Mini Beef Soft Tacos

In the season finale of MasterChef America last month, one of the contestants used blanched jicama slices to wrap spring rolls. It's been on my mind ever since to try jicama in place of tortillas. I finally did and I am please to share that it works fabulously!

1 lb ground beef
½ c chopped onions (3 oz)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ t chili powder
½ t ground cumin
¼ t pepper
2 t salt, divided
2 c chopped tomatoes (14 oz)
1 15-oz can black soybeans*, drained
1 lb jicama, peeled and thinly sliced
1 c shredded lettuce (2½ oz)
½ c mashed avocado (4 oz)
½ c shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (½ oz)

NOTE: If you can't find black soybeans, you may substitute black beans, increasing the net carbs to 4.5 g per taco.

1. Brown ground beef with onions over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic, spices, pepper, and ½ t salt. Sauté until fragrant (30-60 sec).
3. Stir in tomatoes and soybeans. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 min or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, boil 4 qts water with remaining salt. Add jicama slices and cook until very pliable, 8-10 min. Drain well.
5. Divide beef mixture and lettuce among jicama slices. Top as desired with avocado, cheese, and jalapeño.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 loaded taco Serving per Recipe about 24

Amount per Serving Calories 107 Total Fat 7.5 g   Saturated Fat 2.8 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g   Monounsaturated Fat 2.9 g Cholesterol 19 mg Sodium 230 mg Potassium 195 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.7 g   Dietary Fiber 2.6 g   Sugars 0.6 g Protein 5.7 g

Stuffed Peppers

I never much liked traditional stuffed peppers. With four red peppers in my refrigerator on the verge of getting too old to eat, however, I couldn't think of anything else to make. Since the traditional rice filling was out, I grated up some squash seed cores left over from a meal of Mock-aroni and Cheese I'd made earlier. I thought it tasted better than any other stuffed peppers I've had.

4 red bell peppers (1 lb)
1 lb ground beef
¼ c chopped onion (1½ oz)
1 clove garlic
½ c shredded yellow squash (4 oz)
1 egg, beaten
½ c grated Romano, divided (1 oz)

1. Cut tops from peppers and remove seeds and ribs.
2. Dice pepper tops. Sauté with beef, onion, garlic, and squash until beef is browned and vegetables have softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Boil 3 qts water. Set peppers in boiling water for 3-5 min until they turn bright red. Remove and let cool.
4. Mix egg and ¼ c cheese into filling.
5. Stand peppers in an 9x9 pan and spoon filling evenly among them. Top each with 1 T cheese.
6. Bake at 350°F for 30-35 min or until cooked through.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 pepper Serving per Recipe 4

Amount per Serving Calories 441 Total Fat 33.7 g   Saturated Fat 13.8 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 1.6 g   Monounsaturated Fat 14.3 g Cholesterol 150 mg Sodium 185 mg Potassium 376 mg Total Carbohydrates 9.2 g   Dietary Fiber 2.9 g   Sugars 5.4 g Protein 24.3 g

Eggplant Romano

This dish is a combination of three or four different recipes, mostly from Carol Gelles's 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes. It is definitely one of the more complicated and time-consuming meals we make, but I think it's worth the trouble occasionally as a special treat.

1 eggplant (1¼ lbs)
½ t salt, divided
1 lb ground beef
½ c minced onions (2 oz)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t oregano
½ t thyme
¼ t pepper
1½ c diced tomatoes (14 oz)
1½ c almond flour (6 oz)
1 c grated Romano cheese (2 oz)
1 egg, beaten with 2 T water
½ c heavy cream
½ c shredded mozzarella cheese (2 oz)

