What's Cookin' Wednesday: Rutabaga Fries!

Image via Planet Thrive

Okay... so before you totally flip out on me... hear me out! I know... Rutabagas... weird! At least that is what I though at first... but on my mission to reduce carbohydrate consumption in our household I have resorted to some out-of-the-box recipes... and this is one of them!

Rutabagas have roughly one THIRD the calories as the same sized white potato... and one FOURTH the carb count! WOW!

This recipe is from Affairs of Living... they have a boat load of recipes for new and exciting ways to use vegetables and cook Vegan or Gluten-free... I would definitely suggest you spend some time there browsing.

Ingredients
1 Rutabaga
olive oil to taste
seasoning of your choice - Salt/Pepper/Garlic/Italian Herbs ... etc

Preparation
1. peel and slice your Rutabaga into 1/2" by 1/2" strips
2. coat in olive oil and seasonings
3. place on cookie sheet in a single layer
4. bake for 40-45 minutes at 425

Make sure to flip them 3-4 times while they cook... you can also broil them at the last minute to brown them up a bit faster if need be...

The key to reducing the calorie content of this dish is the amount of olive oil used... Olive oil has roughly 119 calories per tablespoon... so 1 Rutabaga and 2 tbsp of Olive Oil will be less than 300 calories and 8 grams of carbs... less depending on how much oil...

Try it out... let me know what you think!

Tummy Tuesday : Cauliflower 'Mashed Potatoes'

{Image via Crossfit East Village}

So I have decided to cut way back on my carb intake lately... Both me and my fiance could stant to control our eating habits much more than we are currently... For me that means low-carb... So I am ditching the starches like rice, potatoes, pasta and bread until I can balance my diet a bit better.... My fiance being a Meat and Potatoes kinda guy is completely on board with uping our protein but will probably not do too well if I do not make an effort keep things 'normal' for him... my solution? Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes of course!

Ingredients
1 medium head of Cauliflower ~20oz
1/4 cup of Butter/Cream/Milk --> whatever you normally use to make mashed potatoes
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder to taste
Optional: 1/4 cup of low-carb instant potatoes to adjust texture

Preparation

1. Cook/Steam Cauliflower by whatever method you choose... Cauliflower is ready when it can be easily pierced by a fork.

2. Add additional ingredients as you so choose - blend together with a hand blender or in a food processor.

This is a pretty quick and easy alternative to real mashed potatoes.... If you add 1/4 cup of butter and cream and a clove of garlic, this recipe will yield roughly 4 servings with 188 calories and 4.3 net carbs each .... not too shabby!