Tag: low carb

by Veggie Sutra

Low-carb Grain-free Coconut Flake and Multi-Seed Protein Bars

Ever since I heard about Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food by Megan Kimble I wanted to Here’s why.  I constantly worry about the amount of processed, packaged foods we consume these days.  The reason is two-fold:  One, because of the toll it takes on our body due to all the chemicals and two, because of the toll it takes on the environment due to amount of packaging that is used, and the distance food travels to be processed and then shipped to us.  However, I get overwhelmed at the thought of making everything on my own every single time – things we consume regularly like hummus, tofu, nut milk, nut/seed butters, protein bars, as well as things we consume occasionally like roasted chestnuts.

 

 

My dear friend, K, is quite amused at my predicament, and says that it is absolutely not difficult to make everything on your own if you wanted to. But then K is a super woman, truly one of a kind, the kind who will roast and peel chestnuts when they are in season at great anguish to her fingernails.  But me (and others like me) have to deal with using packaged foods for the sheer convenience of it, and keep swatting that worry at the back of our minds.

That is why it is so refreshing to read  “Unprocessed“.  I am still in the middle of it, but I was relieved to see that the first thing Megan Kimble does is to spell out what unprocessed means. At a high level, it is just stuff that she “theoretically” cannot make in her own kitchen.  Phew!!!!  What a relief.  By that definition, I don’t have to worry about buying hummus now as long as the ingredients are basic.

Here’s something that we usually pick up at the store that I whipped up in our kitchen.  V is on a low-carb diet these days and cannot eat most of the store-bought protein bars, which either have too many carbs or too much sugar (same thing by the way).   Hence, this (rather successful) experiment in making them.  I whipped up my own recipe as most of the recipes online had oats or quinoa or some grain as the base

Recipe for Home-made Coconut Flake and Multi-seed Protein Bars

[Printable Recipe]

Dry Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 cup water to make flax-chia egg:
    • 6 Tbsp ground flax seeds
    • 2 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup organic blackstrap molasses

Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 375C
  • Dot a 9×13 inch pan with coconut oil and line with parchment paper
  • Make the flax-chia “egg” by mixing the ground flax seeds and chia seeds with 1 cup water.  Set aside for around 10-15 mins.   Add a bit more water if it becomes too thick.
  • Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.

(I did not add any salt as the Go Raw Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds I used had celtic sea salt added.  You might need to add some if you are using plain pumpkin seeds).

  • Fold in the flax-chia “egg”, coconut oil and molasses until well-combined
  • Pat the mixture in to the tray and smoothen the surface with a flat spatula

  • Bake for 20 minutes
  • When it has cooled a bit, scour in to squares.  Let cool completely and store in an airtight container

It was pretty simple to make, except for the fact that I brought out the whole pantry and used up every healthy ingredient I laid my hands on!  V loved it and meticulously calculated the number of carbs in each bar.  (Turned out the coconut sugar had more sugar than the carbs in all the other ingredients combined.)   However, I expect it will serve as quite a substantial snack after a strenuous hike.  It would also be great for a mid-afternoon snack craving or a grab-and-go breakfast!

by Veggie Sutra

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Stone Ground Mustard and Lemon Wedges

The changing season and freezing nights has brought new produce to our markets here in Northern California.  I am really not sure if brussels sprouts are supposed to be in season now, but we definitely have been finding great brussels sprouts in our markets.   Today’s write up is about those tiny cabbage-like veggies which pack a huge nutritional punch!
V was not at all fond of brussels when I met him but over the years I have converted him to a lover with a variety of preparations.  The simplest dish I make is a quick South Indian stir fry with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chilies and salt.   Amma makes a killer fried rice that V loves as well.  But, in the winter, when I am looking for any excuse to turn on the oven, I typically end up roasting the brussels sprouts in the oven.
Brussels sprouts like cauliflower, cabbage, kale and the like belongs to the brassica family of vegetables that are known for their high nutritional value.   I have heard that some men (yes, only men curiously) find brussels to be slightly bitter.    Maybe that is why V did not like them!  But these days he gobbles up whole bowl-fulls of roasted brussels.
Recipe for Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with Stone Ground Mustard and Lemon Wedges
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb of brussels sprouts, washed, outer leaves removed and sliced in to halves
  • 4 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp stone ground mustard
  • A pinch salt to taste
  • 2 medium lemons, sliced in to wedges
Method:
  • Pre-heat oven to 400F
  • In a large bowl toss the brussels sprouts with oil, mustard, and salt
  • Layer in a baking pan and distribute the lemon wedges on top
  • Bake for 45 mins to an hour until the sprouts have charred slightly and caramelized – the caramelizing helps remove the bitter taste
  • Serve warm
 The roasted lemon rind adds a slightly bitter contrasting flavor to the sweetness of the caramelized brussels sprouts and the spiciness of the mustard.   All in all, this recipe will prove to be a crowd pleaser and is a great side dish to serve for holiday dinners!
by Veggie Sutra

Tandoori Roasted Cauliflower

We have talked about the wonderful year-round Sunnyvale Farmers Market in an earlier post.   The seasons have changed now and the early onslaught of summer has brought a burst of color to the market.  The drought apparently has made the fruits sweeter, small consolation prize for the brown hills and dry waterfalls in California for the fourth year in a row.   Being an eternal optimist, I do hold fervent hope that the coming winter will be a really wet one, but we have 5 more months to go before that!

Sunnyvale Farmers Market

Meanwhile in this warm weather, strawberries, peppers and tomatoes are abundant in the market.  So are fresh flowers like these beautiful sunflowers.

