6 grams

miso chicken with fresh ginger

This simple chicken dish is amazing because miso, fermented soybean paste, is a great carrier of flavors. Miso can be found in the refrigerated section in health food stores and Asian markets. You can make this dish with fresh ginger or prepare it with garlic cloves pushed through a press. I really can’t decide which I like better—so sometimes I make a platter of each for parties. In that case, do chicken breasts with ginger and thighs with garlic. If using garlic, push 4 large cloves through a garlic press and add to the miso-water mixture.

1⁄3 cup white (shiro) miso
1 6” piece fresh ginger
4 large chicken breast halves on the bone (about 10 ounces each), with skin

The day before you plan to serve, in a large bowl, combine the miso and 1⁄3 cup cold water and whisk until thoroughly combined, smooth, and thick.

Using a small, sharp knife, peel the ginger. Grate the ginger on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated ginger in a paper towel and squeeze the ginger juice, about 2 tablespoons, through the paper towel into the bowl with the miso. Stir to incorporate.

Cut the chicken breasts in half across the width of each breast. Add the chicken to the miso-ginger mixture and turn the pieces to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt. For a more gingery flavor, you can finely chop the remaining ginger pulp, add it to the chicken, and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Remove the chicken from the bowl, making sure some marinade remains on the chicken, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, skin side up. Bake for 10 minutes, then put under the broiler, about 6” from the heat, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the skin is dark golden brown and the chicken is just firm to the touch. (Be careful not to overcook.) Remove the skin and serve immediately.

Serves 4

146 | Low Carb 1-2-3

----------

4 grams

tuna steak “au poivre”

This is a lighter riff on steak au poivre. It has the punch of black pepper offset by the sweet acidity of balsamic vinegar. The sauce reduces to something that looks like chocolatey ketchup and is also great over swordfish, pork, chicken, or even hamburgers!

1⁄2 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar
4 tuna medallions, 1” thick (8 ounces each)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

In a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vinegar is reduced to 3 tablespoons. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside.

Crush 2 tablespoons black peppercorns and press firmly into one side of each tuna medallion. Lightly sprinkle the tuna with salt. In a 12” nonstick skillet over high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the fish, pepper side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook it until it is still very pink in the center, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the fish to a serving plate and keep warm under tented foil.

Quickly add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the reduced vinegar to the skillet and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until thick, about 1 minute. Pour the sauce around the fish and serve.

Serves 4

nutritionist’s note: By switching from beef to tuna, this recipe saves you 15 grams of fat (6 of them saturated fat) and 135 calories per serving.

Fish and Shellfish | 183

----------

4 grams

roasted cauliflower with cheddar cheese

Roasting small cauliflower florets turns them into yielding, golden nuggets that become addictive, especially when topped with sharp cheddar. Freshly grated Parmesan can be substituted.

1 large head cauliflower
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Remove the core from the cauliflower and discard it. Break the cauliflower into small florets, about 3⁄4” pieces. Place the cauliflower in a bowl, toss with the oil, and sprinkle it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the cauliflower on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until soft and caramelized, turning once during the cooking.

Meanwhile, grate the cheese on the medium holes of a box grater and set it aside.

Transfer the cauliflower to a platter, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss. Sprinkle the cauliflower with the cheese. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4 nutritionist’s note: This dish has become a stand-in for “cheese fries” for my vegetable-phobic son, and it is also a good source of vitamin C.

198 | Low Carb 1-2-3

----------

6.5 grams

string beans with r oasted garlic butter

The roasted garlic butter, which you make yourself, is also dreamy on steamed broccoli, sugar snaps or snow peas, or atop any sautéed leafy greens. Garlic butter can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

1 large bulb garlic
1⁄4 cup sweet whipped butter, at room temperature
1 pound green beans or wax beans

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wrap the whole bulb of garlic in a pouch of aluminum foil, making sure to tightly crimp the edges all around. Place the garlic in a metal baking pan and roast for 11⁄4 hours. Remove the garlic from the oven and let cool. Cut in half through the equator and squeeze out the pulp into a medium-large bowl. Add the butter to the bowl and mash together with the garlic pulp. Set aside at room temperature.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Trim the ends of the beans. Add the beans to the boiling water and cook over high heat until the beans are just tender, about 6 minutes. Immediately drain the beans in a colander, shaking off any excess water. Add the beans to the bowl with the garlic butter and toss quickly. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Vegetables and Side Dishes | 205

----------

10 grams

lemon-buttermilk sorbet

This sweetly tart, refreshing sorbet is creamy like ice cream and is sure to become your passion. You may substitute fresh lime juice and add bits of cracked black pepper for an exhilarating ending to a rich meal. In that spirit, in very small portions, it also makes a great intermezzo between courses of a formal meal.

4 large lemons
11⁄2 cups granulated sugar substitute
1 quart buttermilk

The day before you plan to serve, grate the zest of 2 or 3 lemons to get 2 tablespoons zest and set aside. Squeeze as many lemons as needed to get 1⁄2 cup juice.

In a medium bowl, place the sugar substitute. Add the lemon juice and stir until the sugar substitute is dissolved.

Using a wire whisk, whisk in the buttermilk. Add a pinch of salt and the lemon zest. Whisk until the sugar substitute is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Freeze the mixture in an ice cream maker according to the manu-facturer’s directions.

Serves 10

Desserts | 251

----------

6.5 grams

chocolate-tahini cups

These superb little candies will become your signature offering after dinner. You need to buy little 1” paper liners, generally used for candy (they look like tiny muffin liners), at any specialty baking or party store. Use a great dark chocolate, such as Scharffen Berger, from California , which is available in many specialty food shops and good supermarkets.

1⁄4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar substitute
8 ounces good-quality 70% bittersweet chocolate

Stir the tahini and its oil together in the jar, in case it has separated. In a medium bowl, place the tahini and stir until smooth.

In a small bowl, stir the sugar substitute in 2 teaspoons water until dissolved. Stir this mixture into the tahini and mix thoroughly.

Coarsely chop the chocolate and put in the top of a double boiler. Set the top over simmering water, making sure the bottom of the double boiler doesn’t touch the water. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the sweetened tahini into the top of the double boiler with the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the tahini has been thoroughly incorporated. Remove from the heat.

Spoon the chocolate mixture into twenty-four 1” fluted paper candy cups. Let cool for 5 minutes. To decorate the candies, dip the tip of a toothpick into the remaining tablespoon of sweetened tahini and swirl it into the tops of the candies. Refrigerate until set. Store, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Makes 24 (data is per candy)

nutritionist’s note: Most low-carb chocolates on the market are filled with sugar alcohols that can wreak havoc on your stomach. These chocolate cups have nothing but great taste.

258 | Low Carb 1-2-3