Forum Thermomix
Questions Doubts and Requests => Recipe Requests => Topic started by: Thermobron on October 08, 2009, 10:14:07 am
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Hi there,
I have only had my thermomix for 2 weeks now and am loving it. The only problem being I find most of the recipes are carb based and I'm running out of options to cook at night. (Diet is no carb at night)
I would love some ideas or books I should look at with thermomix recipes. I am yet to get the Cydie O'Meara book but not sure how low carb her recipes are.
Thanks
Bronte
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Cyndi is not of the low carb persuasion so if that is your arguement don't get her book specifically for that. I find that it is easiest to siimply replace rice accompaniments with steamed veggies to get lower carb content. Obviously avoid the high dairy content meals too...........be interested if you get many recipes with this request.
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I try and minimise my pasta, but the family loves spaghetti bolognaise. So I steam my favourite vegies like cauliflower, brocolli, zucchinni, squash and have that under my bolognaise instead of the spaghetti. I actually prefer this! Especially the cauliflower as it can be so creamy when cooked just right.
You could adapt this idea for other recipes maybe? What about beef stroganoff (it's delicious), chicken & cashews served on vegies instead of rice or pasta? Or have you tried the meatloaf from EDC? Or maybe shepherds pie with mashed pumpkin instead of potato? I think pumpkins much lower in carbs than potato?
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What about Chicken Cacciatore Casserole by Judy Dawn? As per my review, next time I'm going to make it without the potato so this would be low carb. I think this would be nice on the extra steamed vegies like my previous posted suggestion.
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=1955.msg18778#msg18778
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i do low carb, and would be interested in recipes.
i just adapt alot to suit myself.
add more veges, and no potato.
Robyn
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Thanks everyone for your replies, it has help a lot.
Next on the menu is the meatloaf which I am looking forward to.
I will subsitute the pasta and rice for vegies.
Thanks again
Bronte
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Hi Bronte, I am following a low carb diet, and have been now for over 3 months. I eat soups, purees, stews, salads, shellfish, steamed fish and poultry, moussaka etc and make everything in THX, in fact couldnt have suceeded with my weight loss without my THX! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;D
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Thanks Amanda,
Well done on your successful weight loss.
I think as the thermomix is new I am wanting to cook naughty things.....I made the meatloaf with tomato sauce tonight, which was a bit fiddly but so yummy. First time using the Varoma and it was easy.
I hope your weight loss efforts continue, I have a very long road but am just doing it slowly.
Bronte
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This is quite an old thread but I've just bought a book with easiy low carb recipes which I'm very pleased with. My husband has been told to restrict his intake of carbs to breakfast and lunch and then leave them out as much as possible after that. This is supposed to help him lower his triglyceride levels (that and taking medication). Over the past three weeks he has lost 6 kilos and finds it really easy to follow this diet.
I bought the book "The Holford Low-GL Diet Cookbook" used off Amazon and I can thoroughly recommend it. What I really appreciate is that there are also vegetarian recipes in there so it's not all steak and salad, chicken and salad, ad nauseum. The authors are Patrick Holford and Fiona McDonald Joyce, Piatkus.
Here's an example for a recipe from the book:
Lemon and coriander chicken en papillote (Serves 2)
2 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and skin
2 handfuls of bean sprouts
2 handfuls of baby corn (about eight)
2 tsp mild chili, deseeeded and finally chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tsp fresh root ginger, peeled and finally chopped
1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tamari
2 tsp lemon juice
1. Preheat oven to 190C/375F.
2. Cut a large square of baking paper (big enough to fold in half, diagonally, over the chicken breasts and seal up the edges to make a triangular-shaped parcel) and place on a baking sheet.
3. Mix the chicken, bean sprouts and baby corn together with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Place in the middle of the square of paper and fold in half on the diagonal, point to point, to make a triangle. Starting at an end, make small overlapping folds around the edge, working your way round to seal the parcel.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Open the parcel with care, as you'll want to retain the cooking liquid and dish out onto two plates. Serve with 45g brown basmati rice (dry weight).
