Lovely Lauren from Healthy Indulgences blog has this wonderful recipe for biscuits which I finally tried. The ingredients are: Almond flour, baking powder, butter, salt and egg whites. They came out really nicely! I totally enjoyed eating one slathered in butter and natural peanut butter.
Low Carb, Gluten Free Biscuits
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Introduction to Thai Cooking: The Market
In my journey to Paleo I discovered that Thai food isn't all that bad a choice. The non-Paleo things can easily be eliminated, like rice. I often eat curry on top of steamed broccoli, I even ask for it that way in the restaurant. Another non-paleo ingredient often used is a little bit of sugar. When I make Thai food at home I use a non-caloric sugar option like stevia, erythritol or the extract made from Lohan fruit (aka SlimSweet). (I'm not affiliated with anything linked here so clicking on them, buying, etc doesn't make me a cent). Finally, Thai food often contains peanuts and one of my very favorite sauces has them (Satay sauce, aka peanut sauce) and that isn't a paleo ingredient either.
I love going to Asian grocery stores but not every Asian grocery has Thai ingredients like curry paste. For that I go to my favorite Thai restaurant, Sala Thai, and I ask them to recommend a good place to find Thai ingredients. My family has been patronizing that restaurant for as long as they've been open so they know us really well.
The Asian grocery I finally visited was in a really rather squalid area. Outside it was cringe-worthy. Inside, is another matter. I do have to warn you, Asian markets are usually an olfactory experience! They usually have a lot of smells we're not used to. Not unpleasant, in my opinion, just different.
The fresh foods are really fun, lots of things I'm utterly unfamiliar with, some I am. The daikon radishes can be thicker and longer than my forearm! The baby bok choy I bought was irresistible! A very large bag full and they were much less mature than the baby bok choy I've seen in American markets. I stir fried them in peanut oil with garlic and chopped peanuts. Ginger is also a bargain at Asian groceries. Sometimes I buy a few pounds of it, run it through my food processor to grate it (I don't bother peeling it) then I soak it in water and make a delicious strong ginger "beer" out of it, which is nice mixed with sparkling water.
In the produce section, if you're thinking of making Tom Kai Gai you might want to look for lemon grass and a root called galangal. The root is really hard to chop, it is very dense, but the taste is fabulous. The powdered stuff, in my opinion, is nearly tasteless. Get the fresh root if possible. Powdered lemon grass is also not very good either. You might also want to see if you can find some lime tree leaves. These are from a lime tree they grow in Asia which I believe is called "Kaffir lime" in the US. They're very flavorful and also used in Tom Kai Gai. You can freeze these leaves and use them later.
Another thing to look for is coconut milk. Asian markets sell it in much larger cans than American markets do, and it is much cheaper and higher in fat and coconut solids. So it is good to buy the authentic stuff if you can.
Get a bottle of fish sauce while you're here. It is very inexpensive and comes in a huge bottle. It'll keep for months in the fridge.
Find the canned curry pastes. You're going to be looking for cans that look like this, most likely.
I have also used importfoods.com to order Thai ingredients but it is cheaper to buy locally if you can find a store.
Which curry pastes? I love Prik Khing and often combine it with meat and yams to make curry. I think it is similar to red curry paste. Choo chee curry is a greenish, sour curry I've had with salmon and really enjoyed. Panang curry is one of my all time favorites. It goes well with any meat. Yellow curry is sometimes called Karee curry and is very mild. This is what they use to make that yellow curry with potatoes. But any sort of root veggie would be good in this curry, for instance yams or squash.
Those are the basic ingredients for Thai cooking although be sure to thoroughly browse around the market you never know what you'll find.
I make Pad Thai, a wonderful rice noodle dish, but instead of using rice noodles I use either riced cauliflower or kelp noodles. Both are very low carb.
I love going to Asian grocery stores but not every Asian grocery has Thai ingredients like curry paste. For that I go to my favorite Thai restaurant, Sala Thai, and I ask them to recommend a good place to find Thai ingredients. My family has been patronizing that restaurant for as long as they've been open so they know us really well.
The Asian grocery I finally visited was in a really rather squalid area. Outside it was cringe-worthy. Inside, is another matter. I do have to warn you, Asian markets are usually an olfactory experience! They usually have a lot of smells we're not used to. Not unpleasant, in my opinion, just different.
