300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (15 page)

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

1 small onion

12 jarred pepperoncini peppers

20 kalamata olives

1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken broth

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon oregano

Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Cut the chicken into serving pieces and skin. Save the skins for
Chicken Chips
(see recipe
page 331
)!

In your big, heavy skillet, over medium heat, start browning the chicken in the olive oil.

In the meantime, peel and chop your onion. Cut the stem ends off your pepperoncini and seed them, if you like. Pit your olives if you didn't buy them that way. (Just squish them with your thumb and flick out the pit.) Put all of this in the bottom of the slow cooker. When the chicken is golden, use tongs to place it on top of the vegetables.

Put the chicken broth, lemon juice, chicken bouillon concentrate, the crushed garlic, and the oregano in the skillet. Stir until the bouillon is dissolved, scraping up any tasty brown bits. Pour over the chicken, cover the pot, set to low, and cook for 6 hours. Serve the chicken with the peppers, onions, and olives and with the juices spooned over it.

Tofu shirataki spaghetti or angel hair would be nice with this.

Yield:
4 to 5 servings; Assuming 5, each will have: 302 calories, 16 g fat, 33 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs.

Mu Shu Chicken

This took some figuring out. The high-carb recipe I started with called for a whole can of plums in syrup. That wasn't happening, and I discovered no one is canning plums in water anymore. I was in line at the grocery store, when the woman behind me put a box of prunes on the conveyor belt. Aha! This also makes good omelets, which saves you the carbs in the tortillas.

8 dried prunes

3 tablespoons (45 ml) lemon juice

3 tablespoons (45 ml) rice vinegar

1/8 teaspoon orange extract

1/4 teaspoon five-spice powder

1 tablespoon (8 g) grated ginger root

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda, or other sugar-free sweetener to equal 1 tablespoon (13 g) sugar

2 1/2 pounds (1.1 kg) boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs (I like the thighs better.)

1 tablespoon (15 g) coconut oil

1 bag (14 ounces, or 390 g) coleslaw mix

1/4 onion, minced

2 tablespoons (28 ml) soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dark sesame oil

8 large low-carb tortillas

Put the prunes in your slow cooker. Stir together everything from the lemon juice through the Splenda and pour it over the prunes. Place the chicken on top, cover the pot, set it for low, and let it cook 5 to 6 hours.

Okay, dinnertime has rolled around. Uncover your slow cooker and use tongs to pull out your chicken and put it on your cutting board. Let it cool while you go to the next step.

Melt your coconut oil in your big heavy skillet, over high heat, and stir-fry your cabbage and onion with the soy sauce and sesame oil until the cabbage is just wilted but still has some crunch.

Use your stick blender to blend the prunes up with all the liquid in the pot. (If you don't have a stick blender, throw it in your regular blender.) Thicken a touch with guar or xanthan if you think it needs it.

Now slice your chicken into shreds.

To serve, smear a little of the sauce on one of the tortillas and then add chicken and cabbage. Wrap and eat.

Yield:
8 servings, each with: 322 calories, 11 g fat, 33 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate, 16 g dietary fiber, 13 g usable carbs.

Orange Teriyaki Chicken

This has been officially rated “Very Easy, Very Good!”

1 bag (16 ounces, or 455 g) frozen Oriental vegetable mixture, unthawed

2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

3/4 cup (175 ml) chicken broth

2 tablespoons (28 ml)
Low-Carb Teriyaki
Sauce (see recipe
page 337
) or purchased low-carb teriyaki sauce

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

1 tablespoon (20 g) low-sugar orange marmalade

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon Splenda

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Guar or xanthan

Pour the vegetables into your slow cooker. Place the chicken on top.

In a bowl, combine the broth, teriyaki sauce, bouillon, marmalade, orange extract, lemon juice, Splenda, dry mustard, and ginger, stirring well. Pour the mixture over the chicken and veggies. Cover the slower cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 4 to 5 hours.

Before serving, thicken the sauce a bit with guar or xanthan.

Serve over
Cauli-Rice
(see recipe
page 343
) if desired. Or for the carbivores, you can serve it over brown rice, lo mein noodles, or plain old spaghetti.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 222 calories, 4 g fat, 36 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs.

Thai Chicken Bowls

This was a big hit with Maria's family!

8 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cubed (a little over 2 1/4 lbs, or 1 kg)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup (80 g) chopped onion

2 stalks celery, sliced

2 teaspoons grated ginger root

1 teaspoon five-spice powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

28 ounces (805 ml) chicken broth

1 head cauliflower

Guar or xanthan

6 tablespoons (36 g) sliced scallions

6 tablespoons (6 g) chopped cilantro

Place the chicken in your slow cooker. Top with the garlic, onion, celery, ginger, five-spice powder, salt, and lemon juice.

In a bowl, combine the hot sauce, if using, with the broth and pour it into the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 5 to 6 hours.

Okay, it's almost supper time. Run your cauliflower through the shredding blade of your food processor to make
Cauli-Rice
. Put your
Cauli-Rice
in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (28 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on high for 6 minutes.

Thicken up the sauce in the slow cooker with a little guar or xanthan to about the texture of heavy cream.

Okay, the
Cauli-Rice
is done! Uncover it immediately, drain, and divide it into 6 bowls. Divide the chicken mixture, ladling it over the
Cauli-Rice
. Top with the scallions and cilantro.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 138 calories, 4 g fat, 20 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Thai Hot Pot

This recipe takes a few more steps than some, but the results are worth it! If you can't get Southeast Asian fish sauce, you can substitute soy sauce.

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 medium carrot, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

14 ounces (390 ml) coconut milk

1 tablespoon (8 g) grated ginger root

2 tablespoons (28 ml) fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam) or soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice

2 teaspoons Splenda

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1/3 cup (87 g) natural peanut butter

1 pound (455 g) shrimp, shelled

1 cup (75 g) fresh snow pea pods, cut into 1/2-inch (13 mm) pieces

Guar or xanthan

6 cups (720 g)
Cauli-Rice
(see recipe
page 343
)

1/3 cup (48 g) chopped peanuts

Put the chicken in your slow cooker and add the carrot, onion, and garlic.

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, ginger, fish sauce or soy sauce, lime juice, Splenda, hot sauce, and peanut butter and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, using a rubber scraper to make sure you get all of it! Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

Stir in the shrimp and snow peas, re-cover the slow cooker, and turn it up to high. Cook for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are pink through.

Thicken the sauce slightly with guar or xanthan. Serve over the
Cauli-Rice
(see recipe
page 343
) or brown rice for the carb-eaters. Top each serving with the peanuts.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 480 calories, 32 g fat, 33 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 7 g dietary fiber, 12 g usable carbs.

Chicken in Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

This is a little like Panang chicken. Feel free to increase or decrease the heat to taste. If the family has differing heat tolerance, put a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce on the table!

3 Thai bird peppers (little hot red peppers; mine were dried)

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 can (13 1/2 ounces, or 380 ml) coconut milk