SPICY SHRIMP WITH CREAMY CAULIFLOWER AND SPINACH RICE - KETO & LOW CARB FRIENDLY

Since being on the Keto diet I have been experimenting a lot with carb substitutes like cauliflower rice as a way of getting the texture of carbs without the calories, and one recipe I came across that made cauliflower rice sound so delicious was a creamed version of it. Of course, being in lockdown still, I didn’t have all the ingredients the original recipe required so I remixed it my way and topped it with some spicy shrimp for a little extra kick! Needless to say, it turned out fantastic and so far I have made it twice for my family - we just can’t get enough! The creamed cauliflower made for a perfect replacement for carbs without compromising on taste at all not to mention the entire meal takes only 10 minutes to whip up! If you are looking for a delicious, low carb meal for dinner tonight, you got to try this one!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 2-3 people

2 TBSP of Olive Oil
1 Pack of Frozen Riced Cauliflower (500grams)
1 TSP of Garlic Powder - Split into two portions
1 TBSP of Salted Butter
1 Packet of Shrimp - mine had about 20 raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 TSP of Paprika
1/4 TSP of Chilli Flakes
Salt and Pepper
2 Handfuls of Fresh Spinach
3 TBSP of Light Cream Cheese

- Optional Toppings -

Chilli Flakes
Green Onions

DIRECTIONS:

In a large skillet, heat up olive oil on medium/high heat. Once hot add in your cauliflower rice and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste, and let cook for 4-5 minutes or until cauliflower becomes softer.

In the meantime, in another medium skillet add in butter and allow to heat up on medium/high heat. When butter is hot, drain any excess juices from shrimp before throwing them into the pan along with garlic powder, paprika, and hot chili flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Mix spices and shrimp until the shrimp are well coated. Allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.

Returning to the cauliflower skillet as you let the shrimp cook, add spinach and allow to wilt down by stirring it into the cauliflower rice. Once wilted, add in cream cheese and mix thoroughly.

By this time the shrimp should be ready. Plate creamed cauliflower rice adding shrimp on top and you are ready to serve!

Enjoy!

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If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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SPICY COCONUT CHICKEN THIGHS

One of the first recipes we made up at the cottage this year was this delicious spicy coconut chicken thigh recipe! Everyone was craving something Asian and this chicken dish ended up being not just KETO but super easy to make! Further, the flavors of this dish were amazing, totally satisfying everyone’s cravings. I ended up serving the dish on a bed of riced cauliflower and alongside my Asparagus Stir Fry with A Touch Of Citrus dish, and the pairing got a thumbs up from everyone at the table so we will definitely be making this meal again. If you are looking for a SUPER easy recipe to try that will spice up your next meal, I highly recommend this one!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 4 people

1/3 CUP of Freshly Grated Ginger
3 Cloves of Garlic - Minced
3/4 CUP of Coconut Milk
1/4 CUP of Curry Paste - Hot Chili Paste can be used as a substitute
1/4 CUP of Fresh Lime Juice
2 TBSP of Brown Sugar or use a Keto Substitute Like Sukrin Gold Brown Sugar Alternative
1 3/4 TSP of Kosher Salt
2 TBSP of Vegetable Oil
2 LBS of Skinless, Boneless Chicken Thighs

-Optional Base and Toppings-

Riced Cauliflower
Cilantro - for Garnish
Green Onions - chopped finely for Garnish

DIRECTIONS:

In a bowl add in the freshly grated ginger, garlic, coconut milk, curry paste, lime juice, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil, and whisk until well incorporated. Add chicken in and make sure it is well coated in sauce.
Let marinate for a minimum of 15 minutes. If you are preparing the chicken ahead of time, store it in the fridge.

When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade and drain excess drip back into the bowl. Transfer chicken to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper and broil on high for 7-8 minutes before flipping the chicken and allowing it to broil on high for another 7-8 minutes on the other side or until it appears crispy.

