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Keto Greek salad

June 18, 2021Recipes1 Comment

I love the idea of mediterranean food that includes olives, feta cheese, loads of cucumber, a little onion and green extra virgin olive oil. Given that we eat keto, I was concerned by the carbs in traditional Greek salad. I searched out this Keto recipe. I always thought Feta cheese was high in lactose so I researched it and found that it’s low in lactose.

The salad is so full of flavour that it explodes in your mouth. Chop it finely so there’s flavour in every bite. I had the salad nestled in lettuce leaves as a side to pizza.The pizza keto crazy dough recipe is really fantastic. This was a really nice hot weather meal. Try it and enjoy!

Prep time: 10 mins | Servings: 6 as a side

Ingredients:

4 medium ripe truss tomatoes (approx 360g/12.7oz) (I used 300g mini San Marzino tomatoes)
2 medium cucumbers (approx 200g/7oz)
½ medium red onion (approx 60g/2oz)
1 medium green bell pepper (approx 120g/4oz)
120 grams feta cheese, diced (approx 4 ounces)
¼ cup pitted black Kalamata olives
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsps red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar instead)
1 tsp dried oregano
Lemon juice
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

Wash the tomatoes, cucumbers, and pepper, then cut into large dice pieces.
Dice the onion crumble the feta.
Add all of the diced vegetables into a large salad bowl, season with salt and pepper.
Make the salad dressing. MIx together the olive oil, red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar), oregano, and lemon juice, until combined.
Then to the salad, add the remaining ingredients: olives, feta, and salad dressing. Toss to combine.

Allow the salad to chill in the fridge for up to 2 hours before serving.
I served my greek salad with homemade crazy keto dough pizzas.

The salad can also be enjoyed as a main dish served on a bed of little gem lettuce and wild rocket.
Enjoy!!

Keto Chicken Yakitori

June 11, 2021RecipesWrite a comment

It was a very hot day here so we decided to have a bbq. None of us wanted sauces full of carbs. I found this recipe which was easy to make. I prepared the sauce and put it in the fridge to marinate the bite size chicken pieces. Make sure the chicken is not wet so that the marinade sticks. Keep a third of the sauce to brush the chicken skewers when they are on the bbq as it protects the meat and keeps it moist. We also made juicy burgers from organic Aberdeen Angus steak mince. We have these Keto bread rolls which are just 2.7g per roll. Sadly, they’re not gluten free. Their loaves are good too. The Yakitori chicken skewers are really delicious. The flavour and stickiness really makes them special. They are easy to make and you could cook them on a griddle or in the oven. My aunt doesn’t follow a Keto diet but enjoyed several skewers and asked for the recipe. Try this recipe, it is definitely a keeper. Enjoy!

Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 17 mins | Servings: 6

Nutrition for 1 serving (1/6): calories 278 | carbs 1.1g | protein 35.8g | fat 11.9g

Ingredients:

1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce (I used gluten-free soy sauce)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Swerve Brown (I used white erythritol)
2 tbsp BochaSweet (I used allulose instead)
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used garlic paste)
1 tsp minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger) (I used ginger paste)
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (chopped into bite sized pieces) (I used chicken breast instead)
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 medium spring onion, chopped

Method:

In a pan over medium heat, combine the tamari/soy sauce, water, sweetener, BochaSweet/allulose, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Next add the xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Continue to boil for around 2 to 3 minutes, until somewhat thickened. Then, remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Place the chicken in a bowl and toss with 2/3 of the sauce. Refrigerate 2 hours to marinate. Reserve the remaining sauce for serving with the chicken.
If you’re using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least an hour, to stop them from burning. You will need 6 to 8 large skewers or 12 small appetizer-sized skewers. I made 8 large chicken skewers.
Preheat the grill to medium high and grease to prevent sticking. Thread the chicken onto the skewers.
Place the skewers on the grill, or I cooked mine on the BBQ, and continuously brush with the marinating sauce so the chicken is fully coated.
Grill 5 to 6 minutes per side, brushing frequently with the marinating sauce.
Once cooked remove from the heat, and serve with sesame seeds and chopped spring onions scattered over top. Serve with the reserved sauce at the table.

Gluten Free keto lactose-free low carb sugar-free

Spiced Antioxidant Granola Clusters

May 24, 2021RecipesWrite a comment

I don’t really do yogurt, fruit and granola but I am interested in the mediterranean diet. I made this for family members who are low carb and enjoy granola. This recipe is taken from ‘The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook -keto friendly’. I intend to try several recipes from this book over the few weeks as I should have more time.

