Author Archives: James Hicks

Keto Guru Pig in a Blanket

Guys, you want a super easy, super tasty Keto meal? This was whipped up in less than 30 minutes. Not to mention, the possibilities are endless with these things. I kept it simple and went with a slice of Gouda cheese and Kielbasa sausage and it was phenomenal. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups low moisture mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 8 slices of Gouda cheese (any slice cheese you want)
  • 8 Kielbasa sausage links (get creative, add ham, bacon or any protein of choice)
  • Seasonings of choice (I used Flavor God ranch and cheese)

Instructions:

In a large bowl, add your mozzarella and seasonings and microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds. Remove and give it a good stir.

At this time, add in 1/2 a cup of the flour. It’s much easier to mix 1/2 at a time. After that’s mixed in, add your final 1/2 cup of flour. If you need to microwave again to make it easier to mix, do so. Just do it 20-30 seconds at a time.

Once you have the cheese and flour mixed, lay out a sheet of parchment paper and plop your dough down. Add a another sheet of parchment paper on top and get to rolling it out. It doesn’t have to be perfect but try to make a square. If you don’t have a rolling pin, you can use your forearm. We are looking for it to be about 1/16″ thick.

Once you have it rolled out, cut the dough down the center then 8 equal parts, or as close as you can get. I use a pizza cutter.

Lay a piece of cheese on each one and 1 sausage link. Roll them as tight as you can. Leave the seam on the bottom. Place on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Continue until all 8 are made.

Set your oven to 375 and cook 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. At the end, I put them under the broiler for about 2 minutes to get some nice color. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. They will be hot, especially the sausage. Plate and enjoy!

Keto Chocolate Sheet Cake

This is real deal here. You cannot tell a difference between the Keto version and the non. In fact, I believe the Keto version is better. You decide for yourself, whip you up a batch and let me know what you think!

Ingredients

Cake Mix:

  • 2 Cups Almond Flour
  • 3/4 Cups of Keto sweetener of choice (we use Lakanto Classic in the 3 lb bag on Amazon —> https://amzn.to/35P958w)
  • 1/3 cup coconut flour
  • 1/3 unflavored Isopure whey protein powder; I order mine on Amazon here because I haven’t found in stores –>https://amzn.to/35NPANB
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter (8 tbs)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 coca powder (unsweetened)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup water (needed a 2nd time)

Icing/Frosting:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup coca powder (unsweetened)
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 and 1/2 cup powdered Keto sweetener; (we use this on Amazon —> https://amzn.to/3caTyB3)
  • 1/4 tsp Xanthan gum (yes, you will need this) you can find here —>https://amzn.to/3628Yqn
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans

Cake Instructions:

Pre-heat your oven to 325 and grease a 10 x 15 sheet pan really good. In a bowl, add the almond flour, sweetener, coconut flour, protein powder, baking powder and salt and whisk together and set to the side.

On your stove-top in a medium sized saucepan, combine the butter, water and coca powder. Heat on medium stirring these ingredients until melted. Bring them to a boil now then remove from the heat.

In your dry mix bowl, add the eggs, vanilla, HWC and 1/4 cup of water, and hot wet ingredients and mix until it’s all combined real well.

Spread this mixture evenly in your greased sheet pan. Bake 15-25 minutes until it passes the toothpick test. Once done, remove from oven and set aside.

While your cake is cooking, let’s make the frosting. In another saucepan, add butter, coca powder, cream and water. Bring these ingredients to a simmer, continuing to stir until it’s smooth. At this point, stir in the vanilla, add your powdered sweetener, 1/2 a cup at a time, whisking really good so it will dissolve the clumps. Finally, add in the Xanthan gum and whisk it in as well. Put your pecans in and stir them in.

Once your sheet cake has cooled, pour the icing/frosting over the cake and spread with a spatula. Make sure it’s nice and even over the entire surface of the cake.

Guru Keto Biscuits and Gravy

Man have I missed biscuits and gravy. Not anymore. I’ve come up with a recipe that is quick and extra delicious! You can play around with this recipe and make it your own or leave it alone and enjoy it my way. It’s a southern thing to add the breakfast sausage in the gravy so there’s no skipping this step!

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 (1-oz) packet dry Ranch dressing mix ( I didn’t have any so I used Flavor God ranch seasoning)
  • 1-1/2 cups almond flour
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
  • 1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (optional)
  • White gravy – You can use my white gravy recipe here, just add breakfast sausage – https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/justaketoguru.com/1094

Instructions:

In a microwave safe bowl, add your mozzarella cheese and cream cheese. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds. Mix well after until combined.