The fresh foods are really fun, lots of things I'm utterly unfamiliar with, some I am. The daikon radishes can be thicker and longer than my forearm! The baby bok choy I bought was irresistible! A very large bag full and they were much less mature than the baby bok choy I've seen in American markets. I stir fried them in peanut oil with garlic and chopped peanuts. Ginger is also a bargain at Asian groceries. Sometimes I buy a few pounds of it, run it through my food processor to grate it (I don't bother peeling it) then I soak it in water and make a delicious strong ginger "beer" out of it, which is nice mixed with sparkling water.
In the produce section, if you're thinking of making Tom Kai Gai you might want to look for lemon grass and a root called galangal. The root is really hard to chop, it is very dense, but the taste is fabulous. The powdered stuff, in my opinion, is nearly tasteless. Get the fresh root if possible. Powdered lemon grass is also not very good either. You might also want to see if you can find some lime tree leaves. These are from a lime tree they grow in Asia which I believe is called "Kaffir lime" in the US. They're very flavorful and also used in Tom Kai Gai. You can freeze these leaves and use them later.
Another thing to look for is coconut milk. Asian markets sell it in much larger cans than American markets do, and it is much cheaper and higher in fat and coconut solids. So it is good to buy the authentic stuff if you can.
Get a bottle of fish sauce while you're here. It is very inexpensive and comes in a huge bottle. It'll keep for months in the fridge.
Find the canned curry pastes. You're going to be looking for cans that look like this, most likely.
Which curry pastes? I love Prik Khing and often combine it with meat and yams to make curry. I think it is similar to red curry paste. Choo chee curry is a greenish, sour curry I've had with salmon and really enjoyed. Panang curry is one of my all time favorites. It goes well with any meat. Yellow curry is sometimes called Karee curry and is very mild. This is what they use to make that yellow curry with potatoes. But any sort of root veggie would be good in this curry, for instance yams or squash.
Those are the basic ingredients for Thai cooking although be sure to thoroughly browse around the market you never know what you'll find.
I make Pad Thai, a wonderful rice noodle dish, but instead of using rice noodles I use either riced cauliflower or kelp noodles. Both are very low carb.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Berry Shortcake
Cranberry Walnut Bread, remember that recipe I posted awhile back? Well, it is very versatile. I made a "shortbread" out of it, kind of like my Mom always made it. Sort of biscuit-y tasting, not sweet, really meant to sop up the juices from sweetened berries.
The way I did it was to use the basic recipe but omit the cranberries and walnuts and cut down on the sweetener and used lemon juice (only a little) instead of lemon extract. Then I baked it in a cake round instead of a loaf pan, mostly because my loaf pan was a scratched up rusty mess and I had to get rid of it.
Then, I defrost, or warm, my berries (I have blueberries and raspberries on hand) and pour them on top of a slice of shortcake. Dollop on a globule of lemon custard and, if you're doing dairy, either some sour cream (which is what my family liked on shortcake) or whipped cream.
I'll post a picture later.
The way I did it was to use the basic recipe but omit the cranberries and walnuts and cut down on the sweetener and used lemon juice (only a little) instead of lemon extract. Then I baked it in a cake round instead of a loaf pan, mostly because my loaf pan was a scratched up rusty mess and I had to get rid of it.
Then, I defrost, or warm, my berries (I have blueberries and raspberries on hand) and pour them on top of a slice of shortcake. Dollop on a globule of lemon custard and, if you're doing dairy, either some sour cream (which is what my family liked on shortcake) or whipped cream.
I'll post a picture later.
Spicy, Roast Chicken -- Torture for the nose
I keep coming back to this chicken. This is why I have a couple of marjoram plants in my yard. In fact, one grew so big it took over my small planter, so I dug it up and took a bit of the top/roots and replanted and threw the rest out. Surprisingly I found a couple of cilantro plants growing underneath that bushy majoram! So I'm nurturing them along.
I didn't use a cut-up chicken but instead butterflied one, less work and I love how much skin gets exposed and crispified.
The tomatoes caramelize, the juices and fats mingle with the garlic, marjoram and tomatoes and it makes an amazing sauce.
When I started cooking it I had the tomatoes piled up on top of the chicken, but knocked them down below partway through. There's just so much flavor in that mixture.
I now have a cherry tomato, thyme, marjoram, mint and cilantro growing in my raised bed which I built from cedar fence planks and 2x4's.
