CUBAN POT ROAST RECIPE – LOW CARB AND GLUTEN FREE

INGREDIENTS (10 servings)

• 2.5 – 3 lb boneless chuck roast
• 1/2 cup salsa verde
• 1/2 cup canned chopped green chilis
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup red and yellow peppers cut into strips
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Generously season the roast with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot pan until browned on all sides. Place the meat in the bottom of a 5qt crock pot (slow cooker). Add the salsa verde, chilis, and tomatoes to the pan you seared the meat in. Deglaze and bring to a boil. Pour over the meat in the crock pot. Add the onion flakes, garlic, peppers, salt, cumin, coriander, oregano, chili powder, black pepper, and apple cider vinegar and stir. Cook for 4hrs on high, or 6hrs on low (or until the meat is tender). Shred the meat and serve with your choice of toppings.

NOTES

Approximate nutrition info per serving: 271 calories, 19g fat, 2g net carbs, 20g protein

Low-Carb Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds, whole
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 pinch salt
• Cinnamon (as much as you want)
• 100% peanuts peanutbutter 

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer until desired thickness is reached. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.
2. Top with butter and coconut milk – or almond milk and cinnamon – or fresh, unsweetened berries. The possibilities are endless!

Tip!

Make a large batch of the dry ingredients and store in a big glass jar for an even quicker breakfast. This will be enough for 20 servings, corresponding to 3 tablespoons seed mix per serving:

1¼ cup flaxseeds
1¼ cup chia seeds
1¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

Low-Carb Naan Bread with Melted Garlic Butter

Ingredients

• ¾ cup coconut flour
• 2 tablespoons ground psyllium husk powder
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6¾ tablespoons melted coconut oil
• 2 cups boiling water
• coconut oil, for frying
• sea salt

Garlic butter

• 3½ oz. butter
• 1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced

Instructions

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and then boiling water and stir thoroughly.
2. Allow to rise for five minutes. The dough will turn firm fairly quickly, but stay flexible. It should resemble the consistency of Play-Doh. If you find it’s too runny then add more psyllium husk until it feels right. The amount needed may vary depending on what brand of husk or coconut flour you use.
3. Divide into 6 or 8 pieces and form into balls that you flatten with your hands directly on parchment paper or on the kitchen counter.
4. Fry rounds in coconut oil over medium heat until the Naan turn a nice golden color.
5. Heat the oven to 140°F (70°C) and keep the bread warm while you make more.
6. Melt the butter and stir in the freshly squeezed garlic. Apply the melted butter on the bread pieces using a brush and sprinkle flaked salt on top.
7. Pour the rest of the garlic butter in a bowl and dip pieces of bread in it.

Asian Cabbage Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 1²⁄₃ lbs green cabbage
• ¹⁄₃ lb butter
• 1¹⁄₃ lbs ground turkey/ chicken/ beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 scallions, in slices
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Wasabi mayonnaise

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• ½ – 1 tablespoon wasabi paste

Instructions

1. Shred the cabbage finely using a sharp knife or a food processor.
2. Fry the cabbage in 2–3 ounces (60–90 g) butter in a large frying or wok pan on medium-high heat, but don’t let the cabbage turn brown. It takes a while for the cabbage to soften.
3. Add spices and vinegar. Stir and fry for a couple of minutes more. Put the cabbage in a bowl.
4. Melt the rest of the butter in the same frying pan. Add garlic, chili flakes and ginger and sauté for a few minutes.
5. Add ground meat and brown until the meat is thoroughly cooked and most of the juices have evaporated. Lower the heat a little.
6. Add scallions and cabbage to the meat. Stir until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper to taste, and top with the sesame oil before serving.
7. Mix together the wasabi mayonnaise by starting with a small amount of wasabi and adding more until the flavor is just right. Serve the stir-fry warm with a dollop of wasabi mayonnaise on top.

