Low Carb Ham and Cheese Crepes Recipe

What Is Ham?

Ham is pork took from pigs’ back leg. It is popular in western countries for making different recipes during the holiday season. Skilled cook is hired to prepare an impressive and large part of this recipe for crowded dinner gatherings. You can get boneless to bone-in in the local grocery stores for many occasions.

Most of the time, ham is used in the form of salted-cured and smoked. It is also done both salted and then smoked, dry-rubbed with spices, hung in a cool cellar for years to get dry, such as a popular Smithfield country ham in Virginia.

In the United States, meat produced supermarket hams often named as city hams that generally come as precooked and brined. The brine contains salt, sugar, and different seasoning, which are injected into the meat, infused with juiciness, and flavors while preserving it. A completely cooked ham comes in the form of labeled or ready to eat or ready to serve.

How the ham taste?

Plain, slightly smoky or sweet flavor with the soft texture of cured city ham has tasted like a cold slice cuts available in the deli counter. But the soft meat readily absorbs the flavor of the dressing. Fresh ham tastes similar to pork tenderloin, whereas dry-aged of country ham is saltier with a chewier and extra dense texture.

Ham Varieties

Readymade hams are found in both boneless and with bone style recipe. A ham with bone is a superior form and easy for slicing. The bone increases the flavor, moisture, and enhance your dish presentation. Furthermore, ham bone is usually a desirable part of the culinary swag. Try using simmering with collard greens and black eye peas, which are good for making ham soup or stock or adding flavor in slow cooker jambalaya with it. You can also use a one-pot meal such as smoked ham shank and white beans. Because spiral-cut hams and bone-in hams are hard to cut. It will require to cut with the machine by the butcher, which helps to slice the bone in the ham like a spiral and keep the original shape of a bone.

Instead of trying to carve the ham with hand, try to cut the meat at 90 degrees to have a perfect bone in consistent slices.

Where to Buy Ham?

You can purchase readymade ham in the grocery store with different varieties. If you are buying ham with bone, make sure to decide you want half or whole ham. A whole ham is the whole cured leg of pork, including the pelvic part, thigh bone, or Aitch bone, and sometime tailbone. It can feed up to 20 people. For easy serving, use spiral sliced.

For small guest gatherings, a half ham can serve up to ten people. Choose whether you wish to butt or top half or the bottom of shank half. The butt portion comes in tender and leaner form, whereas the shank portion is somewhat fattier and tougher but also contains more flavor.

Normally, online retailers and butchers sell artisan hams, salted cured-country hams, and fresh hams, but these varieties need extra efforts for the preparation.

Storing Ham

You can safely store ham after the purchase of different varieties. Readymade whole hams can be stored in the refrigerator for one week in its original packaging. Ready-made half hams in the store packaging should be utilized within 3-5 days.

A fresh uncured and uncooked ham remains for 3-5 days in the refrigerator, if used in spiral cut ham. Packaging with vacuum-sealed can be stored for more time.

Cooked and leftover ham require to store in the airtight container and refrigerator and eaten within three days. Most ham remains maximum quality in the freezer for 1-2 months.

The Nutrition of Ham

Sodium Nitrate

When the ham is smoked, injected, soaked, and rubbed with brine. Brine is a type of combination of water and salt. The salt is called sodium nitrate, and it helps to limit the bacterial growth in meat. Some of the meat companies include added sugar, spices, and preservatives for enhancing flavor and extra storage time. The massive salt content comes from this process. Salt content is divers in different varieties, but the normal amount of salt available in ham is little on 800 mg per 31/2 serving. If you purchase ham without packed in water, try to boil or soak for 4-12 hours before cooking. It is good for reducing salt content in the country ham.

High Protein Content

All types of meat contain high protein. Ham is the meat of pork, and it contains 18gram of protein. Protein is beneficial for keeping yourself full longer. Consuming one serving of less sodium ham one or two times a week can help to lose weight.

Vitamin and Mineral

Ham is the best source of minerals and vitamins. It contains the following nutrients.

• Vitamin B6
• Copper
• Vitamin B12
• Iron
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Niacin
• Pantothenic Acid
• Phosphorus
• Thiamine
• Riboflavin
• Zinc

Fats

Nearly 28 grams of ham provides 16 milligrams of cholesterol and 2g of total fats, of which 1gm contains saturated fats. It also contains 193 mg of omega-6 fatty acids and 16.8 mg of omega-3 fatty acids.

High Protein

Ham is a good source of high-quality protein, which is important for human body functions. It comprises of high concentration of amino acids after ingested.

The human body grows on nutrients. Amnio acids also one of them and an end product after the broken down of protein. However, not every protein type contains important nutrients.

The good thing about ham is that it consists of all the 9-essential amino acids.

Trimmable Fat

Unlike different red meats, ham carries more fat. Your body requires a specific amount of fat. The human body requires more calories, and the ham can fulfill it from the fat content. Ham generally provides 10-16%, but the rates can be more while considering different trimming levels.

Generally, pork fat is used for cooking fat, which is taken from the abdomen of the pig and used for different cookings.

Pork contains unsaturated and saturated fats in equal quantity. But unlike other animals, the fatty acids are higher in pork. It is because of the low density of mixed linoleic acid. At the same time, it provides unsaturated fats that are more nutritious.

Improved Performance of Exercise

Everyone needs physical fitness for the body. The only exercise will not make you fit but the food you eat. Having a fit body will lower the chance of getting sick. Additionally, it will improve your mental health. Pork can be the best dietary supplement.

Is Ham Benefit for Bodybuilding?

According to the U.S. Department-of-Agriculture, 3-ounce of a serving of cooked ham comprises 130 calories, with 16-grams of protein and 6-gm of fat.

Proteins are essential for building blocks of the body, and ham is a good source of protein. However, there is a healthier and better source of protein. Ham provides a high protein and fat ratio than the oily fish and 85% thin ground beef. Consuming ham is the best option when you require a change or when there is other protein available.

Ham is one of the processed meat. Therefore, processed meats may higher the risk of chronic diseases like high blood pressure, heart problems, cholesterol, stomach, and bowel cancer.

Substances like sodium nitrite in processed meat convert into harmful N-nitroso synthesis and also contain cancer cause synthesis.

According to a study issued in the European-Journal-of-Cancer-Prevention, consuming processed meats may cause cancer of rectum, stomach, colon, pancreas, lung, testis, prostate, bladder, and kidney. Ham is better than the other processed meats and fatty food like sausage and pepperoni.

According to Harvard-Medical-School, you should consume 2-3 ounces of ham every week. Instead of processed ham, you can choose joints of ham and cook with less sodium. When you eat is with salad and sandwiches, it can be full of protein and a healthy breakfast. You can also include ham in the soups.

Ham vs Turkey

Choosing turkey or ham depends on the type of turkey you select. Every 100gm of serving of light meat turkey consist of 157 calories, whereas the same portion of dark turkey provides 187 calories. A serving of 100gm of ham provides 163 calories, which is lower than dark turkey. However, in comparison, the protein content of two different meat should also consider other factors.

These include cholesterol, saturated fats, sodium content, and different elements when consumed more. These are harmful to the body and create the risk of increasing diseases.

Other Ingredients benefits

Cheese

Cheese is suitable for low carb recipes. It is the best source of protein and calcium but also contains sodium and saturated fats. Cheese is a popular ingredient of the United States from the past 50 years. There are different cheese range available with variety and flavor.

If you are lactose intolerant, then you can avoid it.

Cheese contains protein, calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamins (A, D, and K), which all contribute to healthy bone grown in young adults and children and also prevent problems like osteoporosis.

Low carb cheese recipes enhance dental health. The presence of calcium helps in tooth formation and increases the pH level of dental plaque. It also prevents dental cavities.

As cheese is a fermented food, it helps to promote gut bacteria. It also increases the good blood cholesterol. Cheese also increase the BMI level and promote weight loss.

Egg

The egg presence in the low card ham and cheese crepe makes it a healthier dish. Egg provides powerful benefits from the yolk, and egg such as vitamins, proteins, and minerals. The presence of healthy cholesterol in the yolk, and soluble fats, vitamins like E and D helpful for weight loss. The egg is one of the essential and versatile ingredients, which is chemical-free work best for health.

Coconut flour

Coconut flour is the best alternative to wheat flour. It is famous among low carb recipes and also good for people who are gluten intolerant. Additionally, it contains an impressive nutrition profile that provides various health benefits, including regulating blood sugar, better digestion, weight loss, and heart health.

Coconut flour is prepared from fresh coconut flesh that already dried and ground. It was introduced in the Philippines, where it was initially produced as a type of by-product of coconut milk.

While manufacturing, coconuts are cracked to open and drained the liquid. The coconut flesh is then removed out, grated, and separated from milk. These solid substances are baked at low temperature to dry and then ground into flour. It looks similar to wheat flour and tastes mild.

Erythritol

People trying to lower calories for specific weight loss or managing their sugar consumption requires to replace the sugar in the diet. There is a different option for choosing sugar substitutes such as natural and artificial, and erythritol.

Non-artificial sugar substitutes like natural sweetener and sugar alcohols are stevia and monk fruit extract. These options consist of less or half calories of normal sugar.

The fermentation of corn or wheat starch provides sugar alcohol, which is a crystalline product that includes food for flavoring like sugar. Erythritol is a kind of sugar alcohol. It occurs naturally in fermented foods, and fruits, whereas manufacturers include industrially fermented type to sugar-free and low sugar foods.

Xanthan gum

The low carb ham and cheese crepe recipe also contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a famous food additive like gum, which helps to stabilize or thicken the foods. It is prepared while sugar becomes fermented by one type of bacteria named as Xanthomonas Campestris. As sugar gets fermented, it forms a broth or goo like material, which is produced solid by including alcohol. Then it is dried and converted into a powder.

When you include xanthan gum powder in a liquid, it fast scatters and forms a viscous and solid solution. It forms great thickening, hanging, and stabilizing agents for different products.

It was introduced in 1963. After that, it got into good research and found safe. Therefore, the FDA has approved it one of the food additives and kept no limitation on the specific amount of xanthan gum for food.

It is prepared in a lab and converted into the soluble fiber. Soluble fibers are carbs that will not breakdown into the body.

Instead, they get to absorb the water and converted into gel-like things in the digestive system, which slows down the digestion.

Therefore, your body is not able to digest xanthan gum, and it will not provide any nutrients or calories.

Xanthan gum helps to improve the consistency, texture, shelf life, flavor, and appearance of different foods. It also helps to stabilize foods and helps some foods with different pH levels and temperatures. Additionally, it helps to prevent the food from separating and make them flow smoothly. It is frequently in use for cooking gluten-free recipes to provide fluffiness and elasticity in baked goods. Here are the common foods containing xanthan gum.

• Low-fat foods
• Fruit juices
• Bakery products
• Salad dressings
• Soups
• Syrups
• Ice creams
• Sauces and gravies
• Gluten-free products