The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook (7 page)

•
Stevia in the Raw: Stevia in the Raw is stevia combined with maltodextrin, the same carbo-hydrate used to bulk Splenda, again, so that it measures like sugar. Figure about the same carb count as granular sucralose—0.5 gram per teaspoon, or 24 grams per cup. I use it only when a liquid sweetener will not do.

•
Erythritol: A member of the polyol or sugar alcohol family, erythritol is technically a carbohydrate. However, unlike the other sugar alcohols, which are absorbed to varying degrees, erythritol is passed through the body unchanged. It does not raise blood sugar, and unlike most of the other sugar alcohols, it has little to no gastric effect.

Erythritol comes with a couple of challenges: It is only 60 to 70 percent as sweet as sugar. It is also endothermic, meaning that when it hits the moisture in your mouth it absorbs energy and creates a cooling sensation—fine in ice cream, but disconcerting in a cookie. Because of these two properties, I often combine erythritol with liquid stevia extract. I generally start with half the erythritol, by volume, as the quantity of sugar called for in the original recipe. Then I add liquid stevia to bring it up to full sweetness. This works well.

Look for erythritol at health food stores or online. Several brands are available from Amazon.com and
Netrition.com
; Amazon carries a few non-GMO versions if this concerns you.

Because erythritol is neither digested nor absorbed, we have not included it in the carbo-hydrate counts for these recipes. Do not take this to mean that you can similarly discount the other sugar alcohol sweeteners.

•
Liquid sucralose: I like EZ-Sweetz brand, available through Amazon.com or
Netrition.com
. You can get teeny bottles that fit nicely in a purse or pocket, to keep on hand for coffee. You need to know the sweetness equivalency of your liquid sucralose. The EZ-Sweetz I have on hand is the Family Size, and 1 drop equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. EZ-Sweetz Travel Size is twice as sweet —1 drop is the equivalent of 2 teaspoons of sugar. At the time of publication, the brand is offering free samples of the Travel Size strength at
www.ez-sweetz.com/free-sample
.

•
Liquid stevia: I avoided stevia for a long time, finding the pure powdered extracts hard to use and unpleasantly bitter. The liquid extracts are far easier to use. I use NOW and SweetLeaf brands, both of which come in a wide variety of flavors. In these recipes you'll find vanilla, chocolate,
English toffee, and lemon drop flavored, along with plain—i.e., just sweet—liquid stevia. If your health food store doesn't carry these, they can very likely order them for you. You can also order these from Amazon.com.

Liquid stevia is far sweeter than sugar; it is important to know the sweetness equivalency. The NOW and SweetLeaf brands run roughly 6 drops equals 1 teaspoon of sugar, so 18 drops equals 1 tablespoon of sugar. I use
1
/
4
teaspoon to replace
1
/
4
cup of sugar, and
1
/
2
teaspoon to replace
1
/
2
cup of sugar. If you choose another brand, you'll need to check the label or their website for sweetness equivalency.

I have generally specified the sweetener I would be likely to use in a given recipe. However, if other sweeteners would work, I have listed them below the recipe under the heading “Alternative Sweetener.” If no alternate sweetener is listed, it's because I am dubious about substitution.

Other HEAL-legal sweeteners include pure powdered stevia extract, Truvia, Monk Fruit in the Raw, Swerve, and Natural Mate. For ease of use, however, I have only included equivalencies for the above sweeteners. If you want to adapt recipes to use one of these other sweeteners, you'll need to learn the sweetness equivalency and do a little basic arithmetic.

People search endlessly for a way around the no-sugar rule, so let me deter you by listing sweeteners that are not allowed:

•
Agave nectar

•
Coconut sugar

•
Corn syrup, organic corn syrup

•
Crystalline fructose

•
Date sugar

•
Honey

•
Maple syrup

•
Organic sugar, organic cane sugar

•
Palm sugar

•
Sucanat

All of these are out, for the simple reason that they're sugar.

