Yes, I Eat Carbs

COMMON SCENARIO

PERSON: Oh, that's right. You don't eat carbs.

ME: Of course, I do. They just look like vegetables.

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Happy Bite-Seeing

Steak and Veggie Kebabs

I was still being pampered the day after Mother's Day. My husband loves to fire up his new barbecue. This serving of steak and veggie kebabs had me feelin' the love!

Asian Fusion Bowl at "Monsoon" — Nampa, Idaho

Monsoon opened in Nampa, Idaho. It is the Asian fusion version of Chipotle. The diner is able to design their own bowl. They graciously worked with my low-carb preferences and I was delighted with the outcome. I swapped out noodles and rice for a bed of vegetables. I added chicken, peanut lime sauce, mushrooms, another layer of veggies, and garnished it with sprouts. I weighed less the following day!

"Always exploring, never boring!" 

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Tahini Tuna

Tahini Tuna

I ate tons of tuna with mayonnaise during my first low-carb stint. I was 15 years old. For being such a creative person, I had yet to learn how to be imaginative with food. My only resource then was Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution. Now, options abound.

Tahini Tuna is a new twist. A scoop of the tuna mixture is placed on a bed of spaghetti squash and sprinkled with sliced green onions. It is simple and satisfying.

Tahini, my previous post, provides more information about tahini.

NOTE: Spaghetti squash is most easily prepared by cooking it for 11-13 minutes in the microwave. I find that 11 minutes is perfect for smaller squashes. A small Phillips head screwdriver, meant for repairing eyeglasses, works great for poking holes in the squash before cooking.

TAHINI TUNA

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• ½ - ¾ cup organic raw or toasted tahini (be aware of the carbs)
• Juice of ½ or 1 lemon, depending on your taste for tartness
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 6-ounce cans of wild caught tuna, flaked
• ½ cup of green onions, sliced OR ½ cup chopped yellow onion, incorporated
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• Maldon salt to taste
• Pre-cooked spaghetti squash
• Olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, and garlic.
2. Stir in tuna.
3. If using chopped yellow onion, incorporate.
4. Gently add the parsley and Maldon salt.
5. Spoon some spaghetti squash onto each plate. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
6. Place a scoop of tahini tuna on top and heat each plate in the microwave for 20-25 seconds.
7. If using chopped green onions, sprinkle them on top of the tuna.

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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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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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3 Ways to Menace Mosquitos

Mosquitos and fleas have loved me since I was little. No summer was complete without a series of welts begging to be itched. Yet, for the first time ever, I have not suffered one mosquito bite this season!

So, we slather ourselves with diethyltoluamide and the DEET is done. Not so quick! DEET has side effects. Manufacturers warn against using it under clothing due to possible irritation. Other repercussions include coma, seizures, and slurred speech, largely because the product has been ingested or applied for 3 or more consecutive days. Our skin absorbs everything.

We call our wounds mosquito bites, but this is not accurate. The female sticks a part of her mouth—called the proboscis—into our skin. She then injects her saliva into our bloodstream. The proteins in her saliva keep our blood from clotting as she dines. The itching, redness, and swelling are actually caused by these proteins.

I recently attended a progressive dinner in the mountains. At dusk, I was seated on a log bench next to a pond. Mosquitos appeared like party crashers. Women were swatting. Insect repellent upstaged the night air. Surprisingly, the mosquitos were ignoring me and I was not wearing protection.

The bites were so bad during my first summer in Idaho, that I wrote the following militant poem.

Memo to Mosquitos

Listen up mosquitos! I declare WAR!

Your assaults leave me itching, scratching, and sore!

Regardless of mission, whether hungry or bored;

I refuse to be your adored smorgasbord.

You dine without invite, with little decline;

And tip me with welts needing calamine.

Be advised. Be aware. Remember this day!

I'm closing down your all-day buffet!

Say good-bye to this flesh for which you are smitten,

For "Vengeance is mine," says the Bitten!

—Karen June Miller | July 2011

I have been low-carbing for almost a year. My diet no longer includes grains, sugars, high carb fruits and vegetables. Did my body chemistry change?

