Side Dish Recipes

mellybea

It can be hard to find yummy recipes for dishes to accompany your protein. These recipes are all low calorie, low carb and some are even high in protein. Please add any recipes for healthy side dishes that you have in your collection!

mellybea

Parmesan Brussels Sprouts
This recipe is high in protein and low in calories. The Brussels sprouts get browned and yummy and the Parmesan cheese adds a salty, cheesy topping. This recipe is for 1 serving, but can easily be doubled or even tripled. One serving contains about 96 calories, 7 active carbohydrates, and 8 grams of protein.

1 cup of Brussels sprouts, cut in half (I used frozen Birdseye brand)
cooking spray
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (I used Great Value Brand grated)

Boil Brussels sprouts until cooked. Let cool and cut in halves. Spray skillet with cooking spray and add Brussels sprouts, cut side down. Cook for a few minutes until the bottoms start to brown. turn Brussels sprouts and let brown on the top side. When the Brussels sprouts are almost finished, add Parmesan cheese and cook until it creates a coating on the Brussels sprouts. Season with pepper or other spices to your taste. Serve hot.

**You can also add bacon bits after cooking for added protein and crunch. .**

mellybea

Dressed Up Asparagus
This recipe is for one serving of asparagus. It contains 135 calories, 11 carbohydrates, and 7 grams of protein.

Ingredients
10 stalks fresh asparagus
cooking spray
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tbsp. finely chopped almonds
1 tbsp. toasted flax seed


Wash asparagus and trim ends. Steam approximately 5 minutes until bright green and tender, but crisp. While asparagus is steaming, mix together lemon juice, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the almonds and flax seed. Drain the asparagus and arrange on a serving platter. Spray very lightly with olive oil cooking spray, drizzle with lemon juice mixture and sprinkle with nut-seed mix.

mellybea

Garlic Butter Roasted Mushrooms

Makes 8 to 10 servings. Can be served as a side dish or in a salad. This recipe contains about 84 calories, 4 carbohyderates, and 1.5 grams of protein.

Ingredients
1 pound mushrooms( cremini or white) halved lengthwise
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. organic butter, cut into pieces
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 450*F. Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, 1/8 tsp salt and several grinds of pepper in a 1 ½ qt shallow, baking dish. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender and golden and a bubbly garlic sauce forms below (15-20 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve immediately.

mellybea

Creamy Zucchini Boats
This is a yummy, low calorie side dish that is low calorie and packs a punch of protein as well! You can omit ingredients (I omit the carrot) or add ingredients as you please, as long as everything is low carb!

3 zucchinis
1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
1 clove minced garlic (or half teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup (4 oz.) fat-free ricotta cheese
1/8 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Juice from half a lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Wash each zucchini thoroughly. Cut off the ends and then cut each one in half. Then cut each half lengthwise so you have 12 pieces of zucchini total. With a spoon or paring knife, scoop out the seeds and compost them, or use them to make soup broth. Place the zucchini boats on a lightly oiled cookie sheet or Silpat. To make the filling, chop the basil and place it in a bowl with the garlic, grated carrot, ricotta, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix it thoroughly. Fill each boat with the creamy mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender. Serve warm and enjoy.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Healthy-Recipe-Creamy-Zucchini-Boats-1817236

Servings per recipe: 6 two piece servings
This recipe contains 51 calories, 5.8 carbohydrates, and 4.5 grams of protein per serving.
You can edit the recipe, just make sure you credit the additional/less calorie amounts.-Melissa

mellybea

Kale Caesar Salad
This recipe is a healthier version of a traditional Caesar salad. It's packed with essential vitamins and protein.

2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 anchovies, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish (about 1 ounce total)
1 (3-pound) bunch dino kale, stems and tough ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, mustard, anchovies, and garlic. Slowly whisk in oil until combined and thickened. Whisk in salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Add kale, and toss for a few minutes to coat all leaves well. Use a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of Parmigiano-Reggiano for topping the salad.

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Healthy-Kale-Caesar-Salad-Recipe-34275742

This recipe makes 6 servings, so its easy to package the left overs for lunch the next day or a yummy side salad for another meal. Per serving: 175 calories, 10.8 active carbohydrates, and 8.9 grams of protein.

mellybea

Spinach Casserole
This is a yummy, healthy and flavorful side dish that is packed with protein.
1 16 oz. bag of frozen spinach
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parm cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon garlic powder

NOTE: all measurements here are guesses – I just tossed in the stuff – feel free to adjust.

My general approach was to make the spinach ‘creamy’, coat the top with cheese, and put in my Hummer of a toaster oven, so first I took the ricotta cheese and mixed it with the garlic. Pour this over the spinach.

The spinach I prepared by placing in a square oven-safe baking dish, nuking for 5 minutes, then draining. I hate the act of squeezing out the water in spinach, and found that if I use my big rectangular butcher knife, and sandwiched the spinach against one side of the dish and compressed, it worked very well to squeeze the excess water out of the stuff. No muss, no fuss – and no extra dish.

I mixed the spinach with the ricotta/ garlic goo and evened out in my pan. I turned on my toaster oven (actually a convection oven – it makes horrible toast) and set it to broil. Then I sprinkled the almonds evenly on the top of the spinach. I then grated the remaining two cheeses and spread evenly on the top. I then put it in the oven for 15 minutes.

THE VERDICT: 15 minutes was a bit too long – the cheese became crusty instead of gooey, and the spinach could have used a bit of salt in the ricotta, but it was actually quite good, and relatively easy to make. Two members of the Low Carb Confidential Taste Panel enjoyed the crust and was eating it off the top of the dish until I shooed them away.

this recipe makes 6 servings. One serving is 14 calories, 5 grams of active carbohydrates, and 14 grams of protein.

http://lowcarbconfidential.com/2008/02/13/kitchen-experiment-12-three-cheese-spinach/