The reuben is maybe my favorite sandwich on earth. Rye bread is one of those tastes I acquired as an adult, and I adore it now. Of course, there’s very little about rye that’s keto. But one of the strongest flavors in rye bread is the caraway seeds, and if you use those in a chaffle, it actually does a decent job of mimicking the flavor of rye bread. I made this recipe, including the chaffle itself, for my non-keto husband, and for the first time he said “You know, I might actually be able to do this keto thing.” Chaffles are a game-changer, ladies and gentlemen. He didn’t miss the bread, and he loves bread.
This one is super easy. The chaffle recipe is very similar to the one I used for my Beef on Chaffleweck recipe, just with more caraway seeds. So to make one sandwich, start with two slices of Swiss cheese.
You’ll shred one and put the other aside. Sprinkle 1/4 of the shredded Swiss on the Dash mini-waffle maker, then sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of caraway seeds. Add half a beaten egg, then top with another 1/4 of the cheese and another 1/4 teaspoon of caraway seeds. Close the Dash and cook for 3 minutes, then repeat so you have two rye chaffles.
While the chaffles are cooking, prepare the innards. I used to go to this great New York deli in my town (before the owner retired–insert sad face here) that made one of the best reubens I’ve ever had in my life. They’d slice the rye fresh for every sandwich, and it was piled so high with corned beef. There was no way they could grill it and have the beef warm, so they actually stacked the inside of the sandwich in a cylindrical container and microwaved it. Kind of brilliant, honestly. So that’s what I did here. For each sandwich, use 1/4 pound of thinly-sliced deli corned beef, 1/4 cup of drained sauerkraut, and a slice of Swiss cheese. I used a round Gladware container. Stack the ingredients in order and microwave them for 30-40 seconds, until the cheese is melted. The picture below is what the sandwich filling setup looks like before the cheese is put on.
Put a slice of Swiss on top and it’s ready to zap!
Of course, it’ll need Thousand Island dressing, too. For one sandwich, you’ll need to mix half a tablespoon of mustard, half a teaspoon of sugar-free ketchup, and as much dill pickle relish as you’d like–I use 1/4 tsp. Stir it all together and you’ve got your sandwich condiment. Slather that all over the inside of one chaffle. Invert the sandwich fillings onto that chaffle, so the Swiss cheese is on it, then put the bottom chaffle on, flip it over, and devour.
Tear up or finely chop one slice of the Swiss cheese, setting the other slice aside to put on the sandwich.
Preheat your Dash. When it's preheated, sprinkle the surface with 1/4 of the shredded Swiss and 1/4 teaspoon of the caraway seeds. Top with 1/2 of the beaten egg, then sprinkle another 1/4 of the Swiss and 1/4 teaspoon of the caraway seeds on top. Close the Dash and cook for about 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and repeat with the remaining Swiss, caraway seeds, and egg.
While the chaffles are cooking, stack the corned beef, sauerkraut, and remaining slice of Swiss in a round microwave-safe container. Microwave for 30-40 seconds, until the Swiss is just melted.
Mix together the mayonnaise, ketchup, and relish. Spread that on the inside of one chaffle. Invert the container with the fillings onto that chaffle Swiss side down, then place the second chaffle on the corned beef side. Turn it back to Swiss side up to eat.
Macros per serving: 524 calories, 3 grams net carbs, 46 grams protein, 35 grams fat.
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Creamed chipped beef on toast (otherwise known as shit on a shingle) gets a keto upgrade with a chaffle base and a gluten-free and low-carb cream sauce.
Chickens don’t have fingers, but chicken fingers are a thing. Fish have even fewer fingers than chickens do, but I’m still making fish fingers nonetheless. This is basically my version of fish sticks. Sadly, the one kid who used to love fish sticks didn’t like this at all, but he loved the coleslaw. And my kid who can go either way on fish ate hers in record time, but she didn’t have anything more than a bite of the coleslaw. I can never really predict them. Either way, this meal made one thing that either kid would eat, which I consider a small victory.
