It’s hard to believe it’s nearly time to trade in the grill for fun holiday baking, broiling and comfort-food favorites! The busiest season for cooking and entertaining will soon be upon us, and as you’re getting ready to “Deck the house”, this is the perfect time to “Deck Your Kitchen” too!

Is your spice rack in disarray? Are your spices up to code? If you haven’t used that thyme in years, I think it’s fair to say that it can be laid to rest. Cooking without good spices is like painting without paints: before you can get creative with your cooking, you’ll have to have the tools of the trade. Fresh spices add richer flavors; that’s what we’re after!

While you’re shopping the outer aisles for the fresh and low-carb foods to fill your refrigerator and pantry, it’s a good idea to venture into the inner aisles to replace any of your out-of-code spices and pick up others you may not have. Spices are invaluable and usually can be found inexpensively in the ethnic food sections of your local grocery store or in bulk from wholesale clubs. I have included below a list of what’s in our spice rack and pantry, and although you don’t need to collect them all, you’ll certainly want to have the essentials to be ready to make all your favorites this coming holiday season!

As always, YOU are the most important ingredient in every meal you cook, but life sure is easier when you have the right tools!

Keep On Low Carbin’
George Stella

For tons more low carb recipes, ideas, and support please visit:
www.StellaStyle.com
www.facebook.com/LowCarbingAmongFriends

OUR LOW CARB PANTRY

We use a variety of healthier alternatives to keep our recipes free of white carbs like sugar and all-purpose flour. We purchase all of these ingredients at our local grocery store. As some of these ingredients may sound foreign at first, below is a brief explanation of their use and how they can be found.

Almond Flour
Almond flour is an important substitute for white flour, especially in baked goods. It couldn’t be any easier to make by grinding raw almonds in a food processor. Store-bought almond flour does exist, but it can be hard to find, expensive, and not as fresh as homemade.

Soy Flour
We also use soy flour as a high-protein substitute for white flour in some baked goods (especially savory ones). Soy flour can achieve a lighter, fluffier texture that rises better than almond flour. You can usually find soy flour in the baking aisle or organic and natural foods section of your ordinary grocery store. Bob’s Red Mill, Arrowhead Mills, and Hodgson Mill are the most readily available brands. While soy flour will always be best in the recipes that use it, if you have a soy allergy, almond flour can be substituted.

Milled Flax Seed
Milled Flax Seed will usually be available near the soy flour in the baking aisle or natural foods section of your grocery store. What you are looking for is ground flax seeds that resemble coarse wheat flour, not whole flax seeds. Hodgson Mill calls this Milled Flax Seed and Bob’s Red Mill calls it Flax Seed Meal. When used in baking, Milled Flax Seed gives low carb baked goods a heartier, more wheat-like flavor. It is also a wonderful source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.

Sugar Substitutes
I have always recommended Splenda or “sucralose” as that is what was available and what we used to lose our weight. But now we also use and highly recommend; “EZ-Sweetz, a truly zero-carb liquid sucralose readily available and without the maltodextrin, a corn starch-like additive found in Splenda.

You may use any sugar substitute you wish when preparing your recipes as long as they are suitable for cooking, as some substitutes lose their sweetness when baked. While we did not have the luxury when we first started on low carb, many entirely natural sugar substitutes are now available and can be used as you wish.

I have also included below the recipe for our favorite way to season and cook anything and everything; Blackening Spice.

Spice Cabinet:

  • Baking powder
  • Basil
  • Bay leaves
  • Black pepper
  • Canola oil
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Chili powder
  • Cream of tartar
  • Cumin
  • Garlic powder
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Italian seasoning
  • Kosher salt
  • Nutmeg
  • Olive oil
  • Onion powder
  • Oregano
  • Paprika
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Thyme
  • Vanilla extract
  • Vegetable oil spray
  • White pepper

Pantry:

  • Almond flour or raw almonds
  • Canned pumpkin
  • Dijon mustard
  • Garlic bulbs
  • Milled flax seed
  • Pecans
  • Red onions
  • Roasted red peppers
  • Soy flour
  • Spaghetti squash
  • Sugar substitute; Liquid Sucralose; recommended: EZ-Sweetz and Splenda
  • Unsweetened baking chocolate
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Worcestershire sauce

Find-A-Walk-Banner02

 

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:13]