Low carb christmas ?

[desperatelyseekingamovingdate]

i KNOW its REALLY EARLY but i am hosting for the first time and i want to keep lowish carb throughout the whole festive season.

Usually Christmas involves cider, chocolates, too much pudding and too much everything really.

However this year will be different. I still have a lot of weight to lose and when i fall off of the wagon i seriously struggle to get back on. I believe this is a positive way of eating so i want incorporate it into my life as xmas seemed a good hurdle to have to overcome plus i am cooking so my house my food!

Christmas dinner is a low carbers dream right - meat and green veg.

I have found a recipe for low carb stuffing that uses ground almonds instead of breadcrumbs, which is a start. Then i will do sprouts and bacon, swede dauphinoise, carrots, parsnips and roast shallots.

I make a mean sausage meat plait ( i dont eat the pastry) and i intend to fill the freezer with tasty low carb food.

Ideas so far

Broccoli and stilton soup, ricotta and chorizo savouries, chinese chicken soup, meats with salad ( no chutneys for me), nice cheeses, nuts, winter coleslaw. Thats about as far as i got.

Over the festive week we generally have a chilli and /or curry as all the gravy gets a bit much and i might try to make some chinese food and some interesting salads.
Does anyone have some fab ideas?

[desperatelyseekingamovingdate]

Also mean i HAVE TO drink champagne as its very low in carbs - hehe

[SayrraT]

I think that sounds really good. I've tried to keep LC over Christmas before but I don't manage as well as I want to.

The meals are generally fine, lots of yummy veg and meat but I always end up eating some sweets/chocolate.

Last year I managed to give away all the rubbish chocolate (cadburys, quality street etc) and only kept/ate the good stuff that I really enjoy.

I'll have a think and come back to you with other meal suggestions.

[desperatelyseekingamovingdate]

Ah thanks all suggestions welcomed. I refuse to buy cheap tins of chocs and crisps, instead will make dark choc truffles and buy nuts! I am going to try and make better choices.

[StuntNun]

I roast my own nuts. Buy almonds, pecans, walnuts and brazils. Melt butter in a big pan with some cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice and salt. Stir the nuts in to coat then. Then tip out into a large baking tray lined with foil and roast at around 110C for 30-40 minutes. Leave to cool in the tray. If they're quite wet then blot up some of the liquid with kitchen roll. Store in an airtight container. Jobs a good 'un and much cheaper than buying roasted nuts. I have tried all types of different flavours: salt and pepper, buffalo, chilli, whatever takes my fancy at the time.

My low carb Christmas is staying LC in the run up then on Christmas Day I allow myself a Bucks Fizz at breakfast, a roastie and stuffing at lunch, and a small slice of Christmas pud with lots of cream. My biggest challenge is the couple of weeks after Christmas.

[glenthebattleostrich]

Can you link to your stuffing recipe pleas? I'm trying to find one

[ChesterDrawers]

Love the home roast nuts idea Stunt

I'm hosting on Christmas Day and hoping to keep LC so would love to see more suggestions on how I can pull this off, especially while keeping the in-laws in the dark about my eating (long-term fat phobes).

Am going to start planning this weekend so will post any ideas I find but would love others to do the same.

[Gcalgske]

Sugar free mulled wine
1 bottle red (of your choice)
1/2 pack cherry and cinnamon tea bags
Few drops orange extract
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2-3 star anise

Mull in the slow cooker on low for an hour before you want to have it.

[Gcalgske]

Glen I make sausage meat stuffing with finely chopped skin on Granny Smith Apple (1/2 an apple in the whole recipe - I know it's not BC but I like it at Christmas), chopped shallots, chopped parsley, chopped roasted hazelnuts and a pack of low carb sausages de skinned. Mash everything together and then stuff bird or wet hands and roll into balls - I get 24 little stuffing balls from the recipe.

[ChesterDrawers]

Anyone tried making low carb Baileys ?

Not strictly BC, I know but I love the stuff and fancy giving it a go for Christmas.

[Gcalgske]

Yip, I've made it. It's yummy.

I used a 300ml carton double cream/4 whisky miniatures (20cl) 1/2tsp coffee (I used littles Irish cream flavour), 2 Splenda tabs and a drop of almond extract. Dissolve the coffee and Splenda in the whisky, add the almond and cream and blend.

Serve over ice.

[ChesterDrawers]

Oh, that sounds amazing. Think I have found my festive drink of choice!

[ProfYaffle]

Hi Desperately!

I'm currently experimenting with some Xmas baking, 2 successes so far are this chocolate tart, though I replaced the Candy canes with chopped hazelnuts and freeze dried raspberries. Served with cream and fresh raspberries it was really nice.

There are also these biscuits though don't bother with the toppings, they're not so nice. I'm going to just drizzle them with very dark chocolate.

Plus I'll be having a lot of anti pasto type things, serrano ham, salami, olives, capers, cheese stuffed chillis etc.

[Gcalgske]

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolatedelice_93624

I make the delice topping from this and a base of chopped hazelnuts/ pecans ground almonds. I don't have a recipe as I just add melted butter till all coated then press into a loose bottomed to and chill while I make the delice. I have added a few drops of orange extract to the delice too. It's so rich and delicious.

[NigellasGuest]

It occured to me that Pavlova is half low carb - whipped double cream and berries. If only I could find a half-way decent substitute for the meringue base!

Does anyone have any ideas? Meringue is only egg whites and sugar. If there was something instead of sugar that would work then bingo!

but I suppose finding a sugar substitute is the holy grail. (I'm not convinced by Stevia, Splenda and the like. Aren't they supposed to be just as bad)?

[Gcalgske]

You can make a decent meringue with erithritol and a little arrowroot. I'll find the recipe. I tend to use sweeteners very sparingly and mostly not at all but I find stevia and erithritol the best (least impact on my blood sugar)

[Gcalgske]

Sorry it's cream of tartar - I always get those confused. alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/06/shannons-sugar-free-meringues-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html

[NigellasGuest]

Thanks Gcalgske! I have now bought erith-thingumy-jig from Amazon and await its arrival in excitement. Thanks for the recipe - I'm going to have a practice run as soon as the erithymol arrives