Keto Margarita Pizza!

This had a tasty, crispy crust, and an authentic and traditional margarita flavor. Perfect!

This will make about six slices. Keep in mind that this is much more filling than the carb-filled pizza so you will not expect to eat the entire pizza as you would with the traditional margarita.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 2 tbs cream cheese, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 8 oz whole milk mozzarella, sliced and dried (if purchased in brine)
• 1/2 cup low carb marinara (Trader Joe’s in the refrigerator section with the pizza crusts)
• 1 medium tomato, sliced, seeded, and dried
• 3 basil leaves, chopped

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Combine almond flour, garlic powder, salt, xanthan gum, and cheeses and stir in a bowl. In the microwave, heat for about a minute and 30 seconds.  Stir the mixture and add egg until combined. Use wet hands and press to form into a pizza crust shape and size to your liking. Using a baking mat or parchment will keep it from sticking.  You want it to be relatively thin so that it is crispy (unless you like really soft doughy texture for your pizza).

Poke the crust all over with a fork. Bake for 5 minutes. Poke down bubbles with a fork and cook an additional 3 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

Spread the marinara throughout the crust with the back of a spoon. All a layer of sliced mozzarella, half of the basil, and then the tomatoes. Bake until desired doneness (about 10-15 minutes). Remove from oven, top with remaining basil, and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Makes six slices (servings).

Nutrition

Calories 260 SODIUM 500mg FAT 19g PROTEIN 15g CARBS 8g FIBER 3g

More Beer Cheese Dip in Action!

I used my bread bites in order to make the dippers, and they made these great, puffy morsels to dip into the beer cheese. This got 100% love from both my husband and son. The only thing that I would do differently would be to get the almond meal WITHOUT the almond skins. The dough would have been more smooth without.

Dip Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz low carb beer
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp dijon mustard (even better if you can find stone ground)
• splash of worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese (could use more if you like)

Method

Put all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl and stir. Microwave for 35 seconds, whisk, then another 25 seconds. Whisk until smooth and serve over whatever you’d like!

In the comments, I would love to hear what others ended up making with this! Dip for broccoli crowns or Cauliflower?

Keto at Costco

As I was cruising the aisles at Costco, I saw several items listed as “Keto” friendly. Once I read labels, I realized that the version of Keto that they were referencing must be pretty loose. I do not think that 9g of net carbs for a small snack serving is a great choice, but to each their own. One thing that I did find was this little snack that was really filling and once I weighed my portion out, it was more than I expected. If you’re looking for a keto snack with some crunch, this is a yummy option!

Low Carb Beer Cheese Sauce/Dip

This may not be the prettiest picture I have taken, but I live in a place where microbreweries abound, and I have REALLY been missing going to get a hot pretzel and warm beer cheese dip. I figured I could find something else to serve as a vessel for the amazing beer cheese, so I went with a locally made bratwurst. The real star really is the sauce though. This was so good that my teenager cleaned the bowl and declared it was one of the best things ever.

I used a low carb beer so keep the net carbs insanely low on this one.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz low carb beer
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 1 tsp dijon mustard (even better if you can find stone ground)
• splash of worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese (could use more if you like)

Method

Put all ingredients into a microwave safe bowl and stir. Microwave for 25 seconds, whisk, then another 25 seconds. Whisk until smooth and serve over whatever you’d like!

In the comments, I would love to hear what others ended up making with this! Dip for broccoli crowns or Cauliflower?

Keto Ramen!

So what do you do when you are at the end of the day, you have logged your foods, you’re still hungry, and you no longer have any carbs or calories (if you count them) to spare in your macros? You eat keto ramen! The sodium is also a great boost for the electrolytes so easily lost on this way of eating. Win win!

I was able to get the nutritional information for a single packet of Top Ramen seasoning from the company, and this sucker is a keto winner!

Per seasoning packet:

• calories: 18
• Fat: <1g
• sodium: 1280mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 1g
• Protein: <1g

Ingredients

• 1 packet of Top Ramen seasoning
• 1 package of Miracle Noodles

ALWAYS remember to rinse these noodles thoroughly. They initially have an order that is eliminated by rinsing. You can boil these noodles to death without overcooking them, so have at it! I usually boil about 8-10 minutes to try to soften up a bit more. Just add the seasoning packet with the desired amount of water in the pot with the noodles.

I like to add green onion and cilantro to mine, but put in whatever you like! Maybe a little white pepper?

Rack of Lamb with Garlic Rosemary Drizzle

You can use this drizzle on ANY protein. It is absolutely amazing and elevates any dish.

Ingredients

• 1 frenched rack of lamb
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped rosemary
• 1 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine lemon juice, salt, rosemary, garlic, and olive oil in a bowl and whisk.

Season the lamb with salt and pepper on all sides. Place on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Spoon sauce over the lamb and rub in.

Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 300 and bake until lamb is at desired doneness using a thermometer.

Plate and drizzle sauce over the top.

Enjoy!

Low Carb Chicken Noodle Casserole

Ingredients

• 8 oz. low carb fettuccine noodles
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
• 1 cup cooked, cubed chicken breast
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 cup crushed pork rinds with Italian seasoning (optional)

Method

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

Put peas into the empty pasta strainer. After pasta is done cooking, strain in the strainer with the peas.

Return the pasta and peas to the pan used to cook the pasta. Stir in remaining ingredients, reserving the pork rind “breadcrumbs” if you choose to use them.

Put into a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with “breadcrumbs”. Bake for 20-22 minutes.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Total Carbs per serving: 28

Net Carbs per serving: 13

Low Carb Company Chicken

Growing up, this was an absolute favorite dinner. The only keto tweak here was making seasoned breadcrumbs without carbs. In order to do that, all I needed was some Italian seasoning and crushed pork rinds (hate the smell, love the taste). So here goes…

• 2 cups crushed (or food processed) pork rinds
• 1.5 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 4 chicken breasts (if very thick, pound to 3/4 inch or less
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb mushrooms
• 4 slices muenster cheese
• 1/4 cup canned chicken broth
• 1 1/4 sticks salted butter

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken dry. Place in bowl and pour eggs over. Cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

On a plate, mix pork rinds and Italian seasoning. Drain chicken. Dredge in “breadcrumbs”.

Melt 8 Tbsp butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until just brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to glass baking dish.

Melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter in same skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about five minutes. Spoon mushrooms over chicken. Top with cheese slices. Add broth to baking dish. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Serve hot.