Month: May 2019

Easy Pan Seared Strip Steak

Steak is an excellent keto meal. And you don’t need a grill to make the perfect steak. I’ll show you how to do with with your oven and frying pan.

This method works perfectly with any steak. I’m using a NY Strip, it works equally well with a Ribeye or other cut. You’ll need some butter to sear the steak, and I’m going to use the pan drippings to sauté some mushrooms (completely optional, of course)

We’ll start by cooking the steak in a slow oven, I use 200F (100C). This allows the steak to evenly reach the desired temperature, so most of it is perfect medium rare, with little gray area. A oven safe temperature probe is highly recommended, to make sure you don’t shoot past the goal temperature of 100F (38C).

Place the streak on a roasting rack and insert the temperature probe, getting the tip into roughly the center of the steak. Put it in your oven and set the alert temperature to 100F. I find this takes about 45 minutes, but it will vary with the size/shape of your steak, how warm it was when it came out of the fridge, as well as how hot your oven actually is (many ovens are way off temperature).

The steak has reached 100F, so we’ll take it out of the oven and move on to the next step, searing it. I like to turn off the oven and keep the door open for a few minutes at this point, so it is warm enough to keep the steak warm after searing, but not hot enough to continue cooking it.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter (I love KerryGold brand) on medium high heat in a stainless steel frying pan. Non stick pans are not recommended, as you won’t get nice sear. You want the pan to be hot enough to get nice browning, but not burnt.

Sear on one side until golden brown and delicious (3 to 5 minutes), then flip and do the other side. When done, remove and put in your slightly warm oven to keep warm, while we make some sautéed mushrooms.

To keep things easy, I’m using canned mushrooms. Pour some of the liquid from the mushrooms in the pan to deglaze it, then add the mushrooms. Maybe some garlic after the liquid has reduced. There should be plenty of fat left in the pan from the butter and steak, but you could add more if needed. Stir occasionally for 5 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Just Cheese Crackers

KODAK Digital Still Camera

This is a quick and easy way to have a salty and crunchy snack food to replace chips or pretzels. They keep well and can be modified based on what type of cheese you use and can have spices added to them.

Ingredients:

  • 3 slices of deli sliced cheese, any type (I used white cheddar)
  • spices or flavorings to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 deg F. and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Take each slice of cheese and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Place cheese squares on the parchment with space between them so they don’t melt together when baking. Sprinkle with seasonings if you are using them, and don’t forget to add the spices to your total carbs.

Place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the cheese from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes, long enough to be able to flip them over on the sheet pan. Replace the pan in the oven for another 15 – 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool, then place the squares on a piece of paper towel to blot the grease from the crackers. Cover with another paper towel and blot gently. The crackers can be stored in a plastic bag after fully cooled.

12 crackers has 195 calories, 0 carbs, 13 g Fat, and 17 g Protein.

What should I eat on a Ketogenic diet?

This is the first question most people ask when starting a Ketogenic diet, so here is a good beginners list of things to consider at the store.

Protein Sources

  • Beef
  • Chicken
  • Pork
  • Turkey
  • Fish
  • Shellfish
  • Lamb
  • Bacon, Pepperoni, Lunch Meat, Hot Dogs, Sausage, Pork Roll, and other processed meats *

*Watch labels with these items, as carbohydrate count can vary.

Dairy

  • Butter or ghee
  • Heavy cream
  • Eggs
  • Cheese, both hard and soft
  • Full fat versions of sour cream, creme fraiche, cream cheese,cottage cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, and plain greek yogurt

Vegetables and Fruits

All vegetables and fruits are going to have some carbohydrates in them, so it is best to keep track of how much you eat and how many net carbs are in them. Here’s are commonly eaten items that will fit into your carbohydrate limit nicely.

  • Lettuce, any type
  • Leafy greens, like spinach, kale, collard greens, etc.
  • Eggplant
  • Avocados
  • Asparagus
  • Cabbage
  • Broccoli
  • Brussel sprouts
  • Cauliflower
  • Zucchini
  • Yellow squash
  • Green beans
  • Celery
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Cucumber
  • Turnips
  • Radishes
  • Herbs
  • Raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries in moderation

Other Items

  • Nuts (always check the label for net carbs)
  • Coconut oil
  • Peanut oil
  • Olive oil
  • Seeds (flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower)
  • Beef jerky or meat sticks (check labels, some have a lot of carbs)
  • Almond meal or coconut flour
  • Low carb bars or snacks, usually found in the diet aisle
  • Sugar free sauces (ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, mayo, etc.)
  • Coffee or tea
  • 0 carb sweeteners

This is by no means an exhaustive list of foods, and as you learn to read labels you’ll find many others that work fine for a ketogenic diet. But, as a starting point, it should get you on the right track! Now, go get your keto on!

What is a Ketogenic Diet?

Everyone recently has their own ideas about what constitutes a Ketogenic Diet. There are rules galore, and every group of people you talk to will have different ideas about what rules are important and what are not. It’s confusing, but it doesn’t have to be.

A Ketogenic diet is, in general, a diet which allows you to burn fat for energy and keeps your insulin and glucose levels low. People often use 20 grams of total carbohydrates as their daily goal, but others will use a calculation of less than 5% of your daily calories coming from carbohydrates. If you use a percentage, you’ll need to know your daily caloric goal and work off of that number to see how many grams of carbs you’ll need. I find that keeping net carbs under 20 grams per day works just fine for most people, and it’s an easy number to calculate in your head if you don’t like tracking everything.

If you keep your carbohydrates this low you are eating a Ketogenic diet. This is the ONLY strict rule you need to follow. What you choose to eat to meet this goal is ultimately up to you. You are free to make your own choices about what is working or not working in your diet. You can track calories or not. You can use artificial sweeteners if they work for you. You can eat eggs every day, or avoid them like the plague. It’s totally up to you to decide.

This is not to say there aren’t things that can be helpful to think about when eating a Ketogenic diet. I will be covering some of those things in future posts, so stay tuned!

Recipe: Easy Cheesy Bread

KODAK Digital Still Camera

This is an easy recipe that makes Keto buns or bread to use for burgers and sandwiches.  They keep well in the refrigerator if you make extra, and they are super yummy as a snack by themselves.  

Ingredients:

4 oz. shredded cheese (I use Mexican 4 Cheese Blend)
2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. coconut flour
2 lg. eggs
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 deg F.

In a bowl, weigh out your cheeses. Add in the coconut flour and garlic powder (if you are using it) and mix together to distribute the flour through the cheese mixture. Add in the eggs and mix well to combine.

On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper make 4 equal piles of the cheese/egg mixture and make them a general round shape. They don’t need to be perfect, as the cheese will spread. Bake at 375 deg F for 15-18 minutes until they look golden brown (and delicious). Cool on the pan and eat or store in the refrigerator. Can be reheated by toasting or warming in the oven.

One bun is 200 calories, 1.4 g Net Carbs, 15 g Fat, and 16 g protein.