Keto Hungarian Style Pork Stew

Rainy days always call for stew. 

We don't get many rainy days in Lillooet in the summer so when we do get them, we have to take advantage. This is a very simple stew that only takes a few minutes to whip up and then simmers for a couple of hours and makes your house smell UH-mazing. It also happens to be keto, which is a win for me. My parents, who are not doing keto, loved it. They had theirs over rice while I had mine with a couple of Fat Head Biscuits. (Sorry, we haven't posted our fat head recipe yet but if you Google it then you can easily find tons! I will get our version posted ASAP).

According to MyFitnessPal 1 serving, recipe makes 5, is: 163 calories, 7 fat, 9 carbs, 2.3 fiber, 1.9 sugar, 19 protein. (That's 6.7 net carbs!)

Keto Hungarian Style Pork Stew

Ingredients

1 lb pork, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 of a medium onion, diced

1 small red pepper, diced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 pkg gelatin (about 11/2 tsp)

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 Tbsp butter

1/2 Tbsp paprika (smoked, if you have it)

1/4 tsp caraway seeds

1/2 Tbsp red wine

8 oz (13.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt & pepper

Directions

Prep your pork and veggies. 

Add the gelatin to the chicken stock and set aside. 

In a large pot over medium high heat, cook the pork until it is browned. Once it is has been browned, remove the meat from the pot and set aside. In the same pot add the oil and butter. Add in the onion and pepper and cook about 3 - 4 minutes. 

Lower the heat and add in the garlic, paprika, and caraway. Cook and stir for 1 minute or two. Add in the red wine to help deglaze the pot. 

Add in the tomatoes, bay leaf, lemon juice, and salt & pepper. Stir for about 2 minutes. 

Add in the chicken stock with the gelatin. 

Stir well. Cover and let simmer for about 2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Remove the lid and let cook down to desired consistency. (I cooked it with the lid off for another 10 minutes.)

Serve hot with rice, potatoes, pasta, cauliflower rice, fat head bread, veggies, or on its own. 

You don't have to be following keto to enjoy this yummy stew. I love any meal that only takes a few minutes to prepare and winds up tasting delicious AND is healthy. Who doesn't, really? ;)

Maple Croissants

Canada Day is just around the corner and I was wondering what I could whip up to celebrate this year. I've been playing with bread recipes a lot lately so new I wanted to start there. 

I made a list of foods and flavors that we consider "typically Canadian" and maple was at the top. Some kind of maple bread soon became my mission. 

These maple croissants are pretty darned amazing. All the crispy, flaky, chewy, squishiness of a regular croissant PLUS a hint of maple syrup goodness to elevate these to your new favorite Canadian breakfast (or brunch, or snack...)

The maple doesn't overwhelm the buttery flavor, instead it enhances it and adds a wonderful *jazz hands* of sweetness. Serve with maple butter and you'll never go back to regular croissants again. 

Maple Croissants

Ingredients

1/2 cup warm water

4 1/2 tsp yeast

3 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

1 cup warm milk

Butter Insert

1 1/2 cup butter

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp maple extract

Egg Wash

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp milk

1/2 tsp maple extract 

Directions

Prepare dough - Stir together the 1/2 cup warm water and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes to activate. 

In a large bowl, stir together flour and salt. Stir in the maple syrup, maple extract, lukewarm milk, and yeast mixture. 

Stir until dough comes together. Add more flour, a Tbsp at a time if the dough is very sticky. 

Turn onto a floured work surface and knead 4 minutes. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. 

Roll to a 10 X 9 rectangle, cover with plastic wrap and chill dough for 30 minutes. 

Prepare butter insert - beat together the butter, maple syrup, and maple extract until smooth. Spread into a 6 X 8 1/2 rectangle and chill until while dough is chilling (it needs to be solid). 

Place dough on lightly floured work surface and roll to a 10 X 15 rectangle. Place butter on top, in the center. 

Fold the bottom and the top of the dough over the butter. Pinch the edges to seal the butter in.

