Mayonado Dip

I usually keep the ingredients around the house for this favorite creation.  We call this one MAYONADO.  Nothing like coining your own words!  So I fixed this favorite to stand in as our salad to have with our Italian Bolognese Penne Bake tonight.   My husband brought home 6 avocados from the grocery store this afternoon that were discounted because they were already getting pretty ripe and one was past its prime.  I knew I needed to use that one tonight! 

I’ve combined mayonnaise with avocado for various purposes but never added Ranch® style flavoring to the mélange before this creation.  Man, is that ever good!  This dip is great on cucumber slices, but would be great for dipping cherry tomatoes, raw cauliflower, broccoli flowerets, sliced yellow squash, zucchini slices, carrot & celery sticks.  It would make a tasty dip for fried chicken strips or French fries, too.  The shawarma spice really adds something special and then the Ranch® seasoning………….well……takes it to a whole new level  This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly and suitable for all keto diets, Primal and Paleo.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small avocado, peeled and pitted

6 T. my homemade Shawarma mayonnaise

1 oz. yellow or white onion

Dash salt

few drops lemon or lime juice to prevent discoloring of the avocado

1 T. my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend

DIRECTIONS:  Peel and seed the avocado.  Place the flesh into a blender or processor with all the other ingredients.  Pulse until it it smooth.   Serve any of the above mentioned ways or get creative and think of new applications for this delightful concoction!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 10 T.  Each tablespoon contains:

90.4 cals, 9.2g fat, 4.29g carbs, 2.08g fiber, 2.21g NET CARBS, 0.62g protein, 19 mg sodium

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Spicy Tuna Pâté

This is what got me through the first 2 weeks of my low-carb journey.  It’s very tasty and filling as well.  If you like things spicy, add even more spice than I indicate below.  A little Chipotle Tobasco® is also good in this spread.  This is very good on my Almond-Arrowroot Crackers or dipped up with celery or carrot sticks.  This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

3   2-oz. foil pouches oil-pack tuna (or 5 oz. can tuna, drained)

1 stick butter, unsalted, softened (4 oz.)

½ c. chopped parsley

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you’re adventurous) or ¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

20 drops Chipotle Tobasco®

DIRECTIONS:   Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until well mixed.  Garnish with a sprinkle more of the spice blend.  Serve with celery sticks or your favorite low-carb crackers.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings.  ¼ batch contains:

286 calories, 26.3g fat, 1g carbs, 0.25g fiber, 0.75g NET CARBS, 12g protein, 149 mg sodium

 

Ranch® Buttermilk Dressing (or dip)

I came up with a homemade version of Ranch® Dressing for my husband, who just loves it on salads.  I think my version tastes better than what is sold in the bottle (which I actually don’t like), so it’s clearly not exactly the same.  But it’s pretty good and has no unhealthy ingredients.  It’s lighter on salt, too, which I like.

I’m not too fond of dill, so I tend to reduce it in most recipes.  But my husband LOVES dill and likes more in recipes, thus the range of dill shown in the Ranch® Powder recipe linked below.  I basically used equal amounts of the herbs I selected except the dill and thyme.  A tablespoon of thyme would have been way too much!   This dressing is super yummy!  Try it and see if you don’t agree it’s even better than the famous bottled stuff!  As you well know, this also makes an excellent dip for raw vegetable party trays.  All you have to do for the dip is increase the sour cream to make it thicker.  You’ll have to recalculate carbs to add in the extra sour cream.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. homemade mayonnaise

3/4 c. sour cream (add ¼ c. more if using as a veggie dip)

¼ c. buttermilk (only 2 T. if using as a veggie dip)

1 T. my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:  1/8 tsp. glucomannan powder if you like a thicker dressing

DIRECTIONS:  Measure the first 3 ingredients into a medium bowl.  Whisk well to blend to a smooth mixture.  Add my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend, vinegar and salt and whisk a couple minutes until the herb mixture is thoroughly blended in.  If using the glucomannan thickener, whisk it in last.  Transfer to a saved empty plastic dressing bottle (I always keep and wash them for homemade dressings) if you have one, or a lidded jar.  Close tightly and chill.  Serve on crisp green salads or as a dip for raw veggies.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes two cups or eight ¼ c. servings, each contains:

251 cals, 26.8g fat, 1.81g carbs, 0.1g fiber, 1.71g NET CARBS, 1.72g protein, 66 mg sodium

Hummus

When I make Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad I usually want some hummus to go along with it.  Being made from basically chickpeas, this is far from a low-carbers “safe” food to eat.  But I recently I saw where some make it with cauliflower for much lower carb count.   But when I tried it myself, I added just a few cooked chick peas for the flavor boost.  Very good that way.  Next trial, I used a little chickpea flour I keep in my pantry.   Much better than opening a whole can of chickpeas for just a few.

Man, if you’re craving hummus, this is really good.  I honestly couldn’t really tell it apart from the carb-laden variety made with all chickpeas!   This recipe is not suitable until the legumes rung of the OWL ladder.  The bread sticks pictured are made from 1 slice of my focaccia bread

NOTE:  This hummus is not so great leftover.  The cauliflower taste gets much stronger on day 2.  So only make up as much as you think will get consumed completely the day you make it.  I recommend making a half recipe the first time around to be sure you like and can eat it all.  

INGREDIENTS: 

16 oz. cauliflower

2 T. tahini paste (sesame seed butter)

2 T. chickpea flour (or ¼ c. cooked chickpeas. mashed up well)

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ clove garlic, minced

dash salt

1 T. olive oil (for the hummus mixture)

¼ c. olive oil for top garnish

Dash paprika for garnish

parsley sprig to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:   Steam cauliflower over boiling water until tender.  Lift out of pot and put into food processor.  Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the ¼ c. olive oil, paprika and parsley sprig.  Blend until smooth.  Scrape out onto serving dish.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Drizzle with ¼ c. olive oil, allowing some to pool around the edges.  Garnish with sprig of parsley (or chopped) and serve with your favorite low-carb breadsticks or crackers.  I personally love this stuff best when served with Tabouleh Salad and black or kalamata olives.  The flavors are wonderful together!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes about 2 cups or around five servings.  Each serving contains:

196 cals, 17.76 g fat, 8.04 g carbs, 3.16 g fiber, 4.88 g NET CARBS, 3.46 g protein, minimal sodium.  Check out the other nutrients:  70% RDA Vitamin C, 18% B6, 16% E, 20% copper, 16% iron, 18% manganese, 15% phosphorous, and 14% thiamin.  A veritable medicine bottle, this one.

Hummus

When I make Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad I usually want some hummus to go along with it.  Being made from basically chickpeas, this is far from a low-carbers “safe” food to eat.  But I recently I saw where some make it with cauliflower for much lower carb count.   But when I tried it myself, I added just a few cooked chick peas for the flavor boost.  Very good that way.  Next trial, I used a little chickpea flour I keep in my pantry.   Much better than opening a whole can of chickpeas for just a few.

Man, if you’re craving hummus, this is really good.  I honestly couldn’t really tell it apart from the carb-laden variety made with all chickpeas!   This recipe is not suitable until the legumes rung of the OWL ladder.  The bread sticks pictured are made from 1 slice of my focaccia bread

NOTE:  This hummus is not so great leftover.  The cauliflower taste gets much stronger on day 2.  So only make up as much as you think will get consumed completely the day you make it.  I recommend making a half recipe the first time around to be sure you like and can eat it all.  

INGREDIENTS: 

16 oz. cauliflower

2 T. tahini paste (sesame seed butter)

2 T. chickpea flour (or ¼ c. cooked chickpeas. mashed up well)

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ clove garlic, minced

dash salt

1 T. olive oil (for the hummus mixture)

¼ c. olive oil for top garnish

Dash paprika for garnish

parsley sprig to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:   Steam cauliflower over boiling water until tender.  Lift out of pot and put into food processor.  Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the ¼ c. olive oil, paprika and parsley sprig.  Blend until smooth.  Scrape out onto serving dish.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Drizzle with ¼ c. olive oil, allowing some to pool around the edges.  Garnish with sprig of parsley (or chopped) and serve with your favorite low-carb breadsticks or crackers.  I personally love this stuff best when served with Tabouleh Salad and black or kalamata olives.  The flavors are wonderful together!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes about 2 cups or around five servings.  Each serving contains:

196 cals, 17.76 g fat, 8.04 g carbs, 3.16 g fiber, 4.88 g NET CARBS, 3.46 g protein, minimal sodium.  Check out the other nutrients:  70% RDA Vitamin C, 18% B6, 16% E, 20% copper, 16% iron, 18% manganese, 15% phosphorous, and 14% thiamin.  A veritable medicine bottle, this one.

