BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Low Carb not much of a cook

I've been lightly frying the tofu, to give it more of a chewy texture (cause otherwise it reminds me of boiled eggwhites--yuck!). Freezing and then thawing tofu before cooking also gives it more of a chewy texture. So, after the tofu thaws, I place it between paper towels with a heavy dish on it, to get out the excess liquid. Then, I cut it into bite size pieces, season it, and fry it. I want to try baking it--to cut down on the fat--but I haven't been brave enough to try it that way yet! When I do, I'll let you know how it goes.

I saw a recipe for low carb stuffing on a cooking show not too long ago. They used low carb bread, cut into cubes. I love stuffing too, so I was excited to see them make it. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving without stuffing!! I've also seen people use ground nuts on cooking shows, in place of flour in a brownie recipe, and instead of graham crackers in a cheesecake crust.

Over the weekend, my sister and I tried grinding up walnuts to "bread" eggplant slices. It worked really well, and the texture was nice, but it was hard to get used to the nutty flavor!

Jilly,

I tried baking the tofu, and it became really dried out--I think I cooked it for too long! This worked out fine though, because I added it to a broccoli and cheese cassorole. It became rehydrated, full of cheese flavor, and kept it's shape! If you try baking it, keep an eye on it. I don't remember how long I had it in the oven for...maybe 10-15 minutes, but that was obviously too long. And, if you do happen to overcook it, at least you know it can be saved!

these are great, GREAT ideas!

Hmmm, we should experiment with our stuffing ideas before thanksgiving. I would love to have some actual stuffing this year.

I am currently experimenting with a low-carb pumpkin cheesecake (i can bake, I just can't cook actual dinner food).

Yum! Let me know how the pumpkin cheesecake comes out! I would love the recipe once you perfect it!

Another thing is to think in terms of 'small snacks' and not in terms of giant meals. Have lots of cut-up veggies in the fridge to snack on whenever you want. Salads are always quick and easy. Eggs are the uper quick food maker. Soups are great. Cheese squares on cucumber slices give you calcium. Drink a ton of water too <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Those are great ideas but I am not a snacker. I like hot food and never go to the fridge for a quick something. I just eat a good breakfast and a good dinner...I know being a forager is healthy but I really don't think about food much. Which probably explains my lack of interest in cooking. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Eggplant Lasagna is a great one, and you can make a huge batch of it and eat it all week. Slice the eggplants super thin, lengthwise, and let them soak in salt water for at least an hour. Eggplants have a really high water content and if you don't get most of the water out, you'll end up with basically a big squishy mushfest.

Then layer the eggplants, your favorite sauce (I make my own, with a modified recipe from my Italian great-grandmother, but your favorite jarred sauce works well too... white or red!), and cheese. I also add in grated zucchini, sauteed spinach and chopped portabellos. I put Italian sausage chunks in my sauce, but if you don't have them in your sauce, put those in too.

I make mine in my giant turkey-roasting pan, it makes enough for two of us to eat for lunch or snacks for a week.

yum! That sounds wonderful! I like the idea of a big mess of food to eat over a week.

Jilly - I understand completely about not thinking about food. But you body runs much more efficiently and keeps a more healthy weight if you drink regularly during the day and eat small, regular meals. That way your body knows it doesn't have to horde fat, it knows that more food will be coming in soon so it's free to burn up all it has currently.

Keep a glass of water near you while you work, you'll be surprised that you drink it if it's near you. Get a *healthy* snack every few hours. I'm not saying to much away on chips <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> But if you for example love carrot sticks, grab a baggie of them when you go for more water. They are full of vitamins in the old fashioned, healthy way <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

True about the body not needing to hoard fat if it knows it will have enough food. It's hard - I can sit at the computer for hours and not think about eating at all until my body makes me go eat. Then I grab whatever low-carb food I have around that is quickest. Cooking takes too long. I'm just weird this way.

What I settled on keeping handy: a big bowl of canned chicken with a bit of mayo and spring salad, walnuts, cranberries and mozzarella balls, all mixed up. So I just much that and get back to whatever. Sometimes I do this with tuna for nutritional variety.

I also keep water by my desk all day in a pretty liter container. I use lime juice in my water becuase I like the fresh taste and imagine the vitamin C won't hurt.