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Tag Archive for Spinach

A New Twist on Salmon

Posted on January 26, 2016 by thesweetlifesugarfree

The amazing world of Salmon!

First a little research, and then a great recipe the family will love!

We all know about the amazing omega-3 benefits of salmon, but there are other unique health benefits from salmon that may have been inadvertently overlooked. One fascinating new area of health benefits involves the protein and amino acid content of salmon. Several recent studies have found that salmon contains small bioactive protein molecules (called bioactive peptides) that may provide special support for joint cartilage, insulin effectiveness, and control of inflammation in the digestive tract. One particular bioactive peptide called calcitonin (sCT) has been of special interest in these studies. The reason is because a human form of calcitonin is made by the thyroid gland, and we know that it is a key hormone for helping regulate and stabilize the balance of collagen and minerals in the bone and surrounding tissue. As researchers learn more and more about salmon peptides—including sCT—we expect to see more and more potential health benefits discovered related to inflammation, including inflammation of the joints.

Salmon is also filled with plenty of B vitamins, Vitamin D, Selenium, Iodine, and of course, the great Omega 3! It is a great protein to help regulate thyroid imbalances with all of its wonderful nutrients.

Half of my family loves broiled salmon, and the other half will only eat it every now and again. I pulled out an old recipe that my mom and grandmother used to make on a regular basis, made a few changes, and received a lot of compliments. This recipe brought everyone together tonight, so I had to share. Not only was it tasty, but it is a great fast weeknight recipe.

Baked Salmon Croquettes

1/2 White Onion Chopped

3/4 Chopped Green Pepper

10 Tbsp Kerrygold Butter

30 oz Canned Wild Caught Salmon, Drained and Flaked

1 can Evaporated Milk

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

1 tsp Himalayan Salt

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

A Pinch of Xanthan Gum

More butter to top each dish

Directions:

Saute onion and peppers in butter for about 5 to 10 minutes until onion is translucent. Add salmon, evaporated milk, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with xanthan gum to thicken slightly. Spoon into ramekins, small pyrex bowls or sea shells. Top each with a pat of butter and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Caution: These will be very hot, so I always remove from the dish and plate for the children.

Enjoy!

We especially enjoy salmon with sautéed spinach. I use about 1/4 cup of butter melted to saute a few cloves of garlic. Once it is fragrant, add your spinach and stir until wilted. It is ready to serve immediately.

Posted in articles, Dinner, Health tagged with dinner, Fish, Omega 3, salmon, Spinach, Thyroid

The Golden Sauce

Posted on July 7, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

There is a golden sauce so delicious, it is worth the price of gold!

It was just yesterday that I mentioned the amazingly delectable Hollandaise Sauce as a favorite of mine on poached eggs. The best part – it is easier than you can ever imagine!

One of the things we have to be mindful of while living in a state of nutritional ketosis is our intake of protein. We all know that carbs will take us down, but did you know that protein can as well?

When there is a significant intake of protein, the body converts the protein into sugars during a process called Gluconeogenesis. This is a metabolic process that makes glucose, a simple sugar, that provides the body with energy from non-carbohydrate sources when you are a carb burner.

This is why it is super important to make sure you are getting ample healthy fats when you are consuming meats and vegetables in order to stay a fat burning machine. We don’t want those proteins turning into carbs in our body so make sure you have the fat to counteract the carbs and proteins.

And…this is why I love Hollandaise! You can put it on your veggies, your meat, your eggs – pretty much anything your heart desires! My favorites are eggs, spinach and asparagus. It is wonderful tasting, and as long as you are using our favorite grass-fed butter, it is a great source of fat! You can also ask for it at many restaurants that will gladly bring you a side of this delicious sauce.

Blender Hollandaise

Place in your blender:

2 Egg Yolks

1 TBSP Lemon Juice

Salt and Cayenne to taste

Turn your blender on low for 5 seconds.

Melt 1/2 cup butter (Kerrygold) in a pyrex glass measuring dish.

In a very low stream on the lowest speed, gently pour your butter into your egg yolk mixture.

As soon as it is combined – you have hollandaise.

I have never had it curdle, but if it does, add two egg yolks on high speed with whipping cream one TBSP at a time.

Enjoy!

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday Dish, Main Course, recipe, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with asparagus, brunch, butter, dinner, eggs, Gluconeogenesis, Hollandaise, Poached Eggs, sauce, Spinach, Tip, vegetables

The Easiest Way to Cook an Egg!

