Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

I have a recipe of Shrimp Faux Fredo that is a coconut milk base. But since I'm incorporating keto/low carb/higher fat, I experimented with a new sauce that is more conducive. Spaghetti squash has about 1/5 the calories of spaghetti. 10g carbs per cup (-2g fiber = 8g net carbs), where spaghetti is about 30g carbs (my whole day's worth of carbs). Plus you won't have that carb hangover and over-stuffed feeling. The cream cheese in the recipe acts as a thickener since I didn't want to use cornstarch or other thickeners. Other than my son, who will try anything, I'm the only one of the family who likes spaghetti squash. When I spotted one left at our farmer's market I had to grab it. Here's my preparation from tonight that the boy eagerly assisted with. The alfredo makes it bearable for the rest of the fam. :)

Ingredients:

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• 1 package bacon (oh yes)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 6 Tbs butter or ghee
• 3 Tbs cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cu heavy cream
• 1/4 cu veg/chicken broth (if your sauce needs to be thinned out)
• 3/4 cu grated parmesan cheese
• 2 cu frozen peas
• 2 lb medium raw shrimp
• Another 2 Tbs butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds (I use an ice cream scoop), season with salt, pepper, and spread olive oil on the inside. Place inside-down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Also cook your bacon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 
3. Roast for about 25 minutes. The skin of the squash will look light brown and start bending. Set aside and cool for easier removal. Watch the bacon until it's cooked to your liking. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
4. Melt butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook the garlic until fragrant.
5. Add the cream and cream cheese, whisking gently until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Reduce heat to low, whisking occassionally, while you cook the shrimp and peas. If it seems too thick for your liking add some broth.
7. Cook peas per package instructions. I bring about an inch of water to a boil in a sauce pan and let the peas cook for about 10 minutes.
8. In another saute pan, melt 2 Tbs of butter over medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook just until they all turn pink.
9. Add the parmesan to the sauce, whisk until incorporated and smooth.
10. The spaghetti squash may still be warm, so use tongs or an oven mitt to hold while you scrape the inside out with a fork into a dish. I used half of the squash for our dinner and reserved the other half. 
11. Combine the shrimp, peas and spaghetti squash, then add all of the sauce. Mix gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.
12. Top with crumbled bacon and extra parm.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie (low carb, gluten free, nut free)

I've been trying to stay low carb, sugar and gluten free (meaning, no conventional flour or starchy vegetables), but also not shying away from real fats (like butter, cheese, heavy cream - which is lower in sugar than regular milk). So I modified a low carb pot pie recipe that I found to make it a "pie size" plus a 16 oz ramekin for Dh's lunch the next day. The filling and crust do not use any wheat flour or cornstarch. It isn't a flaky crust, but more of a thin breading (reminiscent of the Bisquick pot pie topping I used to make). The original recipe calls for almond flour in the crust, but (1) I don't have any, and (2) nuts tend to give me headaches. A general rule of thumb also, use less coconut flour than almond. I cooked a whole chicken in the crockpot this week, so I had the meat ready to go! *Disclaimer: Low carb doesn't mean low fat in this recipe  :)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/2 medium onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup celery (chopped/2 ribs)
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced)
• Salt and pepper (to your taste)
• 2 cups of cooked chicken (cubed/chopped small)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock (I prefer the full flavor of veg.)
• 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar, sharp; I had a Mexican blend on hand)
• 1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
• 1 cup frozen green beans (thawed; mine were large green beans, so I snapped them into smaller bits while they were frozen)

For the dough:

• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• 3 Tbs cream cheese
• 1/4 cu coconut flour (the original recipe called for 3/4 cu almond flour if you have that instead, but almond flour is higher in carbs)
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (this isn't necessary if you want a more mild crust)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven for 375F.

For the filling:

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, garlic and a little salt and pepper. Saute until soft and before the garlic burns  :)
2. Add the chicken to the pan, gently stir together, and heat through.
3. Stir in the the heavy cream, stock and mustard. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a low simmer until the mixture thickens (5-7 min).
4. Stir in the cheese until melted.
5. Stir in the peas and green beans.

For the dough:

1. In a large microwavable bowl, combine mozzarella and cream cheese. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir to combine. Microwave again for 30 sec-1 min. Stir again.
2. Using a non-stick silicon spoon, mix in the flour, egg, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. If it gets stringy, reheat for 30 sec and stir again. You can also gently knead with your hand to make sure the grease is incorporated.
3. If you are making a separate "left-over" ramekin, remove a small handful of dough now. Flatten into a disc between parchment paper. For the rest of the dough (or if you just make a big crust), roll between two sheets of parchment paper into a large circle.
4. Lightly butter a 9 inch pie dish (and optional ramekin), distribute the filling, and top with the flat dough.
5. (Optional: Place on a baking sheet for any bubble-over). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Here is the original recipe if you really like your carrots. This recipe calls for making 4 small individual pot pies. http://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/chicken-pot-pie-low-carb-gluten-free/