Gluten Free Low Carb Pan Seared Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

Gluten Free Low Carb Pan Seared Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce

In my travels through the Gluten Free World, (today happens to be my gluten free anniversary; I have been gluten free for 2 years now), I have been able to master just about anything that I have tried to make. My gluten free breads, biscuits, and cakes are amazing. I have even figured out the secrets of how to make non-gooey gluten free pasta. Now, I am beginning to take gluten free foods into a whole new realm, Gluten Free Low Carb meals. This week’s gluten free recipe is one not to be missed! It is so delicious! What makes this dish low carb? The first is obvious, I used roasted spaghetti squash instead of gluten free pasta. The other two are not so obvious: I used heavy cream instead of milk, and the other happens to be using green onions instead of regular onions. Yes, heavy cream is lower in carbohydrates than regular milk. You see, the more the manufacturers do to the milk, i.e., making it 2% or skim milk, etc., changes the carb count. As the manufacturers change the fat content, they also add sugar to make it supposedly taste better, which raises its carbohydrate count. A cup of heavy cream only has 3 grams of carbs compared to regular milk, 2% or skim milk which have about 12 grams. Did you know that green onions are considerably lower in their carb count compared to regular onions? Green onions, sometimes called scallions, only have 1.1 grams of carbs, compared to onions which have 10 grams of carbs. Let’s not forget about our spaghetti squash! When you compare them to gluten free pasta, you have lowered your carb count by approximately 14 grams, depending on the pasta that you are using. So yes, you do not have to miss out on flavor when going low carb, you can simply substitute other ingredients, and have a delicious low carb meal; in this recipe, 31.9 less grams of carbohydrates!

First, roast your spaghetti squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Begin by slicing the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise. Using a large spoon, remove the seeds. Drizzle the ‘meat’ side of the squash with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spray a large cookie sheet or baking dish with non-stick spray, place the squash face down and bake for about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the squash. You can test the doneness of the squash by piercing the skin with a fork, and if it pierces easily it is done. My favorite way is to simply squeeze the squash with my hand. If it squishes easily (the whole squash is tender), then it is done! Remove the squash from the oven, and begin preparing the rest of the meal. Once you are ready to serve, turn the squash right side up, and using a fork, begin to pull or shred the meat away from the skin. Now let’s continue with the directions for the Pan Seared Chicken with Basil Cream Sauce.

 

Spaghetti  squash ready for the oven

 

Squash seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper

Roasted spaghetti squash

 

Beginning to shred the roasted squash

Shredded squash

 

Pan seared chicken

 

Roasted spaghetti squash

 

Basil cream sauce

Add chicken to basil cream sauce

 

Ready to serve!

Serve and enjoy!

Chef Vedam’s Gluten Free Cooking Classes:

Part 3: Gluten Free Asian Cooking

Call 678-754-2438 to register…

Thai Chicken & Vegetables

Shrimp & Basil Spring Rolls

The series will continue on Tuesday, 8-30-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Avenue at East Cobb from 6 - 8 pm, and Sunday, 9-4-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Mall of Georgia from 5 - 7 pm with Gluten Free Asian Cooking.

This segment, Chef Vedam will show you how to do Thai Chicken & Vegetables, and Shrimp & Basil Spring Rolls.

Eating gluten free in your favorite Asian restaurant can be challenging simply because so many of the sauces naturally contain gluten. My suggestion? Learn how to cook it yourself, and customize it just the way you like it!

Each culinary adventure only costs $10 to register and $50 due at the time of the class. Call 678-754-2438 or your Williams-Sonoma store to reserve your spot!

 

Have you ordered your copy of: 

“Vedam’s Gluten Free & Fabulous! Recipes From A Southern Gay Househusband”

Order Today

Gluten Free Low Carb Broccoli Casserole

Gluten Free Low Carb Broccoli Casserole

Lately, I have been working on creating low carb recipes. I have been studying what ingredients are considered to be low carb and which ones are not. Meats of all kinds (beef, pork, chicken, etc.), and fish and shellfish are considered to be low carb, as well as most vegetables that grow above ground, except for vegetables like peas, corn, lima beans, etc. which are not recommended. Also, to my surprise, when eating a low carb diet, it is also recommended to use full-fat dairy products rather than regular or low fat because the manufacturers often add sugar in the production of them.

So far, we have been eating a low or no carb diet for about a week now, and the family and I are liking what is occurring. I’m not getting hungry during the day, so I am not munching to fill that void, and the pounds are beginning to drop away. Even though I never really used low fat products, I did try to watch the amount of full fat items that I used in my past recipes. I have to admit, I am enjoying not worrying about that right now. I know that after a bit of this trial period, I will have to find balance between what is now, and what was, but for now, I am enjoying this process.

So, for the next few weeks, I will be featuring not only gluten free recipes, but also low carb recipes, and this is my first in the series. This Gluten Free Low Carb Broccoli Casserole was simply divine and delicious. We enjoyed it very much, and I know you will as well!

Ingredients: 

1 bunch Broccoli (about 3.5 - 4 cups when removed from stalk)

4 oz. Cream Cheese

3 - 4 Slices of Bacon (more if you are a bacon lover)

3 - 4 Green Onions (small sliced)

1/4 cup Sour Cream

8 oz grated Cheddar Cheese (save some for topping)

1/4 cup Vegetable Stock

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Vedam’s Seasoning Blend

Find the complete recipe here! 