There are three parts to this recipe. Besides the fish fingers and the coleslaw, there’s also a great version of tartar sauce that doesn’t have that nasty (and high in carbs) sweet pickle relish. It instead uses capers and dill, giving it a nice salty and creamy contrast to the fish. Between that and the coleslaw, it’s almost like being at a fish fry. This would be a great recipe for Lent, if you observe it.
Start with the coleslaw, because some time to chill in the fridge is good for the flavor. You’ll want a one-pound bag of shredded coleslaw mix, ideally just cabbage with a little bit of carrots. If you’re concerned about the carbs from carrots, a lot of places do an angel hair slaw that’s just cabbage. Put that in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together 3/4 cup of avocado oil mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons of Sukrin Gold Fiber Syrup or a similar liquid honey substitute, a teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of celery seed, and as much black pepper as you want. Pour that over the coleslaw mix and toss it around to coat, then stick it in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
The fish fingers start with my standard breading base for fried foods. A half cup of grated parmesan cheese (I love the Cello organic shelf-stable version that they sell at Costco), and a half cup of pork rind crumbs. Put it on a large plate, then just add a teaspoon of dried parsley and a teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning, and stir it around until it’s all mixed up. Easy peasy. Beat an egg in a small bowl and set that and the plate of crumbs right next to your cooktop, so when you’re ready to bread the fish, you can put it right in the oil.
After that, get your fish ready. If you want, you can skip this step and fry the fish whole, but I like when it’s finger food. I use tilapia for this, because it easily cuts down the middle for fingers. You can use any plain, flat, mild-tasting white fish. Flounder or catfish would work just fine. Start with a pound of fish and cut it into strips the size of chicken fingers. If you’re using tilapia, there will normally be a thicker half of the fish. Put the thicker parts together and the thinner parts together. You’re going to want to do these in two batches, and they’ll cook more evenly that way.
Heat up 6 tablespoons of avocado oil to medium-high in an enameled cast iron skillet. I use that type of skillet for frying because it never sticks, but it gets a deeper browning and crispier breading than a non-stick skillet will. Once the oil is hot, dip a piece of fish in the egg, coat it evenly with the crumb mixture, then place it gently into the hot oil. Repeat with half the fish fingers, making sure to keep them a similar size and thickness throughout. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Turn it gently with tongs and fry the other side for 3-4 minutes as well. Remove them from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the excess oil.
While the fish is cooking, whip together the tartar sauce. All you need is 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of capers with a little brine, 1/4 teaspoon of dried dill or 1 teaspoon of fresh, and a couple of grinds of white pepper. Serve a little over a tablespoon of it on the side for dipping, and enjoy your kid-friendly fish fry!
Fish Fingers with Coleslaw and Caper-Dill Tartar Sauce
With these fish fingers, low-carb coleslaw, and caper-dill tartar sauce, you'll have everything you need for a keto fish fry!
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until the mayonnaise is no longer lumpy. Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mix, toss to coat, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Macros per serving (6 servings total): 229 calories, 3 grams net carbs, 1 gram protein, 24 grams fat.
For the Fish Fingers
Cut the fish into strips and sort into two groups according to thickness.
On a large plate, mix together the pork rind crumbs, parmesan, parsley, Old Bay, and pepper and toss with a fork. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Place both of those next to your stovetop.
Heat the avocado oil in an enameled cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, dip a fish finger into the egg, then roll it in the crumbs until it's well-coated. Place carefully into the oil and repeat with the remaining fish fingers in that size group.
Cook for about 3-4 minutes, until you can see the golden brown on the bottom of the fish pieces. Turn them carefully with tongs and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the pan and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat these steps with the remaining fish.
Macros per serving (4 servings total): 362 calories, 0 grams net carbs, 30 grams protein, 27 grams fat.
For the Tartar Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a small ramekin. Split evenly between the finished plates to serve as a dipping sauce, or serve directly on the fish.
