Crab Stuffed Portabella Mushroom

This savoury mushroom dish is packed with flavour and protein, making it a satisfying entree.

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• 2 large portabella mushrooms
• ¼ cup dill pickle, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces crab meat, chopped
• 1 pkg Ideal Protein Potato Puree
• 2 Tbsp egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Remove stem and gills (scrape the brown frills off) from the mushrooms.
3. Place mushrooms scraped side up on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before using a paper towel to absorb any moisture.
4. In a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Fill the partially cooked mushrooms, splitting it evenly between them.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of mushrooms).
6. Broil/grill for an additional 5 minute to brown on top. Enjoy. 

Savoury Mushrooms

Not sure what to do with those bags of dehydrated mushrooms you see hanging in the grocery store? Try one of the options below to create delicious mushrooms for combining with ground meat or serving on top of other dishes.

Garlic Soy Rehydrated Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic paste (no added sugar)
• 1 cup rehydrated mushrooms

Directions:
Combine ingredients. Serve or allow to marinate in the refrigerator for an hour.

Rehydrated Mushrooms stewed in Tomato

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cup dried mushrooms (500mL)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp ketchup (0 carb type like Walden Farms) or tomato paste
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Re-hydrate mushrooms according to package.
2. Saute mushrooms with grapeseed oil, onion powder, and garlic for 5 minutes.
3. Add ketchup and continue cooking until heated through.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Learn more about dehydrated mushrooms here.

Garlic Mushroom Chicken with Sage

This chicken recipe is a wonderfully warm dish for the fall weather. The mushroom broth also keeps it very moist and goes great with cauliflower rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs chicken breast, skin removed
• 8 oz of mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced
• ½ cup chicken broth 
• 8-10 large garlic cloves, peeled 
• ¼ tsp onion powder
•  ¼ tsp ground dried sage
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Mix the broth and spices in bowl. 
3. Place the chicken breast in a baking dish and pour the broth and spices over top. Add the sliced mushrooms and garlic cloves (spreading evenly around pan).
4. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.
5. To make the garlic mushroom sauce: separate the liquid, garlic and half of the mushrooms from the chicken and place it in a blender. Pulse until you get the consistency of gravy.Spoon it over the chicken and enjoy!

Sage

Native to the Mediterranean region, Sage has a long history of medicinal and culinary use.

Bundle of fresh sage

Sage has, for generations, been considered one of the essential herbs, along with parsley, rosemary and thyme. It has a savory, slightly peppery flavor and is used in many European cuisines and Middle Eastern cooking. Locally, it is traditionally served in stuffing and other fall or winter dishes. It can be easily obtained fresh, dried or powdered, or grown in your garden.

Using Sage

Sage is great as a seasoning for meat and combines well with the flavours from onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, parsley, bay leaf and rosemary.

Cooking will mellow its flavour though, so add it towards the end of your cooking for a stronger impact. Using fresh sage will also give a milder flavour than dried.

Marinated Mushrooms - Lemon, Parsley and Sage

These marinated mushrooms make for a great salad topper. You can even use the additional marinade and juices remaining after they soak as a dressing.

If you are on Phase 1, they do not count as part of your 2 cups of vegetables because they are raw mushrooms.

Ingredients

• 6 cups white button mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch thick
• ½ cup white onion, thinly sliced
• ½ cup  parsley, chopped  
• 2 Tbsp sage, chopped
• ¼ cup lemon juice (½ lemon)
• 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½  tsp. black pepper

Directions

1. Combine lemon juice, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place mushrooms in a large ziploc bag. Add the onion, parsley and sage.
3. Pour the marinade into the ziploc bag, making sure contents are evenly coated. Seal after squeezing out air, laying lat to marinate.
4. Refrigerate mushrooms for 4 hours, turning bag hourly to mix contents.
5. Enjoy!

