This is the perfect keto dessert for spring and summer! No bake low-carb pie crust filled with sugar-free lemon cream filling and topped with fresh berries.
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There’s nothing more comforting than a good crispy roast chicken! This low-carb ginger & lime spatchcock chicken flavored with ginger and lime promises not to disappoint!
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Processed seed and vegetable oils are generally regarded to be unstable and potentially inflammatory. Sesame might be a delicious exception because of how compounds in the oil alter inflammatory pathways and fat metabolism.
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These Crab Salad Cucumber Stacks are an easy low-carb meal to serve when you don't have time to cook and don't feel like turning on the oven or using any heat.
It's a great high-protein and keto option for busy days. Four stacks per serving will be enough for a quick snack or an appetizer, and 8 stacks will be great as a light dinner option.
Using crunchy cucumber slices is just one of the many options you can serve this easy crab salad. The consistency is creamy which makes it perfect to serve with Keto Crackers or on top of baby lettuce leaves.
White Crab Meat vs Brown Crab Meat
Brown crab meat, which is found in the shell cavity at the top of the crab, has a rich, distinctive flavor. It's soft and creamy with texture that's close to a pate. Brown crab meat is a fantastic source of omega 3 fatty acids. Despite being super nutritious, it's a less popular option which means it's sold at a price lower than white crab meat.
White crab meat, which is found in the claws, legs and the body sections of the crab, has a more neutral, more delicate flavor with subtle sweetness. It's moist and flaky and it's low in fat and high in protein.
To get the best out of the two, in this recipe we are using part white and part brown crab meat. The combination of both white and brown crab meat makes these cucumber stacks super nutritious!
But if you prefer to use just white crab meat, simply substitute the brown crab meat with an equal amount of white crab meat.
Preparation time
Hands-on: 10 minutes
Overall: 10 minutesNutritional values (per serving, 8 stacks)
| Total Carbs | 8.4 | grams |
| Fiber | 1.9 | grams |
| Net Carbs | 6.6 | grams |
| Protein | 19.9 | grams |
| Fat | 18.3 | grams |
| of which Saturated | 3.2 | grams |
| Energy | 269 | kcal |
| Magnesium | 22 | mg (6% RDA) |
| Potassium | 299 | mg (15% EMR) |
Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (10%), protein (29%), fat (61%)
Ingredients (makes 2 servings, 16 stacks)
- 1 medium celery stalk (40 g/ 1.4 oz)
- 1/2 small red onion (30 g/ 1.1 oz) or 2 spring onions
- 100 g crab meat (3.5 oz)
- 100 g brown crab meat (3.5 oz)
- 2 tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise (30 ml)
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp chopped dill or chives
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 large cucumber (285 g/ 10 oz)
Instructions
- Star by preparing the salad. Thinly slice the celery stalk and finely dice the onion. Place the crab meat, celery, onion, mayonnaise, lemon juice and chopped dill (or chives) in a bowl and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Note: We are using part brown crab meat is high in omega 3 fatty acids. You can substitute the brown crab meat with an equal amount of white crab meat.
- Cut the cucumber into 16 slices, about 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) each. Top each slice with the prepared crab salad (about 20 g/ 0.7 oz) per each.
- Serve immediately or store the salad separately from the cucumber in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days. Serve 8 stacks as a light dinner option, or 4 stacks for a quick snack or an appetizer. Tip: You can also serve the salad as a dip with Keto Crackers or serve on top of baby lettuce leaves.
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Let me start with a big disclaimer. This isn't your usual breakfast or even dinner meal. This is the kind of keto meal you'd want to make if you follow an intermittent fasting plan and are used to eating only two large meals a day. This type of fasting is also known as TMAD.
What's an Abundance Bowl?
A typical abundance bowl is highly nutritious, high calorie meal that provides the right amount of nutrients to keep you satisfied for longer.
This low-carb abundance bowl is not just low in carbs. It's high in protein and electrolytes, both of which are important when you start following a low-carb diet.
I intentionally kept this abundance bowl vegetarian just to show you how you can easily get all the protein you need even if you don'y eat meat.
