I love to stay on track with my keto lifestyle over the holidays and with all of the alternatives it has never been easier! All of these are recipes from my cookbook, Keto Essentials! I hope you enjoy them and let me know if you try any!
Click Here to check out Keto Essentials!
Cauliflower Sausage Herb Stuffing
Yield: 6 Servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Special Diet Information Gluten free, sugar free, low glycemic, low carb, grain free.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) grass fed butter , or ghee
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped or thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups italian sausage (or sausage meat removed from package or casing)
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup white or brown mushrooms, chopped
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup parsley, freshly chopped
2 tablespoons rosemary, freshly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh sage or 1 tsp. ground sage
1/2 cup turkey bone broth
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 190°C. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with butter.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the stick of butter.
Add garlic, onion, celery, sauté until soft for 5 to 6 minutes.
Add cauliflower and mushrooms & cook for 3-4 minutes only lightly stirring.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Remove the sausage from the casings.
In the same pan, cook the sausage on medium for 4-5 minutes until light browned.
Add onion, mushroom and cauliflower mixture along with the herbs.
Season with sea salt and pepper. Add egg mixture and blend together gently. Once combined, pour turkey bone broth over and mix well.
Transfer to a greased 9 x 12 inch baking pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until deep brown and crisp.
Makes 6 Servings. Macros per serving:
Calories: 281, Fat: 23 g, Protein: 12 g, Carbs: 8 g, Fiber: 3 g. Net Carbs: 5.
Sugar Free Cranberry Sauce
Can you believe that most cranberry sauce recipes at home are made with 1 whole cup of sugar!? And the canned versions are basically corn syrup with some cranberries. Pretty much the same as putting candy on your turkey.
Keto or not, a holiday dinner isn't the same to me without delicious thick gravy, and the tangy sweetness of cranberry sauce! It is so easy and quick to make and the ceylon cinnamon (you may use regular cinnamon if you do not have ceylon) is great for lowering blood sugar. Fresh cranberries are great to use. Fruit is not typically keto however berries are the most acceptable on keto, and cranberries are the lowest in sugar of all fruit and berries. Use your favorite sweetener if you are not a fan of stevia, you may also use swerve, monk fruit, truvia, etc. Everyone has varying degrees of sensitivity to sugar so if you are very sensitive to sweeteners I suggest tasting it as you sweeten it.
Yield: 20 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes, 4 hours refrigeration
Ingredients
1 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (rinsed and drained)
1 cup filtered water
1 package gelatin
2 tablespoons powdered Monk Fruit, Erythritol or Allulose
1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia glycerite
1 teaspoon zest of one medium orange
1/2 teaspoon ceylon cinnamon or regular cinnamon
Directions
Place the cranberries in a small stovetop pot with 1 cup of filtered water and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, put 1/2 cup filtered water and open the gelatin and spread evenly over the water (no need to combine as it will gradually bloom).
Once the pot of cranberries is boiling, turn down to very low - 1 or 2 - and let simmer while stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. Add the sweeteners. The berries will pop and the sauce will thicken gradually as the pectin from the berries is released. Remove from heat.
Add gelatin and blend well, and add orange zest and cinnamon. Taste a sample for sweetness and add more sweetener if desired to your taste.
I love my cranberry sauce nice and thick with crushed berries in it. If you prefer a smooth consistency, put it in a food processor after removing it from heat and strain it for a perfect smooth sauce.
Pour into a mould if you like to make it into a specific shape, or the bowl that you intend to serve it in. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours until set.
Nutritional information per serving:
Yield: 20 servings
Per serving: 0 g fat, 0.2 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 1 g net carb.
Calories: 9
Ultimate Crispy Bacon Fried Brussel Sprouts with Aioli
ncredibly delicious deep fried Brussels sprouts with bacon! I fried these up in my deep fryer in coconut oil. The best holiday side taken to the next level! The trick to getting the CRISPIEST brussel sprouts is the double fry! It makes a HUGE difference from soggy to crispy and crunchy fried sprouts. This recipe has perfect keto macros! We assume about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil are contained in the sprouts after frying.
Important note: Brussels sprouts contain a lot of water. Frozen vegetables or food must be placed in a deep fryer with extreme care as water in a deep fryer can be dangerous and have explosive results! Use every pre-caution when deep frying and do not use brussel sprouts from frozen, or if you do, make sure they are thoroughly thawed before using.
Yield: 5 servings
Macros: 83% fat, 10% protein, 6% carb.
Prep time: 15 Minutes
Cooking time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients
1 Package of bacon with 15 slices
1 lb package Brussel sprouts (equals 16 oz or 500 g with 20 pieces), see note above about using thawed or raw sprouts only
Sauce Ingredients
3 tablespoons avocado mayonnaise
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon Louisiana, Franks or homemade Sriracha hot sauce (no sugar added)
1 large garlic clove, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1-2 drops liquid stevia
2 tablespoons capers
Optional: grated parmesan
Directions
If you are using an fryer with set the appropriate time for your machine. While this is heating, prepare the bacon. Save all of the bacon fat to toss the sprouts in.
The brussel sprouts must be completely thawed.
- Into a large bowl add: Brussels, bacon, bacon fat and apple cider vinegar.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss until well coated.
- Pour bowl contents into the basket of air fryer.
- Set at 350 F for 10 minutes. Shake basket half way through.
- Sprinkle with desired amount of parmesan prior to serving.
To make these in the oven, place tossed Brussels onto a baking sheet. Bake at 425 f or 220 c for 25-30 minutes.
While the sprouts are frying or baking, whisk the sauce ingredients together, except for the capers.
Remove from the oil and place in a bowl. Add reserved bacon and the capers, and drizzle with the sauce, lightly tossing the mixture together. Alternatively you can serve this spicy and tangy aioli sauce on the side as a dip by dividing it into 5 servings.
Nutritional Information per serving:
Yield: 5 servings
Per serving: 34.2 g fat, 12.8 g protein, 8.2 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 4.2 g net carb.
73% fat, 12% protein, 6% carb.
Calories: 361.8
Easy Keto Holiday Gravy
I have a British and French background and my British mother is an incredible self taught chef- we and friends and family were lucky to be around her inspired and delicious cooking! Her holidays feasts are always decadent but with all of the essentials. Nothing makes me think of my mum in the kitchen more than holiday cooking and making mince meat pies, Xmas cake, Yorkshire pudding, pigs in a blanket or a rich gravy sauce made with the oven turkey drippings. Keto gravy can be just as rich and decadent using heavy whipping cream, coconut flour and mushrooms for thickness. Coconut flour is very absorptive so only a fraction of it needs to be used in the place of cornstarch or wheat flour.
I am a big mushroom lover so I have included mushrooms in this recipe for added flavor, they are optional and the gravy turns out well without them too!
Test out this keto gravy with your family and see if they can tell that it is not high in refined wheat flour and zero carbs! Use the coconut milk to make it dairy free or omit it entirely as it is not necessary for the gravy to be complete!
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Gluten free, sugar free, wheat free, nut free, dairy free (optional), keto, lchf.
Ingredients
1 stick of grass fed butter (1/2 cup), ghee or butter flavored coconut oil i
1 clove of garlic (minced)
Pan drippings from oven roasting and/OR 1/2 cup porcini mushrooms
2 cups turkey bone broth or stock (no sugar added)
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (or coconut milk for dairy free)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
black or white peppercorns to taste
Directions
Remove mushrooms from packaging and revive with a bit of water in a bowl. Dry and chop. In a saucepan, melt the butter on low heat and let simmer until lightly browned, swirling the pot to avoid burning. Fry the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes in the golden brown butter. Add pan drippings from your roasted turkey or beef, and/or chopped porcini mushrooms. Stir until well combined. Add turkey bone broth, blending with a whisk, and then coconut flour. Stir until well blended. Depending on how thick you like your gravy, simmer for 5-20 minutes on low heat. I like to simmer mine for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and add cream, dijon, thyme, sea salt and a pinch of peppercorns. Using a handheld immersion blender, blend until it is a smooth, fine consistency and strain through a mesh strainer. Serve with your holiday feast and enjoy this delicious carb free gravy!
Nutritional information per serving:
Fat: 27.5 g, protein: 2.8 g, carbohydrates: 1 g, fiber: 0.3, net carbs: 0.7.
Gluten free, sugar free, wheat free, nut free, dairy free (optional), keto, lchf.
Pecan Macadamia Nut Pie
Yield: 8 Servings
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: 40-45 minutes
Special Diet Information
Gluten free, sugar free, low glycemic, low carb, grain free.
Crust Ingredients
½ cup pecan meal
½ cup almond flour
1 cup coconut flour
¾ cup grass fed butter, ghee or coconut oil (butter flavored is great!)
½ cup powdered Monk Fruit, Erythritol or Allulose
1 tsp liquid stevia (optional)
¼ tsp sea salt
3 eggs
Filling Ingredients
1 cup macadamia nuts- coarsely chopped
1 cup pecans- coarsely chopped
1 cup grass fed butter, ghee or coconut oil (butter flavored is great!)
3/4 cup powdered Monk Fruit, Erythritol or Allulose
1 tsp liquid stevia (optional)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
5 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 160 C or 325 degrees F. Spray a ceramic or metal pie dish, about 9 inches in diameter with coconut oil or grease with butter. In a medium bowl, mix ingredients.
2. Press the crust dough into the pan. Place in oven to pre-bake the crust. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Keep a close eye on it not to burn! If you have a high powered oven, cover it the crust. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over high heat. Heat butter on high heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Watch this closely and keep whisking so the butter browns but does not burn.
4. Immediately add the powdered sweetener and the almond milk to the pan.
4. Whisk until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and allow it to cool in the pan for a couple minutes and set aside.
5. Beat the eggs with the cooled butter and sweetener mixture in a mixing bowl. Add the vanilla and pecans.
6. Pour into the crust shell and bake at 325 F or 160 C degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cooked solid.
7. For fun, you may serve with heavy whipped cream!