I didn't use a cut-up chicken but instead butterflied one, less work and I love how much skin gets exposed and crispified.
When I started cooking it I had the tomatoes piled up on top of the chicken, but knocked them down below partway through. There's just so much flavor in that mixture.
I now have a cherry tomato, thyme, marjoram, mint and cilantro growing in my raised bed which I built from cedar fence planks and 2x4's.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Self-control is a resource
So I've been reading about this for awhile, self-control takes a mental resource we have in limited supply. So stop beating yourself up when you run out, and I have some tips for when it is in short supply.
Avoidance instead of self-control
If you are constantly in situations where you have to exercise self-control, then you're going to run out of self-control eventually. So modify your environment and habits so you don't even have to exercise it. Get the garbage out of your house, or at least out of your sight. You might need to enlist the cooperation of those you live with, but I assure you this makes everything much easier.
Substituting
Perhaps one can substitute one bad thing for something either not-so-bad or not-at-all bad. This is my reasoning behind using non-caloric sweeteners (rarely). I'd be much better for me to have a tasty, sweet treat that avoids sugar or high fructose corn syrup that would send my blood sugar to the moon or damage my liver. As my years eating low carb have progressed, I have come to rely on these sweet treats less and less, but they were very useful for me to make the transition to a low carb lifestyle, versus a temporary low carb diet.
Other things, those that fall under the, "Better than the alternative" could be something like very dark chocolate. It has a little caloric sweetener in it, but overall it's quite low if you get the 70-85% cocoa solids. And it is usually extremely satisfying for those who love dark chocolate. The bitterness takes a bit of getting used to, but most of us end up liking it. In fact, I had a commercial chocolate bar awhile back and it tasted very weird to me. I could barely taste anything chocolate in it, sure it smelled like chocolate but it was way too sweet, cloyingly sweet! I wondered why I ever liked it.
There have been other things that seem to soothe the craving beast. Bacon, chicken wings, a bowl of hot chili. A "burrito bowl" at Chipotle (without rice, maybe keep the beans, depends) with a big dollop of guacamole.
Maybe "treats" restore some of the will-power reserve. But I also think they can be misused. You can set up brain circuitry to start expecting treats on a regular basis. So don't abuse them!
References
Freakonomics blog
Making choices impairs subsequent self-control
Association for Psychological Science (2009, April 7). You Wear Me Out: Thinking Of Others Causes Lapses In Our Self-control. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from You Wear Me Out
Avoidance instead of self-control
If you are constantly in situations where you have to exercise self-control, then you're going to run out of self-control eventually. So modify your environment and habits so you don't even have to exercise it. Get the garbage out of your house, or at least out of your sight. You might need to enlist the cooperation of those you live with, but I assure you this makes everything much easier.
Substituting
Perhaps one can substitute one bad thing for something either not-so-bad or not-at-all bad. This is my reasoning behind using non-caloric sweeteners (rarely). I'd be much better for me to have a tasty, sweet treat that avoids sugar or high fructose corn syrup that would send my blood sugar to the moon or damage my liver. As my years eating low carb have progressed, I have come to rely on these sweet treats less and less, but they were very useful for me to make the transition to a low carb lifestyle, versus a temporary low carb diet.
Other things, those that fall under the, "Better than the alternative" could be something like very dark chocolate. It has a little caloric sweetener in it, but overall it's quite low if you get the 70-85% cocoa solids. And it is usually extremely satisfying for those who love dark chocolate. The bitterness takes a bit of getting used to, but most of us end up liking it. In fact, I had a commercial chocolate bar awhile back and it tasted very weird to me. I could barely taste anything chocolate in it, sure it smelled like chocolate but it was way too sweet, cloyingly sweet! I wondered why I ever liked it.
There have been other things that seem to soothe the craving beast. Bacon, chicken wings, a bowl of hot chili. A "burrito bowl" at Chipotle (without rice, maybe keep the beans, depends) with a big dollop of guacamole.
Maybe "treats" restore some of the will-power reserve. But I also think they can be misused. You can set up brain circuitry to start expecting treats on a regular basis. So don't abuse them!
References
Freakonomics blog
Making choices impairs subsequent self-control
Association for Psychological Science (2009, April 7). You Wear Me Out: Thinking Of Others Causes Lapses In Our Self-control. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from You Wear Me Out
Monday, March 15, 2010
Chili -- Breakfast of Champions!
