Hot Port

Wintertime means comforting drinks like hot chocolate or hot whiskey, though here in Cork hot port is a definite favourite. At 20% alcohol (compared to whisky's 40%), it's a great excuse to have a Christmas drink during the day, though personally I like to have one before bed. It's festive, comforting and makes me a little sleepy!

Ingredients

2 Shots of Port

300ml Boiling Water

1 Teaspoon Stevia 

1 Slice Of Lemon

5-6 Cloves

Method

1. Press the cloves into the slice of lemon and place at the bottom of your cup or glass. 

2. Pour over the 2 shots of port.

3. In a jug, add the teaspoon of stevia (or other sugar alternative) to the boiling water and mix until dissolved.

4. Add the sugar water to the port. If you're making this in a glass, sit a metal teaspoon in to conduct heat and stop your glass exploding.

5. Leave to cool slightly, then enjoy!

all gone!

While red wine is relatively low in carbs, the extra fermentation that goes into port means its slightly less keto-friendly. If you're trying to lose weight, stick to one of these a day along with your regularly monitored diet.

Low Carb, Low Sugar Chocolate From Freeist

Got a sweet tooth? When you're trying to cut back on your sugar intake it can be hard to find a sweet treat that won't destroy your good work. And face it, dark chocolate is lovely, but sometimes you just need a little more.... more.

Image: Free'ist Foods

I came across these tasty chocolate bars from Free'ist in Tesco recently and I'm converted! Their whole range (chocolate, biscuits, jams and wafers) is free from added sugar, so is suitable for diabetics.

Their chocolate is sweetened with the polyalcohol malitol which -compared to table sugar- is half as caloric, does not promote tooth decay and has a lesser effect on blood glucose. However, eating too much of it can have a laxative effect- you have been warned!

There's a lovely white chocolate with strawberry pieces (pictured above), a tasty milk chocolate with hazelnut, a plain milk chocolate (which is pretty darn close to the real thing!), and a slightly sweet dark chocolate.

You can find the nutritional info and stockist listings on their site and follow them on facebook or twitter.

Lunch At O'Flynns Gourmet Sausages

The other day I wandered over to Winthrop Street on my lunch break and decided to check out O'Flynns. I've bought their tasty sausages a few times in the English Market- the Cumberland, Pork & Leek and Honey & Mustard are particular favourites of mine, while S prefers the more exotic Bratwurst and South African Boerewors.

The restaurant is well known for their sausage rolls with lovely crusty bread, but I wanted to see what they could offer a low carber. For €8 I got a footlong Pork and Leek Sausage, fried onions, salad and dollop of relish- it was pretty tasty and easily hit the lunchtime hunger spot. I'll definitely be back.

You can visit their website here and follow them on Facebook here.

Easy Low Carb Breakfast Muffins

These keto breakfast muffins are so simple to make and really tasty to boot! If you've read the blog before you'll know that I'm always trying to find new ways to eat eggs. I hate eggs. But I love these muffins.

This is what I like to think of as the 'classic' recipe, but you can pretty much fill them to suit your taste. They're also a great way of using up leftovers or those odds and ends in the fridge which are about to go off.

This recipe makes six muffins, which S and I love to eat warm on a Sunday morning. You can equally make them ahead of time and grab one on your way out to work in the morning- keto breakfasts can be a time-consuming affair. They'll keep for a day or two in an airtight container.

Ingredients (makes 6 muffins)

6 slices of pancetta

2 eggs

1/2 a white onion, finely diced

3/4 cup of double cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 220/430 degrees and grease your muffin tray with a spray oil.

1. Heat a little oil or butter in a frying pan- I used ghee- and fry off your pancetta slices.

2. When crispy, set aside and saute the onions in the bacon grease.

3. Chop the pancetta into small pieces and mix with the onions. Evenly distribute the mixture into the muffin tray.

4. In a bowl, break the two eggs and add the cream and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

5. Pour the mixture into the muffin trays, covering the pancetta and onion.

6. Top with grated cheddar cheese.

7. Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes et voilà!