Tzatziki

A Greek condiment for many of their meat dishes.

This well-known Greek sauce is one of those recipes I’ve been meaning to put up on my site for ages and ages and just kept forgetting to do it.  This year I’m really trying to get to posting all those recipes I make often but are the meal “extras” and not the “main attraction”.   This is the typical condiment with Greek food and  Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grilled beef or lamb kebabs or ground beef/lamb koftas.  It’s also great on tuna, salmon or crab cakes or on gyros-type sandwich wraps.  I’ve even used this sauce on some salads as a dressing!  It’s ever so simple to make, too!

Be sure to squeeze out (in toweling) as much water from your grated cucumber as you can before combining all the ingredients or else it will bleed out its water into the sauce and really weaken the flavor and spoil the appearance.  This recipe is not suitable for Induction due to the yogurt, but you could make it with all sour cream and enjoy 2-3 Tbsp.  This sauce is suitable for other Keto diets and Primal Blueprint (occasionally), but not at all Paleo approved.

INGREDIENTS:

1 large 8-9″ cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1 c. drained or Greek yogurt, or half yogurt and half sour cream (my personal preference), or all sour cream (for lower carbs)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. yellow onion, minced finely

½ tsp. dried dill weed (or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped)

½ tsp. dried mint (or 1 T. fresh, chopped fine)

Dash each salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  At least 1 hour before serving, peel the cucumber.  Cut in half and seed with a spoon.  Grate the cucumber onto paper toweling double thick or even better, place it in a clean cotton woven kitchen towel (not terry cloth, please).  Blot the water away with paper towels or wrap, twist and squeeze it in the kitchen towel to remove all water.  You want to get as much water out as you can.  Add the cucumber to a medium bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  If it bleeds out more water, blot it from around the edges with a paper towel, stir and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 2 cups or 4 servings (perhaps more depending on how much people eat).  1/4 of the batch contains:

102 cals, 8.1 g fat, 4.6 g carbs, 0.8 g fiber, 3.8 g  NET CARBS, 3.2 g protein, 110 mg sodium

Smoked Steelhead Trout Spread

With holiday socializing and friends popping in, you always want some munchies to serve.  We often cook Grilled fish which is delicious so many other ways.  Recently we had nearly 6 oz. leftover from a huge steelhead trout, so I got creative and made a fantastic spread for low-carb crackers or veggie dipping.  This was one of the yummiest dips/spreads I’ve ever created, so I do hope you’ll try it sometime!  Plan for it to disappear fast, as it it THAT good!   You can substitute grilled salmon if that is more readily available, but be aware that commercially smoked salmon will be considerably stronger in fish/smoke flavor and much higher in sodium than a fish you grill at home yourself.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. (8 oz) cream cheese

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. my homemade Shawarma Mayo (or regular mayo)

4 T. green onion, finely chopped

½ tsp. Tobasco “Chipotle” Hot Sauce

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash sea salt

5-6 oz. smoked Steelhead Trout (or Salmon)

DIRECTIONS:  Place all ingredients but the fish into a food processor or blender.  Pulse until well blended.  Scrape out into a medium mixing bowl.  On a paper plate, flake the fish well with a fork.  Scrap into the bowl and stir just to blend the spread well.  Serve with you preferred dippers:  low-carb crackers, celery or carrot sticks, other raw veggies of choice.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2½ cups or 40 Tbsp. Each tablespoon contains: (does not include dippers)

42 cals, 4.32g fat, 0.30g carbs, 0.02g fiber, 0.28g NET CARBS, 1.3g protein, 29 mg sodium (sodium will be much higher if you use commercially smoked salmon)

