300 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes (59 page)

This is a nice little nibble to pass around with coffee.

2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

1 cup (100 g) shelled walnuts, pecans, or a combination of the two

1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons (2.3 to 3 g) Splenda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat and then add the nuts. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring from time to time. Turn off the heat, immediately sprinkle the Splenda and cinnamon over the top, and stir to distribute. (If you wait for the nuts to cool, the Splenda doesn't stick nearly so well.) I like these best warm, although they're still quite nice when cooled.

Yield:
4 or 5 servings (remember, this is just a nibble). Assuming 4 servings, each will have 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 3 grams of usable carbs and 5 grams of protein.

Candied Almonds

These are so addictive!

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 cup (145) shelled almonds

2 tablespoons (30 g) erythritol

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon (1.5 g) Splenda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put the butter in a Pyrex pie plate and nuke on high for 45 seconds or until melted.

Dump the almonds in the pie plate and toss with the butter until coated. Put back in the microwave and give them 2 minutes on high.

Add the erythritol and vanilla and stir to coat. Nuke another 1 minute 30 seconds and stir again. Nuke another 1 minute 30 seconds, pull them out, stir in the Splenda and cinnamon, and let them cool a few minutes, stirring now and then, before eating.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 240 calories, 21 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams dietary fiber, and 4 grams usable carb.

Roasted, Salted Pecans

You can buy cans of roasted, salted pecans, of course, but they're so much better roasted fresh in butter. They're cheaper, too.

1 tablespoon (14 g) butter

1 cup (100 g) pecan halves

salt

Put the butter in a Pyrex pie plate and nuke on high for 30 seconds to melt. Add the pecans and toss until they're evenly coated.

Put your pecans back in the microwave and give them 90 seconds on high. Stir and give them another 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Salt and devour or keep in a snap-top container with a lid—for as long as you can resist.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 205 calories, 21 grams fat, 2 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrate, 2 grams dietary fiber, and 3 grams usable carb.

Nacho Cheese Crisps

You've had tortilla chips with nacho cheese flavoring, no doubt. This is a big chip made of cheese with nacho flavorings. It's so much better! Do make sure your cheese has no additives—which will probably mean you'll have to shred it yourself, since most preshredded cheese has cellulose. Run it through the shredding blade of your food processor and it'll add a big 1 to 2 minutes to your recipe. Heck, even if you use your box grater you'll be done within the 15 minute time limit.

1 cup (115 g) shredded cheddar cheese with no additives

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne or to taste

Sprinkle the seasonings over the shredded cheese, tossing as you go.

Spray a microwaveable plate with nonstick cooking spray—I used a salad-sized plate. Put about 1/4 cup (29 g) of cheese on the plate and nuke on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until you've got a crispy disc that looks sort of like an orange
surface of the moon. Let it cool a minute or two, loosen it from the surface of the plate by sliding a knife underneath, and cook another batch. I had to re-spray the plate between batches, or I got sticking.

Yield:
4 servings, each with 116 calories, 9 grams fat, 7 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, and 6 grams usable carb.

Parmesan-Pine Nut-Pepper Frico

Again, you need additive-free cheese for this, and most preshredded Parmesan has cellulose in it. But I can usually find some that doesn't; I used Butoni brand, which worked great.

3 tablespoons (15 g) shredded Parmesan cheese—It must have no additives.

1/2 tablespoon pine nuts

1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper or to taste

Spray a microwaveable plate with nonstick cooking spray. Make a low heap about 3 inches (7.5 cm) across of the Parmesan. Sprinkle the pine nuts and pepper evenly over it.

Nuke on high for 90 seconds (time may vary, depending on your microwave—this is just right in mine). Let it cool for a minute or two to crisp up and then break or cut in half and devour!

Yield:
2 servings, each with 44 calories, 3 grams fat, 3 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, and 1 gram usable carb.

Cinnamon Rinds

No, I am not crazy. These are really good, especially if you're missing salty-sweet snacks like caramel corn. Be aware: Despite the slurs against them, pork rinds are very good food, far more nutritious than just about anything else in the snack aisle—look at that protein count! They're quite filling, too.

1 bag (5 ounces, or 140 g) pork rinds

1/4 cup (6 g) granular sucralose

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Yield:
5 servings, each with 160 calories, 9 grams fat, 17 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrate, trace dietary fiber, and 1 gram usable carb.

Cheese for dessert may sound strange to sugar-addicted Americans, but it's an old European custom. I'd never tried this until I went on the Low-Carb High Life Cruise in 2001 and discovered that Carnival Cruise Lines has cheese on the dessert menu every night. My readers and I ended up ordering a cheese platter just about every night, and we all agreed that it made a nice—and very satisfying—end to a meal. If you have any empty corners after the meal, a little cheese is guaranteed to fill them right up. It's nicest to pass a slice or two of a few varieties—perhaps some sort of blue cheese, a soft cheese such as Camembert or Brie, and a firmer cheese such as Edam or Gouda. Add some Gruyère or Havarti and perhaps a good strong cheddar, and you've got a winning assortment.

Fruit desserts are an interesting question for the low-carb dieter. On the one hand, they're likely to have more carbohydrates than sugar-free commercially made stuff. On the other hand, they're likely to be far lower in calories—and calories still
do
count, at least some—and far, far more nutritious.

Which fruit you choose makes a big difference. A banana, for instance, will run you about 25 grams of carbohydrates, and a cup (155 g) of diced fresh pineapple has 19 grams. On the other hand, there are some fruits that are low enough in sugar to fit into our diets in moderation, and luckily for us, they're some of the most delectable. Here's a rundown of the lowest-sugar fruits, plus a few simple ideas for fruit desserts.

Apricots are a real bargain. One has just 3.9 grams of carbohydrates and 0.84 grams fiber, for a total of about 3 grams of usable carbs!

All of the berries are pretty low carb, and they make a terrific quick-and-easy dessert with either heavy cream or whipped cream. For that matter, you could eat them plain! By the way, berries are also among the most nutritious fruits available; you'll be getting a lot of benefit from the few carbs they add to your day.

• 1/2 cup (65 g)
raspberries
has 7 grams of carbohydrates and 4.2 grams of fiber, for a total of just 2.8 grams of usable carbs.

• 1/2 cup (75 g)
blackberries
has 9.2 grams of carbohydrates and 3.6 grams of fiber, for a total of 5.6 grams of usable carbs.

• 1/2 cup (75 g)
strawberries
has 5.2 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 3.2 grams of usable carbs.

• 1/2 cup (75 g)
blueberries
has 10.2 grams of carbohydrates and 1.7 grams of fiber, for a total of 8.5 grams of usable carbs.