Category Archives: Low Carb

Hoisin and Ginger Glazed Meatballs

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hoisin meatballs

Remember those grape jelly marinated meatballs your Grandma used to make?  Well, lovelies, these aren’t your Grandma’s meatballs!  Let me introduce you to beefy, gingery, hoisin glazed delish. Tailgating never looked (or tasted) so good!  I had a chance to cook these up in the Atlanta Plugged In Kitchen with Suzanne Bentley, from the Georgia Beef Board!

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Hoisin and Ginger Glazed Meatballs

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Ingredients

    For the meat
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 3-4 garlic cloves chopped
  • ½ cup spring onion
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 1 jalapeno chopped up
  • 1 egg
  • 2 Tb fresh ginger
  • (1 Tb butter and 1 Tb oil for browning)
    • For the Sauce
  • ¾ cup hoisin sauce
  • ¼ cup soy
  • ¼ rice vinegar
  • 2 Tb sriracha
  • 1 Tb sesame oil
  • 3 Tb fresh garlic
  • Sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  1. Mix ground beef with garlic, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, egg and fresh ginger.
  2. Roll into golf ball sized balls and brown the outside of the meatballs in 1 Tb butter and 1 Tb oil in a large non stick pan for 2-3 minutes. (They will still be raw in the middle).
  3. Put browned meatballs into the crockpot, cover with sauce and set to LOW for 2-3 hours.
  4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and more spring onions before serving.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/09/hoisin-and-ginger-glazed-meatballs/

It’s Taco Tuesday! Check out the Video for a Delish Shortcut

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Taco TuesdaySaute ground beef and season and simmer?  Nah….no time for all that fancy stuff!  This is a simple shortcut only requiring 5 ingredients:  Rotisserie chicken, taco shells, cilantro, salsa and cheese.  Add in some jalapenos and cilantro if you want some added fresh flavor!

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Taco Tuesday: Shortcut Using Rotisserie Chicken

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Ingredients

  • 1 Rotisserie chicken cut up and diced
  • 1 Tb chili powder
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • taco shells or lettuce leaves
  • salsa
  • cilantro
  • jalapenos
  • cheese
  • guacamole

Instructions

  1. Take chicken meat off bird and dice.
  2. Season chicken with chili powder and kosher salt. Stir to combine.
  3. Heat up taco shells and stuff with chicken and top with your favorite taco toppings: Cheese, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, salsa, etc...
  4. Enjoy!
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/08/its-taco-tuesday-check-out-the-video-for-a-delish-shortcut/

 

Spicy Sesame Shrimp with Chili Rice Noodles

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sesame noodlesThis was simply awesome.  Light, spicy and packed with flavor!  This is the perfect summer meal– you get the freshness of the cilantro and red pepper with the shrimp, the heat from the jalapeno and chili paste and great texture with the rice noodles.  If you want to low carb it, you can sub out the rice noodles for zucchini “noodles” or daikon radish “noodles.”  The other bonus, is only takes about 15 minutes to prepare, start to finish.  Winner, winner, shrimp noodle dinner!

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Spicy Sesame Shrimp with Chili Rice Noodles

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Ingredients

    For the sauce
  • 1/2 onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves diced
  • 1-2 Tb red chili paste
  • 1 jalapeno sliced into rings
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 Tb Tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 Tb honey or agave
  • 1 Tb sesame oil
  • 1 Tb butter
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut milk
  • 1 package rice noodles
  • handful of chopped cilantro
  • handful of chopped scallions
    • For the shrimp
  • 1 pound medium shrimp (peiled and deveined)
  • 1 Tb butter
  • 1 Tb sesame oil
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne

Instructions

    For the sauce
  1. In 1 Tb butter and 1 Tb sesame oil, saute onion, garlic, jalapeno and red pepper until soft on medium heat, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add 1-2 Tb chili paste (I like it super spicy so I made this with 2 heaping Tb!)
  3. Stir to combine and continue stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes.
  4. Add 2 Tb honey, 1/4 cup cream, 2 Tb Tamari, stir to combine and turn heat to low.
  5. Boil water for pasta and toss rice noodles in. Let cook for 5-7 minutes until you like the texture. Watch the time on these, because they can get mushy if you leave in them in much longer than 7 minutes!
    6. For the shrimp
  6. Mix together coriander, salt, pepper and cayenne and sprinkle on the shrimp.
  7. Heat a frying pan (I like using a cast iron skillet) with 1 Tb butter and 1 Tb sesame oil until butter is bubbling.
  8. Add shrimp and do not move around pan. Set your timer for 3 minutes and turn over.
  9. Set your timer for another 2 minutes and turn over. Take out of hot pan immediately and set aside until ready to serve. (Get these on the plate quick so they're super fresh!)
    10. To put together your dish
  10. Drain rice noodles and mix with the sauce.
  11. Top with shrimp, cilantro and scallions.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/spicy-sesame-shrimp-with-chili-rice-noodles/

