Sweet Cashew Chicken

I haven't forgotten you all, I promise! Running the school is zapping all my time and energy. I have so many more hats to wear since my son is no longer my partner running the school. I do have a great new family who has come into our learning community. Without them, I would not have been able to do it. We have certainly had our challenges this year so far, and October is not even quite here yet. Whew! Working with teens is quite a roller coaster ride.

Speaking of October--that is also where I have been. Putting together all the new recipes for the Diner News is quite a task. We have some really great new chicken dishes this month. In fact. the whole issue is devoted to that versitile bird. Afterall, October is the month to do the chicken dance at Octoberfest. Did the chicken dance at school today and the teens just looked at us so weird. Not that unusual for them to look at us like that though.

With all the recipe testing, I can say I am ready for some beef. Seems like the bird has been on the menu all the time this past month. Now, you can make room on your menu for some new chicken dishes too. If you want all the recipes, be sure to head over to the Diner order page. Just $6 bucks a year, and 8 pages each month. Great deal. http://www.247lowcarbdiner.com/html/newsletter.html

I have one new recipe for a low calorie Orange Chicken. That is wonderful, but the hubby is a big fan of Cashew Chicken. I came up with this one for him. It is sweet and mild and low calorie too. I made mine with my Gingerbread flavored coffee sweetener. I figured, most Asian recipes have ginger, so give it a try. Delish. If you don't have that one, go for caramel flavor. It is not overpowering either way, but the touch of sweetness is great. If you don't use any of those flavorings, just sub some of the sweetener you like to equal the sweetness of 2 tablespoons sugar.

Also, if you don't do xanthan gum, you can sub any thickener or leave it out entirely. I won't be exactly the same, but it will be tasty. Soy works for Tamari too. Now straight from the October 2012 Low Carb Diner News:

Sweet Cashew Chicken

3 tbsp water
2  tbsp Caramel or Gingerbread flavored sugarfree syrup
1 1/2 tbsp Tamari
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2  tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp xanthan gum

12 oz chicken breast, cut into cubes
2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp minced garlic
2 cups broccoli flowerets                                                                  
1/2 small bell pepper, cut into cubes
1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

In a bullet blender, combine water, syrup, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce and xanthan gum. Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat coconut oil in a wok or skillet, Add the garlic and chicken. Stir-fry the chicken until the surface turns white, then add in the broccoli and bell pepper. Stir fry until vegetables are tender crisp. Add the cashews and sauce and fry to desired doneness.                    

261 calories  6 net carbs   17 g fat

There you go. Easy and delicious and a nice change of pace when you crave Chinese food. Bet you want some!

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Cheater's Cincinnati Chili --The Famous 3 Way

I remember back in high school, when we had an assembly with a longer than normal lunch break, my friends would load into my Mercury Comet (could tell ya a few stories about that car!) and drive across my little hometown to the Coney Islander. I never ate the coneys. I always got the 3-Way--spaghetti noodles, chili and cheese. My little restaurant did not count beans as separate. I understand true Cincinnati lovers would say I was eating a 4 way, but hey, we were a long way from Ohio! I loved it even though I usually did end up with a spot or two of chili on my shirt.

I happened to see 3-Way again recently, and that started a craving. So today, I decided to make a batch. My oldest son really liked the spice combo in the vegetarian version I used to make. The taste of Cincinnati chili is different. The spices are amped up from traditional chili. Cinnamon, Allspice and Cloves. Add those to the chili powder, cumin and coriander. But, the chili is the easy part. Where to get that spaghetti? I chose to cut some yellow squash--the last from my gardening friends. Not exactly the same, but really good in its own right. The chili would be good on it's own too.

Since it is prep day, and those are ever so important with the hours I am keeping at school, I opted for a pressure cooker version today. Full of shortcuts even. You can do the slower version and not cheat as much as I did. Either way, you will have a delicious meal. My apologies to the Cincinnati purists. Think of this version as a tribute rather than a copy. I used both ground beef and ground turkey, Cost efficient and a good way to make my grass fed beef go farther. And I even skipped the browning step. Don't do this unless you are making it in the pressure cooker like I am.

Cheater's Cincinnati Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
4 cups water
14 oz canned diced tomatoes
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 packets sweetener (equivalent to 4 tsp)
3 yellow squash
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 cup Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

Option 1: Brown the ground beef, turkey and chopped onion in the base of the pressure cooker or in a skillet. Drain any fat, then add the water, tomatoes, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, coriander, salt, garlic powder, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Bring to full pressure and cook for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. After cooking, add the vinegar and sweetener. Adjust salt to taste.

Option 2:  Add the water, tomatoes, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, coriander, salt, garlic powder, allspice, cinnamon and cloves to the pot and stir to combine. Add frozen meats and chopped onion into the sauce. Bring cooker to full pressure and cook for 30 minutes. Allow pressure to release naturally. After cooking, add the vinegar and sweetener. Adjust salt to taste.

