Sides and sauces

The low-carb eating plan focuses primarily on protein and fat. Accompaniments and extras therefore add variation, vitamins, antioxidants, colour and flavour to your meals.

In the beginning it might feel strange not to eat potatoes, rice or pasta with your meal, but you will soon get used to the idea and will find new alternatives to carbs, to make your food enjoyable but still within the LCHF eating plan.

Here are a few of my family’s favourite extras.

Mashed broccoli or cauliflower

200 ml fresh cream

2 heads broccoli or 1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

Salt and pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)

15 ml butter

• Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the broccoli or cauliflower. Bring to the boil, but keep an eye on it as cream boils over easily. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the seasoning and garlic and mix with a hand blender until smooth. Add the butter and stir until the butter has melted.

VARIATION

Cook the broccoli or cauliflower in boiling water. Drain and add 150 g butter, seasoning and garlic. Mix with a hand blender until smooth.

4 servings

TIP

You can prepare either broccoli or cauliflower, or you can make a mix of both, which is very popular with my family.

Fennel gratin

300 ml crème fraîche

300 ml fresh cream

200 g Philadelphia^® cream cheese

3–5 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

400 g fennel, sliced

2 onions, sliced into rings

300 ml grated cheese (Cheddar works well)

• Preheat the oven to 150 °C.
• Mix the crème fraîche, cream, cream cheese, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
• Arrange a layer of fennel and onions in an ovenproof dish and pour over the cream mixture. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the fennel is soft. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in colour.
• Serve with steak, cold meats or chicken.

4 servings

TIP

You can also prepare this dish with other vegetables that grow above ground, such as broccoli and cauliflower.

Broccoli mix

1 head broccoli, broken into florets

30 ml crème fraîche

30 ml mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

30 ml chopped fresh parsley

15 ml snipped chives

15 ml chopped fresh coriander

100 ml grated cheese

• Cook the broccoli in boiling water for a few minutes and then drain. Place the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and add the broccoli to this. Mix together.
• Serve warm or cold as a side dish or salad. Lovely with a barbecue.

Guacamole

3 avocados, peeled and depipped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1–2 drops Tabasco^®

Pinch of cayenne pepper

200 ml crème fraîche

Juice of ¹⁄₂ lime

¹⁄₂ red pepper, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

• Mash all the ingredients together using a fork. For a smooth consistency, use a blender.

4 servings

TIP

Side dishes and mixes are easy to prepare. Use your imagination and experiment with different low-carb ingredients.

Creamy leek and baby marrow

30 ml butter

1 leek, thinly sliced

10 baby marrows (courgettes, zucchini), thinly sliced

200 ml fresh cream

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the leek and baby marrow for a few minutes. Pour in the cream and add the cayenne pepper and salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until it thickens.
• Serve with meat, fish or chicken dishes.

4 servings

TIP

We are so used to having rice, pasta, potatoes or fries with our meals, but we just need to re-think and find new and healthy alternatives.

Creamy cabbage

¹⁄₂ medium cabbage

200 ml fresh cream

Pinch of white pepper

Salt

15 ml butter

1 egg yolk

• Grate the cabbage with a cheese grater and place in a saucepan. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes. Add the seasoning and remove from the heat. Stir in the butter and egg yolk.
• Serve with chicken or meat dishes.

4 servings

Cauliflower rice

1 head cauliflower

1 litre water

Salt

50 g butter

• Grate the cauliflower on the coarse side of a cheese grater. Bring the water and salt to the boil in a saucepan. Add the cauliflower to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Drain the cauliflower in a colander.
• Transfer the cauliflower rice to a serving bowl and add the butter on top so that it melts into the rice.
• Serve with stews.

4 servings

Luxurious salad

Romaine or cos lettuce

Avocado

Baby marrows (courgettes, zucchini)

Mushrooms

Spring onions

Broccoli

Green pepper

Green asparagus

Baby spinach

Leek

Blueberries (optional)

• All the ingredients should be fresh and raw, except the asparagus, which you can boil slightly. Cut up all the ingredients, except the blueberries, and arrange on a platter or mix in a salad bowl. Scatter the blueberries over the top.

TIP

Kids most often enjoy salad ingredients when they are all served separately. This way they can then pick and choose what they like.

Tomato salad

3 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings

30 ml olive oil

10 ml tarragon vinegar or other vinegar

Salt and white pepper

15 ml chopped fresh tarragon or parsley

• Layer the slices of tomatoes and onion in a shallow dish. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour over the salad.

4 servings

TIP

Children often prefer salads or vegetables without dressing. In this case, serve the dressing on the side.

Zucchini ‘tagliatelle’

10 baby marrows (courgettes, zucchini)

30 ml organic coconut oil or butter

1–2 cloves garlic, crushed

• Using a cheese slicer or potato peeler, slice the baby marrow into long strips.
• Melt the oil or butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and baby marrow strips. Carefully mix together and fry for a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat before it gets too soft.
• Serve with meat, chicken or fish dishes or with a filling sauce in place of pasta.

4 servings

Monique’s lovely dipping sauce

100 ml olive oil or avocado oil

100 ml white vinegar

30 ml Dijon mustard

15 ml tomato purée

100 ml mayonnaise

• Blend all the ingredients together with an electric hand blender so that the oil blends in with the other ingredients.
• Serve with prawns, raw vegetables or other ‘finger foods’.

Makes around 350 ml

TIP

The dipping sauce can also be used as a dressing for burgers, fish, prawns or chicken nuggets.

Baked broccoli

1 head broccoli, broken into florets

1 onion, sliced into rings

100 g Philadelphia^® cream cheese

200 ml crème fraîche

100 ml fresh cream

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and white pepper

200 ml grated cheese

• Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
• Layer the broccoli florets and onion rings in an ovenproof dish.
• Mix the cream cheese, crème fraîche, cream, garlic and seasoning together in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the broccoli and onion and use a fork to help the sauce run in-between the vegetables. Bake for 30–40 minutes.
• Remove the dish from the oven and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top. Set the oven to grill and return the dish to the oven until the cheese is golden brown.

4 servings

TIP

You can prepare this dish with just about any vegetable. The cream cheese makes it creamy and thick.

Pepper sauce

45 ml black peppercorns (or a mix of black, white and pink peppercorns)

50 g organic coconut oil or butter

10 cm-piece leek, finely chopped

200 ml fresh cream

Salt

30 ml crème fraîche

• Coarsely chop the peppercorns in a food processer or blender.
• Melt the oil or butter in a frying pan, add the pepper and stir. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the leek and fry for a couple of minutes. Pour over the cream and add salt to taste. When it starts to thicken, add the crème fraîche.
• This sauce should be quite thick. A tablespoon of sauce on each plate is usually enough, and it is quite hot. Wonderful served with a good steak.

4 servings

TIP

My teenagers enjoy this sauce, but my youngest one finds it too strong. For younger family members, mix together 5 ml sauce with 30–45 ml crème fraîche. This gives a milder yet tasty sauce.

Mushroom sauce

50 g organic coconut oil or butter

1 onion, chopped

100 g mushrooms, sliced (feel free to use a variety)

1–2 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper

30 ml Worcestershire sauce

200 ml fresh cream

200 ml crème fraîche

• Melt the oil or butter in a frying pan and fry the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the garlic, seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the cream and add the crème fraîche. Simmer for 5–8 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender until smooth.
• Serve with chicken or meat.

4 servings

TIPS

• All kinds of mushrooms work with this sauce. Use your imagination or what’s in season.
• If you prefer a thicker sauce, remove from the heat and stir in an egg yolk at the end. Alternatively, add 30–45 ml Philadelphia^® cream cheese.

Heavenly sauce

200 ml crème fraîche

200 ml fresh cream

15 ml Dijon mustard

15 ml tomato purée

5 ml paprika

Salt and white pepper

4 cloves garlic, crushed

15 ml dried tarragon

• Mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7–9 minutes. If you prefer a runnier sauce, add more cream. If you want a thicker sauce, simmer for longer.
• Serve with grilled chicken fillets or barbecued meat.

4 servings

TIP

Always read the list of ingredients for the mustard you buy because it often contains lots of carbs. Dijon mustard is usually low in carbs.