Wow -- good info about dairy -- I've wondered if I might have a dairy problem (I don't want to think about it too hard just yet though, because I do love my cheese and cream, and I'm so enjoying them at the moment!), but I think it might be causing me some problems.

Elle, have you ever tried roasting your broccoli or asparagus? I usually toss one or the other in some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and then roast in a 400 oven for about 15-20 minutes. I usually stir them up a little about half way through to make sure they don't burn on one side, but once they're done, they are sooo good -- bright green, but crispy around the edges -- perfect. I can't believe I went so long before I tried something so simple and so good.

I'm actually doing an experiment with roasting veggies right now...trying all my "usuals" as roasted and see what I think.

So far I've tried green beans and asparagus and tomatoes. I loved the green beans, they had a sweet taste with a very slightly bitter undertone. When I salted them they were really really yummy and good leftover, too. So the green beans were a hit with me, though I'm sure my family will never eat it that way. I showed them to the kids and they all said "yuck." They're used to the steamed ones with butter.

The asparagus I didn't like so much. There was more of a bitter taste than sweet, and I had to put lemon juice on them to make them edible for me. I will stay with steaming the asparagus.

The tomatoes were, of course, delicious.

I'm nervous about trying the brocolli, once I had some "staying warm" in the oven and it really ruined it. They got slightly brown on the edges and tasted yucky, but I'm willing to try it again with the "goal" of roasting instead of "side-effect" of trying to keep it warm. I was actually very angry with MIL that day (T-giving day) for putting it in the oven and ruining 'my' dish for that dinner!

I'm really looking forward to trying cauliflower that way. It looks yummy and pretty, but I have seen mixed reviews on the results of that in the taste dept. I love my cauliflower pureed with just a touch of sour cream...it will be hard to beat that.

I think if I ever try summer squash I should put them on a broiler pan so the moisture can fall away?

So that's something I'm playing around with right now...roasting veggies.

One great way to roast yellow, crookneck squash is to slice it very thinly lengthwise and put it on a greased cookie sheet. Lightly salt and roast at 500* for 10 mins. (honestly, I forget how long, but I would just watch it!), then turn it, salt it and do the same. It should dry out and some pieces will be golden brown around the edges, not quite burnt. I LOVE it this way!

I'm definitely going to try this way to make squash chips. Thanks. Wonderful Augustine quote too, so true.

Dairy can stall me, but not heavy cream or ghee, probably because they are 97-99% fat, with scant amounts of sugar (lactose) & protein (casein).

YUMM-O! (Ugh, I can't stand Rachel Ray, and I can't believe I just used one of her terms, but nothing else fit!)

Ya know, I grew up eating yellow squash one of 3 ways: breaded and fried (favorite!), stewed with onion (liked it as a kid, not any more), in squash casserole at T-giving and X-mas (close tie with fried!). I have tried it grilled and sauteed, but I don't care for it either of those ways. The breaded is out and the casserole is out b/c it contains crackers. So I was about give up on yellow squash!

As an aside, I was going to try frying the slices in pork rinds, but the truth is, the breading when I was growing up was flour, so they weren't really all that crispy, unless you got hold of a really thin-slice. It's hard to describe, but the pork rinds would not duplicate it at all.

But your method sounds so...MODERN and wonderful! I cannot wait to give it a try.

I slice it about a quarter inch thick, brush it with olive oil and Italian seasoning with a hint of kosher salt and either fry it on the griddle in bacon grease or grill it until it is almost black. Love it that way!

I just tried this! It was yummy, but it didn't get very crispy, some were some weren't. The only ones that were really crispy were the ones that burned from being sliced too thin. I think next time I'll cook them a little longer. Loved the flavor!

There's a very similar recipe for "Zucchini Fries" in George Stella's cookbook. I had the same experience that the well done (burnt) ones were the most crispy.

One thing that helps to crisp them up is to use a wire rack or slotted pan instead of a cookie sheet.

I also used Old Bay to give them more of a "seasoned fries" taste.

That sounds GREAT! Thanks!

hi Elle,
I was reading the PPLP and here is what i found on page 120:

"... many of the most potent cancer fighting nutrients in plants can't be absorbed well without some fat accompanying them"
"Make sure that when you eat a salad, you dress it with a real oil-based dressing, made with extra virgin OO, canola oil, or nut oil, all of which contain a whole host of valuable nutrients and antioxidants. If you eat steamed vegetables, drizzle them with olive oil or melted butter, so that the fat soluble nutrients don;t go unabsorbed"

I think this answers your question a little bit..

Thanks for the update, Gala.

Truthfully, if putting fat on my veggies was all I was struggling with the plan right now, I'd be totally thrilled.

Maybe I'll get back on track one of these days...BEFORE I gain it all back.

I'm curious -- why are you so worried about fat? I guess I had the impression that restricting the fat content of a truly low-carb eating plan is pretty much unnecessary.

I also saw that photo in Dr Eades' blog -- I'd have put the blue cheese (and some of the yummy steak juice) on the vegetables and eaten it that way had that plate been put in front of me.

you might be able to use butter for the flavour if you make yourself some Ghee... clarified butter with the milk solids removed.



I plan to make this to try even though i love and use regular butter all the time.