I get queries about xylitol, which is popular in low-carb and paleo circles. Like erythritol, it is a member of the polyol or sugar alcohol family. However, according to a table in the Sugar Alcohol Fact Sheet at
FoodInsight.org
, we absorb xylitol at ten times the rate we do erythritol. This makes erythritol the clear choice.

These are finely milled soluble fibers, which are hugely useful in low-carb cuisine. Use in place of flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot for thickening sauces or soups. What do they taste like? Nothing at all; they couldn't be blander.

They are powerful thickeners, so do not try a one-for-one substitution. The results could be used to surface roads. Fill an old salt or spice shaker with whichever you have on hand—I marginally prefer xanthan—and keep it by the stove. When you have a sauce or soup you need to thicken, start whisking first, then
lightly
sprinkle the thickener over the
surface as you whisk. Go slowly; it's easy to put in more and impossible to remove too much. Keep in mind that these continue to thicken a bit on standing, so quit when your dish is a little less thick than you want it to be.

Both of these thickeners will keep pretty much forever as long as they're dry.

These also lend structure to nut- or seed-meal–based baked goods. I've used them in a few recipes to improve texture.

Again, these are health food store items, and again, they can be ordered online, too.

Most “low-carb” noodles are nothing I'll eat. One widely distributed brand, made with the same ingredients as standard pasta, wound up paying reparations to consumers they'd fooled. The only noodles I eat are shirataki, and they are a staple in my kitchen.

Shirataki are traditional Japanese noodles made from the fiber glucomannan, derived from
konjac
or
konnyaku
, a root vegetable. (This is often translated as “yam.”) Made almost entirely of fiber, shirataki are very low in both carbohydrate and calories.

Shirataki come in two basic varieties: traditional and tofu. Traditional shirataki are made entirely of glucomannan fiber. They're translucent and gelatinous, quite different from the wheat-based noodles we grew up on. I only like them in Asian recipes—sesame noodles, Asian soups, and the like.

Tofu shirataki, as the name suggests, have a little bit of tofu added to the glucomannan. This makes them white, and more tender than traditional shirataki. They're not identical to regular pasta, but they're closer, and I like them in all sorts of things, from fettuccine Alfredo to tuna casserole. Both kinds come in a variety of widths and shapes.

Shirataki come prehydrated in a pouch of liquid. To use them, snip open the pouch and dump them into a strainer in the sink. You'll notice the liquid smells fishy. Do not panic. Rinse your noodles well, and put them in a microwavable bowl. Nuke them on high for 2 minutes, and drain them again. Nuke them for
another
2 minutes, and drain them one more time. This renders them quite bland, and cooks out extra liquid that would otherwise dilute sauces.

Long noodles are considered good luck in Japan, but I find shirataki a bit too long. I snip across them a few times with my kitchen shears. All of this microwaving and draining and snipping takes less time than boiling water for standard pasta.

You now have hot noodles! Add sauce, stir them into soup, or do whatever you like to do with noodles.

I can get shirataki at my local health food stores and Asian markets. You can order them online, but be aware: They do not tolerate freezing; they disintegrate into mush. This means you may not want to order them in the dead of winter. But they keep for months in the fridge, so if you decide you like them, go ahead and stock up.

A few of these recipes call for vanilla or chocolate whey protein powder. I've used several brands over the years, and never had one not work. The Designer Protein brand is perhaps most widely available; GNC stores carry it. Recently I've been using
Vitacost.com
's house brand, because the price is right, and it's fine. Need I remind you to read labels or online nutrition info to be sure there's no sugar?

Protein powder is sold in canisters that hold a pound or more. As long as you store them tightly closed and in a dry place, they should keep for a long, long time.

I use bouillon concentrate as a seasoning. My preferred form is Better Than Bouillon Base. It actually contains some of the protein source listed on the label and is gluten-free; I think the flavor is superior to granules or cubes. I keep their beef and chicken pastes on hand.

One of my favorite seasonings, Vege-Sal is a blend of salt and powdered vegetables. It's subtle, but I think it improves many savory dishes, and you'll see that I often have specified “salt or Vege-Sal.”

