Friday, June 24, 2011

Coconut Custard Courtesy of Arlene

Arlene has also given us a coconut custard recipe, which looks delicious! I am a true coconut lover, and this is the desert for me! As Arlene says, make absolutely sure you get the unsweetened coconut or you will be in trouble carb wise. It is in health food stores, but I have found it in my Publix Grocery. Of course they have a wonderful "green aisle" that is not available in all groceries. Once again, this is a slow cooker recipe, so we don't have to heat up our kitchens in the hot summertime! So, here it is:

Coconut Custard (servings: 8)

2 tsp butter
3 cups half and half
1 cup canned coconut milk (unsweetened)
5 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 C Splenda Granular Sweetener
2 C unsweetened shredded coconut
pinch of kosher salt
1/4 tsp coconut extract
whipped cream (optional)
toasted, unsweetened coconut (optional)

1. Grease a slow cooker crock with butter (leave excess in the crock) set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except whipped cream and toasted coconut; mix well and pour into the slow cooker crock.
2. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. At the end of the cooking time, give the slow cooker a gentle jiggle to make sure the custard is set (you can also gently touch the top of the custard with your finger or the back of a spoon to test it). If it's not set, cook 1/2 hour more. If it is set, leave the crock uncovered and let the custard set for 1 hour at room temperature.
3. Slice the custard and use a pie server to remove each piece (the first piece will be difficult to remove in one piece; after that, it should be easy). Garnish custard with whipped cream and a sprinkling of toasted coconut, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.
(I cover the crock with a paper towel to absorb moisture, then put the cover on the crock over the paper towels).

Top each portion with a drizzle of low-carb hot fudge - tastes like a Mounds Bar!!

For easy entertaining, make it a day ahead of time and scoop it into dessert cups and garnish.
Unsweetened coconut is essential and is found in health food stores.

 

Pumpkin Pudding Courtesy of Arlene

I have always felt like saving pumpkin just for Thanksgiving or Christmas was a way of devaluing the vegetable, so to speak. Pumpkin has a lot of uses besides desert. Of course we mostly have to resort to canned pumpkin when it's out of season.

Arlene, one of our OFL's posted this recipe for a slow cooker version of pudding. The best news is it's very low carb! There is also a recipe for pumpkin custard made in the oven earlier on this blog. For you slow cooker lovers, this is the desert for you!

PUMPKIN PUDDING WITH WHIPPED CREAM (servings: 6)

For the pudding:
1 tsp butter
1 15-ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
2/3 cup Splenda Granular sweetener
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
pinch ground cloves (optional)
pinch nutmeg (optional)

Grease slow cooker crock with the butter. In a large mixing bowl,combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into slow cooker crock. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours. Transfer crock to the refrigerator to cool until serving time. Just before serving, prepare whipped cream. To serve, spoon pudding into individual footed ice cream dishes or dessert bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped cream and a small sprinke of ground cinnamon, if desired.
Nutrition:
Calories: 260; Protein: 3g; Net Carbs: 3g; Fat: 27g; Cholesterol: 146mg; Sodium: 54mg.

This is just like pumpkin pie without the crust!!

Marinated Chuck Steak for Grilling Courtesy of Dana Carpender

Hi, everyone! I did a little catch up reading on low carb sties and found this interesting recipe for a marinated chuck steak that can be grilled. I noticed the marinade has some acid which aids in the tenderizing, and the other flavors look really good! Dana Carpender has this on her low carb blog, "Hold the Toast." So, here it is:

