Dejah

Productive cooking weekend! I needed to stockpile breakfast foods so I am not just eating eggs every morning. Altho' I love eggs in various forms, it wouldn't do to get sick of 'em. Made Frittara Muffins with eggs, bacon, cream, cheddar cheese, red bell pepper: 171.2 Calories and 1.6 g net carbs. I doubled the recipe and made 12 "muffins" 11 Maple Pecan Muffins with almond flour, flaxseed meal, pecans, erythitol,coconut oil, eggs: 208 Calories, 1.5 net carbs, 1 loaf (12 slices) Vanilla Butter Pound Cake with butter, almond flour, eggs, erythitol, vanilla: 223.8 Calories, 1.4 net carbs 15 Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins: almond flour, erythitol, sour cream, eggs, butter, blueberries: 147 calories, 3 net carbs. Haven't tried the Maple Pecan Muffins or the Blueberry ones, but the frittata and the pound cake are great! For supper, I made the NIrvana Meatballs (don't know why "nirvana") from my new Ketogenic Cookbook by Jimmy Moore and Maria Emmerich. They were an equal mix of ground pork and ground chicken, with cream cheese, diced celery, egg, and freshly grated Parmesan (as I didn't have blue cheese on hand). They were REALLY good! Instead of buffalo sauce or whatever choice, I made a "sauce" with sauteed mushrooms with sour cream and a dash of cream. Have leftovers for the freezer .

SLB: Thank you for your comments...just in time to give me a boost. Got side-tracked this week due to a dinner and brunch out. The dinner was at a fundraiser. Even tho' the bread basket was fabulous, I could only eat half a dinner roll (good for me!), but the potato flan was a little harder. Next day, the family all went out for dim sum, along with some Shanghai noodles. Yup...I caved, but with moderation. Now, I'm trying to get back to a routine. Just got my Ketogenic Cookbook by Jimmy Moore and Maria Emmerich. Lots of great recipes for me to try. Tonight, I made Chicken Parmasan, a recipe from Cooking by the Ruled. Chicken thighs dipped in egg, coated with flaxseed meal and grated Parmasan cheese. These were pan-fried, then topped with tomato sauce and Mozz / cheddar cheese and broiled until the cheese melted. Eaten with pan-fried tofu.

kayb: Glad to see your rouladen. It's perfect for keto-friendly meal, so I will be making them this weekend with some of the sirloin tip slices I picked up. The recipe I have puts diced bacon and pickles inside but njot the brats. THAT would be even better... Shelby: Venison would be the way my s-i-l would make this. Steve Irby: That spinach crespelle would be good for my Keto-cooking...Thanks! All the meals are delicious! Looking at this forum is the only time I miss bread (especially Ann_T's) and rice!

Supper last night was a piece of sirloin tip roast on sale for $4.98 / lb. For $25.00, I got 8 x 1.5 inch slabs for the freezer, enough for 8 meals. Kept one out for last night's supper. It was an end piece, slightly thicker. It was good for the two of us plus some for our lunch salad today. Eaten with stir-fried baby bak choy. Also made an 8 x 8 casserole of Cauliflower Mac'n'Cheese. High in calories 358 g and 31 g fats (cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese) but low in carbs = 6 g per serving. I made sure we each had only ONE serving.other than my licking the spoon. I asked about using light cream cheese, etc, but no...keep the fat as the body needs it, but definitely keep the portions down to check calorie over-load.

WOW! That's really high price for calf liver. Luckily, it's cheap here whereas lamb livers are available only from an abattoir. If I order a whole lamb, quite often I'd get several from others who do not want the live or kidneys...Can't imagine! Just looked up carbs for kasha, if that's what you meant. It's pretty high. One serving is 33 gm carbs with 5 gm fibre. That's net carbs of 28 gms. I am trying to limit to 20 gms a day, so, that option is out. Mushrooms, on the other hand...GREAT!

Keto-friendly 10 minute Chili: The recipe is actually for a casserole, layered with chili, sour cream, cooked spaghetti squash, etc, but I just made the chili, used konjac fettuccini from a commercial source with alfredo sauce, and shredded habanero cheese on top. Good chili! Bowl was enough for two with some for another lunch portion. Beef Shortribs on sale at local supermarket. Cooked up 7 chunks and have enough for 3 more meals in the freezer. Meat was browned in ghee. Added 2 small chunked kohlrabi and some celery. Eaten with pan fried tofu. Need to learn to use xanthum gum or something else as thickener. I used 1 tsp. cornstarch in stock as thickener this time. That's pretty minimal for a big pot of stew.

Trying a few more dishes. Took Duvel's suggestion of deep fried tofu squares and had braised chicken thighs with rehydrated Chinese mushrooms, canned waterchestnuts for crunch, and ginger. Steamed fresh & salted eggs with ground pork Dessert: High fibre Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Darienne, Thank you for your good wishes. The only negative symptoms I've experienced have been flu-like symptoms. That apparently is the body saying "I need sodium!" I drink a lot of water and that washes out the salts in the body. I drink a mug of chicken broth reinforced with No-Salt for the sodium and potassium. The symptoms disappear. The other is sometimes very tired legs - and magnesium eases that and gives a great sleep if taken at night! Daughter said that most patients that she's worked with are usually low in magnesium, so it's not a bad idea to take a tablet every day. Duvel: Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely try them. In 2 weeks of "not strict enough" dieting, I have lost 3 lbs. The next step, literally, is exercising - more walking before anything else more serious. Gotta break us in gently.

Daughter's been wanting us to reduce carbs in our diet. So, I'm trying! Haven't had real or processed bread, rice, or potatoes since Thanksgiving. Well, I slipped for a wedge of naan at an Indian restaurant for staff dinner earlier this week. Portion control is also something we are trying to work on, to reduce and control calories. Using full cream, butter, and cheese are "lifesaving" ingredients. Keto is much like the old Dr. Atkins diet we were on years ago. Meals take some thinking but certainly workable with what I usually have on hand. I need to work harder in keeping a "measured" diary and counting. Both my hubby and I need to lose weight, specifically belly fat. If anyone has recipes and suggestions, I'd SO appreciate it! I did order some supplies from a Canadian low carb / gluten-free, high-fibre suppliy store: pitas, hot cereal, breading / batter mix (soy flour), Konjac fettuccini (no fish aroma as with Shirataki but using same ingredient), Swerve sweetener, and a blueberry syrup. Daughter left us with some Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins - dense, full of fibre, and SO good (who could resist cream cheese!) In the news this week, researchers were lamenting that we eat so much processed food, which goes straight to the blood stream. The microbs in our belly need "cud" / fibre, so I am heeding that call. For meals: A dry Beef curry with cheesy cauliflower au gratin and baby bak choy fried in chicken stock. Cumin - whole grain mustard Lamb cooked in the Big Easy. Fresh mint sauce with rice vinegar. Chicken meatballs with Konjac fettuccini and Alfredo sauce Bittermelon and Beef stir-fry - Shirataki Fettuccine Pan-fried Salmon coated with a smear of mayo and soy flour / Parmesan cheese - roasted cauliflower, steamed broccoli with leftover Afredo sauce. Roasted corned beef with simmered cabbage and fennel seeds Breakfasts usually consist of eggs in some way. Lunches are a small salad with some bits of the leftover protein from previous suppers. Snacks can be small pieces of hard old cheddar, 1/2 avocado, almonds, pork rinds, or my favourite - a tbsp of cream cheese enjoyed like a lollipop! Daughter had made a Lemon Slice with almond flour crust. REALLY good. I think I'll just make the filling (like lemon pie) and use the crust as a crumble. Fewer calories. Hope some of you readers out in eGullet land have some ideas to share!

