Yield: 8 servings 8 servings Each with 7 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs
6.
Salads
Greek Salad This is a wonderful, filling, fresh-tasting salad we never get tired of.
1 large head romaine lettuce 1 cup (60 g) chopped fresh parsley cuc.u.mber, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced Greek Lemon Dressing (page 172) sweet red onion, thinly sliced into rings 12 to 15 Greek olives 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges 4 to 6 ounces (115 to 170 g) feta cheese, crumbled Anchovy fillets packed in olive oil (if desired) Wash and dry your romaine and break or cut it into bite-sized pieces. Cut up and add the parsley, cuc.u.mber, and green pepper. (You can do this step ahead of time, if you like, which makes this salad very doable on a weeknight.) Just before serving, pour on the Greek dressing and toss the salad like crazy.
Arrange the onions, olives, and tomatoes artistically on top and sprinkle the crumbled feta in the middle. You can also add the anchovies at this point, if you know that everybody likes them, but I prefer to make them available for those who like them to put on their individual serving.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 16 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber, for a total of 10 grams of usable carbs and 11 grams of protein.
Autumn Salad The flavor contrasts in this salad are lovely, and I"ve kept the pear to a quant.i.ty that won"t add too many carbs.
2 tablespoons (28 g) b.u.t.ter cup (60 g) chopped walnuts 10 cups (200 g) loosely packed a.s.sorted greens (romaine, red leaf lettuce, and fresh spinach) sweet red onion, thinly sliced cup (60 ml) olive oil 2 teaspoons wine vinegar 2 teaspoons lemon juice teaspoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard [image]teaspoon salt [image]teaspoon pepper ripe pear, chopped [image]cup (40 g) crumbled blue cheese Melt the b.u.t.ter in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and let them toast in the b.u.t.ter, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
While the walnuts are toasting-and make sure you keep an eye on them and don"t burn them-wash and dry your greens and put them in salad bowl with the onion. Toss with the oil first. Then combine the vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and pepper and add that to the salad bowl. Toss until everything is well covered.
Top the salad with the pear, the warm toasted walnuts, and the crumbled blue cheese; serve.
Yield: 4 generous servings 4 generous servings Each with 13 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 10 grams of protein.
Cla.s.sic Spinach Salad 4 cups (80 g) fresh spinach [image]large, sweet red onion, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons (45 ml) oil 2 tablespoons (30 ml) apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 teaspoons Splenda small onion, grated [image]teaspoon dry mustard Salt and pepper 2 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped Wash the spinach very well and dry. Tear up the larger leaves. Combine with the onion in a salad bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix up the oil, vinegar, tomato paste, Splenda, onion, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the spinach and onion and toss.
Top the salad with the bacon and egg; serve.
Yield: 2 generous servings 2 generous servings Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.
Spinach-Strawberry Salad This salad is simply extraordinary! For my money, this is the best salad in this book. If you don"t try a single other salad recipe, try this one! It"s beautiful, too, and very nutritious.
1 pound (455 g) bagged, prewashed baby spinach 1 batch Sweet Poppy Seed Vinaigrette (page 171) 1 cup (170 g) sliced strawberries 3 tablespoons (25 g) slivered almonds, toasted cup (60 g) crumbled feta cheese Put the baby spinach in a big salad bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss well. Top the with strawberries, almonds, and feta and serve.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 8 g protein; 11 g carbohydrate; 5 g dietary fiber; 6 g usable carbs.
Summer Treat Spinach Salad Worried about where you"ll get your pota.s.sium now that you"re not eating bananas? Each serving of this salad has more pota.s.sium than three bananas!
2 pounds (910 g) raw spinach 1 ripe black avocado cantaloupe cup (15 g) alfalfa sprouts 2 scallions, sliced French Vinaigrette Dressing (page 169) Wash the spinach very well and dry. Tear up the larger leaves.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and the peel, and cut into chunks.
Peel and chunk the cantaloupe or use a melon baller.
Add the avocado and cantaloupe to the spinach, along with the alfalfa sprouts and scallions. Toss with the vinaigrette right before serving.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 11 grams of carbohydrates and 5 grams of fiber, for a total of 6 grams of usable carbs and 5 grams of protein.
