Basic Low Carb Pasta

1 cup vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 cups rice protein powder (I use Nutribiotics brand)

3 large eggs - jumbos are even better

1 tablespoon olive oil

roughly 3/4 cup water

First, make sure you have the die you want to use on the machine. You don't want to get halfway into this project and realize you want to swap dies!

Put the vital wheat gluten and the rice protein powder into the mixing compartment of the pasta machine, and turn on the motor. Let it run for a minute to thoroughly mix the two powders together. Now add the eggs, one at a time, letting each one mix in for about a minute before adding the next. Next add the olive oil, and again, let it mix for a good minute. Now you start adding the water, and this is the tricky bit - you want to get enough water so that the dough coheres, and is forced through the die easily, but not enough so that it becomes sticky, because it won't process easily that way. Add the first 1/4 cup water, and let it mix in for at least a minute or two. Then add the next 1/4 cup, and let it mix for at least two minutes. Now start adding water in 2 tablespoon increments, letting the dough mix for at least two minutes between additions. Keep an eye on the texture of the dough, and don't be afraid to stop the machine and feel it. When it's the proper texture, it will be fairly soft, but still in a few globs, rather than one big ball. (Read the instructions that come with your pasta maker for more descriptions of proper dough texture.)

When your dough is soft and cohesive, but not sticky, start the extrusion process (on my machine this is done by pulling out a slide that divides the mixing chamber from the screw that forces the dough into the die.) Have a plate under the die where the pasta will emerge - you don't want it piling up on your counter! Also have a knife with a thin, sharp blade on hand for cutting the pasta off in appropriate lengths. Now you simply stand there, cutting off your pasta every now and then, and turning the plate so that the emerging pasta doesn't all pile up in the same spot - I generally end up using two plates.

When all your pasta has been forced through the die, you'll want to either cook it, or store it. Since this recipe makes 10 servings, and there are only 2 people in my household, I have to store it! You can try drying it if you like, but all this ever got me was still-moist, moldy pasta - and mighty expensive, too. Instead, I like to package my pasta in individual servings in sandwich bags, and stash it in the freezer. A serving is a very slightly generous half-cup before cooking. That may not sound like much, but that half cup will have more protein in it than a 6 ounce steak - 48 grams of protein per serving, with 9 grams of carbohydrate, and just a trace of fiber.

Cooking this fresh pasta is different than cooking the dried pasta we're all familiar with - it cooks much faster. Bring a generous quantity of water to a full, rolling boil, salt it a bit and add a dab of oil. Then add the pasta, stirring for a moment to loosen the strands. Set your timer for no more than 3 minutes - this is about right for fettuccine, spaghetti or angel hair will cook even faster. Have whatever sauce you're serving hot and ready, and a colander standing by - you don't want to let your pasta cook for an extra minute or two while you hunt for the colander, or you may end up with mush. Drain, sauce, and serve.

Because this pasta has a protein content similar to meat, I prefer not to serve it with meat balls or the like - remember, eat too much protein at one go, and you can raise your blood sugar and cause an insulin release. Better to eat your high protein pasta with a meatless sauce, although I, for one, can't resist a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. If you're using store-bought pasta sauce, remember that most of them have added corn syrup or sugar, and read the labels carefully. Hunt's has a no-sugar-added sauce that is quite good, and one of the lowest carb on the market.

I know that the serving size seems small, but this stuff is filling. Have a very low carb salad - mostly greens, with a vinaigrette dressing - with it, and I promise, you'll be satisfied for hours!