Long ago when I was attending the Eastman School of Music -- or the Eastman Pool of Mucus, as my brother called it -- there was a little dive diner next door that had chili that was really hot and wonderful. In upstate New York, it was a great thing to have in the morning if you happened to have some time to consume breakfast. So I often had this chili that would make my eyes water and truly warmed me up in every respect. Ever since then, I've come to accept that chili makes a fine breakfast.
But sometimes these little nuggets of realization you glean from life experiences get misplaced like treasured sweaters that go missing. And then when you stumble on them again, you are overwhelmed with nostalgia and you swear allegiance again to the long lost item. I have such a sweater! Truly I do. I bought it probably nearly 25 years ago, maybe more! It has a massive neck that you fold over and over and it drapes nicely and it has bat-wing sleeves! And it is a vibrant maroon color. I love that thing.
I also love chili for breakfast! I have been eating quite a lot of chili since I adore it so much and I bought a huge pork shoulder, probably 12-15 pounds. I brought it home, cut it into large chunks and put what I suspect are 2-2.5 pounds in ziplock bags and stuck them in my freezer.
I'm going to share the recipe I use, I got it from the low carb forum. However, as is my way, I often make it from memory and forget some of the spices or simply make it easier by leaving some out. Lately I use 1/4 cup chili powder, a generous amount of cinnamon, cumin, allspice, either cayenne pepper or pepper flakes, and 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. If the cocoa sounds odd, let me reassure you it doesn't make your chili taste like chocolate, it gives it a deep, rich flavor that is sensational. I might use dehydrated onion if I'm not fresh onion enabled. Oh yes, add the vinegar, I forgot that this last time. I like the sharpness. I use 1 can of tomato sauce and one can of diced tomatoes. I don't bother with the beef broth.
Then I cook it all in my lovely enamelled cast-iron pot for a very long time over low heat until the pork is nice and soft.
The last time I made this I cooked the pork cubes sous vide for 12 hours or so at 145, then finished in the pot. It cut some cooking time off, if you don't count the sous vide time!
Tastes great but it's always better the next day.
Oh nearly forgot my optional things. Optionally, you could add some soy beans (look for them in the bean section in your health food store), if you really like beans in the chili. They add very, very few carbs. Or you could use a can of kidney or black beans. They're not strictly low carb or paleo but one can divided over about 10 servings is a pretty small addition. And I always like getting a bean or two, they seem like such a treat.
But sometimes these little nuggets of realization you glean from life experiences get misplaced like treasured sweaters that go missing. And then when you stumble on them again, you are overwhelmed with nostalgia and you swear allegiance again to the long lost item. I have such a sweater! Truly I do. I bought it probably nearly 25 years ago, maybe more! It has a massive neck that you fold over and over and it drapes nicely and it has bat-wing sleeves! And it is a vibrant maroon color. I love that thing.
I also love chili for breakfast! I have been eating quite a lot of chili since I adore it so much and I bought a huge pork shoulder, probably 12-15 pounds. I brought it home, cut it into large chunks and put what I suspect are 2-2.5 pounds in ziplock bags and stuck them in my freezer.
I'm going to share the recipe I use, I got it from the low carb forum. However, as is my way, I often make it from memory and forget some of the spices or simply make it easier by leaving some out. Lately I use 1/4 cup chili powder, a generous amount of cinnamon, cumin, allspice, either cayenne pepper or pepper flakes, and 2-3 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. If the cocoa sounds odd, let me reassure you it doesn't make your chili taste like chocolate, it gives it a deep, rich flavor that is sensational. I might use dehydrated onion if I'm not fresh onion enabled. Oh yes, add the vinegar, I forgot that this last time. I like the sharpness. I use 1 can of tomato sauce and one can of diced tomatoes. I don't bother with the beef broth.
Then I cook it all in my lovely enamelled cast-iron pot for a very long time over low heat until the pork is nice and soft.
The last time I made this I cooked the pork cubes sous vide for 12 hours or so at 145, then finished in the pot. It cut some cooking time off, if you don't count the sous vide time!
Tastes great but it's always better the next day.
Oh nearly forgot my optional things. Optionally, you could add some soy beans (look for them in the bean section in your health food store), if you really like beans in the chili. They add very, very few carbs. Or you could use a can of kidney or black beans. They're not strictly low carb or paleo but one can divided over about 10 servings is a pretty small addition. And I always like getting a bean or two, they seem like such a treat.
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