Tag Archives: Paleo

FOOD

Cheers to a sweet indulgence that breaks no “keto” rules

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Yesterday afternoon, my husband and I were at Saravana Bhavan for lunch.  Me hankering for my favorite combination platter, him scanning for his keto friendly options.  And when my plate came with sheera (a cream of wheat dessert), he was not a happy camper.  It was like a three-year-old who wanted to have the same dessert, but his disciplined nature would not allow him to!

Back home, I kept hearing the little groans of wanting a similar dessert.  So, with the ingredients in our pantry and fridge, I whipped up these almond dessert cups.  He loved them and of course, I was happy that they were ready in about 20 minutes (minus the refrigeration time, if you prefer it cold).

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups milk (I used 2% since that’s what I had at home)
  • .5 cup heavy cream
  • 1.5 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup allulose (you could use erythritol)
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 2 tsp sliced almonds (plus a few more for decorating)
  • 4 tsp ghee

How To:

1. Pour the milk and heavy cream into a heavy bottom pan and warm the mixture ever so slightly over a low flame.

2. Turn off the stove, sprinkle the almond flour, allulose, and cardamom powder into the milk/cream mixture and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or spatula.

3. Turn the stove back on, add the ghee and keep stirring the mixture at medium heat till it thickens and is the consistency of thick glue (about 15 minutes).

4. Turn off the stove and portion the dessert into six little cups and top with the remaining almonds.

Enjoy!

PS.  You can have it warm or serve it cold after sticking it in the fridge for an hour.

FOOD

Crave the fries, skip the high carbs

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It’s my new favorite versatile vegetable and it will only be making an appearance at my local farmers market for a few more weeks.  Yes, I’m continuing my love fest with Kohlrabi.  These fries are so easy and ready in 25 minutes with hardly any work involved.  Our fries disappeared within nanoseconds of appearing on the table.

Ingredients:

  • 1 kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into french fry size sticks
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Paprika or hot chilly powder to taste

How To:

1. Preheat over to 420 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Toss the kohlrabi sticks with olive oil, salt, and paprika or chilly powder.

3. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and stick it in the oven.

4. At the halfway mark, flip the kohlrabi sticks and continue baking for the remainder of the time.

5. Remove from oven, rest for a minute at room temperature and serve with your favorite sauce or dip.

Tip: I served mine with a quick dip made by mixing two tbsps of mayonnaise (you can use the vegan kind), with a sprinkle of salt and a nice sprinkle of berbere.

Enjoy!

FOOD

First blush of love with kohlrabi

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Yes, you might say that for someone who cooks often, I’ve been living under a rock.  I had never tasted kohlrabi and while I had spotted it at farmers’ markets, I had never adventured to cook with it.  But all that changed with a recent discovery – that it is a versatile vegetable that is low in carbs.

“What does it taste like?”, I asked my favorite farmer.  She said it had the slight spiciness of a radish married with the crispness of a green apple.  I proceeded to buy a bunch and cautiously tasted a slice.  The taste and the texture translated into my aha moment – this might be a good low carb substitute for potatoes in any number of dishes, enabling my husband to indulge in a version of some of his favorite high carb foods.

The stew that I created is a favorite from my childhood days.  Dad and mom made this concoction of ginger, green chilies, potatoes, onions and coconut milk which was the perfect accompaniment to steamed rice or fresh bread.  Out went the potatoes and in came the kohlrabis to make their debut in this simple, yummy comfort food which turned out to be a big hit.

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium-sized farm fresh kohlrabi, skin removed and chopped into cubes
  • 1 large red onion chopped into pieces the same size as the kohlrabi
  • 6 green chilies, 2 finely chopped and four sliced vertically (less if you can’t tolerate heat)
  • 1.5-inch piece ginger finely chopped
  • 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • A few sprigs of curry leaves (optional)

How To:

1. Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk in a pan, cover the vegetables with water and cook covered till the kohlrabi is firm but done – a fork inserted should slide in easily, but the vegetable should retain its shape (about 15-20 minutes).  At this point, there will be some water in the pan, but it will not be watery.

2. Add the coconut milk, mix gently and simmer the mixture for a few minutes.

3. Turn off the stove and wait 10 minutes before serving the stew with steamed rice or bread.

4. The result is super yum and a gift for those on a low carb diet.

Tip 1:  You could also puree this and serve it as a soup and it tastes amazing, the combination of chilies and coconut milk playing a tropical dance on your tongue!

Tip 2: You could use cauliflower instead of kohlrabi for another lovely low carb version as well.

If you cook kohlrabi frequently, I’d love to hear your suggestions!