A new low-carb support thread for 2016

Remember that very dark chocolate is an OK from time to time. We love cheese so that is another regular treat. We eat lots of avocados too.

Yes, I'm very partial to a nice glass of but I had a dry September and a damp January, just to see if I could to support a friend. So now I have a couple of consecutive dry days each week.
The secret of this way of eating is to concentrate on what you can eat and include plenty of low carb veg so you don't get constipated. I find nuts great as snacks, and cheese. And berries for breakfast

Just started a low carb diet, so need advice. Has any one made almond flour or flax flour biscuits or buns. I have done a web search and can only find very American recipes with their weights and measures and in some strange (to me) ingredient, (although they may be just a different name, as in scallions are spring onions).

Not almond or flax, but I make chickpea biscuits to have with cheese.
Recipe here
food52.com/recipes/28121-za-atar-spiced-chickpea-crackers-with-maldon-sea-salt
It is in cups, but pretty easy to convert I think.

Yes, I've tried making various things with almond flour and it was total waste of time, money and effort.

First experiment with almond flour resulted in lovely tasty little cheeses buns. Will now try to be more adventurous. Even DH liked them, so they are in the freezer out of his way!

If you post your successful cheesy (so?) buns recipe Pippa I'll give it one more go

Anya, Sorry I did mean cheesy

Recipe I used - apologises for the American measures

2 and half cups almond flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup grated cheddar cheese ( I used a very mature one)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs ( I used large ones as they were the only ones I had)

Mix everything together, make small round 'buns' recipe says 8, but I did smaller ones making 12.

Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees ( may need longer to brown a bit)

Leave to cool or they will be very crumbly. Freeze well, so I am told.

Thanks for that Pippa I'll have a go on Sunday

So, low-carb vegetarian ideas.
Like Anya, we try to have a couple of vegetarian meals a week. I normally make curry or tagines, we have minestrone a lot and sometimes vegetarian pasta sauces with courgetti or moussaka without meat.
I use lots of aubergines as a side vegetable, tossed in spices and cooked in a little bit of olive oil.
I use Ottolenghi, Plenty and Plenty More for more festive dishes.
I think the added complication with the MM recipes is that they are lower calorie as well, which probably rules out masses of cheese.
What kind of things do people like to eat?

Has anyone tried Konjac (Japanese yam) as a substiture for rice / pasta?

Never heard of Konjac. Have been on low sugar diet for 1 week and only 1 negligible pound lost! Is quinoa a useful substitute for rice? Am getting tired of courgettes, grated, spiralized, diced & sliced.

Quinoa is better GI than rice but still carby. I love cauliflower as an accompaniment, either rice, mash or steamed then baked in oven with butter / parmesan.
Will let you know about Konjac.

Well I'll own up - I've failed miserably to keep to low carb. Just too cold and too much snow up here. I'll try again when Spring springs,, if it ever does- but for now

Had all the pre op tests, and my ECG was perfect, renal and liver function as well, coagulation rate too, cholesterols spot on, and BP perfect + diabetes well controlled. So I am not too concerned about my weight- and promise I'll try again when the weather warms up. Onwards and forwards.
And a massive 'bravo' to all of you who have managed to keep it up.

I've created a great accompaniment for meals with a small cauliflower.

Cut into smallish bite-sized pieces. Put in a plastic bag with some oil and shake it up, then transfer to baking dish and bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes on 200oC.

Meanwhile, slice 2-3 leeks thinly, boil until just soft, drain and toss in butter and fresh ground pepper. Remove cauliflower from oven and mix in leeks.

We had friends round for a curry on Saturday night and cooked rice (for them) but they ate all our cauliflower rather than the rice as it was very yummy

So the message lazigirl seems to be ...try cauliflower!

Am off to get some. Thanks. Am determined to make this work and even DH is giving it a go, with the odd lapse involving a Cornish pasty or two.....

Good luck for the op GJ. It is hard in cold weather isn't it? We have been having a lot of soup, but am ignoring freezing wind and having Waldorf salad for lunch today.
Last night I did a Hugh F-W frittata with roast veg and parmesan recipe which was nice.
As well as cauliflower I use celeriac, roast or cut into chip sized portions and baked in olive oil as a substitute for potatoes.
Facebook tells me that we were having a barbecue a year ago today!

You remember the tapioca pudding we used to get at school that was called frog spawn? Well Konjac was like that. Taste free and slimey.
Yuck!

Thanks Mamie- off to Sicily first- carbs will be hard to avoid, but I will try my best ;) More snow today, we've had about 4' in last 3 days!

I saw that there had been a lot of snow, my neighbours have gone walking in the Jura with all the other retired farmers from round here.
We have been watching Montelbano again and I think that apart from the pasta and Adelina's arancini, quite a bit is low-carb (well the fish anyway).

I liked school frogspawn Mamie! Just read article about Nassim Taleb, interesting bloke, he is apparently an academic and author, amongst other things, and he wrote the three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates and a monthly salary. Could be right there.

See! That's what this thread needs. Easy-Peasy recipes like Anyas cauliflower there. Will try that. Only difference, I will braise the slicd leeks slowly in the butter, and not do the boiling first.

Anya did you see that Dr David Unwin has won an NHS "innovator of the year" award for the work his GP practice has done on LCHF and type 2 diabetes? I think the £27,000 per year off the drugs bill compared with neighbouring practices is seriously impressive.

That will work too Jingl hope you enjoy it [worried emoticon just in case you don't!!]

Really pleased to hear that Mamie - good man!