Simple Low Carb Cream Sauce For Meat or Vegetables

I invented this yesterday as a spur-of-the-moment problem solver. I had some leftover roast beef that I feared would dry out upon reheating. I used what I had on hand to make this sauce as a "food lube." It turned out to be quite good. I'm recording it here so I don't forget it! This is roughly what I did. Of course, I didn't measure. I wish I had.

2T. butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 pint heavy cream
2 t. beef base (my guess)
Paula Deen's House Seasoning to taste
About 1/2 t. low carb thickener powder

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the onion and reduce heat to medium. Cook and stir for a few minutes. Add the cream and the beef base. Bring to a boil and simmer a while to reduce a bit. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add low carb thickener powder and stir to remove any lumps that might form. Heat a few more minutes until it thickens, and serve. It didn't get very thick, but it was thick enough to do the job and taste divine.

Note: This is a basic recipe you could ada[t in many ways. Add herbs. Use chicken or another base. Add minced garlic, or sliced mushrooms.

I tried this also on my steamed green beans, and it was a nice combination. It's also a pleasant way to increase your fat intake for the day, if you think you need to.

Kathryn's Amazing White Clam Sauce (for pasta)

My mom made this once in a while during my childhood. I don't know where she found the recipe; I have never seen a similar one anywhere. All I can say is, she never made it often enough! It is that amazingly good. This goes back way before microwave ovens, so we melted the cream cheese in a pot over low heat on the stove. Nowadays, the microwave can make it even faster and easier. 

8 ounces cream cheese

1-2 cans clams depending on how thick you want it (my mom just used one, a neighbor liked it better with two)

1 pinch basil

Melt the cream cheese, slowly add clam juice and stir until smooth, add clams and basil and heat gently.  Serve over your choice of low carb pasta substitutes. 

I recently discovered kelp noodles, and want to try this on them some time soon. When I know more about them, I will post here. So far I believe they soften nicely if simmered in a liquid. They have literally no flavor, so they will take on whatever flavor they are simmered in or otherwise exposed to. I'm thinking that simmering the kelp noodles in clam juice might be just the ticket for this dish. 

I have, at times, added sautéed onion or other veggies to the sauce, but they are completely unnecessary.  I also think this has potential as a really unusual dip. 

Rich Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Rich Cheddar Cheese Sauce

I made this in quantity and stored it in the refrigerator. It has been very useful on steamed vegetables, and stirred into a Mexican dish that came out too spicy for us. I like to use a sharper cheddar for more flavor, but I just learned recently that extra sharp cheddar can give you an odd, grainy texture. I wondered why that happened!

Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup water 1 lb cheddar cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon mustard 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Use a double boiler or place saucepan into a larger pot of boiling water. (I had great luck using a temperature controlled induction burner set at medium low or 175 degrees.)  Add all ingredients, stirring very frequently until smooth (usually about 10 minutes.) Serve warm. This sauce is great over vegetables — especially cauliflower and broccoli. Or add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to make a cheesy sauce for fish! Makes 16 servings. 0.8 net grams of carbohydrate per serving.

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/recipes/recipe-sauce05.html

1-7-16 Note: I made a big mistake the other day. I made this lovely sauce, intending to use it for a cauliflower and leftover ham faux mac and cheese concoction. All went well until I added the diced ham, cold from the refrigerator. The cheese congealed around the cold ham pieces and could not be coaxed back into the sauce. I ended up with this weird, lumpy soup with a delicious broth and large, chewy lumps of ham and cheese. Next time, I'll heat the ham first, add it to the hot cauliflower, and then pour the sauce on slowly as needed, and stir. 

Gay’s Low Carb “Zippy Barbecue Sauce”

Gay’s Low Carb “Zippy Barbecue Sauce”

Adapted from The Encyclopedia of Cooking by the Culinary Arts Institute

It’s quite mild, but you can spice it up any way you like.

1 c. water

1 c. low carb ketchup

1/4 c. cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar equivalent (Splenda, etc.)

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1T. Worcestershire Sauce

2 t. Dry mustard

1 t. chili powder

Combine ingredients in saucepan and simmer about 15 minutes.

If using this to cook chicken or the like, use about half of the water. 

Low Carb "Honey Mustard" Sauce & Salad Dressing

Mayberryfan's Low Carb "Honey Mustard" Sauce

Adapted by Gay Griffin

I made a double batch of this and served it as both a sauce and salad dressing over lettuce salad and apple smoked pork butt. Delicious!  9-8-15 

1 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s preferred)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
4 teaspoons yellow mustard
1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika

A couple shakes of True Orange orange ginger flavor crystals
7 teaspoons sugar equivalent LC friendly sweetener

Throw all ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth.

This makes a good salad dressing, sauce for meat, or seasoning for chicken in a slow cooker, just for starters.

I found this recipe at:

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/lc_honey_mustard.html