I love a challenge. When we were interviewed by Jimmy Moore on Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb, I took on the challenge of making sausage biscuits and gravy in a way that would not violate a low-carb diet. This meal is one that we really have missed since going low-carb. I am pleased to report mission accomplished.

The biscuit recipe comes to us courtesy of Prevention magazine online free recipes at the bitly link below. The recipe is from Dr. Davis the author of Wheat Belly. He provided Prevention with an excerpt from his new cook book.Use the link to buy his cook book.

http://bit.ly/XDbp3U

Follow Dr. Davis’s recipe for biscuits. It works great and we love them. They look a little weird when they come out of the oven but we cover them with gravy and sausage so only the taste and texture matter to us.

In a blender combine two cups of liquid (either two cups of whole milk, two cups of Half and Half or a cup of heavy cream and a cup of water) with one teaspoon of Thick It Up. This stuff really works and it contains zero net carbs. Use the above link to buy Thick It Up to help support this website and podcast.

We like bulk breakfast sausage meat. Cook whatever quantity of sausage any way you like but keep a quarter cup of raw meat to make the gravy. To make the gravy, brown the sausage meat in a skillet. Break the meat up into tiny crumbles as it browns. Add a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. We like a lot of black pepper in our gravy. Be careful not to burn the sausage. When the sausage is cooked add the milk and thickener from the blender. Heat will cause the dairy to thicken to a smooth and silky gravy.

Serve the gravy over the biscuits and top with sausage and enjoy.

Ingredients:

8 Eggs

2 cups sliced colorful peppers

2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced

½ large yellow onion or one medium

2 large tomatoes sliced

1 bunch fresh basil

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

8 oz mozzarella sliced

4 oz grated parmesan

Red pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

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1 large leek per person

Slice the leeks into rings. Use the white part and light green parts for this only. Use the dark green as a flavoring in soups and stocks.

Separate the rings and place in a bowl of ice water. rub and agitate to dislodge grit and sediment that all leeks collect.

Drain thoroughly ( we use a salad spinner)

Toss in a bowl with olive oil and sea salt to coat lightly

Place on a sheet pan and bake at 375 degrees until crispy light brown.

Enjoy

1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 8 Oz can full fat Coconut Cream (unsweetened)

1 head fresh Broccoli

1/4 Cup roasted and salted Cashews

1 Tablespoon Thai Red Curry Paste

1 Thumb sized knob of fresh ginger root

4 cloves of fresh garlic

1. Peel and finely chop garlic and ginger
2. Cut the broccoli into flowerettes and either steam or microwave until firm tender (al dente).
3. Heat the coconut oil in a wok and saute the shrimp until almost cooked.( Note; this is a fast process, do not overcook shrimp)
4. Add the chopped ginger and garlic and stir fry with shrimp until garlic has a bit of color. Do not burn the garlic!
5. Mix the curry paste and the coconut cream to make a lovely pink sauce and add to the wok. this will stop the cooking process until the sauce comes to a boil. Add the broccoli to heat in the sauce.
6. Serve and top with roasted cashews. If you have some cilantro, thai basil, scallions or other garnish you like, feel free to add them also.

Suz loves this so much we had it twice this week. this is a great meal to kick ketosis up a notch. The coconut oil and coconut cream contain medium chain triglycerides that readily convert to ketone bodies. By the way they taste great also

For the Rice Substitute (Thanks to Jimmy Moore for the rice substitute idea)

Ingredients:

One head of Cauliflower grated using the coarse side of a box grater or a coarse grater blade on a food processor. The correct grater will yield rice grain sized pieces.

Two cups packed fresh Thai basil leaves or adjust to taste.

Zest of one lime

½ tsp. salt

Two Tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger

Four cloves garlic finely chopped

2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

In a wok, combine garlic, ginger, coconut oil and brown lightly. Do not over brown. Add cauliflower, salt and lime zest. Stir fry to cook cauliflower. You are striving for firmness in the cauliflower similar to cooked rice. When the cauliflower is cooked add coarsely chopped basil and a ¼ cup of coconut cream. Keep the cauliflower covered while cooking the shrimp.

8 oz. raw cleaned shrimp

1 Can of unsweetened coconut cream minus the coconut cream used in the cauliflower. If you cannot find coconut cream you may substitute coconut milk but do not use lite coconut milk.

One tablespoon green Thai curry paste or to taste. Thai curry paste can be very spicy so adjust slowly to your preference.

Heat the coconut cream in a saucepan then add curry paste slowly to taste. Then add the shrimp and cook until done. Do not overcook.

Serve shrimp in the coconut cream sauce over a scoop of the cauliflower mixture. Add a finishing squeeze of lime juice.

If you are on a low-carb diet, you will no longer retain salt and fluid as you did in the past. We have friends who were taking blood pressure medicine before starting the diet and within weeks they were able, under doctor’s supervision, to eliminate the medications. this is great if you have high blood pressure but Suz has low normal blood pressure. it is also great in cool climates but in Lower Alabama in the summer outdoor activity = sweat. All of this means that you might experience headache, weakness and a variety of symptoms called “Atkins Flu”. Researchers studying low-carb dieters recommend bullion cubes that are loaded with salt. The Paleo crowd is into bone broth for mineral replacement and other nutritive benefits.The general public is drinking Gatorade and a long list of other sugar and salt drinks with artificial flavor and color.

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Ingredient

1 Tbsp ground Parmesan per crisp

Preheat Oven to 400

Place one Tbsp. per crisp on a sheet pan lined with Reynolds Release, a silicone sheet or parchment paper. I like to shape them with a ring. Bake for 3-5 minutes. Watch them closely, remove from oven when golden brown. Each crisp contains:

1g Fat, 0g Carb, 2g Protein

Buttered Almond Crepes Recipe

Ingredients:

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Gazpacho with Chicken and Avocado Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Can of Tomatoes with Juice (35oz)

1 Onion

1 English Cucumber

1 Bell Pepper color of your choice

2 Stalks Celery

1-2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley

1 Clove Garlic Chopped

¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

¼ Cup Olive Oil

4 Tbsp. fresh Lemon Juice

1 tsp. Truvia (sweetener)

Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste

6 or more drops of Tabasco to taste

4 Cups V8 Juice

4 Large Avocadoes

2 Lb. Grilled Boneless Chicken Breast

Recipe serves eight

Halve onion, cucumber, bell pepper, and celery. Place half of these vegetables in food processor and pulse until desired consistency. Add tomatoes and juice and pulse briefly. Dice the other half of the vegetables and place in large bowl. Add vegetables from food processor to large bowl. Chop fresh parsley and garlic and add to bowl. Add vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice Truvia, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce and V8 to large bowl and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use additional lemon juice to brighten flavors to taste.

Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Spoon into shallow bowls and top each with a quarter pound of grilled cubed chicken and half of a diced avocado. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro.

We love the layers of flavors and textures.

We loved this shrimp salad. We made some modifications to the recipe from Food and Wine Magazine at the link below.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/indonesian-style-shrimp-salad

We eliminated the brown sugar and substituted a teaspoon of stevia and two tablespoons of soy sauce. Instead of mixing everything together, we tossed the romaine with the dressing, placed it on the serving plate and  garnished with the other ingredients to create a composed salad with lots of eye appeal.

Served with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough Valley or a dry Prosecco or Cava, this is a wow lunch or light supper for guests or one romantic couple.

You know you have a foodie guest when she takes our her phone and photographs the food before eating it. Thanks for the picture Donna!