Bootcamp Recipe Thread

[BIWI]

Asparagus Frittata (serves 2)

250g/9oz asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in pieces
4 eggs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
225g/8oz spring onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

• Cook asparagus in boiling water until tender (7-10 minutes)
• Whisk the eggs and add the cheese and the spring onions
• Pre-heat the grill
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan that can go under the grill
• Put in the asparagus; stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the eaten eggs, moving the asparagus around gently to make sure the egg mixture gets right through, and that the grated cheese is well distributed
• Let the frittata cook over a moderate heat for a few minutes until the underside is cooked and lightly browned, then put the pan under a hot grill for a minute or two until the top is set and golden brown

5.5g carbs per serving

Recipe from Rose Elliot's "The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet Book"

I'm trying to make a bolognese.

Usually I'd use a ton of tomatoes in all forms and wine and sugar...

I've gone with 1 carton of tomatoes (lowest carb I could find) and bulked up with grated courgette, lots of dried herbs and a teaspoon of marmite to make it savoury.
Using fatty mince it's just a bit greasy and meh. Any ideas of what I can do to jazz it up a bit?

This is what I do:
Fry fry the mince until it's crispy and golden. This starts the Maillard reaction which gives depth of meaty flavour and lots of umami. I do it in batches to get it as brown as possible. Remove the beef (I use 20% fat) and in the fat fry mushrooms and shallots and garlic. They'll soak up the fat so you don't lose it. Add back in the beef with a diced green pepper. Deglaze with a half glass dry red. Add lots of oregano and basil (dried works great if you prefer) and a carton passata. Add a couple of star anise (I use a spice bag, makes them easier to fish out. Star anise is a Heston blumenthal trick for boosting meaty flavour and it works!) and water if need be. Simmer or bung in the slow cooker for as long as you can. 1 hour minimum/3+ optimal.

Asian style meatballs & broth. Serves 2, with some meatballs leftover for snacking on!

Meatballs - pork mince, garlic powder, ginger powder, 1 chopped spring onion, 3 chopped mushrooms, sesame oil, soy sauce, couple of chopped water chestnuts, teaspoon Chinese 5-spice. Mix thoroughly together, shape into small balls and oven bake in coconut oil for about 20/25 minutes, until the look cooked on the outside.

Broth - chicken stock (about 300mls?), tiny drop of sesame oil & soy sauce, pinch of Chinese 5 spice, sliced mushroom, sliced cabbage, ribbons of carrot, some chopped spring onion, pak choi and a teeny drop of garlic/ginger. Just simmered for 20 mins then added Barenaked noodles.

Sausage casserole (serves 2/3)
12 chipolatas
Tsp fennel seeds
1 or 2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 courgette sliced
1 garlic clove crushed
1 large shallot sliced
coconut oil
1 tablespoon tomato puree
6 cherry tomatoes
250ml chicken stock

Fry the chipolatas until brown, then remove from the pan. Add a dollop of coconut oil and genty toast the fennel seeds for about 30 seconds. Then add the shallot, garlic, celery & courgette and sweat for around 10 minutes. Add the tom puree and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the sausages back to the pan along with the stock and cherry tomatoes and simmer until for around 10 minutes, reducing the stock a bit.

Smoked salmon & celeriac dauphinoise (serves 2)

4 or 5 slices of smoked salmon
half a small celeriac, sliced thinly
1 shallot, sliced thinly
double cream
salt & pepper

Layer the celeriac, shallots & smoked salmon in an oven proof dish, seasoning each celeriac layer. Poor over the cream. Cook in an oven at 200c for about 20-30 minutes, until gold on top & celeriac is soft when pierced with a knife.

Chicken satay

Marinate diced chicken in soy sauce/garlic/ginger for a couple of hours or overnight. Thread onto skewers & grill (on BBQ or under a grill).

Sauce - melt come coconut oil in a small saucepan, then add 2 teaspoons mild curry powder. Fry gently for around 30 seconds, then add half a tin of coconut milk and 2 tablespoons of peanut butter (Asda crunchy is 4.6g per 100g). Simmer for 10 minutes, until all combined and heated through. Pour over the skewered chicken.

Lemon pesto chicken salad

I tablespoon LC pesto (Lidl is very low)
2 tablespoons mayo
Squeeze of lemon juice
salt & pepper

Mix these together then add cooked chicken & allow to stand overnight.

Serve on salad leaves, cucumber, cherry toms, avocado slices & sprinkle on some toasted pine nuts.

Lamb & aubergine bake (serves 1 or 2)

1 aubergine cut into 1cm thick slices
2 shallots sliced into wedges
6 cherry tomatoes
1 courgette sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried oregano
a few sprigs of rosemary
2 lamb leg steaks
Some feta cheese cubed
Mint leaves to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Put the aubergines, shallot and courgette in a roasting tin and drizzle them with the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Sprinkle the garlic, oregano and rosemary on top, then season with salt and pepper. Cover the dish with foil, then put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
Tuck the tomatoes and feta around the vegetables, making sure they are evenly spaced. Season the lamb steaks with salt and pepper, then put them on top of the veg. Put the dish back in the oven and cook, uncovered, for 15–20 minutes, depending on how well done you want your lamb. Remove and allow the lamb steaks to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice the lamb and serve with the vegetables, strewn with fresh mint

adapted from a Hairy Bikers recipe

Tandoori lamb chops and courgette salad

1 heaped tablespoon Greek yog, 2 teaspoons tandoori spice, mix all together & smother 4 lamb chops and allow to marinate for a couple of hours or overnight. Grill or BBQ until cooked through.

