HFLC Fat Bombs! Zesty Lemon Cream and Chocolate Almond Butter {Grain-free, Gluten-free, Low-carb}

Fat Bombs… Although they look and taste as decadent as something from a forbidden confectionery boutique, they play a crucial role in the HFLC diet, providing an important source of energy in the form of healthy fats. YAY!!

 

HFLC: translation, High Fat Low Carb Diet!

I never thought I would use the words “fat bomb” in a sentence that had to do with my daily food intake, but there it is! If you are an experienced low-carber, you may familiar with the concept… and if you have been hanging around the Wheat Belly Facebook page lately, you may have already seen amazing versions of these two recipes.

When restricting oneself to a very low carb diet for the purpose of burning body fat, it’s important to replace those carbs with fat as the primary energy source. Intellectually, I “know” this, but I have been struggling with getting enough fat in my diet. While the methods I started a couple of weeks ago to break my weight loss stall did work and I lost 2 new pounds, I still feel that I am too low in my intake of healthy fats.

Enter the FAT BOMB! They are concoctions of healthy fats (coconut oil, butter, cream cheese, nut butters) that taste great and help us to get enough fat in a day. These are just 2 variations on a theme, and I do not take credit for originating them at all… I merely tweaked them, photographed my outcome, and am passing on information to others who are likely going through the same learning process that I am. I already have other variations in my mind (maple extract and toasted pecans instead of lemon juice? cashew butter instead of almond? we’ll see!) Feel free to tinker with these yourself, but be aware, they are addictive!

Do you have any favorite combination of ingredients for Fat Bombs?

 

Lemon Fat Bomb with Walnuts and Lemon Zest

Lemon Bombs

• 4oz cream cheese, softened
• 4Tb butter, softened
• 4Tb coconut oil (I used unrefined, virgin)
• 2Tb sour cream
• 1/2 lemon (@4tsp juice)
• 4tsp Truvia or sweetener of choice to desired sweetness
• nuts or zest, or any other mix-ins (optional)

Start by creaming together the cream cheese and butter, then add other ingredients one at a time and mix well in between. I like mine sweet/sour, so you may have to adjust your flavors to your taste. I have made them using the wells of a small muffin-top pan (pictured) but also have used mini muffin cups. Freeze until firm, pop out and refrigerate.
Note: The first time I made them plain but topped with almonds; this last time I added in some chopped walnuts into the mix and a little dried lemon zest on top. I really liked the crunch from the walnuts. I got 8 from this, and I figure it’s less than 1g carb per bomb!! (I think 5g for the batch.)

 

Nut Butter Bomb with Dark Chocolate and Walnuts

Nut Butter Bombs

• 4Tb butter
• 1/2C plain almond butter
• 1/2C coconut oil (I used unrefined, virgin)
• 3 tsp Truvia
• couple pinches of kosher salt
• Dark choclate melted if desired
• Nuts or other toppings, mix-ins (optional)

I warmed it in the microwave for maybe 30 seconds and then whisked together. I used a muffin top pan and got 8 out of this recipe. (Plain, about 2.5g net carbs per… with a little melted dark chocolate, it was 4.25g)

 

Tuscan Shrimp, Full of Flavor!

Tuscan Shrimp and Veggies over Spaghetti Squash

Back in the pasta days, it was the norm for me to whip up a pan-full of something yummy every so often to dish out over the top of linguine or penne, but even then, it was all about the concoction on top, and the pasta was very much secondary. Luckily for us, this translates well to gluten free eating and using a base of spaghetti squash. This is one of those Tossed-Together dishes, where I was cooking on the fly, and really didn’t measure anything at all, but I have tried to recap as accurately as I can.. though there is plenty of room for improvisation here.

Tuscan Shrimp and Veggies

Shrimp with loads of healthy veggies over a bed of spaghetti squash… what’s not to like?? Well, according to my son, the shrimp and spaghetti squash, ha, so I made two different versions of this dish 😉 I have to say that the flavors were absolutely stunning together, and it was one of those meals that kept giving us flashbacks later, wishing like crazy that we had some leftovers! I guess I’ll just have to make it again, SOON.

Tuscan Shrimp and Veggies over Spaghetti Squash

Cook your spaghetti squash ahead of time, I did mine the day before.
I used a good amount of coconut oil (maybe 3 Tb) to saute the following veggies until tender:

• 

  Sauteing brussels sprouts and vidalias

  1/2 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered. I add these first because they take longer to cook

• 1 slivered vidalia onion, added next
• 1/4C soft sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 of a large yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

When the veggies are tender, remove to a dish and set aside. Saute the following over medium heat, stirring occasionally:

• 1lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

When the shrimp are nearly done, about 5 minutes, add:

• handful of fresh herbs, chopped. I used mostly fresh basil, with some oregano and savory added in
  
• 1/4 C pinenuts
• 1-2 tsp black sesame seeds
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste
  

Heat through and then add the veggies back in. Add more coconut oil or butter as needed during cooking to keep from sticking. Serve immediately over a bed of spaghetti squash.

