1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (71 page)

Not only is it lower carb and lower calorie to use cauli-rice to make “risotto,” but it’s tremendously quicker and easier, too. I adapted this recipe from one of Emeril’s, and it’s fabulous. You can use precooked or raw shrimp in this—since you’re using the tiniest shrimp you can find, the cooking time is next to nothing anyway. Just make sure your shrimp are pink before you serve this—which should take approximately a minute and a half.

½ pound (225 g) extra small shrimp (61/70 count)

½ head cauliflower, shredded

½ cup (80 g) chopped onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (4.5 g) dried basil, or ¼ cup (10.6 g) chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

½ teaspoon pepper

1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning (page 485 or purchased)

½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream

¾ cup (75 g) grated Parmesan cheese

4 scallions, sliced, including the crisp part of the green shoot

Guar or xanthan

Put the cauliflower in a microwaveable casserole dish with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons (30 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on high for 6 minutes.

While that’s happening, throw the onion and garlic in a big, heavy skillet along with the olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat until the microwave beeps—you want the onion to be turning translucent.

Okay, cauliflower’s done. Pull it out, drain it, and add it to the onions and garlic. Stir in the basil, lemon juice, salt or Vege-Sal, pepper, chopped artichoke hearts, Creole Seasoning, shrimp, and cream. Let the whole thing simmer for a minute or two to blend the flavors. Stir in the Parmesan and scallions, thicken just until good and creamy with guar or xanthan, and serve.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 22 g protein; 14 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 12 g usable carbs.

This isn’t terribly low in carbs—it’s a maintenance dish, really—but I know that there are a lot of Thai food fans out there. So this is a lot lower-carb than Pad Thai with noodles, plus it’s fast and incredibly tasty.

12 cooked, peeled shrimp

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Thai fish sauce

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

2 tablespoons (30 ml) peanut oil or other bland oil

2 cloves garlic, smashed

2 eggs, beaten slightly

3 cups (675 g) cooked spaghetti squash, shredded

1½ cups (75 g) bean sprouts

2 tablespoons (16 g) dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

4 scallions, sliced

2 tablespoons (8 g) cilantro, chopped

1 lime, cut into wedges

Mix the fish sauce and Splenda and set the mixture aside.

Put the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and sauté the garlic for a minute. Add the shrimp and sauté for another minute. Add the fish sauce mixture.

Pour the beaten eggs into the skillet, let them set for 15 to 30 seconds, and then scramble. Stir in the spaghetti squash and bean sprouts, mixing with the shrimp and egg mixture. Cook until just heated through.

Place on serving plates. Top each serving with chopped peanuts, scallions, and cilantro and serve with a wedge of lime on the side.

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 19 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 17 grams of usable carbs and 13 grams of protein.

If this carb count sounds way too high to you, keep in mind that regular Pad Thai usually has over 60 grams of carbohydrates per serving.

This calls for 18 ounces (500 g) of shrimp because the big shrimp I get at my grocery run just about 1 ounce (30 g) apiece, and 6 big shrimp seemed a good serving size. But if you only have a pound of shrimp, don’t sweat it.

18 ounces (500 g) extra jumbo shrimp—about an ounce (30 g) apiece—shelled (16/20 count)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

3 tablespoons (45 ml) dry sherry

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Guar or xanthan

Have the shrimp shelled and ready to go. In a big skillet, sauté the shrimp in the olive oil over medium-high heat until they’re pink almost all over. Add the sherry and hot pepper sauce and stir. Let cook another minute or two. Thicken the pan juices just a tiny bit with guar or xanthan and serve.

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 28 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; trace usable carb.

Don’t bother with napkins; put the roll of paper towels on the table—this is messy! It’s delicious, though.

24 large, raw, “easy peel” shrimp (31/35 count)

6 tablespoons (84 g) butter

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over lowest heat. Stir in the curry powder and garlic and then add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until the shrimp are pink all the way through. Transfer to serving plates and scrape the extra curry butter over them.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 2 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber (if you lick up every last drop of the curry-garlic butter), for a total of a bit less than 1 gram of usable carbs per serving and 15 grams of protein.

24 ounces (680 g) jumbo shrimp, shelled (21/25 count)

6 tablespoons (84 g) butter

¾ teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoons cayenne

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried ground rosemary

½ teaspoon dried oregano

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup (180 ml) light beer (I use Miller Lite or Milwaukee’s Best Light.)

In a big, heavy skillet over very low heat, start melting the butter. As it melts, stir in the salt and the next 6 ingredients (through Worcestershire sauce). When the butter is all melted, add the shrimp—I like to use good, big ones about an ounce (28 g) apiece. Let the shrimp sauté 2 to 3 minutes per side, letting them get acquainted with the seasoned butter.

Now pour the light beer into the skillet. Cover the skillet and let the shrimp cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and let them cook for another 2 minutes or so.

Remove the shrimp to serving plates and turn up the heat under the skillet. Let the sauce boil hard until it’s reduced by about half and then pour over the shrimp. Serve.

Yield:
3 to 4 servings

Assuming 3, each will have 38 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.

Wow—this dish is sheer elegance. And it’s done in a flash!

1 pound (455 g) shrimp, shelled and deveined

4 tablespoons (56 g) butter

cup (80 ml) brandy

¾ cup (180 ml) heavy cream

Guar or xanthan (optional)

Sauté the shrimp in the butter over medium-high heat until cooked through—4 to 5 minutes. Add the brandy, turn up the heat, and let it boil hard for a minute or so to reduce. Stir in the cream and heat through. Thicken the sauce a bit with guar or xanthan if you like and then serve.

Yield:
3 or 4 servings

Assuming 3 servings, each will have 2 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 26 grams of protein.

1 pound (455 g) large shrimp, shelled (31/35 count)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1½ teaspoons five-spice powder

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (6 g) grated ginger

2 tablespoons (20 g) minced onion

2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

teaspoon blackstrap molasses

Salt and pepper

2 to 3 lime wedges

In a large, heavy skillet over medium-low, heat the oil and add the cayenne, five-spice powder, garlic, ginger, and onion. Stir for about 2 minutes or until fragrant, taking care not to let the garlic turn brown.

Stir in the rice vinegar, Splenda, and blackstrap molasses. Now add the shrimp and stir to coat with the seasonings. Sauté the shrimp, turning frequently, until they’re pink all the way through. Season lightly with salt and pepper, transfer to serving plates, and serve with a lime wedge.

Yield:
2 to 3 servings

Assuming 2, each will have 38 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.

Adding the shrimp and snow peas at the last moment keeps them from becoming desperately overcooked.

1½ pounds (680 g) shrimp, shells removed

1 cup (220 g) peaches, peeled and cubed (Frozen unsweetened peaches work well. Just cut them into smaller chunks, about ½ inch, or 1.3 cm.)

½ cup (80 g) chopped onion

1 green bell pepper, diced

½ cup (60 g) chopped celery

½ cup (120 ml) chicken broth

2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark sesame oil