A comforting low carb and paleo version of Hungarian Goulash that you can make in your slow cooker. And come along as I explore Budapest with Viking River Cruises.
Let’s face it; getting away for a few days without your kids means that you are going to have a great time no matter what. You’ve worked for it, you’ve earned, so you’d better make the most of it. Just getting to the point where you can get out the door and leave your kids in someone else’s hands takes an immense amount of work and is incredibly stressful. And if you need to wrap up any loose ends at work before you leave, that’s additional work and stress. It really isn’t until you step onto that plane (or train, or automobile) that you realize you’ve been holding your breath, not quite sure that this kid-free holiday would ever truly materialize. You then finally breath a sigh of relief and you relax. You hardly care where you are going, all that matter is you and your honey, alone at last.
Looking over to the Pest side from Buda
But if the destination ahead of you happens to be the Romantic Danube on the luxurious Viking River Cruises, then you might care where you are going just a little bit. Or a lot. You might care a whole lot, knowing that in about 20 hours, with a 9 hour time difference, you will be landing in Budapest, Hungary, a place you’ve never been and can hardly wait to see. You might care even more if you were going to be chilling out on a Viking Longship, cruising up the Danube to Austria and Germany and seeing many wonderful sights along the way. You would especially care a great deal if you had planned this trip with your significant other a whole 18 months in advance and had been dreaming of it ever since.
So yes, it would be fair to say that I cared a great deal about where I was going and about exploring parts of Europe I’d never seen. It was certainly meant to be the trip of a lifetime. And in many ways it was, although things didn’t exactly go as planned. Do they ever? More on that point later. For now, let’s just enjoy Budapest and the first few days with Viking.
Do I need to tell you that Budapest is a beautiful city or can I just show you some pretty pictures? We got to explore it on our own a bit the first day, as we landed rather early. Jetlagged as we were, we moseyed about on the Pest side, wandering about on a few streets just trying not get lost while looking around and revelling in our freedom. We were certainly in one of the more touristy parts of the city, but hey, we were tourists and it was all lovely to our eyes, despite the numerous cheap souvenir shops. As it was Sunday, the Great Market was sadly closed. I would have loved to spend some time poking about in there.
Kind of looks like Disney World, doesn’t it? And those little glowing specks above the Parliament are birds.
After dinner, the longship cruised slowly up and down the Danube to show off Budapest at night. I honestly don’t think there can be any better way to see this city in all its glory. Mind you, it gave my frugal and environmental heart some serious palpitations, thinking of the enormous electric bill that the Hungarian Parliament must have. Still, it was gorgeous to behold and we got great amusement out of the birds that fly in circles overhead, catching the bugs that are attracted to all the lights.
Fisherman’s Bastion and the beautiful tiled roof and painted ceiling of Matthias Church.
Look how happy we are to be away from our kids!
The next day was an organized city tour, predominantly by bus. The Pest side was a bit of a blur, particularly as traffic was being diverted around some sort of police parade, an event which our tour guide and bus driver were not expecting. Thumbs up for their knowledge of the city and how to get back on track after our detour, as well as providing hugely entertaining commentary along the way. The Buda tour was a little less harried and we were able to get out and explore the Liberty Statue (our guide called it “The world’s biggest bottle opener”, which it really does resemble from far away), and Castle Hill, where we toured the beautiful Matthias Church and had some free time to wander into shops and cafes.
The “World’s Biggest Bottle Opener”, according to our tour guide!
Then it was back on the bus to meet our longship, The Viking Jarl (pronounced “Yarl”), which had sailed upriver in our absence. And then we were off to Austria!
Now, let’s chat a little about the Viking Experience: the staterooms, the food, the fact that you are viewing Europe from the continent’s second largest river. Because, of course, this is all such a huge part of the experience.
Sunrise in Austria, from the Sun Deck
Staterooms: Small but cozy and perfectly apportioned. It’s a ship, after all, and things are made to fit into a small room while still maximizing space. There was a remarkable amount of closet and drawer space, and there was even a mini fridge for all the low carb snacks I’d brought along. The bed was a little on the hard side for my taste, but the shower had great water pressure. And I simply had to leave a note to our room attendant to get the extra pillow I needed for a little more restful sleep.
Food: Like any good cruise line, Viking offers wonderful food and plenty of it. More to the point, there were many low carb options and I really didn’t need as many of the snacks and goodies I brought along with me. For dinners, there was always a wonderful menu with three main options for appetizer, main course, and dessert. There were no low carb desserts, but there was a cheese plate with a different selection of European cheeses every night. Needless to say, I ate my weight in cheese on our trip. There were also three additional entree options that were offered every evening, including steak, salmon, and a vegetarian meal. So lack of choice was certainly not an issue, and the staff did their utmost to accommodate every request. Including my husband’s request of a side of steak along with his other entree option of the evening. Yep, they would simply add a nicely done, medium rare steak to his plate…every evening.
There was a menu for breakfast as well, but I can’t speak to how good it was because there was also a buffet-style service and it had so many great low carb choices, I simply stuck to that. Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled veggies, cheeses, an omelet station. And my favourite, the smoked salmon plate. I often feasted on smoked salmon, peppered cream cheese, capers, and onion, with a few veggies on the side. No complaints there.
I think we only ended up having 2 lunches on the boat, as we often found ourself full from breakfast and perfectly happy with a light snack so we could save our appetites for dinner. But they also had menu and buffet-style options and I stuck mostly with salad for a light mid-day meal.
Staff: Phenomenal. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the friendly and accommodating staff from all over the world. From our towering blonde giantess of a program director, to the captain and crew, to the wait staff, they made us feel truly special.
So far, so good, but there is so much more to come. Stay tuned for Austria and a low carb version of the treasured Sacher Torte!
For now, my tribute to our brief stay in Hungary: low carb slow cooker Hungarian Goulash. Sadly, I did not have a chance to try authentic goulash while in the country itself. But I modelled this after an authentic recipe, with some swaps to keep the carb count lower. It’s good, it’s comforting, it’s goulash! And it’s great over zucchini noodles.
- 2 tbsp bacon grease or lard or butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tbsp Hungarian paprika
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 lbs beef stew meat cubed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp caraway seeds
- 2 cups daikon radish cubed
- 1 yellow or green pepper chopped
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 1 15- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
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Heat grease or lard in a large sauté pan over medium heat until melted and hot. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add paprika and garlic and stir in until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add cubed beef and brown all over. Stir in salt, pepper and caraway seeds. Transfer mixture to a 6 quart slow cooker.
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Add radish, pepper, celery, tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Mix to combine. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Serve as soup, or over zucchini noodles.
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Cook's Notes: As with many stews, I found this to be much better the second and third day. Make it ahead!
Serves 8. Each serving has 8.33 g of carbs and 2.81 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 5.52 g.
Food energy: 345kcal
Total fat: 23.88g
Calories from fat: 214
Cholesterol: 3mg
Carbohydrate: 8.33g
Total dietary fiber: 2.81g
Protein: 23.84g
Dorinda Hathaway says
What an adorable couple you are! (I expected your hair to be blonde.) My husband and I took the same Viking cruise and also found it easy to stay low carb.
Carolyn says
My hair is naturally blonde but I like to go dark once in a while! 🙂
Lauren Kelly Nutrition says
Best caption EVER!! You do look happy to be away 🙂 And what an amazing trip! We never get to go away but I do think it’s really important. And who wouldn’t want to go to all of these amazing places? I am so happy for you! And I can’t wait to make this goulash!!
Sarah G says
I am so glad you got to go! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Budapest is one of my most favorite cities. I prefer Budapest over Prague any day even though the latter tends to get more hype, at least from American tourists. Few things beat the view of the chain bridge over the Pest with the Parliament and Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking the water. The Bastion is such a romantic place and setting at sunset and at night. I love it! And Hungarian food…simply awesome! I could on and on about that 🙂
Carolyn says
I have lovely photos of the Chain Bridge lit up at night!
