The Low-Carb Diabetes Solution Cookbook (18 page)

2 pounds (900 g) pork shoulder steaks or pork chops, no more than
1
/
2
inch (1 cm) thick

1 tablespoon bacon grease (15 g) or coconut oil (14 g)

1
/
4
cup (60 g) erythritol

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

2 or 3 chipotle chiles canned in adobo with 1
1
/
2
teaspoons of the sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

6 drops maple extract

YIELD:
4 servings 412 calories; 31 g fat; 32 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Put your large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and start the pork steaks browning in the bacon grease.

Throw everything else in your blender or food processor and run until the chipotles and garlic are pulverized.

When your steaks are browned on both sides, add the glaze to the skillet and flip the steaks to coat on both sides. Cover with a tilted lid and let it cook until the steaks are done through and the glaze has cooked down a little—probably 10 minutes. Serve, scraping all the glaze from the skillet over the steaks.

The recipe tester who tried this recipe raved. He said it was shaping up to be the recipe by which all other recipes are judged!

3 pounds (1.4 kg) country-style pork ribs

2
/
3
cup (160 g) erythritol

1
/
4
cup (40 g) chopped onion

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) chicken broth

2 tablespoons (28 ml) soy sauce

1
/
2
teaspoon ground cinnamon

1
/
2
teaspoon ground ginger

1
/
2
teaspoon ground allspice

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
8
teaspoon cayenne

1
/
8
teaspoon maple extract

3 cloves garlic, crushed

YIELD:
6 servings 383 calories; 29 g fat; 27 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Put the country-style ribs in your slow cooker. Mix together everything else, and pour over the ribs. Cover, and cook on low for 9 hours.

Spareribs are scrumptious, and a cheap, fatty cut that's perfect for us. But sugary barbecue sauce is out, so what to do? I love these, and since they're roasted in the oven, you can have them in January without tending the grill in the snow. They do take time though, so make them on a day when you're puttering around the house.

3 cloves garlic, divided

4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil, divided

3 pounds (1.4 kg) pork spareribs

1 tablespoon (7 g) paprika—smoked paprika is best

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1
/
2
teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1
/
2
teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
2
cup (120 ml) chicken broth

YIELD:
6 servings 493 calories; 43 g fat; 25 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Preheat oven to 325°F (ª°C, or gas mark 3).

Crush 2 cloves of the garlic, and stir into 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Then use clean hands to rub this mixture all over the ribs, coating both sides. Put 'em in a roasting pan.

In a small dish, stir together the seasonings. Remove 1 tablespoon (7 g) of the mixture to a small bowl, and reserve.

Sprinkle the ribs all over with the seasoning mixture that you didn't reserve in the bowl. Cover all sides. Put the ribs in to roast, and set your timer for 25 minutes (a few minutes one way or another won't matter).

While the ribs are roasting, crush the last clove of garlic and add to the reserved spice mixture with the chicken broth and the remaining 3 tablespoons (15 ml) olive oil. Stir to combine. This is your mopping sauce.

When the timer goes off, baste your ribs with the mopping sauce, turning them over as you do so. Stick 'em back in the oven, and set the timer for another 20 minutes.

Repeat for a good 1
1
/
2
to 2 hours; you want your ribs sizzling and brown all over and tender when you pierce them with a fork. Cut into individual ribs to serve.

Try this when you want to have people over after the kids' soccer game. Toss a couple of bags of coleslaw mix with
Coleslaw Dressing
for a cool contrasting accompaniment.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

2
1
/
2
pounds (1.1 kg) boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes

1 can (14
1
/
2
ounces, or 410 g) diced tomatoes with green chiles

1
/
4
cup (40 g) chopped onion

1
/
4
cup (38 g) diced green bell pepper

1 tablespoon (7.5 g) chili powder

1 clove garlic, crushed

Sour cream (optional)

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

YIELD:
8 servings 189 calories; 8 g fat; 25 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Heat the olive oil in your big, heavy skillet, and brown the pork cubes all over. Dump 'em in the slow cooker.

Stir in the tomatoes, onion, pepper, chili powder, and garlic. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack, if you like, but it's darned good as is.

This is about as upscale as a cheeseburger can get. My husband, who generally prefers beef to lamb, thought these were great.

1
/
4
medium onion

2 tablespoons (7 g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 pound (455 g) ground lamb

1 tablespoon (15 g) pesto sauce

1 tablespoon (10 g) chopped garlic

1
/
2
teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons (18 g) pine nuts

3 ounces (85 g) chèvre (goat cheese)

YIELD:
3 servings 578 calories; 47 g fat; 33 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Preheat your electric tabletop grill; I set mine to 350°F (180°C).

Chop your onion, and if your sun-dried tomatoes are in halves rather than prechopped, chop them up, too. Heck, even if they're prechopped, chop them a little more. Throw these things in a mixing bowl.

Add the ground lamb, pesto, garlic, salt, and pepper. Use clean hands to squish it all together until it's well mixed. Form into 3 patties and throw them on the grill. Set a timer for 5 minutes.

While the burgers are cooking, toast your pine nuts in a dry skillet until they're touched with gold.

