Low carb high fat

I had a flat iron steak from the farmer’s market that I was in the mood for and wanted to use up my vegetables, because I’m going away for the weekend. I ended up with a slaw/salad and it was very tasty!

I used a sumac dry rub and a bit of cider vinegar and covered the sliced-up steak and put it in the broiler for 5 minutes. I make a big batch of the dry rub; it’s made with equal parts of sumac, garlic, cocoa, coffee, salt and pepper and I store it in the freezer.

Steak and Slaw

Flat iron steak or other, sliced

Dry rub

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Coat steak with vinegar and dry rub and place on an oven proof tray. Put broiler on high and cook 5 minutes.

Slaw

Serves 2

¼ cabbage, sliced thin

2-3 stalks celery, chopped

Pickled onions

Toasted bits of pecan

Handful parmesan

Dressing

1-2 tablespoons avocado oil

¼ cup Mayo or creme fraiche

1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (like Frank’s Hot Sauce or Mazi Piri Piri sauce)

1 teaspoon Dijon

2 tablespoons Cider vinegar

Combine and whisk ingredients.

Assemble salad ingredients, except pecans and add as much dressing as desired. Allow to sit for 30-60 minutes. Add pecans and steak and serve.

“Cold Noodles” with Sesame Sauce with Baked Tofu

August 22, 2018

nlhartie

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Low carb tofu with peanut sauce, spiralized zucchini and cucumber

I was first introduced to cold noodles with sesame by my boyfriend in college and it was the first spicy dish I had ever eaten! The first few times I ate them, it took forever because they were so hot. But I immediately loved them and when my boyfriend would visit for the weekend, he always brought me an order. I haven’t the restaurant version in years—I find them too sweet—but I’ll never forget how much I loved the cold noodles from Empire Szechuan in New York City.

This version has spiralized yellow squash or zucchini and Shirataki noodles. Use any combination; it’s all good. I add baked tofu to make the dish more substantial. Roasted chicken on the side with a little peanut sauce would also be good. Anything with this peanut sauce is good!

The first night I made this I used only yellow squash, but didn’t have enough for the second night, so I added the Shirataki noodles.

Shirataki noodles are made with yam flour and have virtually no carbs or calories. According to Wikipedia: “Shirataki are thin, translucent, gelatinous traditional Japanese noodles made from the konjac yam. The word “shirataki” means white waterfall, referring to the appearance of these noodles.”

Some brands of Shirataki noodles have soy or preservatives added, but I buy a brand that is only made of yams. I posted a picture of it on my blog, because the name is only in Japanese. It has little flavor, but absorbs whatever sauce you use on it. Buy it in the refrigerated section of your grocery store or an Asian specialty grocer.

If you want the traditional (high carb) recipe, simply substitute 1 pound Chinese-style dried noodle or spaghetti/fettuccini.

“Cold Noodles” with Sesame Sauce with Baked Tofu

Serves 4

4 yellow squash or zucchini spiralized or a combination and/or Shirataki noodles

5 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced

3 tablespoon black and/or white sesame seeds, divided

1 bunch scallions, chopped

4 curby cucumber, cut into long thin shreds or spiralized

Cilantro, chopped

Sauce:

2 tablespoon San-J® All Purpose Szechuan Hot and Spicy Sauce

1 cup crunchy or smooth natural peanut butter

3 tablespoons soy or tamari sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Hot pepper flakes to taste

Water

Baked Tofu

If you are using Shirataki noodles, drain, rinse and add them to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes. Drain.

Sauté ginger, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds and garlic on low heat for about a minute, or until garlic becomes fragrant. Add sauce ingredients, stirring well. Add small amounts of water until you like the consistency—should be thin enough to coat the pasta easily. Taste the sauce, as you may want to add more of one or more ingredients. If it is too hot and spicy, add more peanut butter.

Mix sauce with noodles and spiralized veggies.

Top with baked tofu and add more peanut sauce. Embellish with cucumber, remaining sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve at room temperature.

Low Carb Kale “Pie”

August 21, 2018

nlhartie

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Have been making kale “pie” for years and used to follow the recipe and baked it with a pie crust. Even before I went low carb, I omitted the crust, as this dish doesn’t need it. If you are eating them, sweet potatoes go well with the kale pie.

I have also made this with mushrooms, like shitake, instead of the cabbage and tomatoes.

I don’t add salt, as the feta cheese is salty enough for me.

Kale Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1 large bunch kale, stems removed, leaves roughly chopped

¼ large red head of cabbage, cored and sliced (optional)

Handful grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

Avocado or extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup milk or heavy cream

6 oz feta cheese, preferably sheep’s, crumbled

6 eggs, beaten

Pepper

Sauté onions and garlic until translucent and add kale and cabbage, if using. Sauté, about 15 minutes or until tender. Allow vegetables to cool a bit.

