Since the beginning of March, I’ve taken another stab at dieting. It’s something we all struggle with, and I decided to make the most out of the quarantine situation COVID-19 put us in.
I’m on the keto diet, which has been easier for me to stick with compared to other programs like Atkins or the Whole 30. You can have all the cheese, meat and vegetables you want, drink anything that is devoid of carbs and sugar and almost everything has a keto alternative.
So, for the foreseeable future, we’re going to talk about those alternatives and how I make them replace some of the foods I couldn’t live without. Welcome to the Keto Files.
The first thing I’m going to talk about is the secret weapon of keto. It replaces buns for your burgers, serves as a base for any sandwich, works as a pizza, can be made into glorious taco shells and serves as a nice breakfast treat: the chaffle.
They’re also simple as hell to make. The only things you need are a mini waffle maker, ½ cup mozzarella cheese and an egg. These work well for breakfast and are served with sugar-free maple syrup and butter. Here’s how to make a basic chaffle.
Ingredients (each serving makes two chaffles):
- 1 egg.
- ½ cup of cheese (cheddar or mozzarella works, I prefer mozz.)
- 2 tablespoons of almond powder.
Cooking Instructions:
- Start the waffle maker and grease well.
- Dump your ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
- Pour ½ the mixture into the waffle maker, close it and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Remove when finished and enjoy.
Basic chaffles are pretty simple to make and have 3 net carbs. However, I can’t shake the egg-like taste from them if they aren’t used for breakfast, so I like to use Kasey Trenum’s Taco Chaffle recipe for my buns and taco shells. Here’s how you make them.
Ingredients (each serving makes two chaffles):
- 1 egg white.
- ¼ cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded and packed tightly.
- ¼ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and packed tightly.
- ¾ tsp water.
- 1 tsp coconut flour.
- ¼ tsp baking powder.
- ⅛ tsp chili powder.
- Pinch of salt.
Cooking Instructions:
- Start your mini waffle maker and grease lightly once hot.
- Stir all of your ingredients together in a bowl.
- Spoon out ½ the batter on the waffle maker and close the lid. Let it cook for four minutes for proper crispiness.
- After four minutes, remove the chaffle from the waffle iron and repeat the previous steps with the rest of the batter.
- Turn over a muffin pan and set the chaffle shells between the cups to form a taco shell. Let it sit for a few minutes.
- Your shell is then ready to set up with all the fixings.
Chaffles are a great way to start a keto journey, as they replace some of the most common foods that aren’t compliant with the diet. It’s a relatively new revelation in the community and new recipes are always brewing. One on my to-try list is a parmesan cheese chaffle.
Come back next time for more keto recipes to keep you away from the “quarantine 15.”
Henry Wolski
Contributing Writer