Picture
Rhubarb Crumble with Vanilla Whipped Cream
It's rhubarb season here in Sweden and I just couldn't resist trying to make some rhubarb crumble (rabarberpaj).  A great thing about rhubarb is that it's naturally low in carbs, making it a great base for a low carb dessert.  I was inspired by the recipe found at Swedish Diet's Blog but changed a few ingredients and change the measurements to grams.  This pie has lots of nuts in it.  I used chopped almonds and hazelnuts to give it a crunchy feeling and a contrast of texture.  Admittedly, I found myself chewing alot because of the nuts.  That's not necessarily a bad thing, chewing lots makes you feel full faster, so take such a big portion in the beginning.  Because there's not sugar or flour, you don't get the same sort of crunchy feeling from the topping.  But hey, you won't miss that when you put the whipped cream on it.  My husband really liked this so hopefully if you do try it out, it'll be a summer dessert you can enjoy aswell!

Rhubarb Crumble
3 rhubarb stalks, cut into medium sized cubes (425-450g)
60g chopped almonds (not too small that it's a flour, but not too big either!)
50g chopped hazelnuts (again, like the almonds, not too small)
100 ml shredded coconut
150 ml almond flour
100 ml coconut flour
250g melted butter
4 tbsp stevia "sugar" (the white stuff, not the green stuff)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp baking powder

1) Melt the butter with 2 tbsp of Stevia Sugar.
2) Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 F) and place the rhubarb pieces into a buttered ovenproof dish.
3) Except for the cinnamon and the remaining 2 tbsp of stevia sugar, mix together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
4) Sprinkle the cinnamon and stevia sugar on top of the rhubarb.
5) Mix the melted butter with the dry ingredients.
6) Spread the mixture on top of the rhubarb and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
7) Enjoy with some whipped cream sweetened with stevia and


 
Picture
LCHF "Pasta"
So, as you know, eating LCHF means no pasta.  Well, this dish allows you to feel like you're eating pasta but without the carb!  I found this particular pasta recipe Expressen's Allt om LCHF (Maj 7-11 2012).  It's on page 36 and part of the recipe LCHF-pasta med pesto och kycklingspett (LCHF Pasta with pesto and chicken skewers).  The original recipe is in Swedish but I'll post it on here translated into English.

My husband thought it was a good replacement for pasta.  It is admittedly a bit fiddlesome, so I reckon you wouldn't make it every day, however on those days when you're really missing spaghetti bolognese, it can be worth the effort rather than giving in to the carb monster.  Things I would probably do differently and worth mentioning.  The next time I will bake it in two batches, allowing me to roll out the pasta thinner.  I felt like I was running out of room on my baking tray so the pasta was a bit thicker than I would have liked it.  A thinner sheet will probably make it even feel more "pasta-y".  I was afraid that it would taste like very thin shredded scrambled eggs, but whilst it kinda looked like it, it had a bit more of a tug, which I reckon is the fiberhusk and cream cheese working.  The following recipe is only for the pasta, but for those interested in what I used for making the sauce it was 1 medium sized onion, diced, 1 bottle of organic pasta sauce (5g carb/100g), 1kg of minced beef, a bit of whipping cream and some spices.  I used a pizza slicer to cut the pasta, makes it alot easier than scissors!

LCHF "Pasta"
4 portions

4 eggs (I used large ones)
125g Philadelphia Cream Cheese (not low fat)
1/2 dl fiberhusk (Psyllium husk fibre)
1 pinch of salt

1) Set the oven to 150 C.  Beat the eggs until fluffy (I used a hand mixer).  Blend in the cream cheese, fiber husk and salt so that it becomes a smooth batter.  (I also added some chopped chives.  I reckon you can add any number of flavour enhancers like garlic, ground pepper, just up to you to try!)  Let sit for a couple of minutes and then mix one more time.  (The fiberhusk will make it pretty thick after it's sat a few min, so don't wait too long!)

2) Spread the batter out onto some baking paper (pre-oil it so the pasta doesn't stick).  Place on top an oiled piece of baking paper. With a rolling pin, carefully roll out the batter so that it's as thinn as possible.  If you get the batter to spread on the whole area it will be thin enough. (In my experience it wasn't, hence my comment above that I'll probably doing it in two batches next time).

3) Bake in the middle of the oven for about 10 minutes.  Take off the top paper and then cut the "pasta" into thin slices. 

4) Top with your favourite LCHF sauce and enjoy!