Dinner Salad Italiano 1 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and broken up 1 cup (70 g) sliced fresh mushrooms cuc.u.mber, sliced sweet red onion, thinly sliced pound (225 g) sliced salami, cut into strips pound (225 g) sliced provolone, cut into strips Italian or vinaigrette dressing (bottled, or page 169) 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges Make a big tossed salad from the lettuce, mushrooms, cuc.u.mber, onion, salami, and provolone. Toss with Italian or vinaigrette dressing and then add the sliced tomatoes and serve.
Yield: 3 servings 3 servings Each with 17 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber, for a total of 11 grams of usable carbs and 36 grams of protein.
Orange, Avocado, and Bacon Salad 8 cups (160 g) mixed greens Citrus Dressing (page 172) navel orange black avocado 6 slices bacon, cooked and drained [image]red onion Put your greens in a big mixing bowl and pour the dressing over them. Toss well.
Peel your half-orange and separate the sections; halve each one again. Slice the avocado, crumble the bacon, and slice the red onion paper-thin. Now strew everything artfully over the greens and serve.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 6 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 5 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.
Mixed Greens with Warm Brie Dressing This elegant dinner party fare is a carbohydrate bargain with lots of flavor.
6 cups (120 g) torn romaine lettuce, washed and dried 6 cups (120 g) torn red leaf lettuce, washed and dried 2 cups (40 g) torn radicchio, washed and dried 1 cup (60 g) chopped fresh parsley 4 scallions, thinly sliced, including the crisp part of the green shoot cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil small onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, crushed 6 ounces (170 g) Brie, rind removed, cut into small chunks cup (60 ml) sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard Put the lettuces, radicchio, parsley, and scallions in a large salad bowl and keep cold.
Put the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and let them cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Melt in the Brie, one chunk at a time, continuously stirring with a whisk. (It"ll look dreadful at first, but don"t sweat it.) When all the cheese is melted in, whisk in the sherry vinegar, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring all the while, until your dressing is smooth and thick. Pour over the salad and toss.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 3 of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 8 grams of protein.
Chef"s Salad 10 cups (200 g) romaine, iceberg, red leaf, or any other favorite lettuce pound (115 g) deli turkey breast pound (115 g) deli ham pound (115 g) deli roast beef pound (115 g) Swiss cheese 1 green pepper, cut into strips or rings sweet red onion, cut into rings 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved or quartered 2 ripe tomatoes, cut vertically into 8 wedges each Salad dressing Make nice beds of the lettuce on 4 serving plates.
Cut the turkey, ham, roast beef, and Swiss cheese into strips. (It"s nice, by the way, to get fairly thickly sliced meat and cheese for this.) Arrange all of this artistically on the beds of lettuce and garnish with the pepper, onion, eggs, and tomatoes. Let each diner add his or her own dressing.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 13 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 9 grams of usable carbs and 37 grams of protein. (a.n.a.lysis does not include salad dressing.) This salad is infinitely variable, of course; if you don"t eat ham, hate roast beef, or love Swiss cheese, feel free to play around with these instructions. I only put down amounts so we could a.n.a.lyze the carb count and give you a guide to work from.
Vietnamese Salad This really exotic tossed salad from Southeast Asia makes a great first course!
4 cups (80 g) romaine lettuce, broken up 4 cups (80 g) torn b.u.t.ter lettuce 3 scallions, sliced, including the crisp part of the green shoot 1 ruby red grapefruit 1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda 3 tablespoons (45 ml) fish sauce (nuoc mam or nam pla) 3 tablespoons (45 ml) lime juice 1 teaspoons chili garlic paste 2 tablespoons (15 g) chopped peanuts cup (32 g) chopped cilantro cup (12.8 g) chopped fresh mint Wash and dry your lettuce, combine it, and then divide it onto 4 salad plates.
Slice your scallions and scatter over the lettuce.
Halve your grapefruit and use a sharp, thin-bladed knife to cut around each section to loosen. Divide the grapefruit sections between the salads.
Mix together the Splenda, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili paste. Drizzle equal amounts of the dressing over each salad. Then top each portion with chopped peanuts, cilantro, and mint and serve.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 4 g protein; 14 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 10 g usable carbs.
Our Favorite Salad We"ve served this salad over and over, and we never tire of it. This dressing tastes a lot like Caesar, but it"s less trouble, and there"s no blender to wash afterwards.
