Spinach Quiche Cups

This completely gluten-free and low-carb healthy and delicious Spinach Quiche Cups is what everyone raves about at manilaspoon.com. You can even tweak the recipe to add your favorite vegetables! From manilaspoon.com.

Spinach Quiche Cups


Ingredients:

1 tbsp or a little olive oil, (for cooking the mushrooms)
8 oz package mini-bella mushrooms, chopped
¼ cup water
10 oz package fresh spinach, (about 284 grams)
4 eggs, (if the yolks are quite small I use 5 eggs)
1 cup shredded cheese of your choice, (I use mozzarella or the Italian Blend)
1 tbsp (up to 2 tbsp) heavy cream or half-and-half (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste (if tolerated)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375F or 190C. Heat a little oil in a large skillet. Saute the mushrooms until they are soft, about 5-6 minutes. Set Aside.

Place the spinach in a deep pan or in the skillet that you used for the mushrooms. Pour in the water. Using medium heat, cook the spinach just until wilted, about 3-4 mins. Use either your hand or a spatula to pack in the spinach. Drain the excess water really well (especially if you decide to use frozen spinach instead). In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until combined. Add the cooked mushrooms, spinach, cheeses and cream (if using) to the eggs. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To prevent the quiche cups from sticking to the muffin tin, either use a liner or a reliable non-stick muffin pan or grease the pan well. Divide mixure evenly among the 12 muffin cups. The muffin tray was slightly bigger than usual so I only filled about 10 cups. Bake for about 20-23 minutes, or until it’s well set and a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Leave in the pan for a few minutes or just until it’s cool enough to handle. It was so easy to remove them from the pan! They practically pop-out!

Sprinkle with a little more cheese on top, if desired. Hubby enjoys them with rice on the side!

*Variation – If you don’t fancy mushrooms, try asparagus or bell peppers with the spinach. Also, add some onions (if tolerated) to the mix.

Stuffed Red and Yellow Bell Peppers

Classic stuffed peppers with rice, ground beef, and a healthy rainbow of sweet red, yellow, and orange bell peppers make the best easy dinner idea any night of the week. From avacooks.weebly.com .

Stuffed Red and Yellow Bell Peppers


Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef ( you can also do ground turkey)
5 various bell peppers ( I used red, yellow, and orange)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup of beef broth (without problem ingredients)
6 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 yellow medium onion (if tolerated)
1/2 cup green onion (if tolerated)
6 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 can black beans
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of roasted garlic and herb seasoning
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped basil
1/2 cup bread crumbs (without problem ingredients)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute until translucent. Turn the heat up to medium, and crumble the beef, separating it as best you can. Add beef broth. Saute the meat until it browns, about 7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste among with the Italian and roasted garlic and herb seasoning.

Add the spinach, green onion, basil, black beans, rice, and 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. Stir and cook until spinach is wilted and cheese melted.

Cut away the tops of the peppers. Discard the ribs and seeds. Fill each pepper completely with the mixture. Sprinkle last 1/2 cup of cheese on top and then the breadcrumbs.

Cover with foil and cook for 35-45 minutes. Then remove the foil and broil an additional 5 minutes until the tops brown.

Mock Red Wine Salad Dressing

Here is something that really got my attention. An IC friendly salad dressing that is so simple and looks like a winner! From callieknutrition.com .

Mock Red Wine Salad Dressing


Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp blueberry juice
1/2 tsp white sugar


Directions:

Mix well and serve.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

Here is another recipe from Ava that really looks good! It is a very filling and garlicy pasta that is sure to please everyone. She took this recipe from another bloggers website, but made a few changes because her family said it was way too salty with both salt and chicken stock. You can make this with shrimp or chicken, but she likes the chicken best. From avacooks.weebly.com.

Creamy Garlic Pasta


Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp pepper (if tolerated or omit)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock (without problem ingredients)
1/2 cup of water
1/2 lb angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (you can do mozzarella if you can't handle parmesan)
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley


Directions:

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add pepper and chicken stock and water. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil.

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan (or mozzarella) until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

If doing the shrimp version, saute shrimp in 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, & 3 cloves garlic for 4-5 minutes. Serve on top of pasta.

If doing chicken, use 2 chicken breasts and cut up into small chunks and cook in pan with olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Portobella Mushroom Chicken

Looks good and I bet it tastes good too! From callieknutrition.com .

