Ketovore Whey Protein Bread

I’ve tried many keto breads in my low carb times, but none really did it for me. They were either too eggy, or too cheesy, or too nutty. Not to mention the high omega-6 inflammation you get if you eat too many nuts. Well, enter the whey protein bread. It tastes just like real bread, it’s not moist inside like most nut breads are, and contains half the net carbs per slice than an equivalent nut bread. By far my favorite keto/carnivore bread.

Ingredients
* 50 gr unflavored whey protein isolate (not collagen peptides)
* 113 gr (half a block) cream cheese in room temperature (soft)
* 3 large eggs
* 25 gr psyllium husk powder
* 2 teaspoons baking powder (use a real one, most of them have corn starch as first ingredient, and more carbs)
* 1.5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
* 1/3 teaspoon salt
Also:
* A bit of avocado oil
* Some sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Method
1. Preheat the oven at 325 F. Coat an 8″x3.5″ bread pan with some avocado oil.

2. Using a hand mixer, mix the eggs with the cheese in a bowl, until smooth.

3. Add all other main ingredients and mix well until a smooth batter is created.

4. Pour to the bread pan. Sprinkle with some sesame and/or poppy seeds.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Remove it from the pan, and place on to a cooling rack. Cut it only when it’s completely cooled down. Enjoy!

Keto Singapore Noodles

I felt adventurous on my keto OMAD diet today, so I keto-ified a popular Asian recipe. Overall, about 7 gr net carbs per portion. Here it is.

Ingredients
Char Siu pork (optional, just use plain tenderloin pork if you like)
* 150 gr of tenderloin pork cut in 2.5″ cubes
* 2 tbspoon of sugar-free ketchup
* 1 tbspoon tamari Gluten Free soy sauce
* 1/2 tbspoon Chinese 5 Spice
* 1/2 tbspoon ginger
* black pepper
* 1/2 tbspoon erythritol
* 1/2 tbspoon avocado oil
* 1/2 tbspoon rice wine vinegar (optional)

The curry sauce:
* 1 tbspoon of yellow curry powder (madras if possible)
* Salt & pepper
* 1/2 tbspoon turmeric
* 1/3 teaspoon hot chilli powder or cut chilli pepper to taste
* 1 tbspoon water
* 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil (optional)
* 1/2 tbspoon dry sherry (optional)

The rest:
* 1/4 of a large onion, cut in thin wedges
* 1/4 of a red bell pepper, cut coarsely
* 1/4 of a green bell pepper, cut coarsely
* A small handful of mung bean sprouts
* 2 scallions, cut in 2″ pieces
* A 4″ piece of daikon (Japanese radish)
* 1 egg
* 75 gr shrimp
* Avocado oil as needed

Method
1. Mix well all the char siu ingredients in a big bowl, except the pork. Then, marinate the pork in it for 3-4 hours in the fridge. Bake the pork at 375 F for about 45-50 minutes, turning once. When done, cut it in small pieces. I personally do a lot of char siu pork and then freeze the rest (since it doesn’t make sense to bake or barbeque just 150gr).

2. Create the slurry for the curry sauce by mixing all the ingredients and set aside.

3. Peel, and spiralize the daikon to look like noodles. You can get a cheap spiralizer from Amazon for $7, or a hand-cranked spiralizing machine for $35. The second option is the best, because some daikons don’t fit on the cheap ones.

4. Add some avocado oil and stir-fry the daikon noodles for 2-3 minutes until done (al-dente are best). Remove from pan laid on to some kitchen towels (to drain their water) and set aside.

5. Add avocado oil and fry the shrimp with some salt. Set that aside when it’s done.

6. Add avocado oil and let it get somewhat hot. Add the large onion and the white part of the scallions, and constantly stir. After it starts getting semi-translucent after 1-2 minutes, remove and set aside (all veggies here should have a crunch). Do the same for the peppers.

7. Add an egg and stir it as if you’re doing scrambled eggs. Add the mung beans and stir. 20 seconds later add the onions and white scallions, shrimp, pork, peppers back. Add the curry sauce and stir well to mix for 10 seconds. Add the noodles. Mix well. Add the green parts of scallions. Mix again. Serve.

Kolokythopatates

As always, this oil-free recipe is 200 calories. This one also happens to be a vegetarian dish.

Ingredients (for 1)
* 1 large tomato
* 150 grams zucchini
* 150 grams of a peeled turnip or rutabaga
* parsley, onion and garlic (chopped)
* salt, pepper, oregano
* Optionally: a sliced carrot, cauliflower rice

Method
1. Blend the tomato.