Lime-Ginger Marinated Chuck

Our favorite cut of steak is ribeye, but sadly it's running $11.99/lb around here. That's just not in the budget. Happily, I can still get chuck for $3/pound and under. It's too tough to broil or grill as-is, but marinated and tenderized, it's wonderful -- tender and flavorful. This is my latest marinated chuck steak, and That Nice Boy I Married and I both thought it was wonderful.
Lime-ginger Marinated Chuck Steak
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Splenda -- or other sweetener to equal 1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 pound beef chuck, or thereabouts
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer, or as needed
Mix together everything but the meat tenderizer and beef in a flat, non-reactive pan that will just fit your steak.
Lay the steak -- mine was 1/2" thick -- in the marinade. Sprinkle it all over with tenderizer, and use a fork to pierce it all over, every 1/4" or so. Flip the meat and repeat on the other side.
Stash in the fridge, and let the whole thing marinade for at least a few hours, and all day is brilliant. Flip it once during that time if you think of it.
When supper time rolls around, simply drain and grill to desired doneness -- we like ours pink in the middle. You could broil it instead, but we grilled ours, and it was wonderful.
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3 servings, each with: 498 Calories; 42g Fat ; 24g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber -- that's what MasterCook says, but I can tell you now that the calorie, fat, and carb counts are all high. Why? Because this counts all of the marinade, and most of it will be going down the drain. I'd guess less than 1 gram of carb per serving.
NOTE: For a big group, try marinating a nice, thick chuck roast, 2" thick or so. You'll want to double or triple the marinade. This makes a great summer party dish.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Veggie Loaded Spread or Dip Courtesy of Gabby

If you're an OFL, you know I've promised this recipe for several days. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to make any amount you want. Also, ingredients can be tweaked in any way you want to do it. The recipe posted makes about 1 1/2 cups of dip, depending on how many veggies you want to add. So, finally, here it is.:

Cheesy Veggie Dip/Spread

4 ounces of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon of each of the following very finely minced or briefly pulsed in your blender or food processor:
Tomato, with pulp and seeds removed
red onion (any other onion will do)
Red bell pepper (green or yellow will do also)
Frozen chopped spinach with all liquid squeezed out
Broccoli
And any other raw veggies you like. Feel free to leave out what you don't want.
1/4 cup (or more) of finely shredded cheese- I used five cheese Italian 
1 Teaspoon Basil (use fresh if possible) or Dill or any other herb you like
If you want a little kick to it, add as much finely minced Jalapeno pepper as desired.
Lemon Pepper- mix everything thoroughly before adding this spice, as it can ruin the dip if there's too much.

Thoroughly mix cream cheese and mayonnaise till creamy and smooth. Add in all other ingredients until well mixed. At this point if you want more, add more mayonnaise till it's the consistency you desire. I make it a little creamier for dip and a little stiffer for low carb crackers. Keep refrigerated.

Herb Crusted Cheese Crackers from The Jimmie Moore Blog

Good afternoon from HOT Florida. I'm just catching up on some listening and reading to keep us all infomed. I came across this recipe for Herb crusted cheese crackers on Jimmie Moore's podcast. I do love crackers and dip, and since I've just adapted one from one of my brother's co-workers, I'm be trying these very soon! So here they are: crackers without wheat!

Crackers: 5 oz. shredded cheddar
1 cup almond flour
¼ cup olive oil
3 T water
½ t. salt
1/8 t. dried dill flakes
3 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
Herb Mix:
1 ¼ t. dried oregano
1 ¼ t. dried dill
1 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking tray (I use parchment paper). The mixture should form a moist but firm dough. To make the herb mix, combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Make small dough balls, roll them in the herb mix, and flatten on the greased baking tray at even intervals. (I also sprinkle more shredded cheese on top)
Bake 15-20 minutes until crackers are golden brown. Yield 30-35 crackers, depending on size.
Can be served with a dip. Our favorite is cream cheese with garlic, salt and dill stirred in!
Danna Seevers
My New Health Blog: www.goodlifenaturals.blogspot.com
Family blog: www.seevers.blogspot.com

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Jimmie Moore's Livin' La Vida Podcast with Dr. Stepphen Phinney

Hi, all you dear OFL's and anyone else who reads! Today has been a strange day of learning all about heat stroke, so I will be brief with this. Just listened to Jimmie Moore's podcast with Dr. Stephen Phinny, one of the docs who wrote "The New Atkins for a New You."All I can tell you is this is worth your time! I wade through a lot of blogs and casts, but select those that are most pertinent for us, on the Atkins WOE. You need an hour to listen, but this is worth your time, and I WILL be ordering this book! Here are the comments that Jimmie had to say before the podcast:

