The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook (16 page)

18 ounces (510 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined

YIELD:
4 servings 237 calories; 12 g fat; 28 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

How easy can it get? Combine the olive oil and pesto in your large, heavy skillet, over medium-high heat. When it's hot, throw in the shrimp and sauté them until they're pink clear through. Serve with all the pesto sauce from the skillet scraped over them.

This combination of spices is wonderful and exotic. This would be a great recipe to double for an impressive yet easy company dinner.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 pound (455 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1
/
2
teaspoon ground ginger

1
/
8
teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

YIELD:
3 servings 212 calories; 7 g fat; 31 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Coat your large, heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and put it over high heat. When it's hot, add the olive oil, and throw in the shrimp. Sauté, turning often, until they're just barely pink all over. Stir in the remaining ingredients, sauté another minute or so, till the shrimp are pink throughout, and serve.

My husband spoke with longing of the baked clams he and his best friend John used to eat at a Chicagoland Italian restaurant called Capri; the clams were loaded with garlic butter and topped with bread crumbs. I took on the challenge of a low-carb version. He gave the results his hearty approval.

1
/
2
cup (112 g) butter

1
/
4
cup (19 g) plain pork rind crumbs

2 tablespoons (20 g) minced onion

1 tablespoon (4 g) minced fresh parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon (4 g) minced fresh oregano, if you have it

1
/
2
teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste

4 cloves garlic, crushed

36 clams in the shell—have the store open 'em up for you

YIELD:
6 servings 225 calories; 17 g fat; 14 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Put everything but the clams through the food processor until the mixture is well blended. Now put a teaspoon of this mixture on each clam. Arrange in a baking pan. At this point, you may cover and refrigerate or even freeze them.

When you're ready to cook them, first let them come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°F, or gas mark 5) and bake for 10 minutes, then broil 4 inches (10 cm) or so from the heat for another 3 to 5 minutes, until golden. Serve hot!

Bacon-wrapped scallops are a perennial favorite, but that whole wrapping thing is a bit time-consuming for a weeknight. The easy solution: Just sauté the two together! Chili powder adds a little extra kick. You can use sea scallops if you prefer, but bay scallops, being smaller, cook faster.

8 slices bacon

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 pound (455 g) bay scallops

YIELD:
4 servings 177 calories; 7 g fat; 23 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

This is so simple! Put your large, heavy skillet over medium heat and snip the bacon into it in bits about
1
/
4
inch (6 mm) wide. Let that fry.

Sprinkle the chili powder all over the scallops; I sprinkled both sides and then stirred them up to make sure they were evenly seasoned.

When the bacon bits are about halfway to done, add the scallops to the skillet and spread them out in a single layer. Let them cook for about 5 minutes, turning them a few times, until they're done through and the bacon bits are crisp. Serve with the bacon bits and pour the grease over the top!

O
ne of the great joys of a low-carbohydrate diet is beef, wonderful beef! After years of being told that you should eat boneless, skinless chicken breast, limiting your beef consumption to dry and flavorless round, you may now order the rib eye, medium-rare, with zero guilt (assuming, of course, you skip the baked potato). Want steak and eggs for breakfast? They're back on the menu. Eating Mexican? Go for steak fajitas, pile the guacamole and sour cream on top, grab a fork, and dig in. If someone looks at you cross-eyed, say, “What? Doctor's orders.”

You will find many ways to vary beef here. But feel free to serve your steak or hamburger patty simply with salt and pepper, perhaps with a salad and a few sautéed mushrooms.

This is a classic, pure mid-twentieth-century steak-house dish. And a beautiful thing it is, too.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) rib-eye steak

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2 shallots

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) dry red wine

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) beef stock, or
1
/
2
teaspoon beef bouillon concentrate dissolved in
1
/
2
cup (120 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon (4 g) dried thyme

1 teaspoon brown or Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

YIELD:
4 servings 428 calories; 28 g fat; 35 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Cook your steak in the olive oil as described in
Pan-Broiled Steak

In the meantime, assemble everything for your wine sauce—chop your shallots and combine the wine, beef stock, vinegar, thyme, and mustard in a measuring cup with a pouring lip. Whisk them together.

When the timer goes off, flip the steak and set the timer again.

