Category Archives: Low Carb

Homemade Corned Beef

I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/home_made_corned_beef.html

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Product Review – Lowrey’s Bacon Curls

LOOK! Low Carb Food Storage Item! These are so tasty!

My Atkins Keto Journey

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My mom is a Dollar Store fanatic.  She’s always shopping at this one or that one and gets all excited when a new one shows up.  We eat very specific foods (as you can imagine) so I don’t really shop at those stores (if we ate nothing but cereal and crackers, we’d save tons of money at those stores).  Anyway, she insisted I try Dollar General (a whole mess of them have popped up all over town).  So I went and look what I found!  I had no idea these things even existed!  It’s pork rinds that you cook in the microwave, like pop corn.  For $1/bag, it couldn’t hurt to try one.

So, after sitting there for about a week, hubby decides it’s time to try them.  He puts it in the microwave (which has always been too small for all things cooked in bags like this) and they…

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Carnitas

I can’t believe I had not posted my Carnitas recipe before. You have to try it!

My Atkins Keto Journey

Is it my imagination or am I wrong? I could have sworn I posted how I make carnitas! I searched and searched both blogs (and Lord knows it is like pulling teeth to find anything on Facebook if you posted something more than a week ago) and I can’t find it. I’m shocked! Well, here it is. I originally was making it closer to original (frying the meat in lard first) but one of hubby’s co-workers said we were working too hard. So, now this is how I make carnitas. I make up a whole bunch and, if we don’t eat it all within a couple of meals, I throw the excess in the freezer (if it’s a lot, I portion them out in sandwich bags then store those in a freezer bag).

  • Pork Butt roast
  • Chicken broth
  • Maybe salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Remove…

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Chile Rellenos

This is my mom’s recipe for chile rellenos.  She usually uses Ortega canned chiles but these are so good with freshly roasted and peeled peppers!

Chile Rellenos (4 rellenos, serves two)

  • 4 Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled (canned Ortegas work OK)
  • 3-4 oz. Monterrey jack cheese (or whatever kind of cheese you prefer)
  • Red Chile Sauce (or canned chile enchilada sauce)
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • a pinch of salt

In a large frying pan, heat  approximately 1/2-inch of oil on medium high.

Remove the chiles from the can.  Rinse and dry thoroughly (if using freshly roasted chiles, be sure to thoroughly dry them).  Stuff the chiles with the cheese.  Beat the whites of the eggs until stiff but not dry; mix salt and yolks, then fold in the yolks, being sure not to deflate the egg whites.

Dip the stuffed chile in the egg mixture, ensuring it is completely coated.  Slowly add to the hot oil.  Cook on one side until lightly brown, then turn.  Cook for another minute or so.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  To serve, place on a plate and spoon warm Red Chile Sauce over each relleno.

To make these extra wonderful, cube some pork roast, brown lightly, then stew in the Red Chile Sauce.  Spoon this over the rellenos.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    233.1, Total Fat    14.6 g, Cholesterol    267.7 mg, Sodium    458 mg, Total Carbohydrate    11.3 g (Dietary Fiber    2.8 g, Sugars    4.3 g), Protein    14.7 g, Vitamin A    75.7 %,  Vitamin C    16.8 %,  Calcium    3.5 %

Red Chile Sauce

 

This, though we usually use canned (La Victoria), is what we use for enchiladas.  We always have.  So, when I was looking for an actual recipe to make our own and most of the recipes out there call for tomato sauce I just about flipped out!  LOL!

http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_circulars/Circ533.html

Red Chile Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

Red chile salsa (sauce) can be made from dried chile pods.

Select dry chile pods in optimum condition. Do not use pods with signs of mold, insect infestation, disease, or decay. (Chile pods from ristras sprayed with plastic, shellac, or insecticide are not edible and are to be used for decorative purposes only.)

Remove stems, seeds, and yellow veins from chile pods. Twelve to 14 large chile pods yield about 1 pint of chile puree. Leave the veins if a more pungent product is desired. Wash pods in warm water, lifting pods out of the water and changing the water several times.

Place washed chile pods in a pan and cover with warm water for 1/2-1 hour to allow pods to rehydrate. Add warm water as needed. Simmer pods and water for 10 minutes. Pulp should be soft, thick, and separating from the skin. Place chile pods and some of the water in a blender and blend until a smooth puree is obtained. Run puree through a sieve or colander to remove any unwanted peeling bits.
Measure:
1 c. chile puree
1 c. water
1 minced garlic clove (optional)
1/2 t. salt
2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. crushed oregano leaves (optional)

In a sauce pan mix chile puree, water, garlic, salt, and fat. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add oregano and simmer another 5-7 minutes. This yields 1 pint or enough for four servings of enchiladas of three tortillas each.  Store left-over salsa or puree in the freezer for later use.

Nutrition Facts

Calories    54.2,  Total Fat    5.1 g,  Sodium    458.5 mg,  Potassium    4.1 mg,  Total Carbohydrate    2.1 g ( Dietary Fiber 0.3 g,  Sugars 0.4),  Protein    0.2 g, Vitamin A    18.8 %, Vitamin C    3.3 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Krazy Salt and Atkins

Yesterday I was on a mission.  After going to 6 different thrift stores, I found the 1972 edition of Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution (actually a reprint from 1990 but NOT updated).  I have been so curious exactly what the differences are between the original way of eating to what is being taught now.  So far, the difference is night and day.  I will probably do a post comparing and contrasting the two after I finish reading the 1972 version.

Well, I was flipping through the recipes in the back of the book and one ingredient smacked me in the head: Krazy Mixed-Up Salt.  I have never heard of this and looking online, I still really don’t know what it is.  From what I can gather, it’s basically Seasoned Salt with more seasonings.  Since I have never heard of Krazy Salt before I can’t judge whether this is a good substitute but it sounds awfully good to me!

http://www.food.com/recipe/Crazy-Salt-191455

Ingredients

  •  1/4 cup sea salt
  •  1 teaspoon dried dill weed
  •  1 teaspoon black pepper
  •  1 teaspoon onion powder
  •  1 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon curry powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  •  1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika or 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or 1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
  •  1/4 teaspoon sage
  •  1/4 teaspoon oregano
  •  1/4 teaspoon marjoram
  •  1/4 teaspoon parsley
  •  2 teaspoons lemon zest or 2 teaspoons orange zest or 2 teaspoons lime zest

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in your food blender or coffee grinder. Blend until it is a fine powder.

Stevia

I have just started my journey with stevia.  The one plant I got a few months ago (I need more) just isn’t enough for all the experimenting I need to do in order to fully incorporate this wonderful plant into my diet.  From all the reading I have been doing, it seems the best way to use the stevia plant as a sweetener is as an extract.  This E-How article explains it perfectly:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2083187_make-stevia-extract.html

It seems the key to eliminate the bitterness is to limit the time the plant material is in the alcohol.  While there are directions out there that use water instead of alcohol, it seems the alcohol pulls out the sweet elements of the plant more efficiently.

So, once I have the extract, how will I use it?  I found this conversion in this .pdf:

http://www.itascanaturopathicclinic.com/Stevia___FOS_Recipes_00000.pdf

Now, I did make a coffee drink with stevia (this is where my leaves have gone so far) but I tripled the amount of stevia called for and it still wasn’t sweet enough for me (so I added a little Splenda).  It also uses water, which from what I’ve read does not extract enough sweetness.  Here’s the coffee drink:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/bulk-herb-store/iced-coffee-sugar-free-and-delicious/10150263228642086

So, onward and upward.  I will be purchasing a few more stevia plants this week and we’ll see how things go!