Macros per serving (4 servings total): 101 calories, 0 grams net carbs, 0 grams protein, 12 grams fat.
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Sometimes I like to go to my local spice place and browse around, looking for something interesting that I can incorporate into my cooking. The last time I was there, I ended up bringing home a berbere blend. I did this on the advice of an Uber driver from Eritrea, after my husband asked him about his favorite food from his home country. He actually showed me a Youtube video of a stew being made with berbere, with chicken and whole boiled eggs. I’m going to have to try to recreate that one too, but as for this time, I had a bunch of veggies in the fridge that needed to be used, so I thought I would make a nice vegetarian baked egg dish, similar to a shakshuka, but with a slightly more complex flavor profile.
Being vegetarian, this recipe is slightly higher in carbs than most that I’ll post, but I had no problem fitting it into my overall day’s macros, even after serving it over cauliflower rice. And it’s also dairy-free, which is nice if you’re doing clean keto. If you want to eat dairy, you can just replace the olives with feta cheese. Either way, the saltiness of olives or feta cheese is what makes this recipe pop.
To begin, I sliced half a yellow pepper and half a green pepper into strips. You can just do this with a whole yellow pepper if you want–I just happened to have this sitting around my fridge, so that’s what I used. Cut a medium zucchini lengthwise, then cut each half lengthwise again, then slice them crosswise into thin wedge-shaped pieces. Finally, slice an onion French-style. Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium heat with two tablespoons of olive oil, add the vegetables, sprinkle with a half-teaspoon of salt, and saute for about five minutes, until they begin to soften a little. At this point, add about a tablespoon of minced garlic and saute for one minute more.
Once the garlic becomes fragrant, it’s time to add the spices and liquids. Sprinkle the veggies with 3 tablespoons of your berbere blend. If you can’t find a local place that makes it and don’t feel like buying it off of Amazon, I linked a recipe in the first paragraph of this post. About the only thing that’s difficult to find is the fenugreek, which is frequently carried at Indian grocery stores if you want to buy it locally. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and stir, toasting the spices and tomato paste a bit.
About a minute later, stir in a can of diced tomatoes, making sure to scrape up any spices on the bottom of your pan. Let it simmer for about five minutes, long enough to thicken up a bit.
The veggies and tomatoes simmering.
This recipe makes three servings. If you’re not going to be eating all the servings immediately, only use the number of eggs you need. The eggs won’t reheat well for leftovers, so you’ll want to add a couple of fried or poached eggs to the reheated veggie blend. Since it was my husband and I eating dinner, I cracked four eggs into the pan to bake. Crack the eggs in, quickly spoon a bit of sauce over the whites to help them set, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and put it in a preheated 375-degree oven for 6-10 minutes. Check them after six. You’ll want the whites to be mostly set but the yolks to still be a bit jiggly, so you get the runny yolks enhancing the sauce. Of course, if you don’t like runny yolks, you can let them cook a bit longer. While the eggs are baking, cut 18 small green or kalamata olives in half. Remove the eggs from the oven, sprinkle with the olives, and serve immediately.
African Spiced Baked Eggs
Baked eggs in a vegetable ragout with berbere spices.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper, zucchini, and onion and sprinkle with the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables just begin to soften.
Add the garlic and saute for another minute, then add the berbere spices and tomato paste. Stir to combine with the vegetables and toast for one minute. Add the tomatoes, stirring to loosen any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer for another five minutes, then crack in the eggs and spoon some of the sauce over the whites to help them set.
Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 6-10 minutes, checking after six minutes. The eggs should still jiggle slightly when you shake the skillet. Sprinkle with the olives and serve immediately, as the eggs will continue to cook from the residual heat in the pan. If you won't be eating all three servings at once, only bake the number of eggs you need, as this will not reheat well.
Macros per serving (2 eggs with sauce): 385 calories, 10 grams net carbs, 15 grams protein, 26 grams fat.
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