Smoked Steelhead Trout Spread

With holiday socializing and friends popping in, you always want some munchies to serve.  We often cook Grilled fish which is delicious so many other ways.  Recently we had nearly 6 oz. leftover from a huge steelhead trout, so I got creative and made a fantastic spread for low-carb crackers or veggie dipping.  This was one of the yummiest dips/spreads I’ve ever created, so I do hope you’ll try it sometime!  Plan for it to disappear fast, as it it THAT good!   You can substitute grilled salmon if that is more readily available, but be aware that commercially smoked salmon will be considerably stronger in fish/smoke flavor and much higher in sodium than a fish you grill at home yourself.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. (8 oz) cream cheese

1/3 c. sour cream

1/3 c. my homemade Shawarma Mayo (or regular mayo)

4 T. green onion, finely chopped

½ tsp. Tobasco “Chipotle” Hot Sauce

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash sea salt

5-6 oz. smoked Steelhead Trout (or Salmon)

DIRECTIONS:  Place all ingredients but the fish into a food processor or blender.  Pulse until well blended.  Scrape out into a medium mixing bowl.  On a paper plate, flake the fish well with a fork.  Scrap into the bowl and stir just to blend the spread well.  Serve with you preferred dippers:  low-carb crackers, celery or carrot sticks, other raw veggies of choice.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 2½ cups or 40 Tbsp. Each tablespoon contains: (does not include dippers)

42 cals, 4.32g fat, 0.30g carbs, 0.02g fiber, 0.28g NET CARBS, 1.3g protein, 29 mg sodium (sodium will be much higher if you use commercially smoked salmon)

Mayonado Dip

I always have the ingredients around the house for this favorite snack.  We call this one MAYONADO.  Nothing like coining your own words!  I fixed a favorite to stand in as our salad with our Italian Bolognese Penne dinner tonight.   My husband brought home 6 avocados at the grocery store that were discounted because they were already getting pretty ripe and one was past its prime.  I knew I needed to use that one tonight for sure! 

I’ve combined mayonnaise with avocado for various purposes but never added Ranch® style flavoring to the mélange before.  Man, is that ever good!  This dip is great on cucumber slices, but would be great for dipping cherry tomatoes, raw cauliflower, broccoli flowerets, sliced yellow squash, zucchini slices, carrot & celery sticks.  It would make a tasty dip for fried chicken strips or French fries, too.  The shawarma spice really adds something special and then the Ranch® seasoning………….well……takes it to a whole new level  This recipe is Atkins Induction friendly and suitable for all keto diets, Primal and Paleo.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small avocado, peeled and pitted

6 T. my homemade Shawarma mayonnaise

1 oz. yellow or white onion

Dash salt

few drops lemon or lime juice to prevent discoloring of the avocado

1 T. my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend

DIRECTIONS:  Peel and seed the avocado.  Place the flesh into a blender or processor with all the other ingredients.  Pulse until it it smooth.   Serve any of the above mentioned ways or get creative and think of new applications for this delightful concoction!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 10 T.  Each tablespoon contains:

90.4 cals, 9.2g fat, 4.29g carbs, 2.08g fiber, 2.21g NET CARBS, 0.62g protein, 19 mg sodium

Eggplant Spread

Eggplant Spread

This recipe is a delicious new use of one of my other very popular recipes (Eggplant al Pesto). This is served as a spread on your favorite low-carb crackers rather than as a layered vegetable dish or meat-added casserole. 🙂  Prep is only slightly changed.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and  Primal guidelines.  Omit the cheese for Paleo adherence.

I use just a hint of pesto sauce to make the flavors pop in this.  This is one of those dishes that isn’t so pretty.  But face it, Baba Ganoush isn’t a pretty either yet people love it!  DELICIOUS, this one!  It will go fast at parties, so make a double or triple batch for a big crowd.  🙂

NOTE:  If you use a regular skillet to saute your eggplant, you will need this amount of olive oil.   Using a non-stick skillet will allow you to use less oil to cut calories and fat.  Your call. As an alternative, you could lightly grease a baking sheet, bake slices of the eggplant for about 20 minutes at 375º and just before assembling this dish, chop it and add.  The final eggplant spread will taste the same regardless of your prep on the eggplant.

