Crab Stuffed Tilapia

Crab Stuffed Tilapia

6 tilapia fillets
2  6 oz. cans crab, drained well. Be sure to remove the paper inside.
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 bundle green onions, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder or several fresh cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Mix all ingredients except the fish.  If your fillets are thick enough uniformly, you can slice them almost all the way through horizontally to create a pocket. If your fillets aren't thick enough, you can place one fillet down, place filling on top, and top with another fillet. In either case, spread extra filling on top of fillets once done. If you double them up, serve 1/2 of the fillet "sandwich". Bake on a baking sheet at 350 F for 20-30 minutes. Internal temp should reach 140-145 F, and the flesh should be opaque and flake easily. Rubberiness means it's overcooked. Serve with coleslaw, cauliflower mash, or a salad.

Quick Snack: Cinnamon "Crepe"

I had a package of low carb tortillas, but I wasn't in the mood for a quesadilla this morning. So I rooted around in the fridge and spotted the cream cheese. Then I thought, "why not make a crepe type thing? It's sweet, and I never get to eat sweet stuff for breakfast unless I make cream cheese pancakes." So here's my simple recipe:

Cinnamon "Crepes"
serves 1

1 thin low carb tortilla (I used Banderita brand- 5g carbs per tortilla)
2 oz. cream cheese
2-3 packets of Truvia or Splenda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: a handful of strawberry, peach, or nectarine slices, or blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.

Toast the tortilla in a toaster oven until golden and slightly crisp. Place cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Microwave until you are able to mix it up smoothly, about 30-45 seconds. If you want to get super fancy, microwave some frozen berries in a bowl and mix that in with the cream cheese mixture. Place the cream cheese mixture on one end of the toasted tortilla, add any fruit slices/berries you desire, and wrap up. Serve with a little whipped cream on top if you feel so inclined.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli salad is easy to make and great to take to a picnic, outdoor event, or to a potluck. You also have a lot of flexibility in what you put into it. Have bacon, sunflower seeds, and red onion? Great! Have ham cubes, shredded cheddar, and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)? Wonderful! Almond slivers, sun-dried tomato, and diced salami work great too.

Broccoli Salad

2 large heads of broccoli, washed and chopped into florets

Dressing:
1 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. vinegar (I like balsamic)
2 packets Splenda or Truvia
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. onion powder (if not using fresh onion)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Additions- choose 2 or more:
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c. sunflower seeds (shelled)
1/3 c. red onion, diced
1 c. ham cubes (~1/4 in.)
1 c. shredded cheddar
1/3 c. almond slivers or slices
1/3 c. sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 c. salami, diced (~1/4 in.)

Mix dressing up in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, mix broccoli and chosen additions. Pour dressing over top and mix well until coated. Chill until served.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken w/ Green Beans in a Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is a fairly simple recipe that will impress your guests (or maybe yourself). This was another night of improvisation.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

1 lb. chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1/4 c. coconut oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. coconut flour
salt
black pepper
paprika
garlic and onion powder
dried parsley
about 8 slices of bacon (at least one per piece of chicken, use two for a large piece)

You will also need:
toothpicks
a bit of oil
baking pan
cookie rack or some other sort of slotted rack

Melt coconut oil in frying pan. Beat eggs in a bowl. Pour coconut flour on a plate. Dredge the chicken in egg, then in the flour, then place in the hot pan. Do this with about 5 or 6 pieces of chicken, depending on the size of your pan. Don't crowd the pan. You may need to work on batches. Mix spices together and pour evenly over chicken. Preheat oven to 375 F. Pour a small amount of oil in a bowl and oil the toothpicks. Place cookie rack on top of baking sheet. I put a Silpat underneath my cookie rack to make drips easier to clean. When the thighs are halfway cooked, take them out of the pan, carefully wrap the bacon around them, and use a toothpick or two to secure the bacon. Lay out the wrapped chicken evenly on the cookie rack. Back for until bacon is crispy and inside of chicken is opaque, about 30 minutes. While chicken is cooking, you can fix the green bean sauce.

