These recipes are only ideas on how to reduce the carbs in your meals. I am not calculating the amount of carbs in the meal, just want to give ideas of delicious combinations and healthier meals. There is a combination of meals with beef, fish, chicken and even vegetarian. Here they are!
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Pangasius pan fried with Brussels sprouts and parmezan
This is such an easy meal to make: pat dry the fish and season with salt and pepper and thyme. Fry it in a pan with minimum amount of oil. For the Brussels sprouts I follow my recipe for skillet roasted Brussels sprouts that will make them taste caramelized, sweet and incredibly delicious. Cut some parmezan, add some optional boiled carrot, season with salt and pepper and it is ready!
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Minced beef in tomato and thyme sauce with boiled cauliflower and Brussels sprouts
For the minced meat recipe I follow my moussaka recipe: basically you fry the meat in a very little oil until it is brown, then you add a chopped onion and garlic, in a few min you add some tomato paste and at the end season with salt, pepper and thyme. Boil cauliflower florets and optional Brussels sprouts to your desired tenderness and this one is ready too.
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Marinated chicken breast baked in the oven with cauliflower rice and Brussels sprouts
For this meal you can make only one side dish, of course, I just like to combine it. The Brussels sprouts recipe link is here. As for the cauliflower rice: grate the cauliflower, add it to a medium hot pan in a bit of sesame oil, fry it on medium heat for a few min and then season with MSG, soy sauce, pepper and optional chili flakes. For the chicken, I do not have a strict recipe, so use your favorite marinated chicken breast in the oven – I bought this one pre-marinated.
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Pan fried salmon with skillet roasted broccoli
For this broccoli recipe I use the same technique as for my recipe for skillet roasted Brussels sprouts: make sure to cut the broccoli in half so that they get more surface area with the skillet. Have enough oil in the skillet, place the broccoli while the skillet is still cold and heat it on medium fire with the lid on until the broccoli is slightly brown. Cook for the rest of the browning with the lid off. The salmon is seasoned simply with salt and pepper and fried with little oil in the pan until it gets brown and I drizzled at the end a sauce made of mustard, a bit of honey (oops), balsamic vinegar, olive oil and freshly ground pepper.
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Marinated chicken breast and cauliflower baked in the oven
Again, no specific recipe for the chicken, so use anything you would like. But it is best to create the marination a day before and let the chicken be there for at least 12 hours so that it moisturizes enough for the oven. As for the cauliflower: I created a sauce made of 1 tbsp of olive oil, 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp of sesame oil, 1 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of miso. Coat well the cauliflower florets and bake it in the oven at 220 C for 30 min.
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Oven baked pangasius with roasted Brussels sprouts and boiled carrots
For this recipe I baked the fish in the oven at 175 C for 10-15 min. I rubbed on it some oil , salt, oil and Georgian spices (adjika and Khmeli suneli) and thyme, but you can improvise with some paprika, curcuma, curry or any spices you prefer. Boil the carrots, check out my recipe for skillet roasted Brussels sprouts and it is ready to be served.
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Quinoa salad with chickpeas, cheese, tomatoes and avocado
Low carb can also be vegetarian and still very protein packed. I really love quinoa for this. To add more protein, I like to add some chickpeas (I always clean the little film from the beans, it makes it easier for the stomach and so much smoother). Finish with cheese, avocado and tomatoes, a good drizzle of olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon and salt. I can’t imagine who would not love such a good meal!
If you prefer a meat version, I usually like to add some bacon, a sliced boiled egg and a variation of different veggies: salad, pepper, can be anything really.
A bonus dessert recipe that I re-discovered recently and I really love to have in the morning – overnight chia pudding:
Chop half a banana (not the most low carb, but we aim at low sugar, not zero sugar), add some frozen blueberries and raspberries, 2 tbsp of chia seeds, sprinkle some cinnamon and fill your glass with your favorite milk. This goes really great with coconut milk. It is so good and easy to make and it will keep you full of energy for hours due to the high amount of protein in the chia seeds.