Creating mixture for casserole

Ready for the oven!

Time to enjoy!

Chef Vedam’s Gluten Free Cooking Classes:

Part 2: Gluten Free Italian Cooking

Call 678-754-2438 to register…

The series will continue on Tuesday, 8-16-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Avenue at East Cobb from 6 - 8 pm, and Sunday, 8-21-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Mall of Georgia from 5 - 7 pm with Gluten Free Italian Cooking.

This segment, Chef Vedam will show you how to do Chicken Marsala over GF Pasta, Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, and a surprise sweet treat.

Chicken Marsala is one of the best Italian dishes that you will ever eat, and even though you are gluten free, you can have this Italian favorite again. Also learn the secrets to cooking great gluten free pasta! Accompany this with Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus and a gluten free sweet surprise, you will think you are sitting in a beautiful piazza in your favorite place in Italy!

Each culinary adventure only costs $10 to register and $50 due at the time of the class. Call 678-754-2438 or your Williams-Sonoma store to reserve your spot!

Have you ordered your copy of

“Vedam’s Gluten Free & Fabulous! Recipes From A Southern Gay Househusband”

Order Today 

 

Upcoming Gluten Free Chef's Demo in Atlanta

Grilled Veggie Burger

When:

August 20, 2016 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Where:

Williams-Sonoma 

 Ponce City Market
675 Ponce De Leon Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30308

Chef Vedam will be at Williams-Sonoma Ponce City Market and will focus his demo on Grilled Vegetable Veggie Burgers. He will show you how to grill and get the perfect char on seasonal vegetables, blend them with black beans, cooked quinoa, gluten free oatmeal and the perfect seasonings to achieve a perfectly delicious and nutritious veggie burger.

Chef Vedam will also be selling and signing copies of “Vedam’s Gluten Free & Fabulous! Recipes From A Southern Gay Househusband.”

There is no charge for the demonstration, so come and bring a friend. Come by, get your own signed copy and have a taste of gluten free Southern deliciousness!

You can learn more about Chef Vedam and find lots of gluten free recipes at www.ChefVedam.com.

Gluten Free Sweet Georgia Shortcake

A dear friend inspired this Gluten Free Recipe… Thank you, Sandra!

The conversation and inspiration started this way…

“Hello Honey. Inspired by you I made fried green tomatoes (although I’ve never seen them in my life) and they were fab. Thank you. Here’s one for you. If you have a peach glut (we do), halve and stone and mix up a little butter, an egg yolk and ratafia biscuits (made with almonds, no flour) fill in the holes and bake for 30 mins. Delish. XX Hope the cheffing is going well.”

Sandra lives in Italy but is from the UK. Her English is quite different from mine, “being from the UK and all” (said in my best Southern drawl). I knew that cookies were often referred to as biscuits, but I was thrown off by the peach “glut” and how to “stone” a peach! Finally with the help of our mutual friend Chetan, I realized a glut of peaches was an over abundance, and to stone a peach was to remove what I call the pit. Sandra was telling me that they removed the peach pit, removed part of the peach to make the hole larger, then stuffed that hole with a mixture made from almond/amaretto cookies, and then baked. It sounded divine, and I wanted to create my own version of this! 

I knew that in my little mountain hometown, finding gluten free almond cookies was going to be impossible, but that was not going to stop me. I also knew that from Sandra’s description, the cookies were crumbled to be used for the filling. I came up with the idea of using gluten free almond flour and my own Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Blend with a few other ingredients. I used that as a base to stuff the peaches, and then bake them. Trust me, this gluten free treat is simply DIVINE!! It is sweet but not overly sweet (just like a lot of Italian desserts), so keep that in mind as you are creating this recipe. 

You can find the complete recipe at chefvedam.com.

Peaches with pits removed and a little extra peach scooped out

 

Mashed peaches

 

Gluten Free Sweet Georgia Shortcake batter

 

Peaches filled and ready for the oven

Chef Vedam’s Gluten Free Cooking Classes

Call 678-754-2438 to register…

Chef Vedam is taking people on a gluten free culinary adventure! This Sunday, 8-7-16, Chef Vedam is finishing up his Gluten Free Southern Cooking at Williams-Sonoma The Mall of Georgia from 5 - 7 pm. If you are interest in taking this class and learning how to cook amazing Gluten Free Southern Fried Chicken, Okra Fries and Grill Peach Cobbler. Call the number above to register!
The series will continue on Tuesday, 8-16-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Avenue at East Cobb from 6 - 8 pm, and Sunday, 8-21-16 at Williams-Sonoma The Mall of Georgia from 5 - 7 pm with Gluten Free Italian Cooking.

This segment, Chef Vedam will show you how to do Chicken Marsala over GF Pasta, Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus, and a surprise sweet treat.
Chicken Marsala is one of the best Italian dishes that you will ever eat, and even though you are gluten free, you can have this Italian favorite again. Also learn the secrets to cooking great gluten free pasta! Accompany this with Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus and a gluten free sweet surprise, you will think you are sitting in a beautiful piazza in your favorite place in Italy!
Each culinary adventure only costs $10 to register and $50 due at the time of the class. Call and sign up today to reserve your spot!

 

 Have you ordered your copy of

“Vedam’s Gluten Free & Fabulous! Recipes From A Southern Gay Househusband”

Order Today