Comfort Foods

Comfort foods are the one's your body craves, when you are depressed, tired, cold, or ill, or even all of these. We all get those days, tomorrow is another day and we all need something to survive those days. Low carb eating is a good choice for this type of day. In the long term, medical experts tend to feel that it is not the healthiest food as it is very high in fat, but for those days when nothing else but stodgy food will do, it is a far better option than breaking the diet and going mad.

Breakfast

Breakfast meatballs

Serves: 16
Carbs Per Serving: Trace
Effort: Easy

Ingredients:

2 lb. breakfast sausage,
1 lb ground beef,
3 eggs,
2 Tablespoons powdered onion,
1/2 lb mature cheddar cheese, shredded.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients and season. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and bake 18-20 minutes. Freeze unused meatballs and use as an emergency snack.

Lunch

Comfort Salad

Serves: 1
Carbs Per Serving: Total carbohydrate 4.4
Effort: Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup of rocket finely chopped.
3 tablespoon Ranch Dressing
2 slices cooked ham,
1 ounce cheddar cheese grated,
small can of tuna,
1/4 cup peeled cucumber,
I green scallion finely chopped,
Slice of chopped bacon, fried crisply for garnish.

Method:

Arrange the lettuce, cucumber, and scallion on a plate, top with the ham, and then the egg. Pour the dressing over, and garnish with the cheese and bacon.

Dinner

Sirloin steak with a creamy mushroom sauce to die for! Served with mock creamed potatoes.

Serves: 2
Carbs Per Serving: Total carbohydrate 4.4
Effort: Easy

Ingredients:

2 sirloin steaks,
Tin of Campbell's condensed mushroom soup,
Small tin of mushrooms,
2 knorr stock cubes,
Glass of dry white wine
Lashings of freshly ground black pepper.

Method:

Grill the steaks to your liking, and serve with the sauce. To make the sauce heat all the ingredients until the stock cubes have dissolved.

Mock Mashed Potatoes

Serves: 2 large servings
Carbs Per Serving: Carbs with 3.5 Fiber
Effort: Easy

Ingredients:

1 small head cauliflower, steamed until almost mush,
1/4 stick butter softened
4 oz cream cheese softened
4 oz cheddar cheese grated
4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/8 Cup sour cream
2 scallions.

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Let the steamed cauliflower dry out and drain for an hour or so in a mesh colander. Press out water. Do not worry about the cauliflower mashing. Keep pressing out water and continue to blot with paper towels. Put cauliflower and all other ingredients in food processor and pulse until fully blended. Butter an 8x8" baking dish and spread mixture, and make a mountain, and then indent the top with a spoon. Now you have a mountain that looks like a volcano. Bake for 40 or so minutes until the top is golden.

Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Crust

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups raw Macadamia nuts
4 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons Brown Sugar Twin
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

Filling:
2 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
5 tablespoons of Splenda (granular)
5 Tablespoons of Sugar Twin
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2-3 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
6 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 500F.

Method:

Line the bottom of a spring form pan with parchment paper and coat the inside of the pan with soft butter.

Melt the butter over a low heat and pulse the macadamia nuts in a grinder. When the nuts are ground add all the other crust ingredients, combine well, cool, and then spread evenly as the cheesecake base.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth with a hand held mixer, add the sweeteners, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat the egg yolks into the cheese and when fully incorporated, add the rest of the eggs two at a time. When thoroughly mixed pour over the crust and bake for 12 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200F and continue baking for 1 1/2 hours. Do not open the oven door whilst cheesecake is cooking or it will sink. It should still have a soft consistency when it is cooked. It is best served at room temperature.

Tender Loving Care Snack

Hard Boiled Eggs Smothered With A Caesar Mayo Dip
Serves: 1
Carbs Per Serving: A Zero hero
Effort: Easy

Ingredients:

2 anchovy fillets,
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard,
1/4 teaspoon black pepper,
1 tablespoon lemon juice,
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise,
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce,
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese,

Method:

Chop and mash the anchovy fillets on a cutting board. Put in a bowl and blend in the mayonnaise. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Cover and chill. Serve over the eggs. Alternatively, dip pieces of seafood, crab claws, rare roast beef, or pieces of chicken leg, or lightly steamed broccoli or cauliflower into the mayonnaise and munch without guilt!