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!