Carb Free Cheese Free – Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Carb Free Cheese Free – Cheesy Chicken Pasta

Makes 2 servings:

Ingredients:

8 oz of Grilled Chicken

1 8 oz packet of NoOodles

¾ cup of Nutritional Yeast

½ avocado

2 gloves garlic diced

½ cup Italian parsley

1/8 cup diced onion

4 Kale leaves

Basil

Black pepper

Sea Salt

2 tbsp pine nuts

1 portabello mushroom cap

2 tsp coconut oil

1/3 cup of water

Directions:

Finely dice up the onions, parsley, garlic and avocado. Chop up the kale leaves removing the stem on the bottom. Slice up your portabello mushrooms. In a frying pan, on a medium heat, put 2 tsp. of coconut and melt, after the oil is melted and the pan is hot, add in all your chopped up vegetables. Cook until tender.

Remove the noodles from the pack and rinse thoroughly, add the noodles and 1/3 cup of water to the frying pan. Slowly add in the ¾ cup of nutritional yeast. Sauté all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Add more water if necessary, more water means more creamy. Add in the grilled chicken and pine nuts to the frying pan and stir until the chicken is coated in the sauce. Season with a little salt and pepper and fresh basil. Dinner is served!! Healthy, nutritious, low in fat and carbs, and oh so so delicious!  

Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast, often a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder similar in texture to dried mint leaves, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most natural food stores. It is popular with vegans and vegetarians and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a condiment.^[1]

It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. It is also naturally low in fat and sodium and is free of sugar, dairy, and gluten. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with Vitamin B12.

Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in cheese substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of cheese. It can be used in many recipes in place of cheese, such as mashed and fried potatoes, as well as put into scrambled tofu as a substitute for scrambled eggs. Another popular use is as a topping for popcorn.

Nutritional values for nutritional yeast vary from one manufacturer to another. On average, 2 tablespoons provides 60 calories with 5 g of carbohydrates (of which 4 g is fiber). A serving also provides 9 g of protein and is a complete protein, providing all nine amino acids the human body cannot produce. It is also a source of selenium and potassium. While fortified and unfortified nutritional yeast both provide iron, the fortified yeast provides 20 percent of the recommended daily value, while unfortified yeast provides only 5 percent. Unfortified nutritional yeast provides from 35 to 100 percent of all of the B vitamins, except for B12. Fortified nutritional yeast adds 150 percent of vitamin B12 and 720 percent of riboflavin.^[5]

Onions, Garlic, Parsley, Avocado

NoOodles

Potabello Mushrooms

Grilled Chicken

Kale

Nutritional Yeast

Pine Nuts

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Healthy Treats: Coconut Mango Macaroons

Coconut Mango Macaroons

Coconut Mango Macaroons

I guess I must still be on a coconut kick. I am so enthralled by all the benefits that coconut has in it I can’t help but use it in my every day to day life. Best of all, I am seeing the results that it claims to have just from consistent and proper use of the product. The other day I was in a coffee shop getting some coffee and behind the display case was a delicious looking coconut macaroon. As much as I wanted it, I know that store bought ones have a lot of sugar and carbs in it, and I couldn't justify getting one. But, it did spark in my mind a desire to create my own healthy, sugar free and low carb version of this treat which to my delight, after only my first attempt at it came out perfectly! The taste and texture of every bite of this macaroon was so amazing I didn't even miss the full sugar thing. Below is my recipe, I hope you enjoy!

Coconut Mango Macaroons

Makes about 20 small macaroons or 12 large ones

Ingredients:

2  cups egg whites

1/2 cup Stevia 

1 tbsp pure natural honey ( I used some honey I brought home from Malta) 

3 cups  unsweetened shredded coconut flakes

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup pulsed dried unsweetened mangoes (optional)

2 tbsp unflavored beef gelatin powder

2  scoops of Level 1 Vanilla protein powder

Pinch of sea salt

zest a lemon and squeeze the juice in… add more coconut to absorb if need be.

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan combine egg whites, stevia, mango,  and coconut flakes and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until all the ingredients combine together, about 12-15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add in the protein powder and gelatin.  Remove from heat and stir in the coconut and vanilla extracts and sea salt. The mixture should be sticky and fairly moist.  Set aside on a dish and let it cool in the refrigerator about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300°. Using a tablespoon, scoop tightly packed tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet covered with a cookie sheet or parchment paper.

Bake 27-30 minutes or until golden. Can be served warm or cool J

Shredded coconut

Dried mango

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Bake at 300 for 20 to 30 min

Final product :) 

When I include a typically unknown ingredient in my cooking I like to give a little background on it. In this case it’s the beef gelatin. Not to worry, this will not make your dessert taste like meat.  Beef gelatin is 86% protein, with virtually no fat or carbohydrate. One tablespoon has 35 calories and 9 grams of protein in it WOW!  Beef gelatin has traditionally and historically been used to strengthen fingernails. Here is some information about this ingredient:

Gelatin is an odorless, tasteless thickening agent that forms a gel when combined with liquid and heated. It is thermo-reversible, which means that the gel liquefies when heated above its melting point but regains a jelly-like consistency when cooled again. The melting point of gelatin is close to the body temperature of the animal from which it is made, which for mammals is around 99F/37C.

The raw material for gelatin is collagen, a naturally occurring pure protein, which is commercially produced from bones, cartilage, tendons, skin and connective tissue of various animals. Much of commercial gelatin today is a by-product of pigskin. This particular brand is make solely from cows. Gelatin can also be extracted naturally in the home, for instance when boiling bones to make a stock or aspic.

Common examples of foods containing gelatin are molded desserts, cold soups, trifles, aspic, marshmallows, and confectioneries such as Peeps, gummy bears, candy corn, and jelly beans. Gelatin may also be used as a stabilizer, thickener, or texturizer in foods such as jams, yogurt, cream cheese, and margarine. It is often added to reduced-fat foods to simulate the mouth feel of fat and to create volume without adding calories. Additionally, gelatin is used for the clarification of juices and vinegar.

Low Carb Tuna Melt

Low Carb Tuna Melt

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Makes about 5 servings of 4 oz of fish.

1 egg roll wrapper has only 35 calories

Recipe:

2 cans Albacore Tuna in water (drained)

5 sheets of all natural egg roll wrappers

1 bunch brocollini (about 6 stalks)

½ avocado

½ cup peas

2 cloves of fresh chopped garlic

1/8 cup diced onion

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

½ cup lemon juice

2 tbsp powdered wasabi or horseradish

¼ cup nutritional yeast ( tastes like cheese )

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. finely diced jalapeno pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

1 egg beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Step 1: Chop of the heads of your brocollini. In your food processor combine the peas, avocado, onions, garlic, lemon juice, jalapeno pepper, brocollini and red pepper flakes. 

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Step 2: Blend until a you have a thick sauce like texture( add more lemon juice if needed ). Pour into bowl and add in the canned tuna, wasabi powder, cilantro, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Place a wonton sheet on a clean dry surface. 

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Step 3: Place in the center of the wrapper about 4 oz of your mixture and fold over, use the egg mixture to seal the sides by placing a dab of egg mixture on each fold. Place the wrap crease side down on a lightly greased flat baking pan. Repeat process for each roll. After you are done with the rolls, brush the egg mixture on top of each roll.

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Step 4: Bake in oven at 375 for about 20 min. Switch the oven to Broil, and broil on medium for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and serve with the brocollini stalks and you favorite sauce; I used a roasted red pepper sauce (your brocolini sauce also is a great dip).

Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside. And so very good for you!! Enjoy!