Cluttered Kitchen Keto

I love coming up with new recipes, I really do. That part of blogging is really fun. Taking the pictures can be really annoying at times (this particular recipe more so than some others), but for the most part I enjoy it. The actual writing part is less so. First off, I have to plug my new recipe into Senza so I can get an accurate macro count. Then I have to figure out how to explain all the steps I took clearly and coherently. Then I have to use the recipe plugin and do the exact same thing I did in the body of the blog post, only more succinctly. It’s not creative writing at all. I say all this to let you know that sometimes I need a break from blogging for a while, and this whole global pandemic thing has been draining whatever energy I have to do pretty much anything other than stay afloat. I hope everyone reading is well, and know that if you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. All that having been said, this recipe was too good to not share, so I’m putting in the effort to get it out to you.

If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, you’ve hopefully tried their Zuppa Toscana. I’m not a huge fan of chain restaurants in general, and I haven’t been to an Olive Garden since probably undergrad, but I still remember how good this soup is. A lightly creamy broth with spicy Italian sausage, kale, and my nemesis, potatoes. I’ve seen a lot of keto recipes that just leave out the potato entirely, or replace it with cauliflower, but I decided to try something new that I hadn’t seen before.

Enter the rutabaga, otherwise known as yellow turnip or swede. 1 net carb per ounce, as opposed to 4.5 for a potato. And now that I’ve figured out how easy it is to use in soups and how well it works, I’m going to be experimenting with it in a LOT of potato-based soup recipes! Clam chowder, here I come! The hardest part of cooking with rutabaga is chopping it. It’s a lot firmer than a potato, so you need some muscle and a really good chef’s knife. I’m partial to Shun brand knives. I’ve had mine for over 15 years, and other than the occasional sharpening, it’s held up remarkably well. Just make sure to NEVER put a chef’s knife in the dishwasher!

Okay, now that I’ve gotten through the background, I’ll get to what you’re all here for. Start off by peeling your rutabaga, and then slicing it into thin bite-size rectangles. I used a pound in this recipe, which was about 1/2 of a large rutabaga. After you’re finished with the rutabaga, set your Instant Pot to saute. Dice 1/2 of an onion while the pot heats up. Once it’s up to temp, add the onion along with about 1.25 pounds of hot Italian sausage. This will be about five links, with the casings removed. Make sure you get the hot kind. The soup will not be the same without it. Saute the meat and onion, stirring to break the meat into crumbles, until the sausage is cooked through. Add a tablespoon of garlic and saute it with the sausage and onion for a minute or two. Drain it once it’s cooked if you want to avoid a bit of orange grease on the top of your soup, but I personally think orange grease is the best kind of grease, so I was fine with it.

Pour in 6 cups of chicken broth, then add the rutabaga, two teaspoons of salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Close the lid and set the pot to pressure cook for four minutes. While the pot is getting up to temperature, rip the leaves off of 3-4 large stems of kale, leaving the tough stems. Tear each kale leaf into small, bite-sized pieces, and put them in a salad spinner. I had to rinse and spin mine three times because my kale was very sandy this time around. By the point you’re finished with this task, your Instant Pot timer should be very close to going off. As soon as it does, manually release the pressure and open the lid as soon as it’s safe. Switch the pot to saute, then stir in the heavy cream. Add the kale, stirring until it’s just wilted. Turn the pot off once the kale is wilted, and wait a few minutes to serve it because it’s wickedly hot when it first comes out. This soup is even better the next day, so it’s perfect for meal prep! I’ve been eating it for lunch every day for the past week.