Pour the excess marinade drippings you drained off the chicken into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil, reduce heat and allow it to similar on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until its thickens - about 2-3 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven, add sauce on top and serve!

Enjoy!

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If you like this recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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EASY KETO CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI RECIPE

Since getting back on the Keto diet (click here to read about my Keto diet experience) I have been experimenting with new recipes to help me stay on track. One recipe that I developed using a combination of recipes I found online and experimenting with a few times, was Keto cauliflower gnocchi recipe that you can make using an air fryer or some oil in a pan if you don’t have an air fryer. Turned out that my entire family approved and actually preferred it over the regular Gnocchi I whipped up for the taste test. PLUS, it’s super easy to make! A double win! If you are looking for a healthy pasta alternative - you got to try this cauliflower gnocchi recipe!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 4 people

1 Head of Cauliflower
1 CUP of Almond Flour
1/2 CUP of Arrowroot Flour
1 TSP of Garlic
1 TSP of Salt
1 CUP of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TBSP of Olive Oil if you are pan frying it

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DIRECTIONS:

Cut the cauliflower florets off the stem in small chunks and steam until tender.

Once tender, remove the cauliflower from pot and place in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency of the cauliflower is like mash potatoes before piling it in the middle of a clean dishcloth and wringing out as much excess water as possible. Even when you think you’re done, you’re probably not so give it another wring!

Place the cauliflower in a bowl and add in the garlic, almond flour, arrowroot flour, salt, and parmesan cheese. Mix until thoroughly incorporated till it forms a soft dough. Cut dough into quarters.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter of the dough out using your hands to form a long rope about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces and picking up each one, smooth the edges into small oblong balls resembling gnocchi. Once done, place on a lightly floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Now it is time to cook the cauliflower gnocchi. I recently used an air fryer and loved the results. If you have one you can cook them at 400 for 6 -7 minutes or fry in a tbsp of olive oil on the stove in a pan until golden brown.

When ready, serve with sauce of choice.

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If you like this air fryer cauliflower gnocchi recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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CLASSIC FRENCH MUSSELS MARINIERE (WHITE WINE SAUCE)

One of the best parts about being self isolate with my family is that we all like to eat!

Every Friday we get together a little bit earlier and celebrate the end of the week with some nice seafood. Each week my mom has been busting out a new recipes, each better than the last. One recipe that topped the list was her classic french mussels in a white wine sauce, an easy crowd pleaser! If you have ever wondered how to cook mussels at home or are just looking for some new recipes for mussels to try, this one is easy and so delicious!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2 People

-Seafood-
2.5 lbs of fresh mussels – rinse, scrub and de-beard. (I usually buy extra because I know that some are going to be bad)

How to buy, store, and prep fresh mussels:

When buying fresh mussels, make sure to smell them - they SHOULD NOT have a strong odor! You also want the shells to be shut. Since mussels are alive if you bang the shells or apply pressure and close them yourself, if they are indeed alive, they should shut or remain shut. If they open once again right away it means that they are weak/not fresh, so don’t buy those. Make sure to store your mussels in the fridge, they need air to breathe so don’t use a sealed container, instead place a damp cloth over them like a napkin or paper towel to provide further moisture. Before you are ready to use them make sure to rinse the shells, remove the beards or hairy bits, and scrub away any debris off the shells.

-White Wine Sauce-
2 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
1 Shallots - chopped finely
1 TBSP of Fresh Flat Parsley, chopped finely
1 cloves of garlic - minced
1 Stock of Celery, chopped finely
1 Bay Leaf
A few twigs of Fresh Thyme
1 Cup of Dry White Wine
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1 TBSP Double Creme

-Toppings-
Fresh Flat Parsley

-Extras-
French Baguette

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LOVE SEAFOOD? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER SEAFOOD RECIPES!

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HOW TO COOK MUSSELS:

Place a large pot on the stove and add in your butter. Allow butter to melt on medium heat. Once ready, add shallots and cook until translucent.

