The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook (10 page)

Preheat the broiler.

In a large, ovenproof skillet, start browning and crumbling the sausage over medium heat. As some fat starts to cook out of it, add the peppers and onion to the skillet. Cook the sausage and veggies until there's no pink left in the sausage. Spread the sausage-and-veggie mixture into an even layer in the bottom of the skillet.

In a medium bowl, beat the Parmesan cheese and seasoning into the eggs and pour the mixture over the sausage and veggies in the skillet.

Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. (If your skillet doesn't have a cover, use foil.) Let the frittata cook until the eggs are mostly set. This may take up to 25 or 30 minutes, but the size of your skillet will affect the speed of cooking, so check periodically.

When all but the very top of the frittata is set, slide it under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the top is golden. Cut into wedges, and serve.

As the name implies, this has a similar flavor to a classic quiche lorraine, but it cooks in 15 minutes' time. Doesn't need a crust, either.

8 slices bacon

5 eggs

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) heavy cream

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) carb-reduced milk or sugar-free almond milk

1 tablespoon (15 ml) dry vermouth

1
/
2
teaspoon salt

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

8 ounces (225 g) shredded Swiss cheese

YIELD:
4 servings 438 calories: 34 g fat; 28 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Place a 10-inch (25 cm) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Let it heat.

Lay the bacon on a microwave bacon rack or in a microwavable baking dish. Stick it in the microwave on high for 8 to 9 minutes. (The length of time will depend a bit on your microwave.)

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, carb-reduced milk, vermouth, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Put your butter in your now-hot skillet and swirl it around as it melts to coat the bottom. Now pour in your egg mixture. Use a spatula—preferably one for nonstick skillets—to gently stir the eggs around, pulling back the part that's setting and letting the liquid egg run underneath. It won't work like an omelet, where it sets up firm enough that you can lift the whole edge. Just scramble them gently until they're about half-set, half-liquid.

Spread the eggs out evenly in the skillet and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top. Cover the skillet and turn the burner to low. (If you have an electric stove, you'll need to shift your pan to a low burner.) Turn on the broiler and set the rack 4 inches (10 cm) below it.

When the bacon is done, take it out, drain it, and let it cool just a minute or two. Then crumble it, or easier, you can use your kitchen shears to snip it into bits. Uncover your Insta-Quiche and sprinkle the bacon bits evenly over the top.

Now slide the whole thing under the broiler for just a minute until you're sure the top is set, then cut into wedges and serve.

Don't think Mexican flatbread, think eggs. In Spain, a tortilla is much like an Italian frittata—a substantial egg dish, cooked in a skillet and served in wedges. This one is my version of a traditional dish served in tapas bars all over Spain. As bar food goes, it's a heckuva step up from beer nuts and stale popcorn. This would make a great supper, or prepare it ahead and nuke a slice for a quick breakfast.

1
/
4
head cauliflower

1 medium turnip

1 medium onion, sliced thin

2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) olive oil, divided

6 eggs

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

YIELD:
6 servings 139 calories; 11 g fat; 6 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Prehead your broiler on low.

Thinly slice your cauliflower—include the stem—and peel and thinly slice your turnip. Put them in a microwaveable casserole dish with a lid, add a couple of tablespoons of water (about 40 ml), and microwave on high for 6 to 7 minutes.

In the meanwhile, start the onion sautéing in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of the olive oil in an 8- to 9-inch (20 to 23 cm) skillet—a nonstick skillet is ideal, but not essential. If your skillet isn't nonstick, give it a good squirt of nonstick cooking spray first. Use medium heat.

When your microwave goes beep, pull out the veggies, drain them, and throw them in the skillet with the onion. Continue sautéing everything, adding a bit more oil if things start to stick, until the veggies are getting golden around the edges—about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat to low and spread the vegetables in an even layer on the bottom of the skillet.

Mix up the eggs with a little salt and pepper and pour over the vegetables. Cook on low for 5 to 7 minutes, lifting the edges frequently to let uncooked egg run underneath. When it's all set except for the top, slide the skillet under a low broiler for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the top of your tortilla is golden. (If your skillet doesn't have a flameproof handle, wrap it in foil first.) Cut into wedges to serve. A little chopped parsley is nice on this, but not essential.

This Italian dish turns a couple of eggs into a light supper. This looks like a lot of instructions, but none of the steps takes much time.

1 pound (455 g) asparagus

1 clove garlic, crushed

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1
/
2
cup (50 g) grated Parmesan cheese

8 eggs

YIELD:
4 servings 310 calories; 25 g fat; 16 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Preheat the broiler.

