Quarter Pounders With Low Carb Psyllium Husk Burger Buns

Friday night. Traditionally it's a time to unwind. Traditionally, it's a time to eat easy-to-make comfort food. Oftentimes, that food is bad for you, or makes you feel worse come Saturday morning. But not these babies!

The Buns
This bread recipe from Maria Mind Body Health is a real gem. This recipe is made with psyllium husk powder and coconut flour so not only is it low in carb, it's a great source of fiber. Psyllium husk binds with water when mixed and it's this reaction which replaces the gluten and allows the burger buns to rise. 
You can pick it up in The Quay CoOp, but if that's not an option for you there are a number of websites which deliver it, including healthstore.ie. Make sure you're not getting the dietary capsules though!

The Burgers
Pair your buns with some homemade slider-style burgers. I'll usually add salt, pepper, onion salt, thyme, rosmary and a little garlic to great quality mince. Form into patties and press a little hole in the centre of the burger to help it keep its shape. 
Cook on a high heat for 3-4 minutes per side, depending on size and personal taste.

The Cheese
Once the burgers are cooked to your liking, place your choice of cheese on top. Add a drop of water to the fying pan and cover with a saucepan lid. Leave for approximately 30 seconds to gorgeously melt the cheese.

I'm fond of the traditional cheddar but mixing things up with a different cheese can transform a burger into an entirely different experience. We recently tried some gorgeous manchego from Sheridans Cheesemongers. This goes particularly well with a nice, sweet relish like the homemade one from Cork's Nash 19. Careful though, relishes can be very high in sugar!

Serve with your choice of vegetable and sauces. May I recommend rocket leaves, pickles, mayonaise and mustard?

Pro Tip: The burgers seem to rise better when the psyllium husk powder used is very fine. If you can be bothered, I'd recommend grinding it further before use, but it's not necessary.

Lunch At Uncle Pete's, Paul Street

This is one of the best salads in Cork. I challenge you to find a better one. Uncle Pete's is kind of a hidden gem of Cork, they do some incredible pizzas and pasta, but they also do amazing salads. When I worked in the city centre, I was in there at least a couple of times a week.

This Warm Chicken Salad With Bacon is just delightful. Generous pieces of chicken fillet in their own coating, tasty pieces of bacon, tomato, red onion, fresh lettuce leaves and a huge amount of paremesan shavings covered with a delicous fresh, caesar dressing.

I'll be honest, when I'm feeling naughty or taking a break from being a carb-conscious individual- Uncle Pete's Pizzas* are one of my top choices, but you know what? Ordering their salads for delivery is pretty awesome, if you can't be arsed to cook. Low carb food for delivery is a pretty rare thing here.

The food is tasty, the staff are friendly and helpful. Follow them on Facebook or order from Just Eat.

*My jam is a margherita pizza with pepperoni, onions and Italian sausage.

Ginger Infused Vodka

Spirits are pretty much the kings of low sugar drinks- they're so versatile and with 0g carbs per 100g, it's really all about what you drink it with. 

I previously posted my recipe for a low-carb whiskey sour and now S and I decided to try something different- ginger vodka! 

It couldn't be easier- just peel and slice some fresh ginger root and add some vodka to an air-tight container. The best ratio seems to be about 100g of ginger to 400ml of vodka. 

Place in a dark cupboard for 7 days, then it's ready!

So far we've enjoyed it with soda/ tonic water and a load of ice- perfectly refreshing for these unusually warm days. However,  I can't wait to explore the cocktail-making opportunities... If you have any recommendations, let me know!

Note: Alcohol isn't recommended while you're initially getting into ketosis as it can mess with your blood sugar.  Keep in mind too that you're likely to be less hungry while eating low carb- beware drinking on an empty stomach!

Sunday Lunch Feat. Steak & Kohlrabi

Sunday lunch yesterday was a delicious fillet steak from Tom Durcan's in The English Market. I served this delicious piece of beef with baked kohlrabi chips (fries) and three types of purée; carrot & cumin, pea & mint and kohlrabi.

Accidental purée tri-colour

For the perfect tasty morsel of meat, read my blog on how to cook the perfect steak.

Kohlrabi is a fantastic new find of mine, which can be picked up at the Quay CoOp. It's like a turnip, but not as strong tasting. It's a starchy vegetable which is ideal for roasting, but at only 6g of carbohydrates per 100g (compared to potato's 17g!) it's a fantastic alternative.

For The Kohlrabi Chips:

1. Cube the kohlrabi and par-boil in salted water until knife-soft. This should take about 15 minutes.

2. Cover with rapeseed oil and sprinkle over a little salt and pepper.

4. Roast in a pre-heated oven at 180C/355F for 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until crispy on the outside.