Get creative with your fillings and try adding mushrooms, peppers or chorizo! If you like your food on the spicy side, sprinkling some chili flakes into the egg mixture will add a nice kick.

Carb Count: With the ingredients I used, these muffins work out at a very respectable 1.5g net carbs each. If you're watching your carb count, make sure to do your own math.

Coffee In Cork: Sugarcube

As you may remember from my previous Coffee In Cork post, I appreciate being able to call into a restaurant or coffee shop and easily order a cappuccino with soya milk.

One place that I've consistently ordered a great coffee is Sugarcube at the Grand Parade/ South Mall board walk. The soya milk is heated to the right temperature and the bubbles are nice and tight.

Sugarcube cappuccino with soya milk & dash of cocoa powder stirred in

Unlike my disastrous experiences at a certain coffee shop chain, this has been easy and reliable to order.

Sugarcube's glass walls make it a great place to sit and people watch and I'd highly recommend trying their coffee. They have some great low carb lunch pots on the menu too, featuring chicken and feta salads. I haven't made it there for lunch yet but hope to soon and will report back. 

Have you tried their lunch pots? What did you think?

Low Carb & Gluten Free Brownies

This recipe comes courtesy of the lovely Breffney over at A Pinch Of Ginger. She's training to be a chef and is a total a whiz in the kitchen, so I was delighted to see this recipe pop up on her blog.

I made these gorgeous butternut squash brownies last night and S declared them to be some of the best he has ever tasted. These decadent treats are gluten free and paleo-friendly and absolutely delicious- they're still moist the next day!

You can see Breffney's original blog post (with ingredients and method) here and you can also find her on Facebook.

Mixed Dry Ingredients

Chocolate & Butternut Squash Mix

Served Warm With Cream

Low Carb & Gluten Free Pizza

Pizza is part of that universal food type- a flat piece of carbohyrate as a convenient delivery system for meat and/or vegetables. It's something I love, particularly on a Friday night when I'm starting to unwind and it's something that I don't want to have to go without. I've tried and disliked the cauliflower pizza base- this one is far closer to the 'real thing'.

As part of my neverending quest to treat low carb as a way of life, not a punishment, this recipe is a big deal to me!

Ingredients
2 Cups Grated Mozzarella
2 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
3/4 Cup Almond Flour/ Ground Almonds
Pinch Salt
1 Large Egg
Pinch Black Pepper
Garlic Powder

Your choice of toppings.

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Method
1. Put the grated mozzarella and cream cheese in a microwavable bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. Take it out and stir well, then pop it back in for another 30 seconds.
It should look something like this:

2. Once the cheese is done, mix in the almond flour, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder as quickly as you can. Mix well until it binds like a dough.
You'll see differences in the colour of the dough where there the cheese & dry indredients aren't well combined. Aim to get it as even a colour all-over as you can.

Place the dough on a baking tray. I've found the best results are achieved with a silicone pat on the baking tray.

4. Use your fingertips to gently push out the dough into an even layer with no holes. The dough will be quite sticky, so wetting your fingers with cold water will help make it easier to spread.

5. Prick the dough allover with a fork to stop air bubbles forming. Bake at 180/ 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Then take it out and prick again with a fork. It'll look a little more solid:

7. Put it back in for 6 minutes and then it should come out looking something like this:

8.  Now, add your toppings! My go-to combination is passata, grated mozzarella and chedder mixed, pancetta and pepperoni from Iago.
If using a tomato sauce, spread it thinly so it doesn't make the base soggy. I usually use Bunalun organic passata as it is relatively lower in carb than other shop-bought sauces.

Note: I've found that you get a crispier base if you can transfer it from the solid baking tray to one with holes before adding your toppings. It's not the end of the world if you don't have one, but I'd recommend investing if you like your pizza crispy!

For something a little different, try adding chilli powder or mixed herbs to the dough. Add some creative toppings and your base can set the scene for some pretty interesting flavour combinations.

With the ingredients I use, each full pizza works out to about 10 carbs. However, I'm not your mama so if you're counting carbs for weight loss make sure to do your own calculations!