2. Wash, then cut the tuber and zucchini in thin oval slices. Preheat the oven at 400F (200C).

3. Add 1.5 cup of water (even better: bone broth) along the rest of the ingredients in a baking dish.

4. Bake until most of the water is evaporated, the sauce is thickened and the veggies are cooked through. Serve hot.

Fasolakia (Green Beans)

This fresh string-beans dish only very few calories, but if you prefer it with a bit more substance you can add some turnip or rutabaga in it.

Ingredients (for 1)
* 300 gr green beans
* 100 gr of peeled rutabaga or turnip
* 1 medium-size tomato
* A bit of chopped onion
* 1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced
* salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. With a kitchen knife cut and throw away the two edges of each bean. Wash the beans and the tubers.

2. Cut the tubers into small cubes. Finally-chop the onion and tomato (or use a cheese grater for the tomato).

3. In a pan under medium heat add all ingredients and 2-3 cups of water or even better, bone broth. Stir a few times.

4. Cover the pan and let it simmer until the veggies have cooked through and the tomato sauce is thickened. Serve hot.

Low calorie “fried rice”

Lunch today: cauliflower rice with peppers, carrot sticks, broccoli, scallions, cilantro, greens, “fried” on a pan using only 0-calorie sprayed coconut oil, chinese five-spice, and 1 teaspoon of gluten-free tamari soy sauce. Not as yummy as the real thing, but at 135 calories, it was totally worth it! I served it with 1 Pacific sardine (overall, a large, but only a 200 calorie meal).

Keto Pizza

Made an awesome ketogenic pizza for my hubby, along some keto cheesy dinner rolls the other night. The crust was to die for, the most authentic pizza crust from all the keto ideas out there! I’ve documented the event, lol. I made the pizza with… anchovies. It’s an acquired taste to have salty fish on a pizza, but it’s truly, amazingly yummy! 8 gr of net carbs for the whole thing, including the toppings.

Dieting continues

Lost 25 lbs so far, in a little bit over two months and I’m symptom-free for the first time in 17 years. Still, I have another 20 lbs to lose and a few more things to still fix. I’m getting there. Here’s my colorful breakfast today. Beans is the only high-carb food I eat anymore, since my gut needs it. Love them with well-fermented kimchi. Overall, I eat anywhere between 35 and 75 gr of net carbs per day. I’m sure there are days that I fall into ketosis.

Yemista

Here’s yet another Greek favorite. We had to improvise a bit here to get its taste acceptable at 120 calories, and still feel authentic.

Ingredients
* 4 large tomatoes
* 4 medium-sized green ball peppers
* 250 gr of “riced” cauliflower (or rice)
* 50 gr finely chopped button mushrooms
* a small bunch of greens, chopped
* 1 leek, finely chopped
* chopped parsley, onion and garlic
* salt, pepper, oregano

Execution

1. With a knife cut the upper part of the tomato horizontally (see picture). Do the same for the ball pepper.

2. With a tablespoon dig out the tomato’s flesh, chop it finely, and place it in a frying pan. Do the same for the pepper’s spores and internal flesh, but instead throw these away.

3. In the pan that holds the tomato’s flesh, add mushrooms, leek, parsley, onion, garlic, salt, greens, pepper, oregano. Add 1 cup of water (or bone broth), and cook in high heat until the sauce is thickened. Remove from heat and mix well with the cauliflower.

4. Preheat the oven at 400F (200C). With the spoon fill up the internal part of the tomato and pepper with the pan’s contents. Place them in a small oven dish with half a glass of hot water, and bake them until the “rice” is cooked through.

Lahanodolmades

One of the best Greek recipes, lahanodolmades (stuffed cabbage), Paleo-ified (with cauliflower instead of rice). If using rice instead, use 1/2 cup of it, uncooked. 200 calories per plate!

Ingredients (makes 3-4 servings, 5 gr of net carbs each)
* 200 gr of low-fat beef ground meat
* 250 gr of “riced” cauliflower
* 120 gr of “riced” carrots
* 6-10 large cabbage leaves (of this variety preferably)
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 TBspoon parsley, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 TBspoon olive oil (optional, avoid if dieting)
* 2 cups bone marrow broth, or water
* 1 large egg, in room temperature
* 1 large juicy lemon, or 2 smaller ones
* Salt & pepper to taste

Method
1. Wash the cabbage leaves, but be careful to not perforate them. Boil a lot of water in a big cooking pan and immerse the cabbage leaves in it for about 4-5 minutes. The point is to wilt them so we can roll them easily, not to cook them. Discard that water.