Flip dough over so seam is on the bottom. Roll the dough to a 10 X 15 rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). Fold in 3 with the top covering the bottom fold. 

Cover and place in fridge for at least an hour, up to 4 hours. 

Do this 3 more times for a total of 4 "turns". (Always start your roll with the short end towards you.) 

On your last turn, cover well in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill overnight. 

In the morning: 

Remove your dough from the fridge and place on lightly floured work surface.

Roll the dough to a 13 X 24 rectangle (about 1/4 inch thick). 

Cut into 5 inch wide strips.Then cut each strip into 2 triangles.

Make a small cut in the wide part of each triangle. Starting at the wide end, roll up the croissant.

Place on a parchment paper lined cookie tray. 

Repeat with the remaining triangles. Make sure the point is tucked under the roll so it doesn't unroll during cooking. 

Cover with a tea towel and set somewhere free from drafts to proof for an hour (until doubled in size). While they are rising, preheat the oven to 400. (I usually set them on top of the stove to rise. You don't want them to rise in a place that is too warm, like regular bread, as the butter will start to melt and you don't want that!)

After an hour (up to 2) they should be risen a bit. (They won't double in size but should still be bigger than they were.) 

Prepare egg wash by whisking together the egg yolk, milk, and maple extract. 

Using a pastry or basting brush, brush the egg wash on top of each croissant. 

Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes - until golden brown. 

Let cool 5 minutes before removing to wire rack. Look at all the flaky layers! 

Serve warm or room temp with a little maple butter, regular butter, or even jam. 

Croissants are best eaten the day they are made but will last a day on the counter in an airtight container. You can freeze them for later. When ready to enjoy: let them sit at room temp while you preheat your oven to 375, then pop them in until they have warmed through. 

These smell soooo maple-y while they are cooking. Everyone coming in the house is saying, "Ooooh what smells so good?" 

Yeah. These do. 

The outside is crispy and flaky while the inside is soft and chewy and totally addicting. The recipe makes 10 rather large croissants that are just perfect for breakfast or brunch. If they don't get eaten in the first day or two (who are we kidding, right?) then use the leftover ones to make a maple croissant bread pudding. You won't regret it. 

Want to see another of our croissant recipes? Click HERE for our Baklava Croissants! 

S'More Donuts

Summer is synonymous with camping and everyone knows you can't go camping without s'mores. 

Therefore, s'more donuts are awesome. 

The end.

I'm not sure where I was going with that but s'more donuts ARE amazing and are perfect for summer and camping and just about everything else. 

Yep, they are sweet. Kind of the point, actually. All that chocolate and graham crackers and ooey gooey marshmallows make the world go 'round. Share them with your family and friends and you'll be everyone's new favorite person (like you aren't already, psssht!). 

S'More Donuts

Ingredients

Recipe for donuts (Our Favorite All Purpose Recipe HERE)

1/2 cup graham crackers crumbs

bag of giant marshmallows

1 cup chocolate

1 tsp coconut oil

Special equipment needed

kitchen torch

Directions

Make donuts as per recipe instructions (CLICK HERE). 

When donuts have cooled to room temp, cut them all in half horizontally. 

Cut giant marshmallows in half and place 3 halves on the bottom of each doughnut. Using your torch, lightly brown the marshmallows.

Place the top of the donut back on top of the marshmallows and press down firmly. 

Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, and microwave in 15 second intervals until smooth. 

Spoon a glob of chocolate on top of a donut and spread it to cover. Sprinkle generously with graham crumbs. Continue with remaining donuts. 

Let sit until chocolate hardens up. It's less messy. You can, of course, serve immediately!

Your new favorite summer treat has arrived. 

I believe I got about 24 donuts from this recipe. 

If you like more chocolate - you could easily spread  some inside the donut too before you place the marshmallows on. You can never have too much chocolate....

Keto Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

I'm never bored eating keto. There is always, always, always, an interesting recipe to make AND, if there's not, then it's always fun to keto-fy an existing recipe. 