Vege-Sal is made by Modern Products, and has recently had their popular “Spike” name added to the title, so it's Spike Vege-Sal. If your health food store doesn't have it, they can order it for you, or you can order it online. Or just use salt.

If you're going to try Vege-Sal, be aware that along with coming in a shaker, you can buy it in 10- or 20-ounce (280 or 560 g) boxes. If you decide you like it, this is considerably cheaper than buying a shaker every time you need Vege-Sal!

A few recipes in this book call for sugar-free coffee flavoring syrup. I've tried sugar-free varieties from DaVinci Gourmet, Torani, and Monin, and like them all. Check grocery stores and coffee shops, but like everything else, if you can't find them locally, you can order them online.

This hot sauce is taking over the world. A specialty ingredient a decade ago, it is now everywhere. The original Huy Fong brand, with the rooster on the label, contains a little sugar. I have discovered Dark Star brand, which does not. I get it at Bloomingfoods, my local health food co-op, or you can order it from Amazon.com.

A
round the middle of the twentieth century, Americans got sold, first on the idea of snacks—that we needed to eat between meals—and then on the notion that “snack
”
properly meant something crunchy and salty in a cellophane bag. The idea of watching a movie or spending a night playing board games without munchies seems wrong, somehow.

There is one type of food that a low-carb diet doesn't include: Stuff that can be eaten endlessly, mindlessly, through a two-hour movie or an evening of binge watching. Unlike carb-heavy snacks—potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, and the like—low-carb foods fill you up. Protein and fat trigger satiety. Overeat and you may well make yourself sick.

Let me plant this thought in your mind: As you grow used to eating this way, experiencing stable blood sugar and eating filling meals of protein and fat, your need for and interest in snacks may well fade. You won't have blood sugar crashes driving you to eat something, anything, to get it back up again. Take pleasure in the luxurious food you are allowed, and in the utter lack of hunger a low-carb diet brings. If you're hungry, eat. If you're hungry between meals, eat something from this chapter.

My favorite use for these finger foods is as an alternative to a traditional meal. It's family movie night? Skip the full meal routine. Instead, put out a few of these tempting and filling finger foods, and let everyone nibble.

Most of these make fabulous party foods, too. The word “diet” will not cross your guests' minds.

You can do this with “real”—i.e., unprocessed—cheese, and it will come out crisp and delicious. But there's something about the deluxe processed American that puffs up in a remarkably cracker-y way.

1 slice American cheese—the deluxe stuff

YIELD:
1 serving 70 calories; 6 g fat; 4 g protein; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber per serving

Coat a microwavable plate with nonstick cooking spray, and lay the cheese on it. Microwave for 60 to 75 seconds. Let it cool a minute or so, peel it off the plate, and eat. If you'd like more cracker-y-size crackers, cut the cheese into quarters before you nuke it.

Here we have proof that the flavor of processed snack foods does not lie in the carbs. Cheesy-spicy-crunchy good!

1 cup (115 g) shredded Cheddar cheese—with no additives

1
/
2
teaspoon garlic powder

1
/
2
teaspoon onion powder

1
/
4
teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

YIELD:
4 servings 116 calories; 9 g fat; 7 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Put the shredded cheese in a bowl and sprinkle the seasonings over the top, tossing as you go.

Coat a microwavable plate with nonstick cooking spray—I used a salad-size plate. Put about
1
/
4
cup (30 g) of cheese on the plate, and nuke on high for 2 to 3 minutes, or until you've got a crispy disk that looks sort of like an orange surface of the moon. Let it cool a minute or two, loosen it from the surface of the plate by sliding a knife underneath, and cook another batch. I had to respray the plate between batches.

Got a crunchy craving? I love these pepperoni chips! Dip them in whipped cream cheese. They'd be good crumbled over a salad, too.

1 ounce (28 g) pepperoni slices

YIELD:
1 serving 141 calories; 12 g fat; 6 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; 0 g dietary fiber per serving

Lay your pepperoni slices on a microwavable plate, and nuke them for 60 to 90 seconds, or until crisp. That is all.