For The Kohlrabi Purée:

1. Cube the kohlrabi and par-boil in salted water until knife-soft. This should take about 15 minutes.

2. Blend in a food processor with salt, pepper and a generous knob of butter.

Pro-Tip: Par boil all your kohlrabi and separate into chips and mash to make your Sunday dinner appear extra-posh!

For The Carrot Purée:

1. Slice fresh carrots and par-boil in salted water until knife-soft. This should take about 10 minutes.

2. Blend in a food processor with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of cumin.

For The Pea Purée:

1. Boil fresh peas in salted water until soft. This should take about 15 minutes. (Tinned ones will do in a pinch, but make sure to choose the low-sugar version.)

2. Blend in a food processor with salt, pepper and a handful of chopped fresh mint.

Serve it all up and bask in the admiring glances of your Sunday Dinner Guests!

Man, I don't think I've ever typed the word purée so often.

Low Carb Konjac Noodles & Pasta

While browsing the aisles of Holland and Barrett recently, I came across these low carb noodles and pasta from a company called Eat Water. Made from a Japanese plant named konjac, these products are very low in carbohydrates, suitable for vegans and gluten free. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, no. They're fantastic.

These noodles and pasta don't taste of anything and nicely bulk up your meat dish. Tonight I made bolognese with penne, having the pasta made it seem like a regular meal. Moreover, it's about 5 hours since I ate and I'm still stuffed. 

Last night I used the noodles in a homemade low carb Pad Thai- recipe coming soon! One packet will easily feed two low carbers- they're quite filling and high in fibre.

There is one thing that's worth pointing out, when you initially open the packet the product smells slightly off. This is due to the brine it's packaged in. It's easily taken care of though- just pour out the water contained in the packet and rinse the noodles or pasta under cold water for a few minutes.

You can find out more on the Eat Water website, which also has a handy store locator.

Nando's Coming To Cork City Centre

While wandering around town recently, I was sad to see that Meadows and Byrne on Academy Street had closed. It was a great resource for those odd kitchenware items you couldn't get anywhere else.

On passing the other day, I noticed that a planning permission sign had gone up outside and I couldn't resist being nosey. I was absolutely delighted to see that Nando's was named as the tenant and they were going to create a new restaurant there!

You may have read about my experience in Nando's Mahon Point a while back (where I intelligently forgot to take food pictures- doh!) and while it was a tasty, low-carb friendly meal, it's just too far to trek to. Now, I'm delighted to have this restaurant come to the city centre, and I'm hoping to make a lot more visits for their tasty chicken and low-carb friendly sides!

You can take a look at their menu here.

Fillet Steak

I just had to share this mouth-watering snap of last night's fillet steak, fresh from Tom Durcan's stall in The English Market.

These beauties were blotted with kitchen paper and sprinked with sea salt to help dry the meat out.

Preheat the oven to 90C/195F. Then heat your frying pan to smoking point- I use a heavy cast iron pan which means I don't need to add any oil.

Once the pan is super hot, each steak gets 2 minutes on either side. Don't move it around in the pan, just let it sit where you've placed it.

Then I popped the steaks into the oven and pushed the needle of my indespensible meat thermometer to the centre of the thickest steak. I like mine to be pink through, so aim for a centre temperature of 54C/130F. S likes some red in the centre of his, so we'll usually take his out at 51C/124F.

I know this all sounds a bit mental, but just a couple of degrees can make such a difference!

Let your steak sit for a minute or two before cutting into it. You shouldn't get any blood running out if you dry the meat beforehand and use this cooking method.

Did you know you can order Tom Durcan's meats for delivery to anywhere in Ireland and the UK? Visit their site for more details, you can also follow them on Twitter or Facebook.

Low Carb Cocktails: Whiskey Sour

I guess one of mantras I've tried to keep in mind over the past year or so is that eating low carb isn't a punishment, or a way to restrict yourself- it's a lifestyle.

Drinking while eating low carb is all about making smart choices. While the body processes carbohydrates in alcohol in a different way to those containted in food, it can be easy to kick yourself out of ketosis if you're not careful. Your best bets are always dry wines and spirits.

In the words of Jennifer Aniston, here comes the science bit: During the fermentation process, the yeasts process the carbohydrates and produce alcohol. Whatever sugars are leftover will vary depending on the beverage- a sweet wine will contain more carbs than a dry wine. 

