Low-Carb Recipes: Zucchini, Cottage Cheese Salad

Here's what's for dinner!

Chicken

First off, throw some chicken in the crock pot overnight. Salt. About a cup or so of water to keep it from going dry in case you're using some sort of horrible chicken that's had the wonderful fat removed. I use thighs and legs with the skin and fat on. Makes wonderful broth to use with another meal.

If you're a crazy busy mom like me, cook it on low overnight (unless you don't remember until midnight, and then cook it on high overnight!). Turn it down on warm before you leave for work in the morning!

When you get home from work, debone the chicken, discard the skin, SAVE the broth. EAT. (You can ruin it with corn-syrup-infested sauces or seasoning blends, but it tastes REAL with just a sprinkle of salt.)

Now for the zucchini.

1. Get your dad to grow an awesome garden.
2. Be really nice so your parents will give you lots of free home-grown produce. (It is helpful to also give them a grandchild in return. The amount of produce you receive will increase exponentially.)
3. Throw 1/4 cup REAL butter in a hot nonstick saucepan.
4. Peal and chop up said zucchini. (Fancy slices if you want, but big chunks are easier to saute!)
5. Your butter should be getting a nice brownish color by now. You want this to happen. Believe me.
6. Toss the zucchini in. Bit of salt. Spoonful of garlic (the wonderful kind that comes in jars all ready to go!).
7. Sauté for awhile on medium till everything looks nice and brown. Turn the heat down to low and put a lid on and let it cook for awhile. Timing depends on how soft you want your veggies.

Simple Cottage Cheese Salad I thought up

1. Chop up one small tomato. Sprinkle with salt and let sit a few minutes.
2. Chop up about 12 green olives. (Or 3 T if you have a jar that's already sliced....cheater.)
3. Mix tomatoes and olives into about 1 cup of cottage cheese (don't get that nasty low-fat business; get the stuff that actually tastes super yummy).
4. Stir in about 1/3 cup finely grated cheese (Grate your own cheese! They add potato starch to pre-grated cheese!! Bad, carbs, bad!).

And by the way, I don't believe it when people say their kids won't eat veggies. You've just ruined them with nasty reconstituted msg-laden fast-food and microwave meals. My five year-old devoured her zucchini in five minutes (which makes me sad, cuz I wanted there to be leftovers).