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Thanks Viv - looks interesting. Good to see you back here :-* :-* :-*
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I am also on low carb at night diet, try the CSIRO diet books, they have a lot of recipes like coq au vin, beef stroganoff etc that might be helpful. Unfortunately I'm too much of a newbie to help with conversions!
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I try my hardest to stick to a Primal type diet, if you google primal recipes you will find that they are all low carb ( or good carb in the form of vegetables ) the TM makes like much easier with lots of steamed veg, I also make "cauliflower rice " steamed rice just slightly blitzed for a few seconds to resemble rice. I actually prefer it to rice as you don't get that bloated feeling afterwards.
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Thanks Deeau, what a great idea. I imagine that would be a good way to get cauliflower into the kids diet as well. What speed and how long do you blitz for?
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Just a tiny amount maybe a second, I look thru the hole to see if its looks like rice.
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So I steam my favourite vegies like cauliflower, brocolli, zucchinni, squash and have that under my bolognaise instead of the spaghetti. I actually prefer this! Especially the cauliflower as it can be so creamy when cooked just right.
What a wonderful tip. I am doing the Hi Protein Low Carb thing at the moment, so am also looking for ways to adapt recipes. I have two books, both were available at the local newsagent. "The Power of Protein" by Chris Smith and "The Power of Protein Low Carb Recipes" by Chris Smith. Both have some lovely low carb recipes in them, and they were not too pricey. I am going to try adapting some of them shortly. (expect some queries please ;D)
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This is an interesting thread (and I should be doing more of it!). I have a friend who is considering a Thermomix but is worried that if she buys it, she and her family will be tempted to make high-carb, higher fat naughty things.... The family has just changed its diet and is on a low fat, no carb, lots of veggies/fish/white meat diet....
Can anyone let me know how they are doing with their machines, following this sort of diet and avoiding the temptations?
How are you finding using other recipe books and converting their ideas to TMX methods? Is it easier having the TMX to do the prep work and cooking? Or is it easier to cook in a non TMX way?
Thanks.
Gillian.
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It shouldn't be too difficult to convert recipes to help with this diet and lifestyle.
Carbs are converted by your body and made into glucose. If your glucose levels become too high, your body produces insulin which converts the excess glucose to body fat.
If you stick with either protein (meat, chicken, fish, eggs, high fat dairy such as butter, cheese, cream etc) there are no carbs to convert, so your body doesn't absorb fat or make any body fat. If you combine protein and fat with bad carbs, you will elevate your blood sugar so that insulin is produced and you will absorb any fat and excess glucose.
So when you have a protein meal, only have good carbs with it, that is cabbage, broccoli cauliflower, green beens etc (as much as you want). Spices and herbs are great to add a bit of variety to your meal. Absolutely no sugar (use sweetener) and starch (wheat and grain products are all bad carbs). A low joule jelly with a bit of cream on top is a good sweet.
After you have lost the weight you need to loose, (and it does come off very quickly on this diet) you can introduce some carrots, sweet potato, fruit etc. to maintain, and probably still loose a little. So all that is needed is to convert any recipe using those ingredients, and there are a lot of recipes to choose from, and cook away. Whether you use your thermomix to cook the meal, or just to prepare it, is not a matter of concern. Your Thermie should be your slave, not the other way around, so don't feel guilty if you wish to cook on the stove top after preparing the ingredients in the Thermie.
Yes it is easy to be tempted into a few decadent custards and cakes, but that can happen without a Thermie. Eating this way does take away your cravings, so it suits me, and when I have lost the weight, then we'll see. My Thermie makes cooking so much easier and enjoyable, and I love to use it to cook in as well as prepare, but my second most favorite kitchen tool is my wonderful heavy based non stick fry pan. Cheers, Nola. ;)
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Great summary Nola. Low carb is def the way to go, especially later in the day. I find using the steamer for fish and veges with some of the Asian sauces is an easy way to go. Also, making curries with tomato base not coconut cream base is easy way to get lots of protein and not too much fat.
