Tag: recipes for low carb diets

Wagyu Burgers & Aioli Recipe

Emma2 Comments

This week, I thought I’d share with you this thing of beauty…

I’ve been working on my food photography skills. This isn’t a food blog, but it does feature a lot about food seeing as the saying ‘let food be thy medicine’ applies to people with diabetes more than others. As you can see, I have a long, long way to go…

I’m not a natural photographer. My pictures are often blurry. They definitely lack that crystal-clear focus skilled food photography has, and yet sometimes I look at food blogs and wish they had a bit more of a homemade look to them. Should food be about looks, rather than quality and taste?

Just as with food photography, I’m not good at presentation. I plonk food on a plate, and the most decoration it gets is a sprinkle of parsley. I created this dish – the Wagyu burger with a Portobello mushroom, topped with Roquefort. Delicious, hmm? I do wish I could make things look better, so they appear as they taste.

We got the Wagyu burgers in Aldi. If you wanted to add yet more decadent deliciousness, a rasher of streaky bacon grilled to crispness would work well. You could also add a tablespoon of garlic mayonnaise, and if you want to make your own mayo even better. Here’s the recipe if you want to try it out.

It’s easiest to make mayonnaise in a food processor. My grandmother made it by hand. If you want a workout, feel free!

Aioli

  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 1 whole, large free-range egg
  • 200ml rapeseed oil (I use Scottish cold-pressed)
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1-2tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 clove, garlic, crushed
  • Salt and black pepper

Place the egg, mustard, crushed garlic and a little salt and pepper in the food processor and run the processor until the yolk is thoroughly mixed and pale yellow.

Put the oil in a jug and with the motor running, pour in the oil very slowly. You must go slowly, or the mayonnaise will not thicken up. Slowly means letting it drip in.

Once you have added about two-thirds of the oil, add 1tbsp of vinegar to thin it a little. Add the rest of the oil, taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. You might want to add another tablespoon of vinegar for flavour and to thin the mix a little. It will taste very garlicky at first, but the flavour will soften over time.

Thanks to the rapeseed oil, your sauce will be the most beautiful golden colour.

The carb count for two tablespoons of mayonnaise is negligible.

Aioli is delicious with so many things. Dip the last of the season’s asparagus in it, spread it on slices of low-carb bread, have it with chicken or fish, and anoint roasted vegetables with generous dollops.

 

Low Carb Side Dishes

Emma8 Comments

diabetes dietHave you been caught out by the vegetable shortage in the shops? British supermarkets have run short of courgettes, spinach and other salad items thanks to bad weather in Spain and Italy.

If you follow a low-carb diet, you probably rely more on such vegetables than the average person. I decided to see what I could do with Scottish ingredients. The Diet Doctor website features a lot of cabbage, including main course and side dishes that use this vegetable. Most supermarkets stock Scottish or British-grown cabbage so there are no issues there with availability.

The Diet Doctor’s Cabbage Casserole can be made exclusively with Scottish ingredients, supporting our farmers and growers. I adapted the recipe slightly and here it is. Allow about 10g net carbs per serving and serve with pork chops, roast chicken legs or steak.

Please note – you’ll need a large saucepan because 450g cabbage is bulky. It reduces in size as it cooks.

Cabbage Casserole

  • Servings: 3
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

  • 450g green or white cabbage, shredded
  • ½ medium-sized onion, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 150ml sour cream
  • 50g butter
  • 75g grated cheese
  • 75g soft cheese, such as Philadelphia
  • Salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the cabbage and onion and mix well to coat in the butter.

Cook gently for about seven minutes. You want the vegetables to be softened but not browned. Add salt and pepper and the garlic and cook for one minute more.

Mix the sour cream and soft cheese. Stir into the cabbage. Place the mixture in an ovenproof dish, top with the grated cheese, a good helping of black pepper and cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

PS – I thought I’d try this on my green vegetable hating husband, convinced that the cream and cheese would convert him. It didn’t work…