1001 Low-Carb Recipes: Hundreds of Delicious Recipes From Dinner to Dessert That Let You Live Your Low-Carb Lifestyle and Never Look Back (94 page)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce

3 tablespoons (45 ml) peanut or canola oil

½ medium onion, sliced

½ cup (60 g) shredded carrots

2 cups (300 g) frozen cross-cut green beans, thawed

Guar or xanthan

Slice the beef thin across the grain and put it in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine the sesame oil, white wine vinegar, Splenda, and ½ teaspoon of the orange extract and pour over the beef. Press the air out of the bag, seal, and turn it over a few times to coat the beef. Throw the bag in the fridge for a few hours, and all day won’t hurt. This would be a good time to pull the green beans out of the freezer to thaw, too!

Okay, it’s dinnertime. Pull the beef out of the fridge and pour off the marinade into a little bowl. Stir the soy sauce and the rest of the orange extract into the marinade bring it to a boil, and have this waiting by the stove.

Put a big, heavy skillet or a wok, if you have one, over highest heat and add the oil. When it’s hot, throw in the beef and stir-fry it until all the pink is gone. Remove from the skillet to a bowl or plate. Add a little more oil, if needed, and let it heat. Throw in the onion, carrots, and green beans and stir-fry until they’re just tender-crisp. Add the beef back to the skillet or wok, stir in the boiled marinade, thicken a tiny bit with guar or xanthan if you think it needs it, and serve alone or over Cauliflower Rice (page 212).

Yield:
4 servings

Each with 20 g protein; 10 g carbohydrate; 2 g dietary fiber; 8 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Cauliflower Rice.

True bulgogi is a popular Korean dish made with very thin sheets of sliced beef. That’s time-consuming, so we’re using good old steak, and boy, the results are spectacular!

1½ pounds (680 g) tender, well-marbled steaks, ½ inch (1.3 cm) thick—sirloin, rib eye, strip, whatever you like

¼ medium onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic or 4 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (3 g) Splenda

1 teaspoon pepper

A few dashes hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted sesame oil

Preheat the broiler.

Put the onion, garlic, soy sauce, Splenda, pepper, hot pepper sauce, and sesame oil in a food processor with the S-blade in place and run it until the onion is pulverized. Reserve some of this liquid for basting.

Place the steaks on a plate and pour the remaining seasoning mixture over them, turning them so that they’re coated on both sides. Let the steaks sit for a minute and then place them on a broiler rack. Broil the steaks as close to the heat as possible until they’re done to your liking— 4½ to 5 minutes per side is right for me. When you’re turning the steaks, baste with some of the reserved seasoning mixture, using a clean utensil each time.

Yield:
4 servings

Calculations show 4 grams per serving and a trace of fiber, but that would only be true if you consumed all of the seasoning mixture, which you won’t. Figure closer to 2 grams of carbs and 26 grams of protein.

This is different and good. Because quite a lot of the carbs in artichokes are in the form of inulin, a very low-impact carb, this is even easier on your blood sugar than the carb count would suggest.

1½ pounds (680 g) boneless beef—Sirloin or chuck are fine.

8 slices bacon

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) cider vinegar

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon minced garlic or 1 clove garlic, crushed

1 can (14 ounces, or 400 g) quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Lay the bacon on a microwave bacon rack or in a glass pie plate. Microwave on high for 8 minutes.

While the bacon is cooking, slice the beef as thinly as you can and then cut across the strips a couple of times so they’re no more than 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) long. (This is easiest if the meat is partly frozen.) Slice up the onion now, to.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat and start stir-frying the beef and onion. When the pink is gone from the beef, add the vinegar, Splenda, pepper, garlic, and artichoke hearts and let the whole thing simmer for 5 minutes or so.

Check on the bacon while the beef is simmering. If it’s not crisp yet, cook it another minute or so.

Divide the beef mixture between 6 serving plates or bowls and crumble about a strip and a half of bacon over each portion before serving.

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 9 grams of carbohydrates and 4 grams of fiber, for a total of 5 grams of usable carbs and 23 grams of protein.

1 pound (455 g) beef round roast, trimmed

½ cup (120 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

About 16 stuffed green olives

½ medium onion

Salt and pepper

Cut the beef into cubes about 1½ inches (4 cm) square. Put them in a nonreactive bowl or in a large resealable plastic bag. Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and garlic. Reserve some marinade for basting and pour the rest over the beef cubes. If you’re using a bowl, stir the whole thing up to coat the cubes. If you’re using a resealable plastic bag, press out the air, seal it, and turn it a few times to coat. Either way, throw the beef in the fridge and let it marinate for at least a few hours. If you’re going to use bamboo skewers, this is a good time to put them in water to soak, too.

