Book Review: The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen

Are any of you big “South Park” fans? There’s a classic and now-famous episode called “Simpsons Already Did It” (S6E7) whose theme is basically that no matter what plotline for the show you could think of, the long-running prime time cartoon “The Simpsons” already did it. It’s tough stepping into a domain where the greats have been working for a long time.

When it comes to the work of Carolyn Ketchum, that motif also runs through the minds of low carb food bloggers. Through her peerless low carb cooking blog, All Day I Dream About Food, she seems to have covered it all. Graham Crackers? Carolyn did it. Cookie Dough Bites? Carolyn did it. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream? Carolyn did it. And on and on and on. They don’t call her the “Queen Of Low Carb Baking” for nothing, you know.

Would you like to WIN a copy of the book? CLICK HERE!

For a food blogger looking to contribute something to the evolving conversation on ketogenic cusine, this can be pretty frustrating. She’s been so good and so innovative for long that she deserves a lot of the credit for where we all now stand, either directly or through pushing others to be better by her very existence.

When I heard she had a book coming out, I already earmarked for purchase what I assumed would be an amazing low carb baking book. Except it didn’t end up being a baking book. It was an all-encompassing, but crisply edited classic.

When it comes to recipe development, it’s always a very fine line between outright eye candy and something that is really practical for people to use. With more and more people trying a ketogenic diet every day, there is a great need for an authority on the food side of the diet to create something that guides people along the road to reclaiming their health while not feeling like they had to give up eating well.

Through ketogenic pantry creation, kitchen tools, complete nutritional information, and a thoughtful mix of reimagined classics and new favorites that cry out to be made, she calmly walks you through it all.

Like many of you I often find myself in the position of trying to help people through the process of understanding the diet, the common concerns, and the anxieties about “going keto”.  Haven’t you always wished we just had a book we could hand them that spoke for us? This is that book.

To let you “test drive” this new classic, I’ve included a recipe from the book that is a classic in its own right, Red Wine Braised Short Ribs. In fact, a similar dish is directly to blame for me being able to win my now-wife’s heart over. It’s a perfect, delicious dish regardless of whether you are keto, non-keto, or just looking to impress a lady and “marry up” like I did.

(As luck would have it, I had a glass jar of home grown and dried thyme leaves gifted to me by my mother-in-law that I used in the recipe. I told you I married up.)

Would you like to win a copy of the book? CLICK HERE!

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Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

"Short ribs are one of my favorite cuts of meat because they are so fatty and unctuous. Slow cooking makes them incredibly tender too" --Carolyn Ketchum

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2-2 1/2 pounds bone-in short ribs
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons lard, bacon fat, or coconut oil
• 1 cup beef broth or chicken broth, store-bought or homemade
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and season the short ribs liberally with salt and pepper.
2. In a large Dutch oven that can accomodate all the ribs in a single layer, melt the lard over medium-high heat. Add the ribs, fat side down, and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown. Flip the ribs over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the broth, red wine, onions, tomato paste, and thyme to the bottom of the pot. Whisk together and bring to a simmer.
4. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 1/2 hours, until the ribs are fork-tender. Remove the ribs and stir the sauce until well combined. Spoon the sauce over the ribs upon serving.

Recipe Notes

Serving Suggestion: Serve over Cheesy Cauliflower Grits

Everyday Swap: If you prefer not to use red wine, simply replace it with water.