Stuffed and Stacked Portobellos

This dish is awesome. Unusual and not hard to make. Take a big mushroom cap, stuff it with ricotta and an awesome sausage and veggie mix. Then  stack those layers again. The mushrooms are meaty and quite satisfying. A little like lasagna, but easier--much easier.

I took one to school today. A few finicky ones looked at me funny when I told them that I was eating a portobello mushroom cap. Who cares? These are people who somehow sustain life on ramen noodles and spicy Takis. Aah, youth!

The February issue of the Diner News is going out tonight. It features comforting foods for chilly weather. Let's enjoy cozy foods while the winter chill is still in the air. I do not mind winter at all. Maybe because I love a good bowl of stew or chili. I adore hot tea and coffee. I prefer oven baked casseroles to salads. So, I love winter! Of course, I also do not live in a super cold climate. As a teacher, I have not even been blessed with one snow day vacation this year.

Stuffed and Stacked Portobellos

Meat Sauce:

½  lb bulk pork sausage

14 oz canned diced tomatoes

½ cup water

1 yellow summer squash or zucchini

1/4 cup sliced bell pepper

1 tbsp cooking sherry

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

2 packets stevia

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

4 large Portobello mushroom caps

Olive oil spray

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp almond flour

Brown sausage. Roughly dice the zucchini, and bell  pepper. Add the vegetables to the pot. Pour most of the liquid from the tomato sauce into the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes. Pour the tomatoes and water over all. Add spices and stevia. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until vegetables are very tender.

While meat sauce is cooking, prepare mushroom caps. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray caps with olive oil and grill 2 minutes on each side in a grill pan. Set the caps on a wire rack on a cookie sheet, gill side up. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the mushroom cap. When sauce is finished, top each mushroom with tomato sauce. Add the remaining ricotta over the sauce. In a cup, combine Parmesan cheese and almond flour. Sprinkle over each mushroom cap. Bake for 15 minutes. Heat the leftover sauce to pour over the top when plating the dish.

Serves 4:     312 calories     11 net g carb

Yum! Want to take a peek at some of the other recipes in this month's Diner News? Thought so! These dishes are great for warm you up meals.

Shredded Beef Chili

Warm Bacon Coleslaw

Pennsylvania Dutch Warm Radish Salad

Beef Stew Francais

Sheetpan Sausage and Veggies

Dutchy's Beef Stew

Roasted Eggplant Shakshuka

Mediterranean Roasted Cabbage

Sheetpan Chile Lime Salmon

Cinnamon Cashew Sipper

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Chinese Red Pork--Because No Meal is an Accident

Last January, my Diner News gave you all sorts of ideas for planned leftovers. For instance, roast a large pork loin and then remake it three, four or even more times. Each time as a different flavor. That is the beauty of the Diner system. Afterall, no meal is an accident. Yes, I love that thought so much, I actually crafted a plate with the quote.

This particular idea calls for eating roasted pork loin once, fresh from the oven with traditional sides. Then, you have the opportunity to enjoy a French meal with Pork Loin Sauterne. Another meal is Pork Loin Italian Skillet. You might like the down home flavor of Twice Baked Pulled Pork. Soup is an option, with Chinese Noodle Soup. All the recipes are in the January '16 issue of the Diner News. But my favorite was the Chinese Red Pork--a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce you may have seen in restaurants.

Chinese Red Pork

If you are a fan of Chinese barbecue, with it’s sweet, red sauce, this is your answer. Forget the sugary sweet sauce you find in the restaurants, this is a very close flavor and is healthy!

2 tbsp water

2 tsp molasses

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1/2 tsp powdered ginger

1/2 tsp orange extract

1/4 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder

2 tbsp granulated erythritol /stevia blend

1/8 tsp red food coloring

Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Pan fry 12 ounces of pork slices in a non stick skillet. When hot, pour the sauce over the pork and stir to coat. Sauté an additional 5-10 minutes until the sauce begins to brown.

Serves 4:   183 calories  3 g carb

This is not a thick syrupy sauce, but a light coating. The wow factor comes with the bit of red food coloring. You can leave it out, but it makes the dish more fun. This dish is certainly nothing like the original roast, so no one will get bored. It is super fast too, and perfect alongside some stir-fried veggies. Dinner could not be easier.

