Fried pork belly

Fried Pork Belly

INGREDIENTS:

• 400 grams of pork belly, cut into strips
• Salt to taste
• 75 grams of butter
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• Italian herbs and  rosemary

PREPARATION:

• Melt butter in frying pan and add the pork belly strips
• Sprinkle with herbs and spices
• Put lid on the pan and cook at medium low heat
• Turn pork belly strips occasionally, so they will cook evenly
• Once they are lightly browned, add salt to taste and serve

Double cream snack

Double Cream Snack

If you are having trouble preparing enough meals and snacks, there is another easy option.

Buy a jar/container of double cream, i.e local grass-fed, or even imported Jersey cow cream (thick), and eat.

No preparation necessary! The jars/containers can be stored in the fridge for quite a while, you can also ferment the cream (by adding some bacterial culture from yoghurt powder, for example) and letting it sit  at room temperature for a day, before transferring it to the fridge again.

It not only makes a great snack, but is also a tasty desert.

Broccolini

Broccolini

INGREDIENTS (for two people):

• A small bunch of  broccolini
• 50 grams of butter
• Salt to taste
• 2 strips of bacon
• Optional: 1 tablespoon spiced cream cheese (self-made or store bought, without fillers like starch, and without artificial flavours, etc.), 3 tablespoons of double cream, 2 slices of gruyere cheese, and the butter bacon mix above

PREPARATION (option 1):

• Steam broccolini until starting to get soft (will emit a pungent smell at this time)
• Set aside the vegetable and fry the bacon in the butter until starting to get crisp
• Add salt to taste
• Arrange cooked broccolini on plates and pour the butter bacon mix over top

PREPARATION (option 2):

• Steam broccolini until starting to get soft (will emit a pungent smell at this time)
• Set aside the vegetable and fry the bacon in the butter until starting to get crisp
• Add salt to taste
• Add the cream, cream-cheese, and the gruyere and mix into the butter bacon mixture until you have a smooth creamy sauce
• Arrange cooked vegatable on plates and pour the sauce over it

Below: Broccolini with bacon and butter

Below: Broccolini with bacon cream cheese sauce (very yummy)

Egg salad

Egg Salad

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 soft-boiled (or if desired slightly firmer eggs), let boil for 2-3 minutes, peeled and chopped
• Salt to taste (optional: pinch of nutmeg, and a pinch of pepper)
• 1 tablespoon of home-made mayo (see recipe)
• 1 tablespoon of double cream
• Chopped celery stick
• Chopped chives
• chopped dill (one small sprig)

PREPARATION:

• Put the peeled, chopped, boiled eggs into a bowl
• Add all the other ingredients and mix

Tastes good by itself, or can be eaten wrapped in a leaf, or as a topping.

Caesar salad

Caesar Salad

It is all about a dressing which can be used with a variety of greens.

Here I am using baby kale, baby spinach, baby dandelion, baby beet tops,  and baby chard.

INGREDIENTS (for the dressing):

• Olive oil ( or another natural oil), 1 cup
• 2 tablspoons of garlic mayo (see previous recipe)/ or crushed garlic clove (garlic powder) and 2-3 egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 capers
• A small amount of anchovie paste or fish sauce to taste
• Salt to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons of home-made yoghurt, or cocnut kefir, or creme fraiche

INGREDIENTS:

• Caesar dressing
• Young greens
• Shaved Parmesan cheese/Parmesan flakes

PREPARATION:

• mix all ingredients to create the dressing (add other spices as desired, and feel free to experiment with ingredients
• Put greens into a bowl and sprinkle with the Parmesan
• Pour the dressing over top

Enjoy!

Home-made mayo

Home-Made Mayo

One of the sauces or dips that can be used with a low-carb/high-fat diet is home-made mayo.

The basic recipe is simple. Variations in taste can be achieved by adding different ingreadients. Use your imagination!

INGREDIENTS FOR BASIC MAYONNAISE:

• 8 egg yolks (pastured eggs taste best)
• 2 whole eggs
• Approximately 500 ml of olive oil (I use extra virgin cold pressed)
• Salt to taste (at least 1/2 teaspoon)
• Other ingredients to modify the taste, for example:

1. Lemon juice (1/2 to one lemon) for a lemony mayo (to be mixed in)
2. 3 or more cloves of garlic for Aioli style mayo (to be mixed in)
3. Hot peppers for hot pepper mayo (to be mixed in)
4. Jalapeño peppers, finely chopped cilantro and finely chopped tomato (one small), to be spooned in later and stirred
5. Horseradish, for horseradish mayo (to be mixed in)
6. And more..........

PREPARATION:

It is easiest to mix the ingredients in a food processor, or in a bowl using a hand blender. Blending ingredients with a whisk can also be done, but is difficult and time-consuming.