1 clove garlic cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 1 head romaine cup (30 g) chopped fresh parsley green pepper, diced cuc.u.mber, quartered and sliced sweet red onion 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) lemon juice 2 to 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce cup (25 g) Parmesan cheese 1 medium ripe tomato, cut into thin wedges Crush the clove of garlic in a small bowl, cover it with the olive oil, and set it aside.
Wash and dry your romaine, break it up into a bowl, and add the parsley, pepper, cuc.u.mber, and onion. Pour the garlic-flavored oil over the salad and toss until every leaf is covered.
Sprinkle on the lemon juice and toss again. Then sprinkle on the Worcestershire sauce and toss again. Finally, sprinkle on the Parmesan and toss one last time. Top with the tomatoes and serve.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.
Update Salad This recipe went around in the 1960s, but it used curly endive instead of this mixture of bitter greens, and sugar in the dressing. I like to think I"ve brought it into the 21st century-hence the name.
FOR THE SALAD:.
2 medium green peppers, cut in smallish strips 1 large bunch parsley, chopped [image]cup (13 g) torn radicchio [image]cup (13 g) chopped curly endive [image]cup (13 g) chopped frisee 3 tomatoes, each cut in 8 lengthwise wedges [image]of a large, sweet red onion, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons (18 g) chopped black olives FOR THE DRESSING:.
cup (60 ml) water cup (120 ml) tarragon vinegar teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal 1 tablespoons (23 ml) lemon juice 1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda [image]teaspoon blackstrap mola.s.ses 6 tablespoons (90 g) sour cream To make the salad: Put the peppers, parsley, radicchio, endive, frisee, tomatoes, onion, and olives in a big bowl and set aside.
To make the dressing: In a separate bowl, combine the water, vinegar, salt, lemon juice, Splenda, and mola.s.ses. Pour it all over the salad and toss.
Stick the whole thing in the refrigerator and let it sit there for a few hours, stirring it now and then if you think of it.
To serve, put a 1-tablespoon (15 g) dollop of sour cream on each serving.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 2 grams of protein.
Avocado-Walnut Salad cup (30 g) chopped walnuts 8 cups (160 g) romaine lettuce, broken up c.u.min Vinaigrette (page 171) black avocado, cut in -inch (1.3-cm) cubes 1 stalk celery, diced [image]medium cuc.u.mber, diced small red onion, sliced paper-thin Toast your walnuts-you can simply stir them in a hot skillet or toast them in a 300F (150C, or gas mark 2) oven while you"re a.s.sembling the rest of the salad.
Toss the lettuce with the c.u.min Vinaigrette. Top with everything else and serve.
Yield: About 4 to 5 servings About 4 to 5 servings a.s.suming 5 servings, each will have 4 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.
Cauliflower Avocado Salad 4 cups (600 g) cauliflower 1 black avocado, peeled and diced green bell pepper, diced 8 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped 4 scallions, thinly sliced, including the crisp part of the green shoot Sun-Dried TomatoBasil Vinaigrette (page 171) Cut your cauliflower in roughly -inch (1.3-cm) chunks. Put it in a microwaveable bowl, add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of water, and cover. Microwave on high for 7 minutes.
When the cauliflower is ready, drain it and dump it in a mixing bowl. Add everything else, including the Sun-Dried TomatoBasil Vinaigrette, and toss. Serve warm on a bed of lettuce.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 3 g protein; 11 g carbohydrate; 4 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable carbs.
Sour Cream and Cuke Salad 1 green pepper 2 cuc.u.mbers, scrubbed but not peeled large, sweet red onion head cauliflower 2 teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal 1 cup (230 g) sour cream 2 tablespoons (30 ml) vinegar (Apple cider vinegar is best, but wine vinegar will do.) 2 rounded teaspoons dried dill weed Slice the pepper, cuc.u.mbers, onion, and cauliflower as thinly as you possibly can. The slicing blade on a food processor works nicely, and it saves you mucho time, but I"ve also done it with a good, sharp knife.
Toss the vegetables well with the salt and chill them in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, vinegar, and dill, combining well.
Remove the veggies from the fridge, drain off any water that has collected at the bottom of the bowl, and stir in the sour cream mixture.
Yield: 10 servings 10 servings Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 1 gram of protein.
You can eat this right away and it will be great, but it improves overnight.
