Lots of cookbooks these days include Keto-friendly recipes, but Keto Meal Prep ($34.99, Mango Publishing) goes all-in, and that made me interested in accepting an invitation to review it.
Unlike most of the other cookbooks I’ve reviewed, this one doesn’t include an anecdote with every recipe, and that was actually refreshing. Also, the book isn’t broken down by meals. Instead, the 125 low-carb recipes are divided into pasta (in a Keto book!), snacks, pork and several other categories.
The book is easy on the eyes. I like that each recipe has a full-page photo on the opposite page and includes icons denoting no eggs, no dairy and/or no nuts. Plus, you can see the nutritional info of each recipe.
I made two dishes. The first was the pressure cooker chicken cacciatore (p. 71). I don’t like eating chicken drumsticks with a fork and knife, so I replaced them with chicken thighs. Even using an Instant Pot, this dish takes quite a long time to make (prep time = 25 min., cook time = 35 min.), but it made for a hearty meal, especially with a head of cauliflower included in the ingredients. Each serving has 422 calories, 11.7 g. of carbs, 14.7 g. of fat and 31 g. of protein.
I also made the shrimp burgers (p. 129). Instead of combining pureed shrimp with full shrimp, I ended up pureeing all the shrimp. I have to say, the shrimp patties were incredibly delicious–moist on the inside, crispy on the outside. I used raw shrimp, which took forever to peel and devein. Next time, I’ll use shrimp that’s already been peeled. The shrimp patties have 256 calories, 1.6 g. of carbs, 9.9 g. of fat and 31 g. of protein.
Keto Meal Prep is written by Bobby and Dessi Parrish, who are behind the wildly popular YouTube Channel called FlavCity (1 million subscribers). Amazingly, neither has a background in cooking–Bobby was an options trader, and Dessie has a master’s degree in computer science. Amongst their many TV appearances, the Chicago couple won “Guy’s Grocery Games” in 2015.
Tags: cooking
