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Low Carb Parsnip Fries

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For the last couple of months I’ve been making low carb celeriac fries semi-regularly. They go really well with pretty much any dish that you’d serve fries with. But I wanted to try some of the alternatives to celeriac – apart from anything else not all shops stock celeriac.

So how about parsnip fries?

It turns out that parsnip fries are a good substitute to celeriac (as is turnip, though I haven’t tried that yet!). 

I made my first batch of parsnip fries last night. 

I won’t bore you with the details, but it’s essentially the same process as with the celeriac fries. The only real difference being that the physical shape of parsnip is quite different, so you need to peel them, top and tail them and then slice them up. 

I used similar seasoning as I would with the celeriac fries and baked them in the oven for about 25 minutes. You’ll need to be careful as some of the smaller chunks can end up getting burnt, which isn’t exactly tasty!

The end result was pretty damn good, so it’s definitely something I can try again in the future.

As you can see from the photo above some of the fries ended up a bit burnt, but overall it worked out pretty well.

I served the fries with some nice low carb pork schnitzels and it was all very tasty!

Low Carb Crumble Experiment

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When you’re eating low carb you’re used to simply not eating certain food. 

However over the last couple of days I got an overwhelming yearning for crumble. I *love* crumble. It’s always been one of those desserts that I really like both to make and to cook. 

So can you create a crumble without getting an overload of carbs?

The answer is a qualified yes. Yes, you can create a low carb crumble topping. The bit that’s going to be a little more of a challenge in terms of keeping your carbs down is the choice of fruit.

When you’re making a “normal” crumble you essentially make a shortbread style topping using butter, flour and sugar. Obviously the sugar is out, though you can replace it with an alternative sweetener (admittedly I didn’t in my experiment yesterday and simply did without). The flour has to be swapped out for a lower carb alternative such as almond flour or coconut flour, or a combination of both. 

The one where you still have the issue with carbs that you can’t entirely avoid is in your choice of fruit for the filling. Apples are out. Berries, however, are much lower in carbs and can make a viable alternative. 

Low carb crumble before being baked in the overn

The filling for a crumble is usually your fruit gently cooked with a bit of sugar and water. To go lower carb you can swap out the sugar for some natural honey.

So how did the experiment work out?

Personally I was happy with it. It can definitely be improved on, as I’d like a crunchier and more toffee like crumble, but it was very good.

Here’s a shot before I started to demolish it:

low carb crumble

I served it hot with some Greek style yoghurt, which worked out to be a very nice combination. I would have used cream, but I was out of it! (Odd for me, since I use cream so much in my cooking)

Low Carb Celeriac Fries

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Having chips (fries) with meat is something that you can’t do easily if you want to stick to a low carb diet. Potatoes, as I’ve said repeatedly, are simply not on the menu. While you can do a fantastic cauliflower mash it’s simply not the same as a portion of fries.

So what are your options?

There are quite a few sites devoted to the low carb or keto lifestyle, so there are plenty of bloggers sharing their recipes. It’s just a matter of finding the alternative to potatoes that works for you. Some of the recipes I came across would give you a nice “side”  but they wouldn’t come close to replacing the consistency of fries.

I ended up going with celeriac for mine, but apparently turnip is a good option too.

Celeriac is *not* a pretty vegetable. It really does look ugly:

Celeriac or celery root

Making fries using celeriac isn’t complicated. You just need to treat the celeriac as if it was an oversized potato!

celeriac fries
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Celeriac Fries

A low carb alternative to French fries for anyone on a low carb or keto diet

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, International, Low carb, vegetarian
Keyword celeriac, keto, vegetables, vegetarian
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 40 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head celeriac You'll have a better idea of the quantity you need once you've sliced up the celeriac after cleaning it.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp mixed herbs Don't be afraid to add more
  • 1/2 tbsp paprika

Instructions

  1. Trim the celeriac removing the roots. Depending on the size of the celeriac and how many people you're making this for the quantities will vary

  2. Heat the oven to about 180 centigrade (around 400 fahrenheit)

  3. Peel the celeriac like with a potato peeler and then slice it into chips

  4. Spread the fries on a greased baking tray and season with the herbs and paprika

  5. Once the oven has heated transfer the fries to it and cook for 20 to 25  minutes. You should probably turn or shake the baking tray a few times while cooking to make sure that they're cooked through and don't burn.