• Drop egg yolks (raw), the additional mixing ingredient desired, and salt into the bowl and blend (at medium speed)
• Then add olive oil one drop or drizzle at a time, until the mayo gets thick
• After getting thick, the rest of the oil can be poured into the mix in a slow steady stream
• Add two whole eggs (raw) to make the mixture less thick and more smooth
• (If there are any ingredients to add, which have to be stirred in by hand, do it now)

Put in a bowl and keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Goes well with fish, meat, vegetables, as a bas for salad dressings, as dips or a base for a dip.....

This is Aioli style Mayonnaise with olive oil and garlic.

Brussels sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

INGREDIENTS (per person):

• 1 cup of frozen baby Brussels sprouts
• 50 grams of butter (unsalted)
• Salt
• OPTIONAL: chopped nuts (a sprinkle), bacon bits (a sprinkle, home-made)

PREPARATION:

• Put baby Brussels sprouts and butter into a frying pan with lid and cook at medium low heat
• Once they are cooked add salt ( and optionally chopped nuts and/or bacon bits)

ENJOY!

Giant kale chips

Giant Kale Chips

This is a variation of the popular kale chips snack. It tastes just as good, but cuts down on preparation time. This is good as a snack or side-dish.

INGREDIENTS:

• A bundle of kale
• Silicon parchment sheet on baking sheet (optional)
• Olive oil
• A mixture of salt, garlic powder, and chilli powder (go easy on the chilli powder, use small amount)

PREPARATION:

• Separate the kale leaves and arrange them on a baking sheet (covered with parchment paper)
• Drizzle olive oil on the leaves (very little will do, cover evenly)
• Sprinkle with the salt-spice mixture
• Bake in the oven at 300 degrees (low medium heat) until dry
• Then let the leaves cool a bit
• Eat each leaf right off the mid-rib

Coconut flakes

Coconut Flakes

A nice snack, not terribly high in carbs, is coarsely flaked (dried) coconut.

It is also very inexpensive. I get mine at an East-Indian store ($1.29 for a large bag).

Use in moderation as a snack.

Actually, I hardly ever snack any more, I am just not that hungry.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

INGREDIENTS (per person):

• Beef: thin strips of beef, or ground beef (grass-fed tastes best), 200grams
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• Some chopped parsley, dill, chives, oregano (a handful), or other herbs (caution: this may change the taste)
• Mushrooms (here I used sliced crimini and sliced oyster mushrooms), 100 grams
• 80-100 grams of double cream (creme fraiche can also be used)
• 40 grams of butter for frying
• 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
• Salt to taste
• Optional: 1 slice of German butter cheese, or one slice of Gouda 

PREPARATION:

• Fry the meat with the garlic and turmeric  in butter in a frying pan until well done
• Then add the mushrooms and let it fry for a few minutes, until the mushrooms get soft
• Add the fresh herbs, chopped
• Add the double cream (or creme fraiche) and stir
• Then add the salt (to taste)
• Let it simmer for a couple more minutes, then serve

Bone broth

Bone Broth

INGREDIENTS:

• Soup bones, with marrow (grass-fed beef tastes best)
• A pot with water to cook the bones in
• 1 small carrot, and 1 small celery (for flavour), optional
• Salt
• Optional: some chopped parsley or chives for garnish

PREPARATION:

• Put soup bones, (optionally: carrot and celery stalk), into a pot 
• Cover with cold water
• Cook on high heat until the water boils, then let it simmer at low to medium heat for about 45-60 minutes
• Add enough salt, so that it tastes nice and salty (discard the cooked out vegetables to the compost)
• Make sure the bone marrow goes into the broth before discarding the bones into the garden
• Optional: sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley or chives on top
• The soup is now ready to drink
• Any leftover will keep in the fridge for a few days

Fermented vegetables

Fermented Vegetables

Fermented vegetables can be used as a condiment, they can also be chopped and added as flavouring to cream cheeses and other foods.

Fermented vegetables are an excellent source of pro-biotic bacteria, and other nutrients.

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetables
• Water
• Salt
• (Optional: Herbs, such as dill weed)
• A bowl with lid into which a plate can be fitted upside down

Many vegetables will work with this recipe. I personally tried asparagus  sweet peppers, pickling or baby cucumbers, celery, and (separately) cabbages.

PREPARATION

• Do NOT wash the skin of the vegetables (it may be best to have some from a market or own garden)! It is the micro-organisms on the skin, that do the fermenting.
• Cut vegetables into not too small pieces (small cucumbers may be left intact)
• Put them into a large enough bowl and cover them with salt water (2-3 teaspoons of salt per quart/per litre)
• Optional: add herbs
• Put a plate that fits exactly on top of the vegetables (upside down) to keep the vegetables submerged
• Put a lid on the bowl and let it all stand on the counter at room temperature for 48 hours
• After that it can be transferred to the fridge, and will keep there for a long time