Tag: side dish

Cauliflower Baked Mac & Cheese

Another pre-keto household favorite was Alton Brown’s baked cheddar Mac and Cheese. That stuff is gold. So obviously I had to figure out how to ketofy it.

Ingredients:
3 pounds (about 12 cups) frozen cauliflower (or broccoli, or Brussels sprouts, or really any other low carb veggies)
4 tbsp butter
4 oz (8 tbsp) cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
16oz (1lb) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated vegetarian parmesan

Recipe:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Put frozen broccoli on a 9×13 casserole pan (or cookie sheet if you have a ceramic casserole pan like me) and spray with olive oil spray.
Bake for 17 minutes, until the edges turn golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream over medium low heat until melted but not boiling.
Add in all the spices.
Add the cheese and stir with a whisk until melted and clumps disappear.

Lower the heat to 350F.
Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower in casserole pan. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

If you didn’t mistakenly grab shredded parm at the grocery store like me, you’ll end up with a lovely grated Parmesan crust if you broil for a second at the end!

This is a pretty easy recipe to tweak to fit your macros. I went with a “generous” ratio of cheese to veggies, but you can easily go up to 12 cups of veggies in this. Or, leave off the parmesan for less calories, or pile more on for a high protein boost.

Macros: makes 8 servings

435 cal / 5 net carbs / 38 fat / 17 protein.

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Thanksgiving Spread

This brussels sprout gratin was the ‘main event’ for our Thanksgiving meal this year, and I plan to make it again for regular dinner meal prep! With the flavors of gruyere, and tender but flavorful Brussels sprouts, I honestly think this beats my  traditional carb bomb baked mac and cheese. Plus, it reheated beautifully in a 350F oven.
True story: I had to look up whether it was ‘brussels’ or ‘brussel’ – its Brussels with a capital B, so I was wrong all around.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups (1/2 pound) brussels sprouts, sliced
    • or purchase shredded if you can find them
  • 2 cloves garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
  • Olive oil
  • 2oz (1/2 cup) gruyere, shredded
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp flax meal
  • 1 tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 cup heavy cream (1/2 container)
  • 1/2 tsp thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic and brussels sprouts in olive oil until bright green and wilted.

Cooked Brussels Sprouts

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan melt butter. Add flax meal and coconut flour and stir until cooked. Add cream and thyme and heat, stirring, until steaming but do not boil. Basically, you’re making a keto roux here.

If you cooked the brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet you can leave them there. If not, place the brussels sprouts in a baking dish (we doubled the recipe and used a 9×13). Top with half the cheese, then pour over cream sauce, and top with remaining half of cheese.

Ready for the OVen

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until bubbly and browned. 

Makes 4 servings. 357 cal / 5 net carbs (8.5 total) / 33 fat / 8 protein each.

Hot and Ready

Note for meat eaters: an excellent version of this involves cooking bacon, removing and then cooking the brussels sprouts in the bacon grease. You can add chopped bacon bits in before popping in the oven.

The inspiration for this dish came from Little Figgy Food: http://www.littlefiggy.com/creamy-brussel-sprouts-au-gratin/