An average glass of red wine will contain about 4g of carbs. Distilled spirits (vodka, rum, whiskey, etc.) have nothing left but the alcohol, so are zero carb. The danger zone appears when you start to add mixers.

I'm a big cocktail fan and the classic whiskey sour is hands-down my favourite. A simple retooling of the classic recipe makes for a tasty low-carb cocktail you can sip without too much worry.

Investing in a good quality whiskey not only produces a better result, it helps cut down on the hangover factor. My favourites include Makers Mark, and Knob Creek. 

Though a little on the pricier side, Buffalo Trace gives this cocktail a great flavour. Incidentally, that name always reminds me of this Neneh Cherry song. 

Note: For this recipe, 1 shot is the standard Irish measure of 35.5ml

Ingredients

For The Simple Syrup

Create a  low carb simple syrup by mixing water with stevia or splenda. The usual ratio is 1 cup of sweetner to 2 cups of water, though you can adjust this slightly to taste.

We'll usually mix up a litre bottle batch of syrup and keep it for a fortnight or so- remember to shake slightly before use if you're doing this.

For The Cocktail

2 Shots Whiskey

1 Shot Fresh Lemon Juice (The juice of an average lemon contains 3g of net carbs)

1 Shot Simple Syrup

1 Egg

To Garnish

1 Thin Slice of Orange

3 Drops of Angostura Bitters (If you're in Cork you can pick it up at Bradley's)

Method

1. Fill a cocktail shaker with large ice cubes. The larger the cubes, the less likely they are to break up and dilute the mixture on shaking.

2. Add the whiskey, lemon juce, simple syrup and egg to the cocktail maker, cover and shake vigoriously for about 90 seconds.

3. Place 2 large ice cubes in a glass and pour over the cocktail mixture using a strainer. If mixed well, the liquid should have a lovely foam head.

4. The pièce de résistance is the Angostura Bitters- it really is worth seeking this out. Gently add 3 drops to the foam head. Garnish with a slice of orange peel and serve!

Note: Alcohol isn't recommended while you're getting into ketosis as it can mess with your blood sugar.
Keep in mind too that you're likely to be less hungry while eating low carb- beware drinking on an empty stomach.

Low Carb & Gluten Free Pizza (Again!)

I know I've posted it before, but I love this pizza recipe so much! 

Once you've made it a couple of times it gets really easy to just quickly knock out a pizza crust in no time at all. Then it's all about getting creative with the toppings.

This weekend, I was charged with the toppings for S's incredibly thin and tasty base. Pizza lore claims that the original margherita pizza was created for Queen Margherita and represented the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomato), green (basil), and white (mozzarella). 

I took my cue from there and added some delicious Parma ham I picked up in the wonderful Bradley's on North Main Street. It was seriously delish and the whole pizza came in at about 10g of carbs. Paired with a nice cab sauv, it's the ultimate weekend treat.

The full recipe for this low carb and gluten free pizza base can be found in this previous post.

O'Flynns Meatballs & Celeriac Pasta

Ugh, Monday. At least tonight's dinner was super easy and super tasty!

I popped into the English Market and picked up 12 gorgeous pork and beef meatballs (with oregano, basil, garlic and chilli) from O'Flynns for €5 and then grabbed a celeriac from Superfruit to make the 'pasta'. 

I've posted here before about this awesome low carb pasta replacement and I'm really enjoying finding new ways to use it!

I covered the meatballs in Marks & Spencer's slightly spicy Arrabiata tomato sauce and baked in the oven for 40 minutes at 180C/355F. That M&S sauce contains an incredible 4g of net carbs for the whole 340g jar- compare that to over 8g of carbs per 125g of Dolmio's Original Sauce!

For the last five minutes of cooking, sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese on top so it's all melty and delicious.

For the celeriac pasta, peel that alien-looking vegetable and slice into 1cm strips. A little less than half an average sized celeriac does the two of us nicely. At about 7g net carbs per 100g, it's a really great low carb option.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the celeriac. It'll take about 15 minutes to become al dente- which I like- give it another few minutes if you'd prefer it slightly softer.

Serving two people, this whole delicious and comforting meal came in at under €10 and under10g of carbs each. Bargain!

Sausage and Egg McMuffin Sandwich

For Sunday brunch, S made this awesome sausage and egg sandwich from the Keto-fied! cookbook. With a great selection of recipes, it's a cookbook I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in eating a low carb diet. You can buy the PDF and kindle version here for about €9.

This tasty sandwich is really simple to put together and perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch. I picked up a set of two ring molds in Delia's Kitchen on Carey's Lane for €11 and have been getting loads of use from them so far.

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.

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.

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.