Meals 11-17

our streak of low carb cooking continues into another week!

01/11 once again i face the double challenge of a meatless meal that is low carb. the answer tonight was eggplant napoleons. stacks made of roasted eggplant layered with tomato, roasted red pepper and mozzarella. a little pesto and balsamic drizzle and these tiny beauties are most satisfying. the taste is reminiscent of a pizza, and you can never go wrong with pizza! besides, they look so pretty after they've been assembled.....

01/12 i had a hankering for "tex mex" tonight. so i made a jalapeño popper stuffed chicken with mashed black beans and southwest squash casserole. for the chicken i took chicken breasts that had been tenderized and flattened and rolled them with a filling of cream cheese and jalapeños. i brushed the top with bbq sauce and put just a sprinkling of cheddar on top. a little spicy. and a lot tasty. the squash was baked with green chilies, sour cream and cheddar. the individual components of the meal were all ok...but something about the combination of all three together? very tasty!!

01/13 tonight we met up with tony's friends that have formed a "dinner club". once a month they meet together to try out a new restaurant in the area. tonight we went to neyla. a greek style restaurant nearby. i did have to cheat a little on my "low carb" restrictions. this place makes its own pitas. and i do so love a good homemade pita! i got the dip sampler and was most pleased.  http://neyla.com

01/14 maybe it's my irish heritage....but i always love a good shepherd's pie. it's always so comforting and savory. perfect on a winter's night. in trying to make the meal a little healthier i used a mash cauliflower on top instead of mashed potatoes. and served it with a side of the oh-so-delicious roasted brussels sprouts. not the most exciting of meals. but a solid classic!

01/15 the very first time i ventured into the world of low carb recipes, i put together a chicken stuffed with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. much like the jalapeño popper chicken, i start with a chicken breast that has been tenderized and flattened. this time i rolled it with a stuffing of spinach that had been sautéed with shallot, garlic, sun dried tomato, feta and balsamic vinegar. over the years this has been a go-to favorite at la casa de gaio. i've learned the magic that a few carefully added herbs can bring to a simple chicken dish. a drizzle of balsamic salad dressing on top and then a pinch of salt, pepper, thyme and oregano really bring the flavors of this dish up several notches. i usually serve this with a simple garden salad. nothing fussy. just fresh crisp vegetables.

01/16 harris teeter had a sale today on some beautiful tuna steaks, so dinner tonight was a nicoise salad. tuna seared to a rare-medium rare on a bed of greens with hard boiled egg, olives. green beans, tomato and red peppers. i went back to the shallot and honey dijon vinaigrette i made a few dinners ago. the light dressing paired perfectly with the strong flavors of the tuna and egg. a very filling and high protein meal!

01/17 i had a boss a few years ago that would always bring shredded italian brisket to every pot luck. when i finally got the recipe from him, it was embarrassingly easy, but amazingly delicious. a 4 lb brisket with one can of beef stock and one packet of good season italian dressing mix in a crock pot on low for 10 hours. the brisket is so tender it falls apart. he would always serve it with italian rolls, but i usually serve it with mashed cauliflower as a healthier option. for a side i made a green bean casserole (it's not just for thanksgiving!). over all a comforting winter meal.

another week done! looking forward to next week, where fruits and whole grains will be back in the rotation!!