 
Picture
Oopsies straight out of the oven
So, you're missing bread.  It's understandable.  If you've been browsing low carb forums and blogs you're almost bound to have heard of the oopsie.  You can do many things with oopsies, use them as a pizza base, as a hamburger bun, you can even use them as part of a dessert by making one large one and using it as a base for a swiss roll.  Really, they are THAT versatile. 

Whilst some may argue that the oopsie roll is the answer to all, that it is not.  However, it does make eating low carb easier.

The following is the oopsie recipe that I found on the Diet Doctor's Website (it's found closer towards the bottom of the page).  The only change that I made to it was add Cream of Tartar, an ingredient that you can't find here in Sweden, but helps when you're whipping egg whites.  I've seen it in other oopsie recipes so decided to add it to mine.  The results were great.  I used it instead of an english muffin to my eggs flourentine today.  They're fairly easy to make and are very low carb.  I think the next time I make them, they'll be in swiss roll form.  Perhaps this evening haha!  I'll put a little stevia in it and some shredded coconut, then make some coconut whipped cream and add in some raspberries...yep, I may just have to make that tonight!

Oopsies
6-8 depending on size

3 eggs
100g cream cheese
a pinch of salt
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tbsp fiberhusk/psyllium husk (can be excluded)
1/2 tsp baking powder (can be excluded)

1.  Separate the eggs, egg whites in one bowl and egg yolks in another.
2.  Whip the egg whites together with the salt until very stiff.  You should be able to turn the bowl over without the egg whites moving.
3.  Mix the egg yolks and the cream cheese well.  Add fiber husk and baking powder if you want (will make the oopsie more like bread).
4.  Very gently put the egg whites into the yolk mix - try to keep the air in the egg whites. 
5.  Put 6 large or 8 smalle oopsies on a baking try.
6.  Bake in the middle of the oven at 150 C (300F) for about 25 minutes - until they turn golden.
Can be eaten as bread or used as a hotdog- or hamburger bun.  You can also put different kinds of seeds on them before baking them, for instance poppy-, sesame or sunflower seeds.  One big oopsie can be used for a swiss roll.  Add a generous layer of whipped cream and some berries. 


 
Picture
The first time I read about cauliflower "rice" I cringed.  It was whilst reading the South Beach Diet book and I just couldn't imagine it tasting any good.  A big reason for that was because a few years back, whilst eating at some posh restaurant in Paris, my husband and I were served an amuse-bouche (a pre-appetizer) which was quite frankly, at least to us, disgusting.  Perhaps we just didn't have distinguished enough pallets, I dunno...but in any case, it was enough to put me off of cauliflower for a LONG time.

So, back to the South Beach Diet book.  I thought that perhaps I would try giving cauliflower another try, but until today, I have put it off.  It's a shame I did because actually, I liked this.  I was completely surprised that I would and I see numerous possibilities!  The following recipe is for a simple version of the dish, however I have seen recipies online that transform this versatile dish to match many other types of cooking: cauliflower paella, risotta, chinese-style fried rice, even rice pudding!  So, really the sky's the limit and you can use your imagination to suit this to your own needs.  As I experiment with different types of cooking, I'm sure that you'll see cauliflower rice again.

Low Carb Cauliflower "Rice"
2-3 servings

1 medium sized cauliflower head
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley (fresh or frozen)

Directions:
1. Using either a hand grater or a food processor, shred the cauliflower.
2. Heat the oil in a pan.  When hot, pour the cauliflower in.
3. Add salt, black pepper and parsley.
3. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes

Serve hot.


 
Picture
I've made many types of meatloafs in my life, never with the same ingredients, just using up what I have in the fridge and hoping that it tastes good.  That said, there are some ingredients that I've always had in my meatloafs: ketchup, mustard, sweet chilli sauce and breadcrumbs.  Now, none of those are carb friendly and I was presented with a challenge on how to create a tasty meatloaf without any of my go-to ingredients.  The following recipe is what I came up with today.  Now, many people have their own meatloaf recipes, and these recipes are often handed down through generations, so I can understand if you're hesitant to change what's likely a winning recipe.  That said, if you too are looking for a recipe for meatloaf either because you're new to cooking, or you're trying to find a sugar-free alternative, then this may be for you.  What's kind of different with this recipe is that it uses more eggs than the classic variant.  This meatloaf uses 5 eggs, 2 raw and 3 boiled.  The boiled eggs are inserted whole in the middle, so that when you cut it up, you can see the egg.  That idea is inspired by my Filipino background, where we have a steamed meatloaf dish called embutido which also uses whole eggs.  This meatloaf also has two kinds of cheeses, cottage and cheddar.  These cheeses are interchangeable with other cheeses according to your tastes.  For a cottage cheese replacement I would probably use 200g feta cheese, and then use a milder second cheese, like let's say gouda or mozzarella.  You can serve the meatloaf with some of the fake potatoes au gratin (recipe found in yesterday's blog) or perhaps some cauliflower mash or cauliflower rice (recipe to come!).