Mix remaining ingredients and add kale mix and combine. Place mixture in a pie dish or other shallow baking dish, add tomatoes cut side down and bake 45 minutes.

French Onion Soup with Bone Broth

August 20, 2018

nlhartie

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French Onion Soup with Bone Broth and Tomato Salad

Bone broth. Onions. Raw milk cheese. Put them together and magic happens…French Onion soup is a classic for a reason. Use the best ingredients for an unforgettable meal.

Beef bone broth recipe. If you cn’t make your own broth, organic, grass fed broth is available–but it won’t be as good as your own.

Traditionally, pieces of a baguette or croutons are placed in soup, but I omitted to make this low carb. However, if it’s a cheat day, serve with a hot baguette!

I served this with tomato salad with pickled onions.

French Onion Soup

Serves 4

6 large onions, thinly sliced

6 cups bone broth, preferably beef, but chicken or vegetable can be substituted

Coupled sprigs thyme

4 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper

8 ounces cheese, preferably raw like Emmentaler and Swiss Gruyere, sliced

Heat a cast iron casserole or other sturdy pot on medium and melt butter. Add onions. Stirring occasionally, cook them slowly—you may want to lower temperature—until they slowly collapse and begin to brown, 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Add stock, thyme, salt and pepper and bring just to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes.

Ladle soup into portion sized bowls and place on a parchment lined sturdy baking sheet. Place cheese over soup and bake about 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Cooked onions for French onion soup. See how they meld into a mass?

Mexican Farmer’s Market Bowl

August 17, 2018

nlhartie

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This is the perfect summer dish, with all the vegetables fresh from the farmer’s market! I have both kale and cabbage from the market, but the kale needed to get used up first—and, the purple/green leaves are so pretty!

This for two nights for my husband and I, and I make the guacamole fresh each day so that the tomatoes are never refrigerated, as this makes it so much more flavorful.

You can use pretty much any ground meat that you are in the mood to eat. I choose pork from a local farm.

The flavors are really good here, but if you can easily make this dish without the added peppers and onions and it will still be satisfying and delicious.

Mexican Farmer’s Market Bowl

Serves 4

Meat and Peppers

1 pound ground turkey, pork, beef, buffalo

2-3 peppers, cut into bite sized pieces

1 red onion, sliced thin

4 ounces shredded Colby and or cheddar

Taco or Cajun seasoning

½ lemon or lime, juiced

Cook meat on medium high until pink is gone and add seasoning. Remove meat and cook peppers and onions on high until limp, about 10 minutes. Add meat, draining fat, if desired. Turn off heat and add cheese and lemon and stir.

Guacamole

1-2 avocadoes, diced

Pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 small red onion, sliced thin

Cilantro, optional

½ -1 lime, juiced

Salt and pepper

Slaw

½ head kale, stems removed, cut or town into small pieces or small cabbage, sliced thin

2 medium beets, peeled, spiralized and chopped into bite sized pieces

1 carrot, peeled, spiralized and chopped into bite sized pieces

Extra virgin or avocado oil

Coat kale with oil and a bit of salt and allow to soften, about 30 minutes. (If using cabbage, no need to add oil.) Add remaining vegetables. Add some of the pepper sauce and toss.

Pepper Sauce

3/4 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

Handful cilantro, chopped

1-2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 small garlic clove

Zest of one lime and juice

2 tablespoons of tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Mix all together with a blender

Assemble the bowl: put slaw on the base, add the meat mixture, then the guacamole. Top with more pepper sauce.

Low Carb Pizza

August 16, 2018

nlhartie

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Instead of cauliflower, this recipe uses ground turkey or chicken as the main ingredient in the crust. I got this recipe from a friend and couldn’t wait to try it! While it doesn’t taste like pizza crust to me, it was good, and I piled on lots of veggies and cheese and this made a nice dinner. I used way more ingredients on the pie crust than what you get when you buy pizza, because I didn’t want to make a side dish. Just pile it on! I chose broccoli, shitake mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, but use your favorite pizza toppings. I roasted grape tomatoes because I usually make my own sauce and didn’t feel like cooking. With summer tomatoes at their peak, roasting them seemed like the best choice.

My husband and I ate this for two nights; I cooked the pizza crust and reserved half for the next day.

Low Carb Pizza

4 servings

1-pound ground chicken or turkey

1 egg

½ cup parmesan

Mix ingredients and lay out very thin on parchment paper on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes at 450. Then add toppings and bake 10 minutes more.

Top with whatever you like on your pizza and enjoy!

