Low Carb Shrimp Scampi Dinner

Low Carb dinners are on the top of my list these days.  I'm obsessed with finding enjoyable, delicious and satisfying meals, that are nutritious. I wanted shrimp scampi but I can't have pasta.  Spaghetti squash was my next choice but I was thinking outside of the box.  I wanted 2 cups of vegetables and 8 oz. of shrimp per person. I found the perfect recipe for the Shrimp.  I bake it in the oven,mix it with the vegetables and boom!  I steamed 1 cup of broccoli, cauliflower and  sliced carrots.  I make this meal often and I am loving the combinations.  So many veggies go well with shrimp, garlic, butter, lemon, and dijon mustard.  YUUUUUUM!  

Ingredients

1stick of butter
2 lbs.  Shrimp,deveined, peeled (tails left on optional)

2 tablespoons of prepared dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

VEGGIES

1 1/2 cup of broccoli

1 1/2 cup of cauliflower

1 cup of sliced fresh carrots

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F

2.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic and parsley .           When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.

3.  Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish.  Pour the butter mixture over that shrimp.

4.  Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

While the shrimp is baking you should have enough time to steam the vegetables.  I put them in a platter then when the shrimp is done, I take it out of the oven, pour it over the veggies.  

Garnish with parsley, lemon slices, parmesan cheese.  Treat yourself!

Crustless Apple Pie

This is a delightful treat in the summer, served cold.  It is delicious and refreshing, very low in calories if you have just a little bit. It is also very simple.




Ingredients


1/2 cup of cinnamon apple sauce 
Whipped light cream






Refrigerate the apple sauce. When you are ready to have some, get a bowl and pour 1/2 cup of apple sauce into a bowl, top with your desired amount of whip cream.  That's it!  Treat yourself!  Enjoy.

Mushroom Asparagus Soup with Chicken Sausage

This soup came out of what I had in the fridge.  It came out so delicious!  You don't have to use the sausage if you don't want to (I love roasted garlic chicken sausage and this came out better than I could have imagined), you can add chicken, tofu, go for it!  It simmers for 30 minutes and I add the sausage and shitake mushrooms,and cream at the end. What made this soup over the top was that I toasted thin slices of a thin Berkshire multi grain baguette in the oven.  While bread was still very warm, rub a garlic clove cut in half, on the bread.

Ingredients

1 bunch of  chopped asparagus, ends torn off and discarded
8 oz. of baby bella mushrooms
8 oz of shitake mushrooms
8 oz of fresh cauliflower
1 cup of chopped onion
1 package of chicken and roasted garlic sausage
4 cups of organic veggie broth
1 can of chicken broth
1/2 cup of light cream
1T of oregano
2 teaspoons of tumeric
2 teaspoons of corriander
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of cumin
fresh chopped parsley for garnish


Directions
Spray the soup pot with some Pam, turn the heat to medium high.  Add bella mushrooms, onions, cumin stir for 2 minutes.  Add the asparagus and stir for a minute while adding the rest of the seasonings.  Add the cauliflower,  the veggie and chicken broths.  Bring the soup to a boil, and turn it down to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, cut the sausage into bite size pieces and brown with the shitake mushrooms.  When the soup is done, blend it with an immersion blender, or in a blender, blend batches of the soup and return to the pot.  Add the light cream, sausage and shitake mushrooms.  Serve with sour cream, or greek yogurt if desired and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.  Serve with crusty bread.