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!

How To Chop Bell (Capsicum) Peppers

While in school, I worked part-time at a deli for almost three years. A large part of the daily chores included chopping large amounts of salad vegetables for the sandwich stand. This had to be done as quickly as possible, and with as little waste as possible.

On my first day I was taught this technique for chopping peppers, and I've used it ever since. It's simple to do, takes a couple of seconds, and you use every part except for the seeds and stalk.

Firstly, chop the top off the pepper, from just where the side turns into the top.

Use your hand to grab onto and scoop out the large lump out of seeds in one go.

If there are the odd couple of seeds left inside, holding the pepper upside down and giving it a quick tap on the bottom will flush them out.

Next, pull the stalk from the top part of the pepper.

Now the top and body of the pepper are seedless and ready to be sliced or diced, and all you have to throw away are the seeds and stalk. 

Give it a try the next time you're chopping peppers and you'll be surprised how much of a difference it makes, and how much more you'll get out of every vegetable.

Burgers With Goats' Cheese

Formerly of The English Market, Iago opened up a shiny new store on Prince's Street just before Christmas. I popped in yesterday and picked up a small log of goats' cheese for €1.95. Bargain.

When I lived in Dublin I would get a burger topped with goats' cheese whenever I was in Jo Burger, and as soon as I saw the cheese I knew that's what I would make for dinner tonight. The recipe below makes four burgers, and serves two low-carb people. If you're a carb-eater and want to have burger buns/fries, one burger will be enough per person.

Ingredients

1 lb Minced steak
1 Egg
2 Tablespoons of almond flour
Salt & black pepper

100g Goats' Cheese

10 Asparagus Spears
200g Spinach Leaves

Method

1. Put the asparagus and spinach on to steam. You'll want to steam them for about 15 minutes so you can pretty much forget about them while you're getting the burgers ready.

2. Mix the beef, egg, almond flour, salt & pepper together in a bowl. The egg and almond flour will help the burger to bind well and stay together.

3. Use your hands to form the mixture into a ball, half it, and half it again. Each quarter will now make a good-size burger.

4. Form each quarter into a ball by rolling it in your palms, then flattening the ball between your hands.

5. Spread the four burger patties out on a grill tray, and use your finger to make a small dent in the middle of each one. Don't go right through the meat, just make a small dent. This stops the burger from swelling up in the middle and allows them to cook through evenly.

6. Put the burgers until a medium-heat grill for about 6 minutes each side for a slightly pink centre.

7. Once the spinach has wilted and the asparagus is tender, take it off the heat and allow to stand.

8. Once the burgers are cooked, flip them back over to the side you cooked first, and sprinkle some goats' cheese on the centre of each burger.
Goats' cheese is great to put under the grill as it doesn't drip everywhere when it melts. Give it another minute or so, until the cheese starts to brown slightly.

9. Serve immediately.

Pro Tip: Ballymaloe Relish is the perfect sauce to have with these burgers.

Cholesterol

Okay, I think a lot of what Dr. Oz covers is sensationalist, but a recent interview with doctors Stephen Sinatra and Jonny Bowden about cholesterol made a lot of sense. You can watch it here.

One of the arguments which detractors of low-carb diets continually bring up is that it increases your levels of cholesterol.
The truth is that a low-carb diet increases your healthy (HDL) cholesterol, and high HDL levels are believed to reduce the risk of heart attack. [Source: The American Heart Association]

Feta, Olives & Peppers

One of the biggest challanges in switching to a low-carb diet is dealing with snacking habits.
While it's true that you feel full most of the time, there are times when you sit down to watch some TV and feel like having something to nibble on.

One of my favourite snacks is a mix of feta cheese, black olives and peppers from The Real Olive Company in The English Market. You can get one large scoop for about €3.50, and it goes perfectly with a glass of red wine.

Olive Oil

I came across this Filippo Berio olive oil spray in Tesco last week. It's a great idea, the spray is very handy and a couple of pumps dispenses the perfect amount for shallow frying.

It's a good quality oil which means it has a high smoking point, and is perfect for frying pancakes, bacon and steak. The cap screws off, so you can refill the bottle once the oil is gone.

Low Carb Megastore

As fantastic a city as Cork is for foodies, sometimes it can be hard to find a particular low-carb product or alternative, and sometimes you just don't want to wander around the town in the rain.
lowcarbmegastore.com is a great UK site which delivers to Ireland, with charges starting from about €15.

Their sugar-free maple syrup is a particular favourite of mine and goes well with crepes. It's naturally sweetened with chicory root, and you only need to use a small amount to get your sweettooth fix.

I've had this bottle since August and still have loads left, so it is fantastic value. While you're there check out their range of sugar-free sweets and lollipops and other low-carb products. 

If you're eating low-carb to lose weight some of the products won't be suitable as they'll tip you over your 20g per day limit, but if you're just interested in cutting back on your carb intake there are some good alternatives on this site.