Once mixed, add the baking powder, ranch mix, almond flour then add your 3 beaten eggs to the melted cheeses. I put the eggs in last because the cheese is hot and you don’t want it to cook your eggs. Mix really well for several minutes until you have a nice consistent batter. It should look something like mine.

Once your dough is made, add in the crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese. These are optional but add some great flavor. Mix really good again until you have a uniform dough. This may take a few minutes as well.

For cooking, you have 2 options. You can spray a cast iron skillet and cook in it or line a cookie sheet and cook on it. I’ve done these biscuits on both. The pan cooked more even to me but the cast iron had a better flavor. Either way, scoop out dough into balls and place on pan/cast iron. This recipe should make somewhere around 11-12 biscuits. Continue making your biscuits until you exhaust all your dough.

Place the cookie sheet or cast iron in the fridge for 10 minutes. This step should not be missed. It helps set-up the biscuits. Heat your oven at 400 while you are waiting. Once your 10 minutes are up, cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Mine took 20. Remove and let cool for a minute or 2.

Split your biscuits and pour on the gravy. Add an egg to jazz it up a bit more. Enjoy.

Guru PB&J Cookie Bars

Got a sweet tooth? Try this super simple recipe out. It mirrors peanut butter and jelly. In fact, it tastes exactly like it. It’s one of those simple delish recipes that you just throw all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix and done! Let’s see how this goes:

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 tbs coconut flour
  • 1 cup keto approved sweetener (I use this from Amazon in a 3 lb bag –>>> https://amzn.to/2FFxpPe
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter… I used chunky but smooth will be ok as well
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup Keto approved chocolate chips —->>>https://amzn.to/35Bv56L
  • 6-8 medium strawberries, diced

Instructions:

In your mixing bowl, put all of your ingredients except your chocolate chips and strawberries. Mix well for about 2 minutes.

After you batter is mixed, add in your chocolate chips and diced strawberries and fold them in.

Spray a small cookie pan and dump your mixture in the middle. Spread it out evenly across the entire pan. Make sure it’s nice and even so it cooks well.

Place in your pre-heated oven and cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Mixture is done when it’s firm but not crunchy. Of course, you will have to play with time in your oven. And if you want to take it longer and make crunchy, that’s ok too. Once finished cooking, let cool on counter, slice and serve. Enjoy!!

Keto Easy Cheesy Breadsticks

Italian night and missing bread sticks? Or, maybe you are having pizza night and wish you had some cheesy bread sticks as well. Well, miss them no more. You can easily whip these up in less than 20 minutes, including cook time.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups low moisture shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 natural shredded cheddar
  • Italian seasoning

Instructions:

In a microwave safe bowl, add your 2 cups of mozzarella and Italian seasoning and microwave for 90 seconds. Remove and give a good stir.

With your cheese still nice and hot, add 1/2 of your almond flour. Don’t put the entire 1/2 cup in at the same time because it is harder to mix. After you get the 1st half nice and mixed, now go ahead and add in the other 1/2. Mix really well until you have a uniform mixture.

Place mixture on a piece of parchment paper. Add another piece on top and spread out “dough” and form in whatever shape you like. You can use a rolling pin, empty glass, or even just your forearm. It’s best to get it about 1/4″ for a good even cook.

Before placing into oven, use a fork and poke holes all around. This will prevent the cheese from bubbling while cooking. If it does bubble while in the oven, just simply poke the bubbles and resume cooking. Cook at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until nice and golden brown.

Remove from oven and top with your parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese. Evenly distribute all over. Place back into the oven and cook another 5-10 minutes until your cheese is nicely melted and your bread sticks are really nice and golden brown. Cut into equal pieces and enjoy! Don’t be afraid to get creative. Add anything you like to your bread sticks!!

Guru Shrimp Fettuccine Alfredo

Move over Olive Garden, there’s a new kitchen in charge. Don’t waste your hard earned money any longer. Just get in your kitchen and whip up this simple delish dinner. These parmesan shrimp are bursting with flavor, and when paired with zoodles and homemade Keto Alfredo sauce, it’s to die for.

Ingredients:

Tools needed:

Instructions:

Add your prepared shrimp to a bowl. Drizzle olive oil all over them and mix well. Ensure all the shrimp are coated with oil. Add your garlic powder, salt/pepper and mix it all together really well. Get them evenly coated.

In a seperate bowl, pour in some grated parmesan. I’m not measuring on this one because it will just be a guess as to how much you need. Start with a little and add as needed. Remove your shrimp from your bowl and throw into the parmesan. Coat the shrimp well and place on your air fryer rack. Continue this until you have breaded all of your shrimp.

