Sujek Sausage

Serves: 3-4

500 gms minced beef

1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander

1 Teaspoon Ground AllSpice

1/4 Teaspoon Cumin

1 Teaspoon Chilli 

2 Cloves of Crushed Garlic (more to taste)

Salt

Ground black pepper
1 tbs finely chopped parsley

Lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon)

Splash of water (to help bind)

Ghee for frying

Mix all  ingredients thoroughly making sure spices are evenly distributed through meat. Let stand for 30 mins.

Pick up a portion from the meat mixture (approximately the size of a lime)and flatten and roll between your palms to make a fat sausage shape. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Heat a large pan, add some ghee to cover the bottom and fry the Sujek 2 to 3 minutes on each side until brown and cooked through.

Do not under cook.

When cooked, squeeze lemon on Sujek. Serve with salad, pan fried haloumi and baba ganoush.

Pan Fried Haloumi

There's not much in the world better than this cheesy, lemony side dish. It truly is one of my favourite things to eat. Of course, it's perfect for the LCHF way of eating. Great by itself, or with Mediterranean-style lamb cutlets or Lebanese sausages (Sujek).

Serves: 2 - 4 

1 block Haloumi cut in half and then sliced through the middle of each piece  (I like the Lemnos brand)

Olive oil

Lemon

Ground pepper

Drain Haloumi.  Cut into four even pieces (as described). Heat a generous splash of olive oil gently in a frying pan. Place Haloumi in pan. Fry on a medium heat. When golden, turn over using an egg slide and cook on the other side until golden.

When cooked, place on plate. Squeeze with lemon juice and coat with a grind of black pepper. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil if desired.

Serve while hot.

Baba Ganoush

Serves: 4 or more!

1 large eggplant, around 300gms

1/4 cup tahini

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed

1 pinch ground cumin

salt, to taste

1 -2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places. Place directly on gas stove flame, or under flame grill.

Turn frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake in 180c oven until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.

Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl. Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.

Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.

Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.

Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.

Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with Chilli powder.

Batch:  Carbs 12gms, Fat 74 gms, Protein 16gms,  Fibre 16 gms, Calories 805  

Choc Coconut Fudge Cake

A treat for those moments you need something 'more'.

Serves: 5

1 can coconut milk (280ml)

1/4 -1/2 cup of erythritol (depending on how sweet you like it)

40 gms dark choc (85%) (omit if you want fewer carbs. Sub with more cocoa)

3 tbs  low carb, unsweetened cocoa (or more if you like it chocolatey)

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon xantham gum

1tbs vanilla extract

2tbs coconut

60ml cream

2tbs cream cheese

2 tbs coconut flour

Combine coconut milk with erythritol in saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add xantham gum,  quickly whisking it in. Add chocolate pieces and let melt. Add vanilla and mix well. Let cool.

When mix is cool, add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well combined.

Pour into well greased small cake pan. (I used a 10cm springform pan).

Bake at 175c for 25-30 minutes or until firm to touch.

Batch:  Carbs 29 gms, protein 28 gms, fat 137 gms, fibre 7 gms , 1459 calories.

Net carbs 22 gms

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Serves: 16

Crust:

1 1/4 cups almond flour 

1/4 cup butter, chilled 

1/4 cup powdered erythritol 

1/2 tsp xanthan gum 

1/4 tsp salt 

Cheesecake Filling:

350 gm cream cheese, softened 

1/2cup powdered erythritol (or to taste)

1 large egg 

2 tbsp cream 

zest of one lemon 

juice of half a lemon (about 2 tbsp)

For the crust, preheat the oven to 180c. Combine almond flour, butter, erythritol, xanthan gum and salt in a food processor. 

Pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. 

Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a lined 8-inch square pan and bake 10 minutes (it won't look cooked through). Set aside and let cool. 

Reduce oven temperature to 160c.

For the filling, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in erythritol, egg, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice until  well combined. Spread filling over cooled crust and bake 30 minutes, or until filling is just set. 

Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for around two hours. 

Each serving has 3.5 g of carbs and 1 g of fibre. Total NET CARBS = 2.5 g. 

Recipe adapted from Everday I Dream About Food.