Rosemary Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Proscuitto, Fontina and Roasted Red Peppers

I've been making this recipe for years. It is one of our favorites. Normally I pound out the chicken and then stuff and roll it, securing it with twine. And then my better half grills it. This time I decided to take a short cut. I stuffed the breasts by making a pocket in them, and then baked them in the oven. They were still delicious. If you're interested in the first technique, I posted it to my Gather page here http://moggysrecipes.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977384519

INGREDIENTS

3 Chicken Breasts

3 oz of Proscuitto

4-6 oz Fontina Cheese

Roasted Red Pepper Strips (about 5 oz or 1/3 of a 16 oz)

Rosemary (fresh or dried)

Salt and Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Take care not to cut all the way through. Sprinkle the breasts with a little Rosemary (to taste) inside and out.

Place one or two pieces of Proscuitto inside the pocket of each breast - lining it.

Slice the Fontina and place the desired amount along with slices of the roasted red pepper in the pockets on top of the Proscuitto.

Pull the breast meat tightly over the stuffing and secure it with a couple of toothpicks. Make the closure as tightly as you can, this will keep the cheese from melting and running out.

Line a baking pan or sheet with aluminum foil (if desired - I do this to make clean up easy) and oil it lightly. Sprinkle the breasts with a little salt and pepper and place them in the pan.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes or until done.

(As you can see some of my cheese ran out into the pan juices, I just dumped it all on top - it was delicious)

Serve and Enjoy!

NOTE: There are approxiamtely 9 carbs in the entire recipe, so one chicken breast will be about 3 carbs. To be more specific you can weigh your ingredients and input the information into a program such as fitday.com or myfitnesspal.com

Blackened Tuna Steaks

Dinner is ready in a flash with this recipe. Using my  Cajun Spice Rub that I have mixed in advance to have on hand for quick dinners. I can whip this up in less than 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

Tuna Steaks

Cajun Spice Rub (click for my recipe)

Small amount of oil for cooking

INSTRUCTIONS

Place Tuna Steaks on a large plate or cutting board.

Sprinkle liberally with the spice blend and pat in the spices with your hand. Flip and do the same on the other side.

Heat a small amount of oil in a non-stick or cast iron pan on medium high heat.

Cook quickly until Tuna blackens on the first side and then flip and cook the other side. It will depend on how hot you have your pan, but this should only take a couple of minutes on each side. Cook til desired doneness.

And Enjoy!

Note: Tuna is said to be best when cooked rare. It is up to your personnal preferences how well you cook it. Tuna has zero carbs. The spices will have some carbs, refer to the spice rub recipe to calculate how many you used.

Cajun Spice Rub

This is a spice rub that we use often. The batch fits nicely in a pint sized mason jar.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup of chili powder
1/4 cup paprika
2 Tablespoons onion powder
2 Tablespoons dried minced garlic
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 heaping Tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons of each of the following; thyme, basil, oregano and ground coriander.
2/3 teaspoon white pepper
1 Tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard


Directions

• Measure everything and pour it directly in tnto the jar.
• Screw the lid on tightly and give it a good shake
• You're done!

This makes a large batch so be sure and seal it up tightly in a jar until ready to use.

It makes a great spice for chicken, beef and even fish.

Enjoy!


Note: The entire batch of Cajun Spice Rub mix has an approximate net carb value of 44.9 carbs.

Snack Attack ~ Zucchini Chips

Here is another quick and healthy low carb alternative for potato chip snackers. Even my better half enjoyed these, and he is not a fan of potato chips or Zucchini. These are very light and crispy and will disappear quickly, so make a big batch!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

• Deep fryer (or heavy pan)
• Mandoline or sharp knife
• Paper Towels (for draining)

INGREDIENTS

• Oil (if using heavy pan fill to at least 2 inches deep) I prefer Peanut oil but you can use Canola or Vegetable if you prefer.
• Sea salt or seasoning of your choice.

INSTRUCTIONS



Preheat oil.

Slice Zucchini as thinly as possible.

