Category: Recipes

Delicious low-carb recipes, tried and tested.

Home-Made Salad Cream

EmmaLeave a comment

I was on an extended train journey the other day (ten and a half hours…) and beforehand I’d nipped into the supermarket to buy some food to take with me, reasoning correctly as it turned out, that sandwiches, crisps, cakes and sweets would be the only foods available to buy on board,

Anyway, I bought a ham and egg salad which came complete with a small sachet of salad cream. As a girl, I loved salad cream, but as I got older it lost its appeal to what is often thought of as the much more sophisticated dressing – mayonnaise.

Ah but the creamy yellow tangy yet sweet taste of salad cream is delicious! Make your own and you miss out the chemical nasties that often go into commercially-produced sauces and dressings AND you get to make it sugar-free.

I adapted this recipe from a James Martin original on BBC Good Food.

Home-Made Salad Cream

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

2 large eggs, hard boiled – yolks only

2tbsp English mustard

½ lemon (juice only)

1tsp granulated sweetener

3tbsp cider vinegar

150ml crème fraiche

150ml light olive oil

Salt

Place all of the ingredients, except for the oil and seasoning into a blender. Blend until the mixture starts to thicken and then gradually add the oil (in a thin trickle). You should end up with a smooth, thick sauce. Season to taste and serve.

Store this in the fridge and use within a week or so. One tablespoon has approximately 1g of carbs.

 


 

Amazing Meatloaf

Emma8 Comments

Meatloaf is… wonderful, delicious, tasty, satisfying. In fact, there aren’t enough adjectives to describe meatloaf so I’ll just settle for the four. Most recipes rely on a breadcrumb filler, but this one is gluten-free and low-carb. Eat and enjoy.

Amazing Meatloaf

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

 

Use the best mince you can get for delicious results.
Use the best mince you can get for delicious results.

  • 1kg steak mince (from the butcher for better quality)
  • 1 large onion, very finely chopped
  • 2-3 stalks of celery, very finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 small chillies, finely chopped
  • 60g ground almonds
  • 2 large eggs
  • 40g Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 4-6 rashers streaky bacon
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. Mix all the ingredients (except the bacon) in a large bowl. The easiest way to do this is with your hands, scrunching everything together until it is well combined. Grease a 2lb loaf tin and pack the mix in (you may also need another dish). Top with the rashers of bacon. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 60 minutes. Take the foil off for the last five minutes of cooking time to brown the top.
  2. There will be plenty of juices so serve slices of the meatloaf with spoonfuls of the juices.

Spicy Chicken Stew – Low-Carb and Slow Cooker Friendly

Emma5 Comments

Is there a word for someone who eats the same meals day in/day out? Is it a new diet trend about to be reported in the Huffington Post a la mono eating?

Not yet – well, not yet, according to my crude Google searches, but I’d like to promote it. I’m the kind of person who will happily eat the same meal for dinner four nights in a row. It’s nice and easy (you only prepare food the one night and then that’s dinner sorted for the next four evenings), it means no waste and less shopping.

A good grater makes grating ginger easy-peasy.
A good grater makes grating ginger easy-peasy.

Nobrainermuscle.com puts forward some very good reasons for eating the same meals day in/day out because it’s low maintenance, easier and good for tracking. My version is perhaps slightly different – eat the same meal for four or five days and then change to another option for the next few days.

Anyway, that was a long and round-about introduction to another great, low-carb recipe. I first spotted this recipe on the rather fabulous eatdrinkpaleo website. The urge to tweak is always there with me, so I made the dish my own with a few substitutions and turning it into a one-pot slow cooker version. No browning and one dish only.

