Monthly Archives: January 2014

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The Well Stocked Paleo Kitchen

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You may have been on Paleo or gluten-free for awhile or maybe you’re just starting out on this journey. Either way, I find that it helps to have basics stocked in your pantry and fridge so that you’re not stuck with nothing to eat and then tempted to raid your kids snack drawer for the last package of Oreos. If you take this list to the grocery store then you will always have the basics you need to put together a killer Paleo meal for yourself and/or the entire family. Note: I recommend that you look for organic versions of each of these items.

 

 Spice Rack

One thing that’s absolutely essential for your Paleo kitchen is a well-stocked spice rack. Here are the spices that will ensure you have a tasty meal:

  • Basil
  • Chili powder
  • Cinnamon
  • Coriander
  • Curry
  • Pepper
  • Sea salt (preferably Pink Himalayan)
  • Smoked paprika
  • Thyme
  • Turmeric
  • Rosemary

 

Pantry

Please only buy canned goods if you know the cans are  BPA-free. Otherwise, look for the items in glass containers.

  • Almond meal (also called ground almonds or almond flour)
  • Arrowroot flour (excellent substitute for cornstarch)
  • Cocoa powder
  • Coconut flour
  • Coconut milk (full fat)
  • Coconut oil, virgin organic
  • Honey
  • Nuts: pecans, almonds, brazil nuts (make sure they’re raw and unsalted)
  • Tomatoes (a variety of crushed, diced and whole)
  • Tuna, salmon, crab and other canned fish
  • Vanilla extract

 

Refrigerator

Stock your fridge with lots of fresh veggies. On the Paleo plan, you’ll eat fruit sparingly but you’ll be eating as many vegetables as you want. Be sure to check the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists when choosing which items to buy organic.

Be sure to have a variety of frozen and fresh wild-caught fish, red meat, pork and chicken. Always look for pasture-raised and grass-fed local meats and hopefully they will be organic and hormone free.

Keep eggs in your fridge – organic, hormone free and free range. It’s not Paleo to eat dairy, but since many people find that difficult to adhere to I would advise you to try to stick to whey protein powder, organic Greek yogurt and cheeses that have been aged over 120 days. Use these items sparingly if at all.

With these items in your kitchen you’ll never be stuck for meal options again . . . Paleo, gluten-free or just plain healthy eating.   The article above was submitted by Leanne Ely the Dinner Diva. Go check her out over on her blog.

High Protein Kid Friendly Low Carb Recipes

Cajun Chicken Tenders

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This recipe is from my soon to be published cookbook with a working title of “Weight No More – Low Carb Phase 2”. I’m struggling with the title so if you have any feedback on the title or title suggestions I will gladly gift you the book when it comes out on Kindle. I’m serious. Even if I don’t use your suggestions, I value your feedback so I’m happy to get the ball rolling with a free book offer 🙂

This recipe is for 4 servings with a net carb count of 6 carbs per serving.
I like to use a technique called “flash frying” when making deep fried dishes. By cooking the chicken prior to coating it you only need to fry it for 30 to 60 seconds instead of 6 to 8 minutes. The chicken absorbs much less oil and yet tastes just as crispy and delicious as if you deep fried it in the traditional way. I know, I know, we’re not counting calories or fat grams when low-carbing, but it doesn’t hurt to go for healthier eating when you can.
BTW – the carbs are figured as best as possible, although it’s really impossible to determine exactly how much buttermilk and how much flour will cling to your chicken. Just to be on the safe side, I’ve slightly overestimated the carbs.

 

Ingredients:

3 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons salt or celery salt
1 ½ cups buttermilk, low fat
1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken tenders
2 cups soy flour
4 to 6 cups frying oil

 

Directions:

Heat the chicken broth with 1 teaspoon salt in a medium pot over high heat. Add the chicken tenders and bring the broth to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer until the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking:
Pour oil into a large pot and heat to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking pan with paper towels. Set a wired rack (such as the kind you use for cooling baked goods) on top of the paper towels.

Combine flour, Creole seasoning and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish.

Warm the buttermilk just enough to take the chill off and pour into a large bowl.

Once chicken is cooked remove from liquid, pat dry and place into buttermilk bowl.

Remove chicken from buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture. Dip in buttermilk and dredge again in flour mixture. This will give you a nice thick coating that your family will thank you for.

Fry several chicken pieces at a time, turning at least once with tongs, until deep golden brown, about 30 to 60 seconds for each batch. Place chicken on the wire rack as you remove it from the fryer.

 

Healthy Eating Tips

Choose an oil that’s low in saturated fat such as grape seed, peanut, or soybean oil.

Watch your oil temperature carefully. Clip a fry thermometer to the side of the pan so you can keep the temperature consistent. If it’s not hot enough, your food will soak up lots of extra oil that isn’t necessary to make it either crispy or delicious. If it’s too hot it will move very quickly from just right to burned and inedible.

 

Meal Suggestions

In the book I’ll be including a recipe for “Nutty Lemon Rice” which utilizes a simple technique to use cauliflower in place of rice but you can serve green beans sautéed over medium heat in garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. 10 four-inch long beans will add 2 carbs to this meal’s carb count and one 1 Minute Muffin per person which will add #carbs to the meal. So if you make this meal as posted here you’ll have a total net carb count of # per person.

High Protein Low Carb Paleo Recipes

Devil Me Eggs!

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deviled-eggs

I’m pretty sure that pirates did not carefully craft deviled eggs while they were out to sea raiding merchant ships, but somehow the sound of “Devil Me Eggs!” struck a chord with me and so I’ve taken poetic license with the title of this post.