2. In a big bowl, mix the meat, the “riced” cauliflower, and the chopped onion, garlic and parsley. Generously add salt & pepper, and using your hands mix all ingredients very well.

3. Take one cabbage leave, and add a small handful of the meat mix on its lower, thicker side. Roll the cabbage once, then fold inwards the two left & right sides, and then continue rolling. Then place that on a cooking pot (with the opening of the rolling touching the bottom of the pot). Do the same for the rest of the mixture and leaves. The big secret for the stuffed cabbage to not unroll while cooking is to pack them very well at the bottom of the pot, so make sure you choose a cooking pot that’s the right size. The less room they have, the more securely will cook.

4. Start cooking in medium heat. Add the bone marrow broth, olive oil, and 1.5 cup additional water. Cook until the liquid has evaporated enough to reveal the stuffed rolls.

5. Remove the pan from the heat. Get a deep plate, and put the egg white in it (keep the egg yolk for later, separately). Start beating the egg white with a whisk for 3-4 minutes, until it becomes a fluffy, creamy substance (picture).

7. Add into the plate the egg yolk and beat again for 1 minute or so. The creamy substance should remain. Add the lemon juice in it, and beat again for 30 seconds. It should look like this now.

8. Using a deep ladle, carefully remove some broth and slowly pour it into the deep plate. Keep beating. Make sure the broth is not super-hot, or the egg will cook. Keep bringing broth to your deep plate. Just pour it slowly, and keep beating! It should look frothy (picture)!

9. Pour the plate’s content back into the pan, and tilt the pan a bit in all directions. It should now have a thick sauce! Crack some black pepper in it, and serve hot (gently reheat if required). Adjust lemon/salt and enjoy!

200 Calorie Hearty Soup

The problem with the low calorie diet recipes found online is that they often contain grains, which provide very little food per calorie. The smart way is to use vegetables mostly, so your stomach fills up until the next meal, no matter its caloric value. Here’s the golden standard of a recipe that provides plenty of nutrition, fiber, protein, and healthy fats to get you through the next meal.

The recipe below doesn’t provide weight of ingredients, as it’s designed for a big pot (so you can freeze some of it), but a portion as in the picture below is a bit less than 200 calories. Just use whatever veggies are already on your fridge.

200 Calorie Hearty Soup

Ingredients
* Turkey breast, OR some white fish
* 1/2 butternut squash, cubed (or 1 zucchini sliced)
* Rutabaga or turnips or yams, cubed
* 2 carrots, cubed
* 1 cup of cabbage, shredded
* 1 cup of cauliflower, cut
* 1/4th cup mushrooms, sliced
* 1 bell pepper, sliced
* A bunch of kale/spinach/chard, chopped
* Some broccoli
* 1/2 onion, sliced
* Some garlic
* 1/2 can of black beans (washed, drained)
* 2 cups of home-made bone broth
* salt & pepper to taste
* juice of a half a lemon

Method
1. In a big pot, bring good quality water to a boil, and add the chicken and everything else, except the lemon and the beans. Cook for about 30 minutes in medium heat.

2. If using fish instead of chicken, add it at the last ~5 minutes of the cooking process. Add the beans in the last 2-3 minutes of the cooking process.

3. Enjoy hot, by squeezing some lemon on your plate.

Fajitas with keto tortillas

Made these sizzling fajitas last night. The most interesting thing about it is the grain-free, ketogenic tortillas. They were a great substitute. You can find the exact recipe here. For the spice mix of the fajitas, I used this (minus the cornstarch and sugar, plus a bit of chipotle). The rest of the ingredients to assemble the fajitas: beef, peppers, onions, guac with some salsa, sour cream.

Amaranth Greens

These are by far my most favorite greens. While the amaranth seeds aren’t Paleo/Pegan (due to being the same family as quinoa), its green leaves are game. Here’s how we eat these in Greece.

Ingredients
* a big bunch of amaranth leaves
* some salt
* Extra virgin olive oil
* Fresh lemon juice

Method
1. Wash the amaranth leaves in cold water and drain.

2. Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot (filled halfway).

3. Boil until soft, for 20-30 minutes, turning them twice. Drain.

4. Place some of the leaves on a plate, drizzle with some olive oil, and lemon juice. Enjoy hot or cold (do not reheat)!