My 11yo and I were fixing dinner the other day, and as I mixed together pasta noodles and sauce from a jar, he quipped, “So, we aren’t actually cooking dinner?”

I said, “What do you mean? Of course we’re cooking.”

He replied, “I mean we’re just mixing and heating it up. We aren’t cooking it.”

Well, pardonnez-moi, sous chef. Sometimes, we use jar sauce instead of making it from scratch. So, there – now you know a little secret: I don’t cook everything from scratch. *Gasp – I know! I try to make sure that the boys have ample amounts of fresh produce, and even though we eat dinner at home together most nights, some of our meals come from containers more so than raw ingredients.

Case in point: Italian food. I have tried making lasagna from scratch. It was abysmal. It took For. Ev. Er. and turned out blech. Not to mention, it was VERY expensive! Stouffer’s, on the other hand, makes a perfectly delicious lasagna that only takes a couple of hours of forward-thinking to pop into the oven before dinnertime.

I recently obtained a celery-based lasagna recipe from a like-minded low-carber friend, and I’m looking forward to making that one day soon, but when it comes to feeding five boys, I don’t have any shame in admitting that I serve box lasagna. It’s actually one of the few one-dish meals that feeds everyone.

I need a bigger oven. :p

France and Italy — and California, for that matter — get a lot of press for their wine selections, and rightfully so, but I have discovered some delightful varieties from other states and countries around the world.

I’ve mentioned before a few faves that I found from Australia, and it’s no secret that a glass of Peter Brum is like a decadent dessert to me. I even wrote a Foodie Friday post on mulling spice last fall.

At the risk of offending any white wine fans, I’m speaking only of red wine. I am of the humble opinion that white wine, as a general rule (I can count the exceptions on one hand) tastes like I would imagine licking a sheet of aluminum foil. It leaves a metallic taste in my mouth. Blech.

So, I hope you don’t think that I’m a lush. I prefer connoisseur. Doesn’t that sound better? 😉

Although Peter Brum’s Pinot Noir has always held first place in my book, I recently discovered another German Pinot Noir that is not only smooth and delicately sweet, but also it comes in a gorgeous red bottle that I intend to convert into a flower vase.

Is this not one of the most fabulous wine bottles you’ve ever seen? The angle of the snapshot makes the front look smooth, but it actually has a beveled crease in the center.

The wine itself is lighter than I expected; you might be able to tell that it isn’t the deep purple of other Pinot Noir varieties. It is sweeter than most red wines, which means the sugar content is higher, so the extra carbs need to be taken into account with the other foods that I’ve eaten that day.

Come to think of it, Peter Brum comes in a lovely cobalt blue bottle. The Germans have really cornered the market on outstanding wine packaging!

I haven’t calculated the precise carb count for this dish, but it is very low-carb, in my book.

Coconut Tilapia

2 filets Tilapia (or fish of your preference)
1 egg
dried unsweetened coconut (often sold near the produce or nuts)
soy flour
salt & pepper, to taste

To prepare, beat the egg in a shallow dish and set aside for a moment. (I like to use a pie plate for dredging, but any shallow dish will suffice.) In another pie plate/dish, add enough soy flour to coat the filets … probably 1/4 to 1/2 cup. Add a few dashes of salt & pepper to the flour.

Dredge the filets in the flour, then the egg, then the flour again.

Place the filets on a baking sheet and sprinkle the coconut evenly on top – as much or as little as you like.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the coconut is lightly toasted.

The fish is just “crunchy” enough to feel like it’s breaded, but much lower in carbs, and the coconut gives it a slightly sweet taste. Raw coconut is surprisingly low in carbs (only 1 net gram per oz); it’s the super-syrupy-saturated kind that is so high in sugar!

I was too lax on my low-carb efforts during the fall/winter; consequently, I have gained weight. 😦  I didn’t have an all-out binge, but I was lenient on breaded foods (fried okra is a gift from God), a few pieces of not-sugar-free chocolate and pastries here and there, etc. However, I refuse to buy new clothes in a bigger size, so I’m returning to Square One and doing the “induction” phase of my low-carb plan, which is high-protein with non-starchy veggies. I also need to drink more water!

