Fat Sat | Grocery Outlet

Fat Sat will be a weekly Everlovin' Low-Carb feature. The post title is short for Fat Saturday and will feature LCHF (low-carb-high-fat) news, tips, and inspiration.

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I now have a Grocery Outlet in my neighborhood. Being unfamiliar with the store, I immediately pictured heavily processed food. I was curious though, so I attended the Grocery Outlet Grand Opening. I was delighted to discover their NOSH merchandise (natural-organic-specialty-healthy), which includes many low-carb essentials.

I found plenty of products labeled gluten free, but nothing specifically identified as low-carb. Gluten free products usually replace the culprits with other carbs, so I read a lot of Nutrition Facts. I ended up scoring some quality goods at serious savings!

The only drawback of any outlet is the limited availability of products. Yet, I have seen many favorites reappear.

Here are some of the low-carb items that I have picked up at Grocery Outlet...

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Asian Goulash

My dad had a tradition of making Matheny Goulash—named for our family. I clearly recall the aroma and anticipation. He used whatever he found in the pantry and fridge, and created a simmering pot of goodness! Rice, beef, and tomatoes were staples in the meal, but no 2 goulashes were the same.

I am not eating rice these days, but riced cauliflower provides a perfect base for anything! This dish has a decidedly Asian flavor! I used only what I had on hand. All measurements are approximate because I cooked instinctively. I also used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper to achieve texture.

ASIAN GOULASH

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 pound of ground beef—not lean
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped raw zucchini
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons of grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 package (about 3 cups) of Trader Joe's Organic Riced Cauliflower—thawed
• Coconut aminos
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the butter up in a wok and add the ground beef. Add salt and pepper. Cook just until the pink disappears.
2. Add the onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, garlic, and fresh ginger. Allow the small pieces to become tender.
3. Stir in the toasted sesame oil.
4. Introduce the cauliflower. Drizzle an ample amount of coconut aminos over the top of the goulash and stir.
5. Cook long enough for the flavors to marry.

Serves 4

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Bacon Onion Rings with Simple Sriracha Dip

French fries may be high in carbs, but I do not regard them as taboo. I save them for special treats — especially sweet potatoes fried in duck fat.

Onion rings require more caution. Traditional recipes contain wheat and gluten. Low-carb versions use coconut flour, almond flour, or crushed pork rinds in place of bread crumbs.

Enter Bacon Onion Rings with Simple Sriracha Sauce! Raw bacon is wrapped like a wreath around onion hoops. Thick-cut bacon yields rings that are more like a meal. Standard bacon (1/16 of an inch) creates rings that are light and crispy. Partnered with the dip, this appetizer is a novelty!

NOTE: Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce contains 1 gram of sugar per teaspoon. The carbs will mount quickly, so I mix it with avocado oil mayonnaise for a healthy low-carb dip!

BACON ONION RINGS WITH SRIRACHA DIP

INGREDIENTS

THE RINGS

• Several large onions. (You will only be using the outer rings, so estimate how many bacon onion rings you would like to make.) 
• Thick or thinly sliced bacon without nitrites/nitrates—preferably sugar-free. (Thin slices will require about 1½ slices per ring; thick slices about 2½.)

THE DIP

• Trader Joe's Sriracha Sauce
• Avocado oil mayonnaise
• Dried marjoram, parsley, or chives.

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 275˚.
2. Cut the ends off of the onion(s) and then slice the onion(s) in half across the equator.
3. Slice each of those halves in half, cutting in the same direction. The rings need to be about ½ inch tall.
4. Separate the rings by 2's. I use 4-6 outside rings, depending on the onion's size, reserving the rest of the onions for something else.
5. Wrap each of the double rings with bacon. The bacon will cling to itself. Tuck the ends underneath the rings.
6. Using a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, you can place the rings directly on the foil or use a greased rack. Both ways work for me.
7. Place rings in the oven and bake for 60-90 minutes. Thick bacon will require the full 90 minutes —  maybe less for thin bacon. 
8. For crispier rings, place them under broiler for a few minutes at the end of cooking. Stay with them to prevent burning.
9. The Sriracha Dip is a blend of avocado oil mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. The ration is 3 parts mayonnaise to 1 part sriracha sauce. Make as much as you need. Add a dried herb for more gusto.

