1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (96 page)

4 large portobello mushrooms

1 cup (240 ml) balsamic vinaigrette dressing

Olive oil for brushing

Lay the portobellos in a shallow baking dish, gill-side up, and pour the balsamic vinaigrette over them. Turn them over once or twice to make sure they’re thoroughly coated in the dressing and then let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Okay, now you’re going to multitask: Heat the broiler to high and brush the steaks with a little olive oil. Also heat up an electric tabletop grill.

Start the fillets broiling close to the heat—I’d probably give them about 5 to 5½ minutes per side, but cook them to your own preference. When you turn them over, put the marinated mushrooms in the electric grill. Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Your steak and your mushrooms should be done right about the same moment!

Put each mushroom on a plate and put a fillet on top of each. Serve piping hot.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 28 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable carbs. However, this analysis assumes you consume all of the balsamic vinaigrette, while in actuality some will be left in the dish you marinated the mushrooms in. So you’ll actually get fewer carbs than this.

Feel free to cut a larger steak into individual portions to serve on your mushrooms, if you prefer. Those fillets just come exactly the right size. Do, however, use a good thick steak for this—at least 1¼ inches (3 cm).

I have a yummy pot roast recipe that calls for tomatoes, cider vinegar, and ginger, so this idea was a natural.

2 pounds (910 g) boneless chuck, 1½ to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) thick

2 teaspoons meat tenderizer

¼ cup (60 ml) Dana’s No-Sugar Ketchup (page 463)

¼ cup (60 ml) vinaigrette dressing (I use Paul Newman’s.)

2½ tablespoons (3.8 g) Splenda

½ teaspoon blackstrap molasses

2 teaspoons grated ginger

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) cider vinegar

½ teaspoon soy sauce

First, sprinkle a teaspoon of tenderizer over one side of the meat, pierce it all over with a fork, flip it over, and repeat with the rest of the tenderizer. Now put the meat in a large resealable plastic bag or in a shallow, nonreactive pan. Mix together everything else and reserve some of the mixture for basting. Pour the rest over the meat. If you’re using a resealable plastic bag, press out the air and seal it. Either way, turn the chuck steak over once or twice to make sure it’s coated with the marinade. Stash it in the fridge and let it marinate for at least several hours, and overnight is better.

When it’s time to cook, get the grill going, setting your gas grill to medium or letting your charcoal get a good coat of ash. Pull your steak out of the marinade and grill it for about 10 minutes per side, basting frequently with the reserved marinade and using a clean utensil each time.

Yield:
6 servings

Each serving will have 3 grams of carbohydrate—again, that’s if you consume all of the marinade. I’d count no more than 1 gram of carbohydrate per serving and 24 grams of protein.

Here’s a Southwestern twist for your steak.

1 pound (455 g) beef steak—Rib eye is my choice, but sirloin or T-bone should do fine.

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice

1½ ounces (45 ml) tequila

1½ teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

1½ teaspoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

¼ teaspoon orange extract

Throw the steak in a big resealable plastic bag. Mix together everything else, reserving some liquid for basting, and pour the rest into the bag. Seal the bag, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag to coat the steak and then throw it in the fridge and let the steak marinate for at least a few hours, and a whole day is fine.

Pull the steak out of the fridge and pour off the marinade. Now you get to decide—outside on the grill or inside in the broiler? Either way, grill or broil your steak fast, close to high heat (but if you’re using a charcoal grill, keep down flare-ups; they char, not cook). If your steak is 1¼ inch (3 cm) thick (that’s how I have the meat guys cut mine), about 6 to 6½ minutes per side will be right for medium to medium-rare. Baste at least 2 or 3 times with the reserved marinade during cooking—using a clean utensil each time you baste.

Yield:
2 to 3 servings

Assuming 3, each will have 26 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber—but this assumes you consume all of the marinade, which you won’t. I’d guess no more than 3 g per serving. Analysis does not include any side

Carne asada is Spanish for “grilled beef”—well, actually, “meat,” but beef is assumed. It’s a Mexican and Southwestern specialty. I don’t know how authentic my version is, but it sure tastes good, especially with an ice-cold light beer.

