1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (16 page)

8-ounce (225 g) wheel of Brie (Don’t buy a slice from a bigger wheel.)

cup (40 g) chopped pecans

3 tablespoons (45 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 g) polyol

1 teaspoon sugar-free imitation honey

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses

1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Unwrap cheese and place it in a shallow baking dish. Put it the oven and set your timer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, start sautéing the chopped pecans in the butter—give them about 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Then stir in the polyol, imitation honey, Splenda, and molasses and keep stirring for 3 or 4 minutes. When the cheese is just about ready, stir in the salt.

Fetch the Brie out of the oven and place it on a serving plate. Scoop the nuts—they’ll now be sticky and clumping a bit—out of the butter and spread them evenly across the top of the cheese.

Serve by cutting into 4 wedges and eat with a fork.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 13 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 1 g usable carb. Carb count does not include polyols.

These are quite simple to make and sure to delight your guests. Feel free to use either the regular or the light garlic and herb cheese—they have about the same carb count.

2 cups (300 g) pecan halves

4 ounces (115 g) garlic and herb spreadable cheese (such as Boursin or Alouette)

You can make this with canned, roasted, and salted pecans, or if you prefer, you can roast your own. If you choose the latter, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Spread 2 cups (300 g) of unbroken pecan halves in a shallow baking pan. Stir in 1 teaspoon oil to coat—it will take a fair amount of stirring to get that little oil to coat this many nuts, so keep stirring! Sprinkle with salt and roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool before the next step.

Spread a dollop—between ¼ and ½ teaspoon— of garlic and herb spreadable cheese on the flat side of a pecan half, and then press the flat side of another pecan half against it to make a pecan-and-cheese sandwich! Place on a serving plate and continue with the rest of the cheese and the rest of the pecans.

Yield:
Enough for about 6 people

Each of person will get 4 g protein; 7 g carbohydrate; 3 g dietary fiber; 4 g usable carbs.

This is the sort of decadence I would never have considered in my low-fat days. If you miss cheese-flavored snacks, you’ve got to try this.

2 or 3 tablespoons (30 or 45 ml) olive or canola oil

½ to ¾ cup (60 to 90 g) shredded Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or jalepeño Jack cheese

Spray a small, heavy bottomed, nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat.

Add the oil and then the cheese. The cheese will melt and bubble and spread to fill the bottom of the skillet.

Let the cheese fry until it’s crisp and brown around the edges. Use a spatula to lift up an edge and check whether the cheese is brown all over the bottom; if it isn’t, let it go another minute or so.

When the fried cheese is good and brown, carefully flip it and fry the other side until it is brown.

Remove the cheese from the skillet, drain, and lie it flat to cool. Break into pieces and eat.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 11 grams of protein.

Variation: Cheesy Bowls and Taco Shells—For a tasty, cheesy, tortilla-like bowl, follow the directions for Fried Cheese until both sides are cooked. Remove and drain the cheese but drape it over the bottom of a bowl to cool. When it cools and hardens, you’ll have a cheesy, edible bowl to eat a taco salad out of.

You can also make a taco shell by folding the cheese disc in half and propping it partway open. Be careful when handling it; hot cheese can burn you pretty seriously.

If you’ve never tried the Greek cheese Kasseri, you’re in for a treat. This dish is fantastically delicious, and it has a dramatic, fiery presentation to boot.

¼ pound (115 g) Kasseri, in a slab ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick

1 egg, beaten

2 to 3 tablespoons (16 to 24 g) rice protein powder, (10 to 15 g) soy powder, or (14 to 21 g) low-carb bake mix

Olive oil

1 shot (1½ ounces, or 42 ml) brandy

¼ lemon

Dip the slab of cheese in the beaten egg, then in the protein powder, coating it all over.

Heat ¼ inch (65 cm) of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cheese.

Fry until golden and crisp on both sides, turning only once. Remove from the pan and put on a fire-proof plate.

