BAKED "SALMON" ITALIANNE

You can transform any meat dish into a low carb vegetarian specialty, including fish! For a delightful, easy-to-make fish dish, try a Baked Salmon Italianne. Decadently dressed faux salmon topped with veggie bacon is a simple, yet extravagant entrée. Serving up at only 5 grams of net carbs per serving of 5 oz. salmon steak and 2 strips of bacon, it's time to reel this meal into a kitchen near you. To get started, preheat your oven to 400ºF and spray a casserole dish with your favorite nonstick cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar-free mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of ketchup to make your own Russian Dressing. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 6 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes with enough water to cover them. Heat tomatoes until they plump. Lay salmon pieces in your dish and completely cover with Russian Dressing. Cut up tomatoes and lay them top of dressing. Then, sprinkle entire dish with 1/4 cup chopped onion and 4 strips of veggie bacon, cooked, and cut into 1" pieces. Bake your masterpiece for 20–25 minutes and then place under your broiler for just a few minutes to brown up top. All that's left to do now is enjoy!

As you can begin to see—and taste—transforming your traditional meat-based dishes into low carb and vegetarian delights just takes a little creativity. The proof is, as they say, in pan!

YUMMY PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

If you still have room for dessert after eating any of these amazing low carb vegetarian entrees, you'll want to whip up world's easiest and easily world's best Yummy Pumpkin Cheesecake. With only 4 grams of net carbs per slice (serves 8), you'll wish you'd skipped right to dessert. With this recipe, it doesn't get much easier than this. Blend. Bake. Cool. Eat! Repeat. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, blend together 3 eggs, 8 ounces of cream cheese, and 4 packets of Splenda® and 4 packets Sweet n' Low. Then, add 1/3 teaspoon maple extract, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 can pure pumpkin. Keep mixing as you add, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix until creamy, and then pour into a 9" pie pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until knife comes out clean and finish off by chilling in refrigerator until fully set. You'll want to keep this one all to yourself!

================= Let Leftovers Work for You =================

If you have leftovers, but not enough to make a full meal—get creative! Figure out what you can combine your leftovers to make a masterpiece of a meal. Be sure to write down any combinations that tickled your taste buds and you might just want to make them main dish next time around!

================= Make ‘em Frozen =================

Frozen fresh vegetables may just be perfect time-saving food. They've already been washed, peeled, and cut, so all you have to do is reheat. It almost seems too easy. Plus, if you've bought fresh frozen, you'll still get all nutritional benefits in bag.

================= Keep a Lid On It! =================

To quicken your cooking time, make sure your pots and pans are sealed with lid. Lids keep steam and heat in so you'll be able to enjoy your delectable dishes sooner. In fact, keeping a lid on it not only speeds up cooking process, it will help keep seal tasty flavor and nutrients.

================= Mix It Up! =================

Does anyone really know what a "dash" of seasoning is? How many recipes have you found that call for a dash of salt, as pinch of pepper, and cayenne to taste? Probably too many to remember, right? Why not create your own mixed seasoning. You can come up with a creative name, like salpepcay. Rather than wasting your time finding each spice every time you cook, shake things up by mixing together your most used spices in their own container.

================= Write It Down =================

How many times have your meal plans gotten derailed when you find out that you're missing key ingredient? Tomato soup isn't so great without tomatoes! Put a magnetic memo pad on your frig and write down names of ingredients as they run out. Bring list with you to store each time you shop and you'll never experience a food wreck again!