  6. Serve as you would French fries or chips. 

  7. Bon apetit!

Recipe Notes

I used mixed herbs with paprika. You could easily use any other combination of herbs and spices that would go well with potatoes - the end result is very similar in consistency to potatoes, so you can treat it almost identically.

 

In terms of carbs celeriac is pretty good. It’s about 9g per 100g, so the amount you end up with obviously depend on how much you eat.

Low Carb Chicken Tenders

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Over the weekend I dropped into my favourite local butcher and picked up some bits and pieces, including the pork that I used for making the pork schnitzels. While I was there I got some chicken breast, but I didn’t have any firm plans for it. This evening I didn’t feel like doing anything terribly elaborate, so I thought I’d try my hand at doing low carb chicken tenders. If you can do schnitzels using almond flour, why not other “breaded” meats and poultry?

Chicken tenders are basically just strips of chicken in a bread. Once they’re breaded you can either fry them, deep fry them or, as I did, do them in the oven.

If you want super mild, yet tasty, you could simply use some herbs and a bit of salt and pepper, but if you want to give them a bit more “kick” there’s no end to the combinations of herbs and herb mixes you can use.

low carb chicken tenders
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Low Carb Chicken Tenders

A simple low carb take on comfort food

Course Dinner, Snack
Cuisine American, International, Low carb
Keyword almond flour, chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

  • 50 g Almond flour You might need more
  • 1 medium egg
  • 2 tbsp Cajun spice mix or mixed herbs with cayenne pepper
  • 2 breasts chicken
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C

  2. Slice the chicken breast into strips. Relatively thin strips are better.

  3. Beat the egg in a bowl

  4. Mix the herbs and other seasoning together with the almond flour in another bowl or plate.

  5. Dip each chicken piece in the egg and make sure it's well covered, then transfer it to the dip with the herbs and flour. Coat each piece of chicken well. Transfer the dipped chicken pieces to a baking tray which you've either lined or greased.

  6. When the oven is ready transfer the prepared chicken to it. Cook the chicken for 20 - 25 minutes. The chicken pieces should be turned at least once.

  7. Serve with your favourite dip or with a bit of salad.

  8. Enjoy!

And no, you can’t really taste the almond! If you’re completely new to low carb cooking then you might notice a slight difference in the taste compared to more “traditional” flour mixes, but I don’t think it’s noticeable.

Kitchen Gadget: Stylish Handheld Spiralizer

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I’ll freely admit that I can be a little bit addicted to kitchen gadgets, but my addiction is more under control now that it was.. honest! 

I know I sound like a broken record, but not having pasta has been one of the more annoying and painful aspects of switching to a low carb diet. The bean based “pasta” is edible, but I’d always quite liked the taste of spiralized vegetables aka courgetti. 

I’d had several spiralizers over the last couple of years. The tabletop one was a disaster (for me) and the handheld one I’d been using was a pain to use and even more of a pain to clean. 

The guys at Joseph Joseph have an excellent track record in producing practical kitchen and household gadgets that look great and work. Price-wise they aren’t the cheapest, but you’ll often find their products at reasonable prices if you shop around a little.

Their take on the spiralizer is excellent. It looks well, it doesn’t take up a lot of space and using it is very easy.

Joseph Joseph spiro spiralizer

It comes with three different blades:

  • coarse
  • fine
  • grater

The coarse one works well for doing courgetti. The “fine” blade would probably work best for shredding vegetables for a salad or similar, while the grater is meant to be for doing carrots etc., in tiny bits. I’ll freely admit the only attachment I’ve been using is the “coarse” one, but it works well so I don’t need anything else!