Snap the bottoms off the asparagus where they break naturally. Put the asparagus spears in a microwavable casserole dish or a glass pie plate. Add a couple of tablespoons of water (40 ml) and cover. (Use plastic wrap or a plate to cover a pie plate.) Microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, crush the garlic into the olive oil.

When the asparagus is done, drain it. If you have 4 gratin dishes—long, oval single-serving ovenproof dishes—they're ideal for this recipe. Divide the asparagus among the 4 dishes. If not, you'll need to use a rectangular glass baking dish. Arrange the asparagus in 4 groups in the baking dish.

Whether you're using the individual dishes or the single baking dish, drizzle each serving of asparagus with the garlic oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and divide the cheese among the 4 servings. Put the asparagus under the broiler, about 4 inches (10 cm) from low heat. Let it broil for 4 to 5 minutes.

While the asparagus is broiling, fry the eggs to your liking. Either use your biggest skillet to do them all at once, or divide them between 2 skillets.

When the Parmesan is lightly golden, take the asparagus out of the broiler. If you've cooked it in one baking dish, use a big spatula to carefully transfer each serving of asparagus to a plate. Top each serving of asparagus with 2 fried eggs, and serve.

This was originally a sandwich recipe, but it works just as well without the bread.

4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces

4 thin slices onion—round slices through the equator

4 eggs

4 thin slices Cheddar cheese—1-ounce (28 g) square deli slices (or a few thin slices off the end of an 8-ounce (225 g) block)

YIELD:
2 servings 438 calories; 34 g fat; 29 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Begin frying the bacon in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When some fat has cooked out of it, push it aside and put the onion slices in, too. Fry the onion on each side, turning carefully to keep the slices together, until it starts to look translucent. Remove the onion from the skillet and set aside.

Continue frying the bacon until it's crisp. Pour off most of the grease and distribute the bacon bits evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Break in the eggs and fry for a minute or two, until the bottoms are set but the tops are still soft. (If you like your yolks hard, break them with a fork; if you like them soft, leave them unbroken.)

Place a slice of onion over each yolk, then cover the onion with a slice of cheese. Add a teaspoon of water to the skillet, cover, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the cheese is thoroughly melted. Cut into 4 separate pieces with the edge of a spatula, and serve.

With America's love for pizza, it's not surprising that low-carb pizza crust recipes abound. I decided to try just cheese. It worked out remarkably well. Once it cools a bit, you can eat this with your hands, like regular pizza.

1 clove garlic

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

1
/
3
cup (80 g) no-sugar-added pizza sauce
*

1
1
/
2
teaspoon dried oregano

1
/
2
teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1
/
4
cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese

*
To find no-sugar-added pizza sauce, read labels. My favorite is made by Pastorelli, a Chicagoland brand, that I can now get here in southern Indiana. Ragu makes one—it's labeled just “Pizza Sauce,” not “Pizza Quick Sauce.” Muir Glen, a brand available in health food stores and some supermarkets, has one, too.

YIELD:
6 servings 262 calories; 22 g fat; 14 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5). Line a jelly roll tin with nonstick foil (Reynolds makes this).

Spread the mozzarella evenly over the foil, all the way to the corners. Bake for 5 minutes, turn the pan to help it cook evenly, and give it another 5 to 7 minutes—you want the cheese golden brown all over.

While the cheese is baking, crush the garlic into a little cup and cover with the olive oil, stirring once.

Put your pizza sauce in a microwavable dish, and give it 1 minute to warm.

When your cheese is an even, golden layer, pull it out of the oven. Drizzle the garlicky oil all over it, spreading with a brush or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with oregano and red pepper flakes if using.

Spread the pizza sauce over the oil, and sprinkle the Parmesan over that. Cut into 6 big rectangles to serve.

S
ince everything leafy falls into the “very low carb” category, salads are a good bet. Your grocery store should have a wide variety of bagged salad, ready to dress and eat. But you must watch out for dressings. First of all, skip all “lite,” low-fat, or fat-free dressings. Chances are high that they've replaced the fat with corn syrup or some other kind of sugar. You also need to watch out for any dressing that actually tastes sweet—poppy seed, Catalina and that red “French” stuff, honey mustard, raspberry vinaigrette, all of those. Need I warn you again? Read the labels.

Bottled full-fat dressings that are generally safe include ranch, blue cheese, and Caesar. Some vinaigrettes—my favorite kind of dressing—are okay, but be careful. Balsamic vinaigrette and raspberry vinaigrette, in particular, may be carb heavy. There's a raspberry vinaigrette dressing here!

In this chapter, you'll also find a wide variety of deli-style salads, the sort of thing you can make when you have time, stash in the fridge, and pull out at the last minute. These are a great alternative to the potato or macaroni salad and sugary coleslaw sold at the grocery store deli. The busier you are, the handier this kind of thing will be.

The dressing recipes are at the end of this chapter. First, let's go for some salads.

Oh, all right, use another blue cheese if you must. But being Italian and all, Gorgonzola is best here.

6 cups (330 g) torn romaine lettuce hearts

3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1
1
/
2
tablespoons (23 g) pesto sauce

1
/
3
cup (40 g) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

YIELD:
4 servings 163 calories; 16 g fat; 4 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

This is super-simple! Put your lettuce in a big salad bowl. Mix the olive oil and pesto together and then pour over the salad and toss furiously until it's all evenly coated. Sprinkle the Gorgonzola over the whole thing, toss lightly again, and serve.

A mid-twentieth-century classic, spinach salad with a slightly sweet dressing, topped with bacon and hard-boiled egg, never grows old.

4 cups (120 g) fresh spinach

1
/
8
large sweet red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons (45 ml) oil— light olive oil or MCT oil

2 tablespoons (28 ml) cider vinegar

2 teaspoons tomato paste

9 drops liquid stevia (plain)

1
/
4
small onion, grated

1
/
8
teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

2 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled

1 hard-boiled egg, chopped

YIELD:
3 servings 315 calories; 29 g fat; 11 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Wash the spinach very well and dry. Tear up larger leaves. Combine with the onion in a salad bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix up the oil, vinegar, tomato paste, Stevia, grated red onion, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the spinach and onion, and toss.

Top each serving with bacon and egg.

Très 1950s—and so good! Better, it improves with a day in the refrigerator, so it's a great make-ahead dish.

2 cucumbers, scrubbed but not peeled

1 green bell pepper

1
/
2
large sweet red onion

1
/
2
head cauliflower

2 teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal

1 cup (230 g) sour cream

2 tablespoons (28 ml) vinegar (cider vinegar is best, but wine vinegar will do)

2 rounded teaspoons dried dill weed

YIELD:
10 servings 64 calories; 5 g fat; 1 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Slice the cucumbers, pepper, onion, and cauliflower as thinly as you possibly can. The slicing blade on a food processor works nicely, and it saves you mucho time, but I've also done it with a good, sharp knife.

Toss the vegetables well with the salt, and chill them in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, vinegar, and dill, combining well.

Remove the veggies from the fridge, drain off any water that has collected at the bottom of the bowl, and stir in the sour cream mixture. Refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.

Here shredded cauliflower “rice” stands in for bulgur wheat. This salad is incredibly delicious, incredibly nutritious, and quite beautiful on the plate. Plus, it gets better after a couple of days in the fridge, so taking an extra few minutes to double the batch is definitely worth it. For a main-dish salad, add diced cooked chicken, lump crabmeat, or shrimp.

1
/
2
head cauliflower

2
/
3
cup (70 g) sliced stuffed olives (you can buy 'em pre-sliced in jars)

7 scallions, sliced

2 cups (60 g) triple-washed fresh spinach, finely chopped

1 rib celery, diced

1 small ripe tomato, finely diced

1
/
4
cup (15 g) chopped fresh parsley

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (28 g) mayonnaise

1 tablespoon (15 ml) red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

YIELD:
6 servings 148 calories; 15 g fat; 1 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Prepare the cauliflower as for
Cauli-Rice
. Give it just 6 minutes of microwave steaming.

While that's cooking, prep the olives, scallions, spinach, celery, tomato, and parsley and combine in a large salad bowl.

When the cauliflower comes out of the microwave, dump it into a strainer and run cold water over it for a moment or two to cool it. (You can let the cauliflower cool, uncovered, instead, but it will take longer.) Drain the cauliflower well and dump it in with all the other vegetables. Add the oil, mayonnaise, vinegar, and garlic, and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste, toss again, and serve.

You are going to be so surprised; this is amazingly like potato salad. I have seen people take two or three bites before they figure out it's not potatoes. This is modeled on the old-school picnic favorite.

1 large head cauliflower, cut into small chunks

2 cups (240 g) diced celery

1 cup (160 g) diced red onion

2 cups (450 g) mayonnaise

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

2 teaspoons salt or Vege-Sal

1
/
2
teaspoon ground black pepper

12 drops liquid stevia (plain)

4 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

YIELD:
12 servings 298 calories; 33 g fat; 3 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Put the cauliflower in a microwavable casserole dish, add just a tablespoon (15 ml) or so of water, and cover. Cook it on high for 7 minutes, and let it sit, covered, for another 3 to 5 minutes. You want your cauliflower tender, but not mushy. (And you may steam it on the stove top, if you prefer.)

