Comfort food: 3 low-carb swaps for your favourite winter warmers
If the cold weather has ramped up your appetite, fear not. Nutritionist Zoe Bingley-Pullin is serving up hearty winter warmers that are low in carbs.
When the winter chill sets in, our craving for comfort food can skyrocket.
Unfortunately, the cold-weather classics are often loaded with cheese, cream, sugar and fat, which can stack on the kilos as well as increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
But back away from the hot chips and lasagne – nutritionist Zoe Bingley-Pullin has come to the rescue with delicious low-carb swaps to keep you warm without weighing you down.
Why do we crave comfort food in winter?
Before we had houses and heating, we needed the extra kilos to survive the winter, so there’s likely an evolutionary link to our winter food cravings.
Research into the brain-gut link has also shown that when we eat our favourite winter foods, our stomach releases feel-good chemicals to the brain.
And for people who suffer from the ”winter blues” in the darker, colder months, carbs could be a way to self-medicate to boost our mood.
“Temperature does play a role in overall metabolic rate and as the weather gets colder, we may feel we need more calories to stay warm,” Zoe says.
“But it’s a misconception that we need more calories in winter – it’s more of an emotional association with love and warmth.”
Luckily, there’s plenty to love about Zoe’s top three low-carb winter warmers.
Hearty low-carb swaps to try this winter:
Mushroom and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
Topping
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MethodStep 1. Preheat oven to 180℃. Step 2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add paprika, cumin and coriander and fry for 1 minute. Step 3. Add tomatoes, carrot, tomatoes, passata and basil. Step 4. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 30 minutes until veggies are soft and mixture has been reduced. Stir through the walnuts. Step 5. Spoon the mixture into 6 individual ramekins or 1 large pie dish. Step 6. To make the topping, steam the sweet potato until tender, strain. Mash with olive oil and season to taste. Step 7. Top the mushroom mixture with sweet potato mash and finish with a sprinkle of hemp seeds or cheese. Step 8. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the top lightly browns. Serves 6. |
Pan-roasted Tomato and Cauliflower Pasta with Nutty Pangrattato
Ingredients
Pangrattato
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MethodStep 1. Preheat oven to 180℃. Step 2. Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic, tomatoes and cauliflower and fry off for 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is golden and tomatoes are tender. Add kale and stir through until wilted, then add olives. Step 3. Cook pasta according to packet directions. Step 4. Toss pasta through the tomato mix. Step 5. To make the pangrattato, add walnuts, hazelnuts and garlic to a food processor and pulse until crumbed. Remove. Repeat with the parsley to chop finely. Step 6. Heat olive oil in a small fry pan, add the nut and garlic mix and fry off for 2-3 minutes until toasted. Stir through the parsley and lemon zest, then season to taste. Step 7. Spoon the pasta into bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and top with the nutty pangrattato. Serves 4. |
Warming Fruit and Nut Crumble Bake
Ingredients
Topping
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MethodStep 1. Preheat oven to 180℃. Step 2. In a baking dish, combine the fruit, orange juice and zest. Mix well. Step 3. To make the crumble topping, combine nuts, almond meal, coconut, cinnamon and honey or maple syrup and pulse in a food processor until roughly crumbed. Slowly add coconut oil until the topping mixture starts to stick together. Step 4. Spoon the crumble mixture over the fruit and gently press. Step 5. Bake for 20-30 minutes or the fruit is tender and the topping is lightly golden brown. Step 6. Serve with coconut yoghurt. Serves 4. |
More delicious low-carb recipes to try:
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust with Goat’s Cheese
- Low-carb ‘Keto’ Chicken Soup
- Vietnamese Coconut Curry with Salmon
Written by Dimity Barber.
