As you may recall, I recently purchased the kitchen bible, The Joy of Cooking. My goal was to cook through the recipes to find the low carb recipes and make the high carb recipes healthier.
No, I do not plan to have a new recipe every single day. But I do plan to work through it slowly, sharing the journey with you as I go!
Here are the results of my first week of the cook through! I tried Chicken Paprika (page 431), Turkey Meatballs (445), and Creamy Coleslaw (161). I liked all three; see why and try the recipes yourself!
Chicken Paprika
As I was cooking this recipe, I was a bit worried. Would the sauce cook down? Would the paprika be overpowering? I used chicken breasts instead of legs and thighs, so would it work?
Yes, no, and yes. The dish was pretty delicious. When I make it next time, I plan to use the full 1/4 cup of paprika (I was a bit spice-shy) to get the full flavor in the dish. Try it yourself!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken boneless, skinless breasts, diced
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, sliced thin
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup sour cream
- Fresh lemon juice
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken. Cook chicken then remove from the pan. Add the onions to the pan and cook for about ten minutes, until they are translucent. Add paprika, garlic, chicken broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil to reduce the sauce, stirring constantly for about ten minutes. Reduce heat, add chicken back in, and whisk in the sour cream. Bring back to a boil for about five minutes. Turn off heat and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice.
Turkey Meatballs and Cole Slaw
When I make meatballs, I usually add seasoning to the meat and call it good. For this turkey meatball recipe, I was excited because it called for ingredients that I had never tried in the meatballs. Other than me overcooking them and drying them out a bit, the meatballs were amazing. This will definitely be a staple in our house. I switched out the bread crumbs for almond flour to make it low carb. And to use up the cabbage I had and make a side dish for the meatballs, I whipped up a creamy coleslaw recipe from the book. I did not have carrots, but it still tasted yummy. Try one or both for yourself!
Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons almond flour (in meatballs)
- 1 cup almond flour (for coating)
Combine all ingredients except the cup of almond flour. Make golf-ball-size meatballs, then roll each in the almond flour to lightly coat. Either cook in 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat in a skillet for ten minutes or on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Cole Slaw
Ingredients
- 1/2 head of cabbage, sliced very thin
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar if you do not have cider)
- 3/4 Tablespoon sugar substitute
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- Black pepper and salt to taste
Mix everything except the cabbage in a bowl. Then add the cabbage and stir until cabbage is coated. Refrigerate and enjoy later!
Will you try these recipes? As you cook and eat on your healthy journey, use our free Diet Isn’t a Dirty Word workbook to track your progress and stay on track!
And if you want a deeper dive into my silly story, and the reason I started DIADW, take a peek at my eBook on Amazon Kindle. You will even find my 11 favorite carb replacement recipes!
Diet Isn't a Dirty Word 