When your steak is done, put it on a platter and set it in a warm place. Pour the wine mixture into the skillet and stir it around, scraping up the nice brown bits, and let it boil hard. Continue boiling your sauce until it's reduced by at least half. Melt in the butter, season with salt and pepper, and serve with your steak.

This has a mild Southwestern feel, but an Anaheim won't take the top of your head off. A quarter of an avocado, sliced, with a squeeze of lime juice, would be perfect with this.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) sirloin steak, trimmed

1
/
3
cup (80 ml) lime juice

2 tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
2
Anaheim chile pepper

2 cloves garlic

YIELD:
4 servings 415 calories; 30 g fat; 32 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving (Since you won't consume all the marinade, this count is actually a bit high.)

Put your steak in a shallow, nonreactive pan—glass or stainless steel are good—that just fits it, and pierce it all over with a fork.

Put everything else in your food processor with the S-blade in place, and run it till the pepper and garlic are pureed. Pour the marinade over the steak. Let the whole thing sit for at least a half an hour, and an hour or two is great.

Preheat the broiler or grill. Remove the steak from the marinade, reserving the marinade. Broil or grill your steak, close to high heat, until done to your liking. Baste both sides with the marinade when turning the steak over, then quit—you want the heat to kill any germs before your steak is done.

Let your steak rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving.

Indonesian seasonings give this steak an unusual twist. As with so many steak marinades, you can add a teaspoon of meat tenderizer to this, and use it to render an inexpensive piece of chuck fit for the grill.

2 pounds (900 g) sirloin steak, trimmed, at least 1
1
/
4
inches (3 cm) thick

2 tablespoons (28 ml) soy sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed

12 drops liquid stevia (plain)
*

*
Alternative Sweeteners

2 teaspoons Splenda or Stevia in the Raw

2 drops EZ-Sweetz Family Size

1 drop EZ-Sweetz Travel Size

YIELD:
6 servings 315 calories; 21 g fat; 28 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving (You won't consume all the marinade, so consider this count a little high.)

I like to marinate this in a shallow, nonreactive container—glass, microwavable plastic, or enamelware. It's easier than finding a resealable plastic bag big enough for your steak. Lay the steak in the container. Now mix together everything else, pour it over the steak, and turn the steak once or twice to coat both sides. Stick it in the fridge, and let it marinate for several hours—overnight is brilliant.

You can grill this on your barbecue grill, or you can broil it. If you want to use charcoal, get it started a good 30 minutes before cooking time. Either way, grill or broil it close to the heat, to your desired degree of doneness, basting both sides with the marinade when you turn it.

Let your steak rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving. If you like, you can boil the remaining marinade hard for a few minutes to kill germs, then spoon just a little over each serving.

For pepper lovers only! This is one of those throwback dishes that reminds you of just how great food was before people feared fat.

12 ounces (340 g) well-marbled steak—such as sirloin, T-bone, or rib eye—
1
/
2
to
3
/
4
inch (1 to 2 cm) thick

4 teaspoons (8 g) coarse cracked black pepper, divided

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (28 ml) Cognac or other brandy

2 tablespoons (28 ml) heavy cream

Salt, to taste

YIELD:
2 servings 557 calories; 42 g fat; 32 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Place your steak on a plate, and scatter 2 teaspoons of the pepper evenly over it. Using your hands or the back of a spoon, press the pepper firmly into the steak's surface. Turn the steak over, and do the same thing to the other side with the remaining pepper. Place a large, heavy skillet over high heat, and add the butter and olive oil. When the skillet is hot, add your steak. For a
1
/
2
-inch (1 cm) thick steak, 4
1
/
2
minutes per side is about right, go maybe a minute more for a
3
/
4
-inch (2 cm) thick steak.

When the steak is done on both sides,
turn off the burner
, pour the Cognac over the steak, and flame it. When the flames die down, remove the steak to a serving platter, and pour the cream into the skillet. Stir it around, dis-solving the meat juices and brandy into it. Season lightly with salt, and pour over the steak.

This is a method rather than a recipe, but it's become my favorite way of cooking a steak. It's quicker than broiling and makes a nicer crust. Don't worry about the measurements much, by the way; I just included them because they were needed for a nutritional breakdown. You know steak's got no carbs, so don't worry.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) steak, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick—preferably rib eye, T-bone, sirloin, or strip

1 tablespoon bacon grease (15 g) or olive oil (15 ml)

YIELD:
4 servings 403 calories; 33 g fat; 24 g protein; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber per serving

Put your large, heavy skillet—cast iron is best—over highest heat and let it get good and hot. In the meantime, you can season your steak if you like. I like the popular Montreal steak seasoning. Instead, you could top the finished steak with Bacon Butter (page156),
Blue Cheese Steak Butter
, or sautéed mushrooms. Or you can go for classic simplicity and just use salt and pepper.