More often than not, my breakfast includes eggs in some shape, form or fashion. I love making omelets, but if I’m in a rush or it doesn’t fold well, then I like scrambled eggs, too. I also like over-medium eggs, where the yolk is a little runny. Eggs get a bad rap because of cholesterol, but it is an unfair accusation–they are actually quite healthy. However, since I’m going through induction and trying to be mindful of how many calories I’m consuming vs. burning, I’m switching back to Egg Beaters (or the store brand).

A standard egg has about 1 g carbs, which is nominal, but an equivalent amount (1/4 c) of Egg Beaters is even less. For this yummy breakfast omelet, I used 1/2 c of Egg Beaters (~2 eggs’ worth), 2 slices of deli roast beef cut into slivers (0 carbs), about 1/2 c fresh baby spinach leaves (coarsely chopped, net 0 carbs) and 1 wedge of Laughing Cow Blue Cheese (2 g carbs). (I love Laughing Cow cheese; my only complaint is that it doesn’t melt well.)

I’ve discovered that the trick to making omelets is not to turn the heat up too high and be patient. I turned my electric stove to a setting of 6 (medium heat). It worked out beautifully. Avacados are a “fatty” vegetable, but I absolutely love guacamole, so I had a scoop with my omelet. Guac has about 1 g carbs per ounce, and I estimated that I had about 2 oz.

So, all in all, my breakfast was only about 5 g carbs. I’m aiming for less than 30 a day, so that’s a good start. I’m trying to be diligent about planning my meals ahead of time so that I’m not tempted to forage in the kitchen. I’m pretty good about planning the boys’ meals, usually a week-at-a-glance with wiggle room for unexpected changes in the schedule. For myself, though, I’ve fallen down on the job and have paid for it on the scale (and in my clothes).

Here’s to a fresh start!

Do you have any words in your vocabulary that you misspell every, single, cotton-picking time you try to write them down? Meringue is one of those words for me. (Entrepreneurship and bureaucratic used to be slip-up words for me, too, but after years of writing grant proposals for the business school and taking enough poli sci courses, I think those words are finally embedded into my skull correctly! LOL)

I digress …

Low-carb German chocolate pie with sugar-free meringue

Unfortunately, this delicious German chocolate pie is pictured here only to taunt you; the recipe is not the purpose of today’s post. I *would* be happy to share it with you, but, you see, it was a total experiment that just-so-happened to turn out scrumptious. I made so many alterations and missteps along the way and failed to write down how much of this, that and the other. You’ll just have to trust me that it was yummy … and low-sugar, to boot! 🙂

What I will share with you, though, is the m-e-r-i-n-g-u-e topping! It is sugar-free, because I made it with Splenda/sucralose! I let it sit under the broiler for a few seconds too long, but let’s just call it caramelized instead of burnt, ok?

Meringue is very easy to make, if you know a few simple tricks. First of all, never try to whip it in a plastic bowl. I’ve always used glass, but metal might work – I’m not certain. There’s just something about plastic that won’t allow the egg whites to peak.

You can use carton egg whites (super easy and not too expensive) or separate eggs yourself. Don’t let even a smidgen of yolk into the mix!!

Using an electric hand mixer, begin whipping the egg whites on low speed until they start to get a little frothy. If you turn up the speed too quickly, you’ll splatter yourself. (Not that Yours Truly has ever done that – ha!) While whipping the eggs, slowly pour in the Splenda (if memory serves, I used about a cup of granulated Splenda for four egg whites).

As the mixture begins to thicken up, tap the surface with a fingertip and see if it leaves a peak formation. If not, keep whipping! (This is also a good opportunity to taste the meringue and see if you have added enough sweetener.) When you can tap the surface and leave a stiff peak, the meringue is ready.

Carefully scrape out the meringue (you don’t want to squish the fluffiness) and gently spread it on the pie … or just get a spoon and eat it straight from the bowl. I won’t judge. 🙂

I’ve taken most of the week off from blogging, but I couldn’t resist sharing my recent hummus experiment with you!

I love hummus & celery; it’s one of my favorite low-carb treats. (Before I went low-carb, I used to eat hummus & pita often … it’s still one of my favorite splurge snacks.) I could make a meal out of hummus (and have, as a matter of fact). It can be pretty pricey, though, so I have been wanting to find an easy recipe to make my own at home.

Most hummus recipes call for tahini, a sesame-based paste, which I didn’t have on hand. I did, however, have about 2 Tbsp of sesame seeds, so I used what I had. (I found the linked recipe for tahini afterward, so next time, I’ll get more sesame seeds and try to make my own paste.)