 

Spicy Chicken Stew – Serves 4

  • 1tbsp coconut oil
  • 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1 medium onion, finely sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely crushed
  • 2-3tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1tbsp ground cumin
  • 1tbsp turmeric
  • 1tbps hot paprika
  • 2-3 fresh chillies (omit seeds for a milder flavour)
  • 4 cloves
  • 500g passata
  • 3tbsp tahini paste
  1. Place all the ingredients in your slow cooker, mix well to combine. You might need to add a little water – just make sure all the chicken is covered with liquid. Cook on a slow setting for seven hours. Remove the cloves, then use forks to shred the chicken and season well with salt and pepper.
  2. This is good served over steamed cauliflower or broccoli.
Kudos to anyone who can suggest what to do with the rest of the cloves...
Kudos to anyone who can suggest what to do with the rest of the cloves…

 

Broccoli puree

EmmaLeave a comment

There’s a great recipe on this website for Broccoli puree.

Unlike the author, I do love broccoli… but if you don’t then this is one way of making it more appetising.

In addition, you could use this puree as a substitute for mashed potatoes when it comes to low-carb accompaniments to stews, chops and steak.

Low Carb Cookies

EmmaLeave a comment

Here at the Diabetes Diet, we recommend you try out low-carb baking. Those who embark on a low-carb diet often feel they miss out on the sweet stuff, so low-carb baking can fill that gap – plus it comes with the added bonus that you won’t be eating the nasties that go into commercial baking.

Here’s a recipe for peanut choc chip cookies.

Peanut choc chip cookies

  • plain choc125g/4.5oz of chunky peanut butter
  • 185mls/6fl oz of double cream
  • 75g/2oz chopped pecans or peanuts
  • 35g/1oz plain chocolate drops (70% cocoa solids is best) or chunks
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
  • 2 tablespoons of granular sugar substitute (see notes below)
  • 2 tablespoons soy flour or coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 190 deg/375deg/gas 5 and grease a baking tray or use a silicon liner on a baking tray.
  2. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixer or by hand in a bowl, but put the nuts and choc chips in last.
  3. Put teaspoons of the cookie mixture on the tray and bake for 10 minutes.
  4. These biscuits are very crumbly. Store them in a biscuit tin in the fridge and place layers of kitchen towel between each layer of biscuits. Like a lot of low carb baking, they will last a long time in the fridge, 2-3 weeks.
  5. If you double the recipe up, the amount of peanut butter is just short of a jar, so just use up the whole jar.

You can either use straight Splenda or in place of one tablespoon of Splenda ¼ tablespoon Splenda and ½ tablespoon of xylitol or erythritol.  Another substitute is 1/3 tablespoon of Truvia.

Makes about 8 – with a carb count of 5g per biscuit.

 

What’s your favourite low-carb cookie recipe? We’d love to know… Tell us in the comments, or email us a pic of your cookies and the recipe and we’ll feature it on our website.

 Chocolate picture thanks to Wikipedia.

Low Carb Dips

Emma2 Comments

At the moment, I’ve got a thing about guacamole… Traditionally, this Mexican style dip is eaten with tortilla chips, but you can skip the chips when you are eating low-carb and use it for much more.

  • Use it as topping for chilli, for example.
  • Or cut up red peppers into strips for an easy starter.
  • And then there is my all-time favourite – a thick dollop topping a good burger…

I can’t claim authenticity for my recipe, but it is pretty delicious and full of good-for-you ingredients – raw garlic and avocado. Try not to eat it all at once.

Guacamole – makes roughly one cup/container

  • 1 large, ripe avocado*
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
  • 1tsp fresh lemon juice
  • ½ to 1 chilli, chopped finely**
  • 1-2tbsp mayonnaise or Greek yoghurt
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Place in large bowl and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Add the garlic, tomato, chilli and mayonnaise or yoghurt. Mash well with a fork until the whole mix is combined.
  2. For a smoother dip, use a hand blender to process. If you used mayonnaise, you probably won’t need to add salt, but you will need salt to season if you have used yoghurt.
  3. The dip doesn’t last very long so use it up within one to two days.

 

*To ripen an avocado quickly, place it in a brown paper bag with an apple or a banana, or ripen it in the microwave. Prick it and cook it for 20-second bursts on high until it softens.