Sure enough, after research, I discovered that other low-carbers have made the same discovery! When we lower our carbohydrate intake, there is not enough glucose to burn for energy. We switch from being a sugar-burner to a fat-burner. Fats are broken down for energy. This results in a buildup of acids known as ketones, which act as a natural mosquito repellent.

It never dawned on me that low-carbing would make me impervious to mosquitos! Perhaps my Memo to Mosquitos was prophetic.

Click HERE to read another low-carber's mosquito experience.

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6 Tips for Meaningful Meals

MEANINGLESS

I have been guilty of fast-food frenzies and driving-while-eating. Anticipation was far more exciting than the food ever was! I finally hit the brakes when I recognized that mealtime had become meaningless and rushed.

I then pursued more natural, organic choices that included whole grains and my unwillingness to dismiss sugar. It was a start, but not the remedy.

LOW-CARB TO THE RESCUE!

While low-carbing is restoring my health, energy, and common sense, I still have a challenge with timing. My family is too busy to coordinate a set dinnertime. Since eating later slows down my weight loss, I dine alone . . . a lot!

Solo meals, however, do not have to be mundane. Replace the "M" with an "F" and you have FUN-dane! Every meal should be celebrated and here are 6 ways to accomplish that.

SATISFY THE SENSES

Keep it visual...

Add personal touches such as favorite linens, place settings, or a small floral centerpiece. Use herbs for garnish. Employ simple food styling. Example: I used a tonal camera filter on this photo to emphasize the crosshatch slice on the sausage.

Relish aroma...

Make sure your spices are fresh and potent. Taste-testing is essential, but aroma should be a discernible precursor to the meal.

Flirt with flavor...

Allow the 5 basic tastes (umami, sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness) to throw a tastebud party! Do not forget FAT—the low-carber's best friend. Fat adds flavor.

Remove distraction...

A meal is a short journey. Turn off the TV. Put the book, project, and smart phone aside. Have a prepared and relaxing playlist ready to listen to. Avoid anything causing stress—like politics!

Focus on the food...

When is the last time you chewed slowly and thoughtfully? Try putting the fork down between bites (not as easy as it sounds). Pretend you are a food critic and identify all that you are tasting. 

Understand satiety...

Okinawans practice hara hachi bu which means “eat until you are eight parts (out of ten) full” (Wikipedia) or 80% full. This requires stopping the meal before the stomach has stretched to make room for it. Satiety does not occur because your stomach is full. It has more to do with the brain reacting to the chemicals in your food, which takes about 20 minutes to kick in. The chemicals then rise and stay elevated for 3 to 5 hours before hunger is experienced again. 

The beauty of a low-carb lifestyle is that satiety is easily achieved when meals find a balance between low-carb vegetables, moderate meat, and plenty of high quality fats.

NOTES

1. The Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage is precooked and nitrate/nitrite free. After slicing it, I microwaved it for 45 seconds. (It will naturally open up when heated.) I nested the sausage in a salad comprised of cucumber, tomato, and feta cheese—with Pomegranate Vinegar drizzled on top. 
2. The sausage and the vinegar were purchased from Trader Joe's. I also find sausage deals (Aidelle's) at Grocery Outlet. Of course those are hit and miss.
3. Check out Still Tasty for spice shelf-life information.

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Pork Kebabs

I featured kebabs 2 posts ago and guess what. I'M STILL ON A KEBAB KICK!

You might recall that I mentioned pork kebabs being on this weekend's menu. We cubed a pork tenderloin purchased from Trader Joe's, which was very kind to our pocketbook.

Pictured here are the skewers before the flame. We devoured every last morsel.

Kebab-bab-babbing along...

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Pollo Con Crema

Pollo Con Crema at Lima Limon | Kuna, Idaho

As I sit here typing and eating fried eggs topped with melted cream cheese, I marvel at how satisfied I am. I take inventory of the horrid, tasteless diets that always left me hungry and eager to jump ship! I will be celebrating my FIRST LOW-CARB ANNIVERSARY on September 1, 2016. I have never been bored, nor have I been tempted to stop.