Use the time while the cauliflower cooks to dice your celery and onion.

Drain the cooked cauliflower and combine it with the celery and onion in a really big bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper, and stevia. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and mix well. Mix in the chopped eggs last, and only stir lightly, to preserve some small hunks of yolk. Chill and serve.

I have tried at least a couple dozen potato salad recipes using cauliflower instead, and not a one has failed. But of all the “unpotato” salads I've come up with, this one is my favorite!

1
/
2
head cauliflower

1
/
2
cup (115 g) mayonnaise

2 tablespoons (22 g) spicy mustard

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice

1 small jalapeño

1
/
3
cup (5 g) chopped fresh cilantro

1
/
3
cup (55 g) diced red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 small tomato

YIELD:
6 servings 158 calories; 16 g fat; 2 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

First, cut your cauliflower into
1
/
2
-inch (1 cm) chunks—don't bother coring it first, just trim the bottom of the stem and cut up the core with the rest of it. Put your cauliflower chunks in a microwavable casserole dish with a lid, add a few tablespoons of water (about 40 ml), and cook it on high for 7 minutes.

When your cauliflower is done, drain it and put it in a large mixing bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and lime juice; then pour it over the cauliflower and mix well.

Cut the jalapeño in half, remove the seeds, and mince it fine. Add it to the salad along with the cilantro, onion, and garlic; mix again (don't forget to wash your hands!).

Finally, cut the stem out of the tomato and cut the tomato into smallish dice, then carefully stir it in. Chill the salad for a few hours before serving.

This recipe originally called for cooked rice, so I thought I'd try it with cauliflower “rice.” I liked it so much, I ate it all and made it again the very next day.

1
/
2
head cauliflower

8 ounces (225 g) bacon, cooked until crisp, and crumbled

1 large tomato, chopped

10 scallions, sliced, including all the crisp part of the green

1
/
2
cup (115 g) mayonnaise

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Lettuce (optional)

YIELD:
6 servings 374 calories; 34 g fat; 13 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Put the cauliflower through a food processor with the shredding disk. Steam or microwave it until it's tender-crisp (about 5 minutes on high in a microwave).

Combine the cooked cauliflower with the bacon, tomato, scallions, and mayonnaise in a big bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix.

This salad holds a molded shape really well, so you can pack it into a custard cup and unmold it onto a plate lined with lettuce, if desired; it looks quite pretty served this way.

This unusual salad is a great way to celebrate the spring abundance of asparagus. Easy, too!

1 pound (455 g) asparagus

4 teaspoons (20 ml) soy sauce

2 teaspoons dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon (8 g) sesame seeds

YIELD:
4 servings 50 calories; 4 g fat; 2 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Snap the ends off your asparagus where they want to break naturally. Cut the spears into 1
1
/
2
-inch (3.5 cm) lengths, and put them in a microwave steamer or a microwavable casserole dish with a lid. Either way, add a couple of tablespoons of water (40 ml), cover, and microwave for just 3 to 4 minutes —you want it brilliantly green and just barely tender-crisp. Undercooking is better than overcooking!

Uncover your asparagus as soon as the microwave beeps to stop the cooking. Drain well, and put in a deep, narrow bowl.

Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil. Pour over the asparagus, and toss. Chill for an hour or two.

When ready to serve, put the sesame seeds in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, and shake them until they start to “pop”—jump a bit— and smell toasty. Remove from the heat. Stir the sesame seeds into the asparagus, and serve immediately.

No, this is not that sweet, tomatoey goo that somehow has gotten the name “French dressing.” No Frenchman would eat that stuff on a bet! This is a classic oil-and-vinegar dressing.

3
/
4
cup (180 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1
/
3
cup (80 ml) wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

1
/
2
teaspoon salt

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

YIELD:
12 servings or 9 fluid ounces (265 ml)—a little more than a cup 121 calories; 14 g fat; trace protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Just put everything in a clean jar, lid it tightly, and shake vigorously. You can store it in the jar and just shake it up again before use.

Add a little zip to the French Vinaigrette, and you've got Italian Vinaigrette.

2
/
3
cup (160 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1
/
3
cup (80 ml) wine vinegar

1
/
2
teaspoon salt

1
/
2
teaspoon dried oregano

1
/
4
teaspoon dried basil

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tiny pinch red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

YIELD:
12 servings or 1 cup (235 ml) 108 calories; 12 g fat; trace protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Assemble everything in a jar, lid it tightly, and shake-shake-shake. Store it in the jar in the fridge, and just shake it again before using.

Just add 2 tablespoons (28 g) of mayonnaise to the Italian Vinaigrette and whisk or shake until smooth.