I would say that the taste of this meatloaf is fairly neutral.  That's not to say that it's not flavoursome nor is it bland.  My husband wanted me to make a simple meatloaf that didn't have any fancy ingredients in it, so there aren't any sundried tomatoes, or olives or seeds, or too much garlic etc.  It's a good family dish or buffet dish that can be jazzed up with a stronger tasting sauce.  Perhaps serve it with a choice of sauces such as a hot bernaise, café de paris, chilli aioli or even tzatziki.

LCHF Protein Rich Meatloaf
1 deep bread pan

Ingredients:
1kg ground beef
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 eggs, raw
3 eggs, boiled'
1 dl créme fraiche
150 ml cottage cheese (or 200g feta for a stronger taste)
50g shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp fibre husk (psyllium husk)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp fresh chives (optional)

Directions:
1. Set the oven the oven to 225 degrees C.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the fibre husk, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
3. In a large bowl mix the ground beef, onion, raw eggs and cheddar cheese.
4. Add in the prepared spice mixture and the créme fraiche.  Mix well.  (I suggest using your hands!)
5. Prepare a deep bread loaf pan by lining it with foil.
6. Add half of the mixture to the pan.  Press firmly on to the meat so that it's fairly compact. 
7. Place the eggs into the pan (see picture below), pressing them down fairly firmly so that they stay in place.
8. Place the rest of the meat mixture on top, again, pressing down fairly firmly.  You may find that the meat may be a little higher than the edge of the pan.  Don't worry, it won't rise like bread does, more likely it will shrink somewhat depending on the fat content of your meat. 
9. Place meatloaf in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  Check meatloaf halfway through, if it seems overly brown on the top, place a bit of foil on top for the remainder of the cooking time.
10. Allow to cool slightly and then carefully drain the excess fat from the loaf pan.  Let rest for 20 minutes uncovered before serving.


 
Picture
This is a simple marinade that you can use for meat.  I used it for two medium sized entrecote steaks. 

LCHF Friendly Chilli Garlic Marinade

3 tsp sambal oelek
1 tbsp light soy sauce
4 cloves of garlic
3 tbsp of canola oil (rapsolja)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
a couple of drops of liquid stevia (optional)

NOTE:  Ensure that it's only a couple of drops of stevia, otherwise you'll get an undesirable taste of sweetener in your meat.  You can leave it out if you like.  I added it because I like using sweet chilli sauce in my marinades, so I figured that adding stevia to the marinade would emulate it somewhat.

 
Picture
If you've been living low carb for a while, you might be missing potatoes.  There is something about potatoes that...I dunno.  I thought that I couldn't give them up.  One of my favourite potato recipes is potatoes au gratin.  But we all know that potatoes are a no-no in the low carb world.  But now you can have your cake (or in this case, au gratin) and eat it too!  Now, this recipe is a bit different from other au gratin recipes.  Not only does it use the very low carb root veg daikon (aka white radish/rättika) instead of potatoes, it also has feta cheese and eggs.  Trust me, it tastes good!  Can't wait to have it with some steak tonight!  This is a great dish to make when inviting friends over or taking something to a potluck and you want to ensure that there's a low carb sidedish that's safe for you to eat.

Potatoes au Gratin à la Nomnomgal
Serves 3-5 people

Ingredients:
500g Daikon, 2-3 mm thick.  (I used a mandolin to slice them evenly. In the picture above, I used about 525g.)
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
salt
ground pepper
400 ml heavy whipping cream (35-40%)
3 eggs, sliced
200g feta cheese (crumbled into small pieces)
150g shredded gratäng cheese (any cheese that melts well, and that you would normally use to top an au gratin recipe will do.

Directions
1. Sweat the garlic and onion in a deep frying pan with some butter/ghee with a little salt.  Make sure they don't brown.
2. Add the daikon, whipping cream and salt and pepper to taste.  (I put a bit less salt as the feta is fairly salty.)
3. Bring mixture to a boil and then lower the heat to medium.  Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, stirring every so often so as to avoid a crust forming at the top.
4. Set oven to 225 degrees C.
5. Add the crumbled feta to the mixture.  Mix so that the feta is spread evenly throughout the pan.
6. Poor the mixture into an oven proof dish.
7. Layer the sliced eggs over the mixture.
8. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and place into the oven for around 20 minutes.