The recipe was easy to make and came out well. I tried it, it’s crunchy and the flavour is good. My only comment is I would add some Keto sweetener. Family members really enjoyed it and said it is far better than commercial granola. It made enough to fill two litre containers so next time I will make a half quantity. It is very much worth trying. Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 10 – 1 hr 20 mins | Servings: 10

Ingredients:

1 cup / 75g unsweetened fine coconut flakes
1 cup / 60g unsweetened large coconut flakes
1/4 cup / 38g flax meal
1/4 cup / 38g chia seeds
1/2 cup / 50g pecans, chopped
1 cup / 145g blanched almonds, roughly chopped or flaked almonds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground anise seed
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup / 83g light tahini
1/4 / 60ml coconut oil
2 large egg whites
optional: unsweetened almond milk, coconut cream, coconut yoghurt, or full-fat goat’s yoghurt to serve.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 265 F (130 C) or 110 C fan assisted. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
Place all the dry ingredients, including the lemon zest in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
In a smaller bowl, mix the tahini with the coconut oil. Then add to the dry ingredients, and mix to combine.
Add the egg whites, and mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
Spoon the mixture onto the lined baking tray, and crumble all over. Bake for 1 hour 10- 1 hour 20 mins, until golden.

Remove from the oven, and let the clusters cool completely; they will crisp up as they cool.
Serve on its own, or with a milk, yoghurt or cream of your choice. I chose to serve mine with some raspberries and yoghurt.
Enjoy!!

Note: Store in an air tight container at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

gluten-free keto lactose-free low carb

Keto Blueberry Bread

May 7, 2021RecipesWrite a comment

This is a very good recipe which is relatively straightforward. The result was a delicious and tender baked cake. The lemon drizzle on the top really helped the overall flavour. The part of the recipe that wasn’t so successful was putting the lemon icing into a ziplock bag and snipping off the corner to drizzle evenly over the top of the cooled cake. That was rather messy so in the interests of keeping it simple I spread the icing on the top of the cake with a spatula. It made 12 thick slices and I stored it in the fridge in a cake box. Everybody loved it especially my little sister. She is in to Keto cakes or maybe its just any cake! I will be making this cake again but next time I am going to ramp up the lemon and leave out the blueberries and go for the traditional flavour. This cake mix is a good recipe. Try it and enjoy!

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 1 hour 5 mins | Servings: 12

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, separated, room temperature
1/2 cup / 114g butter, melted then cooled
1/2 cup / 115g sour cream, room temperature (I used a plant-based single cream instead)
1 lemon, 3 tbsp lemon juice & zest of 1 lemon
2 cup / 200g almond flour
1/3 cup / 40g coconut flour
1/2 cup 100g granulated sweetener
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup / 120g fresh blueberries

Lemon icing:

4 tbsp powdered sweetener
2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F. Line a loaf tin with grease-proof paper, or grease with butter or oil.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs whites, until stiff peaks form. Then set aside.
In another bowl, add the egg yolks and the melted, cooled butter. (Melt in the microwave for around 1 minute, and allow to cool for around 2 minutes, if too hot the butter will cook the eggs.) Whisk together until combined, then fold through the cream and lemon juice.

Next, in a different bowl combine all the dry ingredients, stir until fully incorporated. Also add the lemon zest.
Add the egg yolk mix to the dry ingredients, as well as 1/2 the stiff egg white mix. Stir until combined.
Fold the remaining 1/2 of the egg whites through the batter, until smooth. Be careful not to over-mix as this will remove air from the batter.

Last, fold the blueberries through the batter.
Then, fill the loaf tin with batter, and level with a spatula.

Bake in the oven for around 65-70 minutes, on the middle shelf until golden and can insert and remove a knife/skewer without crumbs sticking.
Check the bread after 40 minutes, once it’s browned on top, loosely place some tin foil over the top to prevent burning.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Optional: make the lemon icing by mixing lemon juice with powdered sweetener. Drizzle over once the blueberry bread is fully cooled.
Serve & enjoy!!

gluten-free keto lactose-free low carb

Keto sugar free ‘oatmeal’ cookies

April 26, 2021RecipesWrite a comment

These are no ‘oatmeal’ cookies as you substitute flaked almonds and coconut flakes. However, it’s a good recipe and the cookies are chewy and delicious. We all enjoyed them. I used a small ice-cream scoop to portion the mixture into 9 on the baking sheet. I did find that the cookies browned quicker than expected. At around 12 minutes I reduced the temperature slightly to 140C (fan assisted) for the remaining time. I would suggest checking after 10 minutes baking. Net carbs per cookie are 2.1g per large, satisfying cookie. They kept well in an airtight container on the worktop for 5 days. Try them and enjoy.

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Servings: 9

Ingredients:

1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup / 115g unsalted butter, melted then cooled (I used a lactose-free butter)
3/4 cup / 75g flaked almonds
1/3 cup / 20g coconut flakes (I used desiccated coconut)
1/4 cup / 50g granulated sweetener (I used erythritol)
1 large egg, cold
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp xanthan gum, optional
1/2 tsp salt, optional

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / 160 fan.
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Using a sharp knife, chop 1/2 cup / 50g of almonds and the coconut flakes (I used desiccated coconut so didn’t need to chop it) so they resemble the size of oats. You can use a food processor to do this if you prefer.
In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Next, add the melted butter, vanilla extract and egg, mix together to form a dough.

Once a dough is formed, roll the mix into 9 balls, and place on the lined baking tray. I used an ice-cream scoop instead of rolling the balls by hand.
Chop the remaining 1/4 cup of almonds, and press into the top of the cookies.