Posted on July 6, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

So many of us that follow the Ketogenic Lifestyle often eat eggs for breakfast. It is easy to quickly become tired of plain old scrambled eggs. We can mix them with chorizo, serve them with bacon or cheese, but underneath, they are still the same old scrambled eggs. Anytime you eat the same thing over and over again, it becomes tiresome. So what to do?

Mix it up with different cooking methods. This one is especially easy and fast with little mess, so it is a staple on busy weekday mornings. You can also gourmetify it with a little extra effort on the weekend.

Today, I am going to show a family favorite, and it only takes 7 minutes from start to finish with one dirty pan. By the way, the pan is extremely important unless you are only cooking for one, in which case, you can just use boiling water.

How to cook a poached egg:

Start with an egg poaching pan and great eggs from pasture raised and fed hens. I have two pans, one with 4 inserts and another with 6, just depending on how many want one or two eggs. You can buy the larger 6 egg poacher here where I purchased mine.

Today I used the four egg poacher. I purchased this one years ago from Williams Sonoma. Lift one cup out and pour about a 1/4 inch layer of water to cover the bottom of the pan to create the steam.

Spray each cup with coconut oil spray.

Place the lid on the pan, and turn your heat to high. It should start steaming with boiling water in no more than two minutes.

Once it is boiling, turn your heat down to Medium, and crack eggs one at a time, placing them in a cup insert.

Place your lid on, and set your timer for 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. Depending on how you like your yolk, you may need to adjust your time. This time gives us a nice somewhat runny center but firm white.

Once the eggs are set, and don’t jiggle if you nudge the pan a little from side to side, remove from heat and empty each egg onto your plates. Be sure to use a hot pad to protect your finger tips. I usually run a knife along the outside edge of the insert, but it is not always needed.

My husband likes his plain with salt, pepper and sometimes a little homemade salsa.

I love mine with a little hollandaise. Stay tuned this week for this awesome recipe!

Poached eggs are so versatile. Here are a few other ideas that I love to try when we have a bit more time:

Place in an avocado with or without bacon:

Get your greens too by serving over spinach or asparagus:

You can even eat them over a salad!

Enjoy your wonderful healthy eggs!

Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Kids, Lunch, Main Course, recipe, Salad, Sauces and Dressing, Side Dish, tips, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with asparagus, avocado, bacon, breakfast, brunch, eggs, Hollandaise, Poached, Salad, Spinach

Rich and Delicious Creamed Spinach

Posted on May 7, 2015 by thesweetlifesugarfree

I don’t know about you, but when we go to a nice steak restaurant, one of our sides is always creamed spinach. Well, I was determined to duplicate this rich satisfying side dish, and mission accomplished! Behind my fat bombs, this is my second most requested recipe, and is delicious alongside any meal, but it is our favorite with grass-fed beef! This dish is good enough for company!

Ingredients:

Organic Baby Spinach (I used two large containers)

Kerrygold Grass Fed Butter (1/4 to 1/2 stick)

Full Fat Cream Cheese (I package)

Heavy Whipping Cream (1/4 to 1/2 cup)

White Onion (Quartered)

Garlic (4-5 cloves)

Salt and Pepper

Whole Nutmeg

Preparation:

Bring a full pot of water to a boil. Add spinach and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. You want it cooked down, but not completely wilted.

Drain in a colander, and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Back in the same pot, melt your butter over medium heat. I used a half of a Kerrygold brick. If you are using a regular stick of butter, you will need 1 whole stick.

Add a quarter to a half of a white onion, finely chopped with 4-5 minced garlic cloves, and sauté until translucent. (We like a bit more onion and garlic which is higher in carbs so take that into account.)

Turn your heat down to low. Add your cream cheese cubed and stir well until incorporated with the butter. It may separate slightly and this is okay. When you add your spinach it will combine well.

Press all the remaining water out of your spinach. Dump it out on a cutting board and chop roughly. Then add it to your butter mixture on the stove.

Next, add your heavy cream. This is up to you. Start with 1/4 cup, and if you want it creamier, add a little at a time. It will thicken slightly after about 5 minutes over low heat.

Now, all you have left is your seasoning! Spinach is amazing with nutmeg, especially freshly grated. I also add freshly ground Himalayan salt and black pepper.

Mix all your seasonings in and let it simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Then serve and enjoy! It is just as good left over for lunch too!

Posted in Dinner, recipe, Side Dish, Uncategorized, Vegetable tagged with cream, cream cheese, dinner, garlic, heavy cream, leafy green, nutmeg, onion, recipe, saute, side dish, Spinach