Keto Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana

A keto copycat of everyone's favorite Olive Garden soup.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Servings 9

Calories 260 kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

  

• 1 lb rutabaga chopped into thin bite-sized rectangles
• 1/2 large onion diced
• 1.25 lbs hot Italian sausage casings removed
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3-4 stems kale leaves only, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

 

• Peel and sliced the rutabaga into thin bite-sized rectangles and set aside.
• Set the Instant Pot to saute. Dice the onion and remove the casings from the sausage, if necessary.
• Saute the sausage and onion in the Instant Pot, stirring to break the meat up into small chunks, until the sausage is cooked through. Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two. Drain the sausage, if desired, and return it to the pot.
• Pour in the chicken broth and add the rutabaga, salt, and pepper. Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set it to pressure cook for 4 minutes.
• While the Instant Pot is coming to pressure, tear the leaves off of the thick center kale stems. Rip the leaves into bite-sized pieces and discard the stems. Carefully rinse the leaves in a colander or salad spinner.
• When the Instant Pot timer goes off, manually release the pressure and open the lid. Set to saute, and stir in the heavy cream and kale. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 1-2 minutes, then turn off the Instant Pot and serve.
• Macros per serving (approximately 1 cup): 260 calories, 5 grams net carbs, 11 grams protein, 22 grams fat.

Keyword Italian, keto, lchf, low carb, sausage, soup

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I love chili verde, especially the version I get at one of my favorite local gastropubs. I’ve tried to make a bunch of “simple” versions at home, but what they offer in ease they lack in…well, flavor. There’s a level of depth of flavor that’s missing in a chili verde that involves dumping salsa and chicken broth in with some pork and setting a button. It’s not particularly difficult to do, either, so it’s entirely worth it. I think this version is actually BETTER than the one I get when I go out!

The key to this one is roasting most of the ingredients under a broiler. It brings out some sweetness in the peppers and tomatillos, and makes the limes a bit more pungent. I used 12 ounces each of poblano peppers and tomatillos, 2 jalapeño peppers, and two limes. To prepare them, first put on gloves, otherwise you’re going to have a bad time. Move a rack to the top position in your oven and set the oven to broil, then line a rimmed cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the tops off the poblano peppers and remove the seeds and membranes from the inside, then place them on the cookie sheet. Cut the tops off the jalapeños, halve them lengthwise, then place them skin side up on the cookie sheet. Remove the paper husks from the tomatillos and rinse them in warm water, then cut them in half and place them on the cookie sheet cut side down. Cut the limes in half and place them cut side up. You’ll end up with something that looks like this:

Pop that under the broiler for six minutes. Take it out and carefully remove the limes, placing them in a small bowl for now. Remove the tomatillos gently, being careful not to squeeze out the seeds. Put those in the bowl of a large food processor. Put the jalapeños into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and seal it. Flip the poblanos and put them back under the broiler for another six minutes, then put them in the bag with the jalapeños, making sure to reseal the bag. Then chop an onion and separately peel and mince six garlic cloves. Set those aside for now.

Pull out your Instant Pot, put two tablespoons of avocado oil in it, and set it to saute. While it’s heating, cut two pounds of pork country ribs or boneless pork shoulder into bite-sized pieces, then toss them with about two teaspoons of salt and a bunch of pepper. Brown them in the oil for about 4 minutes per side, removing them to a bowl when finished. You’ll need to do this in two batches, so add another two tablespoons of oil for the second batch if needed. While they’re cooking, finish preparing the salsa. Put on gloves again, and open the Ziploc bag. The pepper skins should peel off relatively easily. Put the skinned peppers into the food processor with the tomatillos. Squeeze the limes into the bowl as well. You may need to prick the tops with a fork to keep them from getting messy when you squeeze them. Finally, rinse off a bunch of cilantro and pull off the top part. You’ll end up with about a cup of leaves and stems. Throw it all into the food processor. Add a teaspoon of salt, and a tablespoon of cumin. Whiz it up into a chunky salsa, then keep it set aside.

