Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Making Your Own LCHF Condiments



 
If you have diabetes or are following a low carb high fat (LCHF), Paleo, or Keto eating program, then condiments are those hidden little surprises that can quickly hinder your success. It is amazing how many sauces, dressings and condiments that we consume everyday that have carbohydrates and sugars that many new to such dietary programs fail to think about. If you are following a liberal (50 to 100 carbs) or moderate (20 to 50 carbs) per day carbohydrate eating plan, then 1 or 2 carbohydrates here or there may not mean much, but if you are a diabetic or are following a more strict carbohydrate intake (less than 20 carbohydrates a day) then those 2 to 4 carbohydrates per tablespoon in that mayonnaise in your chicken salad, or barbecue sauce that you just brushed on your grilled chicken can really make a difference.

Believe me, if you are trying to keep your blood sugars under control or your carbohydrate count below 20 carbohydrates a day, making your own condiments is a good way to control those unforeseen carbohydrates that most of us don't think about. The great thing is that most of these recipes only take a few minutes to make and they taste great. In this article I will focus on some of the most common condiments that many of us keep in our refrigerator. In the future I will be writing additional articles on making your own low carbohydrate salad dressings as well as other less common condiments that many of us enjoy.


LCHF Mayonnaise (Yield: 1 ¼ cups 20 tablespoons)

Mayonnaise is the most popular condiment in the United States and is consumed by more Americans than any other beating out both ketchup and salsa. So why make your own mayonnaise? Well if you are on a LCHF diet, then making your own mayonnaise is definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to make for a number of reasons. While there may not be much difference in the nutritional value between homemade mayonnaise and store bought, the primarily reason to make it is for the taste. After all, making your own gives you total control of the amount and type of ingredients in your mayonnaise and you will definitely taste the difference.

1 egg yolk
1 cup canola, or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon iodized salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard or ¼ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
¼ teaspoon Splenda or equal or liquid sweetener of your choice
¼ teaspoon white pepper

Place the egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and Splenda into a wide mouth pint mason jar, then add the canola oil on top. Take your immersion blender and push it down into the mason far until it touches the bottom and pulse it a few times. As the ingredients in the jar begin to form an emulsion. Once the bottom quarter of the jar is emulsified, slowly raise the blender while it is running until all of the ingredients have become emulsified. Slap a lid on it and place it on the refrigerator to chill.

Total Recipe – Calories 2042, fat 228 grams, protein 2.8 grams, 1.4 grams carbohydrates
Per Tablespoon – Calories 102, fat 11.4 grams, carbohydrates 0.07 grams

Hellman's Mayonnaise
Per Tablespoon – Calories 90, fat 10 grams, carbs 0 grams


LCHF Miracle Whip (Yield: 1 ¼ cups 20 tablespoons)

In my family there always seems to be a few people who prefer Miracle Whip over mayonnaise. I admit I will use mayonnaise, but I prefer the additional sweetness of a Miracle Whip style dressing. Because I am both a diabetic and have shifted my eating regimen to a more LCHF regimen, making my own Miracle Whip is definitely worth the 10 minutes it takes to make for a number of reasons. First, it is essentially a no-carb condiment (it takes 4 tablespoons to make 1 carb, Miracle Whip as 2 carbs per tablespoon). Second, it's higher fat content helps to make you feel sated, and third, homemade Miracle Whip just tastes better.

1 egg yolk
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 teaspoons Splenda or liquid sweetener of your choice
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon water
½ teaspoon iodized salt
½ teaspoon dry mustard or ¼ teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of paprika

Place the egg yolk, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, mustard, salt, and sugar into a wide mouth pint mason jar, then add the canola oil on top. Take your immersion blender and push it down into the mason far until it touches the bottom and pulse it a few times. As the ingredients in the jar begin to form an emulsion. Once the bottom quarter of the jar is emulsified, slowly raise the blender while it is running until all of the ingredients have become emulsified. Slap a lid on it and place it on the refrigerator to chill. Store in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 days.

Total Recipe – Calories 2049, fat 229 grams, protein 2.8 grams, carbohydrates 2.96 grams
Per Tablespoon – Calories 102, fat 11.4 grams, protein 0.14 carbohydrates 0.15 grams

Kraft Miracle Whip
Per Tablespoon – Calories 40, fat 3.5 grams, carbs 2 grams

Chef's Note: For a in-depth article on making your own mayonnaise or Miracle Whip style dressing, check out my article 'Homemade Mayonnaise, It'sEgg-ceptional' on our blog.



