1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (110 page)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Just plop everything into a mixing bowl—do make sure your onion is pretty finely minced or your burgers will want to crumble on you—and use clean hands to smoosh it all together until it’s well blended. Form into 6 burgers about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Chill them for an hour before grilling; then grill over a medium fire for 7 to 10 minutes per side. Serve with Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce (follows).

Yield:
6 servings

Exclusive of the sauce, each will have 4 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 3 grams; 26 grams protein.

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

½ cup (60 g) shredded cucumber

1 cup (230 g) plain yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon salt

1 pinch ground cumin

1 pinch coriander

4 tablespoons (16 g) chopped cilantro

Plunk the shredded cucumber into a strainer over a bowl or in the sink to let some moisture drain out of it. Open the yogurt and pour off any whey (clear liquid) that’s gathered. Dump the yogurt into a bowl and add the garlic, salt, cumin, and coriander. Now go back to the cucumber and press it with clean hands or the back of a spoon to get most of the water out. Add the drained cucumber into the bowl with the yogurt and stir everything up. Add the cilantro, stir again, and serve with Kofta Burgers or anything curried.

Yield:
6 servings.

Each serving will have 3 grams of carb—actually closer to 2, if you use the GO-Diet’s figure of 4 grams per cup of plain yogurt—a trace of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Don’t bother grinding your own lamb in your food processor; I tried this, and it came out a bit gristly. Buy ground lamb, instead. If you can’t find ground lamb at your grocery store, ask the nice meat guy.

1 pound (455 g) ground lamb

¼ large sweet red onion

2 cloves garlic or 1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1½ tablespoons (23 ml) soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

2 tablespoons (30 ml) orange juice

2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped cilantro

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Preheat an electric tabletop grill.

Either chop the red onion and the garlic to a medium-fine consistency in a food processor using the S-blade or cut up with a knife. Then put them, the lamb, cumin, soy sauce, orange zest, orange juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper in
a big bowl. Using clean hands, smoosh everything together until it’s all very well blended. Form the mixture into 4 burgers and put them on the grill. Cook for 7 minutes and serve.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 3 grams of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 20 grams of protein.

I invented this for a quick lunch for my husband one day when there just happened to be a hunk of lamb in the fridge that needed to be used. It was so good, I decided it was worth repeating.

1 pound (455 g) lean lamb, cut in ½-inch (1.3-cm) cubes

3 tablespoons (42 g) butter

1 tablespoon (6 g) curry powder

1 clove garlic 1 large onion

Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the curry powder and stir for a minute or so.

Add the garlic, onion, and lamb. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 7 minutes or until the lamb is cooked through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 5 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 31 grams of protein.

This dish is very simple and very Greek. Add a Greek salad, and there’s dinner.

2 pounds (910 g) lean lamb, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) lemon juice

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon dried oregano

2 small onions, quartered

Put the lamb cubes into a large resealable plastic bag.

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest over the lamb cubes in the bag. Refrigerate it for an hour or two (or overnight, if possible).

When it’s time to cook dinner, take out the lamb and pour off the marinade. Thread the lamb chunks on skewers, alternating the pieces of meat with a “layer” or two of the onion. You can grill these, if you like, or broil them 8 inches (20 cm) or so from the broiler. Turn the kebabs while they’re cooking and brush once or twice with the reserved marinade using a clean utensil each time. Check for doneness by cutting into a chunk of meat after 10 minutes; they should be done within 15 minutes.

Yield:
I get 6 skewers from this

Each with 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 31 grams of protein.

Serve this with a cucumber-tomato salad for a Middle Eastern feast.

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless lamb (leg or shoulder)

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

½ cup (120 ml) red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 medium onion

Salt and pepper

Cut the lamb into cubes about 1½ inches (4 cm) square. Put them in a nonreactive bowl or in a large resealable plastic bag. Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and cumin. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest over the lamb cubes. If using a bowl, stir to make sure cubes are coated. If using a bag, press out the air, seal the bag, and turn it a few times to coat. Either way, let the lamb marinate for at least several hours. If you’re going to use bamboo skewers, this is a good time to put them in water to soak. You’ll need 4 skewers.