Now, a little sneak peak to those other dishes I mentioned...

As I type, my hubby is putting together the 2016 Diner News Bundle. That means if you missed out on last January's issue, you can purchase the whole year of monthly newsletters for just $6. People keep telling me I should raise the price. But for now, get them for that original price. I really want to make these lifesaving ideas available and affordable. Yes, I do put a lot of work into them! Each has 8-10 pages of recipes, and each month is a different theme. Still coming up with new ideas here in our 8th year!  Go here to order. Get one year or a mega bundle of every year from 2010 on. Mega Deal!

Don't forget my e-books which outline the whole cooking and planning system. And the Low Carbing Among Friends Cookbooks which are simple the best of the best!

Get more great recipes at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page:               https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles,  A Table for Two here.

Blackened Chicken with Poblano Cream

The holidays are behind us. Real life starts up again. Time to get serious about being healthy again. For me, that means lots of meals with boneless, skinless chicken breast. It just helps to have some clean eating and lower calories. Plus, boneless breasts are easy to cook with. Inexpensive. Adaptable to so many flavor profiles. Fast cooking. And a personal perk for me--maybe some of you--no bones to hide from my dogs.

This is a recipe I featured in the January Diner News. Between holiday events and a fun little stomach virus I got a couple days after, I had a sprint to finish the Diner News for January. You would be jealous to see how many chicken dishes I have stocked up now. I am generally much more practical and spread my recipe development throughout the month. The holidays always seem to get in the way. Both with my endeavors for healthy cooking, and my resolve to stay away from sugar. (My hubby is the diabetic, so I fall off the wagon more than he does! No A1C to tell on me...) Just keeping it real. Of course, now it is January. and I am far more committed to healthy eating for us both.

This recipe is spiced and spicy! Serve it up with a nice green salad and you have a super healthy, low carb, low calorie meal. If you don't like heat, be sure to cut the seeds out of the pepper or use one bell pepper and one poblano pepper to make the sauce.

Blackened Chicken with Poblano Cream

2 fresh poblano chile peppers

1 tsp refined coconut oil, melted

8 oz boneless chicken breast

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp Adobo seasoning

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 tsp Adobo seasoning

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub poblano peppers with oil. Bake on a cookie sheet for about 20 minutes until charred and soft. Let rest on the counter while you prepare the chicken.

Slice  1/2 inch slits into each chicken breast, leaving the base intact, Sprinkle with chili powder, pepper and Adobo seasoning, being sure to get seasoning inside each slice. Transfer to a nonstick grillpan and  grill until cooked through and seared on both sides.

Remove stems from peppers. (Remove seeds if you don't like heat) Roughly chop. Add to a medium bowl. Add yogurt, lime juice and 1/4 tsp Adobo seasoning. Process with an immersion blender. To serve, top each breast with Poblano Cream.

Serves 2:  173 calories   5 net g carb

You may have a little sauce leftover. It would make a great dip with jicama strips.Or you could make 4 breasts of chicken and serve more without doubling the sauce. You might not be so extravagant with the sauce on each serving. This was a little hot for my hubby, but my mom and I enjoyed the recipe quite a bit. I got inspiration from Fit to Savor. Love the idea.

If you would like some great new ideas for boneless, skinless chicken breast, you will want the January edition of the Diner News. Look at this!

Angel Dust Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken Skillet

Chicken with Chimichurri Sauce

Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken

 Breast Chicken with Greek Salsa

Greek Salsa

Oven Baked Lemon Chicken

Crockpot Orange Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken Skewers

Texas Red Enchilada Chicken

Cajun Chicken and 'Rice"

There are also a lot of ideas on how to flavor up crockpot shredded chicken. Who wouldn't want more ideas on what to do with chicken?

Get more great recipes at the Low Carbing Among Friends Facebook Page:               https://www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

 Order any of our great cookbooks at  http://amongfriends.us/24-7-LCD.php

Order my original e-book or the latest version for couples and singles,  A Table for Two here.