When it’s time to cook, first get a fire going. You’ll want to set a gas grill on medium or let coals get well covered with ash.

Now, pull out the beef cubes, the olives, and the half onion. Cut the onion half into quarters. Separate the onion into its separate layers. Drain the marinade off of the beef cubes. Skewer a beef cube, then an olive, then a layer of onion, then a beef cube, and so forth. Build all three skewers evenly. Sprinkle the kebabs lightly with salt and pepper.

Fire ready? Throw the kebabs on the grill and cook for about 7 to 10 minutes per side. Baste a few times with the reserved marinade, using a clean utensil each time. You want them cooked through but still a little pink in the center.

Yield:
3 servings

Each serving will have 5 grams of carbohydrate and 1 gram of fiber, for a usable carb count of 4 grams; 34 grams of protein.

2 pounds (910 g) beef round, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

2 medium carrots, cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick

2 turnips, cubed

12 ounces (360 ml) light beer

¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons (4.5 g) Splenda

¼ teaspoon blackstrap molasses

1 cup (240 ml) beef broth

2 teaspoons beef bouillon concentrate

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon pepper

2 bay leaves

Guar or xanthan

In a big, heavy skillet over high heat, sear the beef all over in the oil. Place the beef in a slow cooker. Add the onion, carrots, and turnips and stir everything around a bit.

In a bowl, mix together the beer, vinegar, Splenda, molasses, broth, bouillon, garlic, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. Throw the bay leaves on top. Cover the slow cooker, set it to low, and let it cook for 8 hours.

When the time’s up, remove the bay leaves and add guar or xanthan to thicken the sauce a bit.

You can serve this as is, or to be more traditional, serve it over Fauxtatoes (page 209).

Yield:
6 servings

Each with 34 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 2 g dietary fiber, 8 g usable carbs. Analysis does not include Fauxtatoes.

1 pound (455 g) steak, 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick—Rib eye, sirloin, or T-bone would all be fine.

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter, divided

2 tablespoons (20 g) minced onion

1 cup (240 ml) beef broth

½ teaspoon beef bouillon granules

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic

1½ ounces (45 ml) bourbon

Guar or xanthan

1½ teaspoons coarsely ground pepper

1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil

Melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Sauté 4 or 5 minutes until it’s just turning golden.

Add beef broth, bouillon granules, pepper, garlic, and bourbon and let the whole thing boil until it’s reduced by about half. Thicken just a little with guar or xanthan—you want it about the texture of heavy cream—right before you serve the steak.

While the sauce is cooking down, sprinkle the pepper evenly over both sides of the steak and press it into the surface. Put a big, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining butter and oil. As soon as the butter and oil are hot, throw in the steak. Assuming the steak is 1¼ inches (3 cm) thick, I think 6½ minutes per side is about right—that gives me a steak that’s medium-rare—but cook it to your liking. Serve with the whiskey

Yield:
3 servings

Each with 26 g protein; 3 g carbohydrate; trace dietary fiber; 3 g usable carbs.

I adore steak and I adore guacamole—the combination is fantastic.

1½ to 2 pounds (680 to 910 g) well-marbled steak (sirloin, rib eye, or the like), 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to 3 cm) thick

Olive oil

Guacamole (page 59)

Salt and pepper

Rub a couple of teaspoons of olive oil on either side of the steak.

Arrange your broiler so you can get the steak so close that it’s almost but not quite touching the broiling element. (I have to put my broiler pan on top of a skillet turned upside down to do this.) Turn the broiler to high and get that steak in there. Leave the oven door open—this is crucial. For a 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick steak, set the oven timer for 5 to 5½ minutes; for a 1½-inch (3-cm) thick steak, you can go up to 6 minutes.

When the timer beeps, quickly flip the steak, and set the timer again. Check at this point to see if your time seems right. If you like your steak a lot rarer or more well-done than I do or if you have a different brand of broiler, you may need to adjust how long you broil the second side for.

When the timer goes off again, get that steak out of there quickly and put it on a serving plate. Spread each serving of steak with a heaping tablespoon of guacamole and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Yield:
The number of servings will depend on the size of your steak

The guacamole will add 4 grams of carbohydrates and 1 gram of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs. You’ll also get 275 milligrams of potassium.

Talk about your old-time comfort food! Our tester said she’d happily pay for this in a restaurant.

2 pounds (910 g) ground round

¼ cup (25 g) oat bran

¼ cup (20 g) crushed pork rinds

4 tablespoons (60 ml) heavy cream, divided

½ cup (80 g) minced onion, divided