Recipe Tips
Abundance bowls are versatile! Feel free to make any of the suggested swaps and adjustments to fit your diet, palate and macros:
- Use chicken eggs instead of duck eggs. Duck eggs are much bigger than chicken eggs, If you want to maintain a similar nutritional profile, double the amount of chicken eggs.
- Use spinach instead of chard. Both are high in electrolytes and low in carbs. You can also use collard greens.
- Swap the Halloumi with slices of chicken breasts to make this recipe dairy-free. Other protein options include sliced leftover steak, turkey, smoked salmon or some cooked shrimp.
- Skip the mayo if you need to lower the fat and calories. If you're not a fan of spicy food, skip the sriracha and simply use mayo or add fresh herbs instead.
All of us have different dietary needs so it's natural that you may need to adjust the macros in this recipe. You can make any adjustments, such as including different add ons or changing the serving size, directly in the KetoDiet App by cloning any of the recipes from my blog and customizing them to fit your macros and preferences.
Preparation time
Hands-on: 20 minutes
Overall: 20 minutesNutritional values (per serving, 1 large bowl)
| Total Carbs | 17.6 | grams |
| Fiber | 8.6 | grams |
| Net Carbs | 9 | grams |
| Protein | 44.5 | grams |
| Fat | 104.1 | grams |
| of which Saturated | 31.9 | grams |
| Energy | 1,163 | kcal |
| Magnesium | 189 | mg (47.2% RDA) |
| Potassium | 1,262 | mg (63.1% EMR) |
Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (3%), protein (15%), fat (82%)
Ingredients (makes large 2 servings)
- 1 pack Halloumi cheese (225 g/ 8 oz)
- 200 g chard or spinach (7.1 oz)
- 4 tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise (60 g/ 2.1 oz)
- 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 4 duck eggs or jumbo chicken eggs
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
- 1 large avocado (200 g/ 7.1 oz)
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, to serve
- pinch of red pepper flakes, to serve
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Slice the halloumi and chop the chard stalks and then the chard leaves. Make the Sriracha mayo by mixing avocado oil mayonnaise with Sriracha.
Note: Instead of chard you can use spinach which you don't need to chop unless it's large leaves.
- Add enough water to a pan to make sure the eggs can be fully submerged. Add a good pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Using a spoon, gently submerge the eggs into the boiling water. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes to get the yolks soft-boiled (runny yolk with cooked whites). If you prefer them hard boiled, cook for 9 to 10 minutes. When done take off the heat and add some cold water to stop the cooking process by keeping it just warm.
Note: Instead of duck eggs you can use 2 to 3 chicken eggs - the larger the better. - Meanwhile, grease a large skillet with half of the olive oil and cook the halloumi over a medium-high heat until crispy and browned, for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn on the other side and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Grease the skillet where you cooked the halloumi with the remaining olive oil. Add the chopped chard stems and cook for a minute or two. Add the chard leaves and cook until just wilted, for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the heat.
- To assemble the bowls, peel the cooked eggs and cut in half. Place in a bowl together with the cooked chard, grilled Halloumi slices and avocado. Drizzle with some lemon juice and serve with the Sriracha mayo. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, sprinkle with some red pepper flakes and serve while still warm.
Note: Make sure to check all the variations and swaps in the recipe tips!
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Hoisin Sauce made low-carb! This was undeniably one of the most tested, hardest recipes to convert. In the end to make this low-carb, I only made a few small modifications. My goal was to keep this sauce as authentic as possible without making it a sugar bomb. Too many modifications were not simply worth the few extra carbs I'd have saved.
I know what you're thinking. Yes, there is soy bean paste, and yes there are prunes in this recipe. But before you blacklist this recipe as "non keto", let me explain why you can still use it as part of a healthy low-carb diet, and yes even keto diet.
Is Soy Keto?
Soy products are not typically recommended if you follow a healthy low-carb diet. But the type of soy bean paste used in this recipe is fermented which means it's one of those foods you can enjoy on a healthy low-carb diet together with other fermented soy foods such as Natto, Tempeh, and tamari sauce which is also used in this recipe.
