It's a bit more involved than a standard cake recipe, but the results are well worth it. Plus some of the prep can be done in advance, if you want to streamline the day-of process.

Also, for whatever it's worth, the first time I made it, four people who swore they don't like carrot cake devoured this and raved about it.

So here it is...

GIGI'S ROASTED CARROT CAKE

DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1½ cups Wellbee's superfine blanched almond flour
- ¾ cup chopped, toasted pecans, cooled to room temp, plus more for garnishing of desired
- ¼ cup Brown Swerve
- ¼ cup Bochasweet granular
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1½ tsp guar gum
- 1½ tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp ground roasted cinnamon
- ¾ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 lemon worth of zest

SEPARATELY PREPPED:
- 1× 16 oz bag shredded carrots, roasted at 475°F on a lightly-coconut cooking oil-sprayed sheet pan for about 10-15 minutes, until tender and caramelized a bit.

WET INGREDIENTS:
- 4 large eggs, separated
- ¼ cup/4 tbsp full fat sour cream (high-fat/Amish-Style if you can find it)
- ¼ cup/4 tbsp softened cream cheese
- ⅓ cup Powdered Bochasweet, sifted
- 1 tbsp Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste
- 1×4oz. container Beechnut carrot baby food
- 2 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9×9 square metal baking pan with parchment; spray parchment with coconut oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

Separate eggs - yolks into medium bowl and whites into large bowl. To yolks, add sour cream, cream cheese, carrot baby food, vanilla paste, and lemon juice.

To whites, add powdered Bochasweet (sift if needed after measuring but before adding to whites, to ensure no lumps) and whip to stiff peaks.

Temper yolk mixture into whites mixture by adding a scoop of yolk mix into whites mix and gently stir to combine without deflating whites, then gently fold remaining yolk mixture into whites mixture in a couple additions. To combined wet mixture, add alternating dry ingredients and carrots, a third at a time, so 6 additions starting with dry, until just combined.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake 32-35 minutes, checking after 30 to make sure it doesn't overbake and dry out. ((Internal probed temp 200°, plus toothpick comes out clean.)) Cool for at least 10 minutes in pan before transferring parchment lined cake to wire rack to cool completely.

Once cooled completely, top with cream cheese frosting. Refrigerate at least 4 hours for frosting to fully set.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
- 8 oz whipped cream cheese, not quite room temp but not cold either
- 2 tbsp softened Kerrygold salted butter
- 1 cup powdered Bochasweet
- 1 tbsp Isopure unflavored whey protein isolate
- 1½ tsp Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste (less if subbing with liquid vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- pinch of salt

- <optional> orange and green food coloring, small prep bowls and piping bags, and the appropriate frosting tips if you wanna pipe little carrots on top of each piece for decoration

Prep the zucchini by peeling them, then cut off the ends and cut in half lengthwise. Using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop out the central seedy part, leaving only the firm flesh (as though you're making zucchini boats). Slice crosswise into ½" wide pieces (like from port to starboard, to stick with the boat analogy).

Melt the butter in a 6 qt stock pot, then add the zucchini and remaining ingredients except your thickener. Simmer/saute for about 5-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until just tender and starting to look slightly translucent. Add your preferred thickener to the sauce, and serve warm. (Also great over keto vanilla ice cream!)

* Kerrygold butter has a higher fat content and stronger butter flavor than standard American stick butters. You want that here. I promise.

**Yes, Bochasweet is expensive. I know. It also doesn't give you a cooling or bitter aftertaste like sugar alcohols and stevia, nor does it recrystallize when your sauce cools. If you plan to substitute for other sweeteners that include erythritol, I'd suggest using a mix of at least two different kinds (and less than 50% sugar alcohols) so your sauce doesn't harden up when chilled.

*** Xanthan gum always seems makes sauces slimy to my palate, so generally speaking, I prefer to use glucomannan or gelatin; neither is excellent here. Guar gum makes for *somewhat* less snotty results, but still isn't really ideal, either. Coconut flour absorbs moisture really well, but doesn't really turn anything into a sauce, and it can be grainy. So look, we both know it's not a keto ingredient, but honestly, dissolving 1½ tsp of cornstarch into the lemon juice before you stir it into the cooking liquid only adds 4½ grams of net carbs to the whole pot - that's less than 1 gram per serving - and you get an honest-to-goodness silky sauce, just like real stewed apples. If you can handle this very limited amount of cornstarch, do that. If you can't, then use the strictly keto thickener of your choice, and your results may vary.

I ask that you please not share this outside our Serious Keto family - just in case I do end up publishing my cookbook someday. 🤪

Please feel free to ask any questions... This is copy/pasted from my recipe notes so I might have directions in here that aren't fully explained along the way. 

