Blvd Foods Blog

This recipe originally appeared on www.food24.com, by Illanique van Aswegen. 

Ingredients

DIP:
250 ml sour cream
5 ml lemon juice
10 g green chilies, chopped
½ avocado
6 large basil leaves
pinch of salt and pepper

ONION RINGS:
220 g or one large onion
2 eggs
5 ml garlic, crushed
60 ml coconut flour
125 ml Gruyere/Parmesan cheese, finely grated
15 ml sesame seeds
pinch of cayenne pepper
pinch of salt
olive oil, for shallow frying

Method

For the dip, place everything in food processor and blend until smooth. Store it in the fridge until ready to use. 

For the onion rings, cut the onion into 0.5cm slices.
Lightly whisk the egg and garlic together.  Soak the onion slices in the egg mixture for 10 minutes. 
Combine the coconut flour, cheese, sesame seeds, cayenne and salt. 
Heat some oil in a deep pan for shallow frying.  Dip each onion ring into the coconut flour mixture and then place it in the hot oil. Fry the onion rings in 3-4 batches. Drain on paper towel and serve with the dip. 

TIP: The coconut flour can also be replaced with almond flour

Wors, pap and chakalaka is a classic South African dish! We've taken this old favourite and created a Banting version that can be enjoyed at braais, for dinner or use the chakalaka as a spicy addition to any dish. HEBA has been used instead of maize meal for a low-carb, nutrient rich pap. Traditional Boerewors is great for low carb eating. And chakalaka, a spicy vegetable relish, can also be served with curries and stews.

This piece originally appeared on www.ambitiouskitchen.com

Soft and chewy almond butter cookies with the perfect sweet and salty notes. Flourless and gluten free, too!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup all natural creamy or chunky almond butter (use your favorite brand)
• 1/3 cup honey or xylitol syrup
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3.5 oz dark chocolate bar coarsely chopped and divided (use your favorite dark chocolate bar and chop it)
• sea salt, for sprinkling
• about 18 almonds for topping, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 180˚
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together almond butter, honey (or xylitol syrup), egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until smooth and creamy; about 2 minutes. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chunks.
3. Drop tablespoon sized balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, top each cookie with extra chocolate chunks and an almond if desired.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies turn a slight golden brown underneath; they will be puffy!
5. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

For the berry coulis:

• 50g fresh strawberries, washed and stems removed
• 50g fresh raspberries
• 40g fresh blueberries
• 40g blackberries
• Zest of 1 orange
• 60g xylitol
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 star anise, whole
• 125ml water

 Whipped cream

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a medium pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Turn down the heat to a simmer and allow to reduce.
3. Before serving, remove the cinnamon and star anise and stir through whipped cream.

Enjoy dolloped on Banting Blvd’s Chocolate Brownies.

This piece originally appeared on www.danatreat.com

INGREDIENTS

• 200g soft goat cheese (or cream cheese) (depending on how many you need)
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped dill
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp. freshly cracked black pepper
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.  Form 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese into a small ball.  Transfer to the baking sheet.  Continue with the remaining cheese.  Refrigerate the balls for 10 minutes to set slightly.
2. In separate bowls, place the parsley, dill, pecans, and pepper.  Roll several balls in each of the coatings and set aside.  To make the paprika band, sprinkle the paprika in a straight thin line on a cutting board.  Straighten the edges of the paprika with a knife.  Roll some of the balls down the line to form the paprika strip.

Pour the olive oil onto a serving platter.  Sprinkle the oil with the red pepper flakes.  Arrange the goat cheese balls on the platter and serve with toothpicks.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g cream cheese
• 125ml butter, softened
• 45ml xylitol
• 5ml vanilla essence
• A mixture of flavours to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS  

1. In a mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese, butter, xylitol, vanilla and a combination of your favourite flavours and mix until smooth.
2. Once the mixture is well combined, place into the fridge to set and remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes to ensure it is spreadable before generously frosting the cupcakes.

Flavour inspiration:

• Lemon or orange: add lemon zest and a little juice
• Vanilla: just add a scrape of a vanilla pod
• Chocolate: just add cocoa powered or even melted dark chocolate
• Tiramisu: add amaretto and coffee
• Ginger bread: add a combination of ginger spice, cinnamon and mixed spice

The possibilities are infinite!

This piece was inspired by www.bakehappy.net

INGREDIENTS

• 200g cream cheese
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 3 Tbsp xylitol
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbs rosewater
• Pistachios for garnish 

Cooking Instructions: 

1. To a mixer or food processor, combine the cream cheese, butter, xylitol, vanilla and rosewater, mix until smooth.
2. Once the mixture is well combined, place into the fridge to set and remove from the fridge at least 30 minutes before frosting the cupcakes to ensure it is spreadable.
3. Ice the cupcakes generously and garnish with pistachios.  

