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| Outback Steakhouse's Cheese Fries |
From time to time I have had some cravings for carbohydrate laden foods. One of the most tempting treats I miss is French fries- with cheese melting over the pile of spuds creating a huge mountain of delicious. Even better if that mountain is sprinkled with bacon boulders and red onion craters . . . okay, clearly I am entering the craving stage even as I type.
Nothing is easier than finding a carb fix- they are everywhere. From fast-food to bar-food to fine dining- carbohydrates are omnipresent. As I mentioned in earlier posts, I spend most of my life in restaurants, as an occupational hazard, so the temptations are constantly lurking around every turn. But you can pass on these hussy carb treats if you put some thought into what you are really craving.
One of the earliest items on our appetizer menu at the school is "loaded fries" and every time I see one of these plates float by me headed to a guest I can't help but drool just a bit. Chef Tina, bless her, saw me drooling one lunch service and decided to make a "loaded no carb fries" dish just for me. When she handed me the plate at the end of service I was shocked. How could she hand me a plate of loaded fries? SABOTAGE! SHENANIGANS! She knows how I lust after these things!
"No, no" she smiled, "These are chicken fries, you can eat everything on them!" Chef had replaced the fries with strips of chicken breast we usually use in quesadillas and to top salads. On to a sizzle plate they went with all of the delicious cheese, onions and bacon that their potato cousins enjoy regularly. I must say I think that I actually like these better than the fries I have been craving. Plus the alternative is to try and pull the cheese off of the fries and make a sad attempt to quell a desire that can not be satiated by cheese alone. What is left over after you try to remove the toppings . . . the French fries that you have been craving of course. Argh!
This is thankfully something that is so easy to make at home that you can squelch one of these cravings in a matter of minutes. Tyson makes the chicken "fries" for you- precooked and all! Just add the delicious toppings that you crave on your cheesy fries extravaganza and slide your cookie sheet right into the oven. Once the chicken is up to temp and the cheese is melted you are ready to indulge.
. . . and The Pizza Predicament
Please believe that I have done just that with pizza- since the general belief is that everyone can eat pizza. Every kid's birthday party that I take my son to seems to be catered by Dominos or Pizza Hut or XYZ Pizzeria and as a diabetic there are times I just need to eat. These are not my favorite meals, and it makes me feel like a total weirdo to pinch the cheese off of more than one piece- I feel like I am wasting the food. I even eyeball other guests going back for piece 3 and 4 but I can't stand the eyes on me when I am tossing out what must look like perfectly good pizza to anyone watching from a few feet back.
Who cares what they think? I would like to say, "Not me!" but my behavior reflects on my son and I don't want some mom to black-ball my kid from the play date circuit because they are afraid of what we will be eating at our house. Argh, again! So, I reach into my purse and pull out an Atkins bar or string cheese or something that will get me through the opening of presents and the service of cake and ice cream. Dear lord, just open the presents so I can get something substantial to eat.
I have read A LOT of low carb recipes for pizza crust. A LOT. The Oopsie bread in my opinion is more of a pancake replacement and derivatives of this concoction have been pretty disappointing to me- perhaps I just don't have the knack for whipping this stuff up to the proper consistency. What I have found that is the most pizza crust like to my taste is a lavash bread that is minimal in carbs- but not carb free. If you subtract out the fiber, which I do, it comes in at 4 grams of carbohydrates for 1/2 a "sheet". Here are the tricks- you must throw the lavash into the oven prior to adding any sauce or cheese- otherwise it stays limp and soggy. I have found that a stone is the best option. Another suggestion is to use a red pepper sauce rather than a tomato based sauce as the carb count is so much lower. Don't forget your meats, cheese and veggies just as you would for a normal pizza. Keep in mind that you must keep a close eye on the lavash pizza as the crust is really, very thin.
So the plan is this- get ahead of the cravings and make things that really taste good. It is possible to have food that tastes like a treat but registers very low on the carb-o-meter. I will continue to post recipe ideas and tasty bits that keep me on track. Let me know if you find something that you like or need more details on making any of these items. Keep your carbs low and your spirits high!
LT
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