CHICKEN FILLING double batch

- 4 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs

- 1 10oz. can Rotel Original

- 8 oz. tomatillos, quartered

- S&P*

- granulated garlic*

- onion powder*

- chili powder*

*to taste 

Place chicken thighs in 9x13 and cover with Rotel, tomatillos, S&P, garlic and onion powders, and chili powder. Cover with foil and bake at 400°F for about 30-40 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool til easy to handle, then drain and reserve drippings for making enchiladas suizas sauce, and shred or chop meat. Transfer meat to large ziploc and refrigerate until ready to assemble enchiladas.

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ENCHILADAS SUIZAS SAUCE double batch

- ½ cup light olive or avocado oil

- 3 cups L/S chicken broth

- 1× 8oz. can tomato sauce

(OR - 2¾-3 cups drippings and veg from 4 lbs boneless/skinless chicken thighs (as prepared above)

PLUS

- 2 tbsp chili powder

- ½ tsp ground cumin

- ½ tsp granulated garlic

- ½ tsp onion powder

- ¼ tsp salt* (*at the end, if needed)

Combine all ingredients in 2½ qt saucepan. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to very low (level 2), and let reduce, stirring occasionally, for 4-6 hours (while prepping everything else) until thickened, or sprinkle guar gum ½ tsp at a time, until pourable/spreadable consistency.

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POBLANO CREAM SAUCE single batch

- 6 large poblanos

- 1 ear sweet corn (for the salsa)

Half and deseed, then roast/char poblanos - skin side up - with the ear of corn under the broiler for about 10-15 minutes (flip corn a couple times to cook evenly). Transfer poblanos and corn to bowl over oven vent and cover to let steam/cool a bit.

When corn is cool, cut kernels off and set aside for salsa.

- 2½ cups heavy cream

-  additional 1½ cups heavy cream, to thin before serving, as needed

- 5 oz. shredded quesadilla cheese

- 1 tsp R/S Chicken Better Than Bouillon

- 2 tsp New Mexican Green Chile powder

- 1 tsp jalapeño powder

- S&P*

- Granulated garlic*

*to taste

In large skillet, reduce cream into sauce over medium+ heat. Add some of the created sauce to mini food processor and pulse with the roasted, deskinned poblanos until smooth. Add back into skillet and season with remaining ingredients then reduce heat to very low and keep covered if not using immediately. (Sauce will darken on top if it sits undisturbed, but there's too much fat to really form a skin - it'll stir back in.)

If not using immediately and it cools and thickens, add more cream ½ cup at a time when reheating, until desired thinness is achieved.

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SWEET CORN AND BLACK SOY BEAN SALSA single batch

Combine:

- 1 cups roasted sweet corn* (can substitute with 1 tsp amoretti sweet corn extract and the ½ cup of corn from the roasted ear, for lower carbs)

- 1 can Eden organic black soy beans, drained

- 1× 10 oz. can Rotel Original

- ⅓ cup finely minced shallots or red onion

- half a fistful cilantro, minced

- juice of 1 large lime

- S&P*

- granulated garlic*

*to taste

- 1 very finely minced, de-seeded jalapeño (optional)

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ASSEMBLING ENCHILADAS

- 2 packages Ole High Fiber Tortillas

- 16 oz. chihuahua cheese (or other Mexican melting cheese), shredded

Reheat meat filling.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut Ole High Fiber tortillas in half, then dip/float tortillas in water & oil bath before stuffing to make them extra pliable. (Water/oil bath is 2 cups water in shallow baking dish, with a tbsp or two of avocado oil added, whisked to disperse. Just lay them in, then lift them out and shake off extra water.) Stuff tortilla halves with a couple tbsp of filling, arrange in a 9×13 baking dish, slather with spoonfuls of enchilada sauce, then top with chihuahua cheese.

Bake 10 minutes at 400°F, then broil to finish baking down the sauce and cheese. After removing from oven, layer with poblano cream sauce, then top with corn salsa. Serve over mexican cauliflower rice.

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MEXICAN CAULIFLOWER RICE

- 1 tbsp minced garlic

- ½ cup diced onion

- ½ cup diced green pepper

- 1× 8 oz. can tomato sauce (or 1 cup spicy hot V8)

- R/S Chicken Better Than Bouillon*

*to taste

- 2× 12 oz. bags raw/fresh cauliflower rice

Soften onion and pepper in stock pot over medium heat, then add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomato sauce and bouillon and reduce until a thick sauce. Stir in raw cauliflower rice and cook, stirring occasionally, til heated through and softened to your liking.