Okay, dinnertime has rolled around. Get a fire going—you’ll want to set a gas grill at medium-low or let charcoal cook down pretty well. While that’s happening, let’s make kebabs.

Peel the onion and cut it into quarters, then into eighths, and separate it into the individual layers. Drain the lamb cubes. Skewer a lamb cube, then a layer of onion, then another lamb cube, and so forth, filling all four skewers evenly. Sprinkle the kebabs with salt and pepper and throw them on the fire. Grill the skewers slowly. Turn often and baste with the reserved marinade, using a clean utensil each time, until the meat is well done and tender—at least 20 minutes.

Yield:
4 servings

If you consume all the marinade, each serving will have 5 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber. Since you don’t, I’d count 3 grams per kebab, and 35 grams of protein.

This is a fairly authentic Indian dish, and it is quite hot! Feel free to halve the red pepper if you like it milder.

1 pound (455 g) lean lamb

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons grated ginger

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons pepper

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup (115 g) plain yogurt

½ head cauliflower, in small florets

Salt to taste

Trim the lamb well and cut it into ½- to 1-inch (1.3- to 2.5-cm) cubes.

Put it in a mixing bowl and add the garlic, ginger, red pepper, cumin, and pepper. Stir to coat
all the lamb cubes evenly and let the lamb sit in this dry marinade for at least 15 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Now add the onion and sauté until it’s translucent and turning golden. Stir in the yogurt until smooth. Now add the lamb cubes and stir to coat. Let this cook on low heat until the lamb cubes are no longer pink and all excess water has cooked off the yogurt.

Now add 1 cup (240 ml) water and let the lamb simmer until the liquid is reduced by half and the lamb cubes are quite tender. Stir in the cauliflower, cover, and let the whole thing simmer for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Uncover, simmer another 5 minutes to boil off extra liquid, and season with salt to taste. Serve.

Yield:
3 to 4 servings

Assuming 3, each will have 24 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 7 g usable carbs.

This authentically Spanish skillet dish is quick, easy, and tasty.

16 ounces (455 g) lamb leg (Cutting up a lamb steak or two is good.)

¼ cup (40 g) chopped onion

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice

Cut the lamb into strips—make sure it’s well trimmed of fat. In a big, heavy skillet over high heat, start sautéing the lamb and onion in the olive oil. When the lamb is getting browned all over, stir in the garlic, paprika, and lemon juice.

Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let the whole thing simmer for about 15 minutes— check once or twice to make sure your pan hasn’t gone dry and add just a little water if it’s threatening to. Serve over Cauliflower Rice (page 212) if you like, but this is just fine the way it is.

Yield:
2 to 3 servings

Assuming 3, each will have 22 g protein; 4 g carbohydrate; 1 g dietary fiber; 3 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Cauliflower Rice.

This dish is rich, different, and good!

1 pound (455 g) lamb leg or shoulder, thinly sliced and cut into strips

½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

½ medium onion, sliced

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

½ red bell pepper, sliced into small strips 1-pound (455-g) bag triple-washed fresh spinach

¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Guar or xanthan

4 tablespoons (35 g) toasted pine nuts

Over high heat, start sautéing the lamb, garlic, and onion in the olive oil. When the pinkness has faded from the lamb, add the red bell pepper.

When the lamb is cooked through and the onion is limp, add the spinach. You may have to add it in two or three batches to keep it from overwhelming your skillet, but it wilts quite quickly. Stir until the spinach is just barely limp. Don’t overcook!

Stir in the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste (I like plenty of pepper in this) and thicken the pan juices with a sprinkle of guar or xanthan, if desired. Top each serving with a tablespoon (9 g) of toasted pine nuts and serve.

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 20 grams of protein.

Lamb makes a wonderful Sunday dinner roast. If you don’t want to roast a whole leg of lamb at once because it’s a lot of meat, ask the butcher to cut one leg into two roasts. Make half now and freeze the other half for another day.

Leg of lamb, with or without the bone in

1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine