Low and lower carb ways of eating

[FL Heat]

The grilled salmon with asparagus & grits sounds goooood! I hope things go well for you tonight, Deb!

I try to get around the not wanting to cook by having some easy to throw together things always available. . .salad, frozen soup or chili, enchiladas (I make them with whole wheat wraps instead of corn or flour tortillas & freeze two per container). Basically, I cook too much when I am cooking. It's also nice for the nights when the boyfriend is home alone or I'm home alone, since we can grab something that doesn't require getting a lot of dishes dirty and still eat SouthBeachy.

Diana

[NulloModo]

I am split on eating out vs. eating in on Atkins. I can put an Atkins friendly meal together most places (Italian joints generall present the biggest problem) but if I am going with a bunch of friends who just want a chain, it is generally very easy.

I'd be tempted to try some higher end places, but, at the same time, I should be saving money right now anyway, and it is much cheaper to cook at home, so I just do thatmost of the time.

[Maison Rustique]

Well, I survived. The food was very good and I'd highly recommend this restaurant. I was terribly uncomfortable with all my questioning and asking for substitutions. Our waitress was a doll and handled it all very professionally and cheerfully. We tipped very well.

I guess this was practice. We've going to Monterey (jazz festival) this weekend for 4 days. Fortunately there are plenty of places with good fish choices in that area. And I can always have salads--I just get tired of them sometimes.

[NulloModo]

Tomorrow is a teacher inservice day, and we are doing a pot-luck lunch. I got home about 15 minutes ago, and at 15 till 11, didn't really feel like cooking much, so I tossed a pork shoulder (it was cheap) a kielabasa, a chopped onion, several cans of kraut, some carraway seeds, bay leaves, and other spices into my crock pot. It should be low carb and pretty tasty to grab and go in the morning after it cooks on low all night. At least I hope the shoulder will be tender enough... never cooked one like this before.

[formerly grueldelux]

Zucchini noodles - sounds good! The nearest to noodles that I know of is beanthread vermicelli.

I'm not low carbing myself but thought I'd mention tofu shirataki, which I don't think has been mentioned here yet. It's a combination of yam flour and tofu and sold in water-filled bags like regular shirataki. Sort of tasteless with a chewy texture but not a bad noodle substitute.

[purplewiz]

I'm not low carbing myself but thought I'd mention tofu shirataki, which I don't think has been mentioned here yet.  It's a combination of yam flour and tofu and sold in water-filled bags like regular shirataki. Sort of tasteless with a chewy texture but not a bad noodle substitute.

Do they absorb sauces like pasta? That's one of the few things I haven't been able to work around - I sometimes miss having something that absorbs sauces and helps expand flavors, like rice or pasta does. But these look pretty good, and I hope I can find them and start experimenting with them! Thanks for the pointer!

Marcia.

[NulloModo]

Shirataki noodles can be used for lots of things. I have used them with strongly flavored pasta sauces and been impressed, although I think the subtle taste of the shirataki itself might overwhelm more delicate sauces.

I generally wash the noodles a couple times to remove the smell, and then dry them very well. They are great when prepared carbonara style.

[FL Heat]

Being on South Beach rather than Atkins, I gravitate toward whole-wheat pastas, and was *shocked* when I read the fiber count on the last package I bought. 2 oz of noodles had 6 grams of fiber. Add to that the tomatoes & other vegetables in the sauce, and yowee! Quite a fiber hit for dinner, which was nice to see. I've tried buckwheat noodles, too, but they haven't been as well-received. I do really enjoy the way whole-wheat noodles taste in a cold pasta salad, though. . .they have such a nutty flavor that it really only takes a little shaved parmesan, some tomatoes, some fresh basil, and a drizzle of olive oil to make a delicious cold salad.

Diana

[NulloModo]

The other day I discovered a very cool site: Linda's Low Carb Recipes.

http://users3.ev1.net/~fontlady/

Some are super simple and don't need recipes, some are eye-opening, some look atrocious, some look wonderful.

It inspired me to cook a good old-fashioned casserole. I personally feel casseroles are woefully underrated. What is wrong with tossing a bunch of flavorful things in a skillet then a dish and letting the flavors melt, mix, and get happy together for a while?

Some onions, cauliflower, ground beef, garlic, cream cheese, mushrooms, salt, and tons of black pepper topped off with a ton of havarti and asian fried onions turned into a bubbly wonderful smelling dish that I enjoyed for dinner, loosely based on one of the recipes from that site.

[patti]

Nullo, you've mentioned the Asian fried onions here and in another thread, but I'm not familiar with them. Is that what they are called on the can?

[NulloModo]

They are something someone else on Egullet tipped me off to. I found them at an Asian grocery store, they come in a small red plastic container, and have some asian characters on them as well as 'Fried Red Onions'. The only ingredients are fried red onions and palm oil.

[patti]

Well, it's not red, but is this the stuff?

http://importfood.com/spco0506.html

Edited September 27, 2004 by patti (log)

[redfox]

Well, it's not red, but is this the stuff?

http://importfood.com/spco0506.html

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Yep, that's it. Mine comes in a red jar, too, but otherwise is just like that.