When your burgers are done, plate them, crumble an ounce (28 g) of chèvre over each one, sprinkle with pine nuts, and then serve.

Once again, a recipe I wrote for the electric tabletop grill, and once again, you can do them in your skillet if you prefer. If you're doing that, make them closer to
1
/
2
inch (1 cm) thick—the grill squishes them down. These have 5 grams of carbs apiece, but they include your vegetables.

1 package (10 ounces, or 280 g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1
/
4
cup (40 g) minced onion

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried basil

1
/
4
teaspoon salt or Vege-Sal

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced fine

1
1
/
4
pounds (570 g) ground lamb

1
/
2
cup (75 g) crumbled feta cheese

1
/
4
cup (15 g) chopped sun-dried tomatoes

12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

YIELD:
6 servings 352 calories; 28 g fat; 20 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber per serving

Make sure your spinach is well drained—I put mine in a strainer and then squeeze it with clean hands. Transfer it to a big bowl, and add the onion, lemon juice, basil, salt, pepper, egg, and garlic. Stir it all up until it's well blended.

Now add the lamb, feta, tomatoes, and olives. Use clean hands to mix everything until it's really well combined. Make 6 burgers, keeping them at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. I like to refrigerate them for at least 20 to 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat your electric tabletop grill. Slap the burgers on the grill, and give 'em 6 to 8 minutes, depending on how well done you want them. I find that the burgers at the back of the grill brown sooner than the burgers at the front; don't be afraid to remove the ones that are done and continue cooking the others to your desired doneness.

This is as good a fast dinner as I've ever made. Throw in a green salad with vinaigrette, crumble in some feta, and you're living large.

1
1
/
2
pounds (680 g) leg of lamb in steaks,
3
/
4
inch (2 cm) thick

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1
/
4
cup (25 g) chopped kalamata olives

2 teaspoons capers

1 clove garlic

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

YIELD:
4 servings 343 calories; 26 g fat; 24 g protein; 1 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber per serving

Coat your large, heavy skillet with nonstick cooking spray and put it over medium-high heat. While it's heating, slash the edges of your lamb steaks to keep them from curling. When the skillet's hot, add the oil, and throw in the steaks. You want to sear them on both sides.

When your steaks are browned on both sides, add the lemon juice, olives, capers, and garlic around and over the steaks. Let the whole thing cook another minute or two, but don't overcook—the lamb should still be pink in the middle. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, carve them into 4 portions, and serve with all the yummy lemon-caper-olive mixture from the skillet scraped over them.

This marinade really complements the flavor of the lamb. And don't fear those anchovies. The results aren't fishy, just very tasty.

3
/
4
pound (340 g) leg of lamb steaks,
1
/
2
inch (1 cm) thick

1
/
2
cup (30 g) chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

1
/
4
teaspoon ground black pepper

1
/
8
teaspoon salt

2 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic, crushed

YIELD:
2 servings 387 calories; 30 g fat; 26 g protein; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving

Put your lamb steak on a plate. Throw everything else in your food processor with the S-blade in place, and pulse to chop the parsley, anchovies, and garlic into a coarse paste. Smear half of the resulting mixture on one side of the steak, turn it, and smear the rest on the other side. Now let the steak sit for at least half an hour—a couple of hours is great.

After marinating, preheat your broiler and broil the lamb close to the heat (with the parsley mixture still all over it) for about 6 minutes per side—it should still be pink in the middle—and serve.

Whether you call it shish kebab or souvlaki, this is just good. Serve with a romaine salad with vinaigrette—
French Vinaigrette
would be fine—and a few olives, a little feta, or both.

1 pound (455 g) boneless leg of lamb, cubed

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) olive oil

1
/
4
cup (60 ml) lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 medium onion

Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

YIELD:
4 servings 290 calories; 20 g fat; 24 g protein; 5 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber per serving (The carb count is high, since you'll throw away some of the marinade. You can afford a small salad.)

Put your lamb cubes in a big resealable plastic bag. Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic and pour over the lamb. Seal the bag, pressing out the air as you go. Turn the bag once or twice to coat, and throw it in the fridge for several hours.

If you plan to use bamboo skewers, put them in water to soak about 30 minutes before cooking time.

Okay, time to decide if you're cooking these under the broiler or outside on your barbecue grill. If you want to cook them over charcoal—certainly a terrific way to go—get your fire going a good 30 minutes before you want to cook.

When dinner rolls around, cut your onion into hunks, and separate into individual layers. Pull out your lamb cubes, and pour off the marinade into a dish.

Thread the lamb cubes onto 4 skewers—I used metal ones. Alternate your lamb chunks with pieces of onion. Keep it compact, with stuff touching, not strung out. When the skewers are full, and all the lamb and onion is used up, sprinkle your kabobs with a little salt and pepper.

Now grill or broil, basting occasionally with the reserved marinade, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until done to your liking—I prefer my lamb to still be a bit pink in the middle. Stop basting with 3 to 4 minutes to go, to make sure any of the raw meat germs in the marinade get killed. Serve 1 skewer per customer.