**Chilli is an individual preference. I love strong spices so I would add the whole chilli, seeds and all. For a milder taste, de-seed the chilli and use a mild one.

Pic thanks to Wikipedia.

Low-Carb Bread Recipe (Number 2)

EmmaLeave a comment

Here is another recipe for low-carb bread. As we’ve said before, we reckon bread is one of the things people really miss when they embark on a low-carb lifestyle so having some replacement recipes up your sleeve is really handy…

One of the other bonuses about low-carb bread is that it lasts longer than ordinary, home-made bread. You can keep it in the fridge or bread bin, or slice it up and freeze it.

For two loaves:

  • 6 cups ground almonds (600g)
  • 125g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 500g mascarpone cheese
  • 1 teaspoon almond essence (can be left out)
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 6 eggs
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, or 180 C
  2. In a mixer, cream together the butter and marscapone. Add the almond essence if using.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the ground almonds, baking soda and powder and salt. Add the eggs to the wet ingredients, then add the ground almonds a large spoonful at a time with the mixer going.
  4. Grease two loaf pans (about 4 x 8 inches) generously with butter or spray with non-stick cooking oil . Spoon the batter into the pans, smoothing the top.
  5. Bake at 350 F or 180C for 50-60 min until lightly browned on top.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Run a spatula around the sides of the pan, pressing gently against the loaf to loosen at the corners and bottom of the pan.
  7. Wrap in tin foil. You can freeze these for weeks. Take out the night before you intend to use it. This bread is particularly good toasted.
  8. Each loaf yields 6 thick slices.

CHO per slice – 6g

 

Sugar-free peanut butter keeps the carb count down.
Sugar-free peanut butter keeps the carb count down.

Most people have their own favourite bread or toast toppings, but here are some ideas…

  • Half a ripe avocado, mashed up with a little lemon juice, salt and chilli.
  • Cream cheese topped with smoked salmon.
  • Peanut butter and sliced cucumber (it sounds weird, but the cucumber cuts through the richness and mouth-claggy feel of the peanut butter).
  • Butter and reduced sugar fruit spread.
  • Cheese spread and chopped ham.
  • A little smoked mackerel mashed up with cream cheese and a little horseradish sauce for bite.

Check out the Diabetes Diet for lots more low-carb recipes to help you achieve good health and good blood sugar control. Almond picture thanks to Wikipedia. 

 

Easy Low Carb Bread

Emma6 Comments

Let’s start off with a recipe for low-carb bread. Ask most people what they miss when they limit carbs and the chances are that most of them say “bread”.

But normal bread is very high in carbs – a single, mingy-whingy slice of it comes in at roughly 16-18 carbs – more if you’re going for home-made or artisan bread – and who eats one slice of bread?! So here’s a great recipe for low-carb bread from the fabulous thelondonerme blog…

I’ve used cup measurements (as per the original recipe) because cup measurements are usually easier for baking. Most supermarket home sections and cookery shops stock cups and you can pick up a set relatively cheaply.

As an added bonus, a low-carb loaf takes much less time to make than normal bread because you don’t need to knead it or prove it.

  • 2 cups ground linseed (you’ll find this in health food shops, such as Holland & Barrett)
  • 1 cup ground almonds
  • 8 eggs
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • 1tsp salt
  • 6tbsp water
  1. Heat your oven to 200 degrees C and grease and line a 2lb/900g loaf tin (you do need to line tins when it comes to low-carb baking).
  2. Mix together the eggs and water (beat well) in one bowl, and the dry ingredients in another. Combine the two and mix well.
  3. Pour the mix into the prepared tin (I’m afraid it looks pretty unappetising at this stage…) and cook for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin and tip out onto a wire rack to cool thoroughly.
  4. You can store either in the bread bin or the fridge.
  5. Now top with everything you haven’t been including in your low-carb diet because you’ve been avoiding bread. My favourite topping is butter and Marmite (might be a British thing), or cheese melted on top under the grill.

What’s your favourite low-carb bread topping? We’d love it if you let us know!