LCHF Ketchup (Yield: 1 ¼ cups, 20 tablespoons)

I have tried a couple LCHF ketchup recipes and this one is hands down the best I have tried. It stores well and tastes as good or better then any of the leading commercial ketchup brands. The best part is that it has no sugar and it only has 0.9 carbohydrates per tablespoon whereas commercial ketchups contain 5 carbohydrates or more per tablespoon. Having a good ketchup recipe is a must as many of the other condiments that we use on a daily basis contain some ketchup as an ingredient (barbecue sauce, tartar sauce, Arby's sauce, salad dressings, as well as many Asian sauces).

8 ounces tomato sauce (12 grams of carbs)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (3 grams carbs)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon Splenda or liquid sweetener of your choice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly just until the sauce begins to boil, then remove the sauce from the heat and cover and allow to cool. Pour into a covered container or squeeze bottle and store in the fridge. Good for 1 – 2 months.

Chef's Note: Spicy ketchups are all the rage now, and an easy way to make this recipe nice and spicy is to add 1 tablespoon of Tabasco to the original recipe. You could add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, but adding additional powdered ingredients to the recipe without the addition of some liquid will cause the ketchup to solidify. Another option would be to add one minced pickled jalapeño and then substitute the apple cider vinegar with 2 tablespoons of the pickled jalapeño juice.

Total Recipe – Calories 121.5, fat 0 grams, protein 2.6 grams, 19.8 carbohydrates
Per Tablespoon – Calories 6, fat 0 grams, protein 0.13 grams carbs 1 gram

Hunts Tomato Ketchup
Per Tablespoon – Calories 20, fat 0 grams, carbs 5 grams


Texas Style Barbecue Sauce (Yield: 3 ½ cups, 56 tablespoons)

This is the barbecue sauce that I use most often, it is a bold and slightly spicy Texas style barbecue sauce which goes good with brisket, ribs, pork or chicken. If you like your sauce to have a little more kick, then increase the red pepper flakes or add a minced jalapeño or two (0.9 carbs for a medium to large jalapeño). This sauce has a vinegary twang, if you do not care for that particular flavor simply omit the apple cider vinegar.

2 cups LCHF ketchup (36 grams of carbs)
½ cup water
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (6.6 grams of carbs)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon onion powder (5 grams of carbs)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (7 grams of carbs)
2 teaspoons cilantro, dried (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder (1.42 grams of carbs)
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper

In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Remove sauce from heat and cool before bottling in jar or plastic squeeze bottle.

Total Recipe – Calories 422, fat 12.4 grams, 56.6 carbohydrates
Per Tablespoon – Calories 7.5, fat 0.2 grams, carbs 1 gram

Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
Per Tablespoon – Calories 30, fat 0 grams, carbs 15 grams

Chef's Note: For a in-depth article on making your own barbecue sauces and how they differ from each region of the country, check out my article 'Sauce-A-Pallooza, A BBQ Sauce Primer' on our blog.



Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce (Yield: 2 ½ cups, 40 tablespoons)

This thin flavorful sauce is more like a vinaigrette than the thick and hearty barbecue sauces of the Midwest. Because of it's low sugar content it is a great basting and mopping sauce as it will not burn like the thicker more sugary sauces we use here in Texas. It is great on pulled pork, shredded chicken, and don't tell anyone I said so but it's also great on chopped brisket.

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup LCHF ketchup (9 grams of carbs)
1 tablespoon onion powder (5 grams of carbs)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (7 grams of carbs)
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons Splenda or liquid sweetener of your choice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder (0.71 grams of carbs)
½ teaspoon paprika (0.14 grams of carbs)

In a medium saucepan combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove from heat and cool before lacing in a jar or plastic squeeze bottle.

Total Recipe – Calories 121, fat 0.6 grams, 22 carbohydrates
Per Tablespoon – Calories 3, fat 0 grams, carbs 0.55 grams

Heinz Carolina Style Barbecue Sauce
Per Tablespoon – Calories 17.5, fat 0 grams, carbs 4 grams


Picante Sauce (Salsa) (Yield; 3 cups, 48 tablespoons)

If you live in Texas, then you know that picante sauce is a condiment that every kitchen must have. Throw some salsa on eggs and you have Huevos Ranchero. Slather it on a hot dog in place of pickle relish, and of course as a topping for your lettuce wrapped tacos or taco salad. This recipe is a pretty close proximity to Pace's Medium Picante sauce which I happen to like. Not only does this salsa taste great, it has only 0.6 carbohydrates per tablespoon, whereas Pace Picante Sauce has 1.5 grams of carbohydrates per tablespoon.

8 ounces tomato sauce (12 grams of carbs)
6 ounces of water
10 ounces Great Value Tomatoes & Green Chiles (10 grams of carbs)
1 medium (2 ½” diameter) yellow onion (10 grams of carbs)
2 jalapeños, diced, with seeds
2 tablespoons white vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Splenda or liquid sweetener of your choice (optional)

Combine all the ingredients into a medium saucepan, do not drain the tomatoes and green chilies. Bring all ingredients to a boil and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, Remove from heat and allow to cool, place in a container with a lid and refrigerate (salsa will thicken some as it cools). Store for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

Total recipe – Calories 174, fat 0.1 grams, carbs 32 grams
Per Tablespoon – Calories 3.6, fat 0, carbs 0.6 carbs

Pace Picante Sauce Medium
Per Tablespoon – Calories 10, fat 0 grams, carbs 1.5 grams


LCHF Tartar Sauce (Yield: 4 tablespoons)

Fish is an important protein in the LCHF, Paleo, and Keto eating lifestyle, and who doesn't love a good tartar sauce to go with it? After all, making your own tartar sauce gives you total control of the amount and type of ingredients you use and you will definitely taste the difference. I use dill pickle relish in my recipe and add Splenda to give it a slightly sweet taste as using sweet pickle relish increases the overall carbohydrate count of the recipe by 1.6 carbs, making the tartar sauce 0.7 carbs per tablespoon. Again this is not a lot, but if you are on a strict carbohydrate plan, it adds up.

4 tablespoons LCHF mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dill pickle relish
½ teaspoon Splenda or liquid sweetener of your choice (optional)
¼ teaspoon LCHF ketchup (0.08 grams of carbs)
¼ teaspoon onion powder (0.5 grams of carbs)
¼ teaspoon garlic powder (0.6 grams of carbs)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and you are ready to go. I do not mix my tartar sauce up until I am ready to use it.

Total Recipe – Calories 333, fat 36 grams, 1.1 carbohydrates
Per Tablespoon – Calories 83, fat 9 grams, carbs 0.3 grams

Kraft Tarter Sauce
Per Tablespoon – Calories 30, fat 2.5 grams, carbs 2 grams


Measuring Is They Key To Success

Measuring the ingredients that you add to any recipe is extremely important when you are following a LCHF diet or any diet in which you need to keep track of the total amount of carbohydrates that you consume in one day. This is especially true if you want to add additional vegetables and or other items to any of the condiments listed in this article. For example bell peppers would be a nice addition to the picante sauce recipe, however care must be taken as one medium green bell pepper contain 6 grams of carbohydrates. While that would only increase the carb count for one tablespoon from 0.6 to 0.8 grams, adding several different ingredients at one time could have an overall substantial effect on the final carbohydrate count.

For that particular reason, I have listed some of the more common measurements used when creating or adjusting your favorite recipes in this section of the article. It is my goal that this will help you to make informed decisions regarding adding additional ingredients, specifically how they impact the overall dietary intake of the recipe.

Measuring Wet Ingredients

1 Cup = 8 ounces, or 16 tablespoons, or 48 teaspoons
¾ Cup = 6 ounces, or 12 tablespoons, or 36 teaspoons
½ Cup = 4 ounces, or 8 tablespoons, or 24 teaspoons
¼ Cup = 2 ounces, or 4 tablespoons, or 12 teaspoons
1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons

Measuring Dry Ingredients

1 Cup = 12 ounces, or 16 Tablespoons, or 48 teaspoons, weighs 340 grams
¾ Cup = 9 ounces, or 12 tablespoons, or 36 teaspoons, weighs 255 grams
½ Cup = 6 ounces, or 8 tablespoons, or 24 teaspoons, weighs 170 grams
¼ Cup = 3 ounces, or 4 tablespoons, or 12 teaspoons, weighs 85 grams
1 Tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, weighs 15 grams
1 teaspoon weighs 5 grams


Conclusion

So here are some of the most common condiments that many of us use on a daily basis, and you can see that making your own condiments is a great way to cut back on hidden carbohydrates that most of us never thought about before engaging in the LCHF lifestyle changes. Even though I did not get totally on board with the LCHF lifestyle until my doctor wanted to put me on insulin for my diabetes, I have been making all of these sauces for over a year now, and they all taste great.

They are quick to make and you do not have to keep a lot of extra ingredients or condiments on your pantry shelves to start eating LCHF. In fact, making my own sauces the way I was taught many years ago in culinary school actually frees up my pantry space and saves us money. The best part is, we have total control of the amount of fat and carbohydrates that these condiments contain. As I mentioned earlier, there were be more articles regarding making your own LCHF condiments and salad dressings, but these are the most common ones that people have in their fridge or pantry so I started with these first. As always, if you have enjoyed this article and find the information useful, we ask that you share it with your friends. Don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook, or add us to your circle on Google+.


References:







No comments:

Post a Comment