Every time I mention Chicken Chips online I get demands for the recipe. As you can see, it's super-simple. If you love crispy chicken skin, this is the ultimate low-carb snack.

Chicken skin—however much you have on hand

Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Spread your chicken skin flat on your broiler rack. Throw in any chunks of fat, too. Bake them until they're brown and crisp, at least 20 minutes. Season them with salt to taste.

I have no way of knowing the exact nutrition count on these, since I can't find a listing for just chicken skin. Nor do I know how much of the fat in them cooks out, exactly. I know they're high in fat, and also in gelatin, which is very good stuff. I have my local specialty butcher shop save me 10 pounds (4.5 kg) or so of skin at a time. (Here's a shout-out to the Butcher's Block in Bloomington, Indiana—you guys rock!) Then I freeze it in sandwich-size resealable plastic bags; they hold just about enough to cover the broiler rack.

Don't forget to pour the rendered chicken fat into a jar for cooking! That's schmaltz, one of the most beloved fats in Jewish cuisine.

For everyone who misses cinnamon graham crackers, cinnamon rolls—cinnamon anything. I know it sounds odd, but try these. They really are remarkably good.

3 tablespoons (45 g) butter

2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 g) powdered erythritol
*

1
/
4
teaspoon ground cinnamon

3
1
/
2
ounces (100 g) plain pork rinds or skins

*
Alternative Sweeteners

2 to 3 tablespoons (3 to 4.5 g) Splenda

2 to 3 tablespoons (6 to 9 g) Stevia in the Raw

YIELD:
5 servings 169 calories; 13 g fat; 12 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). While it's heating, put the butter in a roasting pan and put it in the oven to melt.

In a small dish, mix together the powdered erythritol and cinnamon.

When the butter is melted, dump the pork rinds into the pan, and toss till they're all evenly covered with butter—this takes a bit of persistence.

Sprinkle the erythritol-cinnamon mixture over the pork rinds, stirring the whole time, so as to get it as evenly distributed as possible.

Slide the pan into the oven, and give it 5 minutes. Pull it out and stir again. Give it another 5, and they're done.

Super-easy, super-addictive. Your biggest challenge will be sticking to the
1
/
4
-cup (55 g) serving size. You might want to make single-serving bags and stash them out of sight.

2 tablespoons (30 g) coconut oil

2 cups (200 g) pecan halves

1 tablespoon (9 g) Creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning)

YIELD:
8 servings 213 calories; 22 g fat; 2 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). While it's heating, put the coconut oil in a roasting pan, and stick it in the oven for a few minutes to melt.

When the oil has melted, dump your pecans into the pan, and stir till they're all coated. Now spread evenly, and put them back in the oven. Give them 10 minutes.

Pull them out of the oven, stir in the Creole seasoning, and let them cool. Store in an airtight container.

Subtle but dazzling. I've given away little tins of these for Christmas, and people loved them.

2
1
/
2
tablespoons (35 g) coconut oil

2 teaspoons (2 g) ground rosemary

1
/
4
teaspoon cayenne

2 cups (200 g) walnuts

Salt, to taste

YIELD:
8 servings 227 calories; 22 g fat; 8 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C, or gas mark 2).

While the oven is heating, put the coconut oil in a roasting pan, and put it in the oven. Give it a few minutes to melt the oil.

When the oil is melted, pull out the pan and measure the rosemary and cayenne into the pan. Stir them into the coconut oil until they're evenly distributed.

Now add the walnuts to the pan. Stir very well, making sure they're all evenly coated with the seasoned oil, then spread them in an even layer. Put the pan back in the oven, and set your timer for 5 minutes.

When the timer beeps, stir your walnuts well—I used a rubber scraper, and scraped the seasoned oil up off the bottom of the pan as I stirred, to work it into the walnuts better. Again, spread in an even layer, and put them back in the oven. Set your timer for another 5 minutes.

Repeat the stirring, and put them back for 5 more minutes. Then cool, season with salt to taste, and store in an airtight container.

