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.

Keto Low Carb Turkey Casserole!

Wonder what to do with the turkey leftovers from the holidays?  Here ya go! You will NOT regret trying this one. It literally makes 10-12 really nice size servings, so don’t let the presence of peas or cream of mushroom scare you. When divided by 10-12, they can easily fit into your macros no matter what they happen to be. Feel free to add bacon or green onion if you want more of a baked potato vibe.

Ingredients:

• 2 bags cauliflower rice (I get mine from Trader Joe’s), microwaved for 10 minutes, stirred, and then another 10 minutes.
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2.5 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or colby jack work perfectly)
• 5 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (more if you like, so taste before baking)
• 2-14 ounce can of mushrooms (one if you’re not a huge fan)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make sure that your cauliflower has been microwaved (for 20 minutes) in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients (but only 1.5 cups of the cheese) to the cauliflower and stir to combine. Taste to see if you would like to add more salt or pepper. Spread into a large casserole dish (mine was 9X13). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Low Carb Egg Salad Wrap

I was pretty excited to find that it could get way easier making hard boiled eggs than what I was used to. I found this little guy and am going to be using it often to enjoy the protein packed delight of eggs. It was less than $20 and makes up to six eggs at a time (and includes a bonus egg poacher and omelet insert).

Mini Hard Boiled Egg Maker!!!

If you haven’t tried the Mission Carb Balance tortillas yet, then you’re missing out. They’re soft with no weird flavors or textures. I use them to make tuna salad as well as other wraps, chips, pizza, and other concoctions. Also, if I had bacon on hand, I would have used it! I think it would have added a great flavor to the already tasty wrap.

Ingredients

1 low carb tortilla

1 egg, hard boiled (or soft boiled)

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp shredded cheese of choice

1/4 avocado (optional)

1/4 tomato, sliced (optional)

desired amount of spinach (optional)

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

Method

If you do not have an egg cooker, boil your egg for 13 minutes and immediately plunge into an ice bath until cooled. Peel the egg, slice, and place into a bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, cheese, and seasonings. Mix.

On the tortilla, layer the spinach, tomato, avocado and then the egg salad mixture.

Enjoy!

Pepperoni Pinwheels

Making some fun apps for a kid-pleasing get-together. Nobody will ever know that they’re Keto.

Pepperoni Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• ¾ cup almond flour
• 2 tbs cream cheese, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
• garlic powder
• sea salt
• Pepperoni–the amount will really depend on how much you like.
• 8-12 mozzarella cheese slices
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. 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.
3. Stir the mixture and add egg until combined.
4. While still warm, cut the dough in half.
5. On a nonstick baking mat or Silpat, use wet fingers and hands to shape each half of the dough into rectangles (size can vary but the approximate size is 6×9 inches)
6. After forming the dough into rectangles, lay down a layer of cheese topped with a layer of pepperoni. How much you put of each depends on your own personal tastes.
7. Sprinkle parmesan over the tops.
8. Gently roll each rectangle into a “log”.
9. Put in the freezer to cool for 20 minutes.
10. Cut each log into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.
11. Lay the pinwheels on the non-stick baking mats or parchment, and bake until tops look golden. About 10-15 minutes.

Serve with ranch or marinara sauce. Makes about two dozen.

Keto Caprese with a Twist

Who says a midnight snack has to make you feel guilty? I had been fasting most of the day, and I just had a hankering for this. On Keto, when you’re hungry, you should eat. So I ate. All ingredients could be found at Trader Joe’s.

Ingredients:
6 oz prosciutto slices
1 avocado, sliced
balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze (from Trader Joe’s)
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 ball of burrata
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Layer prosciutto, tomato, and avocado. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic (you don’t need much of this, as it goes a long way). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Amazing Caprese

My mother in law offered me her awesome tomatoes and basil from her garden. I was able to throw this together to eat as a side dish instead of the fries that everyone else was eating. Soooo tasty.

Ingredients for a single serving:
–10 mozzarella balls
–7 grape or other small tomatoes, halved
–1.5 tsp extra virgin olive oil (or even a flavored oil such as herb or basil)
–1 large basil leaf, cut into ribbons
–1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
–salt and pepper to taste

Lay the mozzarella and tomatoes in the bowl, sprinkle the oil and vinegar over the top, add basil, and season to taste. Voila!