Monday, September 10, 2012

Toasted müsli, LCHF style


I am SO glad I found this recipe, as well as finally finding he time to make it! Because this is the best müsli I have ever eaten.  It’s so healthy as well, without any of that nasty sugar the store-bought toasted müslis are full of.  And of course, it’s low in carbs as well. 


Ingredients
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup linseeds, whole
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup water
½ cup coconut oil
5 tablespoons erythritol (or other sweetener), plus more erythritol for tossing
Cardamom
1 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roughly chop walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds and transfer to a large baking bowl.  Add seeds and the shredded coconut, stir.  Then add salt and sweetener. Pour over oil and water and stir well. Spread mixture on a baking tray, there’s no need to use baking-paper underneath.  Sprinkle more erythritol on top, along with some cardamom (if desired). Put the tray in the oven, without stirring at this point in time. Bake for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven. Then remove tray, stir thoroughly to prevent burning. Add another layer of erythritol, then bake for another 15 minutes before stirring again. Repeat process every fifteen minutes, with or without adding cardamom. I think I got 4 layers with sweetener, and chose to add cardamom on two of those layers. The baking-time was roughly 1 hour to make a crispy, golden müsli. Depending on your type of oven, it may take a bit more or less. I reduced the temperature down to 160 degrees C towards the end.  Guess what I’ll be having for breakfast tomorrow –  and probably for the rest of the week  :-D

Enjoy! 



Thanks to Caroline on www.fotballfrue.no for inspiration. I have made a couple of small changes, and "australianised" the recipe somewhat using cup-measures. 

Saturday, September 8, 2012

LCHF picnic

Spring is here in the Southern Hemisphere!!! I love to head for the beaches this time of year, and pack lots of goodies for a picnic. Living in the Brisbane-area I'm so lucky to have all the wonderful beaches in Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast within day trip-distance, so I'm planning for lots of nice picnics this season :-D

Here are some tips for what to pack for a LCHF picnic:

- Different cheeses
- Olives
- Cherry tomatoes
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Carrots (depending on your "carb-budget)
- Strawberries
- Salami
- Ham
- Chicken-wings
- Dips (make your owns, or choose some that are low in sugar)
- LCHF almond sesame crackers, see the recipe below



My friend who doesn't eat LCHF had brought some fruit as well (in case you were wondering what the bananas are doing in a post about low carb picnic-suggestions)

Almond sesame crackers

These crackers have become a favourite of mine. They are perfect for breakfast, and also work nicely with a cheese-platter and some wine. I’ve been having them for breakfast quite frequently the last couple of months. Three of these with some brie and butter on, and I’m full until way past lunch-time.  I found the recipe at Linn’s blog, www.linn-sin-verden.blogspot.com.

Ingredients
250 ml ground almonds (or if you ground your own, use about 200 ml of whole almonds)
100 ml sesame seeds
2 eggwhites
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sweetener, I use erythritol
2 teaspoons psyllium husk fibre

Procedure
Heat oven to 180 degrees C.
Combine all ingredients in your mixer and mix for half a minute or so.  Then form round balls which you then squeeze flat on a baking paper.  Moisten your hands with water beforehand;  it makes it easier to form the crackers.  This recipe gives me 8-9 “breakfast-sized” crackers, but if you are making these to have with wine and nibblies, they can be made smaller as well. They also taste nicely with some sea-salt tossed on top right before they go in the oven.  Bake for 20 – 25 minutes depending on size.
Enjoy! 











This is how my breakfast looked like one morning. I had actually been a bit  too optimistic with the amounts of food on my plate, I couldn't finish it all...