More delicious low-carb side-dish recipes like this one can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:  

8 oz. eggplant, peeled, chopped into ½” dice

3 T. olive oil  [see notes in red above]

1 T. my pesto sauce (or any commercial plan-suitable pesto sauce)

½ c. low carb spaghetti sauce (or low-carb sauce like Lucini in a jar)

1 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 c. mozzarella cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  If baking eggplant, follow the directions in red above, remove from oven and chop.  Spread it out evenly in a pretty oven-proof serving dish. If sauteing eggplant, heat oil in skillet and saute the eggplant, turning often with a spoon, sauteing until it is completely translucent (will be nearly done at this point).  When eggplant is done, place in a pretty oven-proof serving dish.  There’s no need to grease the baking dish as the eggplant will have absorbed most of the olive oil.  Dot the eggplant evenly with the spaghetti sauce.  Then dot evenly with the pesto sauce.  Sprinkle on the Parmesan and finally spread the mozzarella evenly on top.  Pop into a 350º oven for about 10-15 minutes to thoroughly melt the cheese and to allow flavors to blend. Remove and serve on a food warming element or tray with your favorite low-carb crackers.  My favorite Almond Arrowroot Crackers with black pepper are outstanding with this spread.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   I can’t possibly know how much 1 individual will eat of this, so I’ve calculated 1/4 of this recipe is an adult serving and that amount contains (numbers do not include crackers):

214.5 calories

18.5 g  fat

6.3 g  carbs, 2.63 g  fiber, 3.67 g NET CARBS

7.08 g protein

71 mg sodium

141 mg potassium

Ranch® Buttermilk Dressing (or dip)

Ranch® Buttermilk Dressing

Ranch® Dip for Veggie Tray

I finally came up with a homemade version of Ranch® Dressing for my husband, who just loves it on salads.  I think my version tastes better than what is sold in the bottle (which I actually don’t like).  No unhealthy ingredients in mine, either and not too heavy on salt either.

I’m not too fond of dill, so I tend to reduce it in most recipes.  But my husband LOVES dill and likes more in recipes, thus the range of dill shown in the Ranch® Powder recipe linked below.  I basically used equal amounts of the herbs I selected except the dill and thyme.  A tablespoon of thyme would have been way too much!   This dressing is super yummy!  Try it and see if you don’t agree it’s even better than the famous bottled stuff!  As you well know, this also makes an excellent dip for raw vegetable party trays.  All you have to do for the dip is increase the sour cream to make it thicker.  You’ll have to recalculate carbs to add in the extra sour cream.  This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins and Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. homemade mayonnaise

3/4 c. sour cream (add ¼ c. more if using as a veggie dip)

¼ c. buttermilk (only 2 T. if using as a veggie dip)

1 T. my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp. salt

OPTIONAL:  1/8 tsp. glucomannan powder if you like a thicker dressing

DIRECTIONS:  Measure the first 3 ingredients into a medium bowl.  Whisk well to blend to a smooth mixture.  Add my Ranch Dressing Powder Blend, vinegar and salt and whisk a couple minutes until the herb mixture is thoroughly blended in.  If using the glucomannan thickener, whisk it in last.  Transfer to a saved empty plastic dressing bottle (I always keep and wash them for homemade dressings) if you have one, or a lidded jar.  Close tightly and chill.  Serve on crisp green salads or as a dip for raw veggies.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes two cups or eight ¼ c. servings, each contains:

251 cals, 26.8g fat, 1.81g carbs, 0.1g fiber, 1.71g NET CARBS, 1.72g protein, 66 mg sodium

Tzatziki

Greek Tzatziki

This well-known Greek sauce is one of those recipes I’ve been meaning to put up on my site for ages and ages and just kept forgetting to do it.  This year I’m really trying to get to posting all those recipes I make often but are the meal “extras” and not the “main attraction”.   This is typical condiment with Greek food and  Middle Eastern/Mediterranean grilled beef or lamb kebabs and ground beef/lamb koftas.  It’s also great on tuna, salmon or crab cakes or on shawarma gyros-type sandwich wraps.  I’ve even used this sauce on cucumber-tomato salads as a dressing!  It’s ever so simple to make, too!

