If you think going keto is absolutely impossible, you have to reconsider it. The Keto diet is a famous way of losing weight without subscribing to all that suffering and abstinence that come along.
Mix up your weeknights with tasty dishes such as cheesy bacon ranch chicken, bacon-wrapped cauliflower, and some hearty keto chili. Keto is basically a low-carb diet, similar to the Atkins diet. The whole point is for you to get more calories from protein and fat, and less from carbs.
You have to cut most of the carbs that are extremely easy to digest, such as sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread.
Keto Corned Beef & Cabbage
Corned beef and cabbage are a delicacy, especially on Saint Patrick’s day. This keto version is very tender and full of flavor, so we definitely want to taste it more than once a year.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 lbs corned beef
- 2 onions, cut in quarters
- 4 celery stalks, quartered crosswise
- 1 package of pickling spices
- salt
- Black pepper
- 1 medium green cabbage, cut into 2-inch wedges
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut just like the green cabbage
- 1/2 c. Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 c. mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp. capers, roughly chopped, with 1 tsp of brine
- 2 tbsp. parsley, roughly chopped
How to:
- Place the corned beef, onion, celery, and pickling spices into a big pot. Add some water to cover by 2 inches, season with some salt and pepper, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and then simmer until it’s very tender, 3 and a half hours.
- In the meantime, whisk dijon mustard with some apple cider vinegar in a small bowl, and season everything with salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix some mayo, capers, caper brine, and some parsley. Season it with some salt and pepper.
- Add the cabbage and carrots and keep on simmering for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the cabbage is tender. Remove the meat, cabbage, and carrots from the pot. Slice the corned beef and season with some salt and pepper. Serve it with both sauces on the side.
Keto Beef Stew
Keto Beef Stew isn’t all that different from the beef stew you normally know. It’s still very silky and deeply comforting.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb. of beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, carefully sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into rounds
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 6 c. low-sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
How to:
- Pat down the beef dry with some paper towels and season it very well with salt and pepper. In a larger pot over medium heat, add oil. Work with everything in batches. Add the beef first and let it cook on all sides until it’s golden, around 3 minutes per side. Remove it from the pot and repeat with the rest of the beef, adding more oil if it’s necessary.
- In that same pot, add the mushrooms and cook until they turn golden and crispy 5 minutes. Add some onion, carrots, and celery, and cook everything until it softens, around 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until it softens, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it’s fully fragrant, 1 minute more. Add in the tomato paste and stir to coat the veggies.
- Add the broth, thyme, rosemary, and beef to the pot and season with some salt and pepper. Bring everything to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until the beef is tender, around 50 minutes to an hour.
Keto Mac & Cheese
If you tried keto, then you already know that there are many forbidden ingredients in the classic mac & cheese. However, our keto versions take all the trouble ingredients without sacrificing the flavor.
Ingredients:
- butter
- 2 medium heads of cauliflower, cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- salt
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 6oz. cream cheese, cut into smaller cubes
- 2 c. shredded mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon of hot sauce (optional)
- black pepper, freshly ground
- 4 oz. pork rinds, crushed
- 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley, for garnish at the end
How to:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a baking dish. In a big bowl, toss the cauliflower with 2 tbsp oil and season with some salt. Spread the cauliflower on two large baking sheets, and roast them until they become tender and lightly golden, around 40 minutes max.
- In the meantime, in a big pot over medium heat, prepare the cream. Bring up to a simmer, then decrease the heat to low and stir in cheeses until they’re fully melted. Remove from heat, add some hot sauce if you want to and season everything with salt and pepper, then fold in the roasted cauliflower. Taste and season more if you have to.
- Transfer the mix to a prepared baking dish. In a medium bowl, stir to combine the pork rinds, Parmesan, and oil. Sprinkle the mixture in an even layer over the cauliflower and cheese.
- Bake until everything turns golden, for 15 minutes. Garnish with parsley.
Keto Fried Chicken
Yes, you can eat fried chicken even if you’re on a keto diet, and yes, it’s just as tasty as the regular one!
Ingredients:
- 6 bone-in, skin-out chicken breasts (around 4 lbs.)
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 big eggs
- 1/2 c. heavy cream
- 3/4 c. almond flour
- 1 1/2 c. finely crushed pork rinds
- 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 c. mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsp. hot sauce
How to:
- Preheat your oven until it’s 400 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Pat the chicken down dry with some paper towels and season it with condiments. In a shallower bowl, mix the eggs and the heavy cream together. In another bowl, add almond flour, pork rinds, Parmesan, garlic powder, and paprika. Season it with salt and pepper.
- Working one at a time, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the almond flour mixture. Place the chicken on the baking sheet.
- Bake until the chicken turns golden and its internal temperature is around 165 degrees. It will usually take 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the dipping sauce: in a medium bowl, put the mayonnaise and the hot sauce together. Add more hot sauce, depending on how spicy you prefer. Serve your chicken warm with the dipping sauce.
Keto Stuffed Cabbage
The secret to this low-carb version of stuffed cabbage is no other than the cauliflower rice! You could either make it at home or buy it pre-made.
Ingredients:
- 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 cabbage leaves
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 3/4 lb. ground pork
- 1 c. riced cauliflower
- 3 green onions, carefully sliced
- 1/4 c. parsley, finely chopped
- freshly ground black pepper
How to:
- Prepare the oven to 375 degrees. Puree the tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes together. Add the onion and garlic powder, and oregano to the blender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. In a big deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the tomato mixture, bring to a simmer, then lower to medium-low and simmer for another 20 minutes, until you notice it has thickened.
- In a big pot of boiling water, blanch the cabbage leaves until they’re tender and flexible, around 1 minute. Set aside.
- Make the filling: in a big bowl, combine the 1/2 c. tomato sauce, ground meats, cauliflower rice, scallions, and parsley. Season everything with salt and pepper.
- Spread a very thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish. Use a paring knife, and cut out the hard triangular rib from each cabbage leaf. Place 1/3 cup filling into one end of each leaf, then roll everything up, tuck in the sides the more you roll. Place the rolls side-down on top of the sauce in the baking dish. Spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the cabbage rolls. Bake for 45 minutes to 55 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and its internal temperature reaches 150 degrees.
- Garnish with parsley.
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