You're welcome, Mack, I hope the chicken came out nicely. Glad to be some sort of inspiration for improved health.
I'll start off this week's post with dessert, simply because I happen to have the recipe open on another window. They taste great, even if they're not as light and airy as I would like (YET. I'm working on getting some ingredients that should help make these feel more like classic deep fried doughnuts. I'll let you know if they turn out, and simply "forget" if they don't )
Attachment 16185
Glazed Doughnuts
1 c.(100g) Blanched Almond Flour
1 scoop (30g) Whey Isolate (aka. Protein Powder, found in most any health food shop or health club ). I couldn't find unflavored, so chose vanilla. You can use whatever flavor you prefer, including chocolate and banana...)
1 tsp Xanthan Gum
1.5 tsp Baking Powder
1 Large Egg
1 tbsp Olive Oil
3 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla or 12 drops Oooflavours Vanilla Cupcake Flavoring
1/4 c. Sugar Substitute (I used 1/8 c. Erythritol/Steviol Glycosides and 1/8 c. Splenda
1/4 c. Water
Glaze:
2 tbsp Powdered Sugar Substitute (I don't recommend Splenda for this. it's got no "body" compared to regular powdered sugar. I used it and it came out thin and not very glazey, so to speak. I know there are others out there, and I'll be getting one sooner or later.)
1 tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Vanilla
Required tools beyond the obvious:
Silicone or other Non-stick doughnut/bagel mold (as seen in the photo)
Instrutions:
Preheat oven to 350F/175C.
Mix all the doughnut ingredients in a bowl until a smooth mixture is achieved.
Spoon into doughnut mold, not to worry if it overflows slightly, they don't really spread much.
Smooth top of doughnuts with a wet finger or spoon if you are worried about "contaminants". But seriously, who doesn't enjoy licking the batter off when baking? Though I do expect you'll want to wash your hands clean of spit before touching the food again... Just a guess.
Bake Doughnuts for 20 minutes and remove to cool completely before removing from the molds.
Mix the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.
Dip each doughnut into the glaze and set on a plate to dry before storing in fridge or freezer if not eating them as soon as you can hide the evidence.
And now for dinner, including accompanying salads.
I'll start this off with most of what's pictured in the two previous photographs, but as I'm really itching to get back in-game, I'll try to finish adding the others later today or tomorrow.
To start with:
Side Dishes
Cauliflower Gratin with Sour Cream and Gruyere
rich, cheesy and comforting, is the perfect keto alternative to potato gratin.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Vered DeLeeuw
INGREDIENTS
▢1 teaspoon butter for pan
▢1 lb. cauliflower florets
▢1 cup sour cream
▢1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
▢1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
▢½ cup grated gruyere cheese (50 grams)
▢1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
▢½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
▢2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Grease a shallow 1.5-quart baking dish with butter or olive oil.
Place the cauliflower florets in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add a tablespoon of water. Cover with a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high until tender-crisp, 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, mustard, garlic, gruyere, salt and pepper.
Drain the cooked cauliflower well (careful, the bowl will be hot) and pat it dry. Add it to the sour cream sauce, gently tossing to combine.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
NOTES
You can top the gratin with bacon bits or crushed pork rinds before baking.
If your baking dish is broiler-safe you can switch the oven to broil after the gratin is done and broil the dish for 1-2 minutes to brown the top. Keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in the microwave on 50% power.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
Serving: 0.25recipe | Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Sodium: 447mg | Fiber: 3g - Net Carbs: 6g / serving
Sesame Eggplant Salad
I usually have to double this recipe, as my father and I love it so much that we end up eating double portions (I know, I got no self-respect!) of this lovely comestible.
Ingredients:
1 Lrg Eggplant (the oblong kind, not the round suckers) or 1 1/4 lbs Oriental Eggplant (yeah, there are some major differences I won't go into here)
1 1/2 tbsp EACH sesame seeds and salad oil (olive oil if not intending to eat it all at one sitting, or coconut oil if you are. Why? Coconut oil solidifies under typical room temperatures, making it kinda unsightly and goopy looking when cold. You CAN reheat it just enough in a low microwave, but still...)
1 tsp each (at least... I'm a firm believer in almost no such thing as too much... ) minced garlic and fresh ginger
1 tbsp each low sodium/gluten free soy sauce (or 2 1/2 tsp coconut aminos if really keeping keto) and rice vinegar
1/2 tsp 1:1 sugar substitute
2 or 3 whole green onions
Pierce eggplant in several places with sharp knife. Bake uncovered in a 400F oven until very soft (about 1 hour for regular eggplant, 45 min. for oriental, as they're much thinner)
Cool, then pull off and chuck the skins. Tear the flesh into long shreds with a pair of forks, discarding any big seed pockets (I usually get too lazy for that bit with the seeds, but it tastes just the same, and is a bit more filling, though I tend to have to add more soy sauce and vinegar for fuller flavor). Cover and chill in fridge for up to 2 days.
When ready to finish, place sesame seeds and oil in a small frying pan over low heat and toast the sesame until golden to golden brown, but not too dark as it affects the flavor. You don't want burnt seeds in this.. Stir in ginger and garlic briefly, then remove pan from heat and let cool naturually. Stir in soy sauce/coconut aminos, vinegar and sugar substitute, cover and cool/chill (depending on which oil is used)
1 hour prior to serving, place eggplant in a colander or strainer over the sink and drain very well. You don't want too much "eggplant juice" in this, as it waters down the flavor, as it were. Thinly slice green onions, preferably the white and full-fleshed green parts only, not the limp ends. Dump all into a serving bowl and mix thoroughly.
