1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (97 page)

When the flames die down, remove the steak to a serving platter and pour the cream into the skillet. Stir it around, dissolving the meat juices and brandy into it. Season lightly with salt and pour it over the steak.

Yield:
2 servings

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 25 grams of protein.

Make this with the drippings when you’re pan-broiling a steak (cooking it in a hot, dry skillet).

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

½ teaspoon pepper

After pan-broiling a steak, pour off most of the grease. Melt the butter in the pan and then stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper, stirring it around so you scrape up the nice brown bits from the pan.

Let it bubble a minute, pour it over the hot steak, and serve.

Yield:
This is about enough for a 1-pound (455-g) steak

1 gram of carbohydrates, no fiber, and no protein.

1½ pounds (680 g) cube steaks

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

8 ounces (225 g) sliced mushrooms

3 cups (710 ml) beef broth

1 tablespoon (15 ml) beef bouillon concentrate

Guar or xanthan

In a big, heavy skillet, heat the oil and brown the steaks on both sides.

Put the onion and mushrooms in a slow cooker.

In a bowl, stir the broth and bouillon and pour the mixture over the vegetables. Place the steaks on top. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 6 to 7 hours.

When the time’s up, remove the steaks and thicken the sauce with guar or xanthan to your liking.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 29 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 4 g usable carbs.

Here’s a no-work version of this old-time favorite.

1 large onion, sliced

3 pounds (1.4 kg) beef round

1 tablespoon (15 ml) beef bouillon concentrate

8 ounces (240 ml) vegetable juice (such as V8)

2 stalks celery, sliced

Guar or xanthan (optional)

Place the onion in a slow cooker. Place the beef on top.

In a bowl, stir the bouillon into the vegetable juice. Pour the mixture over the beef. Scatter the celery on top. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 to 10 hours.

When the time’s up, thicken the juices with guar or xanthan, if desired. Serve over Fauxtatoes (page 209).

Yield:
8 servings

Each with 35 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 2 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Fauxtatoes.

This is a handy one-dish company meal. Put it together on a Saturday morning, and it will cook happily by itself all afternoon.

2 pounds (910 g) boneless beef round or chuck, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) cubes

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine

¾ teaspoon guar or xanthan

1½ teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 big onion, sliced

8 ounces (225 g) mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth

2 green peppers, cut into chunks

Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C, or gas mark ½).

Put the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef in the oil.

Put the browned beef in a 10-cup (2.8-L) casserole dish with a lid.

Combine the wine and guar in the blender, blending for 10 seconds or so, and then pour the mixture over the beef.

Add the salt, paprika, oregano, onion, mushrooms, and green peppers to the casserole dish and give it a quick stir. Cover and put it in the oven for 5 hours. When it comes out, you can boil down the liquid a bit in a saucepan to make it thicker, if you like, but it’s quite nice just like this.

Yield:
6 generous servings

Each with 8 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 25 grams of protein.

Here’s one of those super-simple dump-and-go recipes. It’s great for a day when you didn’t get dinner in the slow cooker the night before!

3 pounds (1.4 kg) beef arm pot roast

3 turnips, peeled and cubed

1 pound (455 g) baby carrots

2 cups (520 g) salsa

Guar or xanthan (optional)

Put the turnips and carrots in a slow cooker and place the beef on top. Pour the salsa over everything. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 to 10 hours.

When the time’s up, remove the beef and pull it apart into shreds with two forks. Scoop the vegetables out onto serving plates with a slotted spoon. Pile the beef on top. If desired, thicken the sauce with a little guar or xanthan. Spoon the sauce over the vegetables and beef.

Yield:
8 servings

Each with 26 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs.

This is our traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner, but it’s a simple, satisfying one-pot meal on any chilly night. If you have carb-eaters in the family, you can add a few little red boiling potatoes, still in their skins.

1 corned beef “for simmering” (about 3 pounds, or 1.4 kg)

6 small turnips (golf ball to tennis ball size)

2 big ribs celery, cut into chunks

2 medium onions, cut into chunks

½ head cabbage

Spicy brown mustard

Horseradish

Butter

Peel the turnips and throw them in into the slow cooker along with the celery and the onions. Set the corned beef on top and add water to cover.

