Kidney Bean and Avocado Salad

Here is another favorite Mrs. Zen adapted from Harumi Kurihara's Japanese cookbooks.

Ms. Kurihara has two books translated to English and they are a wonderful resource for low-carb/low-GI food. The recipe below does not appear in either of her English books, so Zenland is the EXCLUSIVE place to get it.

Click on the picture or visit my Amazon store, Zenland's House of Nutrition to get Ms. Kurihara's books:


Ingredients:

• 1 can of kidney beans, drained
• 2 avocados, peeled, cored, chopped
  
• Mayonaise
• 2 tbls thin deli sliced ham chopped (about 4 slices)
  
• Lemon juice
• salt
• pepper
• cilantro
  
• 2 tbls onion minced

Drain the kidney beans and chill in the fridge.

Peel, core and chop the avocado. Sprinkle lemon juice on it to prevent oxidization. Chill in the fridge, too.

Mix mayo, ham, onion, and mayo. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Just before serving, mix beans, avocado and mayo sauce and add chopped cilantro for color.

Serve and enjoy!

Mexican Food - The Low Carb Way

Here are a couple of recipes that guests always love. Note: These dishes are low GI and "lower" carb than most Americans eat however they are probably not appropriate for induction-phase LCers.

Chili Relleno Casserole with Beef

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 onion chopped
• dash of cumin (to taste)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 lb grated cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, pepperjack, etc)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 can whole green chiles

Brown the ground beef in a pan, seasoning to taste. Add chopped onion and cumin.

Mix eggs, milk and flour with a mixer until smooth.

In a casserole dish, alternate putting down a layer of ground beef and a layer of chile until done. Pour egg mixture over the top, allowing it to soak in. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• Beef or chicken or turkey
• Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce (Red goes well with beef, green with chicken)
• 1/2 chopped onion
• Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

If beef, brown with onion and drain fat.

If chicken, add a dash of sherry and microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, then shred and mix with chopped onion.


Add monterey jack cheese to the filling and a bit of Old El Paso enchilada sauce and mix it.

Soak corn tortillas in enchilada sauce, making sure to coat both sides. Put tortillas in bottom of a flat pan and spoon in fillings. Roll tortillas in pan, cover with sauce and cheese.

Bake at 360 for 30 to 40 minutes (until top becomes deliciously brown).

What's Cookin', Good Lookin'?

I was analyzing the statistics from the new hit counter I put in and see I'm getting hits from folks searching on Low Carb topics. When I told Mrs. Zen about this she suggested I start including some of the LC recipes and adaptations she's come up with over the years. Here are two quickies to get the ball rolling:

Tofu Lasagna:

This one is really simple.

1. Take your favorite lasagna recipe
2. Replace the noodles with a firm tofu cut into thin slices
3. Layer sauce and noodles
   
4. Bake according to the recipe

Spaghetti!

Yes, that's right. Owing to new advances in tofu sciences, Eastern chefs have now learned to secret to creating noodles out of tofu. They are called Shirataki noodles and can be found in any Asian market as well as many health food stores (like Whole Foods).

Shirataki noodles have a texture a tiny but more rubbery than the formed wallpaper paste (a.k.a. pasta) that most people are used to, but hey! Noodles are just an excuse to eat the sauce anyway, right? :D