Scrumptious Green Beans

I was looking for a quick side to make today and saw I had a bunch of green beans sitting in the fridge.  It was kismet.  I threw some butter, garlic and olive oil in a pan and created this easy tasty  green bean recipe. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 lb green beans 
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil 
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions: 

Wash the green beans and cut the tips. 

Place the green beans in a boiling pot of water and cook until tender, around 5 minutes. While the green beans are boiling, put butter and olive oil in a pan.  When the butter melts add the minced garlic.  Cook garlic until lightly browned. When the green beans have boiled add them to  the pan.  Stir to evenly distribute the garlic and remove from the heat.  Enjoy.  

Carbs: 7g per 1/2 cup

Flourless Chocolate Cake

This is a great alternative to chocolate cake for those who are gluten-sensitive or just watching their carbs.  This is specifically for chocolate lovers because it is super chocolatey and has the consistency of a brownie more than a cake. I use Truvia baking blend in mine sometimes to lower the carb content but I'm posting the sugar version as well for those of you who want the taste of pure sugar.  

Ingredients: 

• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (Bakers and Hershey Brands are gluten-free)
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa  
• 3 eggs, beaten 
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons Truvia baking blend (or 3/4 cup of sugar) 

Instructions:

Preheat over to 300°. Melt chocolate and butter. Mix well. Add cocoa, sugar, and beaten eggs. Mix until fully incorporated.  Place batter in greased 8 inch pan dusted with cocoa powder (I also place parchment paper in the pan to ensure easy removal).  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Be sure not to over bake as this dries out the cake. 

Braised Short Ribs

I had braised short ribs for the first time last summer at Paloma Grill, a trendy new restaurant in Stamford owned by celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez. They were absolutely delicious! They were meat falling off the bone tender and super yummy. This brings us to yesterday. I had the craziest beef craving and just kept imagining those braised short ribs.  After trying to ignore my stomach for about an hour, I caved.  I put on my coat, braved the winter freeze and went food shopping. I must say the results were tasty. Try it yourself and let me know how it goes.  

 Ingredients: 

• 6-8 bone-in short ribs
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced 
• 2 carrots, diced 
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• Kosher salt 
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 2 cups of red wine 
• 2 cups of water 
• 4 sprigs of thyme (tied in a bundle)
• 2 sprigs of rosemary 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 1 tablespoon sofrito (optional) 

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 375º

Season the short ribs with salt.  Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high heat in a dutch oven.  Brown the short ribs on all sides.  Cook in batches if necessary. You don't want to overcrowd the pan.  As the ribs are browning, prepare your onion, carrots, celery and garlic.  

After the ribs have browned, drain the fat and add the remaining olive oil.  Place vegetables and sofrito in the pan, season generously with salt and cook for 6 minutes.  

Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 additional minutes.  Add the wine and deglaze the pan.  Cook until the sauce has reduced by half. Add the short ribs to the pan and add the water. Add thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.

Cover the pan and place in the oven. Cook for 3 hours. Be sure to check on the ribs periodically to ensure that there is enough liquid. 

Since I'm cutting down on my carbs, I served it with green beans. I also serve it with cauliflower mash, which is another great low-carb side. The ribs are tender and yummy. Definitely good comfort food. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.    

Chicken Stir Fry

I was in the mood for stir fry tonight and whipped this up. Stir fry is a quick simple way to get healthy portions of veggies and protein. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 large chicken breasts 
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 red pepper 
• 1 green pepper 
• 3 scallions 
• 1 carrot sliced 
• 1 head of broccoli 
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (can use 1/2 tsp ground ginger) 
• 1/2 cup of kale
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce (add more or less according to your taste) 
• 1 tablespoon orange juice 
• 1/2 cup of sugar (if you do not like a sweet sauce, use 1/4 cup or less) 
• 1/4 cup soy sauce 
• 1/2 cup of water 
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 4 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup of water and 2 tsp cornstarch mixed 

Cut chicken breasts into thin strips. Heat oil in pan on medium heat.  Once oil is hot place chicken chicken in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.  Cook chicken for two minutes on each side. While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. in a bowl, mix soy sauce, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, rice vinegar, orange juice, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce). Once all chicken has browned, remove from the pan and set aside. Place peppers, carrots and scallions in the pan. Cook until they have softened.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the sauce to the pan.  Cook for three minutes.  Add the cornstarch mixture and cook for 1 minute. Add broccoli and kale. Return chicken to the pan to finish cooking (about 2 minutes).  Serve over rice.