Stuck on dinner ideas? Here's three must-try recipes from the Keto Chef

The words keto, low-carb, sugar-free and gluten-free may seem intimidating, or somewhat hard to achieve. Enter Nerys Whelan’s second cookbook, ‘The Keto Chef’s Kitchen ll,’ jam-packed with wholesome, delicious recipes that are easy-to-follow and help maintain the motivation throughout your health journey. Alongside mouthwatering recipes - both sweet and savoury - there is nutritional information for each dish, sweetener conversion charts, tips on how to start a ketogenic lifestyle, and everything else you need to know when going keto. 

Ratatouille
Makes 8 portions

For the sauce:

2 Tbsp Olive oil

1⁄2 Onion, diced

1⁄2 Capsicum, seeds removed and finely diced

1 clove Garlic, crushed

4 Tbsp Tomato paste

100ml Water

1 tsp Salt

1⁄2 tsp White pepper

6 Basil leaves, finely sliced

For the veg:

1 small Eggplant

2 small Zucchini

3 small Tomatoes

1 tsp Salt

1⁄2 tsp White pepper

2 Tbsp Olive oil

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180°C fan bake and grease a 23cm round baking dish.

Heat a small pot over a medium heat. Add the oil, onion and capsicum and cook until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a minute or two before adding the water, salt and pepper. Stir for 3–4 minutes, then take off the heat and stir in the basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

The sauce may seem really thick, but the vegetables will release some of their juices during cooking. Spread the sauce into the bottom of the greased baking dish.

Slice the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes into 1⁄2–1cm-thick slices. The key is to try to keep the size consistent. 

Start layering one slice of each in a repeated order, almost upright around the edge of the dish, then again in the centre. This takes a bit of patience, but it’s an edible piece of art! You can do up to this step a few hours in advance and leave it in the fridge if you’d like.

Season the top with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the olive oil. Cover the top with a piece of baking paper, then foil and try to seal the sides as much as possible.

Bake for 45 minutes, then carefully take off the foil and baking paper and bake for another 8–10 minutes. Serve straightaway.

Fun fact: The main ingredients in this recipe, capsicum, tomato, eggplant and zucchini are all fruits!

Nutritional information per portion:
NET CARBS 6.1g FIBRE 2.5g FAT 7.1g PROTEIN 1.5g CALORIES 98

Moroccan lamb stuffed eggplant
Makes 4 portions

Ingredients:

2 Eggplants

4 Tbsp Olive oil

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Cracked black pepper

1⁄2 Onion, diced

500g Lamb mince

2 Tbsp Tomato paste

2 tsp Ground cumin

1 tsp Ground coriander

1 tsp Smoked paprika

1⁄4 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 tsp Salt

50g Cow or sheep’s milk feta (or omit for dairy-free)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 190°C fan bake.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthways and score most of the way into the flesh, trying to avoid cutting through the skin.

Place the eggplant flesh-side up in a large baking dish and rub them with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake for 25 minutes, then set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

Use a spoon to scoop most of the flesh out of the eggplant, leaving some intact to help it hold shape. Dice the eggplant flesh and set it aside.

Heat a large, heavy-based pot. Sauté the onion in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil until translucent, then add the lamb mince and cook until browned.

Once the mince is cooked, add in the tomato paste, diced eggplant, cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning and spices to your liking.

Spoon the mince mix into your eggplant boats and crumble over the feta. Bake for another 15–20 minutes until the feta is lightly golden brown on top. Serve with your favourite low-carb sides.

Nutrition Note: Eggplant is rich in fibre and antioxidants and can help your body regulate blood sugars.

Nutritional information per portion:
NET CARBS 10.8g FIBRE 9.5g FAT 42g PROTEIN 26.3g CALORIES 545

Cinnamon Doughnuts
Makes 6 doughnuts

For the doughnuts: 

60g Butter, melted (or coconut oil for dairy-free)

1 tsp Vanilla paste or essence

2 Eggs, room temperature

120g Ground almonds

70g Allulose

11⁄2 tsp Baking powder, gluten-free

1⁄2 tsp Ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon sugar:

50g Allulose

2 tsp Ground cinnamon

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170°C fan bake and grease a doughnut tray/silicon mould, or muffin tray.

In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter or coconut oil, vanilla and eggs to combine. 

Add in the ground almonds, allulose, baking powder and cinnamon and whisk together until smooth and lump-free.

Spoon the mix evenly into the doughnut tray and bake for 15–18 minutes until lightly golden all over and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before carefully removing the doughnuts from the tray.

In a bowl, mix together the sweetener and cinnamon and roll each doughnut in it. Then fend off the kids and pretend the recipe only made four because you’re going to want two for yourself!

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutritional information per doughnut:
NET CARBS 2.3g FIBRE 3.5g FAT 19.7g PROTEIN 6.3g CALORIES 222

You can find more delicious keto recipes like these here, in Nerys Whelan’s cookbook, The Keto Chef’s Kitchen ll.