Super Low Carb Sausage and Peppers

Super Low Carb Sausage and Peppers

Though this picture is deceiving, this recipe does not call for any wheat/flour products. In this recipe I have substituted spaghetti squash for your standard pasta. While 1 cup cooked pasta contains about 200+ calories and 43g of carbohydrates, 1 cup of spaghetti squash contains only 42 calories and 10g of carbs (www.myfitnesspal.com). This is a delicious vegetable substitute for a common carbohydrate!

Servings per recipe = 6

Ingredients:

1                              Spaghetti Squash
2                              Bell Peppers, 1 green and 1 red
2 packages          Cooked Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used 1 package Sweet Italian and 1 Sun-Dried Tomato)
2 cans                    Diced Tomatoes, 1 no salt added and 1 roasted with peppers from Trader Joe's
3 Tbs                      Diced Onion
1 Tbs                      Dried Basil
1 Tbs                      Fennel Seed
Ground Pepper

Add sausage, tomatoes, onion, basil, fennel, and ground pepper to slow cooker.
Stir and cook on low for 8 hours.
Slice the peppers, sauté in olive oil for a few minutes, then add to the slow cooker.

Cut squash in half, lengthwise, and grind fresh pepper and salt over the top of each.
Place one half in a microwave safe dish, add ½ inch of water to the bowl, cover and cook in the microwave for 10 min.
Repeat for other half.

Take a fork and scrape the inside of the squash to form strings.

Serve ½ cup of sausage/sauce over 1 cup squash and enjoy!

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Cauliflower "Rice"

Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Cauliflower "Rice"

Makes: ~7-8 servings 

Ingredients:

Curry:

1.75 lb                   Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts, sliced into ¼” strips

2 cans                    Light Coconut Milk

¾ cup                   Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 jar                       Thai Green Curry Paste

15 leaves                Fresh Basil (if you can find Thai Basil, that is best)

2 Tbs                      Ginger, freshly grated 

1 Tbs                      Dried Tarragon (not needed if using Thai Basil)

½                           Onion, medium

1 lb                         Green Beans, trimmed and cut to a reasonable length

2                             Red Bell Pepper, julienned 

Spray Coconut Oil (available at Trader Joes)
Salt

Cauliflower “Rice”:
2 heads                  Cauliflower
Spray Coconut Oil
Salt

Preparation:

Place coconut milk, chicken broth, curry paste, ginger, tarragon, salt, and onion into crockpot
Stir to combine
Make a chiffonade of the basil and add it into the crockpot
Spray a pan with the coconut oil and once hot add the prepared chicken
Once browned, add to the crockpot
Turn on the crockpot to medium and cook for ~8 hours

After the 8 hours…
Steam the green beans until they are slightly softened but still have a crisp (~4 min in microwave)
While green beans are steaming, sauté the julienned bell pepper in coconut oil for ~5 min
Add both the peppers and beans to the crockpot and turn to “keep warm” (if available)

Remove the stem cauliflower and cut into manageable pieces
Place in food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is the size of cooked rice
Heat coconut oil in a pan and add cauliflower
Sauté for a few minutes then cover and cook on low for 10 minutes

Plate however you like your curry and enjoy!

I like to use cauliflower as a substitute for starch as much as I can, like in the "Bangers and Mash" recipe. Though I am not Paleo, I think this is definitely a good substitution to make for health reasons and to lower your caloric intake. Although I knew I wanted to make cauliflower, I wasn't quite sure the best way to make it for curry. I got the idea for the "rice" from nomnompaleo. It worked perfectly and tasted almost exactly like rice! I highly recommend using it as a common substitution.

Hope you all enjoy!