Norm Matthews: That braised chicken dish is perfect for autumn days, especially in the slow cooker waiting after a full day of cleaning up the yard. huiray: Those prawns in the shell - my favourite way to have shrimp, but hubby is not adept at shelling them "in the mouth" as I am, so I peel his portion before cooking. Shelby: Your meals always look interesting and delish, but I was paying special attention to the fries with Ann's wings. laimsaunt: spaghetti with lobster and clams - great eye appeal and combination! A quick meal after working most of the days cleaning off the pots and beds of annual plants. Local supermarket had fresh pickerel fillets - buy one pkg get one free. Still expensive but it was a little more reasonable. Had 1/4 lb of seasoned butter leftover ]from our crab feast, so the fillets were quickly fried and eaten with roasted cauliflower "steaks"

I think the Big Easy thread has been buried as I haven't been using it as much as I should. Also, I don't think there was a Canadian Thanksgiving thread? So, I'm combining the two and posting it here on "dinner" For Saturday, our turkey was 17 lbs, brined overnight, then roasted in the Big Easy for 2 hours. The turkey was stuffed, and I can't remember if this was the first time. May have cooked the stuffing separately before. It all turned out beautifully, colour-wise, tender, and juicy. . We had lots of sides, but I only took a pic of the brussel sprouts. The bird was carved before I caught it with the camera. As you can see, the skin was gorgeous with crispy bits on the wings, etc The drippings were caught in the tray underneath, and it made wonderful gravy. These are Michael Symons Holiday Brussel Sprouts...Can never have too much bacon... For Sunday, we corraled 13 people (3 under 3 years old) and 3 big dogs together for family pictures. As a reward for behaving, we had 15 lbs of Alaskan King Crab, baby taters, etc for supper. Couldn't get the folks to wait until I got pictures of the food!

Weather turning cooler and we're wanting soup for dinner! Tofu Shirataki noodles soup in chicken stock, choy sum, BBQ pork (non- Chinese), and quail eggs. When schedule is tight due to field trips with my students, this is handy. A little more time and effort, and we had Hot & Sour soup. Made a big batch and sent some over to a friend who's down with a terrible cold and sinus problem. It cleared her up! Hubby always likes rice in his soup, as if there aren't enough ingredients in it already!

Picked up ground chicken breast the other night and finally got time to make some meatballs with Ann_T's Avgolemono sauce. I put some fresh thyme, ginger marmalade and a bit of fine Panko to bind the meat and to keep them moist. Reducing the amount of broth for the sauce helped make it thick and clingy - much like a warm duvet on the meat balls...

The only "sweetness" I noticed was from the Romaine lettuce...the natural taste and not the sugary kind. The Marsala was a dry one. The Meadow Mushrooms held up well to the simmering and reduction.

Make-shift Chicken Marsala Florentine: Seasoned flour-drenched skinless chicken thighs, browned then finished in the oven. Sauce: made with foraged meadow mushrooms, fresh oregano, sun-dried tomato, a glug of Marsala, and Romaine lettuce leaves 'cos I didn't have any spinach...Good supper for a chilly evening.

liuzhou: I remember my Mom growing them in her garden on the prairies - seeds shipped over with our steamer trunks. I have not seen them here in Asian markets, so it was great to have them from my s-i-l's garden. At first glance of the fresh leaves, I thought it was a coleus plant! Tonight, kohlrabi / carrot soup followed by beer batter fish & chips with curry gravy. The batter was a mix by Louisiana company. Used cod and the batter turned out nice and stayed crispy.

huiray: We enjoyed amaranth last weekend, from my s-i-l's garden. It's been a long time since I'd eaten these, and it was lovely. It was the first time my first cousin from Seattle had this vegetable. Last night, got a call from a foraging friend, and I went to pick up some of her bounty: shaggy mane mushrooms (caprinus comatus) and meadow mushrooms (agaricus bitorqis) Cooked up the more delicate shaggy manes by first blanching them thern sauteed in onion and butter. Lovely light texture and flavour. Eaten with Beef (left over piece of steak)stir-fry in oyster sauce and Jasmine rice. Think I'll make Hungarian mushroom soup with the meadow mushrooms as my friend said they are perfect for that.

laimsaunt: The colours on your dinner are similar to mine, except we didn't have lobster...just halibut, carrot fries and asparagus. Halibut was coated with panko and pan fried. .