 

Video: Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad

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bacon bowlBacon bowls?  Wha-what??  Oh yes, lovelies.  This is my idea of low carb perfection!  And you don’t need anything fancy to make them– just some bacon, tinfoil and a muffin tin.  The caeser salad is absolutely fabulous—  extra garlicky by design, but if you don’t want the kick, you can just cut down a bit on the garlic.  This is major delish– and major WOW factor if you’re serving dinner to guests.  Edible bacon bowls stuffed with caeser?  You’re welcome.

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Low Carb Bacon Bowls Stuffed With Caeser Salad

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Ingredients

    For the bacon bowls
  • 3 slices of bacon for each bacon bowl
  • Muffin tins
    • For the Caeser salad
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 anchovy filets
  • 4 garlic cloves (if you don’t want it this garlicky, reduce to 2 garlic cloves)
  • 1 Tb Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tb water
  • Juice from ½ lemon
  • ¼ cup fresh grated parmesan (plus a little extra to top on salad)
  • Fresh grated pepper
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Romaine lettuce

Instructions

    For the bacon bowls
  1. Take large muffin tins, turn upside down and coat with tin foil.
  2. Cut one slice of bacon in half and lay over first muffin cup. Put the second half over the first half so it forms an "X".
  3. Repeat with another slice of bacon cut in half so you have covered the outside of the muffin cup with a "bacon star."
  4. Wrap a third piece of bacon around the outside of the muffin cup.
  5. Repeat with more bacon for additional bacon bowls.
  6. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes (watch to see if they are getting crispy.)
  7. Take out of oven, slip bacon bowls off muffin cups and place INSIDE muffin tins. Bake for another 5 minutes to crisp up the inside of the bacon bowls.
    8. For the Caeser salad
  8. In food processor, blend egg yolks, anchovies, mustard, water, lemon juice and parmesan cheese. While food processor is on, add 1/2 cup olive oil to emulsify.
  9. Toss dressing with romaine and add cracked pepper and extra parmesan.
  10. Fill bacon bowls with caeser salad.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/07/video-low-carb-bacon-bowls-stuffed-with-caeser-salad/

Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

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chimiI could eat steak every. single. day.  It’s one of the best parts of living la vida low carb!  That said, I get into the rut of serving steak with mushrooms and onions all the time instead of branching into new flavor territory.  Chimichurri is a classic Argentinian green sauce made with fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil for grilled meat.  All you need is a food processor– toss the ingredients in and blend till smooth.  It’s a great topper for burgers, an awesome marinade for chicken– I even spoon some onto my omelets if there’s some leftover from the night before.

We’ve been striking out on good cuts of steak lately– this skirt steak was cooked to perfection, but still ended up being a little chewy and stringy.  The sauce made it palatable!  Make it ahead and it will keep in the fridge for a day or two– but I think it’s best made and served fresh.

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Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 1 skirt steak
  • 1 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2-1 tsp of dried crushed red pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Cook steak to desired temperature.
  2. Put the rest of ingredients into the food processor and blend till smooth.
  3. Top onto steak.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/06/skirt-steak-with-chimichurri-sauce/

 

Almond Crusted Tilapia with a Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

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almond tilapiaI’m always looking for new ways to cook the same ‘ol fish.  Since halibut and sea bass are ridiculously expensive, tilapia and catfish are my bottom feeder standbys!  Don’t knock these fishies for snacking on poop garbage at the bottom of the ocean–  no one’s complaining about lobsters bottom feeding!

sebastian

Anyhoo, I digress.  I love adding texture to fish so you get a little crunch with your flakey, tender bites.  I took a cup of almonds, pulsed them in the food processor and bam, easy (gluten-free) “breading.”  I like soaking my fish in buttermilk for 30 minutes before cooking— it takes away any remnants of fishy flavor and tenderizes the fillets.  You could serve this with a simple tartar sauce (mix a little mayo with relish and a squeeze of lemon) but I opted for a spicy Thai curry sauce that was “deceptively delicious” because of sneaking in some chopped brussel sprouts.  JP hates brussel sprouts– so I roasted about half a dozen at 400 for 30 minutes with some olive oil and sea salt, then chopped them up and added them to the sauce just before serving.  He loved it and had no idea he was eating brussels!!  Brilliant!  (I served the fish with sticky Thai purple rice which was marv.  Instead of cooking it with water, I subbed coconut milk.)

