Low Carb Recipes Needed

[teagg]

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.

[nola276]

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.

[Mezza39]

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.

[nola276]

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

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).

[nola276]

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

Could probably import a few of them over to here with a link or recognition to them of course.

[daska]

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.

[Mezza39]

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.

[daska]

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