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I asked my followers on Facebook for their favourite (not low-carb) meal. My challenge was to make a low-carb alternative chili cheese fries, an American classic. I came up with this recipe using turnips and rutabaga instead of potato fries. They are not the same as potatoes but good enough as a healthier low-carb alternative!
To make the fries, you could even use kohlrabi or celeriac. Turnips are slightly lower in net carbs than swede (aka rutabaga). They are commonly used in paleo diet meals. Turnips are usually smaller, have yellow & green peel and light flesh. Swede is rather large, has purple & yellow peel and orange flesh.
Hands-on Overall
Nutritional values (per serving)
Net carbs11.3 grams
Protein28.2 grams
Fat37.7 grams
Calories516 kcal
Calories from carbs 9%, protein 23%, fat 68%
Total carbs16.1 gramsFiber4.8 gramsSugars7.5 gramsSaturated fat15 gramsSodium839 mg(36% RDA)Magnesium61 mg(15% RDA)Potassium923 mg(46% EMR)
Ingredients (makes 4 servings)
Chili sauce:
- 600 g minced beef (1.3 lb)
- 1 tbsp bacon grease or lard
- 1/4 cup tomato purée, unsweetened (63 g/ 2.2 oz)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp dried onion
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp hot chili powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp xanthan gum to thicken the sauce
- 2 cups water (480 ml)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese to serve (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
Fries:
- 2 large turnips or kohlrabi (350 g/ 12.3 oz)
- 1 medium swede (rutabaga) (250 g/ 8.8 oz)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder or paprika
- 1 tbsp ghee, melted
- 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
- oil spray (olive or coconut)
Instructions
- Get all the ingredients you will need for the chili sauce: tomato purée, ground cumin, paprika, onion flakes, garlic powder, Xanthan gum, 1 cup of water, pepper and salt.
- Grease a pan with bacon fat or lard over medium-high heat. Add mashed garlic and cook briefly (if you are not using onion flakes, add finely chopped onion and let it brown). Crumble the minced beef into the pot and cook while stirring frequently until the beef is evenly browned. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down. It's time to prepare the sauce.
- In a separate bowl, mix all the ingredients well and add them to the pan with the browned meat.
- Add a second cup of water and boil for about 10-15 minutes.
- When done, set aside.
- Now, let's make the fries. Preheat the oven to 220 °C/ 430 °F (fan assisted), or 240 °C/ 465 °F (conventional).
- Wash and peel the turnips and swede. Cut them into spears about 1/2 inch / 1 cm wide (or even less for crisping them up).
- Drizzle a tablespoon of cooking oil of choice over them and mix well to allow the oil everywhere. Turnips and swedes tend to be hard and you will need to precook them before baking them in the oven. Simply place them in a plastic bag and microwave them for about 7 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave oven and open the bag to allow the hot vapour outside. Remove the fries from the bag and place them (without any residual water) to a baking pan lined with baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic powder (or any spices & herbs you wish) over them evenly using a sieve and spray with some olive oil. Garnish with salt and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get burned and stir once or twice.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Always keep in mind these fries are not the same as potato fries. They are missing the starch and they tend to get quite soggy. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days and reheat before serving.
Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving)
| Net carbs | Protein | Fat | Calories |
|---|
| Beef, minced (ground), raw, grass-fed |
| 0 g | 25.8 g | 30 g | 381 kcal |
| Bacon grease |
| 0 g | 0 g | 3.3 g | 29 kcal |
| Tomato purée (unsweetened) |
| 1.1 g | 0.3 g | 0 g | 6 kcal |
| Spices, garlic powder |
| 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Garlic, fresh |
| 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Onion, dried and flaked |
| 0.9 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 4 kcal |
| Cumin, spices |
| 0.3 g | 0.1 g | 0.2 g | 3 kcal |
| Paprika, spices |
| 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 2 kcal |
| Chile (chili) powder, spices (ancho, chipotle, Mexican chile powder) |
| 0.2 g | 0.2 g | 0.2 g | 4 kcal |
| Xanthan gum, thickening agent |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 2 kcal |
| Pepper, black, spices |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Water, still |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Turnips, raw |
| 4.1 g | 0.8 g | 0.1 g | 25 kcal |
| Swede (rutabaga), fresh |
| 4 g | 0.7 g | 0.1 g | 23 kcal |
| Spices, garlic powder |
| 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 1 kcal |
| Ghee |
| 0 g | 0 g | 3.8 g | 34 kcal |
| Salt, sea salt |
| 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 kcal |
| Total per serving |
| 11.3 g | 28.2 g | 37.7 g | 516 kcal |
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