Cookbooks for newbies

(Khalil Islam-Zwart) #1

All,

I’ve been dabbling with Keto for the last few months. My challenge is one of trying to cook things my family will also eat. This typically requires planning on my part, as I’m easy like Sunday morning.

Our challenges include dietary restrictions (seafood/shellfish allergies and we don’t eat pork) and picky family members. Ultimately, they like lots of breads, pastas, and things that I admittedly used to enjoy but just don’t eat anymore. I’ve tried recipes that I find, but none seem to stick or appeal. Often, I’ll try something myself first, when the family is out, to see if I think they’d like it. I’d die for a good cookbook that was written from the perspective of someone trying to do keto and feed their picky family… Thoughts? Recommendations?

Also, sorry if this ended up in the wrong place…

#2

You might do better by thinking of a meal your family will eat & just googling for keto versions.

#3

Have you searched Maria Emmerich’s site? www.mariamindbodyhealth.com
This girl knows how to make Keto taste wonderful! I just mentioned this on another thread but in case you didn’t see it search for her Protein Noodle Lasagna. It is so delicious and has rave reviews. It super simple too. I’ve not met one single person who hasn’t enjoyed it. And personally, I’m not even a lasagna fan but it’s a meal I LOVE to make!

#4

Forgot to mention that if you google her cookbooks and slide over to the books tab of the google search it will give you a preview. I screen shotted a few recipes just to see if I liked her method. Now I have 4 digital copies of her books.

(Door Girl) #5

What I do is cook a good midground protein and keto veggie (sometimes I skip my veggie) and have something with good fat to add to mine and have a carby side that satisfies my family. (Sometimes my good fat is melting a pat of butter on top of my protein.)

I’m perfectly happy to have something simple, so if the family is getting an all-in-one carby meal I just whip up a plate for myself out of planned prepped food in the fridge. I try to keep a protein or two that I can eat in a salad or alone in the fridge. Right now, it is bone-in/skin-on chicken breasts that I roasted then deboned and I’m slicing for sandwiches for the family, salads for me, and to use as blue cheese dressing delivery vehicles. :rofl:

The old classics, like beef stroganoff if you skip flouring the meat, are great if you serve yours in a bowl and theirs over noodles. Just think to the classics that are “too fatty” for normal consumption, then pick the ones where the carbs can be separated and enjoy those!

(Diane) #6

I’ve found several excellent recipe developers on the internet that are trustworthy. I find that if the recipe measures ingredients by weight, they tend to be better recipes. This is particularly true for baking! If you don’t already have one, a good digital scale on amazon is a must have. This one is really good and is inexpensive. I’ve had mine for a couple of years now.

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CarrieBrown.com has a lot of good recipes which are free on her website. She sells some wonderful cookbooks (I would recommend the physical copies, I don’t like the kindle versions I bought). Some of her recipes on the website might predate her conversion to a keto diet, so pay attention when you’re reading the recipes. I believe that they are all at least low-carb.

I also recommend checking out Carrie Brown on the Ketovangelist Kitchen podcast with Brian Williams (Episodes 1 - 99). The later episodes don’t include Carrie and I lost interest. My favorite episode was #26, a primer on how and when to use specific lowncarb thickeners. Episodes 40 & 41 are good for those who want to make excellent homemade, ketogenic ice creams.

I also like Maria Emmerich, some of her recipes get overly complicated for me, but they are really good. I find it easier to find her recipes using a google search than searching on her website. Search “Maria Emmerich ***** recipe”, inserting your food of choice.

Leanne Vogel has great recipes. She has a cookbook (I think she’s now in the process of writing a second). She also has free recipes on her website: healthfulpursuit.com. She has lots of recipes which have been modified to accommodate different dietary restrictions (dairy free, egg free, vegan, etc.). I’m not sure if all her recipes are Keto compliant.

Urvashi Pitre runs the food blog twosleevers.com. She has written several keto cookbooks. I can’t recommend them enough. If you have an InstantPot type pressure cooker, start with the InstantPot cookbook first. Not all her recipes on the blog are low carb or Keto. So, again, pay attention.

Kristy Sullivan has a YouTube channel Cooking Keto with Kristie and several cookbooks. Her YouTube videos start out really rough, and you have to write down the recipes as you go, but I’ve had a lot of success with them. She has also written a couple of cookbooks now. She breaks all my rules (doesn’t measure by weight) but her Miracle Biscuit recipe was my first successful attempt at a keto baked good.

I have used recipes from the KetoConnect.net website. I have had poor luck with any of their baked goods, but I like some of their other recipes. They also have a cookbook Keto Made Easy which some people have really liked.

The DietDoctor.com website has a lot of great, free recipes. They do offer a monthly subscription to their website, but you don’t need to sign up to get access to their free content which includes the recipes.

This article purports to direct you to some of the best Keto food blogs. https://www.everydayhealth.com/ketogenic-diet/living-with/blogs-keep-you-motivated-when-all-you-want-carb-fest/

I haven’t checked all of these out yet, but you might have some fun exploring. I would just keep in mind that it is easier to get good results replicating a recipe when it lists the ingredient measurements by weight (especially for baking).

Good Luck

(Pam ) #7

What Melzell said. I got one of Maria Emmerich’s books at Christmas. Loved it so much I bought all the rest of her books. I use them at least 3x week and the Hubby (non-keto) loves her recipes. I can’t recommend her books enough.

(Allie) #9

Have a look at Headbangers Kitchen on YouTube