Katey's Tomato Viniagrette

Tomato viniagrette... for one... or to share.. super super easy

really low cal & delicious, eat the whole thing if you want ...no guilt

dice up 1-2 nice dark red tomato or a container of cherry/grape tomatoes

crush em up a bit so you have a bowl full of juicy goodness

add a few tsp- as much as you like.. of the vinegar of your choosing... I like lots in mine & usually use like a 1/4 cup w 2 tomatoes... and i like lots of different kinds of vinegar so I swap it around a lot... flavored rice vinegar rocks & lots of variations never boring

add some cracked pepper & whatever other spices you enjoy in this... very customizable...

throw it over a bowl of leafy greens, toss in some shredded carrot, fruit if that's your thing... whatever u like in a salad... this tomato vinegarette is too good.

South-of-the-Border Salmon Burgers

South-of-the-Border Salmon Burgers

Description
Salmon’s rich meat is perfect for making tasty, well-formed patties. Chili powder, cumin, lime, and cilantro create a Tex-Mex flavor here. For a Greek variation, try chopped fresh oregano, thyme, minced onion, and garlic. For Phase 2, serve the burgers in whole-wheat pitas.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed, fish cut into 1" chunks
2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) head romaine, shredded (4 cups)
1 medium avocado, cubed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Instructions
In a food processor, combine salmon, 2 teaspoons of the sour cream, mustard, chili powder, cumin, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; pulse just until mixture comes together, 15 to 20 seconds. Form mixture into 4 patties, about 3/4" thick.

Lightly coat a grill or grill pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high. Grill patties until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

While patties are cooking, in a large bowl combine lettuce, avocado, oil, 1 teaspoon of the lime juice, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Season with black pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1/4 cup sour cream, remaining 1 teaspoon lime juice, cilantro, and cayenne.

Divide salad among 4 plates and place a burger alongside. Top each burger with a dollop of cilantro sour cream and serve.

Nutritional information
Per serving:
330 calories
23 g fat (5 g sat)
6 g carbohydrate
25 g protein
3 g fiber
260 mg sodium

Staples of Low Carb Eating

Cupboard staples:

Black soybeans (virtually zero carb, for baked beans and chili)
Tuna
Pecans, walnuts, almonds, peanut butter, almond butter
La Nouba sugar free fruit spreads (spendy but GOOD)
Marinades (or make homemade)
Good extra virgin olive oil
Coconut milk or lite coconut milk (for Thai curries)
Indian spices or simmering sauces and prepared vegetable pouches
Cans of sliced ripe olives (pizza topping)
Low carb cereal (Hi Low, or Omega Flax) for adding crunch to yogurt
Barilla no boil (very thin) lasagna noodles
Marinara sauce, no sugar added
Wasa multi grain or dark rye crackers, Ak Mak crackers, Nut Thin crackers
Lots of spices
Thai fish sauce
Kadoya toasted sesame oil
Variety of vinegars
Dreamfield’s pasta (use with caution, it’s not quite as advertised)
Canned scungilli
Canned pureed pumpkin
Roasted peppers
Wheat bran or flax meal (keep flax in freezer) (instead of crumbs in
meatloaf and stuff)
Ojai cook Lemonaise, Latin Lemonaise

Breads:

Damascus Flax Rollups (for wraps, pizza, dips)
The Baker flax or  whole grain bran bread (best toasted)
Arnold Melba Thin rye bread
Toufayan low carb wraps (large, very strong, don’t rip or crack)

Baking:

Scharffen Berger bittersweet baking chocolate
CarbQuik bake mix (buy at netrition.com)
Nut flours (especially almond) bought online
Granulated Xylitol and powdered erythritol
Natural extracts (banana, vanilla, orange)
Flax seeds (can be ground into a very low carb flour substitute or hot
cereal base)
(get a perforated pizza pan for making pizza from flax rollups)
Xanthan gum (for thickening berry cobblers, gravies, etc)

Fridge staples:

Unsalted butter
Stonyfield’s plain whole milk yogurt
2% or 4% cottage cheese
Half and half
Heavy cream
Milk
Whipped cream cheese
Variety of aged cheeses and cheese slices for snacks and sandwiches
Cold cuts
Eggs
Pickles
Mixed baby greens for salad, romaine lettuce for sandwiches
Bags of shredded Mexican and mozzarella (omelettes, chili topper,
pizzas, etc.)
Pitted kalamata olives, a large variety of other olives.
Natural andouille sausage, chorizo (no cured meats)
Ricotta cheese (part skim or whole milk)
Thai curry paste

Produce:

Avocados (slice for sandwiches, or on salad, or for guacamole)
Small granny apples, blueberries, strawberries,  blackberries
Winter:  cauliflower, white turnip, diced (great purees), small sweet
potatoes to share
Spring/summer:  summer squashes, peppers, sweet onions, portobellos to
grill, mostly, skewered or flat (skewering is easier)
Grape and campari tomatoes, large slicing tomato
Whatever looks fresh and good, preferably in season and organic
Flatleaf parsley, basil, garlic, seedless cuke
Cabbage (for sautéing with onions)
Berries
Large sweet onions

Condiments:

Salad dressings, marinades, variety of mustards, etc.
(I like Emeril’s Rosemary, lemon and garlic for any kind of protein,
Walker’s Woods Jamaican Jerk for spicy grilled chicken.)
Steak sauce (I like Newman’s Own)
Mayo (full fat)
Ojai Cook Lemonaises (different flavors)
Dijon mustard, spicy deli mustard, horseradish sauce

What’s usually in my freezer:

Naturally range fed meats:

Cut up chicken, plus packages of boneless, skinless breasts and thighs
Flank steak, boneless rib steak, sirloin, grass fed beef burgers
Frozen wild king or coho salmon, mahi mahi and jumbo or colossal
uncooked shrimp, scallops, from Trader Joe’s, Chilean sea bass from
Costco (great prices!!)
Edy’s grand Coffee ice cream, Edy’s no sugar added Fudge Tracks (portion
and frequency  control!!)
Jones breakfast sausage, Wellshire farms lean uncured pork bacon
Sweet and hot Italian sausage
Jones bulk sausage (for my chili recipe and meatballs)
Lean ground beef and chuck stew meat (for chili)

My special stash:

Chocolove dark chocolates or Scharffen Berger 87% dark chocolate
Very dark chocolate truffles, Santander 70% dark chocolate and Columbian
with coffe bean bits