Green Beans with Mushroom Cream Sauce

1 12 oz. steamable bag of green beans (you can also use frozen, fresh, or canned (if you must))

1 c. mushroom broth

1/3 c. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard or spicy brown mustard

salt, black pepper, thyme, onion and garlic powder

3/4 tsp. xanthan or guar gum

In a small saucepan, heat broth to a simmer. Add spices to taste. Prepare green beans. Add cream to sauce. Gradually add in guar gum, while stirring. Place green beans and spoon sauce over the beans. 

Beef Pizza Pie (Original Recipe)

I wasn't sure what to fix for dinner the other night. I had a pound of beef, and had been thinking about some sort of Shephard's Pie type dish. Then I noticed we had spaghetti sauce and some creamed spinach. So I threw together this recipe. The topping is the crust I make for my pizza.

Beef Pizza Pie

Filling:

1 lb. ground beef (you can also use ground chicken, turkey, or italian sausage)

1 and 1/4 c. lower carb spaghetti sauce

1 9 oz. pkg creamed spinach, cooked on HIGH for 4 minutes

8 oz. mozzarella cheese or pizza/italian blend of cheeses or 1 c. parmesan cheese

Topping:

2 eggs

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened until stirable

1/3 c. parmesan cheese

Italian spices: basil, oregano, parsley

salt and black pepper

Brown and break up the ground beef in a little butter in a pan. Heat up the spinach in the microwave while you cook the beef. Add the spaghetti sauce, cheese, and spinach and mix until combined. 

Mix the softened cream cheese and 2 eggs in a bowl. Add the herbs: about 1 tsp. of each herb, more to taste. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Preheat oven to 350 F. If you've made the meat mixture in a cast iron skillet or some other oven safe skillet, make the surface of the meat even and pour oven and evenly spread the topping mixture. If not, transfer the mixture to a baking/casserole dish and top with the topping. Bake for about 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Serve with some extra parmesan.

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Carbonara is a traditional dish best known for the raw eggs you crack right onto the pasta that cook slowly without forming curds as they mix with the residual starchy water on the surface of the pasta. I've tried spaghetti squash once or twice, both times with marinara sauce, and I wasn't that much of a fan. However, this carbonara sauce makes me want to eat a whole plate of it. I noticed that my squash was a bit crunchy...perhaps I should have cooked it a bit longer. I microwaved mine, but I will include the time and temp for oven roasting. This recipe is very flexible. You can add chicken, shrimp, bacon, or pancetta for protein; sauteed red pepper, onion, peas (higher carb), small broccoli florets, or roasted/sun-dried tomatoes for a veggie. The recipe is originally from hugsandcookiesxoxo. I've tweaked it.

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper

1 large spaghetti squash (about 4 pounds)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder (or 2 tsp minced garlic)

1/4 c. chicken broth

2 eggs

1 c. grated Parmesan cheese (either canister or fresh is fine)

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

Optional add-ins (choose one, two, or three; or whatever you want):

6 slices bacon or pancetta, cooked and crumbled

2-3 c. cooked diced chicken or 1/2 lb. cooked shrimp

3 green onions, chopped and sauteed in butter

1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes

1/2 to 3/4 c. roasted red pepper, diced

2 c. baby spinach

1 c. green peas, frozen or fresh (try not to use canned)(WARNING: peas have a higher carb count)

2 c. small broccoli florets

1/4 c. red onion, minced

Directions:

Cut squash in half and remove seeds as best as possible. In a large microwavable dish (I used pyrex), place halved squash cut side down. Fill pan with about an inch of water and microwave for 20 minutes. If using the oven: Preheat the oven to 375 F. Prick the squash all over with a fork.  Roast on a foil lined pan 1 1/2 hours. Carefully turn the squash over in the pan when it's done and scrape from the outside to inside with a fork. Like this:

Use a oven mitt or towel to hold onto the squash while you do this; it's very hot. Make sure to get out any extra seeds. The squash seeds are just like pumpkin seeds; you can salt/season them and roast them in the oven for a tasty snack. Place squash in a skillet large enough and add some butter. Add the chicken broth and stir until hot. Add your add-ins (veggies and/or meat). Add garlic, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano. Stir well. Crack eggs into squash and stir immediately, coating everything in egg. Add in parmesan. Stir well. Add cream. Stir well and serve. 