This chicken fried steak and gravy was from a recipe in our mom's recipe tin under the cupboard from a million years ago. Her recipe was not keto so I made a few adjustments and wound up with this delicious version. According to MyFitnessPal one serving, recipe makes 4, is 452 calories, 29 fat, 2 carbs, 0.2 fiber, 0.6 sugar, and 46 protein. Add a side of mashed cauliflower and *voila* one of the tastiest low carb, high protein, high fat meals ever. 

Keto Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Ingredients

4 cube steaks

salt & pepper

2 eggs

2 Tbsp heavy cream

1 cup crushed pork rinds

1 cup powdered Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup ghee (or coconut oil)

Gravy

1/4 cup onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 brick cream cheese (4 oz)

1/3 cup beef broth

chives for garnish

Directions

Season steaks with salt and pepper. 

Whisk together eggs and cream in a shallow dish.

In another shallow dish, combine pork rinds, powdered Parmesan cheese, paprika, and garlic powder. Divide this mixture into 2 dishes. 

Coat steak in the first dish of pork rind mixture, then in the egg, and then in the other dish of pork rind mixture. Be sure to cover both sides well. 

Heat the ghee (or coconut oil) in a large frying pan. Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes on each side. 

Set aside and keep warm. 

Prepare gravy - In a small pot, place 2 Tbsp of the grease from frying the steaks. Add in the onion and garlic and cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Add in the cream cheese and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the beef broth. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

Serve your steaks with some mashed cauliflower or asparagus or your favorite veggies!

Top with the gravy.

And you can sprinkle with a few chives to fancy things up, if you like. (That little purple flower is a chive blossom, FYI.)

So. Much. Yum.

Just like steak and mashed potatoes but without all the carbs!

Pork rinds instead of bread crumbs is amazing, in case you haven't tried it yet. 

Mini Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts

If you follow our blog you've probably noticed a lot of donut recipes lately. I'm going through my donut phase right now. 

Sorry, not sorry.

We only have one other cake type donut on the blog right now (Click HERE for our Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake Donuts!) so I figured I'd better try out more cake style recipes. 

I'm very happy with this version of a classic: mini cinnamon sugar donuts! Who didn't love these as a kid from the fair or carnival? So tender and flaky.

You can, of course, make these "normal" donut size if you prefer. I got 4 dz minis so I'm thinking you'd get about 2 dz "normal" ones. Mini ones are great for bake sales. Tie a few up with a cute ribbon and *voila* let the fundraising begin! 

Mini Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts

Ingredients

Dough

2 Tbsp butter, room temp

3/4 cup butter

1 egg

3 cups flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

3/4 cup buttermilk (plus a little extra)

Oil for frying (about 1 liter)

Topping

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. 

Alternately beat in the buttermilk with the dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. (If you find your dough is not coming together because it is too dry then add in a little more buttermilk. Don't add too much or your dough will be too sticky!)

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out using a donut cutter or cookie cutters. 

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Re-roll scraps and cut out more donuts. (Note - I re-rolled my doughnut holes but you can cook them separately if you like.) 

Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest while you heat your oil for frying. Use a thermometer - temp should be 350 degrees. 

While oil is heating, stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside. 

Fry a few donuts at a time, about 1 minute on each side (until golden brown). Don't crowd the pot or your temperature will drop too much. 

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked donuts from the oil and set on wire rack or paper towel to get rid of excess oil.

Continue until all donuts are fried. (Be sure to let oil come back to 350 before continuing to fry. If the temp is too low your doughnuts will soak up too much oil, too high and they will burn on the outside but be raw on the inside!)

While donuts are still warm, toss each one in the cinnamon sugar until well coated. Place on paper towel until completely cool. 

So soft and fluffy with a perfectly crispy exterior.

I am definitely on #TeamYeastDonut but I know a lot of people prefer cake style donuts instead. I'll admit, I ate a few of these, quality control and all that, and they were very tasty. 

Are you a yeast donut fan or a cake donut fan? 

Or both? Both is good too...