Optionally, you can toast another tbsp of sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts or a combination there-of and sprinkle them over the top of each serving.
Main Courses:
Oven Roasted Asado (Translated from an Israeli recipe)
Ingredients:
2 kg (4 1/2 lbs.) Asado (short ribs) with bone, or about 1.5 kg / 3 1/5 lbs. boneless)
1/4 c. Olive Oil
1/4 c. Coconut Oil (replaces suggested canola oil, which is not keto friendly)
2-4 Peeled Turnips - Cut into large chunks
2 Carrots cut into 1 inch chunks (or 2-3 Parsnips cut in 1 inch chunks if wishing to keep carbs to absolute minimum)
2 - 3 Bell Peppers, any color, but Yellow, Red & Orange look better. Just Sayin'. Cut in 1 inch chunks.
3 Medium Onions Sliced 1/8" thick - separate to make it easier to cook down
12 Large Cloves Garlic - whole, peeled. Hell, why not just use the whole head, peeled? I did. YUM!
1 - 2 Basket Mushrooms - I like to mix types for both texture and flavor. Button, Portobello, Cremini, whatever.
1 c. Peeled Chestnuts - Optional ( suggested in original recipes, but NOT KETO FRIENDLY! I don't recommend them. Tasted great without.)
Spice Rub Mix:
1 tsp. Grill Spice - Chicken version (recipe located here: https://www.thetasteofkosher.com/isr...ken-seasoning/)
1/3 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp Lamb Spice (Moroccan Mix - recipe located here: https://www.food.com/recipe/moroccan...er-meat-349928)
1 tsp. Sweet Paprika
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Mustard Seed
1 tsp. Onion Soup Mix (Preferably gluten/wheat free type)
4-5 whole Allspice Seeds (sometimes referred to as English Pepper, but that could just be because it's translated from Hebrew, dunno for sure)
1 tsp. Salt - 1 1/4 tsp. if using course Kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Rinse and dry the meat, cut into good sized chunks and place in a large bowl. Drizzle oil over meat. Sprinkle liberally with the spices and mix it all together, massaging the resulting "gravy" into the meat evenly. Let stand half an hour, at least.
In a large skillet, braise the meat on all sides until nicely browned all over. While meat is browning, spread the sliced onions along the bottom of a roasting pan to provide a "bed" for the meat. Add the browned meat to the roasting pan. Spread garlic cloves among the hunks of meat.
Place turnips, carrots or parsnip, and peppers in the bowl the spice and oil remain from marinating the meat. Mix until all are coated with the oil and spices, then spread around the roasting pan among the meat chunks.
Tightly cover the roasting pan with 2 layers of aluminum foil and place in preheated 450F/230C oven for half an hour.
After half hour, reduce heat to 350F/170C and continue cooking for 2 more hours. Remove from oven (don't forget to close it while proceeding to keep the hot on the inside) and test for softness. If not quite ready, return for another 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour, tops)
Remove all to serving dish, reserving as much liquid as possible, to be thickened into a proper gravy. You can thicken it with about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum or 1/2 - 1 tsp Psyllium Husk (blend and test for thickness, adding more or not as preferred), using an immersion blender to avoid clumps of gum and in order to insure smoothness rather than a "jellied" result. You may add some heavy cream for more body and creaminess.
Note: You can also deglaze the skillet with 1/2 c. Red Wine of your choice after you brown the meat, cooking it down to half the volume, then pour over the meat and veggies just before putting it in the oven. I found that made for a much nicer gravy, and it sure helped with clean-up).
Next up, a family favorite from our visits to The Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, NYC:
Sausage, Peppers, and Onions
PREP TIME 10 mins
COOK TIME 40 mins
TOTAL TIME 50 mins
SERVINGS 4 servings
Ingredients
• 4 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a couple of each) More, if they're not particularly large, like here in Israel. I'm going to make my own, soon
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1green bell pepper, sliced into 3 inch strips
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into 3 inch strips
• 1 bell pepper of another color (yellow or orange or purple), sliced into 3-inch strips
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch half-moons
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup Marsala or red wine, optional
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
• Salt to taste
Method
Brown the sausages:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan that has a lid. When the oil is hot, add the sausages and brown
them slowly.
If they sizzle and crackle too much, turn the heat down. You want a gentle browning, not a sear. Cook for several
minutes, turning them occasionally so they brown on all sides. When the sausages are browned, remove from the
pan and set aside.
Sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic:
Increase the heat to high and add the onions and peppers. Toss so they get coated with the oil in the pan and
sear them as well as you can, stirring every so often.
Once the onions and peppers soften, sprinkle some salt on them. Once you get some blackening from a good
sear on the onions and peppers, add the garlic, and cook for one more minute.
Deglaze pan with wine (optional):
Add the Marsala or red wine if you are using. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a metal spatula or wooden spoon
to release all the browned and blackened bits. Let the wine cook down by half.
Simmer all the ingredients:
Add the tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir well to combine. Add the sausages back in.
Bring to a simmer. then reduce the heat to low.
Cover and simmer until the peppers are soft and the sausages are cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Serve:
Serve over (non-keto!) polenta, penne pasta, or load up a sausage and pile the peppers and onions on a hoagie roll. I'm working on a recipe for a sort of a Keto Tortilla wrap made from almond flour and will get back to you if I think it's a workable solution for replacing the (drools) hoagie roll. Heck, I'm hoping it helps make it drip resistant, which the hoagie roll usually isn't.
Sausage and peppers and onions will keep for several days in the fridge.
To be continued.