Easy low carb gourmet recipes everyone loves

April 1, 12:22 PMNutrition ExaminerCarol Bardelli

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Wow guests with a low carb cheesecake.

In the mood for a savory appetizer followed by prime rib and crab salad? How about gourmet cheesecake for dessert, or a variety of cheeses and fresh fruit as a finisher. Here's an easy step by step plan for serving a delicious low carb meal your guests will love. No one has to know your serving up a low carb feast. These dishes are gourmet and deliver up flavor and flair. Enjoy! And be sure to check out Jimmy Moore's low carb cheesecake recipe videos below.

Casual Dinner Menu

Appetizer - Crudites with Dip

Salad-Crab Salad

Entrées- Swordfish Steaks, Prime Rib

Vegetable Dish - Mediterranean Green Beans

Dessert – Cheesecake, fresh fruit, selection of cheeses.

For a cheese and fruit service everyne will rave over, serve a variety of fresh fruits cut in attractive bite sized servings. Pair the fruit with a selection of no less than three cheeses of different personality. Offer a sharp cheese, a mild cheese, and a piquant cheese. Try a mild brie, a spicy Cotswold, and a dry Italian like an imported Romano.

Recipes

Edgy Veggies Crudités with Savory Dip

For Savory Dip:

1 cup cottage cheese

8 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons Smart Balance mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1/3 cup red onion, diced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For Crudités:

2 carrots, peeled

6 celery ribs

1 small zucchini, peeled

1 small red bell pepper, seeded

1 small green bell pepper, seeded

1 cup radishes

1/2 cucumber

1 cup cherry tomatoes, rinsed

Put all dip ingredients in a food processor and combine until smooth and well blended. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Wash all Vegetables and let dry. Cut carrots, celery, zucchini and peppers into 2 inch by 1/2 inch strips. Slice radishes and cucumber. Place dip bowl in the center of a large serving dish. Arrange vegetables on outer edges and serve. Serves 6.

One serving of dip equals 2 tablespoons: 61 calories, 4 grams protein, 5 gram fat, 2 grams carbohydrates, 2 mg. One serving vegetables equals 1/2 cup vegetables: 28 calories, > 1 gram protein, > 1 gram fat, 7 grams carbohydrates

Company’s Coming Crab Salad Cups

4 large tomatoes, stemmed

1 – 6 ounce package cooked crabmeat, drained, flaked, and cleaned

½ cup celery, chopped

1/4 cup cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

2 tablespoons chives, diced

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

Scoop the pulp from each tomato leaving a ½ inch thick shell. Drain tomatoes on npaper towels. Squeeze excess juice from tomato pulp and chop. Combine pulp with crab meat, celery, rice, almonds, chives, basil, lemon juice, mustard, and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle salt inside tomato shells. Fill tomatoes with crab mixture. Serves 4. One serving equals one stuffed tomato. Nutrition facts per serving: 120 calories, 12 grams protein, 3 grams fat, 14 grams carbohydrates, 320 grams sodium, 44 grams cholesterol.

Hearty Provincial Swordfish Steaks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons coarse-grain country-style mustard

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

4 – 5 oz swordfish fillet steaks

Preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with non fat cooking spray. Spread steaks in a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a bowl combine lemon juice, soy sauce, mustard, garlic, oil and ginger. Pour marinade over swordfish to marinade and turn to coat Refrigerate 10 minutes. Transfer fish to broiler pan. Broil 4" from heat 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Plate fish. Serve hot. 4 servings. Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: 213 Calories Protein 29 grams Fat 9 grams Carbohydrate 3 grams

Company's Coming Prime Rib

1 - 5 pound lean prime rib roast, excess fat trimmed off

3 tablespoons cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Meat thermometer

Place roast in a roasting pan with the fatty side up. In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary and thyme. Spread mixture over the roast and let roast marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bake roast for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast about 60 to 75 minutes. Internal temperature of roast should be 145 degrees for medium rare. Allow roast to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Serving size 4 ounces. 20 servings. Nutritional Analysis Per Serving: Calories 331 Protein 31 grams Fat 23 grams Carbohydrate - 1 gram

Mediterranean Green Beans

1 16 ounce package frozen cut green beans

Or 1 pound fresh green beans

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Place green beans in a large sauce pan and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. Add cilantro and garlic and sauté until cilantro wilts. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings. One serving equals 1/2 cup: Calories 160, Protein 1 grams, Fat 13 grams, Carbohydrates 8 grams, Sodium 74 mg, Cholesterol 0 mg.

All recipes from my cookbooks The Protein Edge Cookbook and Easy Gourmet For Diabetics by Carol Bardelli, only available direct from JB Publications.

Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low Carb Cheesecake Videos