Teriyaki Beef Salad

Trying to keep salads varied and interesting can be tough, especially if you're having them for both lunch and dinner. For me, this teriyaki beef salad is a real winner.
If you can, plan ahead and allow the beef to marinate overnight for the full flavour experience.

Ingredients
For the marinade (makes enough for 2 steaks):
1 cup soy sauce (soy sauce can be surprisingly high in sugar. if you can find a sugar free version go for it, otherwise try the Kikkoman brand.
1 cup water
3/4 cup Stevia or other sugar alternative
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup dried onion flakes
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

For the salad:
Handful of Rocket
Thinly sliced Radishes
Thinly sliced Cucumber

1 striploin steak per person (about 1/2 inch thickness)
1 teaspoon of sesame seeds to garnish

Method
1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in one bowl. Place your steaks in a plastic freezer bag and pour over with the sauce. Tie off the top of the bag and shake well to ensure an even coating.

2. Ideally you'd allow the steak to sit in the bag overnight in the fridge. If time is scarce then just an hour or two in the fridge will be okay, but to get the best of the flavours plan ahead and give it the full night!

3. After marinating, take the steaks out of the bag and save the leftover marinade.

4. Heat a small amount of vegetable or peanut oil in a hot frying pan and sear the steaks on both sides. Give it 3-4 minutes per side for a medium-done steak.

5. After frying, wrap the steaks in tinfoil and allow to stand.

6. Add the leftover marinade to the hot pan and allow to simmer for a minute or two. It should reduce to a nice thick sauce that you can dribble over.

7. Slice the steak and erve with a simple salad, for me the rocket/ cucumber/ radish combination is perfect with this steak. Pour over your marinade reduction and garnish with the sesame seeds for a little crunch.

Roasted Nuts

This supereasy snack is great to make in large batches and store. Perfect to nibble on with a drink, or serve to friends who call in!
You can of course choose any combination of nuts you like, but I'm a fan of the almond/pecan mix.

Ingredients

100g Shelled Almonds
100g Blanched Almonds
100g Pecans
25g Real Butter
2 Tablespoons of Stevia or other sugar substitute
1 Teaspoon of Salt

Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees.

Method

1. Put the butter in a bowl large enough to hold all the nuts and then melt in the microwave for 30 seconds.

2. Pour all the nuts into the melted butter mixture, ensuring the nuts are well coated. Sprinkle over the Stevia and salt and mix well.

3. Spread out on a baking tray and bake at 180/350 degrees for 30 minutes. Toss the nuts half way through cooking.

4. Allow to stand for a few minutes then serve warm, or store in an airtight container for a week.

Prefer your snacks salty to sweet, or vice versa? Don't be afraid to play with the sugar and salt ratios!

Lunch At Italee

I recently got a great recommendation from my brother. As a footballer, he's always on the lookout for a healthy, low carb lunch. I don't often venture down to the Parnell Place end of Oliver Plunkett Street, but now I know what I've been missing!

Italee is a gorgeous restaurant with great coffee and a good selection of low-carb lunches. I had the mozzarella, parma and pesto plate and damn was it good! Everything was fresh and flavourful and I'll definitely be back.

(excuse the terrible phone pic)

It's been a while

I guess it's pretty much obligitory that each blog in existence has a post where the author apologises for not being around lately. My time has come.

In the past months I've been busy with work, but that's no excuse. I hit a really big goal in time for my 30th birthday and then relaxed. It's easier when there's a finish line to work towards and for a long while it while has been hit and miss at best.

But as much as eating low carb allows me to blog, blogging also encourages me to try new things. So here goes. Again.

Close To Home: Baltimore

Coffee In Cork: O'Conaill's

As easy as it is to control your diet when you cook for yourself, it can be hard to make good choices when out and about. One of the problems I've encountered is getting a good cup of coffee with soya milk.

When I started in a new job last Spring, I started going to a chain coffee store just around the corner from the office to pick up my morning coffee. However, within a week I was fed up.
Of the five days I went in, I was told three times that they were out of soya milk and ended up leaving with an Americano- something I'm not overly fond of. Three days out of five?! Either there's a problem with their stock ordering and upkeep or they just don't really care.