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Almond Crusted Tilapia with a Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

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Ingredients

    For the tilapia
  • 2 cups of buttermilk (for soaking)
  • 1 cup raw almonds
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 Tb canola oil
  • 1 Tb butter
    • For the coconut curry sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 Tb olive oil or coconut oil
  • 1 Tb Thai Chili paste
  • 1 Tb fresh ginger
  • 1 Tb honey
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1 Tb tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 jalapeno chopped (optional)
  • 6 roasted brussel sprouts chopped (optional)
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

    For the tilapia
  1. Soak in buttermilk for 30 minutes.
  2. Pulse almonds in food processor with "S" blade until they are a course "breadcrumb" consistency.
  3. Dredge tilapia in almond crumbs.
  4. Sprinkle both sides with a pinch of kosher salt and pepper
  5. Heat up a frying pan on medium high heat-- add oil and butter and wait until butter is bubbly. Add fish and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until fish is cooked through.
    6. For the sauce
  6. In a large sauce pan, heat up oil on medium high heat. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add chili paste and stir continuously for a minute until it is combined with garlic.
  7. Add entire can of coconut milk and stir to combine. The cream at the top of the can will have separated, so it takes a minute or two to come together in the sauce pan.
  8. Add the rest of the ingredients and turn down heat to low/medium. Keep warm until ready to serve.
  9. Spoon sauce over fish and garnish with cilantro.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/05/almond-crusted-tilapia-with-a-thai-coconut-curry-sauce/

 

 

Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup

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avocado soup

I never have been a fan of gazpacho– to me, it kinda feels like you’re just eating salsa…but as the weather gets warmer, there’s nothing like a chilled cucumber avocado soup. Without the cucumber addition, the texture is thicker and you might as well be shoveling guacamole into your pie hole. (Not that there’s ANYTHING wrong with that, btw). Love the fresh factor that the Cuke’s add!

This is a great soup to serve before a heavier meal– or if you’re doing a little spring cleaning and opting for a detox menu, it is filling and super nutritious. And, unlike most of my posts, (ahem, BACON) it qualifies as vegan/vegetarian, SHOCKER!

It kept well in the fridge for an additional 24 hours after I made it.  If you want a thinner consistency, just add more of the coconut “water” from the coconut milk can.

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Cucumber Avocado Soup

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Ingredients

  • 2 peeled cucumbers
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 avocados
  • 2 Tb coconut cream (the thick cream that floats to the top of a can of coconut milk)
  • 2 Tb coconut water (the residual "water" under the coconut cream)
  • 2 slices pineapple (fresh or canned)
  • 1 Tb fresh pineapple juice
  • 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
  • juice from 1/2 lime
  • kosher salt to taste
  • fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Blend everything together in a blender or food processor. Serve chilled.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/04/chilled-cucumber-avocado-soup/

Low Carb Peanut Butter Cheesecake Muffins

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bites

This picture does not do these little morsels of delish justice.  They are reeeeeeaaaaallllllly good.  It’s a recipe I modified from Smitten Kitchen’s sugary carb version….I didn’t sub out sugar free chocolate chips, but if you want ULTRA low carb, opt for that instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips.

If you can picture me at 2am, the night before my first cooking class, I was totally stressing about prepping and realized at that late hour that I needed to make something for the ladies to munch on when they arrived.  So, with copious amounts of peanut butter and cream cheese in my kitchen, this seemed like a winner.  I converted Smitten Kitchen’s recipe into muffins– and by the Grace of Low Carb Gods, it all worked out.  The women in my class went nuts over these!!  The ganache is to die for.  You can make the muffin or the regular cheesecake version– both were sublime.