[NulloModo]

Yes, ditto for me, mine comes in a red jar as well, but otherwise is identical. The fried garlic is tasty too.

[jo-mel]

I've also been on SBD, for a little over a year. I've lost 30 pounds. Slow but steady, and in the right direction. I don't stick to it to the point where I'm a pain, but am selective when it counts. ( Even Dr. Agatston strays)

For zucchini noodles, ever try the Spirooli? It's a gizmo that turns zucchini into thick 'noodles' in an instant. Great with sweet potatoes, which I then mix with a little EVOE, and roast.

There is a recipe that originated with Atkins -- called Deep Dish Pizza Quiche. I do the SBD thing with it and you'd swear you were eating pizza with a crust. Great recipe.

Again about noodles. I don't mind the Whole Wheat ones, but much prefer the texture of brown rice noodles.

[patti]

I made a quick soup (Is that an oxymoron?) tonight with some ingredients I had on hand. To some beef stock, I added straw mushrooms, sauteed beef strips that I'd intended for stir-fry, sauteed red onions, celery salt, and ground chipotle pepper. Not very many ingredients, but I didn't have much. To the individual serving, I tossed in some fried red onions (thanks, Nullo, for the tip). The fried onions didn't stay crispy, but they added a nice flavor to the soup.

In keeping with the low-carb theme, what would you have added to this? Any particular herbs? I considered adding some tofu, but I've never cooked with it.

[NulloModo]

I might have used some garlic, maybe a bit of cayenne for initial kick to complement the slow burn of the chipotle.

[patti]

You're right, garlic would've been a good addition. For some reason, I forgot to mention that I'd seasoned the beef with a spice mix that has cayenne in it. The soup was very tasty, but I felt like there could've been another layer. (Prolly a carb layer, but what're you gonna do?)

[NulloModo]

Well, turnips and cauliflower are both great additions to soup that add that carby texture without the actual carbs. I actually prefer turnips to potatoes now, lots more flavor.

[Katherine]

I gave up on Atkins after being bored silly and not losing weight. So now I'm doing a modified paleo - with some dairy - and though my diet is less varied, I'm satisfied. I think that boredom in the diet is a result of consuming an insufficient quantity of energy calories and too much protein. So if you cut out the carbs, and you don't increase the fat to compensate, you'll end up feeling logey and listless, and wondering why.

I find this is really cheap, but I guess I'm shopping and eating differently from you guys. I buy eggs in a 15 dozen cube at Sam's Club ($10.81), fatty brisket ($1.28 a lb.) and pork shoulder ($.98 a lb.) at Walmart, etc. I'm not eating much fruit, and I eat only a moderate amount of vegetables, which suits my busy schedule, too.

I fix and pack a big breakfast in the evening and bring it to work the next day. This is usually either eggs mollet or an omelet, a meat, and two vegetables. I consume it around 8 or 9:00 in the morning, so I'm not hungry until 2:00. If I'm working late, I'll have some peanut butter (also not paleo), which keeps me til I get home to heat something up.

Actually I have lost a few pounds, which is not the reason I changed my diet, but feels good.

Edited October 3, 2004 by Katherine (log)

[NulloModo]

Congrats Katherine.

I can agree about the lack of energy with no fat thing. Atkins is dependant on consuming a good bit of fat along with the veggies and protein for many of the health benefits, those that try to do it low-fat usually end up feeling miserable.

I don't know a whole lot about the paleo plan though, can to elaborate?

[Maison Rustique]

Now I know why I'm so logey all the time! (South Beach)

[NulloModo]

I would think South Beach would have enough complex carbs to counteract that. I know on Atkins I have way more energy than I ever had before. I can sleep only four or five hours a night and be going strong all day.

[NulloModo]

I was really in the mood for pizza this afternoon, so I gave the MiniCarb 'Parmesan Herb Low-carb Pizza Crust Mix' another shot.

This time I tripled the liquid called for in the directions (last time I doubled it and it still came out too dry). Minicarb brand makes some decent stuff, but the liquid measures they call for are often way, way, off.

Tripling the water made the dough much more workable, and it actually formed a pizza-like shape this time, and baked up with a much nicer texture. I should've cooked it a bit more as it was still too soft for my tastes (I prefer really crispy pizza dough) but it hit the spot. The flavor is rather proteiny, so one has to use some strong flavored toppings, but all in all I will call it a success.

Dinner was some pork chops I picked up on sale in the discount meat bin at Safeway. Tossed them into a skillet with some oil and onions to brown, then sauced them with crema mexicana, cumin, cayenne, habanero, garlic, mexican hot sauce, lemon juice (out of lime), and tequila, oh, and lots of black pepper (not really mexican, but it felt right). They came out quite tasty, served up with a Caesar salad and dinner was quite good to watch an NFL game over.

[scott123]

I was really in the mood for pizza this afternoon, so I gave the MiniCarb 'Parmesan Herb Low-carb Pizza Crust Mix' another shot.

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I have been seriously craving pizza for weeks now. I've been formulating recipes in my head for a crust and I'm just about to enter the testing phase. Finding the right amount of sugar to feed the yeast, but no more, might be a little tricky.