*LO CARB* Green Bean Stir-fry, Mushroom+Spinach Casserole, Sausage+Mushroom Quiche, Stuffed Tomatoes!!! 🌞

[justaprogressive]

Stir-Fried Green Beans and Water Chestnuts

2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil
2 cups (300 g) frozen green beans, thawed
1/2 cup (100 g) canned water chestnuts, sliced or diced, drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup (60 ml) chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
Guar or xanthan

Heat the oil in a skillet or wok, over high heat. Add the green beans
and water chestnuts, and stir-fry until the green beans are tender-crisp.
Stir in the garlic, chicken broth, and soy sauce, and let simmer for a
couple of minutes; thicken the pan juices just a little with your guar or
xanthan shaker, and serve.

Yield: 3 servings

Each with: 126 calories; 9 g fat; 2 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber;
7 g usable carbs.


***********************************************************************


Stephanie H.'s
Mushroom-Spinach Casserole

Our tester, Ray, says this is perfect if you need a hot vegetable dish
to bring to a potluck or pitch-in. And Barbo, who also tested this,
rated it a 10.

2-4 tablespoons (30-60 g) butter
3/4- 1 pound (340-455 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1j4 cup (40 g) chopped onion
1/2 cup (30 g) mixed herbs of your choice (Stephanie used parsley)
1 10-ounce (280 g) package frozen chopped spinach,
thawed and well drained
1 cup (120 g) grated or finely chopped cheese (Stephanie used Swiss)
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy cream
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 of (170°C).

In a skillet, melt a tablespoon (15 g) or so of butter over medium to
medium-high heat, and saute the sliced mushrooms. As you cook
the mushrooms, they will begin to release their liquid. Keep cooking
them until all the liquid evaporates. This is key to keeping the resulting
casserole from having too much liquid. Set the cooked mushrooms
aside in a mixing bowl.

In the same skillet, use another tablespoon (15 g) of butter to saute the
onion until soft. Then add the herbs and cook for a moment to release
their aromas. Add this mixture to the mushrooms.

Add the spinach to the mushroom mixture and mix well. When this has
cooled a bit, add the cheese (you just don't want the cheese melting from
the heat of the veggies that have just been cooked). When everything has
been combined, place it in a casserole dish you've sprayed with nonstick
spray.

In a separate dish, whisk together the cream, egg, and egg yolk, then pour
this mixture over the veggies. Top with a sprinkle of Parmesan.

Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 30 minutes, depending
on your oven.

Stephanie's note: "Here are some other embellishment ideas to mix
and match: garlic, ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
walnuts, cooked and diced meats or seafood (chicken, ham,
pepperoni, shrimp, crab, etc.). You could easily change the herbs
and give it an Italian or Greek flavor."

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Assuming 5 servings, each will have: 244 calories; 19 g fat; 12 g protein;
8 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.


**************************************************************************


Jan Carmichael's
Sausage Mushroom Quiche

Serve this with a salad on the side, and warm up any leftovers
for breakfast.

1 pound (445 g) bulk sausage, hot or mild as you prefer
1 cup (160 g) chopped white onions
1 cup (100 g) sliced fresh mushrooms
4 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup (120 g) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup (150 g) grated Parmesan
2 cups (480 ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 300°F (150 °C).

First, cook sausage, onions, and mushrooms together, crumbling
the sausage, until sausage is brown and vegetables cooked through.
Drain, drain, drain. (Jan usually pours off excess grease, then drains
it further by placing mixture on paper towels.) Press this mixture
into the bottom of 10" (25 cm) pie plate you've sprayed with nonstick
spray. (Alternatively, our tester suggests a 9" x 13" (22.5 x 32.5 cm)
rectangular baking dish.)

Next, whisk together the 4 eggs and 1 yolk with the Dijon mustard,
dry mustard, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, Jack cheese, and 2/3 cup
(100 g) of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well.

Pour your cream into a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and put it over
low heat. Heat just to the boiling point (do not boil!). Then pour this
scalded cream into the egg mixture. Mix and pour custard over
sausage crust in pie plate. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for around 35
minutes or until set. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese
and parsley. Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting.

Note: Jan says, "I've also used leftover chicken and broccoli in place
of the sausage and mushrooms. It's all good!"

Yield: 8 servings

Each will have: 591 calories; 55 g fat; 19 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; trace
dietary fiber; 5 g usable carbs.


*********************************************************************


Sheryl McKenney's Stuffed Tomatoes

This is a tasty and attractively presented recipe. Our tester liked that
it didn't call for anything out of the way or hard to find-and that her
son liked it, too!

6-8 large tomatoes
1 pound (455 g) lean ground beef
1 cup (175 g) frozen "seasoning blend" vegetables (frozen chopped onion,
celery, green and red peppers)
1 8-ounce (225 g) can tomato sauce or 1 cup (240 ml) tomato juice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Shredded cheese of your choice (I used Colby/mozzarella)

Preheat oven to 375 °F (190°C).

Cut off the tops of the tomatoes and scoop out the insides of
the tomatoes, leaving a 1/2" (6.25 mm) shell.

In a large skillet, start cooking and crumbling ground beef with
the seasoning blend vegetables. Cook until ground beef is
browned. Add tomato sauce or juice, apple cider vinegar,
Splenda, Italian seasoning, cinnamon, curry powder, and salt
and pepper. Simmer until all ingredients are well blended.

Salt the insides of the tomato shells and place in baking pan
you've sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle a layer
of shredded cheese in the bottoms of the tomatoes. Fill the
tomatoes with the meat mixture. Sprinkle more cheese on the
top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Sheryl's note: "For a variation, add 1 cup (150 g) of cauli-rice to the meat filling."

Yield: 8 servings

Each will have: 273 calories; 20 g fat; 15 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary
fiber; 7 g usable carbs.

All the above from "500 Low-Carb Recipes" by Dana Carpender
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9388483

Keep those naughty carbs at bay!

Ed Note: Most of the recipes I post are NOT on the web!
They're in BOOKS!

[CoopersDad]

1. Thank you for taking the time to post these recipes!

They look yummy!

[justaprogressive]

2. Thanks!

Last edited Fri Oct 31, 2025, 11:41 AM - Edit history (1)

as a chef I tended to overeat! Dana and her recipes helped me lose 60lbs to date!

[PennyC]

3. Thanks for these!

I have most of Dana Carpender's books but some of these were surprises to me!

[justaprogressive]

4. thank you, I do my best

...to find the best...

[mwmisses4289]

5. The pic with the first recipe looks like it also has

slices of beef or chicken, along with the green beans and water chestnuts.
They all look might tasty, that's for sure.

[justaprogressive]

6. I do try

to find something illustrative if the recipe has no image...