Dr. Steve Phinney, low-carb researcher for 35 years and New York Times bestselling author, is our guest today on The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore! If you don’t know who Dr. Steve Phinney is, then you are in for a real treat today! He is the author of over 40 scientific research studies as well as a contributor to several books on low-carb health and nutrition. This amazing man is incredibly well-versed in the science supporting Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb as you will hear in today’s interview. Listen in as he and Jimmy discuss his brand new book co-written with former podcast guest and fellow low-carb diet researcher Dr. Jeff Volek called The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living–a book designed as the perfect gift from a patient to his general practitioner or nutritionist. This is a CAN’T MISS episode!
Special thanks to today’s sponsor: Yes! To Cookies
LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 479
- Support our sponsor: Yes! To Cookies
- Dr. Stephen Phinney bio
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable
- Jimmy’s book review of The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living
- Official web site for The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Living
- New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great


And here is the link to listen:

http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/4203/479-dr-steve-phinney-a-low-carb-legend-with-a-brand-new-book/

Monday, June 13, 2011

Health Supplements Courtesy of Doreen

As few of you on the forum have asked our researcher, Doreen what supplements she is taking, as she seems to have a boundless amount of energy. So she has made a list for us. It must work well for Doreen as she is always on the go and doing, doing, doing! So here they are.

Supplements

Coconut Oil - 2 T a day
Probiotic Pearl - 1 a day -
PrimeZyme - 2 a day - for digestion
OmegaFirst (oil) -
Vit. D - 3-4000 units a day
L-Theanine - 2 a day(green tea extract) relieves stress
Vit C - 2 a day
Vit. B 100 Supreme - stress, and keeps mosquitos away from me
LysineL - helps form collogen, boosts immunity, prevents cold sores
CoQ10- heart,
Migraines - Vit. E, (2), Magnesium (2), Potasium (1)
EstroSense - if my estrogen gets high, 3 a day
AdrenaSense - if stressed, 2 - 4 a day
Progesterone Cream (Dr. Lee)- 1/4 tsp a day - rubbed on
Collagen cream

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil Courtesy of Doreen

As you know, we have all been talking back and forth on the forum about coconut oil, and many have started using it. Doreen, as usual has researched the subject and put it down in concise form for us. Obviously, this is a good supplement for all of us!

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

Weight Loss:
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Heart Diseases:
There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

Digestion:
Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Immunity:
Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes and influenza.

Healing and Infections:
When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.

Other:
Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.

Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.

Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis.

Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.

Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.

Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age.

Health Benefits of Lemon Juice Courtesy of Doreen

Good afternoon, dear OFL's. For those of you who have been around our forum for a while, you know that Doreen is our resident researcher and has given us a lot of valuable information over the months. I knew I liked lemons, but didn't know the wonderful health benefits! So, Doreen thank you! Here they are:

Benefits of lemon juice and hot water in the morning
-Lemons are antiseptic, improves the immune system
-Lemon water has excellent digestive properties and can ease heartburn, bloating and other digestion problems (helps weight loss)
-Lemon water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys (helps weight loss)
-Flushes toxins from your system (aids weight loss)
-Lemon juice contains calcium, magnesium and potassium
-Lemon juice has been known to relieve asthma
-Lemon water (hot) offers relief from cold and flu symptoms while providing some much needed Vitamin C
-Lemon juice is a great skin cleanser and aids the anti aging process
-The juice from 1/2 a lemon = 2NCarbs

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Jimmy Moore's New Podcast! You Need to Listen to This One!