There will be a seasoning packet with the corned beef—dump it into the slow cooker. Put the lid on the slow cooker, set it on low, and leave it alone for 10 to 12 hours. (You can cut the cooking time down to 6 to 8 hours if you set the slow cooker on high, but the low setting yields the most tender results.)

When you come home from work all those hours later, remove the corned beef from the cooker with a fork or some tongs, put the lid back on the slow cooker to retain heat, put the beef on a platter, and keep it someplace warm. Cut the cabbage into big wedges and drop it into the slow cooker with the other vegetables.

Re-cover the slow cooker and turn it up to high. Have a green beer (lite beer, of course) while the cabbage cooks for 30 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove all the vegetables and pile them around the corned beef on a platter. Serve with the mustard and horseradish as condiments for the beef and butter for the vegetables.

Yield:
8 servings (and of course, you don’t need a thing with it)

Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 26 grams of protein.

This is easy, but it takes a long time to cook. Do yourself a favor, and assemble it ahead of time.

This is a trifle less traditional but just as good as the New England Boiled Dinner (page 396). The pancake syrup and mustard, plus last-minute glazing under the broiler, give it a new aspect.

5 pounds (2.3 kg) corned beef brisket

6 medium turnips, cut into chunks

2 medium carrots, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, quartered

2 cups (480 ml) water

1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges

3 tablespoons (45 ml) sugar-free pancake syrup

1 tablespoon (15 ml) brown mustard

Horseradish

Place the turnips, carrots, and onion in your slow cooker. Place the corned beef on top. Scatter the contents of the accompanying seasoning packet over everything and pour the water over the whole thing. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 9 to 10 hours, and a bit more won’t hurt!

When the time’s up, carefully remove the corned beef and put it on a broiler rack, fatty side up. Use a slotted spoon to skim out the vegetables, put them on a platter, cover, and keep in a warm place.

Preheat the broiler.

Place the cabbage in the slow cooker, set it to high, and let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until just tender. (Or you can pour the liquid from the pot into a saucepan and cook the cabbage in it on your stovetop, which is faster.)

While the cabbage is cooking, mix together the pancake syrup and the mustard. Spread the mixture over the corned beef, just the side that is up. When the cabbage is almost done, run the corned beef under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until glazed.

Transfer the cabbage to the platter with a slotted spoon. Slice the corned beef across the grain and serve immediately with horseradish and mustard.

Yield:
12 servings

Each with 29 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g dietary fiber, 7 g usable carbs. (This carb count does not include the polyols in the pancake

The tea, the beer, and the long, slow cooking make this as tender as can be.

2 pounds (910 g) boneless beef round roast

2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

1 can (8 ounces, or 225 g) tomato sauce

12 ounces (360 ml) light beer

1 teaspoon instant tea powder

1 can (4 ounces, or 115 g) unsweetened mushrooms, drained

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Heat oil in a big, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and sear the beef until it’s brown all over. Transfer the beef to a slow cooker.

In the oil left in the skillet, fry the onion for a few minutes and add that to the slow cooker, too.

Pour the tomato sauce and beer over the beef. Sprinkle the tea over it and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 to 9 hours. This is good served with Fauxtatoes (page 209).

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 28 g protein, 7 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 5 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Fauxtatoes.

Once you have the Hoisin Sauce on hand, this is very quick to put together. The Hoisin Sauce is a snap, and it keeps well in the fridge.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) beef tip roast

4 ounces (115 g) sliced mushrooms

¼ cup (60 ml) Hoisin Sauce (page 464)

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup (60 ml) beef broth

Guar or xanthan

6 tablespoons (35 g) sliced scallions

Put the mushrooms in a slow cooker and place the beef on top. Spread the Hoisin Sauce over the beef, scatter the garlic and salt over it, and pour in the broth around it. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 9 hours.

When the time’s up, remove the beef from the slow cooker and put it on a platter. Add guar or xanthan to thicken up the sauce a bit and then pour the sauce into a sauce boat. Slice the beef and serve it with the sauce, topped with the scallions.