I love deviled eggs. But then, who doesn’t? Me being me though I tend to start experimenting and so we’ve been enjoying all kinds of deviled eggs here in the UnDiet kitchen. For your eating enjoyment I’m posting some of our fave recipes below. Oh, and since I’m working on a series of low carb cookbooks the recipes below are all 0 carb. Yes, that’s right, I said it – 0 carb!

 

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Even though it seems simple enough to boil an egg, if not done correctly you’ll spend a lot of time peeling off teeny-tiny bits of eggshell and end up with a pock-marked egg white. After much trial and error I’ve found one way (I don’t say “the way” because I’m sure there are other ways to get a good result) to boil an egg for easy peeling and with a fully cooked yolk.

Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover the eggs with cold water and bring to a full boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the eggs stand for 15 minutes. Drain the water off and fill the pot with cold water. Set aside until the eggs are cool. I like to do this in the morning or the day before as there’s nothing worse than staring at a pot of eggs waiting for them to cool. Well, there are worse things, but I still don’t like waiting for eggs to cool.

 

Getting the Yolks Back into the Whites

It’s easy for the chickens, they lay an egg and the yolk is right there in the middle. We cook the eggs, remove the yolks, mash them with a fork and then stand there perplexed as to how to get them back into the whites. You can of course spoon it in, but that usually ends up in a yolky mess. Thanks to the multi-purpose plastic bag it’s actually quite easy to present a beautiful deviled egg to family and friends.

Place the yolk mixture into a plastic bag and twist to push the mixture into one corner. Cut off the tip of the bag in that corner. Push the yolk mixture towards the hole to pipe into the whites.

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll most likely have extra egg yolk mixture left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice, spread on a slice of meat and fold or roll up, or use as a sandwich spread.

 

Tips

Once you’ve made the deviled eggs, stick a toothpick in several of the eggs and cover loosely with plastic wrap so that you don’t flatten the filling. The toothpicks will keep the plastic wrap from touching the filling. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Store deviled eggs in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge.

Serve deviled eggs within two days of making. After the second day, they won’t taste quite as fresh. If you have any deviled eggs still left at that point, mash them up, add some fresh ingredients such as cucumbers, tomato or fresh herbs and use them for sandwich filling. For those of you who are watching your carbs, you’ll need to add the carb count for these extra ingredients.
 

Crabby Eggs

Ingredients:
4 ounces lump crabmeat
1/2 stick celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled, halved, and yolks removed

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl combine the crabmeat, celery, mascarpone cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and chives. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

 

Tuna Deviled Eggs

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll have extra egg yolk filling left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice or make a sandwich with a 1 Minute Muffin or 1 Carb Protein Bread.

Ingredients:
6 ounce can water packed tuna, drained & squeezed dry
½ cup mayonnaise
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons onion, minced
2 tablespoons inner celery leaves, minced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Carefully remove the yolks from the whites, placing them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash them together with the remaining ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Fill egg whites with mixture. Dust with paprika if desired.

 

Shrimp & Bacon Deviled Eggs

With all of the extras added to the filling you’ll have extra egg yolk filling left after filling the egg whites. You can use this filling to fill celery sticks, spread on a cucumber or radish slice, spread on a slice of meat and fold or roll up, or make a sandwich with 1 Carb Protein Bread.

Ingredients:
8 hard-boiled large eggs, shelled and cut in half lengthwise
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ cup cooked medium shrimp, peeled and chopped (about 4 ounces)
3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
paprika, cayenne pepper or chili powder

Directions:
Carefully remove the yolks from the whites, placing them in a small bowl. Use a fork to mash them together with the mayo, mustard, salt, pepper and parsley until the mixture is smooth. Stir in shrimp & bacon if eating right away. If not eating until later in the day or the next day, reserve bacon to sprinkle on top. Fill egg whites with mixture. Dust with paprika, cayenne pepper or chili powder.

 

Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
8 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 ounces mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus 1/2 teaspoon extra for garnish
4 ounces good smoked salmon, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces salmon roe, optional

Directions:
To the egg yolks, add the sour cream, mascarpone cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, salmon, salt, and pepper. Beat with a fork or mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Fill the egg whites with the egg yolk mixture.

When ready to serve, garnish with a dollop of salmon roe and some extra chopped chives. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

 

Truffled Eggs

I know that not everybody is up for a truffled egg, but I love, love, love, love, love, love, love, LOVE truffles. If you’ve never tried one I strongly encourage you to try something, anything, flavored with real truffles, if not an actual truffle. And if you’re going to have truffles, eggs are the perfect thing to have them with.

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 & 1/2 teaspoons truffle oil
a pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon chopped jarred black truffles, optional but strongly encouraged
1 chive stalk

Directions:
Remove the yolks from the eggs. Mash yolks, mayonnaise, truffle oil and cayenne together until smooth. Mix in chopped jarred black truffles, if using. Spoon into the egg whites and top with chopped chives.

 

Green Eggs & Ham

If the idea of eating green eggs and ham has your mouth watering and you just can’t wait until you can get to the store and pick up some fresh herbs, you can substitute, chives, lettuce, carrot tops or beet tops for the herbs.

You can use any type of avocado, but if you’re concerned about carbs, the Haas avocado is significantly lower in carbs. Don’t ask me why, I have no idea, I just know that it is so.

Ingredients:
6 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 Haas avocado
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs such as cilantro, parsley, mint or dill
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
salt and pepper

Directions:
Mash egg yolks, avocado, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chopped mixed herbs, chopped garlic, and salt and pepper. Divide among the egg whites. Crisp 3 slices prosciutto in a skillet; crumble over the eggs.