7 Abuela-Approved Keto-Friendly Recipes
In the last few years, the ketogenic diet (widely known as the keto diet), has gained popularity — getting a boost from celebrities like Jersey Shore‘s Vinny Guadagnino. The self-proclaimed guido shed a whooping 50 pounds on the high-fat, low carb diet, leaving many (including myself!) wondering if the keto diet was the right way to go.
The keto lifestyle consists of getting most of your calories from protein and fat (avocado, bacon, eggs, meat, etc.), while limiting carb intake to 20 grams per day. Of course, as a latina I struggled with the idea of letting go of my beloved arroz, frijoles, papas y pan. However, after gaining nearly 30 pounds from my previous job, I was willing to try anything (except exercise, because hay que ser realistas).
To my surprise, within the first week of eating keto diet food, I lost eight pounds and the scale just kept going down. These pictures were taken only a year apart:
How did I survive without eating all the delicious meals I grew up with, you ask? Well, I did my research and found healthier alternatives for Latin dishes — that are normally high in carbs — that fit my high-fat, low-carb lifestyle. These are a few of my favorites recetas:
1. Spanish Cauliflower Rice
- 141 Calories
- 3 Grams of Fat
- 19 Grams of Protein
- 8 Grams of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Spanish Cauliflower recipe aquí.
2. Seafood Paella
- 388 Calories
- 18.81 Grams of Fat
- 40.57 Grams of Protein
- 13.92 Grams of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Seafood Paella aquí.
3. Chicken Fajita Crockpot Recipe
- 280 Calories
- 10 Grams of Fat
- 36 Grams of Protein
- 7.5 Grams of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Chicken Fajita Crockpot aquí.
4. Beef and Pepperoni Empanadas
- 456 Calories
- 36.1 Grams of Fat
- 28 Grams of Protein
- 5.3 Grams of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Beef and Pepperoni Empanadas aquí.
5. Lomo Saltado
- 273 Calories
- 8.2 Grams of Fat
- 37.1 Grams of Protein
- 11.7 Grams of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Lomo Saltado aquí.
6. Tacos
- 490 Calories
- 40g of Fat
- 25g of Protein
- 5g of Net Carbs
Get the recipe for Tacos aquí.
7. Flan
- 297.75 Calories
- 31.5 Grams of Fat
- 4.5 Grams of Protein
- 2.4 Grams of Net Carbs
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