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"Fasting is not about starving oneself."

The Complete Guide to Fasting: 

Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, 

Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting

Podcaster Jimmy Moore and I have never met. I hope we will one day. We have only shared a few tweets; yet I feel like he is a good friend.

I first heard Jimmy's podcast—The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show—over a year ago. His story is amazing! Having once weighed over 400 pounds, he successfully cut out the carbage, trimmed down, and is now able to control his diabetes.

Jimmy is a playful, insightful, and knowledgeable crusader for low-carb and ketogenic lifestyles. His message has changed countless lives and earned him international recognition. He has authored several books and is ready to publish another: The Complete Guide to Fasting. (Available through Amazon on October 18th, 2016.)

Formerly, just hearing the word "fasting" made me cringe. I equated it with deprivation. I was certain that starving and fasting meant the same thing! 

Happily, low-carb-high-fat (LCHF) meals are so satiating, I am naturally not hungry for hours. In reality, I am already experiencing a form of fasting!

I endeavor to restrict my eating to an 8-hour window. I reserve the remaining 16 hours for digestion, healing, repair, and recharging. My bathroom scale loves it and so do I!

HERE IS WHAT AMAZON SAYS ABOUT JIMMY'S NEW BOOK...

Thousands of books have been written about the latest and greatest diets that will help people lose weight and improve health. But a key element in any successful nutritional health program is a tried-and-true method that most people haven’t thought about—yet it could be revolutionary for taking health to the next level. This ancient secret is fasting. 

Fasting is not about starving oneself. When done right, it’s an incredibly effective therapeutic approach that produces amazing results regardless of diet plan. In fact, Toronto-based nephrologist Dr. Jason Fung has used a variety of fasting protocols with more than 1,000 patients, with fantastic success. In The Complete Guide to Fasting, he has teamed up with international bestselling author and veteran health podcaster Jimmy Moore to explain what fasting is really about, why it’s so important, and how to fast in a way that improves health. Together, they make fasting as a therapeutic approach both practical and easy to understand. 

The Complete Guide to Fasting explains:

• why fasting is actually good for health
• who can benefit from fasting (and who won’t)
• the history of fasting
• the various ways to fast: intermittent, alternate-day, and extended fasting
• what to expect when starting to fast
• how to track progress while fasting
• the weight loss effects of fasting
• how to ward off potential negative effects from fasting 

The book also provides tools to help readers get started and get through their fasts, including a 7-Day Kick-Start Fasting Plan and healing liquid recipes.

NOTE: I will be reserving my copy at Amazon and you can, too! Just click HERE.

I listen to all of his podcasts on Overcast, although they are available in iTunes as well. Click HERE to listen to Episode 1153: Jimmy Moore – 2016 Low-Carb Cruise Lecture. He discusses the differences between Low-Carb, Paleo, and Primal diets.

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Hot Garlic Sauce | Mojo criollo para viandas y carnes

Most sauces, marinades, and dressings are naturally low-carb as long as they are sugarless and grainless. Of course, cooking from scratch gives us complete control over carbs. Think of sauces, marinades, and dressings as wardrobe and accessories. (That is, after all, the real reason I enjoyed my childhood Barbie.) Any dish can undergo a dramatic quick-change with little fuss.

Chef George Geary wrote a cookbook called 500 Best Sauces, Salad Dressings, Marinades & More. Seriously! We could eat chicken breasts for 16 months straight and never duplicate a flavor profile!

Here is a versatile Cuban sauce. It is borrowed from In a Cuban Kitchen by Alex Garcia, published in September of 2004. Although carbs are central in Cuban cuisine, I have not met a carb that cannot be tweaked. Garcia's dishes are irresistible and use the freshest ingredients!

HOT GARLIC SAUCE | MOJO CRIOLLO PARA VIANDAS Y CARNES

From: In a Cuban Kitchen

By: Alex Garcia

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped fine
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, stems removed and chopped fine
• 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed and chopped fine
• Juice of 3 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant.
2. Remove from the heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Add the parsley, cilantro, lime juice and salt.
3. Serve hot over vegetables or meat dishes.

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