Your input requested
Your input requested
Is there anything keto/low carb that you’ve been wanting to try, but would like me to attempt and share? I’m not sure about you, but I know I sometimes look at recipes and think I’d like to try one, but want to know a friend’s take on it before I dive in and make it myself. I thought I’d create an open post for submissions while I (still!) work on finishing my book, and let it stay pinned up here for a bit.
There have been more than a few times when friends and family have remarked that I’m “adventurous” in the kitchen. I wouldn’t really say that about my cooking! On the contrary, I’d say I tend to stick to a few tried-and-true things, with slight variations each time. Sure, when I look through past posts on this page, it’s easy to see there is routine and repetition.
That’s due in part to a few things: my love of batch cooking/prepping meals all in one or two days to last through the workweek (or even month, utilizing the freezer heavily); seasonal availability of ingredients/items on sale (focusing mostly on whole ingredients) to try to keep this lifestyle pretty easy to sustain and maintain. I don’t agree at all with the fact that many think of this lifestyle as limited–there are obviously only a few types of foods/groups included in the ketogenic diet (vegetables, fats, proteins), but the spectrum of combinations of these foods we can use to create wonderful dishes seems endless, at least to me.
I guess it’s true I’m a creature of routine and tend to be highly organized, but I also crave variety and love using more ingredients in a dish than should be legal (ha). So I try to find a balance between the two. I also do allow for a new type of dish every now and then. Yes, I’ve been eating a lot of soups, stews, egg casseroles, and avocados—again, that’s due to the season—but I do change up the flavor profiles now and then, for something new. I’d like to try to be more daring, so this is where you come in 😉
So hit me up here with low-carb recipes for me (and others) to try! Maybe you have a dish you already perfected and love it enough to share with us to try. Or better yet, maybe you have a fave high-carb dish that you would like to see revamped to a low carb/high fat recipe! Possibilities 🙂
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Chicken Creole
Makes 4 servings – 56 grams protein – trace of carbs
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup pure-pressed extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 TBS. dry sherry
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 TBS chopped shallots
2 minced garlic cloves
2 TBS minced parsley
Fresh ground pepper to taste.
Rinse chicken under cold water and pat dry. In a shallow dish, combine olive oil, sherry, oregano, cumin, shallots, garlic , parsley and pepper. Add chicken pieces and coat each piece completely. Marinate 1 to 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken in a greased baking dish and bake chicken until tender and juicy, about 30 minutes, basting frequently.
I love the simple ingredients, plus ease of putting this dish together. ?
Wow that’s like, almost my whole day’s worth of protein
It sounds delish, though. I’m sure I could make it more keto-friendly by upping the fat and increasing the number of servings to 8, bringing the protein grams down. I don’t know about most people on keto, but I tend to stick to 3-4 ounce protein portions, max, per meal.
? I eat a lot of protein since I train very heavy at the gym. I wish I could gain muscle like men do. ?
Excess protein often leads to high blood glucose for many keto-ers (at least, those of us who are diabetic or have been told we are pre-diabetic). I am not trying to build muscle, but retain what I have lol
I’m sure you can make this recipe work for you. The blends of ingredients are lovely.
Here is my favorite Thai Vinaigrette
Makes 3/4 Cup – 1 TBS is a trace or protein and carbs.
2 TBS fresh lime juice
2 TBS Rice wine vinegar
1 TBS low sodium tamarind soy sauce
1 minced garlic
2 TBS minced fresh mint
2 TBS slivered fresh basil
2 TBS minced fresh cilantro
2 TBS fresh ginger
1 TBS hot chili oil
1/4 cup pure- pressed extra virgin olive oil
1:4 tsp red-pepper flakes
I a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Cover and refrigerate several hours before using. Store in air tight container in fridge.
I’ve made something similar before, but never thought to blend it up! Thank you
I love it on my salads. It’s my favorite stuff on earth.
The min/max isn’t the same for everyone, and whether or not the body processes excess protein as glucose over time vs immediately is still unclear. It is still a hotly debated topic (gluconeogenesis). The whole “0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight” isn’t necessary true, either.
