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!

Cauliflower Mash

One of the hardest things about eating a low-carb diet is wondering what to have with your enormous hunk of meat each evening. It seems like Irish people are particularly fond of putting some form of carb-laden food with every meal- be it rice, potatoes or pasta. I am definitely guilty of this habit.

In order to make the transition a little easier, there are a couple of quick and easy tricks you can use- and in this respect cauliflower is your new best friend. There are about 5g of carbs per 100g of cauliflower and 2g of that is dietary fibre.

Cauliflower Mash goes with loads of meals, soaks up gravy beautifully, and is so, so simple to make.

Ingredients

1 Head of Cauliflower
2 Tablespoons of Cream Cheese or Real Butter
A Good Dollop of Double Cream
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Method

1. Break up the head of cauliflower into small florets and steam until soft. Use a potato masher to crush the cauliflower then drain off any excess water. Expressing the water will make your finished mash much creamier.

2. Chuck it into your food processor along with the cream cheese/ butter and double cream.

3. Add a pinch of salt and dash of black pepper- I like a LOT of pepper.

4. Whizz it up until it becomes a soft, mushy mess.

5 Serve!