Some (non keto) recipes online recommend using peanut butter instead of fermented soy bean paste, but I found that using peanut butter made it taste more like satay sauce and less like hoisin sauce. Delicious but not quite right.
Is High Carb Fruit Allowed on Keto?
Another ingredient in this Low-Carb Hoisin Sauce is dried prunes. They sure are high in carbs but I found that without them the sauce was missing a key ingredient. The sweet, earthy, umami taste of prunes is unlike anything else. So instead of omitting prunes altogether and finding a less suitable low-carb option, I decided to include them. In any case it's only 4 or 5 prunes per recipe which isn't that much per serving!
And it's not the first time I used a seemingly "banned" ingredient in a low-carb or keto recipe. My readers love this Low-Carb Chocolate Chip Banana Bread! Despite using a real banana, there's only 4.4 grams of net carbs per serving.
Why Being Low-Carb Doesn't Mean Excluding Higher-Carb Options
Let’s put a stop to nutrition/diet cultism which only serves those promoting their "one way for all" approach.
The Keto Food List is merely supposed to be used as a guide to help people transition to a healthy low-carb lifestyle. There is no one way to do keto and the approach you will need to follow will depend on your goals and your unique biology.
Whether a certain food is suitable for your diet will matter on your daily net carb (or total carb) limit and your goal. For instance, deep ketosis is essential for therapeutic purposes but not for weight loss. For some people this means aiming for no more than 20 grams of (total) carbs, for others this can be achieved by eating up to 30 grams of (net) carbs typically for weight loss, and even more for weight maintenance.
Over the years I've proven over and over again that you can use higher-carb whole food ingredients as long as you keep you are aware of the right serving size for you. Here are some of the recipes which use ingredients not typically recommended on a keto diet:
- Keto Orange Drizzle Cake
- Sugar-Free Kumquat Marmalade
- Keto Hot Cross Buns which uses raisins.
- Low-Carb Cranberry and Clementine Mincemeat
- Low-Carb Apple & Blueberry Skillet Cake
- Low-Carb Warm Pork Salad which uses pear.
- Low-Carb Passion Fruit Curd
- Roasted Beetroot & Goat's Cheese Salad
- Low-Carb Cherry Amarenata Sauce
- Keto Spring Roll in a Bowl which uses carrot. Fun fact: Many "banned" foods like carrot actually contain fewer carbs per 100 g (3.5 oz) than blueberries (commonly used on keto), yet you may often hear that "carrot is not keto".
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
- Allulose syrup can be replaced with granulated Allulose or Erythritol or brown sugar substitute. You'll may need to use up to 6 tablespoons to achieve the same sweetness. General tip: Use sweetener to taste.
- Fermented soy bean paste also known as black bean sauce can be substituted with the same amount of smooth peanut butter or almond butter. This will however change the flavor so keep that in mind.
- Sriracha sauce can be substituted with a pinch of dried chile flakes or omitted altogether if you prefer to make it without it.
How to Use Hoisin Sauce
Hoisin sauce is widely used in Chinese cooking. It can be used as a table condiment and for flavoring meat, poultry and shellfish dishes.
Preparation time
Hands-on: 5 minutes
Overall: 5 minutesNutritional values (per serving, 1 tbsp/ 15 ml)
| Total Carbs | 2.2 | grams |
| Fiber | 0.3 | grams |
| Net Carbs | 1.9 | grams |
| Protein | 0.9 | grams |
| Fat | 0.8 | grams |
| of which Saturated | 0.1 | grams |
| Energy | 18 | kcal |
| Magnesium | 2 | mg (1% RDA) |
| Potassium | 17 | mg (1% EMR) |
Macronutrient ratio: Calories from carbs (43%), protein (19%), fat (38%)
Ingredients (makes about 1 cup/ 220 to 240 ml)
- 3 tbsp fermented soy bean paste (48 g/ 1.7 oz)
- 4 to 5 dried prunes (30 g/ 1.1 oz)
- 4 tbsp tamari sauce (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or coconut vinegar (15 ml)
- 4 tbsp Allulose syrup (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
- 1/2 tsp Chinese five spice mix
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Sriracha hot sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 to 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients apart from the water in a blender or a food processor.
Note: See recipe post for more tips, substitutions, and reasons why we're using these ingredients.
- Process until smooth and creamy. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water to thin down as needed and stir or process again.
- Pour in a storage jar or serve immediately just like you would Hoisin Sauce. This sauce can be stored in the fridge in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks or frozen in an ice tray for up to 6 months.
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Quick Summary tl;dr
Macadamia are the lowest carb nut, lowest in anti-nutrients, and lowest in omega-6 fat.
Macadamia are an excellent source of the omega-7 fat, palmitoleic acid. This fat-hormone can block inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and increase satiety.
Eating just 15 to 30 macadamia per day can increase HDL and decrease oxidative stress and inflammation.
Table of Contents
Macadamia nuts are the King of Nuts, a snack fit for royalty! Maybe it’s not a coincidence that England’s Queen Elizabeth, the world’s longest reigning living monarch, purportedly eats a handful a day. Here’s why we count macadamia one of our seven New Mediterranean Diet superfoods together with salmon & other fatty fish, extra virgin olive oil, avocado & avocado oil, dark chocolate & cacao, sesame and coconut.
Carbs in Macadamia Nuts
Per ounce (28 gram) serving, macadamia only contain 1.5 grams of net carbs, and are less than 3% carbs by calories.
Other very low carb nuts include pecans, brazil nuts, and walnuts, but none of those can match macadamia’s fat profile, which we will get to below. And, as a keto caution, you should know that cashews are 19% calories by carbs.
Not all nuts are equal when it comes to following a low-carb diet. Macadamias are 3% calories from carbs vs cashews 19% calories from carbs!
Anti-Nutrients in Nuts
Most nuts are rich in phytic acid, oxalates, and/or lectins.
Phytic acid binds essential minerals in your gut, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. It can impair mineral absorptions and contribute to constipation in some individuals.
Oxalates are known for contributing to the formation of kidney stones, but they can have other negative effects too. Some scientists believe that autoimmune reactions brought on by oxalates can contribute to thyroid disorders and other conditions.
Lectins can contribute to increase gut permeability and inflammation in sensitive people. They can impair mineral absorption and contribute to the symptoms of gas, bloating, and even nausea and vomiting when eaten in high enough amounts.
This article isn’t the one to do a deep dive on plant anti-nutrients, but suffice it to say that it makes sense plants would have chemical defences. If you were a nut, and couldn’t run from your predator, wouldn’t you want a to defend yourself against getting eaten?
As you probably guessed, macadamia are the exception!
Unlike basically all other nuts, which are rich in at least one of the above anti-nutrients (phytic acid, oxalates or lectins), macadamia nuts are low in all three! Their defence from predation comes in the form of the hardest nutshell in the world. It takes 531 pounds (241 kg) of force to break a macadamia nut's shell! ( Schüler et al, 2014)
Unlike all other nuts, which are rich in at least one anti-nutrient (phytic acid, oxalates or lectins), macadamia nuts are low in all three!
The Plant Anti-Nutrient Controversy
Plant anti-nutrients are a controversial and, in our opinion, understudied subject. Some people are almost certainly more sensitive than others and, as most vegetables contain some form of anti-nutrient, it may not be practical to try to eliminate them from your diet entirely, unless you go carnivore. Anti-nutrients should be a consideration as you tailor your diet to you as an individual.
Fat Profile: Omega-6
Excess intake of omega-6 fats can contribute to inflammation and to metabolic diseases. Omega-6 fats compete with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, and an increased omega-6/3 ratio increases the risk for obesity. ( Simopoulos, 2016) What’s more, data from genetically engineered mice have shown that having an increased omega-6/3 ratio can contribute to poor health, even independent of dietary manipulation. ( Kaliannan et al, 2019)
While it’s hard to make the argument that any raw nut would be unhealthy — and we are not making that claim — many individuals looking to optimize their metabolic health choose to moderate their omega-6 intake, including from nuts.