I know enough that people have called me an “expert” (again, I am not and I sort of hate that term) but STILL, the protein thing confuses me. I try to stay within 60-75 g protein per day to be safe.
I’d say eggs, cheese (pretty much all dairy except milk and yogurt, which are high in carbs and sugar), cottage cheese is also OK in moderation (8 g/carbs is really more like what I’d want for a whole meal, not one ingredient) nuts/seeds (macadamia, almonds, sunflower/pumpkin, walnuts, flax seed), all fish/shellfish/crustaceans (you said meat but I don’t think “meat” when I want fish). I’d avoid soy except minimal amounts of fermented soy products, like tempeh is OK. Also, chick peas are OK, so is protein powder.
Mz Maau my pleasure 🙂
Do you follow Tasty recipe I try there burrito bowl but there no tortilla. It’s basically like a rice bowl. I used lime rice. It wasn’t bad. youtu.be – Weekday Meal-Prep Chicken Burrito Bowls
Sorry, that video link just took me to YouTube
Maybe this will work. This new google doesn’t work right all time . Ugh! youtube.com – Weekday Meal-Prep Chicken Burrito Bowls
Ah yes, the Tasty videos…I remember now. I’ve seen a lot of them, just forgot the name 🙂 I wonder if that dish would be good with grated cauliflower in place of rice…hmm
…and leave out the corn and beans, of course. Maybe add hunks of avocado instead. I’d also try using thigh meat instead of breasts, to up the fat content.
I seen the rice cauliflower I bet it would. And yes making it how it will best fit you for your intake. ?
I don’t know if you are still looking for suggestions at all, but I have a couple…
I would LOVE to find a way to make this without using pre-mixed SF Jello. I have unflavored gelatin, but couldn’t find extracts STRONG enough to taste good without dyes, aspartame/sweeteners, etc. I would also love to make a dairy free version of it, for the heck of it…thought about using coconut cream in place of heavy cream, pretty simply swap, but what for the sour cream? Goat milk yogurt or something? That gets pretty pricey pretty quick. Thoughts?
Jello Fat Bombs
Ingredients
1 package of sugar free gelatin, your flavor choice (peach is my current fave) – (0.30 oz/8.5 g)
1/2 packet (approximately 1.5 tsp) of unflavored gelatin (I used Knox out of habit) (each packet is 0.25 oz/7 g – so this is 0.125 oz/3.5 g)
2 cups boiling water (per gelatin instructions, instead of one part boiling, one part cold, I use both boiling to dissolve the extra gelatin. Apparently, this is 470 ml (rounded), I’m sure UK packages are set up to be a better calculation for y’all)
1 cup full fat sour cream (240 ml)
1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 ml)
1 packet stevia sweetener (to taste, optional – this took off the sour cream edge for me) (each US packet is 1 g (I have since stopped adding this)
Directions
Boil water, add to bowl. Dissolve both gelatins completely. Stir at least 2 minutes.
Stir in and fully in corporate sour cream. (I use a whisk, but this could be done in a mixer, by hand, whatever.) Mix at least 2 minutes. (Btw, all the mixing keeps it from separating later)
Whip in heavy cream. You could just stir it in, but I like the little bit of mousse like texture it adds to whip it.. Again, stir at least two minutes.
Pour into 4 portions, approximately 1 cup each (240 ml / slightly larger if whipped). Refrigerate until firmly set.
Recipe in MFP Shows as:
331 calories, 32 grams fat, 4 grams carbs/net carbs (no fiber), 4 grams protein
FULL DISCLOSURE – the original recipe does not have the added unflavored gelatin, but it set too soft for me. Also, it did not add the sweetener over the jello sweetening, but the sour cream “bite” was off-putting for me (I’m not a fan of it straight at all), so adding that little bit of sweetness took the edge off, and it is still far less sweet than my old sweets! 🙂 And this works fabulously for those who can’t afford other fats sources – or who just need an awesome satisfying snack with staying power that kills the sweet tooth, but without all the sugar! 🙂
And this is probably my favorite recipe I’ve made. I went back and tried the original after a year or more eating my version – and it paled. Badly. Tasted like a watered down soup, like a non-condensed soup someone added water too. Missing in flavor, missing in substance, and missing in wow… I know tastes vary, though…
Copycat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup Recipe
As currently prepared: (Notes for improving the recipe at the bottom!)
