The book begins with the introduction of the 2 authors and their personal health journeys. Then it does a fairly good job explaining what the Keto Diet is and what it does to the body and why you would want to eat this way. Ketones were discovered in the 1920’s to help treat patients suffering from epileptic seizures. This style of eating was actually quite popular until the 1950s when researcher Ancel Keyes published a study examining the diets of middle-aged men in the US, Europe and Japan that claimed cholesterol was directly related to a risk of heart attack and stroke. Unfortunately, his research has since been discovered to have been quite flawed, but nevertheless, his study created the low-fat, high-carb diet that most of us have followed our entire lives.
And many in the health and nutrition field today wonder if it wasn’t this way of eating that brought us where many people find themselves now. Obesity affects nearly 40% and diabetes nearly 10% of the American population and people are looking for ways to reduce these numbers and gain back control of their weight and blood sugar. Following a low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat diet can possibly be one way to do it. That’s what the Keto lifestyle is all about. Since I follow a low-carb style of eating, when I hear testimonials of people that have not only shed tremendous amounts of weight, but have also gotten all sorts of ailments under control eating Keto, it sparks my interest.
After the obligatory introduction and explanation of the diet, the book then launches into the recipes which are broken down by section: Condiments/Dressings/etc., Breakfast, Appetizers, Meats, Fish and Seafood, Vegetarian Dishes, Sides and Treats. I haven’t read it cover to cover, but I have perused the recipes and overall do find some of the ingredients to be pricey. Many of the recipes call for things like MCT oil, erythritol, stevia glycerine and egg white protein, which can be costly. But then again, if you’re focused and determined to improve your health and lose significant amounts of weight, it might well be worth the investment!
The Keto Diet claims that it’s low-carb, “moderate” protein, and high in fat, and while I do find the recipes in this book to be low-carb and high-fat, I do not find them to be “moderate” protein; in fact, many recipes are significantly full of protein. I suppose you can control this by eating less meat and adding more vegetables, if you wish.
Some recipes in this book are a little strange. They use egg white protein to make pizza crust and “bread”. I guess when you don’t eat carbs you miss things like bread, but to think that egg white protein would come anywhere close to tasting good and acting as a carb substitute is really asking too much of me. I cannot imagine this would actually taste good! I think I’d rather make an almond flour or cauliflower crust instead, which are also both low-carb. (BTW, we recently tried the cauliflower crust pizza at California Pizza Kitchen and it was quite good and not at all too cauliflowery. I asked what was in it and other than the obvious veg, they add a generous amount of cheese to the crust to get it to crisp up. Delicious.)
Despite these small complaints I have of the book, overall I think the recipes are doable and look good.
I am looking forward to trying some of their omelets, their “frico” cups which are essentially baked Parmesan crisps shaped into a cup to hold a filling, Spring Rolls wrapped in cabbage; and their Grilled Trout looks amazing, as do their BBQ Short Ribs. For dessert, I’m going to have to try their Dark Chocolate Raspberry Fat Bombs at some point, and maybe the Tiramisu Fudge or Lemon Curd Ice Cream!
For the recipes I’ve actually made, the Herb and Ricotta Rotolo were tasty, as were the Smoky Pork Chops with Apple Glaze we made on Sunday (yummy)!
But this is the recipe I wanted to share with you. Maybe it was the picture that caught my eye, but there was something about it that said “try me”, so I did. And I loved it! I did make one modification to it - I do not use sugar alcohols, so I used 1/4 cup of honey instead. If you want to be 100% Keto, then by all means do it as listed below.
Asian Meatballs over Bok Choy
Ingredients
2 pounds grass-fed ground beef or ground turkey
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms
4 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
2 Tbsp coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari sauce
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
For the sauce
1/4 cup bone broth (preferably homemade)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut aminos
1/3 cup powdered erythritol*
2 Tbsp chopped green onions
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp guar gum (if using store-bought broth)**
Black or white sesame seeds
Bok choy, chopped for steaming
Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix together the ground meat, eggs, mushroom, green onions, coconut aminos, ginger and garlic. Mix until well-combined. Shape into 1-1/2” meatballs and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine the broth, coconut oil, coconut aminos, green onions, ginger and garlic. Heat over medium-high heat until bubbling, stirring well to combine. Remove from the heat. If using store-bought stock, sift in the guar gum and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Add a pinch more guar gum if you would like a thicker sauce. If you’re using homemade bone broth and you’re following my directions, you are going to have a broth with plenty of gelatin in it, so the guar gum is not necessary.
Wash, chop and saute the bok choy in a little coconut oil or just water (on medium low) for 7-8 minutes.
Remove the meatballs from the oven, place sauteed bok choy on your plate, then the meatballs over them and serve with the sauce. Garnish with black or white sesame seeds if desired.
* Some of the sugar alcohols, like erythritol and xylitol, can cause digestive distress in people that are sensitive, like me. So I avoid them. Instead, I would just use a little honey.
** Some gums can also cause digestive upset in sensitive types. Since I use homemade bone broth, which is beautifully gelatinous and therefore thick enough on its own, I would not use the guar gum.
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