Cookbook Review: Keto BBQ by Faith Gorsky and Lara Clevenger

 This is a small cookbook that focuses on all things BBQ. This is a great cookbook to have on hand for the summer when everyone is cooking out. It has over 100 recipes ranging from rubs, marinades, sides, to desserts. A lot of classics revamped for the low carb lifestyle. 

The first chapter is all about eating Keto like many of the other keto cookbooks. This section does include specifics about keto barbeque. Important things like rubs, brines, and marinades have their own section. The condiments have some twist on classics like smoky guacamole (which I am excited to try), Tex-Mex ranch, and spicy ketchup. 

The meat sections focus on things like grilled meats, pulled meats, burgers, and tacos. There is a recipe for Indian Chicken Burgers that sounds so good! All the burger recipes have instructions for cooking on grill and on stovetop. 

There are tip boxes at the bottom of some of the recipes with things like grilling tips, storage tips, slow cooker tips, etc. 

Unlike some other cookbooks there is a whole section for sausage and hot dogs including the famous Chicago style and Coney Island Hot Dogs. 

One nice thing in this cookbook is a drinks section for a BBQ. This includes keto versions of sweet tea, lemonade, Arnold Palmers, and various mocktails. 

This is a nice little cookbook for the summer with some great classics and some twists on things like burgers. There is not a picture for every recipe and there are multiple recipes on some pages. When that is the case, they clearly mark which recipe has a picture.

Some recipes I really want to try are the smoky guacamole, the Indian Chicken Burgers, the grilled lime shrimp packets, and the cauliflower mac and cheese.  

The Global Kitchen: Moussaka

 This is a twist on a classic Greek dish. I have always wondered about this recipe since watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, but the eggplant always was questionable for me. Well, eggplant is a new vegetable I wanted to try so I thought this would be a great opportunity and I found a low carb version. It is definitely an interesting dish, but it tasted good. It is a bit higher carb than I usually do so I made the portions smaller and added some greens. 

The ingredients:

Meat Mixture:

1lb eggplant

1/4 C olive oil

1 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 TBSP ground cinnamon

1 TBSP paprika powder

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 lb ground meat

1/2 C tomato sauce

Cheese sauce:

1/2 C heavy cream

3 oz cream cheese

1 garlic glove, crushed

1/4 tsp salt

2 C gouda cheese divided

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

The recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Chop the eggplant into 1/2 inch cubes. Leave skin on. Fry in olive oil over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Fry for a few minutes until softened and browned. 

Add the meat and fry until cooked through. Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer for a few minutes.

 

In a saucepan, combine the heavy cream, cream cheese, garlic, salt, and half of the gouda. 

Simmer for a few minutes until it thickens. Add the ground nutmeg and stir well. 

Transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish and pour the cheese sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining gouda cheese. 

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until cheese turns golden. 

Serve with leafy greens. 

Notes:

I used lamb for this dish. 

For the cheese sauce, I would use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. 

I used crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. 

For the greens, I used arugula. 

The Breakfast Kitchen: Breakfast Enchiladas

This is a twist on the recipe by adding some green pepper and arugula. I also used egg life wraps instead of tortillas. Since they are smaller, I had extra filling so I added it to the top.

The ingredients:

1 lb meat of choice

1/3 C green pepper diced

1 C arugula or greens of choice

Taco seasoning

Black lime

8 eggs

1/4 C heavy cream

2 C shredded cheese

1 C green enchilada sauce or salsa

Salt and pepper

The recipe:

Cook the meat, peppers, and greens in a skillet and set aside.

Toss with the taco seasoning and black lime.

In a bowl, combine eggs and cream and scramble.

Add to skillet and cook eggs. Add salt and pepper.

Once done add the meat mixture back in and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Assemble enchiladas and add to greased 9x13 pan. (Egg wrap, egg mixture, pinch of cheese)

Place seam side down.

Top with remaining cheese.

If you have extra filling you can add on top if desired. 

Top with salsa/enchilada sauce drizzled over top.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Garnish and serve.

Notes:

If you use chorizo you can omit the taco seasoning. I used chicken. 

You can use unsweetened almond milk instead of cream.