Low-Carb Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

• 1 lb cauliflower
• 2tbs butter
• ½ lemon, juice and zest (optional)
• olive oil (optional)
• Rosemary/ Thyme (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets.
2. Boil the cauliflower in plenty of lightly salted water a couple of minutes – just enough to retain a somewhat firm texture. Discard the water.
3. Blend with the other ingredients in a food processor or hand blender.
4. Salt and pepper to taste and add more olive oil or butter if you like.

Low-Carb Pancakes

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 8¾ oz. cottage cheese
• 1 tablespoon ground psyllium husk powder
• 2 oz. butter or coconut oil

 

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients for the batter in a bowl with a spoon or a big fork. Let expand for 5 minutes or more.
2. Heat butter or oil in a frying pan. Fry the pancakes on medium heat for 3–4 minutes on each side. Flip very carefully. Be sure not to let the cottage cheese lumps stick to the pan as they melt.
3. Serve with blueberries or other berries, and heavy cream whipped until soft peaks form.

Low-Carb Cauliflower Hash Browns

Ingredients

• 1 lb cauliflower
• 3 eggs
• ½ yellow onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 pinches pepper
• 4 oz. butter, for frying

Instructions

1. Remove cauliflower leaves and shred an appropriate amount of cauliflower coarsely. Bonus: you can save the rest of the cauliflower for another time!
2. Mix the shredded cauliflower with the other ingredients in a bowl. Let mixture sit for 5–10 minutes.
3. Melt a generous amount of butter or oil on medium heat in a large skillet. The cooking process will go quicker if you plan to have room for 3–4 pancakes (about 3–4 inches each) at a time. Use the oven on low heat to keep the first batches of pancakes warm while you make the others.
4. Place scoops of the grated cauliflower mixture in the frying pan and flatten them carefully until they measure about 3–4 inches in diameter.
5. Fry for 4–5 minutes on each side. Adjust the heat to make sure they don’t burn. Remember — patience is a virtue — if you flip the pancakes too soon they may fall apart!

Paleo Cashew Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The most perfect moist and chewy paleo chocolate chunk cashew butter cookies that are free of refined sugar, dairy and gluten.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashew butter
• 1 egg, scrambled
• 1/4 cup  maple syrup

Dry Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup paleo flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp pink sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Add the wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients into a separate bowl and mix until combined.
4. Pour the dry ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) into the wet ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. It may be a little wet. Next stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Roll the dough into balls (I use an ice cream scooper) and place onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before touching the cookies.

Notes

The dough will be sticky – this is normal. If it’s way too wet and sticky you can add another tbsp of paleo flour.

Slow Cooker Summer Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/4-1/2 pounds stew beef, cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons flour
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (check the sugar count!)
• 2 cups low sodium beef broth/ 2 bouillon cubes with 2 cups water
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• chopped fresh basil for garnish

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stove-top.
2. Toss beef with flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl until all the pieces all equally coated.
3. Add beef to the hot pot and brown on all sides, about 5-7 minutes.
4. Transfer beef and all it’s juices to the slow cooker.
5. Add garlic, bay leaf, shallots, tomato paste and broth to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and set for 6 hours on low heat.
6. Add zucchini and peppers 30 minutes before timer is up (after 5.5 hours of cooking), stir gently to combine and continue cooking with lid on for remaining 30 minutes. (*see note)
7. Serve with grain of choice (shown with creamy cheese grits).

SLOW COOKER THAI SPICY PEANUT CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

• ⅔ cup chunky peanut butter (100% peanuts)
• ½ cup chicken broth low sodium or bouillon cube with 1/2 cup water
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 (16 ounce) package of frozen bell peppers and onion (like the kind by Bird’s Eye)
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• ½ cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, Sriracha sauce, and lime juice. Set aside.
2. Empty contents of package of frozen peppers/onion into the slow cooker.
3. Place the chicken on top of the peppers/onion.
4. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the top of the chicken.
5. Cook on low for 6 hours.
6. Just before serving, shred the chicken with two forks.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro.