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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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)
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
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)
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
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
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)
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
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
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