Lupin a Low Carb/Keto Option
 

We went to Costco on Monday and picked up something new to us, Lupin Flour. Lupin is a legume, but unlike most it has no starch which therefore, makes it low carb!

So far we've tried the recipe on the package, it's a slightly grainy rather bland "carb" base, sort of a texture between cornmeal and oatmeal. Basic microwave package directions comes out rather like mashed potatoes. Hubby cooked up some mushrooms and made it more like risotto. I can see where it could be a better than oatmeal option for me. And maybe in my search of the perfect "Toddmale" a well filled keto-friendly tamale named for the hubby.

Can also be used for breading but we haven't tried it yet. Only thing in the house available (unthawed) for that treatment would be a can of spam.

https://carringtonfarms.com/about-lupin/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lupin_bean

Thanks for this info. DH is doing keto and we are always looking for things to add variety to his meals. Hoping to get to Costco this weekend and will look for this.

Have you heard of black soy beans? Supposedly they have net 3 g. carbs per 1 cup cooked. They are supposed to be good in soup and don't have that 'soy' taste. I have not found the dried ones locally but Eden brand has canned ones that 'may' be available at Walmart.

I haven't heard of Lupin flour, but I have heard of black soy beans. Nuts.com has them if you're looking for a source online. They also have some unusual flours, including low carb types. I love the company and have ordered from them many times. They're always top notch.

~ C

We tried it as a breading and it was fantastic. Hubby got some catfish nuggets, made an egg wash, seasoned the fish and then dipped them in the lupine and pan fried.

The texture was great, we were afraid it would be really hard but nope. We were afraid it would fall off the fish, nope. It had a nice normal slightly crunchy (like part cornbread) texture and no particular flavor of it's own.

Just remember in a few years when it's all over the food world, I'm telling you now. This stuff is great for the low carb/keto and the gluten free alike along with high protein for the vegan!

Edit: We've been eating the basic package direction a couple times a week with a lot of different variety. We've had it plain on the side just as a side dish. I made "keto stuffing" with breakfast sausage, extra herbs, celery and onion along with the Lupin. Would have been nice I think to add some sliced almonds in there. We've had it as a base with stuff on top. With another package of ground pork I used ginger, garlic, oyster sauce and hoison along with cabbage, onions, and celery for a pretty good mu shu version (I prefer the peking pancakes and I really miss rice, but the Lupin was ok). It definitely would have been better with some bean sprouts and fresh green onions for garnish but there is always next time.

Would this work to replace bread crumbs in something like meatballs? I use very lean chicken or beef and without bread crumbs the meatballs are very hard. Have tried using bean puree and it helps, but not enough.

I don't know how well it will work for that but I will put it on my list of things to try... While it does take up liquid it isn't as much as bread crumbs, it's more of a 1:1 than a 1:2-3 ratio like most grains.

I'll probably try it as a meatloaf without cooking it first and see what the texture is like. If that doesn't work try two will be making it into the "pilaf" with the basic microwave directions and put that into meat balls. So will report back as I try this, we bought several bags at Costco to use.

Thank you. I look forward to hearing about your results.

Meatloaf Try 1: Yesterday the Hubby called and said he was going to stop by the grocery store on the way home. Since he's gone keto we try and keep the food budget down to where we buy large amounts of meat at Costco, and otherwise we buy the good sales and markdowns. That means I can't really plan meals so much as respond to what's on sale. Anyway, told him to be on the lookout for ground meat and he got lucky and brought several things home. 80/20 ground beef on regular sale and markdowns on ground chicken and ground pork.

I had a package of McCormick Meat Loaf mix and followed directions using 1/2 cup of the ground lupin flour right out of the bag instead of 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs. The raw mixture was definitely rather soupy, I form my meat loaf and put it diagonally in a square pan, it did ok but maybe a loaf pan would be easier.

Unfortunately I cooked it about 10 minutes too long but first report is that it is ok. It slices easily and is fork tender, I think it will hold together sufficiently for sandwich slices. But I think it will be better using the precooked version. I'll try that with the same amount of meat (already portioned out) as meatballs tomorrow and I will use the same half cup of raw lupin but cook it by package directions first. All meatballs will be baked, but half of them I'll roll in the lupin flour as a crust. For those missing the crust of fried foods, I think it will be a nice texture. For hubby and Keto, fat isn't an issue.

Meatballs: So using the same amount of mixed ground meat (2 pounds) along with the same 2 eggs and half cup milk from the meatloaf mix, I cooked 1/2 cup of the lupin and added in lots of garlic, Montreal seasoning, and 1/2 cup ground Parmesan. It was better cooked first. I'm thinking some of my problems with both the meatballs and the meatloaf being "loose" was from the ground chicken as well as the lack of liquid uptake. I was happier with the texture of the meatballs than I would be if they were just meat.

To do again, I'd probably just use 1/3 cup of lupin (which is the package directions for cooking) and cut the milk in half or omit completely. You can use the milk to cook the lupin if you wanted.

We did like the meatballs dipped in the lupin flour as breading, but ultimately it didn't really matter to us that much. If hubby wants them crisp he can fry them.

Thank you Iceblossom, so nice to have someone do all the work for me! Going to look for the lupin flour at Costco this week.