Faux-tato (Cauliflower) Salad - Low Carb, Keto Approved!

There are a few staple items at every summer cookout and potato salad always seems to be one of them, and for good reason. It’s friggen delicious, but those damn potatoes just have so many carbs! Not to worry though because in typical Fatbody fashion we’re switching things up, ditching the carbs and Keto-fying this recipe.

So, I called up my mom and a few of my cousins to get the family potato salad recipe, which turns out we don’t have. I’m still very confused about that by the way. I think they’re holding out on me! Just kidding… love you Mom xoxo

The great thing about making keto recipes is that you have a billion non-keto recipe websites to generate ideas from and with a few ingredients subbed in and out you can totally change the macronutrient profile of the food without altering the taste very much.

If you’ve read any of my other recipe posts I often talk about ingredient quality and this recipe is no different. I’m talking about you mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise, traditionally speaking, is mainly just eggs and olive oil, which would in fact be pretty healthy. As we know, eggs are basically nature's multivitamin and olive oil is a great source of quality healthy fats. Unfortunately, the store bought brands have subbed out the quality for the crap (soybean oil, canola oil, sugars, etc.). This is no good and we really want to avoid this stuff in order to avoid inflammation.

Inflammation is brought on by a number of things, mainly carbs and sugars but also trans fats and processed vegetable oils like canola and soy. As the science progresses we are learning more and more about inflammation and the damaging effects it can have and how it is the precursor to elevated cholesterol.

So, once again be cognizant of the quality of foods that you are buying. Personally, I made this recipe using Chosen Foods brand, which used Avocado Oil and had a very short ingredient list. I have no affiliation with this product, but I just want to tip my cap because they are making foods the right way! Let’s get down to the ingredients…

The Ingredients…

• 1 head Cauliflower
• 1 pound (precooked) Bacon
• ½ large Red Pepper
• 4 stalks Green Onion (Scallion)
• ¼ cup Sour Cream
• ¼ cup Mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Dill
• 1 teaspoon Rosemary
• 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Garnish with a few sprinkes of Paprika

FYI Yes, there is shredded cheese in this picture but I didn't end up using it but if you love cheese go for it! 

The Steps…

1. Roast your cauliflower. I used a dry pan on medium heat. You’re going to want to salt the cauliflower as this will help draw the water out. You can do this in the oven as well but the pan is quicker
2. Cook you bacon and dice into bite sized pieces
3. Dice red pepper and green onion
4. Mix everything in a big bowl, garnish with paprikaand chill for at least an hour or two (this will allow the flavors to really come together and solidify)

The Macros...

Keto Shepherd's Pie - Low Carb High Fat

This one is for my Grandmother… The kids called her Nanny, the adults called her Mum and I swear she was the most caring person I’ve ever met. She didn’t have an unkind bone in her body. She was born and raised in England (so you know her Shepherd’s Pie was legit) during the war my Grandfather, an American Soldier, was stationed in England. They met and she came back to America with him... 60 years later here I am writing blogs. During the summers when my parents were at work she’d watch my siblings and I and we loooooved Nanny’s Shepherd’s Pie. I ate a lot of potatoes back then. A few too many...

But no more! We’re doing Shepherd’s Pie Low Carb Style! And plenty of fats to keep those keto macros up.

You’re going to need an oven safe dish. Now, I always opt for my cast iron. It’s just the best pan ever and I can make this whole meal with just one pan, which is great for clean up. Otherwise you’ll need to use a pyrex or your oven safe dish of your choice.

The combination of celery, onions and carrots is the saute base for so many recipes, it gives off such a great aroma and really adds a lot of flavor to the meat.

The mashed faux-tatoes are absolutely delicious and I promise you won’t get that cauliflower vibe. We’re loading them up with enough cream and butter that you’ll forget what a potato is!

Depending on how fancy you want to get you can either use ground beef or lamb. To be honest, I  intended on using ground beef but the store had grass fed ground lamb on sale for the same price, so I had to go with the lamb. I typically always opt for the grass fed if it’s in my power. Now, some people think that this is a waste of money, but it really isn’t and for many reasons!

Grass Fed contains as much as 5x the amount of Omega-3s and 2x as much Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is a fatty acid known to reduce body fat and boost your immune system.

Omega-3 needs no introduction. This is the reason you take fish oil pills or omega 3 supplements but it’s all right there in the beef, the grass fed beef! Some of the Omega-3 benefits include(1):

• Improved Eyesight
• Improved Risk Factors for Heart Disease
• Aid with Depression and Anxiety
• Fights Autoimmune Disease
• Reduces ADHD Symptoms in Children
• Reduces Inflammation
• Reduced Risk of Cancer

I mean seriously, the list goes on. Grass fed meat is well worth the investment, because you’re doing just that… investing in your health.

But anyway, let’s get cooking, shall we? 

The Ingredients

• 1 pound Ground Beef or Lamb
• 1 medium Carrot
• 2 Celery Stalks
• ½ medium Onion
• 6 cups Cauliflower Rice (2 Bag’s Trader Joe’s Frozen Organic)
• 2 Egg Yolks
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 small can Tomato Paste
• ⅓ cup of Chicken Broth
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• 1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce (depending on preference)
• 1 Rosemary
• Thyme
• Salt and Pepper

The Steps

1. Prep work: carrots, onions and celery - dice it into small pieces. I like mine a little chunky, but some prefer it minced. Separate your eggs.

2. Microwave your cauliflower for 7-10 minutes (if frozen) mixing at the 5 minute mark. They should be HOT when they come out. Make sure to strain them thoroughly because you want to sweat out all of the water. (A hot, dry pan works as well)

3. While the cauliflower is in the microwave start you meat. On medium heat you want to get that olive oil nice and hot and then add your meat, mixing and mincing and stirring until it starts to brown.

4. Once you’re mostly brown add your seasoning: thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic. Mix, mix, mix!

5. Next, add in your veggie mix and keep stirring. Get that mix nice and evenly spread.

6. Now add in your Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and chicken broth. Mix this all up and turn down the heat we’re going to let this simmer a bit while we make the mashed pota… I mean cauliflower.

7. You can use a hand mixer but I prefer the food processor… Add cauliflower, butter, egg yolks, heavy cream, ¼ cup of parmesan (save the other half) and some salt and pepper. Mash that bad boy up

8. Ok, now that we have some nice creamy mashed cauliflower take a big scoop and mix it into the meat batter, this will help thicken up any residual liquid

9. The remaining mash gets evenly coated on the top like you’re painting a masterpiece

10. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese and garnish with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.

11. Broil for about 15-20 minutes on high. My broiler is kind of weak so at the 12 minute mark give it a little look.

12. Serve and Enjoy :)

The Macros

Sources

1. http://advances.nutrition.org/content/3/1/1.full

Ultimate Cauliflower Pizza Crust

In the battle of fathead vs cauliflower crust the cauliflower has by far the least amount of calories:

Calories Per Slice:

• Cauliflower Crust  66
• Fathead Crust       144

While I have to admit I do prefer the fathead style, at less than half of the calories, the cauliflower crust is a great alternative when calorie restricting. 

Seriously though... I could not live without pizza. It's just a fact at this point. Some people have chocolate, I have pizza. I love it. And the discovery of keto friendly pizza crust was a game changer. More importantly it is incredibly easy to make. 

Ingredients...

• 2 cups cauliflower (Trader Joe's Organic Riced Cauliflower ⅔  of bag)
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoon parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Pizza toppings...

• ⅓ cup of pizza sauce
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
• Garnish with Basil
• Parmesan cheese

Cooking instructions...

1. Preheat oven at 425°

2. Microwave cauliflower for 7 minutes on high. (I use the Trader Joe's frozen organic cauliflower rice, It's ⅔ of the bag), mix half way through.

3. Blend in food processor so it's almost like mashed potatoes.

4. Mix all dry ingredients evenly: Mozzarella, Parmesan and all seasonings.

5. Add cauliflower and mix, followed by egg and mix thoroughly. Use a hand mixer if available.

6. Place the ball of dough on a sheet of parchment paper with another sheet over it. Roll out the dough to preferred size. Note: this dough doesn't need to be super thin to work well.

7. Once rolled out shape the dough and flip up the edges a bit to mold a crust.

8. Slide parchment and dough onto baking sheet and let cook for 12-15 minutes.

9. Once it's done let it cool and add your topping.

Dressing the Pizza...

1. Spread ⅓ cup of pizza sauce evenly leaving a little bit of room around the edges.

2. Spread 2 cups mozzarella cheese over the pizza sauce

3. fresh sliced basil and Parmesan garnished on top

4. put back in oven for 7-10 depending on preference

5. Cut into 8 even slices

The Macros...

One Pan Keto Meal Prep: Cheesy Chicken Bacon Bake

As some of you may know my cooking style is a bit mad scientist-ish. I like to pull all my produce, meats and cheeses out of the fridge and stare at them until something hits me square in the face. Let me tell you boys and girls I got hit hard in the face today… This came out perfect and so tasty, hell it was even the perfect amount for my meal prepping macros! 

I took two portions with mozzarella and basil and baked for about 10 minutes. 

This recipe has a hefty mix of vegetables, protein and healthy animal fats perfect for a ketogenic diet. You can sub in and out the vegetables of your choice, for example on another occasion I used mushrooms and tomatoes, it was quite tasty! 

Trader Joe's really has my back with this recipe too! The frozen organic riced cauliflower is delicious and convenient, they seem to sell out of the stuff a lot, so when I start getting low on supply I make sure to stock up with 7 or 8 bags and stack it up in my freezer. The asparagus comes courtesy of TJ's as well and is also from the frozen section. I generally stick to fresh vegetables, but the convenience and longevity of the frozen version is pretty hard to pass up. 

The spinach I used was fresh, but TJ's has a pretty good frozen brand. I personally just think the frozen spinach is too soggy. Spinach is also extremely light so it's hard to tell what 5 oz. of spinach actually looks like. Here is a comparison next to my regular sized coffee mug... 

5 oz of spinach

If you don't have a Trader Joe's or a source of riced cauliflower you can easily make your own with a grater. Two bags of the frozen stuff is about the equivalent of one medium head of cauliflower. 

The first step of this recipe is to microwave the cauliflower. If you don't have/use a microwave you can do this in a pan as well. The point of this step is to get rid of the moisture, which can ruin a lot of recipes if you are not careful. Like most vegetables cauliflower has a lot of water and will sweat out of it once it's heated. So be sure to do this before adding the cauliflower in with all the other ingredients. 

I divided it into 6 servings. Each serving with about 640 calories and only 5 net carbs (without the topped mozzarella bake) But the best part is, is that it's a one pan dish so clean up is a breeze! 

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds Chicken Breast
• 12 ounces Bacon
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 6 cups Cauliflower
• 12 ounces Asparagus
• 5 ounces Spinach
• 1 tablespoon Garlic
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil for garnish 
• Mozzarella Cheese

Cooking instructions

1. Rice your cauliflower. Microwave for 4 minutes, stir, and microwave for 4 more minutes. 

2. Mix a tablespoon of butter into the cauliflower. 

3. Using an extra-large pan (oven safe if you want this to truly be one pan) cook the bacon on a medium heat (6 out of 10). Remove and set to the side. 

4. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and add to to pan, still cooking at a medium heat and using the bacon drippings as a cooking fat. Cook until no visible pink and then remove. Set the chicken aside with the bacon. 

5. Add garlic, asparagus, spinach and the 2 remaining tablespoons of butter. Let the spinach cook down for about 2 minutes constantly stirring and mixing. You really want to evenly distribute the fats and juices!

6. Reduce pan heat down to a medium-low (3 out of 10) 

7. Dice chicken and bacon into desired size. This should be done roughly 10 minutes after cooking the chicken as you want to give the chicken time to rest (it's still cooking a bit in the middle).

8. Add chicken, bacon, butter and garlic. Stir until evenly mixed. 

9. Add the cauliflower rice and and parmesan cheese and continue stirring until evenly mixed. 

10. Stir until evenly mixed and serve.

Now here’s where you can go one of two ways:

The Meal Prep route - This makes 6 perfect dinner portions, or 3 lunch and 3 dinner. It’s your world! 

The Cheesy Bake route - In the picture above I took two servings and dumped them into an oven safe dish. Then, I broiled for about 10 minutes, until the cheese was lightly browned. I used about ¼ cup per serving. 

*Remember that the broiler is HIGH heat from the top of the oven, so the higher up you put the dish the faster it will cook, and the broiler will cook the top of the bake fast. 10 minutes is all you need, maybe less depending on how strong your oven is, so watch closely! 

The Macros...