Cilantro Zoodles with Ginger and Garlic

A refreshing summer salad that is great for taking to potlucks or enjoying at a BBQ.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet True Orange
• 1 tsp Garlic & Cilantro Fiesta seasoning made by The Garlic Box* 
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2-3 sage leaves or 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2  cups zucchini, spiral sliced
• 1/4 cup red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4  cup thin green onion, sliced

Directions:

1. Combine the True Orange, seasoning, lemon juice, sage, ginger and oil.
2. Toss the mix with the sliced vegetables and serve.

* This seasoning is available in-store at LillyPad.

LillyPad Pad Thai

This dish by Karen has become a LillyPad favourite. Try it yourself for a great, guilt-free Thai inspired treat.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups zuchini noodles (spiral sliced)
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, cooked in a thin scrambled layer and chopped
• 2 cups red pepper, thinly sliced or spiral sliced
• 2 tsp grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup of coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2-3 garlic cloves, grated
• cilantro, bunch
• cayenne to taste
• 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
• lime juice
• 1 packet stevia (optional)
• 1 Tbsp Walden Farms peanut butter (optional)
• thai pepper (optional garnish)

Directions:

1. Combine the coconut animos/soy sauce, garlic, half the cilantro, cayenne, ginger, lime juice, stevia, and peanut butter in a blender / magic bullet. Taste it and season appropriately until you like the flavor. 
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok on med-high. Add the grapeseed  oil to it and make sure to coat the pan.
3. Add bean sprouts, red pepper and zucchini. Stir fry for  1-2 minutes while stirring consistently.
4. Add the sauce and stir for 2 minutes until heated through and ingredients are coated.
5. Add the cooked eggs and gently mix in.
6. Garnish with green onion, cilantro and/or thai peppers.

Salad Dressings - Vinaigrettes

Making your own salad dressing can be very satisfying. Store bought dressings are often filled with added fat, sugar, and salt. They can also be bland, overly sweet, or simply unimaginative. Not to mention more expensive.

There are better alternatives, of course, like Walden Farms dressings with 0 fat, 0 carbs, and 0 calories. But even these can be outdone by some quick and simple combinations.

For a quick recipe you need 1 part acid to 2 or 3 parts oil, depending on your taste. For Phase 1 dieters, begin with 1 teaspoon of oil.

Choose your oil - 1 teaspoon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the best bet in this instance. However, you can also find EVOO in flavoured options like garlic, lemon or herb infused varieties.

Choose your acid - 1/2 teaspoon
Vinegar is the best choice and there are many varieties to choose from.

Allowed vinegar for Phase 1:

• apple cider
• white

Not allowed vinegar for Phase 1:

• balsamic
• malt
• rice
• wine

You can use lemon juice as your acid, but the dressing will not last as long - so use it quickly!

Choose your flavours - as much as you like
Spice up your vinaigrette with extra flavour. Great healthy additions are:

• finely chopped herbs like dill, oregano, tarragon, thyme, sage
• spices like cumin, paprika, turmeric, chili powder
• salt
• garlic, crushed
• ginger, crushed
• onion powder
• soy sauce
• hot sauce
• flavorall (various flavours available at LillyPad)

Help it all stick together - just a dab
Emulsifiers are what keep your dressing from separating and needing constant shaking. If you want to use one, try a little mustard. Mustard is sugar-free and adds a great little kick.


You can always make up a dressing in larger batches BUT you'll need to measure how much you use on your salad to stick to the Phase 1 plan. Use no more than 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil/acid combination, though you can have another 1/2 teaspoon of added liquid like soy sauce, lemon juice or water.

Check out some of the LillyPad dressing recipes using the dressing tag.

Chef Verati's Low Fat Low Carb site also has a great Dressing & Sauce section for recipes.

LillyPad Crunchy Cauliflower and Dill Salad

Try this simple and tasty cold salad mix for a filling lunch or side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 + 1 /2 cup cauliflower, finely chopped like rice 
• 1/4 cup dill pickles, diced
• 1 celery stalk,‎ diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp horseradish 
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp of dill pickle juice or white vinegar
• sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put the cauliflower, pickles, celery, and onion in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, horseradish, mustard, juice or vinegar, and salt or pepper. Whisk together.
3. Pour dressing mix over the vegetables and toss until well coated.

Optional: Add a can of tuna or chicken chunks for a quick easy Phase 1 dinner.

Oils and best uses

There are so many oils to choose from these days. What do you use and when?

Oils contain different types of fat, but usually have most of their fat from one category:

• saturated fat: butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard, and other animal sources
• polyunsaturated: corn oil, soybean oil, flaxseed oil, grapeseed oil
• monosaturated: olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil

Wikipedia has a great article on Vegetable Oils that covers many details. Chef Verati also has a useful video on his Low Fat Low Carb GrapeSeed Oil vs. Olive Oil.

For our purposes though, we limit the oils that we use.

Olive oil is the best choice overall. It is healthy, easy to find and economically priced. Grapeseed oil is an alternative that is better for high heat cooking due to its higher smoke point.

Oils permitted for Phase 1 dieters:
Cold or in Dressings: Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Low-Med heat cooking: Virgin olive oil
High heat cooking: Grapeseed oil

Flavoured Oils
Flavoured oils can make a great addition to a dish, but make sure to read labels. You can find flavoured oils in gourmet shops, like our local Dana Shortt Gourmet shop in Waterloo, and sometimes in regular grocery stores.

What about Omega-3s you ask? 
These are important fatty acids that are best gotten through fatty fish consumption or taking an omega-3 supplement containing fish oil. For those with allergies, a flaxseed oil omega-3 supplement can be substituted, but is less effective.

Lemon Mint Jicama Salad

This light, crisp salad is perfect for warm evenings on the patio.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup jicama, spiral sliced
• 1 cup kohlrabi, spiral sliced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice 
• stevia to taste
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp of finely chopped mint leaves 

Directions:

Stir together and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.