42 The Times MagazineCHICKEN WRAPPED IN BACON
Serves 4 (page 41)Per serving: 6.5g net carbs, 2.2g fibre,
59.3g protein, 42.2g fat, 653 caloriesIf you don’t have fresh herbs, a sprinkling of
dried oregano or thyme also does the trick.- 4 medium (600g) skinless chicken breasts
- 16 thinly cut smoked streaky bacon rashers
(about 250g) - 1 onion, roughly sliced into wedges
- 200g chestnut or other mushrooms, halved
- 1 red pepper, cut into strips
- 12 sage leaves (optional)
and/or 4 rosemary sprigs - Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 100g baby spinach leaves
- Preheat the oven to 220C (240C non-fan).
Cut each chicken breast into four even-sized
pieces. Wrap each piece in one rasher of
bacon and put them on a roasting tray.
Add the onion, mushrooms, red pepper
and herbs to the tray. Scatter over a little
seasoning and pour over the oil and vinegar.
Toss everything together with your hands
and tuck the herbs underneath. - Cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken
is cooked through. Scatter over the spinach
and stir through. Serve straight away.
- Preheat the oven to 220C (240C non-fan).
DELICIOUS LOW-CARB MASH
Serves 4 (page 40)
Per serving of sprout mash: 5.4g net carbs,
3.8g fibre, 3.6g protein, 5.6g fat, 91 caloriesPer serving of cauli mash: 3.3g net carbs,
2g fibre, 2.2g protein, 5.6g fat, 73 caloriesPer serving of swede mash: 2.6g net carbs,
0g fibre, 0.6g protein, 5.6g fat, 60 caloriesPer serving of pumpkin mash: 6.3g net carbs,
0.5g fibre, 1.3g protein, 5.6g fat, 74 caloriesPer serving of celeriac mash: 7.7g net carbs,
1.8g fibre, 1.8g protein, 5.6g fat, 90 caloriesPumpkin, cauliflower and some root
vegetables, such as celeriac and swede, are
perfect for making mash with a fraction of the
carbs of the potato version. Celeriac mash, for
example, contains under 8g carbs per serving
compared with potato mash at 24g. As many
root vegetables are fibrous, a food processor
or stick blender gives a better creamy texture.
Some veg are more absorbent than others, so
you may have to alter the amount of milk you
use. To reduce the carbs further, use almond
milk or cream instead of cow’s milk.Continues on page 47here’s no shortage of eating plans
designed to help you lose weight, from
intermittent fasting to calorie counting
to low-fat diets, but many doctors
now believe that the key to long-term
healthy weight loss lies in controlling
one’s intake of carbohydrate. Most
obviously that means cutting out sugar, but
also many of the starchy foods that form a
staple of our diets such as potatoes and pasta.
That was bad news for the chef Giancarlo
Caldesi, who despite eating what he
considered a healthy diet of unprocessed
home-cooked food, was devastated when given
a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and told he
should embrace a low-carb lifestyle. With
the help of his English wife, Katie, he gave
up bread, pasta and rice – no mean feat for
an Italian – and has since lost 4st and been
in remission for the past eight years. Now
the couple, who run Caldesi in Campagna
restaurant near Bray in Berkshire, have
written The Low Carb Weight-Loss Cookbook,
full of the recipes that helped him achieve it.
Dr David Unwin, who wrote the foreword,
trialled a low-carb diet among patients at
his GP practice nearly ten years ago and has
found it produced significant improvements
in blood pressure, liver function and heart
health. Average weight loss has been 1st 10lb
and he says more than 100 of his patients
have had similar success to Giancarlo in
reversing late-onset diabetes.
The key is to eat healthy protein and fats
such as meat, fish, eggs, dairy and nuts, plus
“a rainbow” of vegetables and berries, but to
restrict carbs to 130g (about half the average
western intake). So it’s goodbye to breakfast
cereals, bread, rice and cakes, and hello to
cauliflower mash. Tony TurnbullT
Carbs
13g
Calories
393Classic Italian tomato
sauce with broccoli
alla sorrentinaEat!
LOW CARB