Category: Recipes

Delicious low-carb recipes, tried and tested.

Mushroom Soup – Low-Carb Soups

EmmaLeave a comment

mushroomsIt hasn’t been the coldest of winters here in Scotland, but soup is always a welcome winter warmer. This mushroom soup is full of flavour and low-carbohydrate.

You can make it a main meal by adding in some protein – top with a poached egg, for example, or add in some chopped chicken breast, poaching it in the soup for 10 minutes. Crispy fried bacon crumbled up into ‘croutons’ is another idea.

 

Low-Carb Mushroom Soup

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • mushroom soup1kg mushrooms, quartered
  • 2tbsp butter or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 100ml white wine
  • 300ml fresh chicken stock
  • 300ml water
  • Salt and pepper

Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions and celery. Fry for five minutes until softened and then add the mushrooms. Mix well to combine and fry for another 10 minutes. Add the garlic and white wine, cook off the wine and add the chicken stock and water.

Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes and then puree with a hand blender. Season to taste. It’s nice topped with chopped parsley and a swirl of double cream.

You can also make this in the slow cooker – throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker (no need to bother browning the veg), turn the setting to high and leave for three hours before liquidising.

Carbs per serving: 14g, with 4 g of fibre. 

Tiramisu

kaitiscotland2 Comments

You CAN have a marvellous dessert for Christmas or any other day you like! I’ve made  low carb tiramisu in many different versions over the years and here is just one. We will be having this for Christmas dinner, which we always have in the evening, because I usually work Christmas day. If you can keep your hands off of it, you can make this a day ahead of the event.

First of all make your sponge. You can use olive oil or coconut oil for the oil, and you can add cocoa powder, about two  rounded dessertspoons for each cake,  if you like a chocolate sponge on your tiramisu. Although this recipe makes one sponge, I strongly suggest you make two, because everyone wants seconds of this dessert.  You can use the second one for another batch of tiramisu or use it for a regular low carb sponge.P1030199.JPG
2 large eggs, separated
60ml double cream
2 tablespoons of granular sugar substitute of your choice
50g very soft or melted butter (or other oil)
pinch of salt
120mg ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 170C/mk 4
In a large bowl, mix together yolks,  butter, cream, granular sugar substitute and salt. Add  in almonds and baking powder.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites till in soft peaks, fold in a large spoonful to cake mix to loosen it, then gently fold in rest of egg whites as this adds lightness to the sponge.

Put the oven for 25 minutes approximately. The cake is done when a cocktail stick comes out almost dry or the top springs back when gently pressed.

Disaronno_Originale_2

Now for the filling.

Separate 6 eggs. Beat the yolks with about 3 heaped tablespoons of granular sugar substitute. ( My combination is 2 xylitol + 1 splenda )

Add 500g mascarpone and some Amaretto or Kahlua or Tia Maria. Whip.

In a jug put 250mls of cooled strong coffee (preferably real) and ¼ cup brandy or rum or Kahlua or Tia Maria.

Whip the egg whites and then when stiff fold them into the boozy/cheese mixture.

Now in a fancy bowl put in a layer of sponge cut up. Dribble over the coffee mixture till wet but not disintegrating.

Then add a good layer of boozy custard.

Keep on till you have a layer of boozy custard on top.

Put chocolate shavings (crushed up flake = 15g carb per flake )or cocoa powder on top(less carby)

Put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving to chill.

This keeps for a few days, if you can keep your hands off of it.

 

 

Pork Meatballs – Low Carb

Emma2 Comments

Mince of any kind is really versatile and pork mince makes the most amazing meat balls. My recipe for them is very simple indeed – it creates dense meatballs, but that’s not an issue with me.

Aldi stocks Scottish-sourced pork mince which is approved by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA), and Red Tractor-scheme approved pork in other parts of the UK. The two accreditations should mean that the pigs are subjected to higher welfare conditions than pork without them, although the charity Compassion in World Farming has challenged the claims of the Red Tractor scheme. If in doubt, buy your mince from a farmer’s market or buy organic or certified free range.

Pork Meatballs

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

pork meatballs500g pork mince

1tbsp finely chopped fresh sage

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all the ingredients together (don’t be stingy with the black pepper). It’s easiest to mix them with your hands – and shape them into small balls, just a little bit smaller than a golf ball.
  2. Place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for half an hour. Serve with a tomato sauce over spiralised vegetables, or steamed cauliflower or chop in half, fry off in olive oil and use in a salad with some crispy bacon strips.