In your pre-heated air fryer, place your rack. Cook on 400 for 10-12 minutes until shrimp is fully cooked. Don’t over-cook as this makes shrimp chewy. If you don’t have a racked air fryer, you may need to flip at halfway to ensure both sides get nice and crunchy.

Remove from air fryer and let rest a few minutes.

Prepare your zoodles. Using a spiral-er, spiral your zucchini using the fettuccine blade. If you don’t have one, here is a link to one on Amazon that I use —>>>> https://amzn.to/33sks39

Put your zoodles in a wok, add some olive oil, salt/pepper and cook on high for just a few minutes. Drain the excess water when done cooking.

Plate your zoodles, add your shrimp, then top with your homemade Alfredo sauce and enjoy.

Keto Air Fried Fish (tacos)

Fried fish has never been easier. Choose the type of fish you want and follow this recipe and you will have great golden, crunchy fried fish. I was very impressed how this turned out. Used catfish because that’s what Kroger’s butcher had on hand. Threw them on some folio cheese wraps for fish tacos! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag Kroger pork rinds, spicy or mild or both
  • 4 eggs
  • 6 tbs almond flour
  • 4 tbs coconut flour
  • 3 oz shredded parmesan cheese
  • seasoning of choice
  • 4-6 fish fillets (catfish)

Instructions:

I like to prepare the fish first. I took the fillets and quartered them to make them more taco friendly. You can do smaller nuggets or leave the fillet whole, any combination will work.

Prepare you batter station. In your mixer, add your pork rinds and blend down. Remove the lid, add your parmesan cheese, seasoning, and 6 tbs of almond flour and blend another 10 seconds or so. Pour contents into a batter friendly dish.

In a separate bowl, add your eggs and whip. I chose to add more seasoning here because I believe in flavor!! On a plate, dump out your coconut flour. Set up the station from left to right, fish —> coconut flour —-> egg —-> pork rinds.

Let’s get to battering. Add fish to the coconut flour and coat both sides really well. Dip in the egg and coat both sides in egg really good. Remove from the egg and let excess drip off. Immediately add to the pork rind mix. Pat down really good and flip. Ensure you have a nice even coating on your fish. Continue until you have completed all your fish.

When done battering, place fish in your pre-heated air fryer and air fry at 400 degrees for 14 minutes. If you have a rack system, you shouldn’t have to flip. If you don’t have racks, I suggest flipping at halfway to get both sides crispy. Just be careful flipping as your breading will want to pull off. Remove from the air fryer and rest for a few minutes. Plate, and enjoy!

Guru Keto Chicken Fried Steak/Chicken

Yes, you are reading this correctly. This Southern favorite, including the white gravy, is 100% Keto. This was worth the effort. This one took a little time because I chose to make CFS and CFC at the same time. If you are only doing 1 protein, I’m assuming the time will be shorter. This has to be on your menu. It was fantastic. If you are on mobile or a tablet, you will need to scroll down for the instructions.

Ingredients:

Meat/batter:

  • 4 cube steaks (this is the best for CFS)
  • 3 large breast, butterflied
  • 4-5 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 bag Kroger plain pork rinds
  • 4 oz. shredded parmesan
  • 12 tbs almond flour (6 in with the pork rinds, 6 on a plate for the protein)
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • Pepper

Keto white gravy

  • 2 tbs butter
  • 2 tbs cream cheese, softened
  • 6 tbs heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup of either chicken/beef broth or water
  • Pepper

Instructions

Prep the meat first. This takes the longest. Using a meat tenderizing mallet, beat the cube steaks flat, both sides. Keep the meat in between some cling wrap. Same thing applies for the chicken. Ensure your chicken is butterflied and pound down both sides. Season both sides of the meat with the garlic powder, onion powder and pepper, to taste.

Now it’s time to prep your pork rind crust and batter. In your blender/processor, add 1 bag of Kroger plain pork rinds. I find it easier to go ahead and crush the bag first then put into the blender. Add 6 tbs of almond flour and 4 oz of grated parmesan and blend for 10-15 seconds. Dump contents into a dish you will be able to batter the meat in. Ensure it’s big enough, you will need room. I like to add some pepper here too. It will help add flavor and make your crust look even prettier.

Set up your batter station. In a large bowl/dish, add your 4 large eggs and 1/4 cup heavy cream and whip until combined and thick. On a separate plate, add 6 tbs of almond flour.

Take either protein and dip in the plain almond flour 1st. Coat both sides very nicely. Dip into the egg batter, remove and let excess drip off. Immediately place into the pork rind mixture and coat both sides. It helps to press down firmly to ensure both sides are coated good. Continue this process until all of your meat is battered.

