Low Carb Cooking 101

For Italian Meatball Stew you need to make meatballs. You probably already figured that out, right? I like to make the meatballs ahead of time and put them in the freezer. The meatballs can be used not only in Italian Meatball Stew but in spaghetti sauce, rolled up into Romaine lettuce leaves with some tomatoes, cheese, and Italian salad dressing or a little heated spaghetti sauce for a meatball sandwich, or just heated and munched as a snack, so don't hesitate to make a double batch. They're always handy to have on hand.

Pork is a terrific meat for low carbers. It’s versatile and surprisingly lean. Roasts like those I just bought are particularly handy. I sliced the first roast up into boneless pork chops before I froze it. I divided the two halves of the second roast and sliced one half into thin slivers for stir fries and the other into small cubes for use in soups and stews. The addition of Stir Fried Cabbage rounds out today's lesson.

This week's menu features a simple fish dish, a cooked vegetable, and a side salad. Notice the variety of colors (white fish sprinkled with green parsley and red paprika), yellow waxed beans, and a dark green spinach salad with splashes of red and orange. Imagine what this meal would look like if mashed cauliflower were substituted for the waxed beans and coleslaw were substituted for the spinach salad. While all the dishes might taste good, the lack of color would be so boring that your eyes would cross. And I can guarantee that your kids wouldn't eat it. Never underestimate the visual aspects of the meals you prepare!

Sometimes there is no need to cook dinner for the whole family, but you still need to eat and want something quick. The week's meal of Pizza Frittata & Tossed Salad fits the bill, and requires virtually no planning or preparation. You probably have all the ingredients already on hand, and can put the whole meal together in less than 15 minutes.

Turkey Burgers & More is a fine summer meal that can largely be prepared ahead of time. It’s great for lazy weekend evenings when you don't want to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. This meal is a great one to serve guests outside on a picnic table on a shady patio.

For this week’s Low Carb Lesson we have Chicken & Peppers. Pay particular attention to the construction of the salad. Yes, the salad would taste just the same if you simply whacked up the tomatoes and dumped them on the salad greens, but slicing and arranging them the way the recipe indicates will take you no more than an extra minute or two and will make a big difference in how the salad looks. Take the time to do it.

What do you serve a low carber who doesn't really want to be one? Well, you start with his favorite foods – at least the favorites that are low carb. And that brings us to tonight's dinner, Pineapple Barbecued Salmon Fillets with an Asian Slaw. I tried this recipe on Rod the other night, and he loved it. He even asked me to make it again last night, which is the supreme compliment from a man who is driven by his stomach. You can serve Pineapple Barbecued Salmon Fillets to non-low carbers without fear.

I chose lamb for this week's entree because so many people are unfamiliar with it. I think lamb is wonderful and find it very satisfying. I prefer it prepared very simply, seasoned with very few ingredients. When I serve plain lamb, I like to add a little seasoning sparkle to the vegetables, so tonight's dinner will feature Italian Seasoned Green Beans and a Colorful Garden Salad.