If you are making a large batch, or it will be a while before you're frying the Zucchini, you may want to spead them out on paper towels to absorb any excess liquid that may seep out - but this step is not really necessary.

When the oil is ready. Place the Zucchini into the basket and lower gently into the deep fryer (or lower gently into the pan with a slotted spoon).

It should start to brown within about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Watch it carefully ~ it cooks very quickly.

When it reaches a nice brown color, remove from the oil immediately. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with sea salt, or seasonings of your choice.

Enjoy!

NOTE: The only carb content in this snack is the Zucchini carbs. Zucchini has .57 of a  net carb per ounce. It will depend on how much you eat, what your personal carb count will be. For example, if you eat a 4 ounce portion (weighed before cooking) you will have consumed 2.3 net carbs.

Low Carb Taco Shells

Craving crunchy taco shells? You'll love this low carb verision. In fact, we like these better than traditional taco shells.

INGREDIENTS

Shredded cheese (finely shredded will melt faster, I prefer sharp cheddar or Mexican blend)

TOOLS

Small fry pan 

Chopsticks or tongs.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat a small non-stick fry pan over medium heat.

Sprinkle enough cheese to evenly cover the bottom of the pan, about 1.5 to 2 ounces.

Keep a close eye on the cheese while its cooking.

You'll start to notice more and more little bubbles as the oil seperates from the cheese and the cheese melts and begins to brown.

When you notice slight browning around the edges, it should be ready to flip - depending on how hot you have your pan, this will take 3 -5 minutes or so.



Cook on second side for  1-2 minutes.

Remove from pan with tongs to paper towels. Fold over immediately. The shell will harden within seconds ~ as it cools.

Before making the next shell, drain the oil left in the pan from the first one.

Fill with your favorite taco fillings and enjoy!

Notes:

• Alternately you can drape the cooked shell over an overturned bowl to create a cheese bowl if you like.
•  I also like to break up leftover shells to use as 'tortilla chips' for dips and taco salads.
• It may take you a couple of trys to get the hang of it,  just be patient and you'll be a pro in no time!

Carbohydrate content will depend on which cheeses and how much you use. Check your package.

How To Prepare Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is a great low carb alternative to traditional pastas. A one half cup serving has only 4 net carbohydrates.

 Spaghetti Sqaush is a very versatile vegetable. It can be eaten plain, topped with butter, parmesan cheese or even your favorite low carb sauce.

It is also very simple to prepare.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

With a sharp knife, cut the Spahgetti Squash in half lengthwise.

Using a soup spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.

Pour about 1/4 inch of water into a pan (such as a lasagna pan). Place the squash cut side down in the pan.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Flip the halves over and bake until tender, about 20 minutes or so.

Remove the squash from the oven.

Using a fork, gently scrape the squash from the skin.

It will look like spaghetti.

Serve with your choice of toppings or sauce.

Enjoy!







NOTE: According to Fitday.com, Spaghetti squash has 7.9 net carbs per cup. That is for cooked Spaghetti squash, not including any toppings or spices.

Crispy Fried Okra Chips

This is such a simple recipe but its so tasty. These crispy tidbits definately cure my cravings for a crispy salty snack food like potato chips.

You'll need a deep fryer or a heavy pan filled with at least a couple of inches of oil for frying. My choice is peanut oil, you could alternately use vegetable or Canola oil.

You will also need

1 pound of whole okra pods (fresh is best but frozen works as well)
Sea Salt

Preheat your oil.

Wash the Okra and pat dry with papertowels. Or, if you're using frozen - defrost, drain and pat dry.

Slice the okra length wise down the center, and then slice each half in half again. Try to make fairly thin slices so they will crisp up without burning. It will depend of the size of your okra, how many slices you can get out of each.

Place the okra in the basket of your fryer and slowly lower into the preheated oil.

After about a minute or two the okra will start to float towards the top. Keep a close eye on it. Once it has browned nicely (it should only take a couple of minutes), remove and place on papertowels to drain.

 Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Enjoy!



NOTE:   According to Fitday.com Okra has 3.8 net carbs per 1 cup uncooked.