Low Carb Spring Menu

Spring!! It’s finally here…time to shake off the doldrums of winter, and take advantage of the season’s fresh fruits, veggies, and lighter fare.

If you’ve got a holiday meal coming up that has to be special, low carb and family-friendly, I’ve got some ideas for you. This spring menu is elegant, low carb, and surprisingly simple to prepare. You do all your preparations while the lamb roasts, and then finish up the side dishes while it rests. The dessert is almost instant, and a light, refreshing finale to a great meal. I’ve included a shopping list to get you started, and recipes for using up any leftovers. Happy Spring!

Low Carb Spring Menu

(serves six)

Mediterranean Salad on Spring Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette
Herb-roasted Leg of Lamb with Pinot Noir Sauce
Turnips Anna
Green Bean-Pepper Saute
Strawberry Sorbet

Recipes

Mediterranean Salad on Spring Greens with Lemon Vinaigrette

• 6 cups spring salad mix or mesclun
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved and sliced
• 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Place greens, cucumber and scallions in large bowl. In a smaller bowl, place garlic, mustard, and lemon juice. Mix well. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is thickened and all oil is added. Season with salt and pepper. Pour dressing on greens and vegetables; toss. Divide mixture on six chilled salad plates; sprinkle each with one ounce of feta. Serve immediately.
3 carbs per serving.

Herb-Crusted Roast Leg of Lamb

• 1 boneless, rolled, tied leg of lamb, about 5 pounds
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper

You can do this roast with a bone-in leg, but a boneless roast is much easier to handle and carve. Cover the roast with the Dijon mustard; I use a small paintbrush for this. Mix the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper together in a small bowl, and sprinkle the mixture on the roast on top of the mustard, patting it in place. Put the coated roast in a roasting pan, tent it with foil, and let it rest at room temperature for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 350. A roast this size takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours; you want an internal temperature of 130 for medium rare, and 140 for medium. Remove the roast, cover with foil, and let rest for 20 minutes. Cut the strings from the roast, transfer to a cutting board or platter, and slice to serve. 1 carb gram per serving.

Pinot Noir Sauce

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 cup Pinot Noir (or any good, medium-bodied red wine)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1-2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut in small pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste

I like to pass this sauce in a warmed gravy boat; it’s good on the lamb, and on the turnips. This recipe will work for any roast meat; I use Chianti for beef and a spicy Zinfandel for pork. But any wine, or, if you want, all stock will work. After removing roast from pan, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat, and place pan over a medium-low flame. Add shallot, and sauté for one minute. Add wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced by half. Transfer to small saucepan. Add stock, and stir. Very gradually, add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, stirring constantly. If sauce needs further thickening after two minutes, add additional teaspoon, by ¼ teaspoons. Whisk in butter, until incorporated. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Makes 11/2 cups sauce. 6 carbs for total recipe.

Turnips Anna

• 1 tablespoon softened butter, for the pan
• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• 6 small turnips, about 11/2 pounds total, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Butter a 9-by-13 pan and set aside. In a large, heavy skillet, melt the remaining butter. Add the turnip slices and sauté until they begin to soften, about three minutes (you may have to do this in two batches, using half the butter each time). Lay the turnips, overlapping slightly, in the prepared pan and sprinkle with the shallot, salt and pepper. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cut into squares to serve. 2.5 carbs per serving.

Green Bean-Pepper Saute

• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• ¼ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Steam green beans, just until tender, but still crisp. Heat olive oil in a large skillet; add peppers and sauté until they just begin to soften. Remove from pan and set aside. Add pecans and butter to pan, and sauté until pecans begin to brown. Add beans and peppers, and toss to coat with butter. Season with salt and pepper. 5 carbs per serving.

 
Strawberry Sorbet

• 4 cups frozen, unsweetened strawberries, slightly thawed
• ¼ cup sugar free vanilla or strawberry syrup (or substitute
• 4 packets Splenda and ¼ cup cold water)
• juice of ¼ lemon
• Sprigs of fresh mint

If you have a good blender, you can make sorbet without an ice cream maker. Place all the ingredients, working in three batches, in the blender (if it has a metal container, use it; it will hold the cold better than plastic) and blend on highest speed until smooth. Scoop into serving dishes (I like to use martini glasses for this) and garnish with mint. 5 carbs per serving.

Shopping List

• Boneless leg of lamb
• Fresh rosemary
• Fresh mint
• Fresh parsley
• Dijon mustard
• Spring salad mix or mesclun
• Cucumbers
• Fresh green beans
• Red peppers
• Yellow peppers
• Turnips
• Lemons
• Shallots
• Scallions
• Pecans
• Feta cheese
• Pinot Noir
• Xanthan gum
• Canned low-sodium beef broth
• Whole frozen, unsweetened strawberries
• Sugar-free syrup or Splenda

Got leftovers? I like the Turnips Anna, sprinkled with grated cheddar and reheated in the oven, as a side dish with eggs for breakfast. The bean and pepper sauté makes a really good filling for an omelet, or add it to a crustless quiche. As for the lamb, try any of these:

Zucchini and Lamb Salad with Cumin-Scented Yogurt

• 1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 6 large romaine leaves, washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3 zucchini, seeded and cut into matchsticks
• 1 large red pepper, seeded and cut into matchsticks
• 12-1 ounce slices cold roast lamb

Place the ground cumin in a small sauté pan, and toast it, stirring, over low heat for about two minutes until it is fragrant. Let cool, and continue with the recipe. Trust me, it makes all the difference. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, garlic, cumin, salt and lemon juice; set aside. Divide the romaine leaves on 4 chilled salad plates. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini and peppers with half of the yogurt mixture; divide in four portions and place on romaine. Arrange three slices of lamb on each plate, and drizzle with the rest of the dressing. Serves four, 8 carb grams per serving.

Warm Lamb Wraps with Tapenade

• 30 pitted black olives, preferably kalamata
• 2 anchovies
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• juice of ¼ lemon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 low carb tortillas
• 4 cups shredded lettuce
• ½ cucumber, sliced thin
• 12 ounces roast lamb, sliced thin

Preheat oven to 359. Wrap the lamb in foil and warm in the oven for about 6-8 minutes; wrap and heat the tortillas the same way. Meanwhile, place the olives, anchovies, garlic, oregano and lemon juice in a food processor; pulse until chopped. Add the olive oil and pulse until a chunky puree. Spread the tapenade on the middle third of each tortilla; top with lettuce, cucumber and lamb. Wrap tortilla around filling. Serves four, 12 carbs per serving.

Greek Eggplant Casserole

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and sliced about ½ inch thick
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-141/2 ounce can diced tomatoes without sugar
• 12 ounces roast lamb, thinly sliced
• ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
• ½ cup grated Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Lay the eggplant slices on a greased cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool.

Heat the remaining oil in a large sauté pan, and cook the onion over medium heat until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano, and cook, stirring, for another minute.

Add the tomatoes and cook until most of the juice is evaporated. In a well-greased 10-inch baking pan, place a layer of eggplant (cutting to fit if necessary), a layer of tomato mixture, and the lamb slices. Sprinkle with the feta.

Add another layer of eggplant, the remaining tomato mixture, and the Romano.

Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly and the cheese has browned. Serves four, 10 carbs per serving.