1 pound bulk spicy and hot sausage (recipe called for spicy Italian, but this was way cheaper, so I just added Italian seasoning to the broth)
1 bunch kale, chopped – about 3 cups (roughly – adjust to taste)
1 stick butter (1/4 cup or 8 TBSP, depending on location)
1 TBSP olive oil
4 cups broth (stock, broth, or water with buillion)
2-6 cloves garlic smashed/chopped/pureed, to taste
1/2 onion chopped or pureed, color to taste
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/4-1 tsp Italian seasoning, to taste if not using Italian Sausage
Roughly 4 oz/8 tbsp heavy whipping cream, to taste
Chop up tough kale stems. Brown sausage and kale stems together. I tried to do them in 1/2″ to 1/4″ pieces. Cook through. Drain excess grease. Set aside.
Chop/puree garlic and onion (I used my ultimate chopper, comes out like a rough paste. Feel free to leave as chunky as you like to taste.) Add olive oil to same pan as browned sausage in. Add onion and garlic. Cook down until translucent or most of the liquid is cooked out.
Deglaze with stock/broth. Add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Simmer broth for 30 minutes.
Chop kale into very thin strips (1/8″-1/4″). May shred using processor what have you, to taste. Add butter, sausage, kale stems, and chopped kale back to pot. Simmer until kale is softened. For me, this was 20+ minutes until it was as soft as I prefer.
* NOTE: At this point STOP if you plan to refrigerate it. Reheat the broth at this point. Only add the heavy cream when ready to eat. *
Portion out into serving bowls. Makes roughly 6 or 8 1-cup servings, I think. Add 2-6 TBSP of heavy cream to each bowl, amount to taste. Stir and serve. (Again, note, add cream only as serving – this makes it much easier to reheat!)
Modifications – this was so much kale! I might have underestimated slighlty. So I’m purchase and browning 1-2 additional pounds of sausage to add to this tonight. I will be adding at least 2 more cups of stock/broth. I will season to taste. But I’m thinking the ratio of sausage to kale will be better to me! 🙂
Sausage – feel free to get any kind of sausage, any kind of ground/minced meat – just make sure to seasoon while cook if unseasoned product with at least salt and pepper. If you get ITALIAN sausage, be sure to leave out the Italian seasoning, unless it needs more punch. Also, if you do not buy a spicy sausage but want it spicy, add crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Kale – you can use any green that wilts. Spinach or other greens can easily be used. If the stems are tough, be sure to “fry” them along side the sausage. I imagine even cabbage could be interesting here.
Garlic – original recipe called for 2 cloves. Use to taste.
Onion – original recipe called for one onion, but my was slightly larger, so I only used half.
Italian Seasoning – add to taste if purchasing sausage that isn’t Italian. Mine was $2 instead of $4 just purchasing regular Spicy sausage.
Heavy cream is to taste. I would add at least on TBSP per bowl. Can supplement with other type of cream or additional butter.
Also this original recipe called for potatoes, just like the soup at the restaurant, but sincerely, this was so great a soup that I just didn’t even notice they were missing. Feel free to add potatoes or riced cauliflower or any other veggie you prefer, if you’ve got the room for it.
SURPRISE SURPRISE – once again the recipe add link is not giving me nutritional data. I will post that later.
UPDATE: Nutritional Data (may change, have to confirm sausage info)
8 servings
Calories: 442
Fat 41 grams (Saturated 20 g; Monounsaturated 6 g)
Cholesterol: 112 mg
Sodium: 1142 mg
Potassium: 282 mg
Carbs: 6 grams, Fiber: 1 gram, Sugar: 1 gram
Protein: 10 grams
Vitamin A: 25%
Vitamin C: 5%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 4%
Carly Koehn – I will read thru that request re: Jell-O stuff. I’ve seen you post that Olive Garden recipe before 😉 I have not tried it yet, I can honestly say I’ve eaten at OG exactly 3 times and never had it. I always had the unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks LOL