Tag: tony lozzi

  • How to Make Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    How to Make Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    Green tea has a tremendous amount of health benefits – the EGCG compounds in the drink have been known to be anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and good for your blood sugar and weight loss. It’s also delicious, and with a fraction of the caffeine as coffee, it’s a great choice for health-minded people who love the crisp, light, refreshing taste.

    But forget all of that, because we’re going to make ice cream with it. Now admittedly, it’s going to be keto ice cream, so it will be worlds healthier than traditional recipes, but still – ice cream, yum.

    The good news is that it’s incredibly easy to make and there’s nothing truly crazy or exotic in the recipe. Japanese keto recipes are easier than you might think! A little mixing, a ready ice cream maker, and you can throw this keto matcha ice cream together in about half an hour.

    Matcha Source for matcha green tea powder

    Green tea ice cream

    While it’s not exceedingly common in US households, matcha ice cream is a staple in Japan. It’s light and refreshing, but still sweet and satisfying. Additionally, as I spoke about before, there are a lot of additional health benefits to green tea that are concentrated in the powdered matcha form. Teabags are fine for drinking, but for this, you’ll need culinary-grade matcha powder. Check out one of my favorites from MatchaSource!

    Thankfully, it’s become increasingly easy to find. If you’re lucky enough to have an Asian market in your town, they’ll definitely have it, but many grocery stores – including Walmart – carry it now. Typically it comes in tins but there are also pouches, and you don’t need to get organic or anything – regular matcha powder works just fine.

    metal tablespoon with bright green powdered matcha

    Though on its surface, matcha is a green tea, it’s not made by steeping leaves the way that you might normally find green teas. Instead, you whisk the powder into boiling water, creating a frothy, smooth, delicious drink that pops with fresh, living flavor.

    This ice cream embodies that freshness, creating a wonderfully sweet yet refreshing dessert that won’t throw you out of ketosis.

    Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    Making keto matcha ice cream with an ice cream maker is incredibly simple, and can be put together in a matter of minutes. You’ll want to make sure your ice cream maker bowl is frozen for at least 24 hours before proceeding.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups of heavy cream
    • 1-2 shots of sake or vodka (this isn’t necessary but it will decrease the iciness of the finished ice cream)
    • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (this is also not necessary but will make the end product creamier and again, less icy)
    • 1/3 cup Swerve, Truvia, or another sugar-free sweetener
    • 2 tbsp matcha powder

    Using a whisk or hand mixer, blend everything together until it’s well incorporated and pour into running ice cream maker. Churn for 15 minutes – it will get to the consistency of soft serve.

    At this point, it’s perfect to eat right now. The texture will be a lot like custard; very creamy and smooth. Save whatever is left in an airtight container with a layer of wax paper on top and eat within a week for best taste and consistency.

    black bowl with green tinted ice cream

    Don’t be afraid of making your own ice cream

    Many people who use ketosis as a means to lose weight miss getting ice cream with their family, because either they don’t have an ice cream maker or they simply feel it’s too daunting. You can make this without an ice cream maker – just mix it as normal, put it into a container, and let it freeze. It won’t have the exact same consistency, but it will still taste delicious and scratch that itch for cold, sweet refreshment.

    If you’re on the fence because making ice cream seems just a little too extra, don’t let the process scare you off. Making keto ice cream – or ice cream in general – is extremely simple and once you’ve done it the first time, throwing a batch together will be second-nature. Keto doesn’t have to be bacon and eggs all the time; there are so many ways to enjoy healthier, low carb versions of your favorite foods without buying them premade at the store with a ridiculous markup.

    Homemade keto matcha ice cream destroys any $7 pint of store-bought ice cream in both flavor and texture. I highly recommend this recipe, not only for the fresh matcha kick it offers, but also as a base for any other keto ice cream you want to try. Simply swap out the matcha powder for 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite extract.

    If you’ve given this recipe a whirl, let me know in the comments what you thought of it. Enjoy!

    Fit2Father Tony Lozzi

     

    About the Author: Tony Lozzi is a freelance writer and father of two who enjoys finding ways to turn his favorite carby foods into keto recipes.


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  • Eating Japanese Food While Maintaining Ketosis

    Eating Japanese Food While Maintaining Ketosis

    Following a ketogenic diet is a great way to lose weight, but can you eat Japanese food on keto? The answer may surprise you, but YES! Eating keto, otherwise known as a low-carb-high-fat diet, is beneficial for a number of reasons, but a big part of it is eating in such a way that allows you to still enjoy many of your favorite foods.

    keto diet japanese food

    Anyone who loves sushi knows that you’re only ever one artfully made tuna roll away from a better mood, and the same can be said for good Japanese food in general. While you might think that a sushi restaurant isn’t the most ideal place to eat when you’re counting carbs…prepare to be pleasantly surprised. Japanese cuisine, while it has a few carby pitfalls, is full of dishes that focus on simply prepared fish and vegetables designed to let the food speak for itself.

    If you’re not already familiar with Japanese food culture, then you will almost certainly have some questions about the various fruits, vegetables, sauces, and preparations that you will be experiencing and that’s fine. The goal here is to familiarize yourself somewhat so you can make better informed food choices that are not only delicious, but also allow you to sample some of the best techniques that Japanese cooking offers. Of course all of this was written keeping in mind that you want to maintain ketosis while eating delicious food and not stressing about the type of restaurant that you’re at; Japanese food is more than just sushi, after all!


    The Wonderful World of Osechi: Japanese New Year’s Recipes

    New Year’s is one of the best times in Japan, at least for eating and relaxing. Get Lucy’s Osechi cookbook, full of recipes that are fast to make, easy, and quite delicious for your New Year celebrations (along with the history and traditions and little tidbits Lucy always includes). Get the book!

    Makes a great gift too! Did you know on the Amazon page there’s an option to give it as a gift?

    Osechi cookbook Japanese New Year


    Keto Japanese Food

    Japanese Keto Appetizers

    While tenpura is a mainstay in Japanese restaurants in the US, there’s are plenty of non-fried starters you can enjoy instead.

    Miso soup is a thin, broth-based soup made with fermented soybean paste. It has a very unique flavor, with a high degree of umami while still being light and refreshing. Often it’s simply populated with cubes of tofu and some vegetables like cabbage. This is a delicious and often cheap start to a meal that’s keto-friendly. It’s worth noting too that if you’re avoiding soy but don’t have a good reason to (like allergies) other than word-of-mouth that it’s somehow bad for you, then stop avoiding it. Soy is healthy and a good source of protein, and it’s reasonably low in carbs.

    Oshinko vegetables are essentially pickles and often includes daikon, lotus root, seaweed, and burdock. Daikon is a type of radish, burdock is similar to artichoke, lotus root is its own thing altogether, but delicious and still low carb friendly.

    Edamame isn’t super low carb, but again most people avoid it because of some odd aversion to soy. In small amounts, edamame fresh from the lightly salted pod is a delicious way to whet your appetite.

    Grilled vegetables are another way to enjoy an appetizer in a new way without overloading on sugar or carbs.

    While you can’t enjoy the many splendors of sushi in all its forms, you can still enjoy the flavors and freshness by eating sashimi. Sashimi is essentially the same cuts of fish your sushi chef has available for rolls or maki, served with the same familiar additions as sushi – pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce – just without the rice. The best part of sashimi is the fact that because you don’t have the nori or rice to cover up imperfections, you will likely get the best cuts they have available.

    Depending on where you are, most Japanese restaurants specialize in both sushi and hibachi. Hibachi grills are incredible both for the delicious food cooked right in front of you, but also because of the beautiful knifework and performance art that goes into the cooking. Dazzling displays of cutting, flipping, and searing are the visual appetizers to a main course of grilled meat or fish and Japanese vegetables. Just ask for your chef to hold the rice and you can stay keto friendly very easily at a hibachi.

    Even if you don’t have a hibachi at your restaurant of choice, you can still likely get whatever meat they have offered in other dishes grilled simply to your liking and it never hurts to ask.

    Shabu-Shabu is an interesting course that consists of very thin slices of beef and vegetables that are served with a very hot bowl of broth that you actually cook yourself at the table. Because of how hot the broth is and how thinly the food is cut, it takes just a minute or less to cook perfectly. I’ve got to be honest – it’s also really fun!

    Negamaki is a delicious alternative to other sugary dishes, being that it’s simply grilled beef wrapped around green onions or sometimes asparagus, served with soy sauce. While I’ve had it both as an appetizer and as a meal, I think you could get it as either.

    Things to avoid

    Of course like any restaurant there will be a number of things that won’t work well with your keto lifestyle, the most obvious of these being rice and noodles. There are some other things to avoid though, and it might require you to speak with your server or chef to determine what might be lurking in the dishes you have your eye on.

    Tenpura, though lightly fried and crispy, it still a flour batter and so should be avoided. Even a small piece of tenpura vegetable can have upwards of 8g of carbs and that’s just not doable on a keto diet.

    Most sauces that go beyond simply soy sauce – like teriyaki for instance – are going to be sugar or corn- syrup based and absolutely not compliant with a keto meal.

    As sad as it makes me, seaweed salad is often quite sugary, despite being delicious. You can typically get a small green salad with Japanese dressing on the side so any added sugar is negligible, or again just opt for grilled or pickled vegetables to be safe.

    Potstickers, called gyoza, are delicious but of course are made with a type of flour that is filled with carbs. Best to avoid them.

    I remember avoiding going out to eat with my friends when I first started keto if they were going to a place where I simply couldn’t imagine eating low carb. Outside of a pizzeria or pasta house, however, you can adapt almost any cuisine to a low carb lifestyle, Japanese included.

    Meshiagare!

    Author Bio

    Fit2Father Tony LozziTony is a HealthyWage winner father of two who enjoys finding ways to turn his favorite carby foods into keto recipes (like his infamous air fryer steak bites and keto chicken tenders!) Be sure to check him out on Pinterest!



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    AbeBooks.com. Thousands of booksellers - millions of books.

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    I’m buying mine from Abe Books now in an effort to support smaller businesses. They have new and used options and harder to find books, including all of my favorite Japanese cookbooks! You can support Thanks for the Meal by clicking on this banner to buy your books.

    Arigatou Gozaimasu / ありがとうございますいます –Lucy