Picked up "Mature hens" at local grocery and thought I'd try a slow simmered soya sauce chicken. The meat was really thick / dense, so the flavour, even after 2.5 hours, was not as intense as I'd like it. The second half is in the fridge sitting in the sauce. Hope it will be more flavourful tonight. Previous night, we had supper with visiting relatives and family. Prime rib was the request, but mainly for the Yorkies. I made 24 for 9 people...17-year-old grandson ate 4... Dessert was Mango Pudding drizzled with evapo milk if desired... The next night's dinner was at my brother's house. I made dessert...Oh BOY! Did I make dessert...the trifle must have weighed 10 lbs! We all love the custard part the best...

Fall is definitely in the air. Scubado's "study in brown", Norm's turkey and rotuts deconstructed, and especially Okanagancook's rack of lamb look perfectly delicious for this time of year! We'll wait for Thanksgiving for turkey, and it'll most likely be cooked in the Big Easy. It's had an easy time of it this spring / summer with us being away. With my being back to teaching this week, meals have been quick and simple. Last night, a lovely piece of pecan-crusted steelhead trout, stir-fried baby bak choy, and multigrains cooked as rice. Huiray - those fresh shrimp look great...No worries about getting a cold or a hot vampire bite for you!

I was looking for the fresh halibut that was advertised in one of the flyers.They didn't get any in, but they had beautiful Manila clams, I I picked some up, steamed them and enjoyed them with a soy sauce/ freshly ground black pepper and lime juice dip before tucking into the steak. Today was my first day back to teaching with the international students at the university. First day is always exhausting, so I opted for a minimal cooking meal: a BBQ chicken from Safeway, made a curry gravy with Glico cubes, oven baked carrot fries, and microwave corn on the cob.

I shop every day - my relaxation Last week, our local Superstore had some good deals, and I took advantage... AAA strip loin steaks were $7.99/lb. And the fish lady ( a Vietnamese friend) just reduced packages of previously frozen lobster tails reduced by 30%. Hubby and I shared a steak and a lobster tail each...both were good. Enjoyed buttered lobster rolls down in Connecticut in August, and wanted to try my hand at making them. Kids were here for Labor Day long weekend, so a great opportunity to use up the other 6 lobster tails I picked up! The tails were steamed, cooled, chopped, warmed up in lemon butter whisked into a couple of tbsp. of stock from the shells. The buns were toasted panini buns. More of the butter sauce was spooned onto the lobster pieces just before showing down. Pretty good for a first time!

liuzhou: re- beef and bitter melon: "Some strong tastes, but not really uncomfortable. I love bitter melon. In fact, many of my neighbours probably classify this as comfort food". My whole family and I love bitter melon, with rice or ho fun. Our daughter, who is living in Boston for the year, craved this "comfort food" so much that she phoned for instructions and made it in her tiny kitchen. I sometimes will make soup too, with re-hydrated oysters, pork neck bones and ginger. It's very "cooling" when the body needs balancing. Bitter melon is one of these foods that you either love or hate

I got razzed by a friend because I bought corn-on-the-cob at Wal-Mart, but they were just unpacking the crate, and they were huge! Not sure where they came from, but when one's not close to the source,.. I finally tried the microwave with husk and silk attached method. It really works and the corn was very good - sweet and flavourful! The husk and silk came off clean and quickly. We ate it with blackened salmon, stir-fried baby Shanghai bok choy.

Finally had time to replenish the empty-for-3-weeks fridge...4 Bags with mainly vegetables and fruit: bak choy, Shanghai bak choy, Ong choy, Romaine lettuce, various herbs, mushrooms, daikon, snap peas, green and wax beans, etc, etc...and a durian! The haul also included 2 AAA ribeye steaks, from Superstore. They cooked up beautifully and very tender. Had so many different vegetables, so I stir-fried up a medley! Love road trips which made coming home and cooking all the better!