Every Sunday, I make my breakfasts and lunches for the work week, so I don’t have to worry about whether our work cafeteria is going to have something I can eat other than the boring-ass salad bar. I decided this week that I was in the mood for something Cajun. I considered gumbo, but it’s finally hitting actual summer weather here, so I didn’t want soup. And try as I might, I haven’t figured out a good way to make a keto etouffee, so jambalaya was the compromise. And as it turns out, it was a very tasty compromise indeed.
Start by chopping a half pound of chicken breasts (this was one large breast for me) and slicing four pre-cooked pork andouille sausages. I used the Aidell’s brand. While you are chopping and slicing, heat up 2 tablespoons of avocado oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. If you don’t have a stainless steel skillet, check your local restaurant supply store. You can get one for relatively cheap and it’s going to be chef quality. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Cook the chicken and sausage in the oil until the sausage browns and the chicken just begins to turn golden. The picture below is what you’ll want it to look like.
While you’re cooking the chicken and sausage, chop half a large onion, a green pepper, and two large stalks of celery. When the chicken and sausage are done, put them aside in a bowl, using a slotted spoon so most of the fat drains back into the skillet. Add the vegetables to the skillet. If you want, you can add garlic here, but I’ve got a nice hack that gives you the garlic flavor without having to chop anything else. After about three or four minutes, add a tablespoon or more of Cajun seasoning to the veggies and turn to coat and toast the spices a bit. Make sure your seasoning blend is sugar-free! Some of them contain added sugar. You’ll want it to contain salt, though. If it doesn’t, add about a teaspoon of salt.
The veggies and Cajun seasoning.
When the onions just begin turning translucent, like in the picture above, add the chicken and sausage back into the pan along with a can of diced tomatoes. Bring it to a simmer, and while it simmers, here’s my garlic hack. Instead of making my own cauliflower rice, which messes up a food processor and gets cauliflower dust all over my kitchen, I used two bags of Birds Eye Steamfresh brand roasted garlic flavored riced cauliflower. You can get these in the frozen section of your grocery store. Heat these up in the microwave while the skillet contents simmer and some of the liquid cooks off. You can of course use your own cauliflower rice, but you’ll want to cook it for longer once it’s in there, and you’ll need to make sure that you either add minced garlic in with the vegetables or garlic powder to the spices.
When the liquid from the tomatoes cooks down a bit, it’ll be time to add the cauliflower rice. Conveniently, this takes about as long as it takes to heat up two bags of cauliflower rice, one after the other. Add the rice in, stir it to combine evenly, and continue to simmer for about five minutes. At this point, add hot sauce to taste as well as any additional salt and pepper needed. I used Frank’s Red Hot because that’s what I had, but Tabasco is probably the most authentic. This makes five good-sized servings, perfect for a work week lunch.
Chop chicken into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Slice the sausage into thin coins.
In a large stainless steel skillet, heat up the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sausage and cook, turning once, until both sides of the sausage are browned and the chicken just starts to turn golden. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the skillet.
While the chicken and sausage cook, chop the onion, green pepper, and celery. When the chicken and sausage are removed, add the vegetables and optional garlic (see notes above). Saute for about 3-4 minutes, then add the Cajun seasoning, tossing to coat. Saute for 1-2 minutes more, until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
As the tomatoes simmer and reduce, heat up both bags of riced cauliflower in the microwave. This should take about ten minutes. Add the cauliflower and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and add hot sauce and salt and pepper as needed. Simmer for 5 more minutes and serve.
Macros, using Aidell's sausage: 313 calories, 8 grams net carbs, 25 grams protein, 18 grams fat.
Keyword Cajun, chicken, keto, low carb, main dish, make ahead, sausage, spicy
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I’m sure a lot of you have seen and used one of the recipes for 90-second bread that have been floating around Pinterest. The basic idea is that you whisk together some simple ingredients and put it in the microwave for a minute and a half, and voila, you have bread! It’s not the easiest bread to work with, but it definitely works in a pinch. One of its best applications is a grilled sandwich, like a grilled cheese or a panini, because the outside will crisp up nicely and it tastes a bit less eggy afterwards.
Enter the idea I had. What if I could add one simple ingredient and get something that resembles rye bread? Most of the flavor of a good seeded rye comes from the caraway seeds rather than the rye flour itself. And that one little addition opens up so many other potential combinations. I’m definitely going to have to try a reuben or a nice pastrami sandwich. But for now, I’m going with one of my favorite old-school diner favorites, the patty melt.
Start off by using your favorite 90-second bread recipe. I used the one from Wholesome Yum but if you have one you like better, that’s fine. Mix together the ingredients in a flat-bottomed container that is approximately the size of a slice of bread. Just remember to add a half teaspoon of caraway seeds to it before you microwave it, mixing them in thoroughly. Microwave it for 90 seconds, then set it aside to cool.
Fry up 2-3 ounces of mushrooms over medium heat in a teaspoon of butter until they brown and release most of their liquid. Set those aside in a small bowl. While the mushrooms are cooking, first slice up 1/4 of a large onion French style into long strips. Make a patty out of 1/3 pound of 85/15 or 80/20 ground beef, pressing it to be as thin as you can get it. Salt and pepper both sides, then put it into the pan where the mushrooms were, using medium-high heat. Place the onions into the pan around the beef patty. Since I had a pound of ground beef to use, I made 3 of these when I did this recipe. One for me, one for my non-keto husband, and one for leftovers.
Right before the flip.
By the time that the burgers are ready to be turned, they should be releasing enough fat to help cook the onions. You’ll want them to be nice and caramelized, and the burgers to be cooked all the way through. Normally I like my burgers cooked medium-rare, but not so much with the patty melt. Eventually, when it’s finished, it’ll look something like this.
When the burgers and onions are cooked all the way through, assemble the sandwich. Carefully slice your bread lengthwise down the middle to make two slices. Place the patty on one side with half a slice of Swiss cheese under it, and a slice of Swiss cheese and the onions and mushrooms on the other. Put the sandwich together, being careful not to let any of the fillings spill out.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium-low heat and fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until the cheese begins to melt. The fillings will try to escape again when you turn it, fair warning. The half slice of Swiss cheese under the patty should help a little, but it won’t be perfect. If you’re having trouble getting the cheese to melt, put a lid over the pan for 30 seconds or so.
While the sandwich is browning, mix together a tablespoon of mayonnaise with a teaspoon of sugar-free ketchup. I use the G. Hughes variety, but there are several other good ones out there if you can’t find that one. They also make a good sugar-free barbecue sauce as well. Add a half teaspoon of dill pickle relish, and you’ve made Thousand Island dressing. Use that for a dipping sauce. My zucchini chips would be a great side dish for this if the sandwich isn’t enough for you.
Prepare your preferred version of 90-second bread, making sure to add the caraway seeds before putting it in the microwave. Set aside to cool.
Slice and wash your mushrooms if they aren't already. Melt a teaspoon of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the mushrooms until they're brown and have released their liquid. Put them in a small bowl and set aside.
While the mushrooms are cooking, slice your onion French style (see images above if you don't know what that looks like) and make your burger patty, pressing it as flat as possible. Salt and pepper your patty and put it in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the onions around the burger patty. Cook the burgers for about 6 minutes per side, until cooked through. Stir the onions while the burger is cooking so they don't char.
Slice your bread lengthwise into two even halves. Put a half-slice of cheese on one slice, then top it with a burger patty. Place a whole slice of cheese on the other half and top with the onions and mushrooms. Melt a half tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium-low heat and grill the sandwich for about 3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and dill pickle relish in a small ramekin. Cut the burger in half on the diagonal to serve and use the dressing as a dipping sauce.
Macros for this recipe are as follows: 864 calories, 7 grams net carbs, 41 grams protein, 77 grams fat.
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I love fudge. I’m still chasing the dragon of that marshmallow cream chocolate fudge that I used to have back in the 1980s, before they changed the recipe. But I digress. Today I am here to tell you about one of the better desserts I’ve made recently. This is a microwave peanut butter fudge that takes about five minutes of prep time and tastes phenomenal. Most keto “fudge” recipes I’ve seen are coconut oil based. They melt easily and just don’t have the right texture. This one holds up just like conventional fudge. I love love love it.
The key is that it features confectioner’s Swerve sugar substitute. This holds up exactly the same as the powdered sugar you find in most regular fudge recipes, and tastes almost exactly the same. It has that cooling effect on the tongue that you get from erithrytol, but I’ve found that if you store the fudge in your refrigerator and eat it cold, you don’t notice it as much.
To make this, start out with 3/4 of a cup of peanut butter and a stick and a half of butter. Put them in the microwave for a minute on high, and then keep heating for 30 seconds at a time until they’re both a soft, melted texture and can be mixed together without clumping. Add a half teaspoon of imitation caramel flavoring and use a hand mixer to beat it all together until it’s smooth. You’ll want the kind that looks like vanilla extract, NOT the kind that you use for flavoring hard candies. Then add a whole bag (12 ounces) of confectioner’s Swerve, about 3-4 ounces at a time, and beat it until it’s uniform in texture. Spread the fudge into an 8×8 pan that’s lined with parchment paper, and sprinkle with pink Himalayan sea salt to taste. You’ll want more than you think you might. My salt is in a grinder, so I can’t really measure what I use, but I’d imagine that it was at least a half teaspoon.
Put the whole thing in the fridge for about two hours, then slice 5×5 to make 20 squares. Good luck eating just one!
In a microwave, melt the butter and peanut butter together for a minute. Stir, and then microwave in 30 second increments until the peanut butter is soft and can be easily blended.
Add the caramel flavoring, and using a hand mixer, blend the mixture until smooth.
Add the Swerve, 3 to 4 ounces at a time, blending thoroughly after each addition. Scrape down the sides if necessary. Blend until all the Swerve is evenly incorporated.
Spread the warm fudge into an 8×8 baking pan that's been lined with parchment paper, sprinkle with salt to taste, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into 20 evenly-sized pieces.
Macros for 1 piece: 124 calories, 1 gram net carbs, 2 grams protein, 11 grams fat.
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