 
Picture
So, this is my first attempt at making desserts since going on the LCHF diet.  This particular recipe is taken from Hembakat Nr 2, 2012, Page 41.

Through making these cupcakes, I have come to the conclusion that I prefer Stevia Strö over Sukrin.  I tasted the batter whilst I was making it, the recipe called for...OMG I've just reread the recipe!  I got it wrong...hahaha.  It asked for Sötrix/Sukrin Flor, which is like the icing sugar version of the sweetener.  That's what I get for not reading the recipe properly!  So, I'm going to have to hold judgement on the Sötrix/Stevia debate for now.  That said, at least when comparing the "sugar like" versions, Stevia wins for me.  I wondered why my icing wasn't looking so smooth...now I know!

Anyway, these taste okay on a whole.  My husband felt that it tasted too much like sweetener, and not in a good way.  That said, considering the sweetener mistake that I just noticed, it may actually be better the next time I make them.  But that may be a while coming because there are so many other recipes that I wanna try!  As the original recipe is in Swedish, I will be nice and have it in both languages,  just in case there are any Swedes that read this blog.

Choklad/Chocolate Cupcakes
Ca 12 st/Makes around 12

Ingredienser/Ingredients
150g osaltat smör/unsalted butter
4 ägg/eggs
3 msk/tbsp sötrix-flor (Erythritol Powdered Sugar, Sötrix is a brand.  It's also known as Sukrin)
1/2 krm/pinch Stevia (I'm assuming it is meant to be Stevia Powder, the green stuff)
1 dl/100 ml créme fraiche
1/2 tsk/tsp vaniljpulver/vanilla powder
1 dl/100 ml kokosnötsmjöl/coconut flour
1 dl/100 ml mandelmjöl/almond flour
2 tsk/tsp bakpulver/baking powder
4 msk/tbsp kakao

Chokladtopping/Chocolate Icing
100g mycket mjukt osaltat smör/very soft unsalted butter
3 msk/tbsp sötrix flor/Erythritol powdered sugar
1/2 krm/pinch Stevia
1/2 tsk/tsp vaniljpulver/vanilla powder
1/2 dl  /50 ml kakao
50g cream cheese

Gör så här/Directions
  1. Sätt ugnen på 175 grader.  Smält smöret.  Vispa ägg och sötningsmedel pösigt./Set the oven to 175 degrees C.  Melt the butter.  Whisk the egg and sweetener together till fluffy.

  2. Rör ner smör och créme fraiche i äggsmeten.  Blanda övriga ingredienser i en bunke och rör sedan ner dem i smeten./Blend in the butter and créme fraiche into the eggmixture.  Blend the rest of the ingredients into a separate bowl and then mix them in to the mixture.

  3. Häll smeten i stora muffinsformar, fyll dem till 3/4.  Placera gärna muffinsformarna i en muffinsplåt.  Grädda dem mitt i ugnen i ca 15 min.  Låt svalna helt./Pour the mixture into large cupcake cases, fill them about 3/4.  Feel free to place the cases into a muffin tray.  Bake them in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cook completely.

  4. Chokladtopping/Chocolate Icing: Blanda alla ingredienser väl och spritsa eller bred krämen på cupcakesen.  Pudra eventuellt över kakao som dekoration./Mix all the ingredients well and use an icing bag or just spread the icing on to the cupcakes.  You can use kakao powder as a decoration.


 
Picture
Now, I'm assuming this is gonna taste good because well, it's currently in the oven and it smells good!  The following recipe is was inspired by Annas Kyckling i Ugn (Anna's Chicken in the Oven) found in LCHF för Famlijen.  I've changed so much in the recipe though that it's a totally new recipe.  The originally recipe calls for mushrooms.  My husband really isn't fond of mushrooms, so I thought that I'd substitute mushrooms with something else.  I wanted to make a dish that had vegetables in it because I wasn't planning to do a salad tonight, so instead of mushrooms I put in broccoli, tomatoes and peppers.  My husband also isn't a big fan of creamy sauces, alfredo type sauces, (one wonders how we got together as I LOVE both mushroom and cream sauces!) and when I was preparing the recipe according to the original, I felt that it may not be to his liking, so I added some tomato paste. The last substitution is I used turkey bacon instead of regular bacon as I don't eat pork.  I also cut the the chicken breasts up into smaller pieces, just to ensure that it will cook through and it's easier to dish out that way, especially if you have more than four people and it's one of other dishes on the table.  So here you go everyone, my oven chicken!