Also making recipes like coq au vin and beef stroganoff using low fat yoghurt instead of cream are easy one pot meals. When I finally get a bit better with the thermie I'll put up some better ideas, but here's one for tonight.
500gm chicken/beef/lamb minced using turbo function or speed 7 for 6s or so. Set aside.
One onion in quarters, one carrot, one stick of celery one clove garlic. Chop on speed 5 for 5 secs or so.
Add 1tsp olive oil.
Sauté 5 minutes 100degrees slow speed.
Add beef, cook at Varoma temp for 10 minutes reverse speed 1
Add 350gm tomato puree, 2 tbsp tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste and some dried oregano.
Cook 15 minutes Varoma temp reverse speed 1.
Place the ragu in 2 individual oven proof containers. Add a small handful frozen or fresh peas to each container
Take 1 sweet potato and 200gm pumpkin and mash up using the thermie, or boil up on the stove and mash roughly.
Top ragu with mashed pumpkin/potato mix and bake in oven for 20 mins. Sprinkle with a small handful of grated Parmesan after ten minutes.
Serve with steamed vegetables or salad.
High protein (250 gm lean beef), low fat (1/2 tsp oil per person) low GI carbs and vegetables.
This is adapted from the CSIRO healthy eating cookbook.
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Good one Mezza, I will tuck it away for when I am maintaining. At the moment though, absolutely no potato for me. I like the idea of two separate dishes, that way I could do one with potato for DH and one without for me. Haven't decided what we are having yet, but will post when I decide.
I have decided to cook Proscuitto Rolled Chicken in cream sauce for our evening meal. It can be found here:
http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=7879.0 (http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=7879.0)
Just remove the slice of bread and replace with Parmesan. Leave out the pinch of raw sugar and replace the cornflour with xantham gum. Will steam some broccoli and beans as well, and serve it on left over garlic rice (for DH).
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Here is a link to Low Carb Recipes from A Pinch of Health - Australian Low Carb Forum. http://www.apinchofhealth.com/forum/vbb/index.php?s=60f739f98858696f2ed1a253df682725 (http://www.apinchofhealth.com/forum/vbb/index.php?s=60f739f98858696f2ed1a253df682725)
Could probably import a few of them over to here with a link or recognition to them of course.
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I've just been reading the Gary Taube book "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It" which is an easy read explanation of the science behind the low carb diets. It's fascinating. I've never been able to cope with a low fat/low calorie diet, it just leaves me ravenous and this explains exactly why! BUT, he also goes into the myth about needing high protein and low fat and what the implications are. Anyway, it's worth a read. Back on the Atkins for me, it's the only diet that works.
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I haven't read that book, but hopefully he points out that the reality of weight loss and weight loss maintenance is that to lose weight you need to expend more calories than you take in, and to maintain weight loss you need to break even.
All diets are simply a way to acheive that in a sustainable way. The "benefit" of a high protein, low carb diet is that some research suggests that this is an easier diet to stick to than a high carb diet. However, it's obviously not for everyone, and at the end of the day you need to find a diet that helps you lose weight and lifestyle changes that help you maintain the weight loss.
The TM can be a force for good or evil totally depending on how you use it. I make ice cream with low fat yoghurt, low fat curry pastes and casseroles, but also banana bread and high fat high sugar ice creams as well. The biggest advantage of the TM in the high protein, low carb or high carb low protein or low fat low carb or whichever diet you're on, is that you can control exactly what you put into your recipes with ease.
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Yes he does "...if we want to get lighter we have to expend more calories than we take in, there's absolutely no doubt about it, tells you absolutely nothing about why you get fat or why you get lean."
For the 'why', try http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4362041487661765149 (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4362041487661765149)