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What have you eaten today? (Low carb forum)

ianpspurs said:
Please could someone tell me what the scientific purpose of cream cheese in LC pasty/dough is. This is not a dig I just want to figure out a way to swap it for something that will not produce the hideous chewy texture I ascribe to the cream cheese element?
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The chewy texture will come from the mozzarella in the traditional fathead recipes. I've kind of regarded the cream cheese as just one of the fats and I've always though of it as just a binder to hold the dough together.
Traditional pastry consists of flour, butter, water and salt (savoury) or sugar for the salt in a sweet recipe. As you know the high carb problem for us is the flour. Take the flour out and substitute the lower carb nut flours you lose the gluten.
As you know I've made this my mission for this year to see if I can come up with a more realistic flour substitute. I'm having no luck getting sprouted wheat flour but I'm not convinced that would have solved the problem anyway.
The gluten issue can be corrected by adding vital wheat gluten (which I now have) but again I dont think that's the whole story. Going back to when I made pastry the trick was to keep everything really cold and don't over handle. It was the butter that built the layers to get the rise but if it got too warm you get an oily mess. Hence with puff you have to keep resting and chilling it.
My thought currently is to try a mix of finely milled flours, measure out a mix rather than judging by eye as I usually do and try to make pastry the traditional way both with and without vital wheat gluten in the mix. It's a lot of work and will be more so when I'm using guesswork but I still think it's worth trying.
Going back to the cream cheese I suspect it's because it wouldn't become an oily mess like butter when over handled.
 
@ianpspurs awwww I don’t mean to make anybody miserable!! The chili is just ordinary chili with no beans. Meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and a boatload of spices and herbs. I used turkey, but in US it’s usually beef. I’d think any meat or fowl or combo thereof would work. It’s the seasoning that makes it, and the long slow cooking. So it’s genuinely plain old chili, bowl of, supper for. No slimy secrets, I promise! (friend of mine put okra in chili once, now okra is a special southern circle of hell!!) Will post recipe for you later?
 
maglil55 said:
The chewy texture will come from the mozzarella in the traditional fathead recipes. I've kind of regarded the cream cheese as just one of the fats and I've always though of it as just a binder to hold the dough together.
Traditional pastry consists of flour, butter, water and salt (savoury) or sugar for the salt in a sweet recipe. As you know the high carb problem for us is the flour. Take the flour out and substitute the lower carb nut flours you lose the gluten.
As you know I've made this my mission for this year to see if I can come up with a more realistic flour substitute. I'm having no luck getting sprouted wheat flour but I'm not convinced that would have solved the problem anyway.
The gluten issue can be corrected by adding vital wheat gluten (which I now have) but again I dont think that's the whole story. Going back to when I made pastry the trick was to keep everything really cold and don't over handle. It was the butter that built the layers to get the rise but if it got too warm you get an oily mess. Hence with puff you have to keep resting and chilling it.
My thought currently is to try a mix of finely milled flours, measure out a mix rather than judging by eye as I usually do and try to make pastry the traditional way both with and without vital wheat gluten in the mix. It's a lot of work and will be more so when I'm using guesswork but I still think it's worth trying.
Going back to the cream cheese I suspect it's because it wouldn't become an oily mess like butter when over handled.
Click to expand...
I read somewhere that adding Xanthan gum helps to recreate the doughy texture if using almond or coconut flour
 
zauberflote said:
@ianpspurs awwww I don’t mean to make anybody miserable!! The chili is just ordinary chili with no beans. Meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and a boatload of spices and herbs. I used turkey, but in US it’s usually beef. I’d think any meat or fowl or combo thereof would work. It’s the seasoning that makes it, and the long slow cooking. So it’s genuinely plain old chili, bowl of, supper for. No slimy secrets, I promise! (friend of mine put okra in chili once, now okra is a special southern circle of hell!!) Will post recipe for you later?
Click to expand...

I'd love the recipe please. We both love chilli.
 
Many thanks for the lengthy reply to my pastry query @maglil55. Thanks in advance for the chill recipe @zauberflote - I know about okra and we have used it as a thickener before without problems/taste issues. @Kingmidas, we have Xanthan gum and which I don't mind but, I suspect like rabbit Julie claims to be able detect a "weird taste"
 
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ianpspurs said:
Many thanks for the lengthy reply to my pastry query @maglil55. Thanks in advance for the chill recipe @zauberflote - I know about okra and we have used it as a thickener before without. @Kingmidas, we have Xanthan gum and which I don't mind but, I suspect like rabbit Julie claims to be able detect a "weird taste"
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I'm like that with baking powder in my pre low-carb days I used to say I was able to tell how much baking powder scones had in as they made my teeth squeaky
 
zauberflote said:
@ianpspurs awwww I don’t mean to make anybody miserable!! The chili is just ordinary chili with no beans. Meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and a boatload of spices and herbs. I used turkey, but in US it’s usually beef. I’d think any meat or fowl or combo thereof would work. It’s the seasoning that makes it, and the long slow cooking. So it’s genuinely plain old chili, bowl of, supper for. No slimy secrets, I promise! (friend of mine put okra in chili once, now okra is a special southern circle of hell!!) Will post recipe for you later?
Click to expand...
My daughter does a mean chilli which is actually a Slimming World recipe, and she only leaves out the beans because she doesn't like them. She is chief spice tester and once I've put in the mince, tomatoes, garlic, onions (and sometimes we put in mushrooms and peppers) I let her loose with the spice!
 
Still nothing. {smug}

Don't ask me what I am eating at the end of my fast. :oops:
 
ianpspurs said:
Please could someone tell me what the scientific purpose of cream cheese in LC pasty/dough is. This is not a dig I just want to figure out a way to swap it for something that will not produce the hideous chewy texture I ascribe to the cream cheese element?
Click to expand...
I have yet to try this but would some glucomannan (konjak) powder do the job? Just a thought.
 
