Entertaining
I love entertaining! In my pre-low-carb days, that would have seen a selection of appetisers no doubt featuring crackers, specialty breads, baked potatoes, salads based around quinoa, chickpeas or sweet potato, a decadent sweet dessert and a selection of chocolates to finish off—all delicious and supposedly healthy. However, I was slowly becoming more overweight, my body was stiff, I often had brain fog and headaches, and my gut was not happy!
When I started to explore a low-carb lifestyle, I was no longer like the tin man in the morning, my brain felt clear, I didn’t have headaches, my gut was much happier, and I started to lose weight. Hallelujah! But what to do about socialising, about entertaining my family and friends? I set about creating menus that were equally delicious and far healthier for all. Read on to discover a typical menu I will now serve.
Appetisers
I love to welcome guests with a glass of sparkling wine, which is fortunately low carb! With the wine, I will serve something to nibble on - maybe my favourite Cheesy Twists, a charcuterie platter with cheese, low carb crackers and dip, olives or nuts. There are lots, and lots of options.
Cheese Twists
Hummus
Rosemary Crackers
Main Course
Depending on the season, the feature of my main meal will be protein. This may be a fillet of beef - as shown in the image to the right, a slow-cooked shoulder of lamb, fish (my current favourite is a side of salmon) or seasoned chicken. To this, I will complement it with a selection of salads.
You will find the recipe for the Coleslaw on my website. And, watch out for the recipe for the Raspberry and Macadamia Salad and the Green Vegetable Salad; they will be coming soon!
Another element that lifts a meal are condiments, or sauces, such as chimichurri, also shown in the image to the right.
Dessert
Yes, I will often still serve dessert! It may be a flourless chocolate cake, Persian Love Cake or cheesecake, always with lashings of cream and berries.
Persian Love Cake
Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
So, as you can see, you don’t need to forgo your health when entertaining, and I bet, if you don’t tell them, no one will suspect it is all healthy low carb!
Follow along with me on Instagram to keep up to date with my latest recipes and tips for living a low carb life.
Cheers to good health and well-being, Lee xx