UPDATE It did taste good.  I reckon the sauce was slightly more watery than I had pictured it to turn out.  Definitely more watery than the sauce I had put into the oven dish.  I believe that's because of the water content in the tomatoes and the broccoli and the chicken.  The chicken turned out very tender.  I hope my husband likes it, if not, I have my dinner for the next few days sorted!



Nomnomgal's Oven Chicken
4 Portions

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 packet of bacon (140g)  (I used about 75g of Turkey bacon because I had an opened pack already in the fridge)
3/4 of a head of broccoli (cut into florets and steamed)
10 cocktail tomatoes (5 cut into quarters and the other 5 into slices for garnish)
1/2 spanish red peper (diced)
5 dl (500ml) Créme Fraiche
Cumin
Paprika Powder
Cayenne Powder
Salt
Chilli Flakes
70g Tomato Paste (I got these 70g tomato paste cans from a middle easten store.  Perfectly sized for a meal like this)
2-3 dl (200-300 ml) shredded cheese

  1. Set the oven to 200 degrees C.
  2. Fry the bacon in a deep frying pan, save about a quarter and place it aside.
  3. Pour over the créme fraiche.  Add the tomato paste.  Finally add the spices listed according to your taste and allow it to bubble a little over low heat.
  4. Cover the bottom of an oven proof pan with the chicken pieces, broccoli, tomato quarters, and red pepper.
  5. Pour over the creamy tomato bacon sauce and top with the shredded cheese.
  6. Decorate with the remaining cocktail tomato slices and bacon bits.
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
  8. Serve with a side salad.









 
Picture
Today I purchased a new cookbook called "LCHF för Familjen" which translates in English to "LCHF for the Family".  I was actually in the bookstore to pick up a LCHF baking cookbook but ended up leaving with this one because it seemed to have recipes that were relevant to my lifestyle.  I wanted recipes that weren't so far off with what I am likely to make on a daily basis, and I liked the idea of getting my daughter accustomed to not eating excessive carbs.  I have had a block of halloumi cheese sitting in my fridge forever so I thought that this would be a good recipe to try.  I deviated from the original recipe with the use of sesame seeds.  The original recipe calls for white sesame seeds.  I didn't have any, I only had furikaki on hand (a Japanese condiment designed to sprinkle on rice).  My furikaki had black and white sesame seeds, seaweed and red shiso leaves.  The seaweed gave it a bit of a fishy taste, making this good to go with the salmon that I was preparing for dinner.  The following is the recipe in Swedish and then my English translation.  My verdict?  It's not very "breadlike" but that may be because I was really expecting it too be.  It does seem like a decent side dish however, kinda like a chewy pancake.  I can imagine it to be good as an appetizer.  Perhaps topped with some smoked salmon and some sort of mayonaise based sauce with a sprig chive to dress it up.

Halloumi Bread

10-12 pieces

25g smör/butter
200g halloumi
3 äggvitor/egg whites
1/2 krm/pinch salt
1 1/2 msk/tbsp fiberhusk/psyllium husk
2 msk/tbsp sesamfrön/sesame seeds + lite till garnering/extra to sprinkle
1/2 dl (50 ml) grädde/cream

Gör så här/Directions

  • Sätt ugen på 200 grader.  Lägg bakplåtspapper på en plåt.  Smält smöret och låt svalna.  Riv halloumin. / Set the oven to 200 degrees C.  Place baking paper on a baking tray.  Melt the butter and let it cool.  Shred the halloumi.
  • Vispa äggvitorna med saltet till ett hårt skum och rör ner den rivna osten, fiberhusk och sesamfrön i äggskummet.  Ha i grädde och smör.  Blanda väl och låt svälla några minuter. / Beat the egg whites with the salt to a hard foam and blend in the shredded cheese, psyllium husk and sesame seeds into the egg foam.  Add the cream and butter.  Blend well and allow it to swell for a few minutes.
  • Lägg matskedsstora klickar på plåten.  Bred ut dem lite med en sked och strö över lite sesamfrö.  Grädda mitt i ugnen i cirka 15 minuter.  Låt svalna på galler. / Spoon tablespoon sized clicks on the baking tray.  Spred them out a bit with a spoon and sprinkle over a little sesame seed.  Bake in the middle of the oven for about 15 minutes.  Allow to cool on a baking rack.

Tips!  Frys in de bröd som inte går åt.  Bröden blir bäst av att tinas i brödrost eller ugn.  Då blir de som nybakade!/  Tip:  Freeze the bread that you don't eat.  The bread is best thawed in the toaster or oven.  It'll taste just baked!