Chard with Bacon Veggie Delight

Note: Serves 4. Total Carbohydrates: 18. This simple veggie dish can also be made with mustard greens or rapini. It will compliment almost any simple meat or fish dish.

Ingredients:
1 lb. red (or green) Swiss chard, coarse stems removed, washed and drained
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 slices bacon finely chopped
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1/3 cup white wine
1/8 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste

Coarsely chop the Swiss chard and put aside.

In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and garlic and sauté until the bacon is crisp and the garlic is lightly browned. Add the Swiss chard, salt and white wine. Turn the heat to low, cover and cook until tender, approximately 10-12 minutes. Season with the pepper and serve.

Oriental Sesame Celery

Notes: Serves 4. Goes well with any Japanese food, it’s also good when cold. Also makes a great topping for tofu. Total Carbohydrates: 14
To crush the sesame seeds, place them in a Ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin until they are crushed.

Ingredients:
4 stalks celery
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. sake
Pinch of Splenda
4 tsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted and crushed
ground dried chili peppers

String the celery (no you don’t have to but it makes a better dish!) and cut each piece into 2-inch segments. Cut each segment into lengthwise 1/4-inch strips.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat and add the celery. Stir fry until just tender, about 1 minute. Add the sake and Splenda and stir until the liquid has evaporated. Add the soy sauce and stir until the liquid is almost gone. Stir in chili pepper to taste. Transfer to a dish and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Yummy Daikon Cakes

Note: Makes 6 cakes. Total carbs per cake only 6
Daikon contains a lot of water and 1 1/2 pounds only makes 6 cakes. Because of it’s water content, it is important to get the grated daikon as dry as you can or the cakes will fall apart when you fry them. These are tasty with a dab of sour cream or mayonnaise. They are also good cold

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. daikon radish
1 tsp. sea salt
1 egg
5 Tbsp. finely ground pork rinds
2 Tbsp. finely minced green onion
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil

Peel, and grate the daikon into a bowl. Combine with the salt and let sit for 1/2 hour.

Squeeze the water out of the daikon with your hands. The more water you squeeze, the better the cakes will be. Mix the daikon with the egg, pork rinds, green onion and sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Heat a heavy frying pan - a cast iron pan is ideal - that can go into the oven over medium-low heat. Swirl the oil around the pan. Fill a 1/4-cup dry measuring cup with some of the mixture, packing it slightly. Turn out into the frying pan. You should have a nicely shaped cake that stands a bit more than an inch high. Continue with the remaining mixture. Fry the cakes on one side without disturbing them too much until browned on the bottom, 5-6 minutes. Very carefully turn the cakes over and fry for 2-3 minutes longer. Place the whole pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Nut Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup wheat gluten (24)
1 T flax meal
1 T wheat bran
4 T ground walnuts
2 T splenda
1 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 t vanilla
1 T oil
2 T water

Beat wet ingredients together. Blend dry ingredients. Mix together gently. Should be the texture of oatmeal. Spray or butter a small loaf pan (4x6). Spread mixture into pan. Bake 30-40 min. Total 35.2.
Total: 23 carb (14 NET carbs). Serves 8 thick slices @ 2 carbs

This only rises about 1 1/2" but has a GREAT texture and taste.

Floating Eggs

Note: The cracking technique leaves these eggs beautifully marbled. They’re great for entertaining or just for yourself. You can dress them up even further with a bit of mayonnaise, mixed with hot prepared mustard or wasabi. Only 7 Carbohydrates per egg.

Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
2 star anise, broken into individual points
4 tsp. Constant Comment tea leaves, or a fragrant orange spiced tea

Place the eggs and 1 tsp. salt in a pot and cover with ample cold water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a low simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and drain off the water. Let the eggs sit under a stream of cold water until cool.

With the back of a large spoon, tap each egg gently to create a network of fine cracks. Place the eggs in a pot that fits them snugly and add the soy sauce, salt, star anise, tea and 3 cups cold water. Bring to a boil then turn to a bare simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 3 hours, checking the level of water occasionally and adding more water if needed. You only need enough to cover the eggs.

Remove from the heat and let cool in the sauce. Place in the fridge, sauce and all and let sit for at least 8 hours or up to 1 1/2 days. Remove the eggs from the sauce and dry them. Keep covered and refrigerated without peeling until ready to use.

Spinach and Ham Crepes

Dottie's Crepes (use 4) Dottie's Crepes
Filling:
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 lb ham, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 pkg fresh spinach
1/2 cup cheddar, shredded
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
dash salt & nutmeg

Sauté onion in butter until soft. Add spinach and cook until moisture evaporated. Stir in remaining and heat. Fill crepes and roll up.