300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (30 page)

In a microwaveable bowl or big measuring cup, nuke one 8-ounce (225 g) package of the cream cheese with the half and half, heavy cream, pepper, and mustard. Give it a good 2 to 3 minutes on high and then whisk the whole thing until it's smooth. Pour this mixture evenly over the ham and veggies.

Plunk the second 8-ounce (225 g) block of cream cheese on top of the stuff in the slow cooker. Slap on the lid and set the cooker for low. Let it go for 7 to 8 hours.

At the end of the cooking time, stir the whole thing up. At first it will seem watery and curdled, but as you stir, the sauce will turn creamy and delicious. Once the sauce is creamy, serve in bowls, with soup spoons.

Yield:
8 servings, each with: 549 calories, 43 g fat, 27 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 12 g usable carbs.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Here's another stir-fry dish turned into a slow cooker meal. This lacks the chunks of pineapple you often find in sweet-and-sour dishes. They're just too high carb. But the crushed pineapple in the sauce gives the right flavor!

1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup (6 g) Splenda

1 tablespoon (8 g) grated ginger root

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 cup (60 ml) rice vinegar

3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon blackstrap molasses

1/3 cup (80 g) canned crushed pineapple in juice

1/2 head cauliflower

Guar or xanthan

Put the pork and pepper in your slow cooker.

In a bowl, mix together the Splenda, ginger, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, molasses, and pineapple. Pour the mixture over the pork and pepper. Cover the slow cooker, set it on low, and let it cook for 6 hours.

When the time's up, run the cauliflower through the shredding blade of a food processor and put it in a microwaveable casserole dish with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons of water (28 ml), cover, and microwave on high for 7 minutes. This is your
Cauli-Rice
!

Meanwhile, thicken up the pot juices with guar or xanthan until they're about the texture of commercial Chinese food. Serve the pork mixture over the
Cauli-Rice
.

Yield:
4 servings, each with: 283 calories, 11 g fat, 36 g protein, 9 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

Curried Pork Stew

This is not terribly authentic, but it's awfully good. Try one of the chutneys (see recipe
pages 309
and
310
) with this.

1 pound (455 g) boneless pork loin, cubed

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons (12 g) curry powder

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 small turnips, cubed

1 cup (180 g) canned diced tomatoes

1/2 cup (120 ml) cider vinegar

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

2 cups (200 g) diced cauliflower

Season the pork with the salt and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon (6 g) of the curry powder.

In a big, heavy skillet, heat the oil and brown the pork over medium-high heat.

Place the onion and turnips in your slow cooker. Top with the pork and tomatoes.

In a bowl, stir together the vinegar, Splenda, and the remaining 1 tablespoon (6 g) curry powder. Pour the mixture over the pork. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 7 hours.

When the time's up, stir in the cauliflower. Re-cover the slow cooker and cook for 1 more hour or until the cauliflower is tender.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 177 calories, 8 g fat, 17 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

Pork and “Apple” Stew

The apple flavor here comes from the apple cider vinegar. Our tester, Maria, cut her turnips into apple-slice shapes, and her family thought they were apples! They loved the whole thing.

2 pounds (900 g) pork loin, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

2 medium turnips, cubed

2 medium carrots, cut 1/2-inch (13 mm) thick

1 medium onion, sliced

1/2 cup (50 g) sliced celery

1 cup (235 ml) apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons (4.5 g) Splenda

1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the pork, turnips, carrots, onion, and celery in your slow cooker.

In a bowl, stir together the vinegar, Splenda, broth, and bouillon. Pour the mixture over the pork and vegetables. Add the caraway seeds and pepper and stir everything. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 226 calories, 6 g fat, 34 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

Easy Southwestern Pork Stew

Our tester gave this a 10—and so did her family!

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 pounds (900 g) boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon (4 g) dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 can (15 ounces, or 425 g) black soybeans

1 can (14 1/2 ounces, or 410 g) tomatoes with green chiles

1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate

Put the onion and garlic in your slow cooker and place the pork on top.

In a bowl, stir together the cumin, oregano, salt, soybeans, tomatoes, broth, and bouillon. Pour the mixture over the pork and vegetables. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 to 9 hours.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 257 calories, 10 g fat, 34 g protein, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs.

Orange Pork Loin

Boneless pork loin frequently goes on sale. It's very lean, however, so it's often both bland and dry. Slow cooking takes care of that little problem! Sadly, fresh pumpkin is only available for a couple of months in the autumn, so that's when you'll need to make this dish. Buy a small pumpkin, or you'll have piles of it leftover.

1 pound (455 g) pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (13 mm) cubes

1 pound (455 g) rutabaga, cut into 1/2-inch (13 mm) cubes

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

2 pounds (900 g) pork loin

2 tablespoons (40 g) low-sugar marmalade or orange preserves

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

2 teaspoons Splenda

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (120 ml) chicken broth

Guar or xanthan

Put the pumpkin and rutabaga in the bottom of your slow cooker.

In a big, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and brown the pork all over. Put the pork in the slow cooker on top of the pumpkin and rutabaga.

In a bowl, stir together the marmalade, orange extract, Splenda, garlic, salt, and broth. Pour the mixture over the pork. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

When the time's up, carefully remove the pork to a platter and use a slotted spoon to pile the vegetables around it. Use guar or xanthan to thicken the liquid in the pot to the consistency of heavy cream. Serve the liquid with the pork and vegetables.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 281 calories, 10 g fat, 34 g protein, 13 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 11 g usable carbs.

Spinach-Stuffed Pork Loin

Pork loin is a little lean for my tastes. On the other hand, it's a nice, solid chunk of meat in a handy shape, just right for stuffing. It makes a great company dish. Feel free to use this basic method with other low-carb stuffings.

2 pounds (900 g) boneless pork loin in one chunk

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

10 ounces (280 ml) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

2 tablespoons (14 g) sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, diced

4 pieces pepperoncini peppers, topped and chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 onion, chopped

1/3 cup (50 g) crumbled feta cheese

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons (28 ml) lemon juice