[If you’re looking for a different kind of dip, this Beans-Free Hummus is not only vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free and dairy-free; it’s also free of eggs, soy, nuts and yeast. Low glycemic, Paleo, keto AND anti-candida, it’s perfect for all stages of an anti-candida diet.]
Comprehensive.
Informative.
Droolworthy.
Gorgeous.
Engaging.
High-Fat.
My pal Leanne’s new book, The Keto Diet, is all these things, and more.
I was so excited to receive this new book from Leanne (who, if you don’t know, is the force of nature behind HealthfulPursuit.com), especially since I, like so many of her devoted readers, have been following Leanne from way back in the days when she first started the blog and filled it with vegan recipes. (Side note: The Keto Diet is by no means a vegan book. That said, Leanne does accommodate plant-based eaters with information about doing keto as a vegan, and offers a good proportion of recipes that are vegan or have vegan options).
But this is so much more than a cookbook!
The Keto Diet‘s subtitle is: The Complete Guide to a High-Fat Diet with More than 125 Delectable Recipes and 5 Meal Plans to Shed Weight, Heal Your Body & Regain Confidence. Whoah! Besides being quite the mouthful, that is one big promise. And does Leanne ever deliver.
Divided into four main parts, the book covers “What is the Ketogenic Diet” in Part I, featuring chapters that discuss keto in general; variations on the diet; living the keto “experience”; grocery shopping, eating out and travel; and one called “Troubleshooting,” in which questions are answered about various health issues or challenges that may occur along the way.
In Part Two, “Eating Keto,” Leanne covers the specifics of the keto diet itself, key ingredientss, kinds of fats, and tips about quitting grains and dairy.
Part Three zeros in on “Keto in the Kitchen,” or all the ways to stock your kitchen for a successful keto experience. It also includes cooking tips and tricks, tools and ingredients, and a final section called “Making Sense of the Recipes,” which provides a key to recipe icons, nutritional information, and more.
Finally, Part Four introduces the recipes–all 125 of them! Recipes range from sauces and spices to breakfast, snacks, soup/salad, chapters on various proteins (beef, lamb, poultry, pork, seafood), sides and accompaniments, sweets and desserts, and drinks. I can’t wait to try the Infused Oils, Grain-Free Hemp Seed Porridge, Zesty Nacho Cabbage Chips, Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup, Berry Avocado Salad, Sichimi Collards, Almond Chai Truffles and Orange Cardamon Bark, among others!
A quick summary doesn’t really do the book justice, though, as it’s also jam-packed with visuals like charts, illustrations, sidebars, glossaries, meal plans, and more, all color coded and provided to simplify the experience for those going keto. There’s a quick recipe reference at the back as well as a recipe index with thumbnails of every single recipe!
Now, as anyone following this site knows, my version of the anti-candida diet (ACD) is neither keto nor focused specifically on weight loss (though I do love the “Heal Your Body & Regain Confidence” part of the subtitle). That said, if you are interested in keto, this book is so rich with detail, so well researched and so comprehensive that I can’t imagine anyone needing any other resource.
Plus, as with all Leanne’s recipes, the ones in this book look delectable and are easy to follow. With 42% of the book vegan or vegan-friendly, I had plenty of recipes from which to choose.
In the end, I decided to go with this easy No-Beans Hummus, since I think we can all use an extra dip or snack in our lives! Whip this up next time you have people over, or stash some in the refrigerator for when those afternoon munchies hit. I used this in collard rolls one day, as a dip for raw kale and seaweed crackers the next, and it was equally delicious both times.
You can find The Keto Diet on amazon, Barnes and Noble, or wherever books are sold.
No-Beans Hummus from The Keto Diet (reprinted with permission, ©Leanne Vogel, Victory, 2017)
Leanne says: “I used to tolerate beans so well, but in recent years they’ve started to aggravate my stomach. Perhaps I met my life’s quota of beans when I was vegan for as long as I was. In any case, you won’t be swooning over bowls of conventional hummus when you have this recipe in your back pocket. It makes a great pack-along snack for your lunch kit paired with celery sticks and extra olive oil, or you can make a batch and share with your friends the next time you’re invited to a potluck.”
1 medium head cauliflower, cored and separated into florets (about 15-1/2 ounces / 445 g florets)
1/4 cup (65 g) tahini
6 Tbsp (90 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic, divided
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 small cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp (7.5 ml) finely ground gray sea salt [I used a bit less]
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground cumin
Pinch of paprika, for garnish
Pinch of dried parsley, for garnish
Place the cauliflower florets, tahini, 4 Tbsp (60 ml) of the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and cumin in a food processor or blender. Pulse until somewhat smooth, or until it reaches the desired hummus-like consistency.
Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika and parsley.
Makes 2 cups (660 g) or 8 servings. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days.
Per 1/4 cup (82 g) serving: Calories: 162 ; calories from fat 132; total fat 14.7g; saturated fat 2.1 g; cholesterol 0 mg; sodium 203 mg; carbs 5g; dietary fiber 2.1 g; net carbs 2.9 g; sugars 1.5 g; protein 2.5 g
Suitable for: ACD All stages; refined sugar-free, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, nut free, yeast-free, vegan, low glycemic.
Disclosure: Links in this post may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase using those links, at no cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.
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Oh yum, how did you know this was JUST what I was looking for? 🙂
Are you supposed to cook the cauliflower first?
I didn’t, Crystal, but I don’t know if that’s what Leanne intended or not. I just took the directions literally. 🙂
Absolutely love your creative idea with beans-free hummus! As you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely! Thx, Ricki for sharing!
So glad! In case it’s not clear in the post, this isn’t my own “creative idea,” though–the recipe is Leanne’s. 🙂