My last blog revolved around the Low Carb topic, and how one can best translate this good resolution into everyday life with healthy and natural nutrition.
Well, I had promised to supply you with my favorite Low Carb recipes in my next blog.
Before I dive into it, here is the answer to a question that one of my readers had sent me by email: To which extent is it still Low Carb, and when is it no longer Low Carb? Are bread, potatoes, pasta, rice, and sweets really completely off the table?
All of you who know me, know also that I am not a radical – so it is certainly not completely forbidden, and it also depends on what you would like to achieve. If your goal is to shed weight, you should not eat more than 130g per day of such.
A sample calculation:
2 slices of bread: 20-40g KH
50g pasta: approx. 35g KH
250g cooked legumes: approx. 30-40g KH
Of course, it also depends on your exercise volume. On days with intense workouts, you may allow yourself more carbs once in a while.
Vegetables, salad, and mushrooms with portions of at least 200g will make you feel really full when doing Low Carb, and always in combination with protein rich foods in portions of up to 150g to 250g.
For flavour you can add healthy fats such as coconut oil, nut sauces, or rich oils, like flax oil, olive oil, hemp oil.
And even if you don’t want to use Low Carb for weight loss, it offers you lots of health benefits. The secondary plant substances that you mainly consume through this mode of nutrition, provide an important defense mechanism for the body.
But enough of the long explanations, here are a couple of nice recipes:
Avocado-Spinach-Smoothie
Ingredients:
1/2 medium size avocado
1 medium size lemon (peeled)
1 handful baby spinach
4 stalks celery
Approx. 1/2l water
Preparation:
Chop ingredients coarsely.
Add everything into blender, add water, and blend until smooth.
Raspberry Chia Parfait
Ingredients
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 cup raspberries
½ banana
1 cup nut milk
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Preperation
Mix 3/4 cups of raspberries with banana, coconut flakes, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Add the rest of raspberries and chia seeds, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes until the chia seeds have soaked.
Spaghetti with creamy tomato sauce
Ingredients
3-4 zucchini (depending on the number of portions)
¾ cup (90 g) cashew seeds
¾ cup water
3 tablespoons (21g) sundried tomatoes
1 ½ tablespoons fresh oregano (dried works too)
1 ½ tablespoons fresh basil (dried works too)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut flower syrup
1 garlic clove
1 ½ tablespoons Himalaya salt
¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper
As decoration:
3 cubed tomatoes
2 tablespoons thyme
Fresh ground pepper
Preparation Sauce:
Add all ingredients to blender and mix until smooth.
The sauce may also be heated on the stove if the blender does not heat.
Preparation Pasta:
Work zucchini or pumpkin into spaghetti or tagliatelle with spiral cutter.
Pour sauce over pasta and mix gently.
The sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 1 week, the pasta for only 2 days.
Vegitable wok with quinoa
Ingredients
1 medium size onion
1-2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 broccoli
2 carrots
1 red pepper
Approx. 250g string beans
1-2 garlic cloves
1 piece of ginger (approx. thumb size)
1/2 cup water
Tamari sauce
1 cup quinoa
Preparation:
Prepare quinoa according to instructions and in the meantime, sauté the onions in a large pan with coconut oil.
Chop other ingredients and add them.
Add ½ cup of water.
Season to taste with soy sauce and sea salt.
Serve vegetables with quinoa.
Shirataki Noodles with Coconut Milk
Shirataki or Konjac (kon-jack) is a Japanese, starchy root. The noodles made from these have almost no carbohydrates but are rich in fibers and thus very filling.
Ingredients
1 package Konjac noodles
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 package mushrooms
2 carrots
1 small broccoli
2 small zucchinis
250g peas
250ml coconut milk
2-3 tablespoons coconut oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Sauté onion in coconut oil and add chopped vegetables along with peas.
Add coconut milk and sauté vegetables at medium heat.
Rinse Konjac noodles in cold water and mix with vegetables.
Season according to taste.
Soups are not for everybody, but I do love them no matter what the season. Soups are an opportunity to eat something at night which provides strength but does not burden the metabolism too much.
Here are two additional recipes:
Basic Recipe for Vegetable Cream Soup
Ingredients:
250g vegetables (pumpkin, red beets, parsnips, sweet potatoes…)
250ml milk
½ garlic clove
Season to taste with:
Salt
Pepper
Spices
Lemon juice
Optional sweeteners such as coconut flower syrup
For thick soups: Peel root vegetables and mix well with other ingredients in blender.
Carrot Ginger Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
5 carrots
1 piece of peeled ginger (approx. 1-2cm)
1 onion
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ pumpkin
Sea salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Preparation:
Chop ginger and onions finely.
Sauté in olive oil and add chopped carrots and pumpkin.
Cover with enough water and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Mix the soup with a blender or handheld blender.
Have fun with your low carb cooking sessions
