Something New

Welcome to At the Table, my new email newsletter on Substack!

If the layout looks different, it’s because it is! Substack is a brand new platform I’m using for my weekly email newsletter which I’m calling At the Table.

I hope it can become a place of community and connection around the topic of low-carb recipes and food (and perhaps with a few other topics sprinkled in, too). 

As much as I love sharing recipe posts over on Stem and Spoon, the writing aspect can sometimes feel constrained- catered to the Google algorithm and SEO. While nothing will change over there, I’m hoping this newsletter can be more informal and conversational, and help you out in a new and different way.

If you’re new to Substack, it really is a cool platform and is built primarily with readers (and writers!) in mind. Every newsletter will come to your inbox as usual, but you can also log in to the Substack website to read newsletter archives. There’s also the free Substack app, which is easy to navigate and check out other publications you might be interested in.

Okay, now for the food stuff.

With everything going on in the world, this week has been a tough one. News headlines have been heart-wrenching, I’m sure you feel the same. I’m holding my babies a little closer and praying for peace for Israel. Cooking and baking is a good distraction and if you’re craving comfort food, you might enjoy this Keto Chicken Pot Pie, Keto Shepherd’s Pie, or these Almond Flour Banana Cookies.

Let’s talk about this Fall Kale Salad, a new recipe I published on the site this week. I’ve been digging into this salad for a few weeks now, and what I love most is you can make so many iterations of it, swapping in crisp, chopped apple or sweet, juicy pomegranate arils. 

If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, a salty feta would work wonderfully. If you just don’t do raw kale salads, swap in a spring mix or your other favorite salad greens.

And if you’re thrown by the fact that this salad calls for a crunchy, grain-free granola, just know that my seven-year-old daughter Posey deemed it to be the very best part, and, as she loves to say, “so satisfying.” I couldn’t agree more. It adds a sweet, satisfying crunch that pairs well with the creamy goat cheese, spiced and roasted vegetables, and that tangy pumpkin maple vinaigrette. 

Don’t have a crunchy, grain-free granola on hand? I personally love this kind or this one (Amazon affiliate link) and I find both at Costco. Feel free to swap in toasted nuts, pistachios or even candied pecans if you can enjoy them. 

I intend to share more of life here, particularly what I’m cooking, eating and enjoying throughout the week. To be completely honest, aside from developing recipes for the blog, my cooking has been much more minimal lately and I’m all about easy leftovers and omelettes for dinner. Busy school schedules, soccer practices, music lessons and just the general hustle that happens this time of year are to blame. Oh, and the fact that I’m growing a human. That’s contributing, too.

Here’s what I’m eating and enjoying this week: 

Creamy Paprika Chicken Thighs: This was our Sunday dinner, along with a yellow cauliflower rice (basically cauli rice seasoned with turmeric, salt, pepper, and garlic). I had a package of chicken thighs and zero meal inspiration, and then I remembered this recipe, an adaptation from one of my Julia Child cookbooks. You really only need chicken, cream, paprika and onions. It’s quick and minimal and was absolute perfection on top of leftover cauli rice. 

Classic American Breakfast: Okay, I know this isn’t exactly a recipe, but I’ve been on a classic American breakfast kick.

Fried eggs, breakfast sausage, and a few berries have been getting me through the morning lately, along with a cup of coffee flavored with my Keto Pumpkin Spice Creamer. (Spend five minutes to make a batch on a Sunday and it’ll last you the week!).

Another tip? I’m halfway “meal prepping” (at least for breakfast) and cooking up sausage patties at the beginning of the week. That way, I can quickly heat them up and scramble some eggs for the kids for a high-protein breakfast that is ready in a matter of minutes. 

Side note: I recently discovered I could slice the breakfast sausage meat directly in the package to quickly create sausage rounds. Needless to say this is far more efficient (and cleaner!) than squeezing the meat out of the packaging. It’s even easier if the meat is partially frozen. Am I the last to know about this hack/essential life skill?

Low-carb Enchiladas: I have never been a big fan of red enchilada sauce, but there’s one store-bought sauce that recently changed my mind.

Have you tried Siete Red Enchilada Sauce? It’s totally a game-changer. I used it last week to quickly whip up two trays of low-carb enchiladas, and WOW, they were good. It’s thick with a rich flavor and sort of reminds me of a red sauce mixed with a mole sauce.

Not sure what took me so long to give this store-bought sauce a try. It’s low carb with clean ingredients. Budget wise, it’s pricier than most sauces (about $5-$6 per jar here in Arizona), but worth every penny. I usually find it at our Super Target.

Have you tried it? What did you think? 

Abby

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