Looking for low carb ways to keep holiday meals special

Compiled by Denise Swogetinsky

Kemper Messenger



Worried about holiday meals?

Be sure to plan some low carb alternatives in your meals. You can smoke your Turkey or ham to add a different flavor to your meal. Roasting your meats is also a good low carb method of cooking. Try roasting vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, or cauliflower. Wrap some in bacon such as asparagus. Make a cheese sauce to spread over the vegetables.

Prepare mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes. Bake sweet potatoes and serve with cinnamon and butter instead of the casserole. If you do want the casser, use Splenda brown sugar and no marshmallows. Serve a nice salad of mixed greens with nuts and seeds in it. Use Carbquick to make biscuits for the meal. Just remember, planning and moderation is the key to a healthy lifestyle.



Here's a few recipes you may want to add to your feast.



Saute'ed Spinach (3 carbs)

1 bunch of fresh spinach, washed, dried and the stalks pulled off (no need to chop)



1 Tbs organic extra virgin coconut oil

2 cloves of garlic

sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 Tbs rice wine vinegar



Chop the cloves of garlic very fine. Then sprinkle with a little sea salt. Using the back of your knife (the flat side) press and scrape across your cutting board the garlic. Do this until the cloves make a paste. Heat the oil with the garlic and the black pepper. I like flavoring the oil before the spinach goes in because that way the spinach picks up all the flavor. Once the oil is hot, add your spinach leaves. Toss with tongs making sure all the leaves get some of the flavored oil. Near the end, when they are almost all totally wilted, add the vinegar. You usually have 15-30 seconds left of cooking at this point because spinach cooks so fast. This dash of vinegar is what makes this dish come alive! You can also add a chopped clove of garlic to the olive oil mixture if you want chunks of garlic also. The paste is important because it then coats all of the leaves.



Broccoli Cranberry

Salad (11 carbs)

4 slices thick-cut bacon — cooked

8 cups chopped fresh broccoli florets — about 1 pound

5 small green onions — (or 3 large) white and green parts, thinly sliced

1/2 cup reduced-sugar dried cranberries

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1-2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup toasted pepitas — pumpkin seeds



If necessary, cook the bacon according to these easy steps. Once cool, crumble and set aside. Blanch the broccoli: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice bath. Add the broccoli florets and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from the hot water with a slotted spoon and plunge immediately into the ice bath to stop the cooking and set the green color. Drain, spread on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry. Transfer to a large kitchen bowl, then add the green onions and cranberries. Make the dressing: In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, pepper, salt, and 1 tablespoon honey. Taste and add a little more honey if additional sweetness is desired. Pour over the broccoli mixture, then toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, top with crumbled bacon and pepitas.



Bacon-Garlic Asparagus (3 carbs)

3 strips bacon

2 cloves garlic

1 1/4 pounds asparagus



Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice the bacon into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Crush and finely mince the garlic. Trim the rough ends from the asparagus and arrange the spears on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the minced garlic and bacon over the asparagus. Roast the asparagus for 10-15 minutes on the middle rack of oven. Remove the asparagus from the oven when the asparagus is tender and the bacon is crisp. Serve immediately.