Logo
Write a comment

User Rating: 5 / 5

Star ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar ActiveStar Active
 

100922 food column

Bite by Bite
Conquering My Culinary Bucket List One Dish at a Time
By Emily Banks Wooten

Hubby has followed the keto diet several times over the years and has always had success with it. The ketogenic diet (or keto diet, for short) is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet mainly used for weight loss in adults. Some people allege that following it offers many health benefits. I don’t know. I’m not a doctor and I haven’t discussed keto with my doctor. I had been a little skeptical previously and had never tried it. However, after being tired of being out of shape, getting winded after the slightest movement and my clothes not fitting, I decided to give it a go.

We went grocery shopping and loaded up on meats, cheeses, eggs, avocados, veggies and salad fixin’s. Funnily enough, on a subsequent recent trip to the grocery store, I ran into a couple of friends that peered into my cart, wanting to know what I was going to make. Feeling a little defensive about the amount of meat and cheese, I was quick to tell them we’re doing Keto. One of them volunteered that after some effort and cutting back, her husband had recently gotten a good report from his doctor, although it was still recommended that he cut out some carbs. I could relate. I love bread, potatoes and pasta and was worried about missing those items. However, I’ve found some alternatives that are working out just fine.

The first thing I discovered is the easiest and most basic – turkey, cheese, avocado lettuce wraps. They’re easy, fairly filling and can be eating any time of day or night. I take an avocado, mash it up and spread it on a slice of cheese. I’ve done this with Swiss, provolone and cheddar so just go with whatever your preference is. I season it with a little bit of Everything Bagel seasoning and then wrap it around some turkey and wrap that inside a big lettuce leaf. I use the thin turkey lunchmeat and put as much or as little as I prefer. You’d be surprised at how good these are.

I’ve been checking out lots of sites with keto recipes and have already found one we really like called “Chicken Green Chile Casserole.” One of the ingredients in it is taco seasoning and I’ve even found a keto version of that. Evidently, the premade taco seasoning has lots of sugar, cornstarch andother fillers that aren’t allowed on keto.

We’ll see how this goes. I may check in periodically as I discover more good keto recipes. 

Ham and Cheese Egg Muffins
From lifemadesweeter.com

- 10 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried mustard
- ⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping
- ¾ cup chopped cooked or deli ham

•Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-count muffin pan with silicone liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
•In a large mixing bowl, crack in eggs and whisk together with salt and black pepper.
•Whisk in garlic powder, onion powder and dried mustard until combined.
•Stir in ham and cheddar cheese. Divide evenly into muffin tins filling each about ⅔ full.
•Sprinkle with more cheddar if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set.

Chicken Green Chile Casserole
From wholelottayum.com

- 2 pounds shredded chicken, cooked
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning (See recipe below)
- ¾ cup salsa verde
- 1 4-ounce can of green chiles, drained
- 16-ounce container cottage cheese
- 5 ounces sliced or shredded Colby jack or Mexican blend cheese
- Sour cream, optional
- Green onions, optional

•Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
•In a medium sized bowl, mix the taco seasoning, salsa, green chiles and cottage cheese. Mix in the shredded chicken and blend well.
•Spray your baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Top with the sliced or shredded cheese.
•Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
•Garnish with green onions, if desired. Serve with sour cream and salsa, optional.

Recipe notes:
•We pre-cooked our chicken right before making the casserole, so the chicken was still warm. If you’re starting with cold pre-cooked chicken, you may need to cook the casserole a little longer.
•Be sure to drain the cottage cheese or it’ll make your casserole runny.
•Using regular cottage cheese instead of light is recommended, light cottage cheese will add more liquid to the mixture.
•Using a chunkier salsa instead of a runnier salsa is also recommended. A salsa with more liquid may leave a little liquid in the bottom of the casserole after cooking.

My notes:
This did come out pretty runny. We ended up eating it from bowls with spoons. However, it tasted fabulous. I think next time I make it, in an attempt to make it less runny, I may use ricotta instead of cottage cheese. I may even add an egg or two to help bind it.
This really tasted great. It reminded me of King Ranch Chicken minus the tortillas. You could easily add chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, green onions or anything you’d like.

Keto Taco Seasoning Recipe
From wholelottayum.com

- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne

•In a small bowl mix the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic salt, black pepper, paprika, dried oregano and cayenne pepper.
•The keto taco seasoning will last for 1-2 years when stored in a small glass container with a lid in a cool, dark place.

Broccoli and Cheese Egg Muffins
From lifemadesweeter.com

- 10 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ cups broccoli steamed and chopped (or frozen and thawed)
- ⅔ cup grated cheddar cheese plus more for topping

•Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-count muffin pan with silicone liners or coat with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
•In a large mixing bowl, crack in eggs and whisk together with salt and black pepper.
•Whisk in garlic powder and thyme until combined.
•Stir in broccoli and cheddar cheese. Divide evenly into muffin tins filling each about ⅔ full.
•Sprinkle with more cheddar if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set.

Say something here...
symbols left.
You are a guest
or post as a guest
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.

Be the first to comment.

Polk County Publishing Company