2 pounds (910 g) boneless round steak or chuck, 1½ to 2 inches (4 to 5 cm) thick

2 teaspoons meat tenderizer

½ cup (120 ml) red wine vinegar

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) Dana’s No-Sugar Ketchup (page 463)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons ground or rubbed sage

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon paprika

2 jalapenos, minced

Sprinkle one side of the meat with 1 teaspoon of the tenderizer and pierce it all over with a fork. Turn it over and treat the other side the same way with the second teaspoon of tenderizer. Put the meat in a large resealable plastic bag or in a shallow, nonreactive pan. Mix together everything else (wash your hands after handling those jalapenos!). Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest over the meat. If you’re using a bag, press out the air, seal it, and turn it a few times to coat the meat; if you’re using a pan, turn the meat over once or twice to coat. Put the meat in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least several hours—overnight is better—turning it now and then.

When dinnertime rolls around, start your grill and let your charcoal burn down to the well-ashed stage or set your gas grill to medium. Grill your steak for about 10 minutes per side, basting frequently with the reserved marinade. Use a clean utensil each time you baste. If you’d like, you can put the leftover marinade in a microwavable bowl or in a saucepan and either microwave it until it’s boiled for a minute or bring it to a boil on the stove and then serve it as a sauce.

Yield:
6 servings

If you do use the leftover marinade as a sauce and eat all of it, each serving will have 3 grams of carbohydrate, and a trace of fiber, for a usable carb count of 3 grams; 29 grams of protein.

1½ to 2 pounds (680 to 910 g) sirloin steak, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick

1 cup (240 ml) water

½ cup (120 ml) soy sauce

3 tablespoons (45 ml) Worcestershire sauce

½ medium onion, finely minced

1½ tablespoons (23 ml) balsamic vinegar

½ tablespoon wine vinegar

1½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) lemon juice

1 tablespoon (15 ml) spicy brown or Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Combine everything but the steak in a large measuring cup or bowl with a pouring lip. This is your marinade.

Place the steak in a large, resealable plastic bag, pour in the marinade, and seal the bag. Place it in a flat pan (in case the bag springs a leak) and stick the whole thing in the fridge for at least several hours or overnight if you have the time.

About 15 minutes before you’re ready to cook, remove your steak from the bag and preheat the broiler or grill. Broil or grill it to your liking.

Yield:
Figure at least 4 servings from a 1½-pound (680 g) steak, and 5 or 6 servings from a 2-pounder (910 g).

There are a few grams of carbs in the marinade, but since you discard most of it, there’s less than 1 gram of carbohydrates added to each serving, no fiber, and no protein. Each serving of steak has no carbohydrates, no fiber, and about 25 grams of protein.

This has a subtle but great smoky flavor that really enhances the meat.

1 pound (455 g) T-bone steak at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick (Sirloin or rib eye would do too.)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) liquid smoke flavoring (Most big grocery stores carry this.)

1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 dash pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

teaspoon onion powder

¼ cup (60 ml) water

Put the steak in a resealable plastic bag. Mix together everything else, reserving some marinade for basting. Pour the rest into the bag and seal, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag once or twice to coat and throw the steak in the fridge for a few hours at least, and a day won’t hurt a bit.

When dinnertime rolls around, preheat the broiler. Pull out the steak and pour off the marinade. Broil very close to a high broiler—for a steak about 1¼ inches (3 cm), I like about 6 minutes per side, but do it to your liking. Baste halfway through cooking each side, using the reserved marinade and a clean utensil each time.

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 23 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 1 g usable carb.

This dish is for black pepper lovers only!

¾ pound (340 g) tender, well marbled steak (such as rib eye or sirloin), ½ to ¾ inch (1 to 2 cm) thick

4 teaspoons coarse cracked pepper

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) brandy

2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream

Salt

Place the steak on a plate and sprinkle half of the pepper evenly over it. Using your hands or the back of a spoon, press the pepper firmly into the steak’s surface. Turn the steak over and do the same thing to the other side.

Add the butter and oil to a large, heavy skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the steak. For a ½-inch (1 cm) thick steak, 4½ minutes per side is about right; go maybe 5½ minutes for a ¾-inch (2 cm) thick steak.

When the steak is done on both sides, turn off the heat, pour the brandy over it, and light it on fire.