Each meatball has 1g of carbs per ball. 

As an added bonus, here’s my favourite way to eat pork meatballs – for breakfast! This is not the most appealing looking dish (we’re more about substance over style here at Diabetes Diet), but it’s really quick and easy once you’ve got a stock of meatballs to hand.pork meatballs scrambled eggs

Pork and Eggs

  • Servings: 1
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 4 pork meat balls
  • 2 large eggs
  • 10ml olive oil or 10g butter
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Chop the meatballs into quarters. Heat the oil or butter in an omelette pan and add the chopped meatballs.
  2. Allow to brown and then add the beaten eggs (which have been seasoned with a little salt and pepper – you won’t need much because the meatballs are seasoned).
  3. Move the eggs around as if you are scrambling them. It won’t take long to cook them – about 30 seconds.
  4. Serve with some vegetables (if you want to feel virtuous).

Allow about 1g of carbs per serving (and 5g of carbs if you serve it with 75g of green beans as I’ve done here). 

 

 

 

African Lamb Stew

kaitiscotland3 Comments

AubergineINGREDIENTS

1.2 kg of lamb stew meat

2 aubergines

1 ½ teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp grated nutmeg

3 tablespoons oil

3 pcs red chilli finely chopped

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 stock cube

sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

 

METHOD

Crush the coriander seeds and cumin seeds, using a mortar and pestle (or if you don’t own a mortar and pestle you can put seeds in a plastic food bag or cling film and use a rolling pin to crush the seeds.)

Mix crushed seeds with salt and nutmeg and rub spice mixture well into the meat.
Melt oil/butter (I always use both, gives a lovely flavour, the oil stops the butter from burning), add meat to the pan and brown on all sides. Cut the aubergine into cubes and fry with the meat for 2 minutes whilst stirring all the time.
Add the ginger and chilli and let everything cook for a further 2 minutes, then add add the garlic, vinegar, stock cube and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve up in deep plates, place a big dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with the fresh finely chopped parsley and coriander to finish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

EmmaLeave a comment

thanksgivingWe have a sizeable American audience so Happy Thanksgiving if you’re celebrating the occasion with your friends and family today.

Thanksgiving means… well, a lot of food of course and a lot of carb-laden options.

Candied yams, pumpkin pies and stuffings made with breadcrumbs etc.

Of course, you can’t be perfect all the time when trying to stick to a low-carbohydrate diet, but if you do want some low-carb versions of your favourites, here they are…

Butternut Squash Soup – a favourite starter made lower-carb by the good folks at Atkins.

On the same website, there’s a great recipe for green beans, which can be served as an accompaniment to the roast turkey.

Lowcarbdiets has a stuffing recipe which uses low-carb bread, vegetables and seasoning to create a lower-carb version of this roast turkey accompaniment.

Still with Lowcarbdiets, the site also includes a pumpkin pie recipe which has roughly 8g of carbohydrate per serving so you don’t need to miss out on this seasonal speciality.

Finally, Mark’s Daily Apple has a whole host of delicious sounding recipes – from wild mushroom soup with vegetable confetti, devilled eggs, zucchini (courgette) and squash gratin to scallops wrapped in bacon and crab bisque. Check out the full range here.

As it so happens the Thanksgiving meal isn’t a million miles away from the typical British Christmas menu, so hopefully our British readers will find some inspiration for their own Christmas cooking.

Venison Stew – Slow Cooker

Emma1 Comment

After a sunny, dry and mild September and October, normal Scottish autumn weather has resumed… Rain, winds and dark, dreary days are once more upon us.

The consolation is a stew – warm, delicious and extremely comforting. I love stew so much I’d eat it in the height of summer anyway, but it does seem so fitting for this time of year. I’ve used venison here, but you could substitute this with beef or lamb instead (choose cuts that needs long, slow cooking).

I’ve suggested three to four servings – three is best for greed purposes. Serve this with steamed cauliflower and broccoli. You can also make fake mashed potatoes with steamed cauliflower – recipe here.