By this point, your pork should be finished up and in a bowl. Add the onion to the Instant Pot and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. A lot of the browned bits from the pork should come up at this point, turning the outside of the onions brown. Once they start getting translucent in the middle, add the garlic and saute for another minute. Pour in the salsa and two cups of chicken broth and scrape up the remaining brown bits from the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add two teaspoons of cumin, another two teaspoons of salt, and a teaspoon of oregano. At this point, if you want 4 really hearty servings, add the pork back to the pot and set it for the Stew setting, or 45 minutes at high pressure. If you want six servings that are a bit more brothy (and lower in net carbs per serving), add a cup of chicken broth and a cup of prepared salsa verde. I used Herdez roasted salsa verde, because the flavor profile best fits what I already made. Either way, it cooks on the Stew setting for 45 minutes, with a natural release. When it’s done, it’s done. You can serve it on its own, or with cauliflower rice. The bar I get this stuff at does it with saffron rice, which oddly works, so you can try that with cauliflower rice if you’d like. It’s even better the next day, so it’s great for make-ahead lunches.

Instant Pot Chili Verde

A low-carb recipe for chili verde simplified by using the Instant Pot.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 1 hr 15 mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Equipment

• Instant Pot
• Food processor or blender

Ingredients

  

For the Homemade Salsa Verde

• 12 ounces poblano peppers about 4 total
• 12 ounces tomatillos about 8 total
• 2 jalapeño peppers
• 2 limes
• 1 bunch cilantro about 1 cup leaves and stems
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt

For the Chili

• 2 lbs boneless pork country ribs or boneless pork shoulder cut into cubes
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup avocado oil divided
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 batch Homemade Salsa Verde
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup store-bought salsa verde optional, see notes above
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oregano

Instructions

 

For the Homemade Salsa Verde

• Move a rack to the top position in your oven and set the oven to broil. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Put on gloves. Cut the tops off of the poblano peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Place them on the cookie sheet. Remove the tops from the jalapeños, slice them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and put them on the cookie sheet stem side up. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos, rinse them in warm water to remove the sticky residue, cut them in half, and put them on the cookie sheet cut side down. Finally, cut the limes in half and put them on the cookie sheet cut side up.
• Put the sheet under the broiler for six minutes. Remove from the oven. Remove the limes and put them in a bowl to cool. Carefully remove the tomatillos, being careful to not spill the seeds, and put them in a food processor. Remove the jalapeños and put them in a large Ziploc freezer bag, then seal them. Flip the poblano peppers and put them back under the broiler for an additional six minutes, then place them in the bag with the jalapeños for ten minutes.
• Rinse off the cilantro and put it into the food processor. Pierce the cut sides of the limes with a fork, then squeeze them into the food processor, making sure to get as much of the pulp out as possible. Remove the peppers from the bags and using gloves, remove the skins from the peppers, then place them in the bag. Add the salt and cumin and process until it's mostly smooth with some chunks here and there. Set it aside.

For the Chili

• Heat the Instant Pot to saute and add two tablespoons of the oil.
• Toss the pork cubes with salt and pepper to taste and brown them in two batches for 4 minutes per side, making sure to add the remaining two tablespoons of oil between batches. Remove the pork to a bowl when finished.
• When all the pork is cooked, add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, until it begins to turn translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Pour in the homemade salsa and 2 cups of the chicken broth, then return the pork to the pot. If you want to make 4 servings of very meaty chili, add the additional salt, more pepper, and spices here. If you like your chili a bit more brothy and want more servings, add another cup of chicken broth and a cup of prepared salsa verde to the pot at this point.
• Set the Instant Pot for the Stew setting, or 45 minutes at high pressure if you're using a different style of pressure cooker. Allow for a natural release. Serve immediately or package for meal prep.
• Macros for 4 servings: 513 calories, 13 grams net carbs, 32 grams protein, 36 grams fat. Macros for 6 servings: 351 calories, 9 grams net carbs, 21 grams protein, 24 grams fat.

Keyword chili, instant pot, keto, low carb, make ahead, pork

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My office needs very little excuse to have a potluck, and everyone sort of has a specialty. Mine is meatballs. I bring a different type almost every time. For the office Christmas party it was Italian meatballs with Rao’s because I was super busy and couldn’t come up with a recipe. I’ve done my Spanish meatballs before, to great success. Buffalo chicken was a hit, and one I’ll likely post here eventually. But my recent favorite, which I made for our Valentine’s Day potluck we’re having as a wedding shower for a co-worker who is getting married next month, are these Thai curry chicken meatballs.

