Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet (59 page)

Perfect Roast Keto Chicken
by Elana Amsterdam (
ElanasPantry.com
)

Author of
Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes

Serves
: 4
Prep time
: 10 minutes
Cook time
: 1½ hours

Note from Elana:
This recipe is based on one from Ina Garten’s
The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook
. My best friend from childhood, Helen, introduced me to Ina, and I have been hooked on her books ever since. While Ina’s recipe calls for wheat flour, chicken stock, and butter, mine is a tad simpler and gluten-free as well. I make this go-to dish at least once a week and use the carcass for chicken stock. My boys love this!

Ingredients

1 (2- to 3-pound) whole chicken

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 lemon, halved

1 head garlic, peeled and cut in half crosswise

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, quartered

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
   
2. Remove the chicken giblets, rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat dry. Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and liberally sprinkle the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
   
3. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, lemon, and garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
4. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wings under the body. Place each onion quarter into a corner of the baking dish. Roast the chicken for 1 ½ hours, or until the juices run clear. Allow to cool slightly and serve.
   

Almond Butter Keto Bombs
by Dietitian Cassie (
DietitianCassie.com
)

Yield: 16 pieces
Prep time
: 5 minutes
Cook time
: 2 hours to freeze

Note from Cassie:
My favorite bedtime snack is one that promotes stable blood sugars through a combination of healthy fat and a little bit of carbohydrate, and one that also provides a touch of sweetness without unnecessary sugar. These Almond Butter Keto Bombs are the result of my experimenting with my three favorite healthy fats!

Ingredients

1 cup almond butter

¾ cup organic, unrefined coconut oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 to 3 teaspoons stevia powder extract

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and microwave for 45 seconds.
   
2. Whisk the ingredients together and pour the mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze for 2 hours.
   
3. Once they’re frozen, you can pop the fat bombs out of the ice cube trays and store them in an airtight container in the freezer, or keep them stored in the ice cube trays!
   

Camille’s Keto Energy Bars
by Camille Macres (
CamilleMacres.com
)

Author of
Paleogasm: 150 Grain, Dairy and Sugar-free Recipes That Will Leave You Totally Satisfied and Begging for More

Yield: 18 to 24 bars
Prep time
: 10 minutes
Cook time
: 3 hours to chill

Note from Camille:
This is my favorite snack recipe by
far
. It is loaded with healthy fats and protein, so it’s wonderful to have on-hand to keep blood sugar stable throughout the day. These bars are also awesome to eat pre-workout.

Although you can use any brand of protein powder, I prefer Sun Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder, as it has just a couple ingredients and no soy or dairy, and it’s sweetened with stevia, which gives the bars some sweetness without any sugar.

Ingredients

1 cup coconut oil, melted

1 cup almond butter, macadamia nut butter, or cashew butter

½ cup protein powder

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

½ cup dried cranberries, raisins, or dried cherries

1 cup slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts

½ cup cacao nibs

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, nut butter, and protein powder until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and stir.
   
2. Line a baking sheet or cake pan with parchment paper, making sure it goes all the way up the sides. Pour in the batter (don’t let the batter touch the actual pan or it will be very messy and difficult to remove). Cover and refrigerate for about 3 hours, or until solid.
   
3. Lift the bars off the baking sheet with the parchment paper underneath and cut into squares for serving.
   
4. Store the bars in the refrigerator! If they get too warm, the coconut oil will melt and they will turn into a puddle.
   

Jimmy Moore’s Homemade Keto Béarnaise Sauce

Yield: 1 cup
Prep time
: 5 to 10 minutes
Cook time
: 20 to 25 minutes

When you’ve eaten keto for an extended period of time, you’re always on the lookout for ways to squeeze even more healthy fats, especially saturated fat, into your meals. Browsing around online, I found inspiration in a post on Diet Doctor (DietDoctor.com), the blog of a Swedish physician friend of mine named Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt. He showed a picture of a typical low-carb meal in his home: a steak, some veggies cooked in butter, and a béarnaise sauce. Honestly, I’d never made a béarnaise sauce before, but it looked easy enough. It turned out to be an amazing discovery that I think you’re gonna love too.

Ingredients

5 tablespoons salted grass-fed butter (I like Kerrygold brand)

12 pastured eggs

¼ cup white wine vinegar

Pinch of dried basil or another spice of your choice (such as Italian seasoning or tarragon)

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. While it melts, in a large mixing bowl separate the egg yolks from the egg whites, discarding the whites. Beat the yolks thoroughly until smooth and creamy.
   
2. To the skillet, add the white wine vinegar, dried basil, sea salt, and pepper and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes, then pour the butter mixture slowly into the beaten egg yolks, stirring constantly. Once all the butter is in the bowl, whisk briskly until a beautiful creamy sauce emerges.
   