Dining out is also an adventure! Yesterday, I visited the Kuna Historical Society, located about 30 minutes southeast of my Ida-home. Lima Limon, a Peruvian-Mexican restaurant is 2 buildings west of this museum. How could I possibly pass that up? I knew that my LCHF lifestyle would require adjustments to the way I approached Peruvian food. Yet, to my surprise, I was not interested in the empanadas, plantains, rice, and tortillas that would normally have me giddy. I chose, instead, to order Pollo Con Crema, without the rice and flour tortillas. Chef Deysi brought me this beautifully orchestrated dish with brightly colored, steamed vegetables; and Pollo Con Crema consisting of chicken and sautéed mushrooms in a sour cream sauce. I showed great restraint in not licking my plate!

Pollo Con Crema at Lima Limon | Kuna, Idaho

Adventurously Yours,

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Kebab-bab-babbing along...

Here in Idaho, the weather is windy, dry, and hot. Besides wishing that I could return to sunsuits, I am on a serious, and I mean SERIOUS, kebab kick! I cannot get enough! I even daydream about my next set of skewered sumptuousness! Even though our old barbecue is falling apart, Barry is not deterred! He creates something new and then babies those kebabs over just the right amount of heat.

We have had strip steak, chicken breasts, and shrimp thus far. (Pork sirloin is on the menu for this weekend.) The vegetables vary, but we never seem to omit the cherry tomatoes because they pop with flavor. I love the way juicy, crispy, savory, and sweet marry over the flames. And we must not forget the freshly chopped herbs sprinkled on top.

As I go kebab-bab-babbing along, please take a moment to share your favorite kebab combinations. 

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Getting Spicy | Sumac

My husband, Barry, enjoys cooking low-carb breakfasts! He has customers who fill his empty cartons with fresh eggs from their own chickens! We are happy recipients! Yet, Barry does have a bad habit of not telling me when he has used the last of something. Today, I had butter melting in a pan only to discover that we were out the eggs!  

Accepting that my fried eggs and cream cheese would have to wait, I shifted gears. (I'm well-practiced!) The butter was sizzling, so I grabbed what we had: celery, a yellow bell pepper, onions, and natural beer bratwurst. 

I used Sumac—from Trader Joe's The Spice Route—to season my pan-fried dish. Sumac is often sprinkled on top of hummus. Its tart flavor makes it an excellent replacement for lemon. With a little Maldon salt and some chopsticks, I had a sumptuous feast!

Smiles,

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Quick Kick Salad!

Summers are not always as leisurely as I would like. I curate at a museum in an old gold rush town; my husband delivers frozen foods to customers in Idaho's Treasure Valley and Boise National Forest; and our youngest son is busy with high school football, summer camps, and a cute girlfriend. Much of the time, I just want simple. 

Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch collection can be embellished in a myriad of ways. Featuring kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, green and red cabbage, it is awaiting whatever whim I come home with.

One of our favorite preparations is Quick Kick Salad! It is low-carb, delicious, and filling.

QUICK KICK SALAD

Note: Adjust the ingredients to your personal taste.

Ingredients:

• 2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
• 1 heaping teaspoon of stone ground mustard
• 1 heaping teaspoon of muchi curry (in the bulk section of a natural grocery store)
• flaky Maldon salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, curry, salt, and pepper together in a separate bowl. This ensures that the dressing is distributed evenly. Taste it first and then blend it with the Cruciferous Crunch in a larger bowl. 

Eat it right away or allow the flavors to marry in the refrigerator.

Kickingly Yours,

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Faux-tatoes

Usually, a license plate does not move one to tears. Being the potato geek that I am, I became teary-eyed when I first observed "Famous Potatoes" on my new Idaho plate. Since I had craved potatoes for much of my life, I was pleased that I had the good sense to move to a potato state. I was not low-carbing at the time. 

As a low-carber, I still crave potatoes. I occasionally reward myself with sliced sweet potatoes deep-fried in duck fat. Yum! I only need a small amount and I nibble them slowly.

My photo depicts a breakfast of faux cottage fries. They look just like red potatoes, but you are actually looking at radishes fried in butter and garnished with radish greens. The taste of the radish mellows, the texture resembles a raw potato, the carbs are low, and they are delicious!

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