Big Salads

A big salad with some protein added makes a very easy and delicious meal.

Start with a lot of lettuce. My favourite lettuce is Romaine (also called Cos) because of the satisfying crunch of the ribs. Little Gem is a small Romaine variety common in the UK.

Add any other raw veggies you like, keeping the carbs in mind, but you can also keep it very simple and it will still be delicious. A little finely sliced red onion is my favourite addition. Chopped green olives are also really tasty and you only need to use a couple.

You can make a quick salad dressing by mixing mayonnaise with salsa, seafood sauce, mustard, horseradish, etc. Also you can quite easily make your own Caesar dressing, bleu cheese dressing, etc. These keep well for a few days and are highly flavourful. I'm not that into oil and vinegar dressings, but red wine vinegar can really dress up a salad or a sheet pan of roasted vegetables, which can be eaten with a protein or incorporated into a salad.

Think about plenty of seasoning and intensely-flavoured foods like olives, feta cheese, salami, bleu cheese, goat cheese, dill pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, parmesan cheese, basil, cilantro, garlic, red onions, scallions, shallots, chili peppers, etc. When you are eating only one meal a day, as is quite common on a low-carb diet, you want that meal to satisfy you in several ways: satiation (fullness during a meal), satiety (fullness between meals), protein, fat, taste, texture, mouthfeel, etc. For different people, these will mean different things, so keep track of the meals that you really love and that stick to your ribs! Remember, eating spikes insulin, so the fewer times you eat in a day, the more likely you are to be in ketosis (fat-adapted). Being fat-adapted is what low carb is all about. It makes intermittent fasting easy and virtually takes away your hunger and cravings. You want to run your brain on ketones, not glucose.

Add any protein you like: steak, seasoned ground beef (taco, etc.), meatballs, meatloaf, chicken, rotisserie chicken, turkey, pork chops, shrimp, bacon, sausage, ham, deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, well-seasoned tofu, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, etc.

Toppings: shaved parmesan cheese, nuts/seeds, crumbled parmesan crisps, bacon bits.

WARNING: Use nuts, seeds and cheese sparingly if you are still trying to lose weight. A little bit of fruit (diced apple, pomegranate seeds, berries) can be added, if you can handle it. Do NOT add dried fruit.

Think of a theme or see what you have on hand and use that to help define the ingredients you add to the Romaine lettuce.

Some ideas:

• Mexican: taco-seasoned ground beef, grated cheddar cheese, green onions, olives, dressing (1 T. salsa mixed with 1 T. mayo), crumbled parmesan crisps.
• Italian: steak or meatballs, cherry tomatoes, red onion, fresh mozarella cheese, herbed vinagrette dressing.
• Caesar: chicken or beef, bacon, Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan cheese.
• Asian: chicken or tofu (well-seasoned), green onions, well-seasoned cauliflower rice, Asian vinaigrette or peanut butter/soy sauce dressing, sesame seeds or chopped peanuts.
• Kimchee: If kimchee is too spicy for you, rinse it in water to remove the red chili. Then chop it finely and use as a "dressing" on a Romaine salad by mixing it well with the lettuce, etc.
• Greek: lamb (garlic seasoned), feta cheese or medium/extra firm tofu (preferably marinated), cucumber, cherry tomatoes, black olives, Greek vinaigrette.
• German: sliced sausage, hard-boiled eggs, red onion, horseradish mayo.
• Mediterranean: chicken, steak or lamb, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green olives, canned chickpeas (be careful of carbs), yogurt dressing.
• Surf 'n' Turf: shrimp, steak strips, red onion, 1 T. seafood sauce mixed with 1 T. mayo.
• Indian: curried chicken, lamb or hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radishes, lemon juice/cumin yougurt or mayo dressing.
• Vegetarian: hard-boiled eggs, diced cheddar cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, red onion, ranch, cucumber or bleu cheese dressing.
• Vegan: medium- or extra-firm tofu, cubed and sautéed until crispy, green onion, chopped peanuts, spicy peanut dressing.