3 cups rhubarb

2 tbs avocado oil

1 medium onion finely diced

1 cup allulose

1 cup no sugar added ketchup

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup bourbon

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbs Worcester sauce

3 garlic cloves crushed

3 tbs yellow mustard

2 tbs molasses ( I know, I know but it ain't lots and packs a big flavour punch)

1 good glug of Tiger Sauce

20 drops of maple stevia

Had more asparagus from our garden and then we knew what to do with. I decided to figure out a keto friendly soup.

Cream of Asparagus Soup

4 Servings | 6.6 net carbs per serving

Ingredients:

1.5 pounds fresh asparagus, tough ends removed and tops reserved for serving. 

One small onion diced

2 tablespoons butter, ghee, or coconut oil

1 quart chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sodium citrate

1 teaspoon butter, Ghee, or coconut oil for stirfrying asparagus tops garnish

1/4 cup sour cream,

2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream

Directions:

trim asparagus tops and reserve for serving. Snap off asparagus bottoms to remove the woody tough part. Cut remaining asparagus into 1/4 inch pieces.

Melt butter on low heat in 4 Quart pan or Dutch oven.

Add Onions and Sauté on medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until translucent. Do not brown.

Add asparagus to the pan with the onions. Stir to coat with butter and let asparagus cook for five minutes with the onions. Add broth, salt, and pepper to the pot.Cover pot.

Bring to a simmer on medium heat and let cook until asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. make sure the asparagus pieces break apart easily.

Set pot aside off heat to cool for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle sodium citrate over broth. Using an immersion blender, blend everything together until mostly smooth.

Add heavy cream and blend again until desired texture is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish:

In small skillet, stir fry asparagus tops in a teaspoon of butter, Ghee, or coconut oil just to heat them up. 

In a small bowl, whisk together sour cream and 2 tablespoons cream until you can drizzle it  

Serving:

Ladle soup into four servings. drizzle the sour cream mixture in a swirl pattern on the top. Place 5 to 6 asparagus tops on top just to garnish. Serve and enjoy.

Nutrition information generated by My Fitness Pal

For my version of cheesecake, I add splenda, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Also if deficient in protein, add whey protein powder and 3-4 oz more of the liquid. Using a toaster oven, bake at approx 250°f, till just firm..Check after 25 minutes, depending on the depth of the pan.

For savory versions, I add cooked vegetables, seasoning and possibly cheese.

After cooling and refrigeration you should be able to cut vs spoon it.

https://cookingketowithkristie.com/2020/08/14/low-carb-chocolate-chip-muffins/

PS - extra tasty when eaten with some bacon  :) /p>

Feeling adventurous, I had some chicken breast on hand and thawed, ready to go.  Here is the recipe I concocted:

In 3 separate vessels:

Bowl 1) 1/2 cup oat fiber mixed with 2 tbls powdered collagen

Bowl 2) 1 egg beaten well with 1 Tbls water

Flat Plate 3) 1 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds mixed with 2 tsp Mrs Dash seasoning, 1/4 salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper. "Breading"

Instructions:

1) Place a paper towel layer over a small baking sheet with a rack over the paper towel. Set near the fryer. This is for the cooked chicken.

2) Cut 12 ounces chicken breast into 1" strips against the grain.  Pat moisture dry.  Place the strips one at a time into the Oat Fiber bowl.  Then into the egg bowl to coat all around with egg mixture.  Then into the Breading Plate and coat with the crumbs.  Set on a plate to rest while the oil heats up.

3) Heat 1 quart peanut oil (or high heat oil of your choice) in a deep sided pan on medium heat to 350-360*.   Place 2-3 chicken strips in the hot oil.  Cook 3-4 minutes (temp 160).  Remove from oil and place on rack over paper toweling on a tray.   Continue until all pieces are cooked.  Enjoy.

Take 2: For dinner the second night, I wanted to see if a buttermilk soak/marinade made any difference in tenderness of the chicken.  I poured 2 cups buttermilk over more chicken and let it sit in the fridge until the next night dinner.  Then I prepared the ingredients as before.  When I was breading and still had a few pieces of chicken left, I ran out of egg.  Instead of beating another one, I mixed the remaining Oat fiber mix into the crumbs.  I placed the chicken directly from the buttermilk (hung a moment to drip off excess buttermilk) into the crumbs and coated each strip.  The fried them as the others.  The coating came out lighter in texture when fried. In both cases, the breading stayed attached to the chicken. 

Overall, the flavor of the chicken strips was terrific both nights.  The seasoning was good and the pork rind coating was outstanding.  My husband did not know that I did not use breadcrumbs and he loved the flavor and tenderness (better the second night he said, I agreed).  The buttermilk did make a difference.

I have attached a few photos for reference. The tray with the six pieces are a mix of the regular process and the lighter breading where I mixed the oat fiber in with the crumbs.  You can see the difference between them.