These wings are utterly, totally addictive! They're a bit messy and time-consuming to make, but worth every minute. They'll impress the heck out of your friends, too, and you'll wish you'd made more of them. They also taste great the next day.

This is one of the most popular (and most pirated) recipes I've ever published. The one criticism I see is that they're too salty. If you tend to like things less salty, cut the salt to
1
/
2
teaspoon. Feel free to use this cheese mixture on thighs or breasts, too.

4 pounds (1.8 kg) chicken wings

1 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese (use the cheap stuff in the green shaker)

2 tablespoons (2.5 g) dried parsley

1 tablespoon (3 g) dried oregano

2 teaspoons (5 g) paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1
/
2
teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
2
cup (112 g) butter

YIELD:
About 50 pieces 68 calories; 5 g fat; 4 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per piece

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C, or gas mark 4). Line a shallow baking pan with foil. (Do not omit this step, or you'll still be scrubbing the pan a week later.)

Cut the wings into single joints, saving the pointy tips for broth. Or not. Up to you.

Combine the Parmesan cheese and the parsley, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Melt the butter in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dip each wing joint in butter, roll in the cheese-and-seasoning mixture, and arrange in the foil-lined pan.

Bake for 1 hour—and then kick yourself for not having made a double recipe!

These are so good that our tester Kelly was considering a serious relationship with them. Super-simple, too, and a nice change from the usual Buffalo wings. You can play with this by using different kinds of paprika—hot if you're a chili-head, sweet if you're not, even smoked paprika for an extra kick.

3 cloves garlic, minced very fine

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

8 large chicken wings, whole, not cut into drumettes

1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
4
teaspoon cayenne

1 lime, cut into wedges

YIELD:
4 servings 264 calories; 19 g fat; 19 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Mix the garlic with the olive oil, and let them sit together for at least 10 minutes, to let the flavor of the garlic infuse the oil. Then brush the wings all over with the oil.

Meanwhile, preheat a grill or broiler.

In a large bowl, combine the paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and cayenne, and mix them well. Add the wings, and toss to coat.

Grill or broil the wings for about 15 minutes—you want them done through, with a crispy skin and a few blackened spots. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over them.

Deviled eggs are hugely popular for parties. They're old-fashioned, yet every time I show up with a platter of them, people say, “Oh! Deviled eggs!” They're also great to have waiting in the fridge when you come home hungry. A couple of halves, and you'll be full for hours.

12 hard-boiled eggs

2
/
3
cup (150 g) mayonnaise

1 tablespoon (11 g) brown mustard

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or other Louisiana-style hot sauce

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Paprika

YIELD:
24 servings (1 half) 83 calories; 8 g fat; 3 g protein; trace carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Peel the eggs, turning the yolks out into your food processor. Yes, I have started using my food processor to mix deviled eggs; it makes them incomparably creamy. Set the whites on a platter or in a big, flat snap-top container, if you're planning to store or transport them.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, and Tabasco to the yolks. Run the processor, scraping down the sides a few times, until the mixture is completely creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now stuff the yolks into the whites. I like to spoon the yolks into my pastry bag and pipe them in using a star tip, but a spoon works just fine.

Sprinkle with paprika, and serve or refrigerate.

That's eggs with fish, not eggs from fish. If you thought stuffed eggs couldn't go to an upscale party, these will change your mind.

12 hard-boiled eggs

1
/
4
cup (60 g) mayonnaise

1
/
4
cup (60 g) sour cream

1
/
2
cup (100 g) moist smoked salmon, mashed fine

2 tablespoons (30 g) jarred, grated horseradish

4 teaspoons (13 g) finely minced sweet red onion

1
/
4
teaspoon salt

YIELD:
24 servings (1 half) 129 calories; 10 g fat; 8 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Slice the eggs in half and carefully remove the yolks into a mixing bowl.

Mash the yolks with a fork. Stir in the mayonnaise, sour cream, salmon, horseradish, onion, and salt, and mix until creamy.