Good afternoon OFL's. I've just listened to Jimmy Moore's Low Carb Pod Cast- Absolutely Great! If you don't know who Jimmy is, go to the first page of Atkins.com and read his story- located at the lower portion of the page. On this podcast, he and his co-hosts discussed the new government thingee called myplate,com. Ridiculous! There is also a lot of other great information  to be had! If you're a devoted low carbe like me, this will be well worth your time!

http://www.lowcarbconversations.com/214/13-laurie-rosen-karen-donegan/

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

My Plate Interview by Tom Naughton (Fathead)- USDA Guidelines

As most of you OFL's know, the USDA guidelines for food consumption are pathetically misguided at the least and helping to promote obesity and Type II diabetes at the worst Well, for a humorous, but, well- awful look at what was done to produce this (which all Americans paid for with taxes!), take a look at Tome Naughton's interview with a USDA official.

http://www.fathead-movie.com/

and...look at Tim Slade's take on the myplate.gov program produced by the USDA to the tune of two million tax dollars!

http://biggovernment.com/tslagle/2011/06/04/michelle-obama-is-rearranging-the-nations-dinner-plates/

Research About the Benefits of Coconut Oil Courtesy of Doreen

Once again our researcher extraordinaire, Doreen of the OFL's, has done a superb job of researching the benefits of coconut oil for us!  Saved us a lot of plodding around the net looking for ourselves. Thanks Doreen!

So, I have copied and pasted her post from the OFL forum for everyone to refer to at will. Here it is:

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.

Weight Loss:
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzymes systems. Further, it increases the body metabolism by removing stress on pancreases, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Heart Diseases:
There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for the heart. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. However, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in case of other vegetables oils. It does not lead to increase in LDL levels. It also reduces the incidence of injury in arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

Digestion:
Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil. Coconut oil helps in improving the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion related problems including irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats present in coconut oil have anti microbial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, etc., that cause indigestion. Coconut oil also helps in absorption of other nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Immunity:
Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system as it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes and influenza.

Healing and Infections:
When applied on infections, it forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria and virus. Coconut oil is most effective on bruises as it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.

Other:
Liver: The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases as they substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing work load on the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.

Kidney: Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps in dissolving kidney stones.

Pancreatitis: Coconut oil is also believed to be useful in treating pancreatitis.

Stress Relief: Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head followed with a gentle massage helps in removing mental fatigue.

Diabetes: Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also helps in effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.

Bones: As mentioned earlier, coconut oil improves the ability of our body to absorb important minerals. These include calcium and magnesium which are necessary for development of bones. Thus coconut oil is very useful to women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

New Candy Recipe Courtesy of Cheryl

When one of our newer OFL's posts a recipe on the forum, I am always happy- means they are really getting into our WOE! So, Cheryl, a relatively new OFL posted this recipe for a no cook candy that looks simple to make. Another one of our ladies has already tried it and said it was good. She intends to find sugar free peanut butter and make Atkins friendly "Reese's Cups!" So here it is:

Stumbled on a candy recipe using coconut oil if anyone is interested. Haven't made it yet so can't vouch for tastiness.

Jan's Recipe
4 oz coconut oil, 2 oz almond/flax butter Trader Joe, 1.5 oz chopped nuts, 1T dutch cocoa powder, sweetner to taste, smidgen of salt. Mix and place in 12 mini cupcake cups, refrig till firm.
OR
2 1/2 oz virgin coconut oil, 1 oz Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder, sweetner and almonds. Melt oil and add other ingredients. Refrig till firm.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Almond - Flax Meal Zucchini Bread Courtesy of Gabby

Today, I had a real hankering for something sweet and decided to make use of the abundance of zucchini squash from my brother's garden. So I put together Atkins friendly zucchini bread. It turned out pretty well, but not as sweet as I thought it should be. That being said, here is the recipe. If you like a sweet bread with your cream cheese, I recommend more packets of Splenda.

PS-Caution: You must refrigerate this bread after making. I remembered my brother's advice too late, when I went to get a slice of the bread last night. It had soured in the air-conditioned house in just two days. My brother the food study person has used flas for years, and told me to keep my flax meal in the freezer, but it never occurred to me to refrigerate the bread.

Almond Flax Meal Zucchini Bread

1/2 cup of flax meal
3/4 cup of almond meal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5 packets of Slplenda (more if you like a sweet bread)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 
1 teaspoon  vanilla
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of olive oil or melted butter
1 cup peeled, grated and drained zucchini squash  about one 8 inch squash did it for me)  I grated the squash into a strainer and let it sit for about 1/2 hour- then squeezed any moisture out that I could get out. The draining and squeezing are important so you don't wind up with soggy bread. It's a decision you make after seeing how moist your grated zucchini is.
 1/2 cup chopped pecans or nuts of your choice- my choice is almost always pecans, because I have a free source from the trees in the yard. Nuts are optional, but good!

