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| Low-Carb Snacking: my Cottage Cheese, Herb & Olive Oil Smothering Dip |
I reckon that if you embark on a restrictive eating plan like this, possibly as a long-term lifestyle choice, you definitely need some excitement on your plate. And what better way to pleasure your brain's food-centre than to introduce thrilling flavours that punch you in the tastebuds and deaden any residual cravings for sugar and starch?
So: I've put together this list of my favourite low-carb vegetable and salad recipes. I've also included some substantial protein-packed dishes that you might appreciate as an alternative to the same old chicken breasts, fish fillets and steak.
Note: I'm not affiliated in any way with Professor Noakes, nor am I endorsing his eating plan, which remains contentious.
Personally, I find myself drifting closer and closer to its general principles because I love eating this way. I've never been a great fan of starchy, sugary things anyway, and every time I've embarked on a low-carb diet I've shed kilos quickly. However, I freely admit that I've put some of the lard on again: it's difficult to sustain this diet for more than a month at a time, when thunderous cravings for mashed potatoes, wine gums (oh, okay, wine) and chocolate set in.
If you'd like to know more about how to follow this low-carb lifestyle, I can recommend this article by Professor Noakes.
Here are my recipes.
Cottage Cheese, Herb and Olive Oil Smothering Dip (See picture, above.) A useful, all-purpose, very garlicky cold sauce that packs a powerful flavour punch. Pour it all over whatever you're eating hot, and the warmth of the chicken, fish, steak or veggies will release the aromatic flavours of garlic, herbs and olive oil. I always keep a lidded plastic container of this in my fridge and use it in place of mayonnaise.
Oven-Roasted Ratatouille I make a huge tray of this at least once a week in summer, because everyone in my family loves it hot and topped with grated Parmesan. It also makes brilliant leftovers: enjoy it cold, with shavings of Parmesan or cubes of feta cheese or shredded fresh basil. Or whizz it up with some vegetable stock to make a soup or a sauce for pasta.
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| Michael Le Grange's photograph of my Lemony Green Beans with Aïoli. Click on the image to see a full-size version. Image © Random House Struik 2012. Bowl by David Walters. |
Lemony Green Beans with Frizzled Prosciutto, Fried Breadcrumbs & Aïoli Strictly speaking, you should leave out the fried breadcrumbs if you're on a low-carb diet. Then again, what harm can a tablespoon of crumbs really do? This is a dreamy combination and one of my family's favourite vegetable recipes.
Marinated Mushrooms with Green Beans and Feta I first learned how to make marinated mushrooms when I was twelve years old, and here I've adapted the recipe to bulk it out with squeaky-fresh green beans and feta cheese.
Braised Baby Leeks with Halloumi 'Popcorn' An adventurous dish with knock-out flavours and textures. Leave the out the bread crumbs if you're on a strict low-carb regime.
Salad of Warm Baby Leeks with Blue Cheese and Chilli Croutons Again, you'll have to forego the chilli croutons. For this salad, baby leeks are simmered whole in water, with a little olive oil and some herbs and garlic. By the time the water has evaporated, the leeks are as tender as a mother's love. They are then left to colour slightly in the remaining oil, and served warm with crumbled blue cheese.
Cauliflower Salad with Crisp-Fried Chorizo Sausage and a Warm Lemon Dressing An easy, tapas-style dish with sensational flavours and textures: shaved raw cauliflower with crumbled fried chorizo, crisp breadcrumbs, a whisper of garlic and a warm lemony olive-oil dressing.
Spiced Baked Aubergines with Yoghurt A plain dish with simple flavours, but you'll love it if you're a big fan of aubergines.
Halloumi and Beef Carpaccio Salad with Fried Capers The ultimate in indulgence when it comes to a low-carb salad, in my opinion: crisp-fried halloumi cheese, thin slices of seared beef fillet and crunchy fried capers on a bed of peppery rocket. Here's another, similar salad: Halloumi Salad with Lemon-Caper Dressing.
Egg and Fennel Salad with Nasturtium-Leaf Mayonnaise This salad of boiled eggs and shaved fennel,
dressed with a caper & anchovy vinaigrette and a nasturtium-leaf
mayonnaise, is surprisingly light and delicate, considering how much oil and
egg it contains. If you can't find nasturtium leaves, mix a handful of chopped fresh herbs of your choice into the mayonnaise.
Roast Baby Aubergines with Rocket and Peppered Cream Cheese,and a Tahini Dressing A scattering of toasted pumpkin seeds gives this salad a satisfying crunch and a good nutritional kick
in the pants: they, along with the sesame seeds in the tahini dressing,
are among the most wholesome plant foods on earth, in my view. Here's a similar recipe: Warm Grilled Aubergine Slices with Chilli and Pesto
Pretty Little Individual Tuna Salads I designed this recipe for kids, but this makes a lovely starter for a low-carb feast, and looks so tempting in its perky collar of cucumber.
'Carpaccio' of Kohlrabi with Radishes and Blue Cheese Adapted from a dish in Anton Mosimann's 1991 book Naturally, this is a most unusual starter with its combination of creamy blue cheese, crisp, paper-thin kohlrabi and peppery radish.
Wine-Braised Baby Fennel in Crisped Prosciutto Delicate little fennel bulbs with a wrapping of salty ham. Okay, this recipe does contain wine, but all the alcohol boils away during cooking.
Roast Beef Fillet with Creamy Celeriac-and-Horseradish-Cream Salad Celeriac isn't very starchy, which makes it a great substitute for potatoes. Here, I've combined it with a creamy remoulade-style dressing to make a cool topping for roast fillet.
