Braised Beef Short Ribs (low carb, dutch oven)

My nephew came across this recipe and said it was really good and that we had to try it. We did and it was good.  I wanted to share it.  I also added some other ingredients when I made later on, which I'll share (the added ingredients) later in this post. While the recipe calls for a dutch oven, I also used just a big cast iron pan and I imagine it would work in a crock pot as well.  Here's the original recipe...

Braised Beef Short Ribs

6-8 bone-in beef short ribs
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 Tbsp Olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups tomato paste
2-3 cups dry red wine
1-2 cups water
salt, to taste for all sides of ribs
1 bundle of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
garlic cloves, to taste / chopped or minced

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.
Blend onion, celery, carrot and garlic in blender to form a rough paste.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large dutch oven on high heat.  Add ribs to pot and sear meat on all sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Remove ribs from pot and drain fat from pot.
Add remaining Tbsp of oil to pot and add pureed vegetables.  Allow veggies to brown a bit.  Add tomato paste and allow it to brown.  Scrape bottom of pan often to prevent sticking.  Add wine to pot and scrape bottom again.
Return ribs to the pot and add water until ribs are covered.  Add thyme and bay leaves to pot.  Cover pot and place in oven for 3 hours.  Turn ribs over about half way through cooking.  Remove lid from pot for last 20 or so minutes of cooking to allow sauce to reduce.  


Braised Beef Short Ribs (my tweaked version)

6-8 bone-in beef short ribs
1 large onion, chopped
2-4 ribs celery, chopped
2 small cans of tomato paste
2-3 cups dry red wine (optional)
1-2 cups water
salt, to taste for all sides of ribs
1 bundle of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
garlic cloves, to taste / chopped or minced

My added ingredients...  (optional)
2 packets of sugar-free sweetener (I used Stevia with Inulin Fiber)
2 servings of instant coffee powder (may want to use more)
1-2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 375*.
Blend onion, celery, garlic and tomato paste in blender to form a rough paste.  Add sugar-free sweetener, coffee, cinnamon and cocoa powder.  Mix well.
Place ribs in dutch oven.  Pour the rough paste of vegetables over the ribs.  Add thyme and bay leaves.  Add wine if desired.  Add water.
Cover pot and place in oven for 3 hours.  Turn ribs over about half way through cooking.  Remove lid from pot for last 20 or so minutes of cooking to allow sauce to reduce, if desired. 

Braised Beef Short Ribs (low carb)

The cast iron pan and skillet I used for a lid.

Creamy Tomato Chicken (low carb / p2)

I've been craving a 'creamy' sauce lately and, as I'm currently doing HCG and in phase 2, I can't have any cheese.  Technically even the Greek yogurt in this recipe is somewhat 'rogue' (for the HCG diet) but the brand I use is higher in protein and since it's plain, there are no added sugars or anything.  All of the spices really are optional and you can use them in the amounts that you want to (to taste) but I've come up with this recipe and I really like it for a 'creamy' sauce.

Creamy Tomato Chicken

5 chicken breasts
1 large can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 0% Fage)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil leaves
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder, optional

Combine tomatoes, Greek yogurt and spices, mixing well.  
Place chicken in a crockpot or in a glass baking dish.
Pour sauce over the top.
Bake in crockpot for 4-6 hours on low heat (or however long you want pretty much).
Or bake in oven at 350* F for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until meat is cooked.

Creamy Tomato Chicken (low carb / p2)