Keto is a dieting trend that has grown in popularity, especially since Vinny Guadagnino from MTV’s Jersey Shore Family Vacation, aka the “keto guido” has been sharing his progress and low-carbohydrate Ketogenic Diet tips. Following a Keto Diet calls for reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat to keep your body in a constant metabolic state of ketosis. Luckily, if you use the right recipes, you can still enjoy some of your favorite meals and desserts while adhering to your strict keto diet guidelines to help you lose weight and stay healthy.
Keto-Friendly Brownies
Enjoy the warm, chocolatey goodness of healthy keto-friendly brownies. This recipe uses pecans, a nut that’s low in carbohydrates but high in good fats.
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup of cocoa powder
• 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate
• 2 tbsp of coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of erythritol
• 3/4 cup of butter
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup of pecan pieces
Instructions
1. Coat an 8″ x 4″ loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray while your oven preheats to 325°F.
2. In a bowl, combine the salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Stir briskly with a fork and then set aside for later.
3. In a smaller bowl, combine the vanilla, eggs, and erythritol. Using an electric mixer, mix these wet ingredients on high until they take on a fluffy texture. Set aside for later.
4. In a microwave-safe bowl, toss in the unsweetened chocolate and butter. Microwave these two ingredients on high for 20 seconds. If chocolate isn’t fully melted, heat it for another 20 seconds until all ingredients are melted and can be mixed.
5. Add a spoonful of the egg, vanilla, and erythritol mixture to the chocolate and butter mixture, stir it together, and then add another spoonful until both mixtures are combined. Continue to mix them throughout this process.
6. Taking the bowl with the egg, vanilla, erythritol, chocolate, and butter mixture, begin to fold in the dry flour and cocoa powder mixture. Only work in 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time to allow for full saturation. Once all ingredients are fully mixed, toss in the pecans. Fold the pecans into the mixture so that they are distributed evenly.
7. Spoon the brownie batter into your prepared loaf pan and slide it into the oven.
8. Bake 50 to 55 minutes.
Easy One-Pot Keto Chili
Chili is a staple comfort food that can be made in various different ways with a multitude of ingredients. This recipe tailors a simple chili recipe to be keto-friendly while still packing a lot of flavors and filling protein.
Ingredients
• 8 slices of bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pounds of ground pork
• 3 green bell peppers, chopped
• 1 package of chili seasoning
• 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste
• 1 can of drained diced tomatoes
• a pinch of onion powder
• a pinch of garlic powder
• a pinch of cayenne pepper (if desired)
• a pinch of black pepper and salt
• 2 tbsp of sour cream (to taste)
Instructions
1. Cook the ground pork in a skillet over medium heat. Use salt, pepper, and garlic to season the ground pork. Stir and crumble the pork for 6 to 7 minutes while it cooks. Drain the grease. Scoop cooked ground pork into the pot of your slow cooker or crockpot.
2. Using the same skillet, cook the bacon pieces over medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until brown and crispy. Drain the bacon grease then scoop the cooked bacon pieces into the slow cooker or crockpot with the ground pork.
3. Add in the tomato paste, onion, diced tomatoes, and green bell pepper on top of the meat in the slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili seasoning, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well until all ingredients are mixed.
4. Put the lid on the pot and cook on a low setting for about 6 hours.
5. Once the chili has finished cooking, turn off the slow cooker and add in the 2 tablespoons of sour cream to give it a creamy finish. The sour cream can also be added to individual bowls of chili if you’d rather not add it to the entire pot.
Bacon Ranch Shredded Chicken
Bacon ranch shredded chicken can be added to your favorite side of roasted vegetables or used inside of a lettuce wrap as a light and hearty lunch. Shredding chicken can be done with a hand mixer or a blender, but two forks can be used to achieve the same shredded consistency if you don’t have a mixer or a blender.
Ingredients
• 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 2 chopped slices of bacon
• 1 tbsp of dried chives
• 1 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp of onion powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of dried dill
• 1 scallion, sliced thin
• 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 tsp of paprika
Instructions
1. Set your pressure cooker to its sauté setting and leave to heat for two minutes. Once heated, toss in the bacon and cook it until it’s crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Cancel the pressure cooker’s sauté setting while you scrape any burnt bits from the bottom of the pot. Use a little sprinkle of water if you have to.
2. Once the pressure cooker bottom is clean of bacon crumbs, toss in the cream cheese, water, chicken, garlic powder, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, dried chives, dill, salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and paprika. Change the pressure cooker’s setting to Manual, High Pressure for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, do a quick release.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and place the breasts on a large plate. Using your two forks, stab the chicken breasts and pull the forks away from one another to begin the shredding process. Once all of the breasts have been shredded, scrape the chicken back into the pressure cooker pot.
4. Stir the shredded chicken around in the spices to ensure that the flavors are distributed evenly. Once you’ve done this, coat the chicken with the shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Add the scallion slices and crispy bacon pieces as flavorful garnishment.
6. Scoop out the chicken and serve on a bed of baby spinach, roasted asparagus, or cauliflower rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream to bring out the full flavor of the spices, bacon, and scallions.
