Monday 28 November 2011

Lowcarb trifle !



Ingredients: Serves 6-8
100 grams of ground almonds
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of melted butter
2 tablespoons of double cream
A pack of frozen lowcarb summer fruits
300ml of extra thick cream
A handful of toasted flaked almonds
2 x 12.5 grams of instant jelly crystals

Method:
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt the butter, I use a Pyrex jug, add the eggs, double cream, then add the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into a 6" microwave proof dish. Microwave in a 700watt for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and break up the sponge into small pieces.

 Layer up in a Pyrex bowl ( 7" wide by 4" deep ) the fruit, and sponge. Pour over the lowcarb raspberry liquid jelly and allow to set. Cover the top with extra thick cream and  toasted flaked almonds.

Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower, broken into bite sized florets
140ml double cream
125g mature cheddar cheese
1-2 tea spoons dijon mustard
1 large free range egg
salt & pepper

Steam the cauliflower (in a colander over a pan of boiling water) until a fork passes easily through the stems. Remove to a baking dish and discard the water.

Pour the cream, cheese (reserve some to sprinkle over the dish) and mustard into the pan over a medium heat and stir until the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg. Now pour the mixture over the cauliflower and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Bake in a fan oven at 170 until the cauliflower is golden brown (30-35 minutes).

Cauliflower featured great food of the week.

The cauliflower is one of the most versatile foods in the low carbers recipe book. From cauliflower cheese to finely grated as a rice substitute or mash with butter and use as a topping for shepherds and fish pies etc. With minimal carb content and over three times the vitamin C as potatoes, a truly great food.  



Kale a true wonder food !


Kale a fantastic food packed full of great nutrients and anti-oxidants.Steam for about five minutes add some grated Parmesan cheese and some mixed herbs. Tastes good and a true lowcarb star.

Saturday 26 November 2011

Great grub if time is short !


OK a cheat. Waitrose Charlie Bighams's ready meal, Thai green chicken curry, ten carbs per portion.  The meal tastes fabulous, and is highly recommended.

Kedgeree


Ingredients (serves 2)
1 small cauliflower, grated
1 red onion, finely chopped

 2 table spoons of Patak's Madras curry paste
3 boiled eggs (8 minutes in boiling water), quartered
250g smoked haddock, or unsmoked salmon is also good, poached in water for 5 minutes
Lots of finely chopped parsley, or coriander
Some lemon wedges to serve

Fry the onion in olive oil or butter until soft. Add the curry paste and fry for 3-4 minutes more. Now add the grated cauliflower and cook until all the ingredients are well coloured, maybe 8-10 minutes. Add the flaked fish, then the herbs and finally the eggs. Salt and pepper to taste, then spoon onto warmed plates with the lemon wedges.


A great meal served anytime of day. Will keep you going for hours. Low carb and will keep those BG numbers to non diabetic, very tasty. 


Friday 25 November 2011

A day of vegan low carbing could look like this.

Breakfast: soy yoghurt with a few tablespoons of ground nuts and fibre in it and maybe a few strawberries or other red fruit.

Lunch: Salad with greens, some seeds, marinated baked tofu strips and an oil-dressing or vegan mayo.

Dinner: Spicy tomato curry with a nice splash of oil, coconut milk, low carb veggies and a decent amount of vegetarian protein like seitan (from wheat gluten), tempeh or anything like that.

Desert: tofu chocolate pudding (this tastes amazing, everybody should try it)

Snacks: nuts, olives, avocado, spicy baked tofu strips, veggies with low carb dip, baked goods made with flax meal, almond meal, wheat gluten, soy flour etc.

That would take you to a daily carb intake of 60-70 grams, not really low, but much lower than what most vegetarians consume.

Plant-based dairy alternatives, such as unsweetened soy milk, soy yoghurt, nut milk and soy cream can be included in a low carb diet, especially since they are often lower in carbs than their dairy counterparts, since they do not contain lactose (a.k.a. milk sugar).


From our new friend in Holland.

Low Carb Cauliflower Rice

Christmas pudd. Lowcarb Of course !


Ingredients:
100 grams ground almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of melted butter
2 tablespoons of double cream
100 grams of lowcarb thawed frozen fruits. Blueberries, blackcurrants and strawberries.
60 grams of 90-95% cocoa dark chocolate
Two tea spoons of cocoa powder
One large shot of brandy
A handful of almond flakes and broken walnuts
Extra thick cream

Method:
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt the butter, I use a Pyrex jug, add the eggs, cream, and fruit. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Pour into a medium size Pyrex mixing bowl. Microwave in a 700watt for 5 minutes. Turn out upside-down onto five layers of kitchen paper on a flat plate. Zap in micro-wave for a further two minutes. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl standing in a saucepan of boiling water. Pour over pudding and serve with a scoop of extra thick cream. Serves four.