Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

This is an easy veggie side dish to throw together with minimal prep work required.  Of course, fresh Brussels sprouts are the best, but honestly this recipe works really well with frozen sprouts, too.  You can also throw in whatever root vegetables you have on hand: turnips, sweet potatoes, beets, even radishes or kohlrabi.  Add in whatever seasonings you like.  I usually use crushed red pepper, sometimes curry powder if I'm feeling adventurous.

This is my latest version: Brussels sprouts with sweet potatoes, baby turnips, baby beets, and radishes.

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb of Brussels sprouts (if frozen use the whole sprouts as they tend to be smaller, if fresh cut them in half)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put olive oil and garlic in an uncovered baking dish.  Put the dish in a cold oven, then preheat oven to 400 degrees.  This infuses the olive oil with the garlic and gets the garlic nice and browned.
2. When oven is preheated, toss Brussels sprouts into the dish.  Stir to cover in olive oil.  Bake in oven for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and add in the balsamic.  Stir to cover sprouts and bake for another 20 minutes.
4. Optional step: in the last 5 minutes of cooking time, cover with shredded parmesan and cook until melted.  This will add fat and, let's be honest, everything is better covered in cheese!
5. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Macros for Brussels sprouts only, will be different if you add the other veggies:

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Makes 6 servings

Total carbs: 32g Carbs per serving: 5.5g

Total fat: 30g Fat per serving: 5g

Total protein: 16g Protein per serving: 3g

Garlicky Cauliflower Steaks

Cauliflower, it turns out, is a low-carb dieter's dream!  It's not only low in carbohydrates but super high in vitamin C, and due to it's mild taste there are a million things you can do with it.  If you have a head of cauliflower and you aren't sure what to do with it, this is a quick and tasty recipe.  I like to use this as my main course, paired with a salad or a side veggie.

Garlicky Cauliflower Steaks

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• juice from 1/2 large lemon
• fresh or dried parsley
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil.
2. Remove the base of the stem and any leaves from a head of cauliflower.  Slice the head down the middle into 1/2 inch "steaks".  The middle pieces will stay together nicely, but the edges will start to break into florets.  The larger florets you can slice the same way.  The smaller pieces you can throw on the pan with the others, or save them for salads or something else.
3. In a bowl combine garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and salt.
4. Brush the olive oil mixture over both sides of the cauliflower steaks and pieces.
5. Bake at 475 for about 10 minutes or until the edges just start to brown.
6. Flip the steaks and pieces over, sprinkle with Parmesan, and bake for 5 more minutes.
7. Remove from oven, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the finished steaks.  Enjoy!

Macros:

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Makes 4 servings

Total carbs: 24g Carbs per serving: 6g

Total fat: 65g Fat per serving: 16g

Total protein: 21.5g Protein per serving: 5g

Daikon Radish "Latkes"

I share a produce box from Coon Rock Farm (http://coonrockfarm.com/) with a friend of mine.  This week I got a giant daikon radish.  I thought, "What in the world will I do with this thing?!"  So I got online, found some good ideas, and adapted them for my purposes.  That's my favorite way to cook!


I used flax meal in place of bread crumbs to hold the cakes together.  It turns out that flax meal is high in fat and has zero net carbs.  I'm planning on using it to bread and fry all kinds of things!

I also used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil.  I like the taste of coconut oil better, for one thing, but there are also a ton of health benefits.  Coconut oil is chock full of medium chain triglycerides which are used quickly for energy by people in ketosis and can help your body burn more fat.  Check out this site for more info: http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/.

Daikon "Latkes"

Ingredients:

• 1 big-ass daikon radish (or 2 or 3 smaller ones)
• 1/2 vidalia onion, diced
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups flax meal
• salt, pepper, whatever spices you like
• Sriracha chili sauce
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Peel and grate the radish with a box grater.  Sprinkle with salt and put in the fridge for 30 minutes to draw some of the water out of it.
2. Put the radish gratings into a colander, press with a towel to get as much water out as you can.
3. In a bowl stir together the radish, onion, garlic, egg, flax meal, spices, and a generous squirt of Sriracha.
4. Form mixture into patties with your hand, no more than 1/4 inch thick.
5. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat your coconut oil.  Add the radish patties and cook until browned, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side.
6. Drain on a paper towel, and eat while hot.
   

I mixed up some Sriracha mayo to accompany these "latkes", but I think blue cheese would also taste good.

