Beautiful Sunny side-up and bacon

Scrambled egg with green bell pepper and ham served with grilled tomato and toast half multi-grain bread

Meat Loaf

This recipe is a low –carb meal. In my listed ingredients you may omit the bread crumbs if you’re in a low-carb diet. It may be a little bit tougher compared to a meatloaf with bread crumbs. I served a slice of meatloaf with steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Happy dieting!

Ingredients:
300g minced beef
300g minced pork
1 onion, chopped
2 stem celery, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup low fat milk
1 egg
1/2 cup bread crumbs (You may remove this ingredient if you're in a low-carb diet)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons A1 Sauce
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2) In a  small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard, hp sauce, Worcestershire and ketchup. Mixed well and divide into two.
3) In a separate large bowl, combine the beef, egg, onion, milk, half of the sauce mixture and bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan.
4) Pour the remaining mixture of sauce over the meatloaf.
5) Bake at 175 degrees C for 1 hour.

Fried Tofu served with cucumber and turnip

Ingredients:
1 block firm or extra firm tofu (Slice into 1/2 inch cubes)
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup shredded cucumbers
1/2 cup shredded Jamaican turnip
1/4 cup roasted cashew nuts


Directions:
1) In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the tofu. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and lightly crispy.
2) In a serving plate, place the cucumber, the turnip and the crispy tofu.
3) Sprinkle the cashew nuts

Eggplant Lasagna

We started our low-carb diet inspired by Dianne Kress' book entitled "The Metabolism Miracle". I substituted lasagna pasta noodles with eggplant slices as mock noodles. Viola! This recipe is a  low-carb keeper in our home!

 


Ingredients
2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 1/4-inch thick
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus more for baking dish
2 garlic cloves, minced
300g minced lean beef
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1 cup grated mozzarella
2 cups own marinara sauce or simply use tomato puree
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 170C.
2) Roast the eggplant until half cook using olive oil. Turn slices halfway through, about 5 minutes.
3) In a medium skillet add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and add the minced garlic, onion and chopped Rosemary. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add the beef, Italian herbs, pepper and salt and cook until well browned. Add the marinara sauce or tomato puree. Simmer for 20 minutes in low heat.
4)Brush an 8-inch baking dish with oil.
5) Spread liberally the sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Lay 4-6 slices of eggplant. Spread sauce liberally again. Lay another 4-6 slices of eggplant and finish with sauce. Top with the mozzarella.
6) Bake until golden brown, at 350 degrees, for 25-30 minutes.

Beef Stew Soup

This recipe is a total comfort food and leftover can stored for many weeks in your refrigerator. There are hundreds of variations of traditional recipe. It’s very healthy. My family loves this comfort food especially during rainy days.

 
Ingredients

1 medium onion, cubes

3 large carrots, sliced

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled & chopped

2 bay leaves

800g beef

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cup beef broth

3 cup water
1 can diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon A1 steak sauce

1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dash ground allspice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Brown meat in Dutch oven with oil.

2) Add all ingredients except carrots and celery.

3) Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours in low heat.

4) Add carrots and celery. Cover and cook in low heat for another 45 minutes.

Angelhair Chicken Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

1 carrot, sliced diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices

300g  angel hair pasta

300g broccoli florets

2/3 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

 1) Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (no longer pink). Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

2) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until al dente; drain and set aside.

3) While pasta is cooking, heat the skillet with oil that used to cook  chicken heat. Stir fry carrots for about 5 minutes, then add broccoli and garlic and stir fry for another 3 minutes. Finally, stir in broth, basil and cheese and return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

4) Place drained pasta in a large serving bowl. Top with chicken/vegetable mixture and serve immediately.

Applechops

3 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced

1 tart apples - peeled, cored and chopped

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C). Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.

2) Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turn occasionally, or until done. Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.

2) In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples. Cover and cook until apples are just tender. Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops. Keep warm in the preheated oven.

4) Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly. Spoon the sauce over apples and chops.

Meatloaf

Pork Poulet

Whole Wheat Pandesal

Carrot Cake

Fricassee of Farmhouse chicken with baby vegetables

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (reserve back and wing tips for another use, such as stock)
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
½ bunch (about 10) baby carrots
1 bunch (about 12) baby white turnips
200g baby sugar snap peas
200g baby mushrooms
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper



Directions

1) Rub chicken on both sides with 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Preheat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter and the oil to pot. When butter melts and foam subsides, add half the chicken, skin side down, in a single layer (do not crowd pot). Fry chicken, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes total, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

2) In heat to medium using the same used in cooking the chicken, saute onion and carrot. Saute until soft and golden brown in places, 8 to 10 minutes.

3) Cook Mushrooms and flour continue stirring occasionally, until mushrooms darken, become glossy for about 4 to 5 minutes.

 4) Pour in Wine and broth and bring to a boil. Continue stirring until liquid just thickens, about 1 minute.

5) Add the chicken skin side up, in a single layer on vegetables; pour juices that have accumulated on plate into pot. Tie parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine; add to pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover partially. Cook for about 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Simmer liquid, uncovered, until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Discard herbs.

6) Whisk egg yolks and cream in a medium bowl. Add the mixture into pot. and mix for about 1 minute.

7) Pour the lemon juice before serving.