Pour the brandy evenly over the hot cheese, strike a match, and light the brandy on fire. It is traditional to shout “Opa!” at this moment.

Squeeze the lemon over the flaming cheese, putting out the fire. Divide in half and scarf it down!

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 17 grams of protein.

This is a yummy twist on the traditional Saganaki and a perfect starter for a fiery Mexican dinner for two.

¼ pound (115 g) pepper Jack cheese, in a slab

½ inch (1.3 cm) thick 1 egg, beaten

2 to 3 tablespoons (16 to 24 g) rice protein powder, (10 to 15 g) soy powder, or (14 to 21 g) low-carb bake mix

Olive oil

1 shot (1½ ounces, or 42 ml) tequila

¼ lime

Dip the slab of cheese in the beaten egg, then in the protein powder, coating it all over.

Heat ¼ inch (65 cm) of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cheese.

Fry until golden and crisp on both sides, turning only once. Remove from the pan and put on a fire-proof plate.

Pour the tequila evenly over the hot cheese, strike a match, and light the tequila on fire.

Squeeze the lime over the flaming cheese, putting out the fire.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 17 grams of protein.

This recipe requires a food processor, so if you only have a tiny one, cut the recipe in half. Despite the name, these are not sweet; they’re more like cheese crackers.

½ pound (225 g) processed American loaf cheese, like Velveeta (Store brand works fine.)

½ pound (225 g) sharp cheddar cheese

¼ pound (115 g) butter

1 cup (80 g) soy powder

About 6 dozen pecan or walnut halves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C, or gas mark 6).

Cut the loaf cheese, cheddar, and butter into chunks.

Put the cheese chunks, butter, and soy powder in the food processor and pulse until the dough is well combined.

Coat a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet and press half a pecan or walnut in the top of each one (if using).

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are just getting brown around the edges.

Yield:
This will depend on how big you make your cookies. I make mine small and get 6 dozen.

Each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

This easy dish makes a nice light summer supper. Use some or all of the ingredients listed here, adjusting quantities as necessary.

Wedges of cantaloupe

Salami

Boiled ham

Pepperoncini (mildly hot salad peppers, available in jars near the pickles and olives)

Halved or quartered hard-boiled eggs

Marinated mushrooms

Black and green olives (Get the good ones.)

Strips of canned pimento

Solid-pack white tuna, drizzled with olive oil

Sardines

Marinated artichoke hearts (available in cans)

Simply arrange some or all of these things decoratively on a platter, put out a stack of small plates and some forks, and dinner is served.

Yield:
Varies with your taste and needs, but here are the basic nutritional breakdowns for the items on your antipasto platter:

Cantaloupe,
of a small melon: 4.5 grams of carbohydrates and 0.5 grams of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 0.5 grams of protein

Salami, 1 average slice: 0.5 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 3 grams of protein

Boiled ham, 1 average slice: a trace of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 3.5 grams of protein

Pepperoncini, 1 average piece: 0.5 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and no protein

Hard-boiled eggs, ½: 0.3 grams of carbohydrates, no fiber, and 3 grams of protein

Marinated mushrooms, 1 average piece: 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and no protein

Black olives, 1 large: 0.5 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and no protein

Green olives, 1 large: a trace of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and no protein

Pimento, 1 slice: a trace of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and no protein

Tuna, 3 ounces: no carbohydrates, no fiber, and 22 grams of protein

Sardines, 2 average: no carbohydrates, no fiber, and 5 grams of protein (not to mention 91 milligrams of calcium)

Artichoke hearts, 2 quarters: 2 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and no protein

This recipe will feed a crowd, so make it when you have plenty of people to share with.

6 cups (1.4 L) water

¼ cup (60 ml) dry sherry

½ teaspoon peppercorns

1 bay leaf

6 teaspoons (36 g) salt, divided

3 pounds (1.4 kg) raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 cup (240 ml) oil

cup (160 ml) lemon juice