This was very delicious. I only did the roasted tomatoes in mine as far as add-ins go because we had sausage with it. However, this dish can easily be a main dish just by adding meat. I will make this again (if we ever finish the leftovers- 4 lbs. is A LOT!) but next time I'll add in more veggies.

 

Crab Bisque

It's been quite a while since I've last posted, and it's because I've been out for dinner a lot lately, or we just kinda ate nothing spectacular in particular. Last night was some Italian sausages from Wegmans with a broccoli casserole type dish. I think I've already posted a cheesy broccoli type thing, so I'll just give a quick run down of what I threw into a baking dish:
3 slices chopped deli ham, 1 head broccoli (chopped into florets), 1/3 of a brick of cream cheese, 1 c. shredded cheddar, 3/4 c. small cubes of pepper jack, onion and garlic powder, salt, paprika. Bake all that at about 350 F for 20ish minutes and enjoy!

Okay, now on to the main attraction! I used to make these amazing crab puffs, but the delicious things were wrapped in crescent rolls. I had (3) 6 oz. cans of Bumblebee crab to use, so I found a bisque recipe. It was delicious, and I even got to use my new immersion blender I got for Valentine's Day! It tasted a lot like Silver Diner's Kickin' Crab Chowder (which has some corn in it). It needed a few tweaks once in the serving bowls, but I'll reflect those in the recipe.

Crab Bisque

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. butter
3 shallots, diced
2 bell peppers, either red or orange (Don't use green. I guess yellow is ok too, probably not as sweet though)
5 c. chicken broth
2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. salt and extra to taste
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper and extra to taste
1/2 c. dry sherry (I had to use white wine, it was fine)
18 oz. canned crab, NOT DRAINED (you can use more if you want, or add in the optional lump crab meat near the end after blending, or both, your decision)
2 tsp. xanthan gum or guar gum

Cut around the top of the peppers, allowing you to pull out the stem and seeds all at once. Like this:

I know it's green...don't use green..it's not my picture!

Be sure to check inside for extra seeds and pull the white fleshy parts out. Cut a long slit in one side, from top to bottom.  Salt the insides of the pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15ish minutes at 400 F. It will char a bit, that's fine. Turn over halfway through roasting time.

Saute shallots in butter until translucent. In a large pot, combine chicken broth, sauteed shallots, crab with its liquid (not the lump yet if you are using that at all), white pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, and sherry over medium high heat. When peppers are done roasting (they should be soft), use a food processor to puree them. I chopped them up a bit to fit around the blades better. Add the puree to pot.

Add in cream. Turn down to medium heat. Use immersion blender to blend until fairly smooth. I still had bits of red pepper, but it was fine. Now, the crab is already practically dissolved even before you puree the crap out of it with the immersion blender, but after you can't even feel it with your mouth. So, if you want, you can add in however much lump crab meat you'd like. Add xanthan/guar gum gradually while stirring. If you get lumps from the gum, puree again with the blender.

Cover and simmer for about 10-20 minutes. Stir every 7ish minutes to make sure there's no sticking to the bottom. You can also do chunks of shrimp if you'd like instead of (or in addition to) the crab. Hey, I don't know how fancy you're feeling today.... But if you want to keep it simple, using just the canned crab is perfectly fine. Add salt to your liking. Serve with salad if you want.

Fun Fact: Apparently the difference between a chowder and a bisque is that a bisque is smooth with no chunks, and chowder has large chunks of veggies or potato in it.

Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma... sorta... I changed and added stuff.