Low Carb Thanksgiving

It's not easy staying healthy during the holidays when sugary sauces and treats are plentiful. Here are some ideas to help you.

Turkey
Turkey is a great lean source of protein if you stick to white meat and remove the skin.

Mashed Potatoes
Try one of these instead:

• Scalloped NotPotatoes! - a big hit on our Not Potato! Night
• Celery Root Mash - celeriac is a delicious alternative

Turnip and Rutabaga
These are actually good options, white turnip better than rutabaga, just avoid adding butter or sugar. If you need some extra zip, use olive oil and/or one of our sugar-free maple syrups (Ideal Protein or Walden Farms).

Side Vegetables
Choose low Glycemic Index vegetables for your sides like:

• cauliflower 
• broccoli
• cabbage - try cabbage steaks
• asparagus
• leafy greens
• zucchini 
• green beans or brussel spouts in moderation
• avoid peas, carrots, potatoes, and corn

You can season your vegetables with:

• olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• onion powder
• garlic
• ginger
• other herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cumin, paprika, etc)
• mustards (no sugar added)
• apple cider vinegar 
• hot sauce
• other sugar and fat free condiments

Rolls
Sorry - these are out if you want to keep your carbs down. Definitely a no go if you are on Phase 1. If you absolutely need bread, try this Fluffy Roll recipe.

Gravy
Unfortunately, gravy is often thickened with flour which adds carbs. To avoid this, make your gravy using no thickener, adding only broth or water and then reducing, or use a no carb thickener like Xanthan gum (but only a tiny bit towards the end). If you want your gravy thicker or creamier, try blending in some silken tofu.

Desserts
So much tasty sugar is served up over the holidays. Don't deny yourself a treat, just choose a healthy one.

• Raspberry Meringue Cookies
• Ideal Protein products:
• Pudding - milk or dark chocolate, vanilla, banana, butterscotch
• Wafers - triple chocolate, orange, lemon, strawberry
• Bars - milk chocolate, cookie n cream, caramel nut, cookie dough swirl, lemon poppyseed, chocolate mint, and more...
• Soy Puffs - chocolate, peanut butter, sour cream
• Jelly - raspberry or cherry
• Raspberry Chocolaty Bar
• Double Chocolate Brownie
• Crisps - fine herb, salt & vinegar and BBQ if sweet isn't your preference

Drinks
Alcohol is a big NO if you are on Phase 1. Try one of the options below for sipping:

• tea
• coffee
• water - sparkling or still
• club soda
• one of the above with lemon, lime or a little sugar free sweetener
• TRUE Citrus
• Ideal Protein Mangosteen Enhancer, Mio, Crystal light, etc with no sugar, calories or fat
• Splenda
• avoid milk or cream - if you need something like this, try using a little of the Ideal Protein Vanilla Drink.
• Ideal Protein products like:
• Blueberry Cran-Granata
• Peach and Mango
• Pina Colada
• Pineapple and Banana
• you can mix any of the above with sparkling or still water

Our 2013 Ideal Protein Thanksgiving post has our ideas from last year too.

Mushrooms

Wild or cultivated, there are many varieties of edible mushrooms available in our area. All need to be stored in paper bags, not plastic, and pair deliciously with almost anything.

Oyster, white, brown cremini, enoki (the thin white ones) and shiitake mushrooms, with portabella in the back

The most popular cultivated mushrooms are:

• white
• button
• cremini or brown
• shiitake
• portabella
• oyster
• enoki
• king oyster

Morels

You can find edible wild varieties in local farmers markets (make sure the mushrooms have been properly identified) or dried in stores. These may include:

• chanterelles 
• morels 
• puffball
• porcini
• lobster

Mushrooms Canada has some great information on varieties and more.

How to Prepare Mushrooms

For the most commonly used mushrooms, like white and brown, sautéing in oil or butter and salt is a simple and delicious method. Make sure they aren't too crowded in pan though, or they will steam instead of brown.