Sunnyvale Farmers Market

V and I are continuing to do intermittent fasting every other week as it is known to provide several health benefits.  On the day of fasting, we eat steamed or lightly saute’ed vegetables for lunch and a fruit salad for dinner.   This week, the menu featured a rather special dish.  Isn’t there something about roasting cauliflower that brings amazing layers of flavor to this simple vegetable?  The deep caramel notes and the sweetness just isn’t there in steamed or sauteed cauliflower.

Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

We got this lip-smackingly good recipe from the gentle, erudite Dr. A, who is an excellent cook in addition to being one of the most caring human beings we have known. Her dinner parties are always warm, cozy affairs, and I remember that the conversation on that day veered towards my laments on the unaffordability of housing in the San Francisco Bay Area which is driving all the artists and teachers away.  Dr. A’s beautiful daughter, who currently lives in London, told us about council housing in almost every neighborhood there.  I wish they would do something about the housing in the Bay Area, otherwise what a fine, uncultured mess we would be in without teachers and artists.

Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

Coming back to the dinner, I have learnt from Dr. A that dinner parties need not be elaborate affairs with several complex dishes, but can feature two or three dishes that go well together served with a staple such as rice or bread.  One can truly savor the individual dishes more, and not be overwhelmed with too many tasting choices.

Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

Recipe for Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower
Adapted for a vegan kitchen from Dr. A’s original recipe
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cauliflower
  • 1/2 can of coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp tandoori masala (or regular garam masala) (You can also find either one at an ethnic Indian grocery store)
  • Salt to taste
  • About 4 Tbsp of coconut oil for basting (Trader Joe’s carries an organic coconut oil although I haven’t tried it yet)
Method:
  • Cut the cauliflower in to large florets and place in a large pyrex bowl with a lid
  • Combine the coconut milk, tandoori masala (or garam masala) and salt to taste and pour it over the cauliflower
  • Shake to coat all the florets evenly and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight or at least for a few hours
  • Remove the florets one by one from the marinade and place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil making sure they don’t overlap as much as possible.  (You may have some left over marinade at the bottom of the vessel, add it to a stew or use it to make an aioli.)
  • Dot the florets generously with coconut oil
  • Bake at 400F for 30 mins until browned
  • Just before serving, put it under the broiler on high for 3-5 minutes for the char
Note: Use yogurt instead of coconut milk, and ghee instead of coconut oil if you are not vegan as in the original recipe.  Optionally add a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste to the marinade as well.
Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower

The cauliflower along with another sauteed vegetable dish filled us up quite nicely on our intermittent fasting day.   What method of fasting would you go for?

by Veggie Sutra

Edamame Spaghetti with Asparagus: A low-carb dinner entree

Even though it is right in our backyard, it seems it has been a a long time since we hung out in Berkeley, CA.   The first time we went there, V was running a half-marathon the day after and was in a mood to carb-load; so we went to Cha-Ya.  This is a Japanese restaurant, serving “shojin ryori“, vegetarian cuisine that originated in the Zen Buddhist temples in Kyoto.  I remember that he got a big pot of udon noodles with a very flavorful broth loaded with vegetables  Yesterday we ordered soba noodles with seaweed and mountain vegetables and mushrooms and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Speaking of carb-load, V has been trying to cut down on carbs and he eats salads for lunch and dinner a few times a week.  He is deeply engrossed in a book called The South Asian Health Solution by Dr. Ronesh Sinha.  Dr. Sinha’s contention is that the South Asian diet is very carb-heavy and he offers several practical alternatives which fit in a typical menu.  V met Dr. Sinha at a seminar the doctor gave and got a copy of the book.  Unlike V, I am not as open-minded and quick-to-jump on new diet regimens, but even I found Dr. Sinha’s suggestions common sense-based and easy to adopt.

Edamame Spaghetti with Asparagus and Green Peppers

As for me, I am not a big fan of eating salads for dinner although I will happily do salads for lunch.  It is my belief that cooked foods are more easily digested before bed time.  So, when V and I were browsing in Costco the other day and saw something called Organic Edamame Spaghetti, we were intrigued.  On inspection, we found that it has a high dose of protein with low carbs indeed!  Mission accomplished!

Recipe for Edamame Spaghetti with Asparagus and Green Peppers
Inspired by the low carb diet recommended in The South Asian Health Solution by Dr. Ronesh Sinha
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients

  • 3 fistfuls of Organic Edamame Spaghetti (you can get this in Costco in bulk or from amazon.com as well)
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • About 4 Tbsp of chopped walnuts for garnish
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 Tbsp crushed dried red pepper (optional)
  • 2 green bell peppers or Anaheim peppers, cut in to 1 inch pieces
  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut in to 1 inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • About 2 Tbsp of chopped basil (or parsley) for garnish
Organic Edamame Spaghetti from Costco
Method:
  • Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a little salt and throw the spaghetti in.  The edamame spaghetti takes only 4-5 minutes.  Drain, run cold water on it and set aside.  (Follow the directions on the package for any other kind of spaghetti.)
  • In a medium pan, heat the olive oil
  • Roast the walnuts in the oil, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside for garnish
  • Add the minced garlic and saute for about 2 mins until the oil is fragrant
  • Add the crushed dried red chilies if using and saute for a minute
  • Add the green peppers and saute for 4-5 minutes and then add the asparagus to the same oil and saute for around 5 minutes until the asparagus is bright green and crisp
  • Now add the drained spaghetti and toss and switch the heat off
  • Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper 
  • Garnish with chopped basil (or parsley) and walnuts and serve warm

Edamame Spaghetti with Asparagus and Green Peppers

Definitely a tasty low-carb dinner that V totally got behind!   Our mission is to find more low-carb dinner options to bring to the table!  Suggestions?