Dill Pickle Soup

This usual soup is delicious and excellent with fish. Add 8 oz of cod or haddock in cubes to make a Phase 1 chowder for dinner.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup of chicken broth
• 1 cup celery root, diced
• 1/2 cup leeks, sliced
• 1/2 cup whole large dill pickles, shredded
• 1/2 cup pickle juice (or less/more to taste)
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil 
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch ground dry mustard

Directions:

1. ‎Saute the celery root and leeks in grapeseed oil for 5 minutes. 
2. Add spices and saute for 2 more minutes. 
3. Add chicken broth and dill pickle juice. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until the celery root is cooked. 
4. Add 1/2 cup grated dill pickle. If you prefer a smoother soup, use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables before adding the dill pickle.

LillyPad Low-carb Leek Quiche Frittata

This low-carb frittata or crustless quiche makes a delicious Phase 1 dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup leek, sliced thin
• 1 cup of spinach, stalks removed, coarsely chopped.
• 1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 1 tsp basil
• 4 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp grape seed oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300C.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. Sauté the leek and spinach for 5 minutes until soft.
3. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Mix in seasoning, basil, leek and spinach. Pour into oven pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Serve immediately.

LillyPad's Phase 1 Friendly Onion Soup

This is a flavourful alternative to French onion soup, since cooked onions are not allowed on phase 1. This is also good as a broth with a roast‎ in crock pot.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1 cup leeks 
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp sage 
• 1/4 tsp thyme 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/2 tsp onion powder 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• ‎2 cups beef stock (no sugar, 0 carb)

• Add chives and green onion before serving
• Optional* add 1 cup of celery or mushroom for a fuller soup

Directions:

1. ‎In a small pot, sauté leeks in oil on medium-low for 5 minutes. 
2. Add broth, soy sauce and seasonings, cooking on low for another 10 minutes. 
3. Add fresh chives and thin slices of green onion when serving. 

Leeks

Leeks are a vegetable related to onion and garlic. They are used in many cuisines, having an mild onion like flavour that complements many others seasonings.

Leeks whole and sliced

Cleaning leeks can be tricky, because of the amount of soil that can collect between the layers. See this video How to Select and Clean Leeks to learn more.
We will feature a few leek recipes this month and you'll find leeks in our past recipes as well. They are an excellent substitute for onions when cooking, because they don't carmelize and are thus lower on the glycemic index.

Leeks can be sauteed, roasted or boiled like many other vegetables. They are frequently used in soups as well.

Sauteed
With olive oil and garlic, saute sliced leeks until softened but not browned on medium to low heat. Mushrooms saute well with leeks too.

Roasted
Brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper, leeks can be roasted at 400 for 35 to 45 minutes. You may want to drizzle some water on them from time to time to keep them moist.

Leek Latkes

Traditionally, Latkes are a kind of fried potato pancake. This delicious low-carb version features leeks, zucchini and the Ideal Protein Potato Puree.

Leek Latkes

Ingredients:

• ‎1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup leeks, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, grated
• 1 tsp garlic‎ powder 
• 1  egg white
• 1 package Ideal Protein Potato Puree
• 1 tsp dill
• 1 tsp parsley
• ½ tsp salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Cut the white part of the leek lengthways, and cut thin slices of leek.
3. Heat grapeseed oil in pan. Add leek and grated zucchini to the pan, sautéing for 5 minutes.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs and add the herbs and seasoning. Add the vegetables (make sure they have cooled slightly so they don’t cook the eggs) and mix. Add the potato puree mix together.
5. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray and spread the mixture on the paper evenly. Bake for 8 minutes.

Herbed Lemon Chicken with Celery and Leek

This savoury chicken main makes for a perfect Phase 1 meal. It's also a great recipe to make in bulk and freeze.

Herbed Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

• 8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into bite sized pieces
• 1 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1/2 lemon juiced
• 1/4 tsp dried jalapeño 
• 1/2 tsp garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup leeks (white part), sliced
• 1 cup celery inner soft ribs, sliced

Directions for one serving:

1. Add spices to lemon juice in a small bowl. Set aside. 
2. Heat grapeseed oil in frying pan on med high. 
3. Brown chicken in the pan for 5 minutes. 
4. Lower heat to med low and add leeks, celery, and lemon juice mix. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Directions for more than one serving:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Multiple the ingredients for the number of servings that you want.
3. Assemble everything in an oven safe baking dish. 
4. Bake in oven at 350 for 60 minutes, stirring half way through.
5. Let cool slightly before serving or completely before packing and freezing.

Low Carb "Stuffing"

This mock stuffing makes a great addition to any big dinner and is a delicious way to add in some vegetables and flavour, while reducing carbs and sugars.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower rice
• 1/4 cup celery, chopped small
• 1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped small
• preferred spices like onion powder, poultry seasoning (sage, savoury, etc), salt, and pepper.

Directions:

1. Prepare the Cauliflower Rice separately.
2. Saute the celery and mushroom over medium high until softened. 
3. Stir in the cooked cauliflower rice. Stir in the spices and mix well. Serve immediately.