I like to gamble. I enjoy casinos, the lights, the high pitched dinging of the slot machines, the slow draw of cards at the blackjack table, the spinning sprockets of the roulette wheel. Oh, I'm a low rent sort of gambler, I leave the ATM card at home, and walk into the casino with a predetermined amount of cash I'm willing to lose in exchange for a few hours of thrills.
Changing one's way of eating is not always easy. For many people, using long loved and reliable recipes assures a good outcome. But when one becomes a low carb eater, as well as one who loves to scratch cook, like myself, having to figure out substitutes for high carb count foods is always a gamble. What one food looks, tastes, feels like may not have an equally good substitute at the market. Add to that, making a decision to use whole natural foods, and to stay away from Franken-foods (highly processed food-like items), can really up the ante. And by the time we sit down to dinner, it isn't always thrills.
So, how does one re-deal from the deck? Trial and error. You need to start with a lively imagination, but ultimately it is--trial and error. Unfortunately, taking a traditionally high carb recipe and attempting to recreate it in a low carb style has caused my disposer to, many times, enjoy the benefits of expensive ingredient recipes gone bad.
And a recent chat with friends, some of whom have tried low carb diets in the past, ended with almost everyone blah-ing and grimacing over the mere mention of faux oatmeal (made with cauliflower and almonds). Oh, stop it. I can hear you.
Today we have chili. My husband, a big bean fan, loves chili. Because of the beans. Which are very high in carbs. I love the traditional Mexican seasoning of meats, and corn bread. How do we low carb this recipe? Well, we begin with two wins (meats and chopped peppers) and the seasonings, then we start to think creatively.
Substitutions:
Onions -- used chopped celery.
They add sweetness and a bite.
Since they never get soft like onions do,
you get to enjoy a real toothy bite of
vegetable goodness in your chili.
Tomatoes -- used tomato paste and beef broth.
Simply put: a little,
paste with a good pour of beef broth,
goes a long way.
Veggies -- used spinach and cilantro.
Both provide green nutrition
and since they cook down so well,
in this preparation they easily
became part of the meats.
Did we miss the beans? Of course we did! But a hot, mildly spicy, hearty chili for supper became much lower in carbs and just as delicious.
For my sides I wish I could tell you that I created this recipe. But I cannot.
I'm not sure where the recipe originated, but the earliest rendition of Green Onion Corn Bread I found was from 2009
here, and I am grateful!
The recipe makes a small bread (8x8 pan), and doesn't rise very high. It comes together in a few minutes with minimal ingredients, and bakes for only 20. By the time table is set, there is hot, delicious green onion corn bread.
I call this re-deal a winning hand!
I'm planning a Vegas trip for later this year. I think I may add to my gambling stash.
In honor of #ThrowBackThursday, we are digging deep into our memory banks. Think back to your younger days. To a time where nutrition was so far down on your list, you struggled to spell the word "nutrition" correctly! Mostly high school and college years. 