Be sure to squeeze out as much water from your grated cucumber as you can before combining all the ingredients or else it will bleed out its water into the sauce and really weaken the flavor and spoil the appearance.  This recipe is not suitable for Induction due to the yogurt, but you could make it with all sour cream and enjoy 2-3 Tbsp.  This sauce is suitable for other Keto diets and Primal Blueprint (occasionally), but not at all Paleo approved.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

1 large 8-9″ cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated

1 c. drained or Greek yogurt, or half yogurt and half sour cream (my personal preference), or all sour cream (for lower carbs)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. yellow onion, minced finely

½ tsp. dried dill weed (or 2 sprigs fresh, chopped)

½ tsp. dried mint (or 1 T. fresh, chopped fine)

Dash each salt and black pepper

DIRECTIONS:  At least 1 hour before serving, peel the cucumber.  Cut in half and seed with a spoon.  Grate the cucumber onto paper toweling double thick or even better, place it in a clean cotton woven kitchen towel (not terry cloth, please).  Blot the water away with paper towels or wrap, twist and squeeze it in the kitchen towel to remove all water.  You want to get as much water out as you can.  Add the cucumber to a medium bowl.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir well.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.  If it bleeds out more water, blot it from around the edges with a paper towel, stir and serve.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 2 cups or 4 servings (perhaps more depending on how much people eat).  1/4 of the batch contains:

102 calories

8.1 g  fat

4.6 g  carbs, .8 g  fiber, 3.8 g  NET CARBS

3.2 g. protein

110 mg sodium

Clam Dip

Clam Dip

I created this dip to “test the waters” for serving it at a small gathering of hubby’s male friends this week.  I used to love clam dip as a child but have never tried to make one from scratch myself.  This one isn’t as thick as those I remember from my childhood, but is came out very tasty, so I think the guys will enjoy it with low carb crackers and dippers.  It is shown above with my flax sesame crackers to which I added a bit of almond flour this time.  The dip was VERY good with these.  This recipe is Induction friendly if you limit your serving to 2-4 tablespoons to stay within the 2T. limit on sour cream and 2T. limit on cream cheese per day.  Be sure to double the recipe for a large SuperBowl party gathering!

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

5 oz. cream cheese, softened

¼ c. sour cream

¼ c. canned clams, drained solids only (you can reserve and add 1-2 T. juice, but this will make your dip much softer than what is shown.  If you use juice, I’d reduce the sour cream above by 1 T.)

2-4 drops liquid smoke

3-5 drops Worcestershire sauce

4 drops Tobasco sauce

1 shake of cayenne pepper

dash salt

1/8 tsp. onion powder

1/16 tsp. garlic powder

DIRECTIONS:  Soften cream cheese and stir sour cream, drained clams and all remaining ingredients into it until it is well mixed.  You can add 1T. of the clam juice if you like for stronger flavor.  Chill and serve with your favorite low-carb flax or almond crackers or jicama “potato” chips (potato chips for non-lowcarb guests).

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes a little over a cup or about 18 T. of dip.  Each tablespoon of dip contains:

36.5 calories

3.44 g  fat

.44 g  carbs, 0 g fiber, .44 g NET CARBS

1.06 g  protein

53.8% RDA Vitamin B12

36 mg sodium

Spicy Tuna Pâté

This is what got me through the first 2 weeks of my low-carb journey.  It’s very tasty and filling as well.  If you like things spicy, add even more spice than I indicate below.  A little Chipotle Tobasco is also good in this spread.  This is very good on my Almond-Arrowroot Crackers or dipped up with celery or carrot sticks.  This dish is suitable for all phases of Atkins and other Keto diets.

INGREDIENTS:

1   6.5 oz foil pouch oil-pack tuna (if using canned, the 5 oz. can will do fine)

1 stick butter, unsalted, softened (4 oz.)

½ c. chopped parsley

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

¼ tsp. onion powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you’re adventurous) or ¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend

DIRECTIONS:   Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until well mixed.  Garnish with a sprinkle more of the spice blend.  Serve with celery sticks or your favorite low-carb crackers.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 4 servings.  ¼ batch contains:

286 calories, 26.3g fat, 1g carbs, 0.25g fiber, 0.75g NET CARBS, 12g protein, 149 mg sodium

 

Hummus

I made some Middle Eastern Tabouleh Salad today and wanted a bit of hummus to go along with it.  Being made from basically chickpeas, this is far from a low-carbers “safe” food to eat.  But I recently I saw on another WordPress blog Cavewoman Cafe that cauliflower can be used to make hummus, so I pulled out my hummus recipe of many years and tried it.