When the skillet's hot, add the bacon grease or oil, swirl it around, and then throw in your steak. Set a timer for 5 or 6 minutes—your timing will depend on your preferred doneness and how hot your burner gets, but on my stove, 5 minutes per side with a 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick steak comes out medium-rare. When the timer goes off, flip the steak and set the timer again. When time is up, let the steak rest on a platter for 5 minutes before devouring.

When I first went low carb, no-sugar-added ketchup was hard to come by. I started topping my burgers this way, and it's still a favorite.

6 ounces (170 g) ground chuck, in a patty

1 tablespoon (8 g) crumbled blue cheese

1 teaspoon finely minced sweet red onion

YIELD:
1 serving 511 calories; 40 g fat; 34 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Cook the burger by your preferred method. When it's almost done to your liking, top with the blue cheese and let it melt. Remove from the heat, put on a plate, and top with the onion.

Mmm … mushrooms and onions! Add a little grilled asparagus, and you have a super-quick gourmet meal.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) ground chuck, in 4 patties (6 ounces, or 170 g, each)

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter or (30 ml) olive oil

1
/
2
cup (80 g) sliced onion

1
/
2
cup (35 g) sliced mushrooms

1
/
8
teaspoon anchovy paste

1 dash soy sauce

YIELD:
4 servings 508 calories; 41 g fat; 31 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Start cooking your burgers by your preferred method. While that's happening, melt the butter in a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until the onion is translucent. Stir in the anchovy paste and soy sauce. Serve the onion-mushroom mixture over the burgers.

A real peppery bite—not for the timid! These instructions are for a single serving, but of course you can double, triple, even quadruple this easily, depending on the size of your skillet.

6 ounces (170 g) ground chuck, in a patty
1
/
2
inch (1 cm) thick

1 tablespoon (6 g) coarse cracked pepper

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

2 tablespoons (28 ml) dry white wine or dry sherry

YIELD:
1 serving 587 calories; 47 g fat; 31 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Roll your raw beef patty in the pepper until it's coated all over. Fry the burger in the butter over medium heat, until done to your liking. Remove the hamburger to a plate. Add the wine to the skillet, and stir it around for a minute or two, until all the nice brown crusty bits are scraped up. Pour this over the hamburger, and serve.

Here's a dish for all you pizza lovers, and I know you are legion! Add a salad, and you've got a supper that will please the whole family. No-sugar-added pizza sauce is out there, you just have to look for it (Ragu and Muir Glen make varieties that fit the bill, just check the labels to be sure). Pay attention to the Italian sausage, too. It generally has a little sugar added; choose the lowest carb.

3
/
4
pound (340 g) ground beef

3
/
4
pound (340 g) Italian sausage

1
/
3
cup (55 g) minced onion

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning or dried oregano

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 cup (245 g) no-sugar-added pizza sauce

3 tablespoons (15 g) grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (optional)

8 ounces (225 g) shredded mozzarella cheese

YIELD:
6 servings 527 calories; 44 g fat; 27 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4).

In a large bowl, with clean hands, combine the beef and sausage with the onion, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Mix well. Pat this out in an even layer in a 9 × 12-inch (23 × 30 cm) baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

When the meat comes out, it will have shrunk a fair amount, because of the grease cooking off. Pour off the grease. Spread the pizza sauce over the meat. Sprinkle the Parmesan on the sauce, if you like, and then distribute the shredded mozzarella evenly over the top. Set your broiler to high.

Put your Meatza! 4 inches (10 cm) below the broiler. Broil for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Everyone needs a good skillet supper recipe! The only name I have to attribute this to is “Dottie,” which is too bad, because my sister, who tested this recipe, says it's great.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) lean ground beef

1
/
2
cup (80 g) finely diced onion

1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) heavy cream

1
/
2
cup (50 g) shredded Parmesan cheese

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

YIELD:
6 servings 544 calories; 46 g fat; 27 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving