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

I walked into the house from work recently to a wonderful smell. Sweet Hubby had decided to surprise me by cooking dinner. How thoughtful! It smelled so good and I couldn’t wait to see what it was. Turns out it was a keto Mexican casserole topped with an avocado cilantro sauce. And it was wonderful. We all three went back for seconds.

We’re still trying to adhere to a keto lifestyle. While we’ve both lost some weight, we haven’t reached our goals yet so we’re still plugging along. I recently saw a recipe on social media that I was inspired to try simply because of how easy it was going to be and I knew it would be keto-friendly. It’s one of those where you just dump a bunch of stuff together, stir and bake. I almost feel guilty when I make these types of dishes because they are so easy. It was called “no peek beef tips” and recommended serving it over mashed potatoes or noodles. I knew we couldn’t have mashed potatoes or noodles but I knew I could serve it over cauliflower rice. I also roasted some fresh broccoli to go with it. Daughter loved it.

I’ve also made a couple of keto-friendly snacks recently that were very easy and different. One is called “cheesy bacon fried pickles.” I’m not sure why, however, because they’re not fried, but baked. The other is called “easy salami appetizer.” They both go great with a cold glass of wine. If you’ve discovered some great keto-friendly recipes that you would recommend, please let me know. Thanks in advance!

No Peek Beef Tips
Found on Facebook

—2 pounds of stew meat
—1 can of cream of mushroom soup
—1 packet of brown gravy
—1 envelope of beefy onion soup mix
—1 can of water

•Mix everything together in a 9-13 baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes or noodles or cauliflower rice.

Keto Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
From wholesomeyum.com

Cauliflower Rice:
—1 tablespoon avocado oil
—4 cups cooked cauliflower rice
—½ teaspoon sea salt
—1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained very well

Vegetables:
—1 tablespoon avocado oil
—2 large bell peppers, diced
—½ large onion, diced
—Sea salt, to taste
—Black pepper, to taste
—1 cup sour cream

Taco Meat:
—2 lbs. ground beef
—¾ cup water
—¼ cup taco seasoning

Cheese Topping:
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Optional toppings:
—Tomatoes, diced
—Jalapenos, sliced
—Avocados, sliced
—Fresh cilantro, chopped

•In a skillet, cook cauliflower rice with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and ½ teaspoon sea salt.
•Stir in the drained diced tomatoes with green chiles. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 glass casserole dish. Set aside.
•Wipe down the skillet to remove any cauliflower pieces. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium heat, then add the bell peppers and onions. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, until soft and starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
•Arrange the vegetables over the cauliflower rice in the casserole dish. Spread sour cream evenly on top with a spatula. Set aside.
•Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
•Add the ground beef to the pan and increase heat to medium-high. Cook for about 10 minutes, breaking apart with a spatula, until browned.
•Add the water and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-5 minutes, until it thickens and taco meat forms.
•Spread the beef mixture evenly over the casserole dish. Sprinkle with shredded Mexican cheese on top.
•Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted.

Easy Salami Appetizer
From recipegirl.com

—30 slices of hard salami
—⅓ cup of spreadable or whipped cream cheese
—30 pieces of pepperoncini, seeds removed and sliced into strips
—30 toothpicks

•Lay the salami on a flat surface. Spread each piece of salami with a little bit of cream cheese. Top with a piece of pepperoncini. Fold each piece of salami over and fasten with a toothpick. Pile on a platter and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cheesy Bacon Fried Pickles
Found on Instagram

—Shredded cheddar cheese
—Dill pickle chips
—Bacon bits

•In a greased muffin tin, put a little bit of the shredded cheddar cheese. Place a dill pickle chip on top of that. Put a little bit more shredded cheese on top of the pickle. Top with crumbled bacon bits.
•Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes. Take out and let cool until they harden.