Before placing into your preheated air fryer, spray the top of all the meat with olive oil cooking spray. This will help them get even crispier. You will need to flip them at the halfway point and spray the bottom as well. Be very careful when flipping as the crust will want to come off on the bottom. After flipping and spraying, continue cooking until finished. I cooked the chicken fried chicken at 400 for 17 minutes and the chicken fried steak at 400 for 13. Time will vary but that should get you close.

While the meat is cooking in the air fryer, prepare the white gravy. It’s super simple and only takes a few minutes. On a stove top pan, add 2 tbs of butter, 6 tbs of heavy cream and 2 tbs of cream cheese and whisk slowly until all are combined. Add in the 1/2 cup of chicken/bone broth and keep stirring until it thickens. Add some pepper while you stir. If your gravy is too thick, add a little bit more broth. If it’s too thin, add 1 tbs heavy cream at a time until you like. Simmer on low for just a few minutes then remove from heat. It really is this simple.

Bring it all together and plate. We chose mashed cauliflower which keeps this entire meal 100% Keto. If you have any questions, shoot me an email or leave a comment. As I said, this one took time but was well worth it! Enjoy!!!!

Keto Air Fried Fish (Flounder)

Ok, I’m really starting to think there is absolutely nothing you cannot cook in this air fryer. Tonight was no exception. Since going Keto about 2 years ago, I’ve sure missed fried fish. Tonight, I have created a version that I actually like more than true “fried” fish. I chose market fresh Flounder for this experiment. It’s not an overly fishy tasting fish, but it’s super tender white fish meat. Let’s see how this unfolded.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. fresh fish fillets
  • 1/2 bag of Kroger pork rinds. (I used 1/2 plain, 1/2 spicy)
  • 10 tbs almond flour (6 to blend, 4 for the fish)
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 oz grated parmesan cheese
  • Seasonings of choice

Instructions

In your blender, add your 1/2 bag of pork rinds and blend for about 8 seconds. Open the lid, add your almond flour, parmesan and seasonings and blend again for 8 seconds. Transfer contents to an appropriate dish for battering.

Build your batter station now. In a bowl, whip your eggs. You may choose to add seasonings to the eggs as well, this may only enhance the flavor. On a plate, add your 4 tbs of almond flour.

Take your fish fillet and coat both sides evenly with the almond flour. Transfer fillet to the egg wash and coat both sides. Pull your fillet out and allow excess egg to drip off. Add the fillet to the pork rind breading and coat both sides evenly. You may need to press down on both sides to get it coated well. Transfer to air fryer rack. Continue battering until all of your fillets are ready.

Place your battered fish into the air fryer and air fry for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. You can choose to leave in a little longer to get the desired crunch if needed. At 12 minutes, mine was perfect. Pull from air fryer and allow to rest a few minutes before serving. If you are using an air fryer without a rack system, you will need to flip about halfway to crunch both sides. NOTE: I sprayed my racks and the fish almost stuck to them. I suggest spraying with olive oil cooking spray no matter what air fryer you are using.

Plate and enjoy. Let me know how yours turns out!

Keto Stuffed Chicken Lasagna

Ok, this really isn’t lasagna but it has all of the lasagna filling. So I shall call it chicken lasagna. Either way, this is a super simple dish with a ton of flavor. It is a hit on Italian night or any night of the week honestly. Pair it with a nice vegetable, or zoodles in our case, and you have a fantastic meal. On the plus side, this re-heats very well also.

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese, shredded; 3/4 cup for stuffing, 3/4 cup for topping
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 3 large chicken breast, butterflied
  • Rao’s marinara sauce or other Keto equivalent
  • Italian seasonings (We love McCormick Garlic, herb, black pepper and sea salt)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Stuffing:

In a mixing bowl, add your ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup of mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix all ingredients until well mixed and set to the side.

Prepare the chicken

Start by butterflying your breast. Be careful and don’t cut all the way through. You want to be able to fold the one side back over the other. Place them in a baking dish that fits (I think mine is 9″x 13″).

Sauce each side of the chicken with Rao’s. Use what you feel comfortable using. Just know that the more you add the more watery your dish will end up being. After the marinara, dollop each breast with a helping of the stuffing. Evenly distribute the stuffing between the 3 breast. If you have extra, that’s ok. Just dump it on the sides. Fold over 1/2 of the breast and close.

Sauce the top of the closed breast with a bit more Rao’s. Hit it again with some Italian seasoning and top with the 3/4 cup of mozzarella, 1/4 cup on each.

Place dish in your pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for 25-25 minutes. I’ve had this cook in 25 minutes and other times it took 40. When you get to 25 minutes, if it’s not done, cover with foil and cook until you hit an internal temp of 165 degrees.

Cut your breast, plate and server. Take some of that extra stuffing and add to your plate! Enjoy!!!