This piece originally appeared on www.telegraph.co.uk, by Jonno Proudfoot 

INGREDIENTS

For the tzatziki

• ½ cucumber, halved and seeded
• ½ garlic clove
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
• 250g thick Greek yogurt

For the kofta

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Coconut oil for frying
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp ground ginger
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 800g lamb mince

METHOD

For the tzatziki

1. Grate the cucumber and place in a sieve. Sprinkle with salt and mix with your hands or a spoon. Leave to strain for about half an hour.
2. Wring the moisture out of the cucumber using your hands, then stir the cucumber, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and mint into the yogurt. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

For the kofta

1. To make the kofta, sauté the onion and garlic in coconut oil until softened. Add the spices with a teaspoon of salt and sauté until aromatic.
2. Mix the pan’s contents, the parsley and mince together in a bowl and season well. Divide the mixture into about 12 rough balls. Mould each piece around the pointed end of a kebab skewer. They should look like little lamb rugby balls. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before grilling.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over some serious heat, or prepare a barbecue grill. Brush the meat lightly with some melted coconut oil, then place the skewers in the pan or on the grill. Give them about three minutes each side to allow them to colour properly, then serve with the tzatziki.

This piece originally appeared on www.clarasmenu.com 

Ingredients

30g grated sharp cheddar cheese
1T butter
1T coconut flour
pinch salt
pinch onion powder

Directions

• In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients until a dough forms.  Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Place the dough in-between parchment paper and roll to about 0.5cm thickness.  Cut out the shapes and transfer them to a parchment paper lined baking tray.
• Bake at 180˚C for 4-5 minutes, until the edges just start to brown.  Turn off the heat and let it sit in the oven for a few minutes for the crackers to crisp.

Allow to cool. Enjoy!

This piece originally appeared on www.eatdrinkpaleo.com.au

Thin bacon rashers could be used instead of prosciutto in this recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

• 12 asparagus spears
• 6 prosciutto or bacon slices/strips
• A little coconut oil for frying

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Wash asparagus and cut 2 cm off the ends. Cut prosciutto or bacon strips into two halves, going lengthways, you should end up with 12 strips.
2. Place each prosciutto strip on a chopping board at a 45 degree angle. Place one of the asparagus spears on top of the meat, perpendicular to it. The tip of the asparagus should be lined up with the bottom of the prosciutto strip. Wrap the bottom end of prosciutto over the asparagus and holding the meat tight, start rolling the asparagus up. The prosciutto strip will wrap around the whole length of the spear because it’s on an angle. You can try a different wrapping method but I find this is a very quick to do it. Don’t worry if parts of the asparagus spears are not covered completely.

Heat some coconut oil in a large, flat frying pan to sizzling hot. Fry wrapped asparagus spears for 1-2 minutes on each side or until prosciutto/bacon is brown and crispy.

This piece originally appeared on www.telegraph.co.uk, by Jonno Proudfoot

This appetite-suppressing drink from The Real Meal Revolution is for those who cannot control their hunger or for those who wish to eat less. If you can’t finish it all at once, leave it aside and sip it throughout the day. Always eat until you're satisfied. If you can't get satisfied, get a fat shake.

INGREDIENTS

• 150ml full-cream milk
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50ml coconut oil
• 200ml coconut cream
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder or sugar-free hot chocolate
• ¼ tsp salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. You can have this hot or cold. For the hot version, warm all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, then blitz with a stick blender. For the cold one, simply blitz and enjoy (you may need to melt the butter and coconut oil in a small pan first).
2. Using this base, you can add flavourings. Berries, vanilla extract or even some almond or macadamia nut butter are all good choices.

This piece originally appeared on  www.madebymary.se

Something happens with the cabbage while roasting with cheese in the oven. It enhances the sweetness of the cabbage and the dish becomes very balanced when combined with the salty, bacon bits. 

 You can choose white cabbage if you rather prefer that or some other cheese if you do not like goat cheese, but for me, this is a killer combo! 

Serves 4 people as a starter or works as a party of a snack.

 Ingredients

• 1 small red cabbage
• olive oil for brushing
• 150g chèvre (goat cheese)
• Honey or xylitol
• 1 packet of Bacon
• 1 tbsp coconut oil for frying

 Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C
2. Cut the cabbage, into slice each about 1cm thick. Place the cabbage on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and brush with plenty of olive oil. 
3. Roast in the middle of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until it's softened and the edges are slightly browned. 
4. Remove the cabbage from the oven, crumble some goat cheese and drizzle a little honey or xylitol on top. Bake for 5 more minutes. 

Fry the bacon pieces in coconut oil until they are golden brown and crispy.  Sprinkle the bacon on top of the red cabbage. Enjoy!