Thai Cuc.u.mber Salad This salad is sweet and hot and so good! This, by the way, is one of those magnificent recipes that is low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie, okay for vegetarians, and tastes great.
small red onion 1 small, fresh jalapeno, seeds removed 3 medium cuc.u.mbers 2 or 3 cloves fresh garlic, crushed 2 tablespoons (12 g) grated fresh ginger cup (120 ml) rice vinegar teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda Using a food processor with the S-blade in place, put the onion and jalapeno in the food processor and pulse until they are both finely chopped.
Remove the S-blade and put on the slicing disk. Quarter the cuc.u.mbers lengthwise and then run them through the processor. (If you"re not using a food processor, you"ll want to dice the onion and mince the jalapeno and then slice the cuc.u.mber as thin as you can.) Put the onion, jalapeno, and cuc.u.mbers in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, thoroughly combine the garlic, ginger, vinegar, salt, pepper, and Splenda. Pour over the vegetables and mix well.
Chill for a few hours before serving for the best flavor.
Yield: 8 generous servings 8 generous servings Each with 6 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 1 gram of protein.
Cauliflower-Olive Salad This salad is unusual and unusually good.
head cauliflower, broken into small florets cup (80 g) diced red onion 1 can (2 ounces, or 60 g) sliced ripe olives, drained cup (30 g) chopped fresh parsley cup (60 ml) lemon juice cup (60 ml) olive oil cup (60 g) mayonnaise teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal About a dozen cherry tomatoes Lettuce (optional) Combine the cauliflower, onion, olives, and parsley in a bowl.
Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, mayonnaise, and salt in a separate bowl. Pour over the veggies and toss well.
Chill for at least an hour-a whole day wouldn"t hurt a bit. When you"re ready to serve the salad, cut the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the salad. Serve on a bed of lettuce if you wish, but it"s wonderful alone, too.
Yield: 4 servings 4 servings Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 1 gram of protein.
Ensalada de "Arroz"
head cauliflower, shredded 6 scallions, sliced, including the green yellow pepper, diced green pepper, diced ripe tomato, diced cup (16 g) chopped fresh cilantro cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoons Dijon mustard Salt and pepper Put the cauliflower in a microwaveable ca.s.serole dish with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on high for 6 minutes.
When the microwave beeps, uncover the cauliflower immediately to stop the cooking. Drain it well and dump it into a large mixing bowl. Let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes (stir it once or twice during this time).
Stir the chopped vegetables into your "rice." Now, mix together everything else, pour over the salad, and toss well. Chill before serving.
Yield: 5 serving 5 serving Each with 1 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 3 g usable carbs.
Broccoli Salad cup (120 ml) olive oil cup (60 ml) vinegar 1 clove garlic, crushed teaspoon Italian seasoning herb blend teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal [image]teaspoon pepper 4 cups (1 kg) frozen broccoli "cuts"
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, herbs, salt, and pepper together.
Don"t even bother to thaw the broccoli-just put it in a bowl and pour the olive oil mixture on top of it. Mix well and let it sit for several hours in the fridge. Stir it now and then if you think of it and serve as-is or on greens.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 7 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.
Of course, if you prefer, you can use fresh broccoli to make this salad. You"ll have to peel the stems, cut it up, and steam it for about 5 minutes first. And at that point, it will be very much like thawed frozen broccoli! Personally, I take the easy route.
Snow Pea Salad Wraps This salad is unusual but very good.
2 cups (150 g) snow pea pods 4 medium celery stalks, diced fine cup (80 g) minced red onion cup (60 g) chopped peanuts cup (60 g) mayonnaise cup (60 g) plain nonfat yogurt 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice [image]teaspoon cayenne 8 slices bacon, cooked and drained 24 lettuce leaves Pinch the ends off your snow peas and pull off any strings. Cut them into -inch (1.3-cm) pieces-measure them after cutting, not before.
Put the snow pea bits in a microwaveable bowl with just a teaspoon of water, cover, and microwave on high for just 1 minute. Uncover the bowl immediately!
Put your snow peas in a mixing bowl and add the celery, onion, and chopped peanuts. Mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, and cayenne; pour over the veggies and toss. Crumble in the bacon and toss again.
Arrange four lettuce leaves on each plate- I like Boston lettuce for this. Spoon a mound of the snow pea salad next to the lettuce. To eat, spoon the snow pea mixture onto a lettuce leaf, wrap, and eat.
Yield: 6 servings 6 servings Each with 8 g protein; 8 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.
Crunchy Snow Pea Salad This salad is different and tasty! Do use snow peas instead of sugar snap peas-they"re lower carb.