People have been on about how carbohydrates are evil for a long time, of course, and recently Atkins and company have undergone a revival. I still think Atkins' diet is a terrible idea. That said, it's pretty easy to cut some extra calories by reducing consumption of processed grains and sugars, and Atkins and company are probably right to think a lot of us are consuming so many carbohydrates for our activity levels that our blood sugar is not controlled adequately.

That said, Atkins does not work for anyone who works out vigorously most days of the week (which, surprising though I continue to find it, includes me). Nevertheless, after cutting back on the baked goodies/rice/pasta/etc., I was stuck for interesting food to eat that mostly included meat and a lot of vegetables (I am not one for steamed veggies except occasionally). Here's my answer.

Stew

After several rounds of experimentation settled into a predictable routine, I asked Sean what it was I was making. He said it was a stew.

Mix in a bowl:

Flour
Corn meal
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Mustard powder
Ginger powder
Cayenne or other ground dried pepper
Salt
Black pepper
Etc.

You can add nearly anything, including green herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, etc.

Cover with flour mixture:

Piece(s) of meat: chicken thigh, pork chop, beef cubes, etc.

I usually just rotate the piece(s) of meat in the bowl until it has a fine layer on it. I don't use egg or anything else to increase the stickiness of the meat.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large pan on medium.

Chop:

Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Bell Pepper
Carrot
Celery
Pea pods
Other vegetables you like

Usually I saute the onion and garlic a little, then add the meat and brown it. Then I start adding vegetables and the liquids.

Add:

Worcestershire sauce
Hot sauce
Sherry, sake, or wine
Stock or other soup base (cream of mushroom, for example)
Milk or soy milk
Other liquids (water, tomatos or tomato sauce)

Don't drown it. Let some of it cook off, and the rest should pick up the breading and oil and thicken nicely, also steaming the meat and veg. You can cover it for a few minutes, especially if the bits of meat are relatively thick. If you like more of a gravy than a thin sauce, you can add more flour, or corn starch.

I made a version with a pork chop, black bean sauce, chili garlic sauce and baby bok choy that turned out nicely.

This is not bad to eat out of a bowl with no additional carbs, but generally I have it with one or two slices of whole wheat bread with spread on it, sometimes adding garlic powder as well. Nothing to stop you from trying it over rice or pasta.

If you leave out the vegetables that don't tolerate reheating well, you can package this up and freeze it in a bag. To reconstitute, add oil to a pan, thaw the package most of the way and dump the contents plus the fresh vegetables in.

Created December 2, 2002
Updated December 2, 2002