Vegetarian version: Veggies (no shrimp) over seasoned beans for the teen

We are big fans of veggies at our house, and this dish was a major hit. It would be fantastic even without the succulent shrimp (vegetarian) or wonderful using chicken breast as well. The meatiness of the shrimp and brussels sprouts were well matched, and the sundried tomato and balsamic added a little zing. The sesame seeds were pretty in black, but the white ones would work just as well. My son is not a fan of food that swims, so his was shrimpless and served over a small serving of northern beans that I heated in butter and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

 

FAST FISH! Tahini Lemon Salmon

Salmon is my go-to fish of choice! I love that it is insanely easy to cook (400 degrees, 15-20 minutes), and that you can flavor it in so many ways… PLUS it is healthy! We all know by now that it is a great course of healthy fats and omega 3’s, and to top it off, it’s strongly anti-inflammatory.

This is another one of my recipes that I will call more of a method, because it is so unstructured when I do it…

• Take a fresh salmon filet, rinsed and patted dry… 
• rub both sides with coconut oil and place skin side down in baking dish…
• salt and pepper to your taste…
• smear about a tablespoon of tahini over the flesh side…
• top with the zest of one lemon and a couple tablespoons of fresh parsley…
• bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.
• SIMPLE delicious!

As a side, we sauteed chopped baby broccoli (put in the pan first for 2+ minutes because it takes longer to cook), along with napa cabbage and spinach in coconut oil, finishing with a squeeze of fresh lemon and sesame seeds.

 

Seared Sea Scallops with Sauteed Greens and Mushrooms

Seared Sea Scallops with Sauteed Greens and Mushrooms

I usually determine what we’ll eat by what I find on sale or fresh at the market. I rarely go out looking for specific ingredients unless I am preparing food for guests, or because one of us has a serious craving. The seafood sale at VG’s on jumbo sea scallops is what landed them in my freezer, and pulling them out for Mother’s Day dinner seemed like a brilliant idea! (Except to my son, who won’t eat anything that swims… for him it was crisped ham.) These were particularly large and beautiful, and the 6 scallops weighed just over a pound.

While the weather was stunning on Sunday and I considered grilling, scallops are so delicate (and I only had a few), that I wanted to have more control over the cooking process so that they didn’t end up overcooked. That is one of my biggest pet peeves in the food world, going to a restaurant, ordering something that should be succulent, and ending up with an expensive platter of rubbery food. Not that it doesn’t happen to the best of us at times, but ruined seafood makes me want to cry!

I had fresh spinach and turnip greens in the fridge, along with crimini mushrooms, and decided that they would make an awesome accompaniment to the seared scallops, along with a caprese salad of tomato, fresh mozzarella and herbs. It turned out to be an incredible dinner!

Seared Sea Scallops with Sauteed Greens and Mushrooms

To make the scallops:

• 1lb sea scallops, fresh or thawed and dried of excess moisture
• salt and pepper to taste
• coconut oil

Heat a heavy pan over high heat for several minutes. Add several tablespoons of coconut oil, allowing it to melt and then become hot. Carefully add the scallops one at a time, searing on one side for about 3 minutes, or until they start to brown. (If using smaller scallops, adjust the time accordingly so that they are not overcooked.) Gently turn scallops, carefully loosening from the pan with a sharp spatula if needed; cook another 3 minutes and remove from pan and set aside. Reserve oil and juices in pan and cook mushrooms as below.

To make the mushrooms:

• 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced
• remaining oil and juice, plus more coconut oil if needed
• salt and pepper
• 1/4C-1/2C white wine to deglaze pan

Keeping the pan hot from searing the scallops, add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 5 minutes or so, until they reach the desired doneness. You may need to add a little oil because ‘shrooms can act like little sponges and soak it up. In my case, I hadn’t planned on using the wine, but there was a little stickage at the bottom of the pan (as you can see in the pic) after cooking the scallops, so when the mushrooms were almost done, I just poured in the wine (honey mead actually), and deglazed, working all the stuck bits into a delicious flavoring for the mushrooms. When done, remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. Keeping the pan hot, reserving any remaining juices and oil, and continue to cook the greens as below.

To make the greens:

• 1lb of fresh, cleaned, greens (I used about half spinach and half turnip greens)
• coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4C pinenuts to garnish

Still using the same pan, melt a little more oil if needed and start adding the greens to the pan. Greens cook down a LOT, so you will want to add them in stages, because they will be overflowing if you dump all of them in at once. When the greens are wilted, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook to your desired doneness.

To assemble the plate: Arrange greens on the plate, top with scallops, surrounded by mushrooms. I added a few pinenuts to add another flavor and texture. This is a very easy and elegant dinner, which cooks up rather quickly, using the same pan for each stage of the cooking process, while keeping the ingredients separate and distinct until they are plated.