Mix all dry ingredients together, making sure each is thoroughly distributed throughout. Mix all wet ingredients together, beating the eggs a bit with a fork, and add to the dry. Mix again well, add squash and mix again. Do not let this batter sit around or it will go flat.

Bake in a loaf pan with oiled parchment on the bottom. Bale at 350 degrees for about thirty to forty  minutes, depending on your oven or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. You want to bake long enough so the bread is not mushy in the center. Cool on a rack. While still warm, it was delicious with cream cheese. I'll toast it under the broiler next time and use the cream cheese.

I knew when I posted this yesterday that there would be requests for the stats on the recipe. Shoulda just done it then, but was lazy. So, here it is today. All I've got to say is God bless Fat Secret and online calculators for figuring all this out for me!

I figured 12 slices to the cake; So, I'm giving you figures for the whole cake as well as a 1/12 slice.

                  Whole Cake                    Slice (1/12)

Fat             115.77                             9.65
T. Carbs      48.59                             4.05
N. Carbs     21.79                             1.81
Protein        55.41                             4.62
Calories      1387                          115.58 

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Science for Smart People by Tom Naughton

I just finished up my usual Sunday catch up reading of various low carb blogs. I found Tom's Naughton's speech about science from the recent low carb cruise. I can't emphasize enough how good this speech is! Tom is one of my favorite low carb gurus, and a very funny guy. So have a listen to his speech.

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2011/05/12/speech-science-for-smart-people/

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Health Benefits of Real Ginger from Dr. Ben Kim

Dr. Ben Kim's newsletter is one I like, because I have long preferred natural remedies to pills. Today's lett was about the benefits of real ginger, for digestion, arthritis, inflammation and ovarian and colon cancer. I have always made my own gingerale (my recipe on another post in this blog,) and Dr. Kim has one in this letter- ignore it! It contains way too many carbs. I keep ginger in the fridge all the time, not only for Chinese stir fries and other recipes, but for gingerale and other remedies. You would be amazed at how good real gingerale is versus Canada Dry. This is worth the read!

http://drbenkim.com/ginger-health-benefits-ginger-ale-recipe.html

Spicy Un-Potato Salad Courtesy of Dana Carpender

As most of you know, I'm a regular reader of Dana Carpender's low carb blog, Hold the Toast! She has written several low carb cook books and is a real low carb guru, and fun to read. Today, there was an un-potato salad recipe that looked good. The only thing I would add is a little spicy brown mustard. I also don't bother with sugar free bread and butter pickles, because I always preferred dills anyway. I buy dill relish which has 0 carbs and would use it in the recipe. It's your choice. So here it is.

Sweet and Tangy UnPotato Salad

Sweet-and-Tangy UnPotato Salad
1/2 cauliflower head
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup extra light olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons pickle juice from sugar-free bread and butter pickles
1 teaspoon salt or vege sal
Tabasco sauce to taste -- a few dashes
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 small green bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1/4 cup chopped sugar-free bread and butter pickles
3 hard-boiled eggs
First, whack the bottom of the stem and all the leaves off your cauliflower, and cut it into 1/2" chunks. Put 'em in a microwave steamer (handy item!) or microwaveable casserole with a lid. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, cover, and nuke on high for 10 minutes. (Time depends on your microwave's strength- you don't want the cauliflower to turn into mush.)
While that's happening, mix together your mayo, olive oil, garlic, pickle juice, salt, and Tabasco. This is your dressing.
Chop up all your other veggies, and peel and coarsely chop your eggs.
Somewhere in here, the microwave will beep. Take the lid off the cauliflower and let it cool at least 5-10 minutes before...
Draining it well, and combining it with the veggies and dressing. Stir it all up. Now gently stir in the chopped eggs; you want to preserve some hunks of yolk, instead of having them all just blend into the dressing.
Chill for several hours, to let the flavors blend, then serve.
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