Summertime is a great time to eat low carb. With the hot weather upon us, people are often looking for a light meal that isn’t going to weigh them down. I’ve put together some delicious low carb recipes that not only taste great without weighing you down but will also nourish your body this summer.
Lemon Tahini Cucumber Noodles With Shrimp
Ingredients
- For the salad:
- One large English/seedless cucumber
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- Three tablespoons minced mint
- Two tablespoons minced parsley
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac or paprika
- For the shrimp:
- Eight large or 12 small shrimp, defrosted, peeled, deveined
- Two teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or to taste)
- salt and pepper
- For the dressing:
- Two tablespoons tahini
- Two tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- One teaspoon honey
- One small garlic clove, minced
- Two tablespoons water, to thin
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients for the dressing into a food processor and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust to your preference, if needed. Set aside.
- Slice the cucumber halfway lengthwise and then spiralize it. Pat the noodles dry with paper towels and then place in a large mixing bowl, along with the tomato, mint, parsley, and onion. Set aside.
- Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once oil heats, add in the shrimp and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for 2 minutes, flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until shrimp are opaque and cooked through.
- Transfer the cucumber mixture to a plate, top with dressing and then shrimp. Sprinkle over with sumac (or paprika) and enjoy.
Chipotle Chicken Salad Stuffed Avocados
Photo Credit: The Creative Bite
Recipe by Danielle Green
INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. cooked chicken, cubed
- ⅓ c. onions, diced
- ¼ c. bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ c. tomatoes, chopped
- ⅓ c. chipotle sauce (1/3 of sauce)
- Two avocados
- chipotle lime sauce
- ⅔ c. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ c. mayo
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- One chipotle pepper in adobe
- 1 Tbsp adobe sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- One tsp garlic, finely chopped
- One tsp cumin
INSTRUCTIONS
- Toss all of the chicken salad ingredients in a small bowl until all of the chicken and vegetables are well coated with the chipotle sauce.
- Halve and remove the seeds from the avocados. Slice a small piece off the bottom of each half, so the avocado sits flat.
- Spoon the chicken salad mixture into each avocado half and serve immediately.
Cauliflower Gnocchi
By Delish
CHARLIE GILLETTE
DIRECTIONS
- Microwave riced cauliflower for 3 minutes to steam. Let cool slightly, then squeeze out as much excess moisture as possible using a clean kitchen towel. (This is important!) Transfer cauliflower to a large bowl.
- Melt mozzarella in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Stir egg yolks and Parmesan into riced cauliflower, then season with salt. Stir in melted mozzarella. (You may need to use your hands to incorporate all ingredients fully!)
- Divide dough into four balls and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes. Roll out each ball into long logs and slice into gnocchi. Gently press a fork on top of each gnocchi to create grooves. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi 1 minute. Drain immediately.
- Serve with marinara sauce and garnish with more Parmesan and parsley.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of some healthy low carb recipes that you may want to try this summer. In addition to these recipes, remember that you can always substitute low carb ingredients for some of your favorite dishes. For example, try using Shitake mushrooms instead of pizza dough for the base layer for the next time that you make pizza. Or substitute veggie noodles in replace of noodles made with flour the next time that you make spaghetti. Eating low carb doesn’t have to mean giving up your favorite recipes. It may just require you to be a little more creative with the ingredients. The results may surprise you as you find new favorite dishes for your family.
Related Article: 5 Delicious Healthy Snacks That Are Easy to Make for your Kids After School