Katalin Szabo says
Before I WW Prague was one of the Hungarian city. All old building are Hungarian, part of our heritage.
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
I’m so jealous! I’ve alway wanted to do a river cruise but they’re sadly way out of my price range. The photos are gorgeous though! (And I love those bowls!)
Joshua Hampton says
What pretty pictures. I’m envious. I wish my wife and I could go on a cruise right now too.
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Oh my gosh! I really want to go on a Viking River Cruise with my honey!! Love that goulash! I need it with our cold days we’re having here!
Laurie says
You did my dream cruise! Amazing! I am planning one for 2017 or so….was it all as gorgeous as the pictures online show? I bet it was 🙂
Carolyn says
Yes, and just wait until you see my photos from Austria!
jillian says
I so enjoy your writing style Caroline. What a nice trip…we spent three weeks in Germany and Austria some years ago. Our hotel in one location left little sacher tortes on the pillow! They were so fresh tender and delicious that I ate my husbands too and we had to ask for another! Therefor, I am looking forward to a low carb version. As an aside, I was surprised to see you with dark hair…but really like it. You remind me of Elizabeth McGovern (downton abbey)
Rose | The Clean Dish says
Carolyn, I love your images of Budapest! It makes me homesick for Europe. What a cool trip!! I’ve been hearing a lot about Viking River Cruises lately – must check them out! I love Hungarian Goulash and I can’t wait to try your recipe!
jkim says
Your trip brings back wonderful memories, Carolyn. I visited Hungary 5 years ago.
I hope you and your sweetie strolled across the chain bridge at night. I was by myself, but with the bridge all aglow it was a wonderfully romantic setting.
I didn’t find especially low-carb menus, but with all the walking I did, it wasn’t a problem. And things might have changed since then.
(I thought your hair would be blonde, too. ?)
I can’t wait to read the rest of your European posts.
Vhm1 says
Made this stew last night in the crockpot. Cooled and refrigerated overnight for this week. Heated some up for supper tonight and it is delish! I did cut the recipe in half, or maybe 2/3, using 1 lb of stew meat, reduced veggies by 1C and 1/2 the stock and seasoning. I added red pepper flake for some heat. Served over cauliflower mash.
Really wonderful and will continue enjoying it this week! Thanks!
Ann says
I made this earlier this week and we ate it for 2 nights. Really delicious and I appreciated having a slow cooker meal. I also love your fish chowder (I change up the fish) that uses Daikon as well. Thanks so much!
Gabriella says
Caroline ,
I loved your post!!! I’m from Hungary ( moved to the states when I was 18) and I’m so glad you liked my beautiful country ! My hubby and I are hoping to do a Viking Cruise one day… By the way, made the Sacher yurt you posted in the Austria blog, it was simply divine ! Better then the original I had on our honeymoon . Now I can’t wait to try your German chocolate brownies;) keep up the good work , so appreciate all these yummies!
Maria brent says
Hi—this pat weekend I went searching for plain chcolate cookie low carb recipe and couldn’t find one (I did find your wafer one, but wanted something mre decadent). But i DID find your WONDERFUL golash recipe and it is the BEST I’ve ever had. I got more paprika today and plan to make it again ASAP. Luscious. And thanks for the daikon idea–I remember your chowder with daikon—and the diakon works so well.
And. Thanks for the pictures and memories of central Europe. I did a cruise the other direction in Oct 2013. Prague, Melk, Passau, Vienna, Side trip to Salzburg, and ending in Budapest. Glad you started there, and love your pictures. Thanks for so much, Carolyn. Best wishes to you and your family.
Sandra says
Your recipe for Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash is excellent. I made it today. I didn’t have daikon radish so I threw in some extra bell pepper and celery. I’ll try adding the radish next time. Thank you for the great recipe.