Most nuts are rich in omega-6 but macadamia nuts are an exception. Walnuts contain the most omega-6, a surprising 10,800 mg of linoleic acid per ounce (28 grams). An entire serving of macadamia nuts contains less omega-6 than a single walnut.
Not all nuts are equal when it comes to their fat profile. An entire serving of macadamia contains less omega-6 than a single walnut!
Fat Profile: Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA)
Monounsaturated fats (MUFA) are lauded for being healthy fats. They’re more stable than polyunsaturated fats, have hormonal signaling properties, and are the ‘healthy fat’ in extra virgin olive oil and avocados.
But I bet you didn’t know that macadamia oil is the richest natural source of MUFA! Macadamia oil is 80% MUFA, which is even higher than extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
Macadamia nut oil is 80% monounsaturated fats, making it the richest natural source of MUFA!
Fat Profile: The Rare Omega-7
You’ve heard of omega-6 and omega-3 and maybe even omega-9 fats, but have you heard of omega-7 fat? Probably not. That’s because they are relatively rare in nature and are primarily found in macadamia nuts!
The omega-7 fat, palmitoleic acid (not to be confused with the saturated fat, palmitic acid), is itself a MUFA and makes up 20% of macadamia’s fat.
Palmitoleic acid isn’t just a fat-fuel, but a hormone. In 2008, a landmark paper ( Cao et al, 2008) was published in one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals, Cell, defining a new class of hormones called “lipokines” after discovering some of (dietary/exogenous) palmitoleic acid’s powerful health-promoting effects.
Here's why dietary palmitoleic acid may be good for you:
- Palmitoleic acid may decrease de novo lipogenesis, the creation of new fat, in the liver by inhibiting the protein SCD-1. ( Cao et al, 2008)
- Palmitoleic acid can quell inflammation by inhibiting the master genetic regulator of inflammation, NFkB. ( Souza et al, 2017)
- Palmitoleic acid may improve pancreatic 𝛽-cell survival, insulin secretion, and insulin sensitivity. ( Nunes et al, 2017)
- Palmitoleic acid can reduce hunger because it is especially good at raising levels of the fullness hormone, cholecystokinin. ( Yang et al, 2013)
We could go on, but you get the point. Palmitoleic acid that makes macadamia mac-nificent.
Palmitoleic acid from macadamias can inhibit production of new fat, block inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, and increase satiety.
Macadamia Study and Cholesterol
A four-week human interventional trial found that eating just 15 to 30 macadamia nuts per day for four weeks significantly decreased total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, increased HDL cholesterol, and lowered markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. ( Garg et al, 2003, Garg et al, 2007)
Eating 15 to 30 macadamia nuts per day for a month has been shown to decrease blood markers of oxidative stress and inflammation.
Roasting Nuts
Roasting nuts is a tricky business. If you like roasted nuts, we think it best to roast your own nuts at home using temperatures at or below 265 - 285 F (130 - 140 C) for 20 minutes.
The temperature sensitivity of nuts derives from their fragile omega-6 fats. But because macadamia nuts are low in omega-6, they are more stable. Even at 150 °C/ 300 °F, macadamia are okay. In fact, if you roast equal amounts of macadamia and walnuts at 300 F, the macadamia will end up with 1/30th the oxidized fats! ( Schlörmann et al, 2015)
Cooking with Macadamia Oil
Because macadamia oil is low in omega-6, it’s more stable than oil from other nuts. Macadamia oil has a smoke point of 210 °C/ 410 °F, which is even higher than coconut oil or butter. Therefore, it can be used for cooking by those choosing to eat a diet that’s both low in saturated fat and omega-6.
Macadamia Nut Pesto Recipe
Here’s an awesome recipe for Macadamia Basil Pesto from our latest cookbook, The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook!
Ingredients & Instructions
- 2 cups (30 g/1.1 oz) fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup (67 g/2.4 oz) macadamia nuts
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup (30 g/1.1 oz) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- salt and black pepper
Just put all the ingredients in a food processor and enjoy!
Serve with some zucchini noodles and roast salmon and lemon wedges. Here's why wild Alaskan sockeye salmon is your best choice!
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