Chicken Marsala Meatballs

I really wanted this recipe to blow me away. It did not - but it might have been because of me. I even followed the recipe, with one small mistake...I misread when / where to add the garlic. The recipe calls for 6 cloves, separated. I missed the separated part. All 6 cloves ended up in the meatballs. That really overwhelmed them. I may make these again and do it right.

Chicken Marsala Meatballs
Recipe from SkinnyTaste.com

Serves 5
8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms, divided

Photo from SkinnyTaste.com

1 pound 93% lean ground chicken
1/3 cup whole wheat seasoned or gluten-free bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Pecorino cheese
1 large egg, beaten
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
3 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/3 cup Marsala wine
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Finely chop half of the Cremini mushrooms and transfer to a medium bowl with the ground chicken, breadcrumbs, Pecorino, egg, 1 clove of the minced garlic, parsley, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper, to taste.

Gently shape into 25 small meatballs, bake 15 to 18 minutes, until golden.

In a small bowl whisk the flour with the Marsala wine and broth.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat.

Add the butter, garlic and shallots and cook until soft and golden, about 2 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, season with 1/8 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Return the meatballs to the pot, pour the Marsala wine mixture over the meatballs, cover and cook 10 minutes.

Garnish with parsley.

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 248
Carbohydrates: 13g
Fiber: 1.5g
Protein: 21g

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

My bestie and I used to go to PF Changs all the time because we lived so close to it. Their lettuce wraps changed my life. I'd often order them for dinner instead of an appetizer. Since I first discovered them I've been testing/tasting lettuce wraps looking for one that's the closest.

This one isn't it. This one is good, but no PF Changs.

I swapped out the protein for ground pork because that's what I had on hand. I actually think that was a mistake and what may have made this not GREAT. It is however, one of THE LOWEST carb recipes I've every made.

Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe from MyRecipes.com

Serves 4 as a meal, more as an appetizer
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Photo from MyRecipes.com

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce with garlic
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil or olive oil
1 pound ground chicken
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 3 onions)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts [I completely forgot to add these]
12 iceberg lettuce leaves

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until done, stirring to crumble. Add onions, and sauté 3 minutes. Add lime juice mixture, cilantro, and mint; sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in peanuts.

Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture onto each lettuce leaf, and roll up.

Calories 83
Fat 5.6g
Protein 7.2g
Carbohydrate 1.6g
Fiber 0.5g

Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

I really wanted to make this stir fry and was sad I couldn't eat rice with it. Turned out, I really didn't need the rice.

The ONE fatal mistake I made in this recipe...I forgot the lemon juice. DOH...It was delicious regardless.

To bulk up the meal a bit, I also added sugar snow peas...chopped. The combo with asparagus and snow peas was nice.

Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry
Recipe from: SkinnyTaste.com

Makes 4 Servings
1 1/2 pounds skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

Photo from SkinnyTaste.com

Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or Tamari for GF)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 tbsp canola or grapeseed oil, divided
1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
fresh black pepper, to taste

Lightly season the chicken with salt. In a small bowl, combine chicken broth and soy sauce. In a second small bowl combine the cornstarch and water and mix well to combine.

Heat a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat, when hot add 1 teaspoon of the oil, then add the asparagus and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Increase the heat to high, then add 1 teaspoon of oil and half of the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside and repeat with the remaining oil and chicken. Set aside.

Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil and cook about 1-1/2 minutes. Add lemon juice and cornstarch mixture and stir well, when it simmers return the chicken and asparagus to the wok and mix well, remove from heat and serve.

And in case you care, Calories: 268 • Fat: 7 g • Carb: 10 g • Fiber: 3 g • Protein: 41 g

Another side note, if you double the sauce in this recipe - like I did - don't use twice as much soy sauce, cut it with some water. You'll thank me later.

Cowboy-Style Beef with Vegetable Ragout

Low Carb...It's hard. I miss my carbs.

My plan for the week is done and I'm determined to stick to it this week. One meal at a time.

Made this tonight for dinner. Made a few changes to it to use what I had on hand. Turns out it was fantastic. I'll make this again.

Cowboy-Style Beef and Vegetable Ragout
Recipe from Cooking Light

1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock, divided [JW only had regular chicken stock]

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 pound 90% lean ground sirloin

1/2 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce [JW - is this a thing? I had no idea. Used my normal W sauce.]

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup onion

1 1/2 can diced tomato [JW - I had a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilis. It really made this dish to me. I'm not a fan of heated up tomatoes (like fresh tomatoes tossed in a dish). ]

1/2 tablespoon unsalted ketchup

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Combine 2 tablespoons stock and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, stirring to crumble. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and white parts of green onions; cook 2 minutes. Remove mixture from pan.

Add onions to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add 1 cup tomato and ketchup; cook 3 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture, remaining stock, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook 3 minutes or until thickened. Stir in beef mixture, green parts of green onions, and remaining 1/2 cup tomato. Sprinkle with chives.

JW - So I put the onions, a diced carrot and the beef in the pan to begin with and cooked them together. Added the W sauce, seasoning and then Rotel tomatoes. 

Makes 2 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

317 calories

CARBOHYDRATE 12.

FIBER 2.0g

PROTEIN 26.0g