Reading your post brought back sweet memories of a neighbor from my childhood. He had emigrated from Hungary as a young man. When I knew him he was about 50 and the lead chef at an exclusive inn and restaurant. (Their guests were US presidents, the extremely wealthy, movie stars etc.)
Our neighbor was very cheerful and full of life. He and his wife kept a big vegetable garden so we would see them outside tending the garden as we played. We would also smell mouth-watering aromas coming from their kitchen because they cooked mainly Hungarian dishes when he was home.
When I was 10 a freeway took our neighborhood. All the neighbors scattered throughout the area, so I never learned about his cooking secrets as a teenager or young adult. Today I can appreciate what a privilege and advantage that would have been.
Thanks for sharing your recipe secrets it really adds an enjoyable layer to our life!
Carolyn says
Oh such lovely memories, I am glad I was able to evoke them for you!
Holly says
I just read your posting of the food to my husband. We were on a cruise to the Caribbean 2 weeks ago and we had the cheese place every couple of nights. We asked for fresh berries with unsweetened whipped cream and had that every night! It was nice to know that we were doing it right!!
Katalin Szabo says
Hi, I’m so happy for this because I’m Hungarian, live there 30 years, we moved to Canada 16 years ago. I cook “gulyás” often, and it is still low carb even the original receipt if you don’t eat the traditional pasta what include it (“csipetke”). We are use some special ingredient what is ground red pepper (sweet or hot is up to you) preserved in salt. It is creamy, salty but no need just one tsp. Also if you dont mind I would like to give some advice: the paprika is really sensitive spice. The secret to got the best flavor and beautiful red color if we put on hot oil/lard, but only just a few second because really easy burned and then the whole dish get so bitter. So used to be when I put onion/garlic/little tomato pasta or fresh sliced tomato/ caraway seed and the red pepper pasta on the oil I waited when this base already (onion is look like a glass clear) (in te medium heat). If we give enough time to this base, the gulyás will get nice thick, because this base the soul of the gulyas. When is ready then I put the meet on it, and turn up the heat to high and swirled the meat on the base till the meat is alredy hot. Then I put the paprika on it, mixed fast, and put some COLD water (1/2 cup) on it to not t burn. Wait a litle (5-10 minutes when start boil) and then put more water and vegetable. The original/traditional gulyás not include celery. Just some carrot, persley root, and potato (non of them to much 1-2). Slow cooker is good idea, because the best is should be cook really slowly. Before finish we ut the traditional pasta on it. Because Im on the low carb diet I used to dont eat, but my children and my husband do. so the recipe is this: one egg (beaten) 1/2 teaspoon salt, and flour to get really hard, thick pasta. Turn up the heat to high and pick from the pasta with two fingers and rolled a little and you will get a lot of little ball. Put this in the gulyás, wait few minutes, and ready. Enjoy! here some video about “csipetke” in English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvmMXHAzaM
patti says
Where do you recommend finding the daikon radish? Chinese grocery best or ???
Carolyn says
I find them in regular groceries a lot now (even Safeway!) but yes, Asian markets would have them.
patti says
We found it in a food coop that we regularly shop but also managed to get a local grocery store to stock it in the process of looking. My husband is enjoying experimenting with the extra.
patti says
Do you think this is a good recipe to freeze?
Rissa says
I have been using your site for countless recipes!!! How delighted I was when I did a search to see if viking cruises had splenda or stevia and found your account of your viking cruise! We leave this Saturday and are taking that same cruise!!! I am a low carber and my husband is a diabetic, so we are trying to plan. I didn’t realize that if you notify 30 days ahead they could accommodate diabetics. But my husband and I have both lost 60 lbs and he has cut his meds in half.. so we are not going to stress over this. Thank you for your recipes and trip account!!!!
Carolyn says
Rissa, the tricky part is that when you ask companies like this to accommodate diabetics, it often means that there are high carb things that they think are diabetic friendly. I honestly think that you’re better off just figuring it out yourself. They have a lovely breakfast bar with plenty of low carb choices and dinner always has steak. You will be fine but bring some low carb snacks with you.