The people who rep the author of the “Low Carb, High Fat Cookbook” must be lurking on this blog, because they sent me a review copy of this book and when it came to the door it felt like Christmas. It might not be for everyone, but eating a minimal amount of carbohydrates and no processed sugars has more than worked for me…it’s changed my life. I’m in the best physical shape ever, I have long, lean muscles, my hair is thick and lustrous and I’m sleeping without meds. Best of all, I never feel hungry or deprived…and I’m not obsessing about food. But I’ll admit starting out can be tricky as you try to adjust to what’s good and not-so-good to eat. That’s why I like the idea of this cookbook and others like it.

I’ve been doing low-carb and some variation of paleo for a while now and already had some cookbooks, but none of them had pictures. I can’t help it, I’m visual. I need to SEE if I like the look of your recipes before I’m motivated to try them.

This cookbook has over 150 pictures and so for this review I picked Moussaka, otherwise known as “Greek lasagna” (page 135) because eggplants are in season and I can buy organic on the cheap.

If you’re thinking this dish is like eggplant parmesan, it kinda isn’t. While you use mozzarella and parmesan, you’re using less tomato sauce and no bread crumbs. The moussaka consists of three separate parts that come together at the end: eggplants, meat sauce and cheese sauce.

The recipe:

2 eggplants, sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the meat sauce:

1-3 pounds ground beef or ground lamb

1 tablespoon butter and/or olive oil

2 yellow onions, sliced

1-3 garlic cloves (I chopped them)

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (don’t ask, I don’t know what it is, so I left it out. you can also use some other type of chili)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon oregano (I used fresh oregano from my garden)

1-2 teaspoons paprike

powdered boullion or fond (??) to get enough salt

3 tablespoons tomato puree (I just used a small can of tomato sauce. I felt it needed more)

2/5-4/5 cup water (What’s with the ?/5 cups?!! I just omitted it and made up the liquid when I used the whole can of 6 oz tomato sauce)

For cheese sauce:

4/5 cup heavy whipping cream

4/5 cup grated whole milk cheese (had no idea what “whole milk cheese” was, considering…isn’t all cheese made from whole milk unless otherwise specified??) I just used mozzarella and hoped for the best. It came out good.

1/5 cup parmesan

salt, white pepper, nutmeg

3 egg yolks

Slice the eggplant and saute the slices in oil/butter. Add salt and pepper, set aside.

Saute the ground meat, add the remaining ingredients and simmer the sauce until it thickens.

Bring the cream for the cheese sauce to a boil, set the pot aside, and stir in cheese and spices. Al the sauce to cool a bit before you mix in the egg yolks.

Layer eggplant slices with meat sauce in an oven proof dish and pour the cheese sauce on top. Up to the point, you can prepare the dish in advance. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Here’s how it looks out of the oven…

I had to make a few adjustments to this recipe, and if you buy this book I suggest you do too) by adding some freshly chopped oregano for some extra “oomph.” But overall, the dish was very good, and the big test was whether or not the kids would eat it. They did…with gusto. The great thing about this dish is that as I’m soon putting them to bed, none of them are clamoring for pre-bedtime snacks. The high fat of the dish is satiating. My other little pet peeve about this book is that, because the author is Swedish, some of the measurements are weird. For example in this recipe the author calls for 4/5 cups cream. What?! Like, which notch is that on my measuring cup?

More about “The Low Carb, High Fat Cookbook”

The LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat) diet started in Sweden and is now taking America by storm. Just like the name suggests, it focuses on consumption of very low amounts of starches and sugars like bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fruits, and desserts, and high amounts of proteins and natural fats like meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, cream, and butter. You can eat as much as you want, while decreasing your blood sugar and cholesterol and losing weight! This cookbook contains 100 recipes that will help those just starting this diet or those who have been on it for a while, with excellent ideas for healthy and satisfying meals like:

– Shrimp, egg, and mayonnaise salads

– Healthy sauces like hollandaise, béarnaise, and vinaigrettes

– Cognac-marinated salmon

– Baked chicken with salsa

– Roasted pork with coleslaw

– Lamb chops with bacon

– Roasted Brazil nuts with strawberries marinated in lime juice

– Fried apple slices with cinnamon and whipped cream

Sten Sture Skaldeman, one of the first to follow this diet, also cites scientific studies and lists various online resources, which makes Low Carb High Fat Cookbook a great resource for anyone curious about this effective diet.

So far, so good. I’m looking forward to trying more recipes. If there’s something I absolutely love I’ll be sure to share it.