Julia French - Perfect Pizza and Other Low Carb Delights

I believe in low carb eating, I believe in healthy eating, but I also believe in simple, delicious, and inexpensive eating. The recipes in this book are tried and true, ones I make regularly that I have developed over time. This book contains my personal favorite recipes, it isn't meant to be a comprehensive volume of low carb recipes. There are already so many great low carb recipe web sites and books out there!

I eat the low carb way, but I don't count my carbs. When I started my diet (for blood sugar control and weight management), I quickly found out I wasn't able to keep to a strict carb limit. Instead, I avoid high carb foods like potatoes, pasta, bread, snack foods, and sweets, and strictly limit portions of other foods such as corn and carrots. I have provided carb counts of selected items for those of you who would like to keep accurate counts.

Eating low carb means no cane sugar, honey, molasses, agave syrup, or any other natural sweetener. In the place of natural sweeteners I used SugarTwin until this product was discontinued, then I switched to bulk Sweet and Low. For those of you who prefer other sweeteners, I have included a brief sweetener equivalency table, below. The amounts I use for the recipes in this book are too small for an ordinary conversion chart, so here is the closest measurement match:

Sweetener equivalents:

Example: if the recipe calls for 1 teasp Sweet and Low you would measure out teasp Stevia powder.

I don't use many chemicals or hard-to-find ingredients in my dishes. I use common, everyday ingredients that can be found in almost every pantry, which makes cooking simple. On the other hand, it makes the technique more important, and also the cooking times.

A word about almond flour:

When I first started baking with ground almonds, also known as almond flour, I used the unblanched kind. I ended up disliking the texture and the taste of my results so much that I quit low carb baking altogether. Several years later I discovered blanched almond flour, and since then I have used it exclusively in all my baking. Blanched (and unblanched) almond flour behaves differently than regular wheat flour. It absorbs much, much more liquid than regular flour does, and the recipes in this cookbook account for that. However, for that very reason it also makes a super strawberry shortcake because the cake absorbs all the yummy liquid from the strawberries.

Almond flour burns very easily and requires shorter baking times, so it's important to observe baking times right to the minute. Almond flour also tends to go stale quickly, so I store my supply in the refrigerator and refrigerate my baked goods after 24 hours. However, I think it's worth the trouble. Recipes made with almond flour are delicious, and they also tend to freeze well. One quick zap in the microwave, and you have a fully defrosted muffin!

Almond flour sticks to everything . Trust me on this! I don't line my baking pans with white flour and shortening because white flour is not a low carb ingredient and shortening tends to be greasy. Instead, I line anything I am using to bake with either aluminum foil or parchment papereven non-stick pans. Muffin cups, of course, would use paper liners.

Miscellaneous notes:

The quantities in these recipes are meant to serve one person but most of these recipes can be easily doubled to serve more.

The spices I mention are dried spices from a bottle, unless otherwise noted.

All oven times are for a preheated oven. When you preheat your oven, your dish will heat quickly and evenly and produce a better result.

Using half butter and half vegetable cooking oil makes for a delicious and light-tasting result when frying vegetables, meat, or eggs in a skillet.

I don't chop or mince garlic any more, I grate it, it's easier that way.

Heavy whipping cream is high in fat but low in carbs. I use it where milk or cream is called for.

I don't make my own almond flour because my food processor won't grind it as finely as I need.

The brand I buy is Bob's Red Mill blanched fine ground almonds, but there are other good brands as well.

A pat of butter is half of a tablespoon.

Some of my recipes are quirky, but I hope you will find a few recipes you like. Life is too short to eat food you don't enjoy.

The selected carb count list is below:

Carb count list:

NOTE: these carb counts are gathered from various sources including product packaging. They are approximate, not exact. If you are in doubt, always check for yourself.)

almond flour, blanched 1 c. 12 g

almonds, slivered c. 2.6 g

apple, one half 8 g

apricots, one fresh 4 g

bean sprouts, one 14 oz. can 9 g

beef, deli roast, one slice 1 g (can vary)

bleu cheese dressing, one 6 oz. bottle 32 g (can vary)

blueberries 1 c. 18 g

cabbage, shredded 1 c. 3.8 g

carob, unsweetened c. 16 g

carrot one medium 6 g

cauliflower 1 c. 4 g

celery, 1 long stalk 1.2 g

cherry concentrate, 1 Tbsp 10 g (can vary)

cocoa, unsweetened 1 Tbsp 3 g

coconut, shredded unsweetened, 1 c. 12 g

corn 1 c. 29 g

cottage cheese 1 c. 8 g

cranberries, raw, unsweetened, whole 12 g

cream cheese 1 oz. 1.2 g

cream, heavy whipping 1 Tbsp 0.4 g

cucumber, one medium 8 g

dill pickle, one medium 3 g

fennel seeds, whole, 1 teasp 1 g

garlic 1 clove 1 g

ham, chopped, 1 c. 3 g

ham, deli, one slice 0.5 g (can vary)

jalapeno pepper, one whole 0.9 g

lemon juice, 1 Tbsp 1 g

mayonnaise, Hellman's 0 g

Miracle Whip 1 Tbsp 2 g

mushrooms, canned 4 oz. 4 g

onion, white chopped c. 7 g

onions, green, one 0.2 g

olives, black 4 oz. 5 g

olives, green, 5 whole stuffed with pimientos 3 g

pecans, chopped c. 8 g

pecans, whole c. 7 g