Option 3:  Brown the ground beef, turkey and chopped onion in Dutch oven. Drain any fat, then add the water, tomatoes, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, cocoa powder, coriander, salt, garlic powder, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Simmer for an hour on stovetop. After cooking, add the vinegar and sweetener. Adjust salt to taste.

Use a julienne tool to create squash noodles. Saute them lightly in coconut oil. Divide among plates and spoon chili over the squash. Top with cheese and serve.

Serves 6:   436 calories   9 g net carbs     27 g fat     36 g protein


I ate a portion tonight, and this will make a fine lunch this week at school also. No more driving that old car on my lunch hour!

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A Table for Two here.

French Chicken Under Pressure--or Not

We will be eating lots of chicken this month. My oldest son--so proud--works as an accountant for a chicken corporation. Last week he brought me a sample of some all natural, never fed animal by-products, no growth hormones, non-injected chicken breasts. All but free range, I guess. His company's best stuff. I love hearing him tell how amazingly clean the production facilities are and how high their standards are. It makes me rest easy. With this gift, I decided to devote the October Diner News to chicken. All new recipes, except that I will share a few here. Like tonight.

There are two ways to make this dish. One in the oven and the other in a pressure cooker. Tonight, I tried it in my electric pressure cooker. I love that I can start with frozen breast of chicken and end up with a delightful meal in just about 20 minutes. Oh yeah.  I popped some Brussels sprouts into the regular oven and the chicken was done first. This recipe is basically pressure steamed. Since it has a sauce coating, you don't miss the browning you get in a standard oven.  A minute under the broiler will brown it just a tad, but for a weeknight meal, why bother? The recipe version I will put in the Diner News will be for the family sized oven baked meal. Be a subscriber if you want those recipe instructions. Order here.  If you don't have an electric pressure cooker, by all means get one! I am loving mine. It also functions as a slow cooker. Plus you can brown meats and veggies in the base so you never have to dirty a skillet to brown things or reduce sauces.

French Chicken Under Pressure

2 chicken breasts, frozen or thawed
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sugarfree maple flavored syrup
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Herbs de Province
1 sprig rosemary, fresh or dried

Place 1 cup water in the base of the pressure cooker and place the trivet inside. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, syrup, vinegar, and Herbs de Provence. Spoon this mixture over both sides of the chicken and place each breast on the trivet. Bring to full pressure and cook 12 minutes for frozen breasts, 6 minutes for thawed. Let pressure release naturally for 5 minutes, then vent and remove lid. Remove chicken and plate or transfer to a hot oven for a bit of browning. Sprinkle the tops of the breasts with dried rosemary.

Serves 2 at:     146 calories      3 g carbs      26 g protein    2 g fat

The carbs on this recipe are actually a little bit lower because a bit of the sauce falls into the cooking water. If you are looking for a low calorie dish, this can't be beat. It has tons of flavor too. The Dijon is a little sophisticated, but the maple adds a sweetness that will make it a favorite with kids too. The chicken is fork tender and clean up is a breeze. No stuck on mess in a pan.

We are about to have our first cool snap of the fall season. I can hardly wait to get some time with the oven on again. Tonight's Brussels were just the start. I am so ready for all the fun fall brings!

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Angel Fire Chicken Casserole

Some like it hot. My son Pearson told me about his recent attempt at eating a Ghost pepper chicken wing--a feat he will not likely try again. It makes an amusing story listening to the tale of his manly men friends crying while they ate then running for napkins and water...this is not that. No ghosts here, just angels. Angel Fire is a place in New Mexico, I understand. The state so famous for outstanding green chile peppers. Thank you New Mexico. This casserole is outstanding! It tastes a lot like green chile enchiladas. I was going for a green chile rice base, and that is good too. The sour cream flavor is perfect, either way. This is a rich dish and needs only a little green salad on the side.

It is a little complicated if you start from scratch, but easy peasy if you are using leftovers like I did. I already had caulirice in my freezer. It is so much easier to make a lot and then freeze it. That way, I don't need to clean up the food processor as often. I also had a big batch of Green Chile Chicken Shreds made up. That is a simple crockpot dish that is useful in so many ways. Got those? This goes together in a snap.I used Green Chile Chicken Shreds. That recipe is here.

 If not, I will give the long version of the recipe here. It is the best way to make a big batch to feed a bunch. My way, and it is a good Triple Play meal to make with Southwest Shredded Beef or Tequila Chicken from Table for Two.

Angel Fire Chicken Casserole

1 medium cauliflower, grated
1 tbsp mild oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
2 four oz cans mild green chiles
1 1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, divided use
18 oz  Green Chile Chicken Shreds or any cooked, shredded chicken

After processing cauliflower in a food processor, saute it in oil until just tender. Sprinkle with onion powder and salt.  Transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in both cans of green chile, the sour cream, the eggs and 1 cup of cheese. Pour this mixture into a 13 x 9" casserole dish. Cover the top with the shredded chicken. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and the egg is set in the center.

Serves 6:     483 calories    9 net carbs    28 g fat

This version was reduced to a small family serving-
the recipe will fill a larger dish.

So this casserole is not the prettiest, but it certainly tastes heavenly. Just right for the Angel Fire name.

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