The third time this happened, I looked at the menu on the wall to make sure they were really advertising that they had soya milk and realised they were charging 50c more for the pleasure. Well now I was seriously unimpressed.

O'Conaill's cappuccino with dark chocolate

Remembering that I used to frequent the nearby, independent O'Conaill's for great hot chocolate as a teenager, I decided to pop my head in and see what their coffee and soya milk situation was.

There was no problem when I asked for soya milk and they even have the option of a sprinkle of their own dark chocolate on top of your coffee to make it extra delicious. And in a rare twist, it's exactly the same price as a cappuccino with regular cow's milk; €2.80.

Dinner At Nando's

So today S and I took the long trek out to Mahon Point cinema and followed up our 3D MAXX experience with a trip to Nando's.

I was ravinous so when the food arrived I tucked in without taking a picture, though for some inexplicable reason I did take a picture of their famous hot sauce:

The chicken arrived quickly and was really tender and juicy. Oftentimes chicken in restaurants can be dry and overcooked, but not here. There are also some great low-carb-friendly sides, including the coleslaw and mixed salad I had tonight. 

You can check out the full menu here and like them on Facebook here.

Low Carb Ice Cream

I need to ask you a question. Do you like ice cream? I'm sorry, that was stupid of me. Of course you do.

What if I was to tell you that you can eat low carb and still have fabulously flavoured frozen food? Well, I'd like to introduce you to Wheyhey Protein Ice Cream. Nope, it's not April 1st- this is as real as it gets.

I happened on these little pots of nirvana in Holland & Barrett in Wilton Shopping Centre a couple of weeks ago, and I've just recently seen them in the newly refurbished Quay CoOp on Sullivan's Quay. They come in the traditional flavours of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate and are available in 150ml and 500ml size tubs- though I've only seen the small sizes in stores so far. The small tub will set you back just under €3.

So, how do they taste? The vanilla flavour is quite creamy and very like 'real' vanilla dairy ice cream. The strawberry is my least favourite. It's very sweet and my tastebuds just don't like sweet things as much as they used to. However, sweet-toothed people should find it scrumptious.
For me, the chocolate flavour is hands-down the winner. It's more like a dark chocolate than a milk chocolate and it tastes very like Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream.

Here's the best part- there is just 1g of net carbs in a 100ml serving. Yes, you read that correctly. One gram. Compare that to 21g per 100ml of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream- well, there is no comparison.
Here's the full nutritional breakdown, as seen on the Wheyhey website:

Wheyhey ice cream contains xylithol- one of the best sugar substitutes out there. It's considered very safe by the FDA, is suitable for diabetics and has also been shown to help with dental care- so you could say eating this ice cream is good for your teeth!

Might I suggest adding a large dollop of vanilla to a warm slice of my chocolate almond cake? Or a scoop of chocolate wrapped up in a crepe? Or just grab a spoon and dig in!

The website also teases a soon-to-be-available protein ice lolly- hopefully just in time for summer!

You can find Wheyhey on Facebook and Twitter, and their huge following seems to suggest I may be alone in only just discovering this awesome product. Better late than never.

Pssst! While you're on Twitter, why not give Low Carb Cork a follow?

Cauliflower Rice

As I mentioned in my Cauliflower Mash post, it seems like we've all grown accustomed to serving our meaty mains with a big side of carbs.
I'm a big big fan of all types of curry. It's an easy, spicy way to fill up on delicious meat and veg. However, without some lovely wholegrain or basmati rice to soak up the sauce, you can end up feeling a little cheated. 

That's where Cauliflower Rice comes in. It's ridiculously easy to make and with 3 net grams of carbs per 100g of cauliflower, it's just another little thing which can help you forget that you are 'restricting yourself' while eating a low carb diet.

I'll usually grate one whole head of cauliflower while I have the blender out, then cook half to serve two people. I'll pop the other half in the fridge where it'll last for about 3 days if airtight.

