For Missy

No Carbs No Sugar

So a friend of mine Melissa recently informed me that she is on a no carb (carbohydrates) no sugar diet and is looking for some recipes to help her along the way. Honestly this is the scariest thing anyone has asked me to do. I am Italian and I think by nature the foods I make and recipes I create are packed with carbs!! So I decided that this would be a great opportunity to broaden my horizons and learn something new. To start off I needed to do some research. What foods have carbs? What the heck is a carb? I have to admit it was a bit overwhelming but here's what I found.

The Skinny on Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are called carbohydrates because they contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen on a chemical level. Carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy and are referred to as a macronutrient as the the human body does not produce them on its own. As you can see carbs are not all bad. The problem lies in the fact that most people eat much more carbs than they burn. According to LiveScience carb intake for most people should be between 45 and 65 percent of total calories. One gram of carbohydrates equals about 4 calories, so a diet of 1,800 calories per day would equal about 202 grams on the low end and 292 grams of carbs on the high end. However, people with diabetes should not eat more than 200 grams of carbs per day, while pregnant women need at least 175 grams. To put this in perspective I just looked up one of my favorite burgers and found out that one of those burgers would count as about half of my allotted carb intake for the entire day (with not much nutritional value)! The next problem is the fact that most foods with high carbs don't have much nutritional value and tend to be high in calories. Simple carbs are made with processed sugars and can be empty calories meaning that you're not getting any bang for your buck! 

So What Can I Eat if I Want to Go Low Carb?

• Any naturally occurring meat is going to be low carb, in fact most fish, poultry, and meat are carb free but packed with protein.
• Eggs (eggs only contain about .6 grams of carbs each)
• Zucchini, cauliflower, and chard are some examples of low carbs veggies (stay away from starchy vegetables like potatoes).
• Vegetable oil, butter, corn oil, sunflower oil, etc. 
• Most dairy, as long as its not processed
• Squash and gourds
• Apricots, avocados, strawberries, etc. 

Basically you want to stay away from anything processed, breads, starches, and high sugar foods.

Let's Get Away From Processed

A lot of things are available pre-made in the market these days and while it makes life easier it doesn't make it healthier. Some things are really easy to make at home. When you make these ingredients at home you can control the sodium and bypass all of the additives. For example chicken stock. This is really easy to make at home and you can use the chicken later in another recipe. Plus you can save some money which you know I love. For more information on how to make your own chicken stock see my post Chicken Stock.

So What Are We Cooking?

So it took a lot of thinking, a lot of research, and a lot of control. Everything happens so fast in the kitchen and this project slowed me down a lot. I had to stop myself from instinctively grabbing ingredients I normally would and thinking about each move. What I came up with is a Pan Roasted Pork Chop With Leek Pan Sauce on a Bed of Sauteed Spinach.

This isn't a zero carb meal but it is extremely close. I replaced my olive oil with coconut oil and skipped out on any breading or flour for the chops.

Ingredients

1  lb boneless pork chops

1  leek

1  bunch spinach

2  cups chicken stock (see recipe)

2  tbsps. Djon mustard

3  cloves garlic

2  tbsps. fresh rosemary

1  tbsp. fresh thyme

2  tbsps. coconut oil

1  tbsp. butter

1  pinch nutmeg

   sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

**You'll also need a high sided skillet with a lid

Get Cooking

Prep for this recipe is important as there is a lot of washing of vegetables. Leeks and spinach are both notorious for being full of sand so make sure you are very thorough with your rinsing! For the leeks it's a bit trickier to get all of the sand out as it hides down in the layers. Start by cutting almost all of the green tops off. Go ahead and discard these as you will not be using them and they are very tough.  Then slice the whole leek in half length wise. This is going to open up the leek and allow you to really get all of the sand out. Now rinse it very well. Bring it back to your board and chop both halves.

I've found that the easiest way to prep spinach is to leave the tie around the bunch and cut the stems off. Then remove the tie and rinse the spinach well. Don't chop the spinach as it will really shrink upon cooking. Chop all three garlic cloves but reserve 1/3 of the garlic.

Thyme and rosemary are both herbs that have tough stems. Remove the leaves from the stems by grabbing the top with one hand and with your other hand pinch the stem with your thumb and index finger. Now slide your fingers down the stem and the leaves will come off easily. Chop both the rosemary and the thyme and set aside.

Now its time to start cooking. Get your high sided skillet over a medium high flame and add one tablespoon of the coconut oil. While the pan is heating generously salt and pepper your chops (remember room temperature meat cooks more evenly so give it time out of the fridge). Once the pan is hot place both chops in and allow them to sear. This should take about 2 minutes on each side.

You want a golden brown crusty look on each chop. Once they are seared remove them from the pan with some tongs and set aside. Add another tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and lower the heat to medium low.

Add the leek and saute until they start to become transparent. Now add in your garlic and cook off for about one minute. Once the garlic is fragrant add the rosemary and thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Add in your Dijon and  saute for one more minute. Be careful not to burn. Once the herbs have cooked down a bit add the stock to the pan to deglaze. Replace the chops into the pan and cover with a lid. Allow to simmer. 

While that's cooking start on your spinach. In a large saute pan or fry pan heat your butter over medium heat. Once the pan is hot add in your garlic. Allow the garlic about a minute to cook. Now add in your spinach. Begin moving the spinach around as it will wilt fast and you want to make sure it doesn't burn.

Add your nutmeg ( I know right?! Nutmeg? But really it goes great with spinach you'll see) and salt and pepper to taste.  By now your chops should be ready. Make sure they cook until the sauce has reduced and is a bit thicker. To plate lay a bed of spinach down, top with a chop and cover with the sauce from the pan. Enjoy! Please feel free to leave any recommendations in the comments!

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