Low Carb Cooking 101
By Di Bauer, CarbSmart Editor
Posted 8/11/2001
This is a fine summer meal that can largely be prepared ahead of time. It's great for lazy weekend evenings when you don't want to spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. This meal is a great one to serve guests out at a picnic table on a shady patio.
With this meal we are again striving for an appealing combination of colors, complimentary tastes, and interesting textures. The addition of a cranberry relish to the turkey burgers adds some flair to an otherwise bland burger, and the apple flavor of the stuffed celery compliments the cranberries.
By adding some slivers of roasted red bell peppers to the steamed broccoli, you are adding both interest and flavor for a very small amount of carbohydrates.
Here's this evening's menu:
- Turkey Burgers With Cranberry Relish
- Steamed Broccoli With Roasted Peppers
- Apple-Walnut Stuffed Celery Sticks
Here's the shopping list for the meal. You may very well already have some of these things on hand:
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1 head celery
- 8 ounces full fat cream cheese
- butter
- 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
- fresh spinach leaves (optional - for garnish)
- 2 boxes frozen broccoli spears
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
- vegetable oil
- 1 jar roasted red bell peppers packed in oil
- sugar free apple cider drink mix
- walnuts
- dried orange peel
- lemon extract
- cinnamon
- sage
- thyme
- Splenda (packets, granular, or liquid)
- salt
- black pepper
- hamburger buns (optional - for the non-low carbers)
Here's the game plan:
The Low Carb Cranberry Relish can be made up to several days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the meal. Do make it ahead of time when it is convenient so that you don't have to fuss with making it while you're cooking the rest of the meal.
In the same vein, the cheese mixture for the Apple-Walnut Stuffed Celery can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, and the celery can be washed and prepared and stored in the refrigerator's vegetable bin wrapped in a damp paper towel and put in a Zip Lock bag.
The turkey burgers can be prepared the night or morning before the meal and refrigerated if they are well-wrapped to prevent them drying out.
Assuming that you have prepared the Low Carb Cranberry Relish and the components of the Apple-Walnut Stuffed Celery ahead of time, the night before the meal take the ground turkey and the broccoli spears out of the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to thaw.
This meal goes together very quickly, so set the table before you start cooking.
Take the prepared celery and apple walnut stuffing out of the refrigerator and stuff the celery. Put the celery on a pretty serving plate and cover it lightly with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the meat. (This can be done ahead of time if you wish.)
Preheat the broiler while you make the turkey burgers, then place them in the broiler to cook the first side. While the burgers are cooking, cook the broccoli according the package directions. (Since it is already thawed, the broccoli will take less time to cook that it would if it were still frozen.)
Take the burgers out of the oven, flip them over, and return them to finish cooking. Microwave the Low Carb Cranberry Relish to heat it. Drain the cooked broccoli and finish preparing it according to the recipe instructions, but leave it in the pan until the burgers are done so that it stays warm.
When the burgers are completely cooked, take them out of the oven and transfer them to serving plates. Garnish the burgers with the warm Low Carb Cranberry Relish. Serve the broccoli alongside the burgers. Take the plates to the table, take the Apple Walnut Stuffed Celery out of the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and place it on the table so that people can take what they want.
Not sit down to a well-deserved, relaxing meal.
And, finally, here's the recipes:
Low Carb Cranberry Relish
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed if frozen
- 1/2 cup water (more, if necessary)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried orange peel or fresh orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 packets granular Splenda or liquid Splenda (to taste)
Put the thawed (if frozen), washed cranberries in a pan 1/2 cup of water, just enough to keep them from scorching. Watch the berries closely, and add more water as necessary, but just a tablespoon at a time so that the sauce doesn't get watery. Simmer the berries over medium heat, stirring constantly, until they begin to swell and pop. You will actually be able to hear them.
Continue to simmer to berries for another 5 minutes, mashing them slightly with the back of a wooden spoon as you stir. When the berries are soft, remove the pan from the heat. The sauce should be very thick. If it isn't, continue cooking and stirring until it thickens.
When sauce is thick, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste test to adjust the Splenda and spices to your own personal taste.
Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
***Note: Low Carb Cranberry Relish can be made ahead of time and either refrigerated or frozen. If you want to freeze individual portions, spoon it into plastic ice cube trays, and when it is frozen solid, pop the individual cubes of relish out and put them in a freezer bag.
Turkey Burgers With Cranberry Relish
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons dried sage, crushed
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme, crushed
- 1 tablespoon dried orange peel
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- Low Carb Cranberry Relish
- 12 to 18 fresh baby spinach leaves (optional - for garnish)
Position the oven rack to 4 to 6 inches below the broiling element. Preheat the broiler.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, crushed sage, crushed thyme, dried orange peel, salt and pepper. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid compacting it and making the burgers tough, mix all the ingredients together well. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and form them into round patties the size of hamburgers.
Brush a broiler pan with vegetable oil to prevent the turkey burgers from sticking and place the burgers on the broiler pan. Broil for about 4 minutes on one side. Remove the broiler pan from the oven, and using a wide spatula, carefully flip the turkey burgers over. Return the pan to the oven and continue broiling until the burgers are cooked through, about 4 to 6 minutes longer. (The meat should no longer be pink in the middle and the juices should run clear.)
While the burgers are cooking on the second side, put the low carb cranberry relish in the microwave and heat it for 1 to 3 minutes, until it is heated through. Set aside.
Place the burgers on the dinner plates and top with 1 to 3 tablespoons of the cranberry relish. Garnish with fresh spinach leaves half-tucked under or around the burgers, if desired, and serve immediately. (Non-low carbers who are using buns can add the spinach leaves on top of their burgers.)
Serves 6.
***Note: Leftover burgers reheat well. You can also place individual leftover burgers in a microwave-safe plastic container with a lid, top them with some of the sauce, and freeze the cooked burgers to save them for another night or to take to work for your lunch.
Steamed Broccoli With Roasted Peppers
- 2 boxes frozen broccoli spears, thawed
- 6 tablespoons roasted red bell peppers, (from a jar; save the rest of a later use)
- butter
- salt
Cook the broccoli spears according to the package directions until they are just crisp tender. Drain the water off thoroughly.
Drain the roasted red bell peppers and add the pepper strips to the drained broccoli spears. Season with butter and salt and toss to thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
Serve immediately.
Serves 6 - 8.
Apple-Walnut Stuffed Celery Sticks
- 1 head celery
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 packet sugar free apple cider drink mix (or to taste)
- 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Trim off the leaves and ends of the celery, then wash and drain it thoroughly. Pat dry, and cut into 3-inch pieces. Wrap the cut pieces in a damp paper towel placed in a Zip Lock bag until you are ready to stuff them.
Place the cream cheese in a food processor or blender. Run the machine until the cream cheese is lightly whipped. Add the finely shredded smoked Gouda cheese and pulse until the two cheese are well blended. Add 1/2 of the packet of sugar free apple cider drink mix and pulse again to combine it with the cheeses. Taste test to see if the flavor suits your taste. If it is not strongly enough flavored, add the rest of the packet and pulse again. Add the finely chopped walnuts and pulse again briefly.
Fill the celery sticks with the mixture. Serve chilled.
Serves 6 - 8. (Only stuff as much celery as you want for the meal, though, and store the extra celery and cream cheese mixture separately to serve at a later time.)
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