4. Use immediately and pour on top of spaghetti squash, grass-fed steak, or anything you want to add more fat to.
   

Mushroom Burger Scramble
by Linda Genaw (
Genaw.com/LowCarb
)

Serves
: 6 to 8
Prep time
: 10 minutes
Cook time
: 45 to 50 minutes

Note from Linda:
This has become one of my favorite dishes, and I make it a couple times a month. It makes a lot, so it’s great for leftovers. I use ground beef with the highest percentage of fat, and I don’t drain the fat after browning the meat. The fat will settle on the bottom of the casserole as it cools, and while that doesn’t bother me, you can skip the Parmesan cheese topping and stir the dish occasionally as it cools to redistribute the fat, if you like.

Ingredients

2 pounds grass-fed ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces), plus additional for topping (optional)

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1½ teaspoons sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Butter, lard, or tallow, to grease the pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
   
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown the hamburger, onion, and garlic; drain the fat if desired (I keep the fat in). Stir in the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Add the softened cream cheese, mashing it into the meat to blend well. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and cream; mix well. Add the garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and adjust to taste.
   
4. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle some extra Parmesan cheese over the top, if desired. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbly and browned.
   

Coconut Almond Porridge
by Louise Hendon (
AncestralChef.com
)

Author of
30-Minute Paleo Dessert Recipes: Simple Gluten-Free and Paleo Desserts for Improved Weight Loss

Serves
: 1
Cook time
: 10 minutes

Note from Louise:
I love trying out cuisines from other countries, and it’s one of the main reasons why my husband and I are embarking on a four-year around-the-world trip! Many of my recipes are inspired by dishes from various countries across the globe. The original inspiration for this one was amlou, a Moroccan sweet almond paste that’s often served at breakfast.

It can be difficult to find coconut cream without added sugar. A good alternative is to skim the cream from the top of a can of refrigerated coconut milk. And for a less creamy version, you can use straight coconut milk.

Ingredients

¾ cup coconut cream

½ cup almonds, ground

Stevia

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Pinch of cloves

Pinch of cardamom (optional)

1. Heat the coconut cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until it forms a liquid.
   
2. Add the ground almonds and stevia to taste and mix well. Keep stirring for approximately 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.
   
3. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom; taste and add more if desired. Serve hot.
   

Bacon Brussels Sprouts
by Abel James and Alyson Rose (
FatBurningMan.com
)

Serves
: 2 to 3
Prep time
: 10 minutes
Cook time
: 30 minutes

Simplicity in a recipe is always a good thing. Take four amazing, keto-friendly ingredients and you’ve got the makings for an incredible side dish to complement your lunch or dinner. My friends Abel and Alyson realize the importance of dietary fat in fat-burning, and this tasty recipe infuses plenty of it.

Ingredients

3 slices bacon

3 cups halved Brussels sprouts

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Sea salt

1. In a skillet or sauté pan, cook the bacon, remove from pan, and set aside.
   
2. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook in the bacon grease over medium-low heat until brown and soft, about 18 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. While the sprouts cook, crumble or slice the cooked bacon into bits.
   
3. Add the bacon bits and garlic powder to the Brussels sprouts, and salt to taste.
   

Baked Creamed Spinach
by Carrie Brown (
CarrieBrown.com
)

Serves
: 4 to 6
Prep time
: 10 minutes
Cook time
: 50 minutes

Note from Carrie:
Struggling to get your greens in? I hated spinach with a passion for years, until one day I decided that I had to find a way to make it delicious. It’s amazing what the addition of some healthy fats can do for a pile of leafy greens! Now I eat spinach all the time, and this recipe is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. Yum!

Konjac flour and glucomannan powder can be found in health food or supplement stores, but you might find it easiest to order them online from Amazon.com.

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh spinach

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 pound onions, chopped

2 teaspoons konjac flour or glucomannan powder

2 cups coconut milk, divided

¼ cup heavy cream

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 eggs, separated

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
   
2. Place the spinach in a dry large pan, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until completely wilted. Remove the spinach from the pan, drain well, chop finely, and set aside.
   
3. In the same pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the konjac flour to a small bowl and quickly whisk in 1 cup of the coconut milk. Add the konjac milk mixture to the onions and stir until the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk, the cream, salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, egg yolks, and chopped spinach, and stir until completely mixed. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until the egg whites are ready to add.
   
5. In a small bowl, use a hand mixer on high to beat the egg whites until very stiff. Remove the pan with the spinach from heat and quickly and carefully fold in the stiff egg whites. Tip the spinach mixture into an ovenproof dish and place in the oven 30 minutes, or until the top just starts to brown.