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Not been very hungry today.
Breakfast; a glass of my tumeric and chaga tea, a mug of tea, a cafetiere of kofee.
Mid Morning: a baby belle cheese and a glass of water.
Late lunch (about 1330); a chicken breast poached in bone broth with two mushrooms.
Mid afternoon; another baby belle cheese, 2 glasses of water and a cafetiere of kofee.
Still not very hungry - may go on a hunger strike in protest.
 
Hi all. Bit of catching up to do. Had a terrible night last night - cramps, followed by rapid exit of last night’s dinner and 2 episodes of almost passing out, and one of what felt like hypo symptoms but could have been anything. Emergency appointment at GP this morning and was sent for a raft of blood tests including an unexpected HbA1c. Blood pressure was ok both at home and in surgery so hopefully just a blip.

Yesterday’s food was a lunch of M&S rollitos followed by a slice of the keto chocolate cake and a small piece of the lemon cake made for colleagues and some extra thick double cream.

Dinner - out with footie team. A very mediocre meal of sea bass fillets with a rocket and Parmesan salad with mayonnaise. Reflecting back, maybe the fish was a bit off.

Today I had a German Lidl roll with butter and almond butter for lunch. Had one half to test the waters and followed up with the rest a bit later. Not such a good idea. Have just had 25g salted macadamia nuts in lieu of dinner and looking forward to a very early night.
 
@Goonergal yes the fish or the mayo, or a coincidental digestive bug. I am so sorry it took up your night and morning! Hope you get good sleep, and lots of it. Hugs!
 
Hi all
Missed yesterday - busy at end of day supporting mum with a bereavement - her boyfriend who was 17 years younger than her sadly died yesterday teatime.
Yesterday first day after fast so went gently
Brunch cheese omelette and one 100% chocolate choc button
Dinner lamb chops with a few mushrooms and yoghurt followed by sf jelly and yoghurt
Today
Brunch bacon and eggs
Dinner sea bream in lemon butter, cauliflower cheese, asparagus with a white wine spritzer followed by choc chia pudding served with mix of yoghurt and cream just having decaf coffee and cream and three 100% choc hc buttons plus some nuts
Fasting seems to have been beneficial re bgs and ketones and felt good throughout but weight loss an unwanted addition so need to look at adding stuff maybe more nuts and cheese?
 
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Evening all.
Yesterday breakfast was scrambled egg and avocado on 1/2 a 90 sec microwave bread slice, toasted.
Lunch a Pret salad, crayfish and avocado
Dinner in town after theatre (All about Eve, some on here may remember the film, didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped as I was worrying about having a coughing fit during the performance) shared a chargrilled octopus dish to start, never had it before and found it a lot nicer than I expected..then John Dory with brown shrimp and asparagus on a bed of spinach
Shared a lovely bottle of Sancerre with the meal.

Today breakfast was scrambled eggs on a slice of Emmental
Lunch: flaxseed roll with cheese, salami and mayo. Sf jelly and cream.
Dinner slow roast pork belly with cauliflower cheese.

@zauberflote I’m with you on the okra. Not nice.
@Goonergal glad you’ve recovered from this morning, whatever it was it’s better out than in, hope you have a better night tonight.
Good fasting results @shelley262 and, of course, condolences to your mum.
 
@Goonergal
Hope you are feeling better!
And am VERY impressed you got an emergency appt at such short notice. Wouldn’t happen at my surgery!
(But that doesn’t stop me being delighted that you got the treatment you needed)

@shelley262
Sorry for your Mum’s loss.

Today:
B of bacon and fried eggs
L not needed
D Moroccan spiced lamb mince. Double cream as a dessert.
 
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Hi everyone. Hope tomorrow is a better day for you @Goonergal and condolences @shelley262 for your moms loss

Breakfast - usual preotein peanut & chocolate bar with 2 coffees
Lunch - need to start preparing better. Getting fed up of raiding Morrison’s meat counter so had a mini picnic of slices of beef, chicken breast, cherry tomatoes, mature cheese and a handful of peanuts
No dinner as only walked in half hour ago and heading back out in a minute to go swimming. My daughter had a pamper party to go to - that’s right, 5yr olds having nails, hair & makeup done. They all looked very cute though! The moaning that has come whilst convincing her eyeshadow really does have to be washed off before bed - not so cute!
 
It's been a busy few days and unfortunately not all great food choices, mostly not shareable on here.:sorry: At least I'd had a successful 34 hour fast before this and I'll repeat this again next week. Some well needed damage limitation is needed. It was a very early drive up to Durham for work on Wednesday and I didn't get chance to eat dinner until well after 8pm. Another early start and then late home, again well after 8pm. Food has mostly been grabbing stuff here and there. No excuses, as there were sensible options but I caved in due to stress. I started off with good intentions (chocolate and pecans to graze on in the car for breakfast), but things went steadily downhill after this! Oh well, onwards and upwards. Today's menu was a bit better!

Breakfast: Lemon and lime chia pudding. Coffee and cream.
Lunch: Nothing but coffee, green tea and water for me. Mr B had a bresaola, Parmesan and rocket salad, followed by a small square of dark choc.
Dinner: Pizzaiola Chicken, courgetti, rocket and chicory and Parmesan salad. SF jelly and cream. Decaf coffee and a rather delicious square of 80% Waitrose 1 Single Origin Panama chocolate.

I'm glad the fast went well @shelley262. I could have easily gone on for longer, had it not been for the long drive. Sorry about the sad news for your mum.
@Goonergal I'm sorry to hear you've been out of sorts. Hope you're starting to feel a bit better.
@DJC3 I love a good Sancerre!
 
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