SolveYourProblem Article Series: Low Carb Diet
What Are The Benefits Of The Low Carb Diet?

Low Carb Clam Chowder & 5 Thickening Methods

Low carb soup recipes are ideal for anybody following a low carbohydrate diet. They are mostly quick and easy to cook, and you can mix and match according to the ingredients that you have in the house. Here is our favorite clam chowder recipe so that you can start with one of the best low carb soup recipes.

Low Carb Clam Chowder

Makes 5 servings of approx 1 cup each.
6g net carbs per serving.

Ingredients:
3 pieces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion (1 small onion)
2 oz carrot, chopped (1 small carrot)
6 oz cauliflower, chopped (1/4 small cauliflower)
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 cup chicken broth OR unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup (4 oz) clam juice
1 10-ounce can clams, including the liquid
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (thickening)
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Drain the clams, reserving the liquid. In the soup pot, cook bacon until just crisp. Remove bacon and cook onion and celery until soft (not brown). Add garlic, xanthan gum and spices (not herbs) and cook for one more minute. Add chicken broth or soy milk, liquid from clams, clam juice, cauliflower and carrot. Bring to boil and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes). Add butter, cream and parsley and heat until just starting to simmer. Stir in the clams and bacon and heat to simmering point again. Remove from heat, cover and leave for a couple of minutes for the clams to heat through, then serve.

How To Thicken Low Carb Soup Recipes

There are a lot of ways to thicken low carb soup recipes without using flour. Most of them use fiber as the main thickener.

- Ground flax seeds are very low in carbohydrates. Cook them in the soup and they will thicken to a gloopy consistency. You will need approximately 1 tablespoon (0.1g net carbohydrate) per pint of soup.

- Gelatin can be used as a thickener too. Prepare this in cold water following the instructions on the package, and add after soup has finished cooking and has been removed from the heat.

- Blending vegetables into the soup will thicken it. Generally, the higher carb vegetables have more thickening power, but broccoli and squashes can be effective. Be sure to weigh them to have an accurate carb count.

- Guar gum and xanthan gum also work as low carb soup thickeners. Look for them in health food stores.

- Finally, you can even buy packaged low carb soup thickeners, for example the Not-Starch brand. These are usually made from a combination of the above ingredients, especially guar gum and xanthan gum.

Be sure to write down all of the low carb soup recipes that you try out, and give them a rating. That way, when you have been following the plan for a while, you can look back and create even more new ideas from the low carb soup recipes that you liked best.

Click here to discover my current SolveYourProblem recommendation and choice pick for the fastest, easiest and best dieting and weight loss solution you'll find anywhere. Get it and reward yourself with a thinner, happier, more confident life.

# # # # #

by SolveYourProblem.com : 2011

> Home > Weight Loss & Low Carb Diet: Main Page