1. Cut eggplant into ¼-in slices. Sprinkle with ¼ t salt and set in a colander to drain.
2. Brown ground beef with onions. Drain grease and add garlic, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 min.
3. Stir in tomatoes and simmer until thick, stirring occasionally.
4. Blend together almond flour and cheese until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
5. Pour almond mixture into a shallow dish and beaten egg into a second dish.
6. Drain eggplant well and pat dry. Dip each piece in the egg and the into the almond mixture, lightly coating both sides.
7. Fry slices over medium heat on a griddle brushed with oil until the coating is browned and crispy, about 4 min per side.
8. Stir cream into tomato sauce and remove from heat.
9. Arrange half the eggplant slices on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cover with half the sauce. Make another layer of eggplant and cover with remaining sauce.
10. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top layer of sauce.
11. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 min or until cheese is browned and eggplant is cooked through.
12. Let stand a few minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 12

Amount per Serving Calories 243 Total Fat 18.0 g   Saturated Fat 6.0 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g   Monounsaturated Fat 8.5 g Cholesterol 59 mg Sodium 211 mg Potassium 392 mg Total Carbohydrates 8.3 g   Dietary Fiber 3.4 g   Sugars 0.7 g Protein 13.9 g

Mediterranean Meatballs with Tzatziki

I made this dish the first time on a whim, looking for something a little different and lower in carbs than a typical tomato-based sauce. Tzatziki is what the Greeks call their cucumber and yogurt sauce, variations of which are served all around the Mediterranean. We usually eat this for lunch or supper, but it also would make great hors d'oeuvres.

Meatballs
2 lbs ground beef
2 T dry minced onions
2 eggs
½ c grated Romano cheese (1 oz)
2 t dried parsley

1. Mix together all ingredients and form into 24 balls.
2. Bake on a metal rack set over a baking pan at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

Tzatziki
1 small cucumber (5 oz)
½ t salt, divided
2 cloves garlic
1 c yogurt
⅛ pepper

1. Peel cucumber and slice thinly.
2. Sprinkle slices with ¼ t salt.
3. Set in colander to drain for at least 30 minutes.
4. Mash garlic with remaining salt to form a paste.
5. Add garlic paste to yogurt and cucumber slices and puree until smooth.
6. Refrigerate until chilled through.

Nutrition Facts (Meatballs)	Nutrition Facts (Tzatziki)
Serving Size 4 meatballs Serving per Recipe 6	Serving Size ¼ c Serving per Recipe 10
Amount per Serving Calories 516 Total Fat 43.1 g   Saturated Fat 17.6 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0 g   Monounsaturated Fat 18.6 g Cholesterol 195 mg Sodium 184 mg Potassium 403 mg Total Carbohydrates 1.6 g   Dietary Fiber 0.2 g   Sugars 0.0 g Protein 28.9 g	Amount per Serving Calories 17.5 Total Fat 0.8 g   Saturated Fat 0.5 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g   Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g Cholesterol 3 mg Sodium 128 mg Potassium 59 mg Total Carbohydrates 1.6 g   Dietary Fiber 0.5 g   Sugars 1.3 g Protein 1.0 g

Beef Pot Roast

My mom used to make beef roast pretty regularly for Sunday dinners. She would season the beef with a packet of onion soup mix. Of course, she would also toss in a bunch of potatoes. Still, this dish was created as a low-carb homage to Mom's pot roast.

2 T dry minced onions
½ t oregano
½ t turmeric
½ t salt
¼ t chili powder
¼ t thyme
⅛ t pepper
3 lbs beef roast
2 T bacon grease
4 celery stalks (6 oz)
3 carrots, roughly chopped (7 oz)
2 onions, roughly chopped (8 oz)

1. Combine first 7 ingredients and rub mixture over beef
2. Sear beef in bacon grease
3. Lay celery stalks across bottom of crock
4. Place beef on top of celery
5. Add remaining vegetables
6. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 12

Amount per Serving Calories 374 Total Fat 24.3 g   Saturated Fat 2.5 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g   Monounsaturated Fat 2.6 g Cholesterol 70 mg Sodium 199 mg Potassium 543 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.4 g   Dietary Fiber 1.1 g   Sugars 0.7 g Protein 32.5 g

Baked Almond Noodles

I was planning to make lasagna with slices of eggplant instead of the noodles. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to add eggplant and mozzarella to the grocery list. I found a low-carb lasagna recipe that substituted almond flour crepes for the noodles. I tinkered a bit to make a thicker noodle, then added them to my own lasagna recipe, minus the mozzarella.