Macros:

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Recipe makes 8 cakes

Total carbs: 25g Carbs per cake: 3g

Total fat: 82.5g Fat per cake: 10g

Total protein: 40.5g Protein per cake: 5g

Lettuce Leaf Tacos

I have become a connoisseur of fake meats while on this diet, and let me tell you that this is one of my favorites:

It’s your basic tofu crumbles with Mexican spices already added in, and they taste fantastic.  So if you’re feeling like a little Mexican for dinner, give this a try as filling for tacos.  Add some coconut oil to the pan to increase the fat content even though the package instructions don’t say to.  Avoid the carbs of corn tortillas by using lettuce leaves for the taco shells.  I like romaine for the crunch but you could use green leaf or bibb lettuce.  Accessorize with your choice of cheese and veggies, sour cream, guacamole, really whatever you want!  This is a fast, healthy, and super tasty dinner and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

• Tofurky Chorizo style tofu crumbles
• 1 - 2 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil, or vegetable oil, whatever oil you like)
• 6 large lettuce leaves.  
• Shredded cheese, as much as you like.  I used cheddar.
• Your choice of veggies.  I used heirloom cherry tomatoes and avocado.  Olives and peppers would be yummy too.  

Directions:

1. In a skillet over medium high heat, melt your coconut oil (or heat your olive oil).
2. Add the Tofurky crumbles and stir while cooking for around 5 minutes.  
3. Rinse 6 lettuce leaves and dry with a paper towel.
4. Grate cheese and chop veggies.
5. When the crumbles are done cooking, spread them into the lettuce taco shells.  Then add the shredded cheese over the hot crumbles to get it a little melty.  Then top with your veggies and you’re ready to go!

Macros: 
This is the info for the tofurky, coconut oil, cheese, and lettuce. Add in your own info for whatever veggies you put in your tacos

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Servings: 6

Total carbs: 10.5g Carbs per serving: 1.75g

Total fat: 99.5g Fat per serving: 16.5g

Total protein: 77.5g Protein per serving: 13g

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

My family has been making this dish (without the spinach) for years for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I think it's technically a dip, but we always eat it like a casserole because it's so incredibly tasty and decadent.  We only ever had it for holiday dinners, because it's so full of fat and the thinking was that eating fat makes you fat.  Not so, more recent studies say.  This recipe is perfect for a low carb diet, and a good way to get your greens in while keeping your fat ratio high.  

Another plus with this recipe: artichokes have negative carbs!  More fiber than carbohydrates means you can eat all the artichokes you want.  

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cans artichoke hearts, cut into small pieces (1/8's or smaller)
• 8oz frozen spinach, in the microwavable bag
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 cups shredded parmesan
• salt, pepper, and garlic to taste (I prefer fresh minced garlic, but you can use garlic powder)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Microwave spinach according to package instructions.
3. Drain artichokes and cut into bite-sized pieces.
4. In a bowl, or your baking dish, toss in all ingredients and stir until well-mixed.  Reserve some of the parmesan to sprinkle on top to make a nice brown cheese crust.
5. Bake until bubbling and brown on top, 35 - 45 minutes.  Let cool 5 - 10 minutes before eating, unless you like hot lava in your mouth!

Macros

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Servings: 6

Total carbs: 7g Carbs per serving: 1g

Total fat: 396g Fat per serving: 66g

Total protein: 100g Protein per serving: 17g

Cauliflower Spinach Casserole

I'm planning on making this for Thanksgiving dinner.  It's a yummy/veggie/cheesy casserole.  Cauliflower, it turns out, makes a pretty good substitute for rice when you mash it up and mix it with veggies and dairy products.

If you want to make this recipe creamier, you can add cream cheese to the mixture.  For extra tang, add parmesan cheese to the mix.

Cauliflower and Spinach Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 10 oz package of spinach, cooked and drained
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• ½ onion, chopped
• salt, pepper, and dill to taste
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees.
2. Boil cauliflower until fork tender, about 6 minutes.
3. In a sautee pan over medium heat melt butter.  Sautee onions in butter until translucent.
4. Put cauliflower, onions, butter in a bowl and smoosh with a potato masher.
5. Add spinach, sour cream, salt, pepper, and dill.  Mash and stir until well combined.
6. Turn out into a casserole dish, cover with cheddar cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

Macros

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Servings: 8

Total carbs: 45g Carbs per serving: 5.5g

Total fat: 180g Fat per serving: 22.5g

Total protein: 48g Protein per serving: 6g

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  For a vegetarian on a ketogenic diet like me, breakfast is going to be eggs in some form, fake meat like soysage (soy-based sausage) or facon (soy-based bacon), and slices of cheese.  While this is a delicious grouping of foods, it does get a little old.  To change it up, and to make a breakfast that is good on the go, try these egg muffins.  Make the whole dozen and you can refrigerate them for a week or so.  You can microwave them for 20 seconds to heat them up or eat them cold in the morning, both ways are good.

Breakfast Egg Muffins

Ingredients: 

• 12 eggs, scrambled (1 egg for each muffin)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 cups grated cheese of your choice
• Your choice of veggies: diced onions, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.
• 4 pieces soy sausage or soy bacon, cooked according to package directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a muffin pan, line each cup with 2 paper liners both brushed with oil or melted butter.
3. In bottom of cup layer to ⅔ full in this order: “meat”, veggies, cheese.
4. Beat eggs and seasonings in a bowl.  Pour egg into each muffin cup until ¾ full.
5. Stir each cup slightly with a fork.  Bake 25 - 35 minutes.
6. Let cool, turn out of the paper liners. Store in a zipper bag in the fridge.

Macros

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Servings: 12 muffins

Carbs per muffin: 3g

Fat per muffin: 10g

Protein per muffin: 12g

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This is one of the first recipes I tried on this diet.  This is a good one because it's high in fat, it can last you most of the week for lunches or dinners, and cheesiness is goodness.  Eat it with a salad or some fake meat to make a full meal.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• fresh or dried thyme, to taste
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 large bunch broccoli, cut into florets.  Include stems if you want.
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small stock pot or medium sauce pot, over medium-low heat, melt butter.
2. Add onion, garlic, thyme and cook for around 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
3. Add vegetable stock, stir and bring to a simmer.
4. Add broccoli, salt, and pepper.  Wait for stock to come back to a simmer.
5. Whisk in cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
6. Simmer 5-7 minutes, until all cheese is melted and broccoli is soft.

Macros

(Amounts are approximate and may vary with ingredients)

Servings: 6

Total carbs: 60g Carbs per serving: 10

Total fat: 162g Fat per serving: 27g

Total protein: 84g Protein per serving: 14g

Alcohol in Keto diet?

Let's get to the important stuff first: can you drink alcohol on the ketogenic diet?  The answer: probably!  Some people can get knocked out of ketosis by drinking alcohol, because the body uses alcohol for energy and this will slow down your fat burning process.  But other people can drink while still staying ketotic.  I have found that my alcohol tolerance has gone way down on this diet, so I can drink less and still get a nice buzz.

The bad news: beer is off-limits.  I love beer, specifically a strong IPA that's really floral and bitter.  Wine also has a lot of carbs, so stay away.

The good news: hard liquor is carb free!  Even though most liquors are made from carbs (sugar, grains, etc.), the distillation process turns those carbs into ethyl alcohol.  So hard liquor like rum, vodka, gin, bourbon, whisky, and tequila have 0 carbs.  Watch out for liqueurs, which usually have added sugar, and mixers like soda or juice.

My drink of choice has been rum and Coke Zero.  Vodka and Diet 7-Up isn't bad.  I tried Gin and flavored seltzer... it was not so good.  What do you like?

Intro

Hi, my name is Kate.  I'm a veterinary technician in my mid-thirties living in Raleigh, NC.  Over the last few years I've noticed my weight creeping up on me, so I decided to make a lifestyle change to a ketogenic diet.  Full disclosure coming up: I'm 5'8" and I weighed 144 pounds.  That's the most I ever weighed.  I know, it's not very dramatic.  I know I wasn't obese, but I was overweight for my frame and I wanted to get back to the weight that I was happiest, which was around 130.  So far it's been six weeks and I've lost 6 pounds.  I try to do a good cardio workout at least twice a week, which is usually a run for me but any kind of calorie-burning exercise will do to help you with weight loss.

Here are a couple of resources I've been using to help me on my journey:

Ketogenic Diet Resource: http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/
This site is great for understanding the basics of what the ketogenic diet is, how it works, and some good tables of carb counts.

Ruled.Me calculator: http://www.ruled.me/keto-calculator/
A blog about keto, including a nice calculator in which you plug in info about your body measurements and exercise levels to figure out your "macros" (carbs, protein, and fat grams) allowances per day.

At the start of this diet I ran into some problems, since I'm a pescatarian.  For those of you who don't know what that means, I am a vegetarian most of the time but I do eat wild caught all-natural fish and seafood.  Most of the recipes I was finding that followed the Keto principles involved meat, most commonly bacon.  It seems that bacon is the solution to many of life's problems, but not for me!  Or for you, if you're reading this to get veggie keto recipes.  So I thought it would be nice to have a place to keep all of the recipes I have used that keep the carbs low and the fat high, and a place that other people could come to find vegetarian ketogenic recipes.  I'll be listing my recipes here with counts of carbs, fat, and protein, and including as many pictures as I remember to take.  I hope it helps people out there to find a way to be healthier and happier.