First, I sauteed 2 Tbsp minced garlic in about 1 Tbsp olive oil. I added the sesame seeds (beware oil splash from popping seeds!) and set the pan aside when the seeds began to brown and become aromatic.

I love red pepper hummus from the deli section at the grocery store, and I had some frozen red & orange bell pepper pieces leftover from our pepper-carving fest a while back, so I decided to put about half a pepper worth into the mini food processor and blended until the peppers were finely chopped.

I drained 2 cans of garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and put them in the large food processor to chop. I added the peppers and garlic/sesame seed mixture, additional olive oil (3-4 Tbsp) for a smooth texture, about 1/4 c lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

I solicited taste-testers, and everyone gave it a thumbs-up! 🙂

I was scrounging around the pantry to find something to fix myself for dinner (the boys had pot pies — one of their favorite & easy-to-fix quick dinners), and I found a can of pink salmon. I decided to mix it with flax seed meal, dill relish, spicy brown mustard, pepper and an herb seasoning mix that I got in the bulk aisle at the grocery store.

I wasn’t sure it would hold together very well without egg (and I was totally out of eggs), but I was pleased! One can of pink salmon made six patties. I pan-fried them in a skillet with cooking oil spray.

Salmon has zero carbs, and the seasonings are nominal, if any. The dill relish has about 1 g carb per Tbsp, and I used about 1/4 c for the whole batch. So, all in all, this was an extremely low-carb and delicious dinner!

I ate a couple of patties plain, because I wasn’t very hungry, but any number of side dishes would go well with salmon.

I came across Dana Carpender’s blog soon after I started my low-carb eating plan, and her 1001 Low-carb Recipes cookbook is now a staple in my kitchen. My seventy-plus-pounds-ago self used to turn up her nose at low-sugar desserts, but Dana has de-carbed some great ones and inspired me to experiment more in the kitchen to alter recipes on my own.

Pistachio sandies

This week’s Foodie Friday is a batch of cookies, based on Dana’s recipe for Pecan Sandies. I didn’t have any pecans on hand, but I had a bunch of pistachios that needed to be shelled and eaten. (Pistachios have about 5 net carbs per ounce, while pecans and almonds have about one and two, respectively — so, it isn’t the lowest-carb nut on the market, but it’s all I had handy.

I chopped the pistachios in a food processor and also added a splash extra vanilla extract … because I like vanilla. 🙂

They turned out just as perfectly “sandy” and melt-in-your-mouth as I had hoped they would.

I may have had tofu a couple of times in college, but it wasn’t until I actually went to China that I realized the delicious variety of this vegetarian staple. Granted, I’m not a vegetarian, but I do love tofu.

Here are several of my favorite ways to have this versatile soybean treat:

Stir-fry. Simple as that, y’all – tofu is chockfull of protein and makes an excellent meat substitute (or supplement) in any stir-fry dish. The ol’ stand-by, soy sauce, is good, but I also like oyster sauce. (Gotta go easy on it, though, b/c it does contain some sugar.)

Soups. Tofu is excellent in soups, as it doesn’t break down much and makes a hearty protein ingredient. The traditional Vietnamese “Pho” soup is particularly wonderful with tofu.

Do Jiang. The Chinese pronounce tofu with a “d” sound at the beginning: dough-foo. Do Jiang is a breakfast drink that is hearty and delicious. I have not found it stateside since I visited an Asian grocery store in Dallas, but it is tops on my list for the next time I visit a metropolitan Chinatown. It is thick and creamy like a smoothie and oh-so-good.

Dofu Nao. From what I can tell, this dish is served two ways: savory and sweet. I’ve only ever had it sweet, as a breakfast dish. There were street vendors in the town where I lived in China who would sell slices of hot tofu from a slab in their kiln (best word to describe the street oven, I think) and smother it in something like syrup. Heavenly!! I’ve tried my best to duplicate this dish with warm tofu, syrup and Splenda, and it’s not bad, but it’s just not quite the same. One of these days, I will figure out the traditional recipe.

Noodles. I have not perfected this technique, but if you use “firm” tofu and slice it in fettuccine-size slivers, it can make a good noodle substitute. Tofu tends to take on the flavor of the sauce/spices used, and it has the same consistency as pasta.

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to enjoy tofu. Give it a try!