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Low Carb Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Ingredients

    For the Almond Crust
  • 1 cup raw sliced almonds
  • 1 Tb Brown Sugar Splenda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 stick of butter melted
    • For the Fudge Layer
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 13oz semisweet chocolate
  • 2 Tb smooth peanut butter
    • For the Cheesecake Layer
  • 2 (8oz) packages of full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup Truvia
  • ¾ cup sour cream
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • For the Ganache Topping
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 5 oz semisweet chocolate
  • 1 Tb smooth peanut butter

Instructions

  1. Make almond crust: In a food processor, blend almonds, brown sugar and cinnamon together until finely ground. Drizzle in melted butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together.
  2. Transfer crumbs to prepared pan. Press crumb mixture into muffin tins or on bottom of springform pan. Chill crust until next step.
  3. Make fudge layer: Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat; whisk in chocolate and peanut butter until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into bottom of chilled crust and spread in an even layer. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes.
  4. Heat oven: To 325°F.
  5. For the cheesecake layer: Using an electric mixer or a standing mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and Truvia until well-blended and fluffy. Beat in sour cream, then eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour over fudge layer that has set in the freezer.
  6. If using a springform pan, wrap foil around it and place on middle baking rack. If using muffin tins, just place on middle baking rack.
  7. To bake: Bake cake until slightly firm to the touch and the top appears dry, about one hour. The center two inches should only move slightly when pan is gently shaken. Transfer cheesecake to rack in the fridge until fully cool, at least three hours.
  8. For the ganache topping: Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering.
  9. Off the heat, whisk in choocolate and peanut butter, if using. Pour onto chilled cheesecake and spread to the edges. Return cheesecake to the fridge until the ganache sets, about 30 minutes.
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/04/low-carb-peanut-butter-cheesecake-muffins/

Peanut Butter Goodness

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amhq

Parker’s Plate went national for the first time, y’all!  Whoohoo!!  Here’s a link to the segment on AMHQ, the Weather Channel’s new banner show.

Posing with one of my favorite TV personalities of all time-- Sam Champion

Posing with one of my favorite TV personalities of all time– Sam Champion

When I landed my first on-air TV job back in 2002, I kicked it as a one-man-band for News 12 The Bronx and was also working as an overnight writer at WNBC in Manhattan.  It was a brutal schedule, but I was determined to climb up the TV News ladder.  I’ll never forget driving my clunker Oldsmobile to work every day (and night).  The Delta ’88 had a red leather interior and I had to use safety pins to hold up the sagging headliner.  Fancy!!!  I sooo wish I had a pic!!  Back then, Sam Champion was the meteorologist for the local ABC station, WABC. He was always one of my favorite on-air personalities– and continued to be when he moved on to Good Morning America.

So, fast forward 12 years, I was absolutely honored to be a guest on AMHQ, Sam Champion’s new show on the Weather Channel.  It was National PB&J day, so I got to tout the benefits of peanut butter and join the hosts in making their favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!  It was freaking awesome.  Talk about an adrenalin rush!!  A live national spot is pretty much this girl’s dream come true.  It’s hopefully the first of many to come! ( :

To pay homage to peanut butter, here are my Top 3 peanut butter recipes….And if you want my favorite sam’wich, you gotta slather on peanut butter, Nutella and stuff it with bananas.  Boom.

bombs 2Low carb, Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Bombs

pb cookiesLow Carb, Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

bacon candyLow Carb  Candied Bacon Dipped in Peanut Butter

 

 

Broccoli and Asparagus with Mint

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brocMint and Veggies?  Sounds weird, tastes delish.

I love roasting my broccoli– at a high temp, the edges get nice and crispy.  I cut up the asparagus because it keeps it from getting soggy and retains that lovely crunch factor!  There is a freshness and subtlety to the mint that really takes the flavor to another level of fabulous.  This, from the girl who is not a big fan of vegetables.  Time for bacon broccoli (and asparagus and mint) y’all!

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Broccoli and Asparagus with Mint

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Ingredients

  • 3 cups chopped broccoli
  • 1 bunch of asparagus spears chopped in 1 inch pieces
  • 2 Tb chopped mint
  • 2 Tb olive oil
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450
  2. Put broccoli and asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt.
  3. Roast for 15-20 minutes until edges of broccoli are crispy and asparagus is slightly seared.
  4. Toss chopped mint on top of roasted veggies and enjoy!
http://whatsonparkersplate.flywheelsites.com/2014/03/broccoli-and-asparagus-with-mint/