Venison Stew

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • venison 2600g venison (choose the meat that needs long, slow cooking)
  • 2 small onions, very finely diced
  • Three medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2-3 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 100g streaky bacon
  • 1/2tbsp salt
  • 1tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1tbsp Herbes de Provence
  • 1tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
  • 11/2 tbsp cornflour

 

  1. Put the venison in a Ziplock or equivalent plastic bag with the salt, pepper, corn flour, and herbs and shake well so that all the meat is coated in the flour.
  2. Put the meat and the rest of the ingredients in a slow cooker and mix well. Cover the ingredients with water (remember, the vegetables will leak out water as they cook too, so you only need the water to just cover the ingredients.
  3. Set the slow cooker to low and leave for seven to eight hours. (Remember that taking the lid off a slow cooker adds another 20 minutes to the cooking time.)

Serve and enjoy.

(If you don’t have a slow cooker, then prepare the meat as in stage 1, then place in a large casserole dish with the rest of the ingredients and add water. You’ll need a little more than if you were using a slow cooker but basically add enough water to cover all the ingredients. Cover the dish with a lid and cook at 150 degrees C (130 fan) for three to four hours – until meltingly tender.)

This recipe has 21g of carbs per serving and 5g of fibre if serving three, and 15g of carbs and 3.75g of fibre for four. If you leave out the cornflour, you’ll reduce the carb count by a further 6-7g per serving – but a thick, juicy sauce is a marvellous thing…

 

 

Eight Quick Dips

kaitiscotlandLeave a comment

Tomato Base:

4 large, ripe tomatoes

1 heaped tsp of tom puree

½ tsp brown sugar

a few drops of sherry vinegar

olive oil

Method

Chop tomatoes until pulpy, add all ingredients escept oil, stir and then drizzle oil over.

Variations

Herby – add chopped oregano and basil to taste.

Spicy – add a large splash of tabasco, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce and a good sprinkling of celery salt.

Sweet and chunky – stir in 2 heaped tbsp caramelised red onion relish, a chunk of diced cucumber and a few slices of green jalapeno.

Piquant pepper – chop 4 Peppadew peppers, a handful of black olives and add to the tomato base along with some chopped parsley.

Speedy salsa – add 1 chopped tomato, cut into chunks, along with 1 finely chopped red onion, the juice of 1 lime and a small bunch of chopped coriander.

 

Creamy base:

150g plain yoghurt

85g mayonnaise

salt and black pepper

Method

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly.

 

Sweet roasted garlic – roast the unpeeled cloves from ½ a garlic bulb with a drizzle of olive oil for 15 min at 190C/170c fan/gas 5. Peel, crush then stir into the base.

Blue Cheese – chop 50g Dolcelatte into small chunks, stir into base, making sure that cheese is well incorporated.

Thai – style – slice 2 spring onions into fine slivers, mix into base then swirl in 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce.

Turkey Burgers – Low Carb

Emma2 Comments
Turkey burgers and a cheeky wee glass of fizz...
Turkey burgers and a cheeky wee glass of fizz…

Fresh from the triumph of the turkey curry, the Diabetes Diet’s love affair with turkey mince continues… Step forward the turkey burger.

The secret of a good turkey burger (or any burger, come to think of it) is plenty of seasoning and this recipe certainly delivers. For added oomph, you could add in some dried chilli flakes but you will probably find you get a nice little kick from the ground black pepper.

 

 

Turkey Burgers

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 500g turkey mince
  • 1 small onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2tbsp Soy or Tamari sauce
  • 2tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. It’s easiest to do this with your hands – cleaned of course. You’ll get a fairly wet mixture.
  3. Shape into four burgers and place on a baking tray. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, turning the burgers over half-way through. You want them to be nicely browned.
  4. Serve with a big salad and some cooked vegetables. Fizz optional…

Each burger has roughly 6g of carbs and 2g of fibre. For a low-carb bun option for your burger, check out cavemanketo.

Low-Carb Ribs Recipe

Emma1 Comment

There’s nothing quite so primal as locking your gnashers round ribs… As an added bonus, ribs are dead cheap too – which is always a bonus when you’re following a low-carb diet.

Most ribs usually come accompanied by a really sticky sauce – which means it probably has a lot of added sugar. but then without that sauce they wouldn’t be so nice, hmm? Anyway, here’s an easy-peasy, low-carb version which also uses the slow cooker.

