Low-Carb Chocolate-Almond Protein Shake: A cup of water mixed with a scoop of vanilla whey, about three tablespoons cocoa powder, one or two tablespoons almond butter (for a richer texture, more complex taste, and the health benefits of almonds), two or three tablespoons of heavy cream (same benefits as almonds, plus the extra fat makes it extra filling), and a dash of light salt (I use light salt for the extra potassium content).
I get vanilla whey even though I almost always drink chocolate shakes. I like being able to make them as chocolatey as I want, plus I have the versatility of being able to use the whey in non-chocolate foods (or in fruit drinks).
I had “breaded” low-carb chicken tenders for dinner tonight. Using tenders is so much easier than using whole chicken breast, and it really doesn’t cost all that much more. I dipped these in a beaten egg, then let each piece drip off thoroughly. Then I dipped them in a mixture of about two parts almond meal (unblanched) to one part each of coconut flour, flax meal, and parmesan cheese, plus granulated garlic and onion, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. A key thing here is to shake them off really well after coating them so you don’t get as many crumbs in the oil. I deep fried them at 375 for 3 minutes.
I kind of wanted a dipping sauce for my chicken tenders, so I put together this low-carb orange sauce. I used about a quarter cup of reduced-sugar ketchup with about an equal amount of water. I added a splash of apple cider, several drops of liquid sucralose, some powdered garlic, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon orange extract, and a tiny bit of molasses (I dipped a teaspoon into the jar, let it drip, and then I used the amount that clung to the spoon, maybe 1/4 teaspoon). I thickened the sauce a little bit by dusting a pinch of xanthan gum over the surface. It was still fairly thin, but I chickened out of trying to use any more. I decided that we’d use less of a thin sauce, anyway. But we liked it so much that next time I think I will make a much bigger batch, and then blend the xanthan gum in with a stick blender.