300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (58 page)

This is an Indian spice blend used in several of the curries in this book. You may well be able to buy perfectly lovely garam masala already made at a local Asian market or big grocery store—I can! But if you can't, you can easily make your own.

2 tablespoons (14 g) ground cumin

2 tablespoons (12 g) ground coriander

2 tablespoons (12 g) ground cardamom

1 1/2 tablespoons (9 g) black pepper

4 teaspoons (8 g) ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Simply combine everything and store in an airtight container.

Yield:
Makes roughly 9 tablespoons, each with: 19 calories, 1 g fat, 1 g protein, 4 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Sauce

This is as good as any sugar-based chocolate sauce you've ever had, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Don't try to make this with Splenda; it won't work. The polyol sweetener somehow makes the water and the chocolate combine. It's chemistry, or magic, or some darned thing. You very likely will need to order maltitol. Just do a Web search under “low carbohydrate,” and you'll find dozens of websites ready to ship anything your heart desires. My favorite is carbsmart (
www.carbsmart.com
).

1/3 cup (80 ml) water

2 ounces (55 g) unsweetened baking chocolate

1/2 cup (100 g) maltitol

3 tablespoons (45 g) butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Put the water and chocolate in a glass measuring cup and microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until the chocolate has melted. Stir in the maltitol and microwave on high for another 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir in the butter and vanilla.

Yield:
Makes roughly 1 cup, or 8 servings of 2 tablespoons, each with: 75 calories, 8 g fat, 1 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 1 g dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs. (Analysis does not include the maltitol.)

Mockahlua

This recipe originally appeared in
500 Low-Carb Recipes
, but because I've included it in some recipes in the dessert chapter I thought I'd better repeat it! This recipe makes quite a lot, but don't worry about that; 100-proof vodka's a darned good preservative. Your
Mockahlua
will keep indefinitely.

2 1/2 cups (570 ml) water

3 cups (75 g) Splenda

3 tablespoons (18 g) instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 bottle (750 milliliters) 100-proof vodka (Use the cheap stuff.)

In a large pitcher or measuring cup, combine the water, Splenda, coffee granules, and vanilla extract. Stir until the coffee and Splenda are completely dissolved.

Pour the mixture through a funnel into a 1.5 or 2 liter bottle. (A clean 1.5 liter wine bottle works fine, so long as you've saved the cork.) Pour in the vodka. Cork and shake well.

Yield:
32 servings of 1 1/2 ounces (42 ml)—a standard “shot,” each with: 53 calories, 0 g fat, trace protein, trace carbohydrate, 0 g dietary fiber, trace usable carbs.

Whipped Topping

I keep repeating this recipe, but then, it's a wonderful, classic whipped cream topping for any dessert.

1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream, chilled

3 teaspoons (15 g) sugar-free vanilla instant pudding mix

Simply whip the cream with the pudding mix. Use your electric mixer, or if you like, a whisk—neither a blender nor a food processor will work. Stop whipping as soon as your topping is nice and thick, or you'll end up with vanilla butter!

If you make this ahead of time, refrigerate it until you're ready to serve dessert.

Yield:
8 servings, each with: 104 calories, 11 g fat, 1 g protein, 1 g carbohydrate, 0 g dietary fiber, 1 g usable carbs.

Cauli-Rice

I give thanks to Fran McCullough for this recipe! I got this idea from her book
Living Low-Carb
, and it's served me very well indeed.

1/2 head cauliflower

Simply put the cauliflower through your food processor using the shredding blade. This gives a texture that is remarkably similar to rice. You can steam this, microwave it, or even sauté it in butter. Whatever you do, though, don't overcook it! I usually put mine in a microwaveable casserole with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons (28 to 45 ml) of water, and microwave it for 7 minutes on high.

Yield:
This makes about 3 cups, or at least 3 to 4 servings. Assuming 3 servings, each with: 24 calories, trace fat, 2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 3 g usable carbs.

Fauxtatoes

This is a wonderful substitute for mashed potatoes if you want something to put a fabulous sour cream gravy on! Feel free, by the way, to use frozen cauliflower instead. It works quite well here.

1 head cauliflower or 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) frozen cauliflower

4 tablespoons (55 g) butter

Steam or microwave the cauliflower until it's soft. Drain it thoroughly and put it through the blender or food processor until it's well puréed. Add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.

Yield:
6 servings, each with: 72 calories, 8 g fat, trace protein, 1 g carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, trace usable carbs. (This makes six generous servings.)

The Ultimate Fauxtatoes

I'm not crazy about Ketatoes by themselves, but added to pureed cauliflower
Fauxtatoes
, they add a potato-y flavor and texture that is remarkably convincing! This is a killer side dish with many of your slow cooker main dishes.

1/2 head cauliflower

1/2 cup (50 g) Ketatoes mix

1/2 cup (120 ml) boiling water

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

Trim the bottom of the stem of your cauliflower and whack the rest of the head into chunks. Put them in a microwaveable casserole dish with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons (28 to 45 ml) of water, cover, and microwave on high for 8 to 9 minutes.

While that's happening, measure your Ketatoes mix and boiling water into a mixing bowl and whisk together.

When the microwave beeps, pull out your cauliflower—it should be tender. Drain it well and put it in either your food processor, with the
S
-blade in place, or in your blender. Either way, purée the cauliflower until it's smooth. Transfer the puréed cauliflower to the mixing bowl and stir the cauliflower and Ketatoes together well. Add the butter and stir till it melts. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
4 servings, each with: 140 calories, 5 g fat, 10 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 8 g dietary fiber, 6 g usable carbs.

A few quick thank you's here:

To my darling friend Maria Vander Vloedt, who tested many, many recipes for this book. She's the perfect tester: She's smart and funny and reliable, she knows how to cook, she can follow instructions but make constructive suggestions when they're needed, she eats low-carb, and she has a husband and five kids to try my recipes out on! Thanks, Maria.