Ingredients

1/2 Head of Cauliflower

1 White Onion, Finely Chopped

2 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled & Minced

Salt & Pepper

Oil For Frying

Method

1. Using the chopping blade on your food processor, roughly grate the raw cauliflower, one floret at a time. If you don't have a processor you can grate it by hand with a cheese grater, it'll take a little more time but the end result is the same.

2. Put the onion and garlic into a pan and fry over a medium heat. I like to use rapeseed oil for frying as it is very low in saturated fat.

3. When the onion has slightly softenened, add your cauliflower and stir.

4. Season with salt and pepper as desired- I like a LOT of black pepper.

5. Continue frying and stirring gently over a medium heat until the cauliflower starts to brown. This will take about 15 minutes, but can vary depending on the water content of the vegetable. You'll know it's ready when it's brown and fluffy.

6. Serve with your favourite curry. Why not try my friend L's awesome Chicken & Broccoli Curry?

Low Carb Fries (Chips)

Sometimes you really just need a big pile of fries to make a meal perfect. But with 15g of carbohydrates per 100g of potato, it's not an option for someone eating a low carb diet. Enter the turnip. With just over 4g of carbs per 100g, it's the perfect option for making a crispy serving of keto-friendly chips.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Turnip? Ew. Your Mum made you eat it mashed with boiled ham and soggy potatoes on Sundays. Gross.
I'm not going to lie to you- they don't taste exactly like potato chips. Hold on, don't leave yet- hear me out!

The cinnamon takes some of the turnipyness away, while the parmesan and oil give the chips a lovely crisp coating. Each one is a treat to bite into, particularly when you haven't had potato fries in months. Trust me, try these once and you'll never look back.

Serve with a juicy steak or, if you're really looking for some comfort food, a gorgeous cheese-filled beef burger.

Ingredients
1 Turnip
3 Tablespoons Dried Grated Cheese (I used Castelli which is a mixture of hard cheeses)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Parmesan (I used this one from Tesco)
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/390F.

2. Chop the turnip into chunky chip-size slices, about a half an inch thick. Place in a mixing bowl.

3. Coat evenly with about a tablespoon of olive oil. For easy all-over coating, I love this Filippo Berio spray.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the cinnamon, dried cheese, parmesan and a pinch each of salt and pepper.

5. Sprinkle about half the mixture over the turnip pieces and stir so the seasoning is well distributed. Add the other half and mix again. Try to make sure each fry has an even coating.

6. Space out evenly on a grease-proof sheet or baking tray, and place in the oven for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. Once the fries have turned a lovely golden brown and crispy they are ready to come out.

7. While the chips are still hot, sprinkle over with a pinch or two of salt. Adding the salt while the oil is still hot allows it to cling easier to the fries, and makes them taste extra delicious.

Serve!

Low Carb, High Rewards

When you tell people you are eating a low carb diet you can get varied reactions- ranging from concern to terror. (And whatever you do, don't mention the word Atkins.) You are asked about blood pressure, about cholesterol and about heart attacks. You fried it in butter? Are you mad? Are you trying to kill yourself?

It can be difficult to satisfactorily answer those questions in the face of years of accepted thought and, to be honest, if you start talking about LDL cholesterol particles then people's eyes glaze over.

Today I watched the documentary Cereal Killers, which was funded via kickstarter, and you can now rent or buy here on Yekra. It follows Donal O'Neill as he deals with his family history of heart disease and his quest to reduce his own risk.

Over the course of 28 days he eats a high-fat, low-carb diet; undergoing periodical medical testing to see what changes have occured in his body. I found it interesting to see other peoples' reactions to his diet, and how many times those people used the word 'balanced'.

I would recommend watching this if you are curious about the low-carb way of life, have any medical issues that worry you, or just want to see what happens when a man eats meat and eggs for 28 days.

This documentary shows that the way we have been trained to think about the food pyramid over the last couple of decades is in serious need of shaking up.

Low Carb Ham Sandwich

The humble ham sandwich. I can't count how many times I took one to school, or made one up in the kitchenette at work. Tart it up with some pickled cucumbers, or keep it simple with a little bit of mayonnaise- the traditional hang sangwich is here to stay.

