5-Course Meal for Valentine’s Day
They say that the most romantic meal is the one you cook at home. So for this Valentine’s Day, we put together this 5-course meal for you and your partner. If you stick with one serving from each of these recipes, you’d only consume about 20g of net carbs for the entire meal. And yes, that includes dessert!
Photo credit: Jo Harding | Brenda Bennett
Soup: Low-Carb Broccoli Cheese
This pureed broccoli with cheddar cheese is hearty, creamy, and delicious even for carnivores. The additional ingredients — celery, carrots, and onion — make this recipe savory, and but if you want to add some protein, you can top it off with bacon strips.
Total carbs: 9g | Net carbs: 6g per serving
Photo credit: Sarah Severance
Appetizer: Garlic Cream Cheese & Spinach Roasted Mini Sweet Peppers
There are endless variations on what you can stuff in pepper bowls, but for this recipe, you’ll be using cream cheese and chopped spinach, two ingredients that are both diabetes-friendly. Add spices if you want to get more creative.
Carbs: 1.5g for each pepper half
Photo credit: Laura Miner
Salad: Greek Chickpea, Avocado, & Cucumber
Apart from chickpeas, all the other ingredients you need for this salad are either household staples or easy to find in grocery stores. Just chop or dice the vegetables, mix them with the Greek vinaigrette, and you’re ready to enjoy some rainbow on your plate.
Total carbs: 7g | Net carbs: 4g
Main Course: Keto Braised Short Ribs & Mashed Cauliflower
Photo credit: Lisa Marcaurele
Keto Braised Short Ribs
You can prepare your main course ahead of time using an oven, slow cooker, or instant pot. Each method has its advantages, but whichever method you choose, you can expect the meat to be fall-off-the-bone tender and infused with flavors of red wine, bacon, and herbs.
Total carbs: 4g | Net carbs: 3g
Photo credit: Jennifer Shun
Mashed Cauliflower
The vegetable salad may be enough to go with the ribs, but this mashed cauliflower is a perfect alternative (or addition to your meal). It’s fluffy, creamy, and with subtle undertones from its other ingredients. This recipe uses a food processor. The longer you process, the fluffier the texture of this side dish.
Total carbs: 5g | Net carbs: 3g
Photo credit: Caroline Levens
Dessert: Crustless Cheesecake
This recipe doesn’t use coconut or almond flour, which is a plus point if you have a tree nut allergy. If it looks too plain for you, you can garnish it with low-carb melted chocolate, crushed cookies, or whipped cream.
Total carbs excluding the topping: 2g
You can also check out these fruity mocktails if you need a drink to go with your meal.
Enjoy your meal, lovebirds, and always remember that the secret ingredient is always love (and fewer carbs).
Source: diabetesdaily.com