1 lb ground beef
½ c minced onion (2 oz)
½ c shredded carrot (2 oz)
½ c diced celery (2 oz)
3 c diced tomatoes (28 oz)
1 t oregano
½ t thyme
3 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ c heavy cream
1½ c grated Romano cheese, divided (3 oz)
Pinch nutmeg
1 recipe almond noodles (below)

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté together beef, onion, carrot, and celery until beef is browned and onions are soft and translucent. Drain well. Add tomatoes and herbs. Reduce heat to low. Simmer until thick, stirring occasionally.
2. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, cooking until fragrant (about 1 min). Add cream and simmer until sauce begins to thicken (4-6 min), stirring frequently. Add 1 c cheese and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Stir until smooth.
3. In a buttered 9x9 pan, make layers of cream sauce, noodles, and meat sauce. Top with remaining Romano. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 min or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
4. Let stand a few min before serving.

Almond Noodles
⅓ c almond butter (3 oz)
1 T coconut flour (8 g)
3 eggs
½ c yogurt
¼ c water
¼ t salt

1. Blend all ingredients together until well combined.
2. Pour by ½ c measure onto square griddle brushed with oil and spread to cover.
3. Cook over medium-low heat until set and slides easily from pan.
4. Set on a wire rack to cool.
5. Cut into wide noodles.

Nutrition Facts (whole recipe)	Nutrition Facts (noodles only)
Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 8	Serving Size 12 noodles (9" x 3") Serving per Recipe 1
Amount per Serving Calories 418 Total Fat 33.7 g   Saturated Fat 14.0 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8 g   Monounsaturated Fat 13.8 g Cholesterol 153 mg Sodium 344 mg Potassium 565 mg Total Carbohydrates 11.2 g   Dietary Fiber 3.5 g   Sugars 1.2 g Protein 19.6 g	Amount per Serving Calories 856 Total Fat 67.6 g   Saturated Fat 13.0 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 13.8 g   Monounsaturated Fat 34.6 g Cholesterol 555 mg Sodium 1133 mg Potassium 1060 mg Total Carbohydrates 23.3 g   Dietary Fiber 14.8 g   Sugars 6.2 g Protein 42.9 g

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

I was looking up low-carb options for binding ingredients when I stumbled across Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf Recipe. While the idea sounded fabulous, Paula's recipe needed a little tweaking to fit our low-carb, grain-free diet.

6 slices bacon, divided (5 oz)
2 lbs ground beef
1½ c shredded cheddar, divided (6 oz)
2 eggs
1 T dry minced onions
⅓ c crushed pork rinds (½ oz)
½ t pepper
2 T mustard
⅓ cup ketchup, divided

1. Cook bacon until crispy. Crumble into a large bowl, reserving 2 slices.
2. Add beef, 1 c cheese, eggs, onions, pork rinds, pepper, mustard, and ¼ c ketchup. Mix well.
3. Shape into a flat-topped loaf (or form a giant burger) and place on metal rack over a baking sheet. Spread remaining ketchup over top of loaf.
4. Bake at 400°F for 50 minutes. Top with remaining ½ c cheese and crumble reserved bacon slices over the center of the loaf.
5. Bake an additional 20-25 min or until cheese is bubbly and beef is no longer pink in the center.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1 slice Serving per Recipe 8

Amount per Serving Calories 509 Total Fat 41.5 g   Saturated Fat 18.2 g   Polyunsaturated Fat 2.0 g   Monounsaturated Fat 16.9 g Cholesterol 172 mg Sodium 471 mg Potassium 330 mg Total Carbohydrates 4.2 g   Dietary Fiber 0.2 g   Sugars 2.7 g Protein 28.5 g