I used salsa verde instead of enchilada sauce. This recipe is not as saucy as other recipes. 

Garnish with guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, or hot sauce/salsa, etc.

Serving size is 1 enchilada. Carbs- 4g, protein 35g, fat 23g, calories 374. If you make changes the nutrition info will change.

Putting the cheese on the top at the end would be better than topping the cheese with leftover filling. It was a last minute decision on my part.  

The Low Carb Kitchen: Mexican Cauliflower Rice

 This is a low carb twist on a classic mexican side dish. It is easy to make, and you can serve alongside classic dishes like tacos and burritos or use it in a taco bowl. 

The Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen cauliflower rice

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 onion chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 C tomato paste

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1 lime

1/4 C cilantro chopped

The Recipe:

Defrost frozen cauliflower rice. 

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion until softened.

Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. 

Add the cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Stir for 1-2 minutes to allow the spices to bloom. 

Stir in the tomato paste and combine well with the onions and spices. 

Add the cauliflower rice and stir well to coat with the spice mixture. 

Cook 5-7 minutes until tender but firm. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. 

 

Notes:

This is a bit sweet so if you want some extra heat you can add more chili powder or a pinch of cayenne or hot paprika. You can also just add a bit of hot sauce at the end. 

If you can't find any cilantro you can find this lightly dried cilantro in the produce section and it lasts 4 weeks from when opened. It's a great alternative when cilantro is out of season. 

The Soup Kitchen: Chicken Pesto Soup

 A twist on a recipe from the Ultimate Soup Cookbook, the original recipe has gnocchi. I omitted the gnocchi to keep it low carb and added some bacon. 

The Ingredients:

1 jar alfredo sauce (15oz)

2 C water

2 C rotisserie chicken

1-2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 C greens (spinach, kale)

4 tsp pesto

The Recipe:

In a large saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients and bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in the greens and cook another 3-8 minutes. 

Top each individual serving with pesto (1tsp ea.)

Notes:

I used Kale for the greens just a chopped frozen one about 2 C. 

If you want to add gnocchi you can add at the Kale step. 

If adding crumbled bacon, you can add the same time as the kale or at the end as a garnish. 

Without the Gnocchi the nutrition is as follows per serving:

8g total carbs

26g protein

26g fat

372 calories

Cookbook Review: Taste of Home Ultimate Soup Cookbook

 I bought this cookbook because I love to make soup for easy lunches. Partly just to give me some idease to try. This is not a Keto or diet cookbook but does include a light section. It also is basically 2 cookbooks in one. 

There are icons used to indicate it's a fast fix, a slow cooker recipe, 5 ingredients or less, it can be frozen, or you can use an instant pot. 

There is a guide to making homemade broth and stock. 

There are sections like classics, beans, cheesy/creamy, chili (Yes, its own section!), stews, pastas, etc. 

Most of the recipes have photos (with over 600 recipes that's impressive). Each recipe has the ingredients and recipe of course. Plus, cook time, number of servings it makes, some include tips, freezing options, and nutrition info.

Book 2 includes some things like soup and sandwich pairings, ethnic favorites, and bread recipes to pair with the soups as well as a bunch of different soups.

I will say it has so many recipes it can seem like a bit much and somewhat overwhelming. I am interested in the Onion Cheese Soup which looks really good. The green chili tomato soup with the grilled cheese also sounds very good and comforting on a cold day.  

The Global Kitchen: Taco Pie

A new recipe to try for Taco Tuesday from the Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen cookbook. This is a low carb recipe. Pretty simple but you could probably add some veggies if desired. Or just serve veggies on the side.

The ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

3 TBSP taco seasoning

6 eggs

1 C heavy cream

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 C shredded cheese

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9in pie pan.

Brown beef in skillet over medium heat until browned.

Add taco seasoning and stir to combine.

Spread beef in bottom of pie pan.

In large bowl, add eggs, cream, garlic, salt and pepper and mix well. 

Pour slowly over beef and top with cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until center set and cheese browned.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Notes:

I used 1 tsp garlic powder instead of minced garlic. 

I used pepperjack but you can use any cheese desired.

Garnish with salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc. 

This is not spicy so if you like some heat you can add some salsa or hot sauce.