Portobella Mushroom Chicken


Ingredients:

3 cups sliced Portobella mushrooms
4 skinless chicken breast halves
2 eggs beaten
Egg noodles (or the kind of noodles of your choosing)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (without problem ingredients)
2 tbsp butter
6 oz Mozzarella cheese
1 cup mushroom broth (can use the organic "Pacific Natural Foods" Brand)
1/2 cup block cream cheese (without problem ingredients)
Spices if making bread crumbs: garlic, basil, salt, oregano


Directions:

Pre-heat oven 350 degrees F. Place half of the mushrooms in a 9"x 13" baking pan. Dip chicken into beaten eggs, and then roll in bread crumbs. In skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Brown both sides of the chicken in skillet. Place chicken on top of mushrooms.

Combine cream cheese and mushroom broth in sauce pan, and simmer & stir until cream cause is formed. Pour sauce into the baking pan, and bake! After about 20 minutes, add remaining mushrooms to the top of the chicken breasts, and smother in Mozzarella cheese. Total cooking time is usually 30-35 minutes for smaller chicken breasts. If larger ones, it may take longer.

Boil noodles. When noodles and chicken are done, serve chicken, mushrooms, and sauce over noodles.

*If you're making your own breadcrumbs: crumble up white bread (or any IC friendly bread), and add garlic powder, basil, oregano and salt.

1 Minute Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ava, who has IC has a wonderful blog and she found this recipe on pinterest and tweaked it a bit. She uses it as a salad dressing or dips her French fries or veggies into it. It looks really good and I can’t wait to try it! 😊 From avacooks.weebly.com.


*Some people with IC find yogurt to be bothersome, but many do tolerate plain or vanilla low-fat yogurt without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. As always, remember to check for problem ingredients.

1 Minute Homemade Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried basil
½ tsp pepper (if tolerated or omit)
1/3 cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt or you can try low-fat plain or vanilla yogurt (check for problem ingredients)
1/4 cup of milk


Directions:

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Place your mix in a baggie or mason jar. Then whisk 1 Tablespoon of Mix plus Greek yogurt and milk into a bowl. You can add salt to taste if you feel like you need to.

“NoMato” Spaghetti Sauce (you can use this sauce in spaghetti, enchiladas, lasagna, pizza, etc.)

“NoMato" sauce, as the name suggests, is a tomato free marinara sauce. Since nightshades are a no-no on the IC diet, the community has gotten really creative in creating substitutes for tomato sauces. Use this sauce in spaghetti, enchiladas, lasagna, pizza, etc. spicing appropriately for the dish you're using it in. From ic-network.com. Be sure to read the NOTES below for further explanation. I also added a substitution for soy sauce for those who cannot tolerate it. 😊

Basic Sauce:
6 carrots
1 beet, small (see note below)
1 onion, quartered (see note below)
1 celery stalk, diced (see note below)
1 bay leaf, whole
1-1/2 cups water

The Flavor and Fun:
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small onion, minced (see note below)
1 teaspoon dried basil or dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons olive oil or sesame oil
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce, miso or tamari (see note below)
2 heaping tablespoons kuzu or cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water

For meaty texture add:
1 cup mushrooms, sauteed


Directions:

1. Place Basic Sauce ingredients in a pot and boil, covered, for 30 minutes. (Or, place in a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and simmer 20 minutes.) Puree in a blender. Add water, if needed, until mixture has tomato sauce texture.
2. Saute garlic, onions, and herbs for 5 minutes in olive oil. Add parsley, mushrooms if desired, and saute 10 minutes more.
3. Add Basic Sauce and bring to a boil. Then, cover and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Season with salt or coconut aminos to taste.
4. Place kuzu or cornstarch in a small container and add water slowly while stirring. Stir until thoroughly dissolved in all the water. Add to sauce while it cooks, stirring until thickened.

Notes: You can use 6 cups cooked butternut squash instead of carrots to make the sauce more orange and sweeter. Her recipe calls for miso or tamari soy sauce, but you can substitute 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt if soy sauce bothers your bladder. (*My Tip: You can use coconut aminos if tolerated and without problem ingredients)

About onions: We all have differing levels of sensitivity to onions. For some people, simply cooking them as Ruth’s recipe indicates is sufficient to keep them from causing a symptom flare. For those who are slightly more sensitive, all the onions may have to be chopped and sauteed until translucent in oil or margarine before adding to the recipe. Another alternative is to substitute chives (which are milder) for the onions. For those who are most sensitive to onions, leave out the onions altogether or, leave out the onions and the soy sauce but use 1-1/2 tsp. onion salt in place of the soy sauce.