1 shallot sliced thin, 1 courgette spiralised or ribboned, 1 teaspoon of mint sauce (Morrisons Graden Mnt sauce is really low carb) and a glug of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, a squeeze of lemon juice. Just mix altogether.

Meatzza

500g mince
1 clove garlic crushed
2 tablespoons parmesan
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 egg, lightly mixed

Add and mix all together, then turn out on a well oiled/buttered pizza tray. Flatten out like you would pizza dough, then top with sauce. I used Lidl tomato pesto as it is quite LC, then topped that with slices of mozzarella. Bake for 30 mins at 220c.

Avocado and cucumber salad
Deseed and chop up a 1/2 to a whole cucumber (I usually give it a quick perk to remove most of dark green skin).
Add a couple of chopped/sliced Spring opinions and a chopped handful of coriander
Mash up an avocado or two
Mix the whole lot together with a glug of oil and a squeeze of lime juice

Soup ideas. Some need tiny tweaks to be BC (swap milk for cream, leave out flour etc)

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4756/cream-of-wild-mushroom-soup
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/creamy-asparagus-soup-with-a-poached-egg-on-toast/
www.deliaonline.com/recipes/international/european/british/cauliflower-cheese-and-broccoli-soup?utm_source=rd&utm_medium=d&utm_campaign=otn&utm_content=recipes/type-of-dish/soups/cauliflower-cheese-and-broccoli-soup.html

Is there a search function within this thread? Im trying to find greek yoghurt breakfasty recipes. Thanks

Easy Mushroom soup

1 leek, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, crushed
300g mushrooms (any, but I used a mix of chestnut & wild) chopped
a few thyme leaves
butter
salt & pepper to season
1 pint stock

Sweat the leek and garlic in the butter on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and thyme and stir through for another 5 minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 20 minutes, then season to taste. Whizz in a blender or use a stick blender.

Cullen skink (adapted from a Nivk Nairn recipe)

Serves 6
Ingredients
For the stock (makes 1.2 litres)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Arbroath Smokies or natural smoked haddock, roughly chopped
100ml dry white wine
100g white veg (leeks, fennel, onion, roughly chopped)

For the soup
40g butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
600g cauliflower peeled & diced
400ml double cream

Method
For the stock, heat the oil, add the veg and stir well. Sweat for 10 mins on low – don’t colour. Remove lid and add the wine, boil for 1 min. Add 1.2 litres water and the fish. Bring up almost to the boil then skim well. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 mins.

Cool and strain through a fine sieve, keeping the stock. Discard the veg but set the fish pieces aside and flake.

For the soup, heat a large saucepan, add the butter, shallots, leek and garlic. Sweat for 10 mins but don’t colour. Add the cauliflower and stock from earlier and simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Add the cream and the flaked fish and warm through gently. Season and serve in warm bowls, garnished with chopped chives and a turn of black pepper

Or you can use a stock cube.

Have never put photos on here before but I have to share! It is Tom Kerridge's Chicken of Total Joy (in our house anyway). I change two things - I use olive oil not rapeseed - and add a cauliflower (floretted) to the chicken pan with a splash more oil after removing the foil. It is VERY SPECIAL CHICKEN INDEED this one. Hope the photos work...

Last night I made that Bacon, Shallot and Gruyere Tart that BIWI posted upthread. Just tried a slice for my lunch. Deliciousness! The almond flour crust does such a good impersonation of pastry.

It's good, isn't it?! I make it without the bacon if I know I'm cooking for vegetarians (just up the amount of shallots that you use), and it's equally lovely.

All looks very tasty - off home now to start cooking.

Wanhedas chicken satay is one of the best things I have ever eaten!

Fathead pizza is fantastico! The best low carb pizza base I've tried by a long shot.

These recipes are fab! Thanks all for inspiration!!

Lemon Butter Chicken (serves two)

Two/300g chicken breasts or 300g skinless and boneless chicken thighs
Two garlic cloves
Two shallots
200ml double cream
30g Parmesan cheese
100g baby spinach
1 tsp thyme
1 tablespoon butter
Lemon zest
Lemon juice

Method:

1. Dice chicken into chunks, zest lemon, mince garlic, chop shallots etc
2. Melt the butter
3. Cut up your chicken and add it to the butter. Fry it along with the shallot, lemon zest, thyme and garlic until mostly cooked
4. Add the double cream, lemon juice, Parmesan, and spinach and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Check chicken is cooked
6. Serve over courgetti, zero noodles, or alongside buttered vegetables, more spinach, or mashed swede.