Roast Ratatouille Soup with Basil Mayonnaise This glorious brick-red soup, one of my favourite recipes, contains neither starchy veggies nor any flour or similar thickening agent. It's easy to make, and tastes even better the day after.
Double-Egged Crustless Spinach & Bacon Tart It's difficult to believe that such a substantial tart contains very few carbs, but there is not a speck of flour, cornflour or added sugar in this recipe.
My Aunt's Avocado Mousse I see that Professor Noakes includes avocados on his list of low-carb foods, so I bring you this retrolicious dish: a wobbly, creamy mousse of the palest green, pepped up with a subtle crunch of fresh chives.
Peri Peri Calamari with Chouriço Sausage Peri-peri is one of South Africa’s favourite flavours. Feel free to add more fresh chillies if you appreciate a blisteringly hot sauce. (This recipe is taken from my new cookbook Scrumptious Food For Family and Friends.)
Calamari Salad with Thyme, Lemon, Chilli and Olives This light, summery seafood salad, sparked with lemon juice, red chilli and fresh herbs, takes just ten minutes to make and keeps very well in the fridge for three to four days.
Tomatoes Baked with Garlic Butter and Cream A sinfully rich dish because it's loaded with fat, but it's low in carbs, and brilliant as a special treat with bacon and eggs.
Asparagus with Egg Mimosa, Butter and Breadcrumbs Based on a classic ‘Polonaise’ dressing, this topping may be old fashioned, but it’s a time-tested classic for good reason. Cooked, sieved egg yolks are called ‘mimosa’ because they resemble the fluffy yellow flowers of the plant of the same name. The bad news: you'll have to leave out the breadcrumbs. (Another recipe from my cookbook.)
Rainbow Trout en Papillote with Lemon and Herbs Light, bright and singing with clean flavours, this is a dish that I make often, using a variety of fresh, sustainable seafood: angelfish, yellowtail, snoek and black mussels.
Easy Chicken, Feta and Bacon Roll-Ups in a Tomato and Rosemary Sauce Chicken breast fillets stuffed with feta, garlic and sage, rolled in bacon, crisped in a hot pan and then simmered in a rich tomato sauce. A bit fiddly, but well worth the effort if you're cooking for a special occasion.
My Aunt Gilly's Egg 'Bavarois' Okay, you'll have to leave out the sweet-chilli sauce topping. But this delicate, old-fashioned buffet dish, lightly jellied and subtly flavoured with bay leaves, onion, cloves and nutmeg, is delicious with small, snappy gherkins and other pickles.
Low-Carb Salmon, Beetroot and Rocket Salad
This is a simple salad, but so satisfying: the combination of roasted beetroot, peppery rocket, meltingly tender flakes of salmon and little bursts of tart sweetness from the pomegranate seeds makes me want to eat it every day. Beetreet is quite starchy/sugary, so use just a wedge or two!
Roast Beef Fillet with Creamy Celeriac-and-Horseradish-Cream Salad Celeriac isn't very starchy, which makes it a great substitute for potatoes. Here, I've combined it with a creamy remoulade-style dressing to make a cool topping for roast fillet.
Roast Ratatouille Soup with Basil Mayonnaise This glorious brick-red soup, one of my favourite recipes, contains neither starchy veggies nor any flour or similar thickening agent. It's easy to make, and tastes even better the day after.
Double-Egged Crustless Spinach & Bacon Tart It's difficult to believe that such a substantial tart contains very few carbs, but there is not a speck of flour, cornflour or added sugar in this recipe.
My Aunt's Avocado Mousse I see that Professor Noakes includes avocados on his list of low-carb foods, so I bring you this retrolicious dish: a wobbly, creamy mousse of the palest green, pepped up with a subtle crunch of fresh chives.
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| Michael Le Grange's photograph of my Peri Peri Calamari with Chouriço Sausage. Image © Random House Struik 2012. |
Calamari Salad with Thyme, Lemon, Chilli and Olives This light, summery seafood salad, sparked with lemon juice, red chilli and fresh herbs, takes just ten minutes to make and keeps very well in the fridge for three to four days.
Tomatoes Baked with Garlic Butter and Cream A sinfully rich dish because it's loaded with fat, but it's low in carbs, and brilliant as a special treat with bacon and eggs.
Asparagus with Egg Mimosa, Butter and Breadcrumbs Based on a classic ‘Polonaise’ dressing, this topping may be old fashioned, but it’s a time-tested classic for good reason. Cooked, sieved egg yolks are called ‘mimosa’ because they resemble the fluffy yellow flowers of the plant of the same name. The bad news: you'll have to leave out the breadcrumbs. (Another recipe from my cookbook.)
Easy Chicken, Feta and Bacon Roll-Ups in a Tomato and Rosemary Sauce Chicken breast fillets stuffed with feta, garlic and sage, rolled in bacon, crisped in a hot pan and then simmered in a rich tomato sauce. A bit fiddly, but well worth the effort if you're cooking for a special occasion.
My Aunt Gilly's Egg 'Bavarois' Okay, you'll have to leave out the sweet-chilli sauce topping. But this delicate, old-fashioned buffet dish, lightly jellied and subtly flavoured with bay leaves, onion, cloves and nutmeg, is delicious with small, snappy gherkins and other pickles.
Low-Carb Salmon, Beetroot and Rocket Salad
This is a simple salad, but so satisfying: the combination of roasted beetroot, peppery rocket, meltingly tender flakes of salmon and little bursts of tart sweetness from the pomegranate seeds makes me want to eat it every day. Beetreet is quite starchy/sugary, so use just a wedge or two!
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