1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (44 page)

A 2-tablespoon (30-ml) serving has 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

1 cup (225 g) mayonnaise

1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk

2 tablespoons (12 g) finely chopped scallions

¼ teaspoon onion powder

2 tablespoons (7.6 g) minced fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon paprika

teaspoon cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot pepper sauce

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients well and store in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Yield:
Makes about 24 servings

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

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

3 tablespoons (42 g) mayonnaise

2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine vinegar

3 tablespoons (18.8 g) grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (Coarse-cracked pepper will do, if you don’t have a pepper mill.)

Blend all the ingredients and store in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Yield:
6 servings

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

Look at all that garlic! If you plan to get kissed, make sure you share this salad with the object of your affections.

½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise

Pinch each of pepper and salt

8 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine vinegar

Combine all the ingredients well and store in the refrigerator in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Yield:
6 servings

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

This is only enough for one big salad, but I wouldn’t double it; I’d make this one fresh so the garlic flavor will be better.

If you cannot use raw eggs, you could use Egg Beaters or check your grocery store for pasteurized eggs. This is far better than any bottled Caesar dressing I’ve found, even if it’s not quite as wonderful as what I had on my honeymoon in Mexico—although I suspect that the atmosphere had something to do with that.

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 teaspoon pepper

1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

½ teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1 raw egg

½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan

2 inches (5 cm) anchovy paste (You could use an anchovy fillet or two if you prefer, but anchovy paste is handier, and it keeps forever in the fridge.)

Put everything in a blender, run it for a minute, and toss with one really huge Caesar salad— dinner-party-sized—or a couple of smaller ones. Use it up pretty quickly and keep it refrigerated because of the raw egg.

Yield:
8 servings

Each with 1 gram of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.

If you’d like this a little thicker, you could add ¼ teaspoon of guar or xanthan to the mix.

Virtually all commercial coleslaw dressing is simply full of sugar, which is a shame, since cabbage is a very low-carb vegetable. I just love coleslaw, so I came up with a sugar-free dressing.

½ cup (115 g) mayonnaise

½ cup (115 g) sour cream

1 to 1½ tablespoons (15 to 23 ml) apple cider vinegar

1 to 1½ teaspoons prepared mustard

½ to 1 teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

½ to 1 packet artificial sweetener, or 1 teaspoon of Splenda

Combine all the ingredients well and toss with coleslaw.

Yield:
12 servings

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

You may, of course, vary these proportions to taste. Also, a teaspoon or so of celery seed can be nice in this for a little variety. I use this much dressing for a whole head of cabbage. If you’re used to commercial coleslaw, which tends to be simply swimming in dressing, you may want to double this or use this recipe for half a head.

This makes a quick and elegant first course.

1 large or 2 small, very ripe black avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks

1 quart (960 ml) chicken broth, heated

Put the avocados in a blender with the broth, purée until very smooth, and serve.

Yield:
6 servings (as a first course)

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 2 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein.

If you like curry, you’ve got to try this: Melt a tablespoon (14 g) or so of butter in a small saucepan and add ½ teaspoon or so of curry powder. Cook for just a minute and then add the mixture to the blender with the broth and avocados.

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

4 ounces (115 g) sliced mushrooms

1 small onion, sliced paper-thin

1 quart (960 ml) beef broth

2 tablespoons (30 ml) dry sherry

¼ teaspoon pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the mushrooms and onions in the butter until they’re limp. Add the beef broth, sherry, and pepper. Let it simmer for 5 minutes or so, just to blend the flavors a bit, and serve.

Yield:
6 appetizer-size servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 8 grams of protein.

If you miss split pea or bean soup, try this. Try it even if you don’t miss other soups—you may find you have a new favorite.

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

2 or 3 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 quarts (1.9 L) chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1¼ cups (325 g) natural peanut butter (I use smooth.)

1 teaspoon guar gum (optional)

2 cups (420 ml) half-and-half or heavy cream

Salted peanuts, chopped

Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the celery and onion in the butter. Add the broth, salt, and peanut butter, and stir. Cover and simmer on the lowest temperature for at least 1 hour, stirring now and then.

If you’re using guar gum (it makes the soup thicker without adding carbs; most peanut soup is thickened with flour), scoop 1 cup (240 ml) of the soup out of the pot about 15 minutes before you want to serve it. Add the guar gum to this cup, run the mixture through the blender for a few seconds, and whisk it back into the soup.

Stir in the half-and-half and simmer for another 15 minutes. Garnish with the peanuts.

Yield:
5 servings

The carb count will depend on what brand of natural peanut butter you use (they have varying amounts of fiber) and whether you use half-and-half or heavy cream. Figure each serving has about 19 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 16 grams of usable carbs and 29 grams of protein.

If your slow cooker will hold this quantity of ingredients (mine will), it’s ideal for cooking this soup. Set it on High, cover it, and let it go for 2 to 3 hours.

3 to 4 tablespoons (42 to 56 g) butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

4 cups (0.9 L) chicken broth, divided

½ teaspoon guar or xanthan

1 cup (240 ml) half-and-half

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt or Vege-Sal

Pepper

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onion, celery, and garlic over low to medium heat. Stir from time to time.

Drain the artichoke hearts and trim off any tough bits of leaf that got left on. Put the artichoke hearts in a food processor with the S-blade in position. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the chicken broth and the guar gum and process until the artichokes are a fine purée.

Scrape the artichoke mixture into a saucepan, add the remaining chicken broth, and set over medium-high heat to simmer.

When the onion and celery are soft, stir them into the artichoke mixture. When it comes to a simmer, whisk in the half-and-half. Bring it back to a simmer, squeeze in the lemon juice, and stir again. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can serve this immediately, hot, or in summer you can serve it chilled.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 10 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, for a total of 7 grams of usable carbs and 4 grams of protein. (Note: Much of the carbohydrates in artichokes is inulin, which remains largely undigested, so this carb count is actually misleadingly high.)

Olives are so good for you that you should be eating more of them! This makes a fine first course.

4 cups (0.9 L) chicken broth, divided

½ teaspoon guar or xanthan

1 cup (100 g) minced black olives (You can buy cans of minced black olives.)

1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream

¼ cup (60 ml) dry sherry

Salt or Vege-Sal

Pepper

Put ½ cup (120 ml) of the chicken broth in the blender with the guar gum and blend for a few seconds. Pour into a saucepan and add the rest of the stock and the olives.

Heat until simmering and then whisk in the cream. Bring back to a simmer, stir in the sherry, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield:
6 servings

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

This soup is quick and easy, but it’s filling and can practically save your life when you’ve got a cold. You don’t have to use the guar, but it gives the broth the same rich quality that the cornstarch-thickened Chinese broths have.