Monday, 18 October 2010

A spot of low carb shopping!


So, finally, after living in Vancouver for nearly 7 years and trying to maintain a low carb diet for 10 months, I eventually visited the low carb shop. To be honest, I was previously avoiding it slightly as it's so easy to get carried away and believe you are eating something that won't make any difference to your carb intake because it's from the 'special shop'. Of course it does, however, so a certain level of restraint still has to be managed. But then when you're there, face to face with low carb pasta, bread, cookies, sausage rolls and tortillas, (goodies usually only dreamt about), the temptation overwhelms and you buy everything, telling yourself you won't be visiting again for a while, so best to stock up.

I came away with a box of spaghetti, a bag of bread rolls, a tray of sausage rolls, some coconut and strawberry cakes, a bag of Shirataki noodles and a bag of tortillas. Dubiously, we sampled the sausage rolls on the car journey home. Now, one of the annoying things about low carb bread products is that the need to keep them in the fridge due to the ingredients can be a real strain on your patience. Neil and I eagerly chomped into the sausage rolls, (Neil isn't on this regime, he just can't resist these little morsels), and we both immediately almost lost our teeth. Neil wondered whether they had been frozen as he inspected the filling! They were so hard and cold they were not at all appetizing and I clutched mine in my hand until we got home, where I placed it in the microwave for 10 seconds. It was OK, although I wish manufacturers would use good quality sausage meat instead of the generic grey stuff that seems to be the norm.






The little cakes were so good, however, I actually twirled with pleasure when I ate one. The strawberry jam (sugar-free of course) was delicious with the coconut. The bread was also really good with a proper bread-like texture, unlike the loaves I make, which have a 'bitty', unfamiliar bite to them. I had my first roll with bacon, egg and cheese, and it was so nice to be able to butter the bread!






The spaghetti was going to be saved for a 'spaghetti Bolognese' this week, but my inquisitiveness and renewed realisation that pasta is an extremely fast and convenient ingredient won over and I immediately set about making a spaghetti dish with what was available in the fridge. The pasta was really good. The texture and taste almost identical to the regular stuff. I have always been more of a fan of wholewheat spaghetti though, so for me, the taste was more reminiscent of the white pasta which I usually avoided. For someone who hasn't eaten pasta for a very long time, however, it had that wonderful al dente bite which I really appreciated.
Pasta a la' dream
4 anchovy fillets from a tin
6 slices prosciutto, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced thinly
A handful of sliced, mixed mushrooms
A handful of shredded kale
8 small cherry tomatoes
pasta
1 cup Parmesan cheese
black pepper
paprika
Fry the prosciutto in a little oil over medium heat until crispy.
Add the anchovies, yellow pepper and tomatoes and stir well.
Reduce the heat to low and let the vegetables saute for a while.
Add the mushrooms and kale and continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft and the kale wilted.
Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted, boiling water for around 8 minutes.
Drain the pasta, return to the saucepan with a little of the cooking water.
Add the sauce to the pan with 2 tbsp butter and stir well over low heat.
Serve with Parmesan, sprinkled with black pepper and paprika.



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