Recipes

Keto meals made easy: three terrific low-carb, high-fat recipes

Just the thought of having these lamb koftas with spiced yoghurt, Tex Mex pork or Asian fishcakes for dinner is enough to get our mouths watering

31 January 2021 - 00:01 By Larina Robinson
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Keto-friendly lamb kofta with spiced yoghurt.
Keto-friendly lamb kofta with spiced yoghurt.
Image: Bauer Syndication/Magazine Features

Keto has emerged as one of the most popular diets in recent years. It's a low-carb, high-fat diet that encourages your body to burn fat for energy.

In her book, 'The Body Dietetics', dietician Larina Robinson explains the science behind the trend and provides a foundation of keto-appropriate recipes, covering drinks, snacks and main meals.

Each recipe is accompanied by a handy nutritional breakdown. Says Robinson, "Make sure to keep track of how many carbohydrates you consume each day, as it can add up quite quickly!" 

Here's a taste of some of the recipes in the book:

LAMB KOFTA WITH SPICED YOGHURT

Serves: 4

Prep and cook time: 45 minutes plus refrigeration

Ingredients:

30ml (2 tbsp) burghul (crushed wheat)

250g minced lamb

1 extra-large egg, beaten lightly

1 small onion, chopped finely

30ml (2 tbsp) pine nuts, chopped finely (or use blanched almonds)

15ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh mint

15ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Coconut or olive oil for shallow-frying

200g baby spinach leaves

1 small red onion, cut into thin wedges

125g cherry tomatoes, halved

125g baby roma tomatoes, halved

80ml (⅓ cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

60ml (¼ cup) fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds (or use toasted sesame seeds)

Freshly ground black pepper

Spiced yoghurt:

250ml (1 cup) Greek-style yoghurt

2 fresh small red chillies, seeded, chopped finely

15ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh mint

15ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

15ml (1 tbsp) finely chopped fresh coriander

1 clove garlic, crushed

2.5ml (½ tsp) ground cumin

Method:

  1. Place burghul in a small bowl, cover with cold water, stand for 10 minutes. Drain,
    pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much water as possible.
  2. Place burghul in a large bowl with lamb, egg, onion, pine nuts and chopped herbs. Season. Use your hands to combine mixture.
  3. Roll rounded tablespoons of mixture into balls, place on a baking paper-lined tray. Cover, refrigerate kofta for 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, make spiced yoghurt by combining all the ingredients and refrigerate till needed.
  5. Cook the kofta by pouring 1.5cm oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Shallow-fry kofta in batches for 10 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Remove kofta with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel.
  6. Serve kofta with the remaining ingredients. Top with spiced yoghurt, season with pepper.

Nutritional count per serving: 19.5g total fat (6.8g saturated fat); 1,444kJ (345 cal); 16.5g carbohydrate; 23.5g protein; 4.3 g fibre.

Fish cakes with herb salad.
Fish cakes with herb salad.
Image: Bauer Syndication/Magazine Features

FISH CAKES WITH HERB SALAD

Serves: 4

Prep and cook time: 35 minutes

Lemongrass and chilli dipping sauce:

10cm stalk fresh lemongrass, white part only, chopped finely

1 fresh small red chilli, seeded, chopped finely

80ml (⅓ cup) lime juice

60ml (¼ cup) fish sauce

60ml (¼ cup) peanut oil

15ml (1 tbsp) coconut sugar

1 small clove garlic, crushed

Fish cakes and salad:

500g sustainable fish fillets, skin and bones removed

30ml (2 tbsp) red curry paste

2 fresh lime leaves, torn

2 spring onions, sliced

15ml (1 tbsp) fish sauce

60ml (¼ cup) lime juice

8 beans, chopped finely

30ml (2 tbsp) finely chopped fresh coriander

Cooking-oil spray

80g (1 cup) bean sprouts

250ml (1 cup) fresh basil leaves

250ml (1 cup) fresh coriander leaves, extra

2 fresh long red chillies, cut into strips

Method:

  1. Make lemongrass and chilli dipping sauce by placing all ingredients in a screw-top jar. Shake well.
  2. For the fish cakes, cut fish into small pieces. Blend or process fish with curry paste, lime leaves, onion, fish sauce and 1 tablespoon lime juice until it's a smooth paste.
  3. Transfer to a medium bowl, stir in beans and coriander. Season.
  4. Shape ¼-cup measures of the fish mixture into patties - you need 12 fish cakes in total.
  5. Spray fish cakes with oil. Cook cakes on a heated oiled grill plate or grill pan over high heat for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through.
  6. Place sprouts, basil, extra coriander leaves, chilli and remaining juice in a medium bowl and toss to combine. Serve fish cakes with salad and sauce.

Nutritional count per serving: 17.25 total fat (3.39 saturated fat); 1,302kJ (311 cal); 7.6g carbohydrate; 29.7g protein; 2.8g fibre. — Bauersyndication.com.au/Magazinefeatures.co.za

Tex Mex pork.
Tex Mex pork.
Image: Bauer Syndication/Magazine Features

TEX MEX PORK (OR CHICKEN)

Serves: 4

Prep and cook time: 40 minutes plus refrigeration

Ingredients:

500g pork fillet (or replace with chicken breast fillets)

10ml (2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil

10ml (2 tsp) cajun seasoning mix

7.5ml (1 ½ tsp) chilli powder

1 large avocado, quartered, sliced

250g heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

½ small red onion, sliced thinly

1 small seedless cucumber, chopped finely

80ml (⅓ cup) fresh coriander leaves

30ml (2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil, extra

15ml (1 tbsp) lime juice

1 red oakleaf lettuce, leaves separated (or lettuce of choice)

Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Brush pork (or chicken fillets) with oil. Rub all over with combined seasoning mix and chilli powder. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
  2. Cook pork (or chicken) on a heated, oiled grill plate or grill pan over medium-high heat for 4 minutes or until browned all over. Reduce heat, cook for a further 10 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from heat. Stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, combine avocado, tomatoes, onion, cucumber and coriander in a medium bowl.
  4. Whisk extra oil and lime juice in a small jug and season. Pour dressing over avocado mixture, toss gently to coat.
  5. Thinly slice pork (or chicken) and serve on lettuce with avocado mixture, drizzle with any pork (or chicken) resting juices. Season with pepper.

Nutritional count per serving: 25.8g total fat (5.4g saturated fat); 1,605kJ (383 cal); 4.1g carbohydrate; 31.5g protein; 5g fibre.


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