Add chopped parsley, celery, garlic, bay laves and thyme to the pot and mix. Allow the heat to bring out the aroma of the herbs (maybe 2-3 minutes).

Add the fresh mussels to the mixture and stir to coat the mussels with the herbs. Add the wine and raise temperature to high. When the wine starts to bubble, stir the mussels once again so that they become coated with wine.

After you have covered the mussels in white wine, lower the heat to medium/high and cover for 5-6 minutes but no more.

After 5-6 minutes, uncover and remove mussels from the pot but keep the juice in the pot. Taste sauce and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Add the double cream to the sauce (it should make the sauce whiter) before stirring it in until well incorporated. Add the steamed mussels back into pot, stir and serving right away while hot.

Bon Appétit!!!

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If you like this recipe for mussels, learning how to cook mussels or have any comments/questions about this mussels in white wine cream sauce recipe, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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MUSSELS ARRABBIATA (SPICY TOMATO SAUCE)

One thing my brother-in-law and I have in common is our love for all-you-can eat mussels. When it comes to who can put down more bowls of mussels, I’ve got some stiff competition. Almost every time I go to visit him we always go to this restaurant that runs a ‘bottomless mussels’ special on Tuesdays and when they see us walk in they know, IT’S GOING DOWN!

The last time I visited though, I suggested trying our hand at making mussels at home. At the time I had also been craving something with a spicy arrabbiata sauce and I thought the flavors would pair really nicely with mussels (very similar to mussels marinara). So why not hit two birds with one stone!? Dinner that night came together beautifully, and I loved how well my new mussel recipe turned out. Needless to say, there were ZERO leftovers and being a self-proclaimed ‘mussel connoisseur’ I’m definitely giving myself a pat-on-the-back for this one!

To all my seafood lovers out there, this one is for you!

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

 Serves 2 People

-Seafood-
4 lbs of fresh mussels – rinse, scrub and debeard. (I usually buy extra because I know that some are going to be bad)

How to buy, store, and prep fresh mussels:

When buying fresh mussels, make sure to smell them - they SHOULD NOT have a strong odor! You also want the shells to be shut. Since mussels are alive if you bang the shells or apply pressure and close them yourself, if they are indeed alive, they should shut or remain shut. If they open once again right away it means that they are weak/not fresh, so don’t buy those. Make sure to store your mussels in the fridge, they need air to breathe so don’t use a sealed container, instead place a damp cloth over them like a napkin or paper towel to provide further moisture. Before you are ready to use them make sure to rinse the shells, remove the beards or hairy bits, and scrub away any debris off the shells.

-Arrabbiata Sauce-
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 small sweet onion - chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic - minced
1-2 dashes of hot chili flakes (as desired)
2 800g (28oz) cans of peeled tomatoes (Roma / San Marzano)
2 tbsp of fresh basil, chopped roughly
Salt and Pepper to Taste

-Toppings-
Fresh Italian Basil

-Extras-
Baguette

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LOVE SEAFOOD? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER SEAFOOD RECIPES!

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HOW TO MAKE MUSSELS ARRABIATA:

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven, add olive oil and let it heat up on low to medium heat.

Once hot add onion to skillet and let sweat for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Once onion and garlic are translucent add in your chili flakes and continue to cook, 1-2 minutes.

Next, add in your roughly chopped fresh basil and both cans of tomatoes. Chop up any large tomato bits.

Add salt and pepper and mix thoroughly before covering and simmer at a low temperature for 30 minutes, stirring periodically. After 15 minutes add more salt and pepper to desired taste, if needed, then cover and let the sauce continue to simmer.

Place mussels in the skillet or Dutch oven and mix until fully coated in the simmering sauce. Cover and allow mussels to open/cook for 3-5 more minutes

Once all the mussels appear to be open and cooked, place in a bowl, garnish with fresh basil and serve!

Enjoy!

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If you like this fresh mussels recipe or have any comments/questions about how to cook mussels, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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