Labor Day Menus - What are you planning?

[LookingForward]

:dancing
Labor day is coming up FAST!
The "last hoorah" before summer is gone for good and autumn is upon us, with winter close at its heels.

So what are you planning for your Labor Day Feast?

What ideas can you think of to make the Labor Day menu something special while still maintaining the Atkins WOE? Are there any foods in particular that you think would work well for the holiday without punishing those who share it with you?

I look forward to hearing your ideas!

[Naja]

I'm going to be on the road and lucky to eat at all. I have purchased some beef jerky, tuna packages, low carb protein bars, nuts, bran crackers and a few other non perishables that are coming with me. I'll pick up things like hardboiled eggs and cheese at stops along the way.

[Desertthorn]

Im grilling on the patio, lamb if I can find it, chicken if not. Also veggies. I love green peppers/onions and grilled portabellos.

[LookingForward]

Sounds great! I've never tried cooking lamb, how do you season or prepare it?

[Heidi3]

Desertthorn's favorite!!!! Northwest Bouillabaisse!

Induction friendly!!!! it is my absolute favorite food in the world!!!!....
everything must be the best and freshest!!!!

Northwest Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaise:

Northwest shellfish (dungeness crab wacked into quarters clams, scallops, mussels, prawns, oysters as available or preferred)
a couple of lbs of very freshFish (salmon, halibut, snapper, rockfish as available or preferred - cut into bite-size pieces)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, washed and sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 cup onion (chopped)
1/4 cup parsley (chopped, lightly packed)
2 teaspoons garlic (fresh only minced)
1/8 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon sage, rubbed
1 teaspoon smashed fennel seeds
1 pinch saffron
1 orange (zested and juiced)
2 28-ounce cans pear tomatoes
4 cups fish stock (clam juice may be used if necessary as a poor substitute)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon white pepper


Sauce rouille:

1 egg
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 small dried chiles, crumbled
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fine bread crumbs (you can use flax seed I guess but I am useing the tbl of crumbs because the amt in each bowl comes to very little and you could opt out...the crumbs are for thickening
1 cup olive oil


Bouillabaisse directions:

Sauté leeks and onions in olive oil until wilted. Add parsley and garlic; cook on medium heat, stirring until combined. Add thyme, sage and saffron, stir and cook 1-2 minutes. Add orange zest and juice, tomatoes and fish stock. Season with salt and white pepper. (Base may be made ahead to this point and refrigerated).

At time of service, bring base up to simmer. Add desired shellfish, then fish (the more variety the better). Cook until all seafood is just done. and Sauce Rouille (to be swirled to taste into Bouillabaisse).

Sauce directions:

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Scrape down sides. With machine running, pour in 1 cup of olive oil to emulsify. Cover and chill several hours before serving.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Oh Nurselady---can I pleeeeeeeeze come over to eat!

[NulloModo]

Sounds tasty, but it is not Induction friendly as stated, there is Orange in there.

[Heidi3]

oh good grief....

whoops far be it for me to be wrong change it to a Lemon if you want..or just use the zest as I usually do and leave the juice of the orange out...zest is carb free as far as I know but if it has carbs someone will speak up I am sure......good grief ...ok induction friendly if you use a lemon ......
Mother you are more than welcome come for dinner!!! it will be fun!!!....I may put wine it in and make it really induction unfriendly!!!!
or just have wine with it!.....

[MotherOfGizmo]

Re: oh good grief....

Mother you are more than welcome come for dinner!!! it will be fun!!!....I may put wine it in and make it really induction unfriendly!!!!
or just have wine with it!.....

How about both! After all, it is a holiday! :yes

[not2late]

I'll be at the Renaissance Festival (it runs every weekend from late August to late October). I went last weekend (had fun, going back because I missed the elephant ride and the human chess game---also want to do some shopping).

The protein food was friendly for the most part: turkey legs, steak on a stake, some chicken stuff and the oyster bar. There were no veggies, other than the deep-fried pickle and the fried potatoes. So I'll bring a salad or some cut up veg with me (lucky for me I'm on OWL so I was able to have a piece of watermelon). Drinks-wise, they did have water and herbal teas.

But for Labor Day:

Low carb coleslaw
Low carb faux-tato salad
Grilled meat: chicken, pork, beef, seafood
meat and veggie kebobs (sp?)
grilled veggies
baked beans/bean salad (for OWL and beyond)
faux-jitas (grilled meat, grilled peppers, onions, etc. wrapped in lettuce leaves or a low carb tortilla--if it's appropriate for your phase)

Drinks:
iced herbal tea, iced decaf tea, sugar-free soda

Dessert:
Low carb cheesecake
low carb ice cream (OWL and beyond)
low carb gelatin
fruit and cream (depends on your phase of Atkins)
almond shortcake (for OWL and beyond)

[NulloModo]

i'm fairly sure that Zest is carb free, at least in the quantities one would use. The Juice of some citrus (lemon and lime excused from this) is where the majority of the sugar is.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Even still--one orange for that big pot of food dosen't seem like it would add many carbs per serving, or would it? urplequ:

[NulloModo]

Even still--one orange for that big pot of food dosen't seem like it would add many carbs per serving, or would it? urplequ:

Maybe, maybe not, but you can get the flavor from the zest and some lemon juice, so why risk it? Besides, citrus juice and sugars have been known to be MAJOR triggers for some people around here.

[MotherOfGizmo]

Even still--one orange for that big pot of food dosen't seem like it would add many carbs per serving, or would it? urplequ:

Maybe, maybe not, but you can get the flavor from the zest and some lemon juice, so why risk it? Besides, citrus juice and sugars have been known to be MAJOR triggers for some people around here.

:nod

[Heidi3]

well!

I am using the ORANGE!!! and thinking that one entire pot of soup will not be tainted by the carbs in it besides lemon and lime do not taste like an orange ....I will add an addendum to my recipe and say "to make this induction friendly leave off the orange juice and just use the rind" but now did we think of the fennel seeds? maybe they are not induction friendly ...crap I should take the whole recipe back and just say...eat at your own risk!....sorry I am getting carried away here!!! I put the dish into fitday and the whole thing per serving with the tbl of crumbs was only 5 carbs!....so you can do what you want to the recipe!...I am feeling safe...