This recipe makes enough for a crowd and isn’t easily halved, so it’s perfect for a party or for meal prep. They’d be great over some cauliflower rice. And while it has a lot of ingredients, they’re all really easy to find, and it involves very little actual cooking. If you can dump stuff into a bowl, stir, and preheat an oven, you’re most of the way there. So don’t get intimidated. It’s easier than it looks, I promise!

To make the meatballs, preheat your oven to 400 degrees, then grab a large mixing bowl. Into that, throw three pounds of ground chicken breast, two tablespoons of chili garlic sauce, a beaten egg, a tablespoon of fish sauce, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of garlic powder, a teaspoon of dried ginger root, and the zest of one lime. Make sure you keep the rest of the lime because you’ll need it later. This mixture will be really wet, but I’ve found that it depends on the brand of chicken breast as to just how wet it gets and how much binder is needed to make it the right texture for meatballs. So start with 1/3 cup of almond flour, and add more by tablespoonfuls until it’s able to hold its own shape. I ended up with 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Mix all that together, then use a small cookie scoop to measure out the meatballs onto two foil-lined cookie sheets. It should make about 40-50 meatballs, depending on how large you make them. The mixture will be sticky, so I shape the balls by spraying my hands with avocado oil cooking spray and almost tossing the meatballs back and forth between my hands until they’re round, rather than rubbing them between my palms. Once they’re all shaped, bake them for 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking time.

While the meatballs are baking, it’s a perfect time to make the sauce. Use a large Dutch oven or saucepot, as you’ll be adding all the cooked meatballs back into it at the end. To that pot, add two cans of full-fat coconut milk, two tablespoons of <a href=”https://amzn.to/37xl4ox”>red curry paste</a>, the juice of that lime from earlier, a tablespoon of fish sauce, a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce, 1-2 tablespoons of <a href=”https://amzn.to/3bB6wY1″>sriracha</a> depending on your desired heat level (I used 2), a tablespoon of <a href=”https://amzn.to/31RBC9t”>Swerve Brown</a> or a similar brown sugar substitute, and a teaspoon of dried ginger. Whisk all that together over medium heat until it bubbles, then turn it down to a a simmer and wait for the meatballs to finish. Once the meatballs are cooked, toss them into the pot with the sauce and let it continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro leaves, then either serve them or store them in the fridge overnight and reheat in a crock pot for your potluck!

Thai Curry Chicken Meatballs

Chicken meatballs in a Thai coconut curry sauce.

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Servings 10

Calories 349 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the Meatballs

• 3 lbs. ground chicken breast
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger root
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• zest of one lime
• white pepper to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup almond flour
• cooking spray

For the Sauce

• 2 13.5-ounce cans full-fat coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1-2 tbsp sriracha to taste
• 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 tbsp Swerve Brown or similar brown sugar substitute
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• juice of one lime
• 1 small bunch minced cilantro leaves about 1/3 cup

Instructions

 

For the Meatballs

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and spray them with cooking spray.
• In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except for the almond flour. Add 1/3 cup of the almond flour, and continue adding more until it's your desired texture. Aim for sticky but mostly holding its own shape.
• Scoop the mixture onto the cookie trays using a small cookie scoop. Spray your hands with cooking spray and gently toss each meatball back and forth between your hands until they're round. Put them back on the cookie sheets then bake them for 25-30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through the cooking time.

For the Sauce

• While the meatballs are cooking, stir together all sauce ingredients except for the cilantro in a Dutch oven or stockpot large enough to hold the finished meatballs. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then turn the heat down to low and continue to simmer until the meatballs are done, stirring occasionally.
• When the meatballs are finished, add them to the pot and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator and reheat in a slow cooker or microwave.
• Macros per serving (4-5 meatballs, depending on size): 349 calories, 4 grams net carbs, 35 grams protein, 22 grams fat.

Keyword chicken, keto, lchf, low carb, make ahead, meatballs, Thai

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