Yield: 6 servings

Each with: 209 calories; 19 g fat; 2 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate;
1 g dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.


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Marco Polo Stir-Fried Vegetables

2 cups (450 g) frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1 cup (100 g) sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil, or other oil for sauteing
'/4 cup (60 ml) reserved *Marco Polo Marinade

In a heavy skillet or wok, over high heat, stir-fry the vegetables in the oil until the
broccoli is just tender-crisp. Stir in the reserved marinade, and let the whole thing
cook for another couple of minutes-this will kill any raw steak germs still in the
marinade.

Yield: 4 servings

Each with: 132 calories; 13 g fat; 4 g carbohydrate and 1 g fiber, for a usable
carb count of 3 g; 2 g protein.


*Marco Polo Marinade

This marinade is named after its combined Italian and Chinese influences. It's
wonderful for steak, but try it on chicken, too! Also good on vegetables.

1 cup (240 ml) bottled Italian salad dressing
'/4 cup (60 ml) soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda
4 drops blackstrap molasses

Just measure everything and stir it together, then use to marinate or season
whatever you like!

Yield: 1 1/4 cups (300 ml), or 5 servings of 1/4 cup

228 calories; 23 g fat; 1 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber;
6 g usable carbs. However, you can drop this lower by using a seriously low-carb
Italian dressing-and anyway, since you use this as a marinade, you're unlikely
to consume anything like '/4 cup (60 ml) of this at a time.



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Jennie's Bodacious Brussels Sprouts

Since this was sent by Karen Sonderman, I'm left wondering who Jennie is. Our
tester, Diana, liked this-and she's not even a brussels sprout fan!

8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons (40 g) butter
2 1/2 tablespoons (40 ml) olive oil
3 pounds (1.4 kg) brussels sprouts
1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth

Remove outer leaves and any remaining stem of brussels sprouts. Cut an X
in the bottom of each sprout.

In your large skillet, saute the chopped garlic in butter and olive oil until just
turning brown. Add the brussels sprouts and stir to coat with the mixture. Now
pour the chicken broth over the sprouts, and simmer 15 minutes or until sprouts
are tender but not mushy. Remove the lid during the last 5 minutes of cooking
time to reduce any remaining broth.

Yield: 10 servings

Each with: 115 calories; 7 g fat; 5 g protein; 12 g carbohydrate; 5 g dietary fiber;
7 g usable carbs.



All The Above From "500 More Low-Carb Recipes"
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2776516


It's those fattening side dishes that'll get ya!