All posts by Sonte

Whole Roasted Chicken with Pan Drippings

I went to Fraser Valley Meats, I know, I know, something you thought you would never here me say! They had Whole Fryer Chickens on sale for $8 so I bought one…not that I had the faintest idea on how I was going to get it to the table. I  googled how one is supposed to cook a whole fryer and discovered that you can either fry or bake it. Well, I am not a fan of frying chicken…the less I have to touch the thing, the better!
I do believe this roast chicken was a hit with those consuming it and I will definitely add it to my dinner rotation because it was so easy to do, and easily shared the oven with a pan of  roast vegetables. I like to keep the veggies separate so I can eat them too.

Roast Chicken
Roasting a Fryer Chicken

1 2 kg (4 lb) Whole Fryer Chicken
1/2 Onion, thickly sliced
1 Carrot, cut in half
1 stalk Celery, cut in half
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Rosemary

1 cube McCormicks Chicken Stock

Lightly spray a 4 litre (9×13) casserole dish with vegetable oil spray.
Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towel.
Loosen skin from the chicken breasts and rub chicken, under the skin, with butter; rub in the rosemary and squirt in the lemon juice.
Stuff the inside of the chicken with the onion, carrot and celery.
Tuck the legs in and secure.
Bake in 375F oven for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, basting every so often and watching that it does not brown to quickly. Once golden brown, tent loosely with aluminum foil and continue baking until cooked through and juices run clear when chicken is pierced and meat thermometer reads 83C or 180F.

Remove from casserole dish and let stand while processing the pan drippings.
Discard onion, carrot and celery.

Pour pan drippings into a small frying pan, scraping bits of chicken into the pan; bring to a boil. Add a 1/2 cup of water and a bit of a McCormicks Chicken cube, continue boiling until it has reduced and thickened nicely.

Roast Chicken with Pan Drippings
Roast Chicken with Pan Drippings

 

Black Olive and Cheddar MIM (Muffin in a Minute)

When Low Carbing you often miss all those yummy bready sides! This will take the edge off the cravings; good to eat with a smear of butter or cream cheese or plain along side a bowl of Taco Soup.

Black Olive and Cheddar MIM
Black Olive and Cheddar MIM

1 teaspoon Butter, just melted (0.15oz)
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup Flaxseed Meal or Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Dash of Salt – very easy on the salt
Pinch of Pepper
Dash of Chili Flakes
0.5 oz Sliced Black Olives
0.5 oz Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 1/2 teaspoon chopped Cilantro

Lightly spray a 4″ Ramekin with vegetable oil spray.
In large measuring cup, melt butter to just melted (5 – 7 sec)
Stir in egg.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, chili flakes and cilantro, stirring until well combined.
Fold in sliced black olives and cheddar cheese.
Turn out into prepared ramekin and microwave on HIGH for 1 – 2 minutes depending on the strength of your machine.

 

LC Slow Cooker Taco Soup

I made Taco Salad for the Meat Eaters and made this warming Taco Soup with the leftover Taco Beef mixture. It was ridiculously easy to make too! Throw everything in the slow cooker, put the lid on and walk away for 6 – 8 hours! Done deal! I wish making dinner could be this easy every night of the week!
This was very different from the Taco Soup that I normally make loaded with Kidney Beans, Black Beans and Corn Kernels.

Low Carb Taco Soup
Deliciously Spicy Taco Soup

450g  Taco Beef
1 each, diced: Green, Red, Yellow Pepper
1 796 ml  can Diced Tomatoes
1.1 litre (1 1/2 of the 796 ml tin) of Water
2 Mc Cormicks Beef Bouillon Cubes
1 teaspoon Chili Flakes
1 teaspoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Salt
Pepper, to taste

Toppings:
Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Sliced Black Olives
Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
Jalepenos, chopped

Combine all the ingredients in the Slow Cooker put the lid on.
Turn on LOW heat for 6 – 8 hours.

Top with toppings of your choice and serve with a Cheddar Cheese and Olive MIM.

 

Raspberry Carob MIM (Muffin in a Minute)

My husband likes Savoury for Breakfast, not sweet and definitely not a combination of the two! On the weekends I prefer all the old standards: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Crepes with Homemade Jams or Fresh Fruit, Waffles with Syrup…you see where I am going with this? Probably not the healthiest breakfasts going.

Ever since Luke started the Atkins diet in January I am trying to support him in every way I can which means I have stopped making all the old standby weekend breakfasts! This past week I discovered Muffin in a Minute, often referred to as MIMs. I found a basic recipe and have made a few variations: Cheddar Bacon, Black Forest, Cinnamon Spice and today combined chocolate flavour with raspberries. Yum!

Raspberry Carob MIM
A not too sweet MIM combining Carob and Raspberries.

1 teaspoon Butter, melted (0.15 ounce)
*1 Egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Xylitol
Splash of Vanilla
2 teaspoons Carob or Cocoa Powder
1 ounce Raspberries, fresh or frozen

Lightly spray a 4″ Ramekin with vegetable oil spray.
In large measuring cup melt butter to just melted.
Add egg and stir to combine.
Stir in flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla, carob or cocoa powder.
Fold in berries.
Pour into prepared ramekin and microwave on HIGH for 1 -2 minutes depending on the strength of your machine.
Loosen from edges, turn out and enjoy.

Cheddar Bacon MIM (Muffin in a Minute)

A Sunday morning Breakfast Muffin alongside Bacon and Eggs.

Cheddar Bacon MIM
Cheddar Bacon MIM

1 teaspoon Butter, melted (I use a scale 0,15 ounce)
1 Egg, lightly beaten (1.75o ounce)
1/4 cup Flax Meal Flour or Almond Flour
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Pepper
Dash of Chili Flakes
1 ounce Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 strip Bacon, crumbled

Lightly spray a 4″ Ramekin with vegetable oil spray.
In large pyrex measuring cup melt butter to just barely melted (5 – 7 seconds) and stir in egg.
Add flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and chili flakes stirring until combined.
Stir in cheddar cheese and bacon.
Pour into prepared Ramekin.
Microwave on HIGH for 1 – 2 minutes depending on the strength of your oven.

Make it an Egg McMuffin:

Egg McMuffin
Egg McMuffin - Breakfast on the Go!