Keto Bread

August 14, 2018

nlhartie

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I found this recipe on The Diet Doctor’s website and it was created by Anne Aobadia. I am a cook—not a baker—and would never have been able to dream this recipe up. It is really, really good! According to Anne, each bun is 2 grams of carbs.

As the recipe suggests, I made 6 roundish buns. They would make great burger buns, so for that, I will make them flatter.

I made them again with 4 egg whites and the result was fluffier rolls!

Keto Bread—makes 6 buns

Ingredients

1¼ cups almond flour

5 tbsp ground psyllium husk powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cider vinegar

1 cup boiling water

3 or 4 egg whites

2 tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Bring the water to a boil and add it, the vinegar and egg whites to the bowl, while beating with a hand mixer for about 30 seconds. Don’t over mix the dough, the consistency should resemble Play-Doh.

Moisten hands and make 6 pieces of the dough. Place on a greased baking sheet or use parchment paper.

Bake on lower rack in the oven for 50–60 minutes, depending on the size of your bread. They’re done when you hear a hollow sound when tapping the bottom of the bun.

Serve with butter and toppings of your choice.

Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche

August 10, 2018

nlhartie

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Most cucumber salads call for sour cream and mayonnaise for the dressing. Kick it up a notch and use crème fraiche, instead—it will be the best cucumber salad you’ve ever had!

Crème fraiche is indulgent—it costs more than sour cream—but it just tastes better than sour cream and it has no additives. Crème fraîche is thicker, has a richer flavor, and is less tangy than sour cream. It has a fat content of about 30% and does not contain any added thickeners.

Sour cream has a fat content of about 20% and may include ingredients like gelatin, rennin, and vegetable enzymes to stabilize it and make it thicker.

This dressing is also fantastic on poached salmon. Thin the dressing down a bit with avocado or extra virgin olive oil for salad dressing–see recipe.

Cucumber Salad

½ bunch dill, stems removed and chopped

6 ounces crème fraiche or sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice from ½ a lemon

1 small red onion or a couple shallots, sliced thin by hand or on a mandolin

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

6 Kirby cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced by hand or on a mandolin

Put cucumbers and onion in a colander and mix salt in. Let drain for 30-60 minutes. Rinse and towel dry. Mix remaining ingredients and toss cucumbers and onion in and let sit about 15 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.

There will be more than enough dressing; if you have leftovers, make salad dressing. Put into a food processor 1 clove garlic, more dill, extra virgin olive oil, juice from half a lemon, salt and pepper and the extra dressing.

Blackened Turkey with Gazpacho & Avocado Chips

August 9, 2018

nlhartie

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Cajun Seasoned Turkey Tenderloin with Gazpacho and Avocado Chips

If you’ve been reading my posts, you saw my bounty of tomatoes from the farmer’s market. I made a salad with fish, gazpacho soup, a pasta dish (cheat day) and this is leftover drained gazpacho over Cajun seasoned turkey tenderloin with avocado chips.

Buy premade spice mixture or make your own. Rose Mountain Herbs had a nice Cajun seasonings, or make your own.

I had turkey tenderloins, but chicken would work just as well.

Turkey Tenderloin

1-2 turkey tenderloins, cut into strips about ¼” thick and 2” long

Cajun or taco spice mix

Avocado or extra virgin olive oil

Heat a cast iron pan on medium high. Heat oil to cover bottom of pan. Shake mix onto turkey and mix it with your hands. Put turkey into pan and cook until done, about 5 minutes.

See my posts on how to make gazpatcho and avocado chips.

Gazpacho and Low Carb Grilled Cheese

August 7, 2018

nlhartie

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I’ve been dreaming about gazpacho soup, made from heirloom tomatoes. So I made a big batch from the ones I bought from the farmer’s market the other day. (Couldn’t resist garnishing with microgreens from FM. :)) Thing is…nothing pairs as well as a grilled cheese sandwich with gazpacho soup. But how to make it low carb?

The answer was to use the low carb tortilla and taco shell recipe. I divided the recipe into 4 and made 2 large shells for one night’s dinner for my husband and I. I smeared bacon fat on one side of each, put cheese between the two shells on the ungreased sides and fried one big sandwich on my cast iron pan. The parmesan from the shell began to melt on the pan, so take care and cook a shorter period than you would using real bread.

Viola! Gazpacho and grilled cheese!

Gazpacho Soup

2 cloves garlic

1 small red onion

2-3 Kirby cucumbers peeled

1 large bell pepper

2-3 pounds tomatoes, cored

salt, pepper

parsley

1 serrano or jalapeno pepper

1 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or lemon

3 T olive oil

Microgreens for garnish (optional)

Hot sauce on side

Blend the garlic, hot pepper and onion and half the vegetables in a blender or food processor and hand chop the rest. Chill 6 plus hours.