As a child it was always white sliced bread. Sometimes it would be the legendary red and white striped Fields of Skibbereen loaf. In later years it was usually granary or multiseed bread- thinking I was making the right choices. But if you're trying to lose weight or cut back on your sugar, the 'good' bread isn't much better than the 'bad' bread.

(healthy sub with homecooked ham)

Enter Maria from mariamindbodyhealth.com and her brilliant 'healthified' breadroll and sub recipe. I'll usually get 8 rolls from this recipe, which works out to a little over 3g of carbs per roll (using almond flour). She's got all the nutritional information listed clearly on her page anyway so you can do the math pretty easily.

This recipe uses psyllium husk and so is an easy way to get some fibre into your diet. You can pick this up at the Quay CoOp in the city, or order it from amazon. Make sure it's ground very finely- I'll always use an old coffee grinder to make sure it's as fine as can be.

Yesterday, dinner was a joint effort. S knocked out a quick batch of these rolls and I knew exactly what to put in them.

In the weekly shop S had picked up a lovely 1.8kg ham for a little under a fiver. That size ham gave us two good dinner portions and loads left over for snacking/ tomorrow's lunch. What happened next is adapted from my mum's Christmas Eve ham recipe.

Ingredients

1 Pale Ham Fillet

For The Glaze

Sugar-free syrup

Mustard Powder

Cloves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/360F.

1. Put the ham fillet in a saucepan of cold water and bring it to the boil. Once it's boiled, turn it down to a medium heat and allow to cook for about an hour (about 40 mins per kilo is a good rule of thumb).

2. Take the ham out of the water and allow to rest.

3. Line a baking tin with tinfoil (makes clean-up easier) and place the ham in the centre. Use a sharp knife to make a few small criss-crosses along the fat/ rind on the ham.

4. In a bowl, combine a tablespoon of sugar-free syrup, two teapoons of mustard powder and mix well. Use a pastry brush to paint the glaze along the fat/ rind sides of the ham.

5. Once you have used up all the glaze, stud some cloves into the crosses you made in the fat. Push them in well. I'll usually use about 15 for a medium size ham.

6. Bake (uncovered) for about 20 minutes, until the glaze has turned a lovely dark colour. It should also smell amazing.

7. Once out of the oven, allow to stand for about 5-10 minutes before carving. Here's what mine came out looking like- you can see the glazed rind at the front of the picture:

To serve, stuff a couple of pieces of that lovely ham in one of those 'healthified' rolls. 

I'll usually have mine with a little bit of French's mustard, some mixed leaves and a small bit of grated cheddar. Fabulous!

The Slow Laura Burger

Friday evening and the eternal question- what to have for dinner? After a busy, busy week I was certainly not in the mood for anything boring or blaaaaaah. I wanted flavour, sensations, craziness!

These amazing burgers are a version of the Slow Larry as cooked by The Rivestaurant.

Constraints on my time and availablity of some of the ingredients at short notice meant that the following recipe is an approximation of the culinary genius you can watch at the link above. 

The original recipe calls for a mixture of beef and pork mince, but unfortunately I could only get beef. I've made gorgeous meatballs with a mixture of beef and pork several times, so I'd imagine the burgers would be awesome. But these turned out pretty darned tasty nonetheless. Next time though, I will certainly be trying it his way.

Recipe for the Slow Larry, done my way: The Slow Laura. 

Makes 4 giant burgers.

Ingredients 

800g Minced Beef

250g Streaky Bacon

1/2 Block of Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 a white onion, finely diced

1 Medium Egg

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1 Tablespoon Barbeque sauce - I used the Jack Daniels Smokey sauce

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Salt & Black Pepper

Jalapeño Slices- I used these Discovery ones 

Method

1. Fry off the streaky bacon in a little bit of oil. I use steamed coconut oil from Biona, which is odourless and flavourless. Once lightly cooked, take off the heat and finely chop.

2. In a bowl, combine the minced beef, bacon, diced onion, egg, paprika, barbeque sauce and garlic powder. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix these ingredients well, using your hands if you don't mind that.