Low-Carb Ribs

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ribs... it's a primal thing.
Ribs… it’s a primal thing.

  • Rack of pork ribs (about 600-800g)
  • 100ml water
  • 2tbsp cider vinegar
  • 2tbsp soy sauce
  • 2tsp Canderel
  • 1 onion
  • 200g passata

Mix together the water, vinegar, passata and soy sauce. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker. Pour over the sauce and top with the onions.

Cook on the low setting for seven hours. Remove from the slow cooker. Place the sauce in a saucepan with the onions and bring back to a simmer.

Liquidise to get a smooth-ish sauce and add the Canderel. Pour over the ribs to serve.

Allow about 8-10g carbs per serving.

Crab cakes paleo style

kaitiscotland4 Comments

If you love a great crab cake, then you know that finding one isn’t is not easy…

Most are severely lacking in the “crab” department. They are fried to oblivion in unhealthy vegetable oil. And they are loaded with breading (to make up for the lack of, well… crab).

The perfect crab cake is packed with chunks of lump crab, boasts a perfectly golden-brown exterior, and is just barely held together with creamy mayonnaise, egg and a little breading. This is a delicacy that will have you pining for more.

Since removing gluten and grains from my diet, I’ve missed indulging in the occasional crab cake. And despite a number of attempts to recreate this seaside favorite, my Paleo substitutes of coconut flour and almond flour just weren’t creating the same texture as a genuine crab cake.

That is, until…

The Happy Accident with Cauliflower: My Crab-Less Crab Cakes

Not long ago, I was making cauliflower fritters from leftovers in the fridge. A simple recipe of steamed and “riced” cauliflower, seasoning, eggs and a little coconut flour, formed into patties and then pan-fried in a healthy heat-stable oil.

My husband, Jon, came in and said with a smile “Wow, you made crab cakes!” As he took a bite, I waited for his response. “These are GREAT… but where’s the crab“.

I laughed. “They’re crab-less!”

And then I got to thinking. Steamed cauliflower just might be the missing link to creating the perfect gluten-free, grain-free Paleo Crab Cake. And so a new recipe was born…

But it is not just the cauliflower that makes these crab cakes so delicious and unique. Do you see the perfect golden crust in the image below? That’s created by the addition of coconut flour – another “secret” ingredient in this recipe.

I hope you love these crab cakes as much as we do at our house. To reduce your exposure to PCBs (endocrine disruptors and carcinogens) from blue crab, consider using low-contaminant snow crab meat which is also more sustainable and eco-friendly.

​To your health!

Kelley Herring
Healing Gourmet

Paleo Crab Cakes

Yield: 8 crab cakes
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. crab meat, cooked
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets, steamed well
  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 3 Tbsp. coconut flour
  • 3 Tbsp. Paleo mayonnaise (homemade or Wilderness Family Naturals)
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp. avocado or coconut oil

Preparation

  1. In a medium bowl, add the steamed cauliflower. Gently break up into small pieces, mashing some. Leave some pieces intact for texture.
  2. Add the crab meat and parsley. Gently fold the mixture to distribute the ingredients evenly without breaking up the crab too much.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, mayonnaise, Old Bay and salt.  Pour over the crab meat mixture and gently fold.
  4. Now sift the coconut flour over the crab and gently fold the mixture until everything is uniform. The coconut flour is what helps give these cakes that crispy-golden crust.
  5. Transfer to the fridge to chill and firm up – about 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  6. Remove crab mixture from fridge and form into patties. I made mine about 2 inches thick and 3 inches in diameter.
  7. Heat oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add the crab cakes, being careful to not overcrowd the pan (this will cause steaming, not searing). Cook about 3 minutes to golden brown, then flip and cook another 3 minutes.
  8. Place pan-fried crab cakes on a baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven to cook through (12 to 15 minutes)
  9. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and Paleo mayo.

Nutrition Information Per Serving
145 calories, 10 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 g monounsaturated fat, 0.4 g polyunsaturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 12 g protein

Excellent Source of: Protein, Selenium, Vitamin B12, Vitamin K, EPA/DHA Omega-3

Good Source of:  Zinc, Vitamin C, Phosphorous

Find more paleo and low carb recipes at  www.HealingGourmet.com

Kelley has also written several e books with very good low carb baking recipes that are delicious and easy to follow.  These can be accessed from her site.

Katharine.