You can see it in action in their video:

I’ve used it several times over the last few days and it has won me over for three reasons:

  1. It’s very easy to use. Other handheld spiralizers were hard work to use and didn’t work that well. This one works really well
  2. It’s very easy to wash after use. This for me is key. I’ve got some kitchen gadgets that I’d love to use more often, but cleaning them after use is such a pain that I tend to avoid them
  3. The little hopper thing means that you don’t end up with stuff spilling all over the place AND you can also use it at whatever angle you like (within reason)

Once you’ve spiralized the vegetables, which in my case is most often courgette, it’s just a matter of sautéing them a little before serving with the pasta sauce I’ve made. 

Overall I’m really happy with it.

Low Carb Pork Schnitzels

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When you’re trying to stick to a low carb diet anything with bread or bread crumbs is off the menu. So when you’re perusing the shelves in your local supermarket you cannot simply pick up a pack of chicken or whatever in any kind of bread crumbs. That won’t work. However there is absolutely nothing to stop you from making your own, though using low carb ingredients.

Pork schnitzels are simple yet tasty. The traditional recipe uses bread crumbs, but it’s super easy to swap that out for almond flour or ground almonds (which is practically the same thing).

low carb pork schnitzels with almond flour

All you need are a few pork boneless pork chops, eggs, seasoning and almond flour.

My local butcher not only had the pork chops, but was able to remove the excess fat as well as pounding the meat for me, so that it was a thinner and more suitable for schnitzels. Yet another reason why shopping at a local butcher is always a good idea! 

So how do you make them?

It’s incredibly easy.

Beat an egg or two in a shallow bowl or plate – you’ll be using this to dip the meat into.

In another bowl or plate mix about 100 grams or a couple of tablespoons of almond flour with your seasoning (salt, pepper and sage seems to work well)

Dip the meat in the egg, then coat in the almond flour mix and then simply fry it. Repeat for each schnitzel. 

Fry the meat on a medium flame and make sure to turn them from time to time. Just make sure they’re cooked all the way through.

Serve with some lemon.

I also did some cauliflower mash to go with mine, which turned out very well.

Baking Low Carb Bread

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While I like cooking in general I’ve never done much with baking bread. I was very good at eating bread, but I’d never made my own. I think I might have made an attempt years ago, but I don’t think it was a success. 

When you’re avoiding carbs and trying to stick to a low carb diet bread is off the menu. Normal bread is very high in carbs, so there’s simply no way to eat it without breaking the basic rules of the diet. 

But there are low carb versions of many bread based foods, so you can, for example, get low carb wraps and even loaves of bread, though they’re pretty expensive. So making your own is probably the best solution.

As somebody who has very little confidence in my ability to make bread I needed a recipe that was pretty much idiot proof. This one from Ditch the Carbs ticked all the boxes for me. It has a handful of ingredients and is super simple to make. You just measure out the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl, mix them, add the wet ones and bake it. 

You can see a couple of photos of my first attempt below:

low carb almond bread

It came out pretty well. The only issue I ran into was that I didn’t have any greaseproof paper to line the baking tin. However as the tin I used is non-stick I was able to extricate the final product from the tin without too much difficulty. 

I had to try it pretty much immediately, so I went for a bit of butter just to see how it was and I was not disappointed! 

low carb bread with butter

I’ll admit I sort of demolished most of that loaf yesterday evening as it was both really tasty and also a culinary achievement for me having never been any good at baking bread.

Most of the ingredients for this low carb bread or variants are readily available in any supermarket. The only exception being psyllium husk which you can get in larger supermarkets, health shops or online. I couldn’t find it locally here in Carlow, so ended up getting it online.

I’ll definitely be making this bread again now that I’ve got over my initial fear of baking! It’s handy to have a low carb bread for things like paté, cold cuts etc., Also if you have visitors who aren’t on a low carb diet they sort of expect you to have bread in the cupboards, so this solves that for you too.