3. Now for the cheese filling. Put the grated cheese in a bowl.

4. The jalapeño bit: The Rivestaurant roasted their jalapeño before mashing it, but in Tesco at 7:30 Friday night there wasn't a fresh jalapeño to be found. 

I had a jar of Discovery jalapeño slices at home, so in a pinch these would have to do. De-seed and mash about two tablespoons worth of flesh and add these to the cheese. Though this tasted great, next time I'm going to try to roast it.

5. Mix the cheese and jalapeño well, don't be afraid to sqeeze it and get it all mushed up. Just don't then touch your eyes without washing first.

6. Next I took the full bowl of minced beef, and divided the mixture into half, then half again so I had four equal-sized balls of meat.

7. On a clean work surface or cutting board, slap down one of the balls of meat. Press down on it and even it out so it's in a very large circular patty. Make the patty double the size you would make a burger.

8. In the centre of the patty place a small handful of the cheese and jalapeño mixture. It might be a good idea to divide the cheese mixture into four pieces before you begin stuffing burgers, so you end up with an even spread.

9. Carefully curl up the edges of the patty around the cheese mixture, covering it completely. Make sure there are no gaps for the cheese to seep out of. You can see exactly how The Rivestaurant do it here.

10. Once all your burgers are formed, place under the grill for about 15 minutes in total. I turned them once during cooking and they didn't break open but be fairly careful with them.

11. Serve! 

The Rivestaurant have a couple more recipes for sides to go with this dish, but at that time on a Friday I wasn't getting into all that. We had ours with a giant pile of mixed greens and a couple of sauces I knocked together.

12. Bonus Step: Dips

To make your dips, put three tablespoons of mayonnaise in three bowls. 

Into one I added a teaspoon of French's mustard, into another I added a teaspoon of Encona West Indian Hot Sauce, and into the third I added Mexican tinga paste, which contains chipotle chilli flakes. This gives you a great range of flavours to choose from with every bite.

Chicken Breast On The Bone With Crispy Skin

When did we all start eating boneless chicken fillets? Was it a product of the 'good times'?

Our lives were so busy and important that buying clean-looking, equal-sized, pink chicken portions just became habit. But what were we missing out on? Moisture. Crispy Skin. Flavour.

While they're undeniably useful for certain types of meals, boneless fillets can also be horribly dry and ridiculously over-priced. Most of the time I'll use chicken on the bone, with skin on.
You can pick up five giant portions for just €7 at O'Sullivan's Poultry in The English Market (near the fountain). These chicken pieces have a wing attached, so if you like the dark meat as well as the breast meat you'll love this. The oil and spices make the skin crispy and delicious, and placing just a small knob of butter under the skin keeps the meat incredibly tender.

just look at that juicy meat under the crispy skin! Mmmmm....

Just one of these will do me when having it with cauliflower mash & veg, though S likes to have two with a smaller amount of veg- you can adjust according to your own particular low-carb cravings.

Ingredients
1-2 chicken breasts per person (on the bone, with skin, and with a wing attached- if possible)
Olive oil
Schwartz Chicken Seasoning (paprika, onion, cayenne & parsley)
Butter (real, not the processed crap)
Salt & black pepper

Cooking Time
About 40 Minutes at 180C/360F

Method
1. Lay the chicken breasts out on a baking tray (deep-fill, if possible), with the skin side up.

2. Working from the bottom to the top part of the breast, use your finger or a knife to gently pull the skin out and create a space between it and the flesh.

3. Push a dice-sized cube of butter in between the skin and the flesh, and pull the skin back down around the breast. Placing the butter under the skin will make the chicken lovely and moist.

4. Using a pastry brush (or your fingers) brush the outside of the skin with a little olive oil.
You'll need about a teaspoon per portion, but I'm mad about this Filippo Berio olive oil spray- one pump per portion is all you need.

5. Sprinkle over with a pinch of salt, some black pepper (I like lots of pepper) and about a teaspoon of Schwarz chicken seasoning per breast.
If you can't get your hands on this type of seasoning, follow this link to see the basic ingredients & easily make up your own version.