I really wanted to add just a few chick peas for the flavor boost, but discovered I didn’t have any among my canned goods or cooked in the freezer either.  I thought a moment and remembered I have DO chickpea flour in my pantry.  After all, it’s made from finely ground chickpeas, non?  Hmmmm…..Why not?

So I whipped up a batch of my regular  hummus recipe, subbing cauliflower for chick peas, guessing how much chickpea flour to put in the mix.  Man, this came out not just good, it was to die for!  I honestly couldn’t really tell it apart from the carb-laden variety made with all chickpeas!   This recipe is not suitable until the legumes rung of the OWL ladder.  The bread sticks pictured are made from 1 slice of my focaccia bread

NOTE:  This is not so great leftover.  The cauliflower taste comes through much stronger on day 2.  So only make up as much as you think will be consumed completely the day it is made.

INGREDIENTS: 

16 oz. cauliflower

2 T. tahini paste (sesame seed butter)

2 T. chickpea flour (or ¼ c. cooked chickpeas. mashed up well)

1 T. fresh lemon juice

½ clove garlic, minced

dash salt

1 T. olive oil (for the hummus mixture)

¼ c. olive oil for top garnish

Dash paprika for garnish

parsley sprig to garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:   Steam cauliflower over boiling water until tender.  Lift out of pot and put into food processor.  Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the ¼ c. olive oil, paprika and parsley sprig.  Blend until smooth.  Scrape out onto serving dish.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Drizzle with ¼ c. olive oil, allowing some to pool around the edges.  Garnish with sprig of parsley (or chopped) and serve with your favorite low-carb breadsticks or crackers.  I personally love this stuff best when served with Tabouleh Salad and black or kalamata olives.  The flavors are wonderful together!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes about 2 cups or around five servings.  Each serving contains:

196 calories

17.76 g  fat

8.04 g  carbs, 3.16 g fiber, 4.88 g NET CARBS

3.46 g  protein

70% RDA Vitamin C, 18% B6, 16% E, 20% copper, 16% iron, 18% manganese, 15% phosphorous, and 14% thiamin

Galveston Blue Crab Dip

If you have access to fresh crab meat (preferably Blue Crab), this recipe is a must try!  This dip is often served at parties on Galveston Island, where we lived for more than 20 years.  I find it to truly be the very best dip I’ve ever had, bar none!!  And it’s ever so Atkins friendly!  This also makes a great stuffing for stuffed mushrooms, but be sure you increase the crab if you use it that way.  For Induction you should leave out the wine.  Serve with your favorite low-carb crackers or good buttery crackers like Waverly Wafers for those not doing low-carb. This is not suitable until the Atkins OWL phase due to the wine.

INGREDIENTS:

2   8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese

2 c. picked/cleaned crab meat

1/2 clove minced garlic

2 T. white wine

2 drops liquid or ¼ tsp. granular Splenda (or dab sweetener of choice)

Pinch each salt and cayenne pepper

1/4 c. mayonnaise (be warned, do not substitute Miracle Whip!)

DIRECTIONS:  Soften cream cheese in a saucepan over boiling water or in a double boiler.  Add all other ingredients and stir to blend.   Heat and stir a couple minutes and dip onto your serving dish.  Serve warm or at room temperature (I often use a chafing dish) with your favorite low-carb crackers.  For those folks in your group not on low-carb, this is best served with Club Crackers, as the buttery, slightly sweet quality of the club crackers goes so well with this.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   It’s so hard to judge how much dip one individual will eat at a social gathering, so I provide the total recipe info for YOU to determine.  If one assumes 8 servings, the information below is valid.  You may find it serves 10 people or more.  The original recipe is for double this amount and I found it would last all evening with a crowd of say 10-12 people.  But I can never judge how far a dip will go at social gatherings.  Depends on whether you have a couple people that pig out on it or everyone just has a few tastes.

Entire recipe has 2512 calories, 218g fat, 13.5g carbs, 0g fiber, 13.5g net carbs, 133g protein and 2690 mg sodium.

1/8th batch contains:

314 cals, 27.25g fat, 1.69g carbs, 0 fiber, 1.69g NET CARBS, 16.63g protein, 336 mg sodium