5a. Massage the spices into the skin. They'll look something like this:

you can see the knobs of butter just under the skin on each breast

6. Pour a small amount (about 20ml) of cold water into the bottom of the baking tray. This will help to keep the chicken moist, and make life easier for you when you come to make the gravy.

6a.  No need to cover the meat, just pop the tray into a pre-heated oven at 180C/360F degrees for about 40 minutes or until the juices run clear. The skin will be dark, and slightly crispy.

If you have a meat thermometer you can stick the probe into the thickest part of the largest breast and then forget about it until it beeps. This is my favourite way to cook. Make sure to do a spot-check on the other breasts too though- salmonella is a nasty illness.

Side Note: A poorly defrosted chicken curry led to salmonella the day before I went to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2005. Six hours on a train and a day in the middle of Phoenix Park at the height of summer probably wasn't the best cure but there was no way I was missing the concert!

7. Once you've taken the meat out of the roasting tray, you can add a little hot water (~100ml) to the juices at the bottom of the tray to make a gravy. Whisk for a couple of minutes over a medium heat until blended.
If your oven tray isn't suitable to sit directly on the hob, scrape the juices into a small saucepan then add the water.

8. If you need to thicken the gravy, add a small amount of low carb-friendly Xanthan Gum while whisking. I'll usually start with a 1/2 teaspoon to begin with, and add more as/if needed.

Serve with Cauliflower Mash and your favourite veggies.

Crepe Sandwich

Monday. Ugh.
This morning I just wanted to grab breakfast as quickly as possible. I mixed up the simple crepe mixture and instead of making three thin crepes I just poured the whole mixture into the frying pan. It worked out surprisingly well, fluffling up more like a frittata than a crepe.

Fold over and stuff with three slices of streaky bacon for an easy to eat sandwich. And of course I fried the rashers beforehand, so I was able to cook the giant crepe in that lovely bacon juice.

For a little something extra add a drizzle of sugar-free maple syrup. I've poured it on top for the benefit of the photograph, but if you want to pick the crepe up like a sandwich that mightn't be the best idea!

Chargrilled Chicken Skewers

For that barbeque-in-your-kitchen feeling in the middle of January, give these Chargrilled Chicken Skewers a go. They are tasty enough to have on their own, or you can dress them up with coleslaw and mixed leaves. 

You can let the chicken marinade for a while if you like, but it's really not necessary. I made these tonight and it took me a little more than half an hour from start to finish.

I picked up four good size chicken fillets for about a fiver at O'Sullivans in The English Market today. This 4-fillet recipe serves two low-carbers, but you could probably feed four with it if you wanted a carby side dish.

I'll always serve this with a spoonful of soft cream cheese (like philadelphia) and a dash of spicy sriracha sauce- the one from Marks & Spencer's Modern Asian range is gorgeous.

Ingredients

4 Chicken fillets
3 Bell (capsicum) Peppers -three different colours allow for different flavours & great colour
1 Red Onion
Olive Oil
Schwartz Chargrilled Chicken Seasoning (peppers, garlic, parsley)


Method

Preheat the oven to 200/395 degrees.

1. Dice the chicken into slightly larger than bitesize pieces. Place in a bowl and drizzle with about three tablespoons of olive oil. Stir to ensure the chicken is well covered with oil.

2. Sprinkle over with the seasoning mix, and stir to evenly coat the chicken.

3. Let the chicken sit, and get to work chopping your peppers into large chunks. I've written a post about the best way to chop peppers here.

4. Chop the red onion into large chunks by peeling and halving it. Now half both pieces again

5. Start building up your skewers by alternating the veg and chicken- I like to put the piece of red onion in the centre of each skewer, but that's probably just my OCD. Sitting the skewers across a roasting dish is a pertty handy way to neatly put them on the oven.

6. Leave the skewers in for about 25 minutes, until the chicken has slightly browned and the peppers are soft and juicy.

7. Holding one end of the skewer (with a glove/ towel), use a fork to slide the chicken and veg down onto your plate. 

Serve straight away!