• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Chow You Later logo

  • Low Carb Keto Recipes
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Lifestyle
  • Digital Marketing
  • Contact
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Spicy

Homemade Hot Italian Keto Sausage Balls – Easy & Cheesy

November 5, 2019 by Rich

Keto snacks. Aside from nuts, berries, and pork rinds there’s not much of them. I feel the pain and here I’ve got the solution to stir things up a bit. My Italian Keto Sausage Balls recipe will do the trick! These are perfect for Netflix binging or as an appetizer prior to the main entree. Ya’ll have to check it out!

Last updated: March 17, 2020

Keto Sausage Balls featured image

This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you as it helps support my page which is much appreciated!

How do you serve them?

As mentioned, these keto sausage cheeseballs can be served in almost any situation making them very versatile for any time of the day. They can be served as an appetizer, watching your favorite sports team, or even as a snack on the go since they hold up pretty well the next day.

As an appetizer, I recommend it to come before to a keto pasta dish or roasted chicken served with a light, crisp salad to balance things off.

Toppings and Dipping Sauce for Keto Sausage Balls

I’m a huge herbs guy. I always like adding some kind of herbs to my dishes as it adds another layer to the flavor. With that said, I recommend it with basil or parsley. The addition of these two will take the keto sausage balls to another level.

As for the dipping sauce, I can’t think of a better match than tomato sauce. I happened to have some Rao’s Pizza Sauce leftover in the fridge and once I tried it with the sausage balls I couldn’t imagine pairing it with anything else! It reminded me of mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce. I haven’t tried with other sauces but it’s not uncommon to have them with ranch dressing, low carb honey mustard, or buffalo wing sauce.

What else goes well with sports? Check out my Keto Pizza Recipe!

What You’ll Need

Keto Sausage balls ingredients
  1. Oregano
  2. Ground Pork
  3. Apple Cider Vinegar
  4. Paprika
  5. Parmesan Cheese
  6. Almond Flour
  7. Garlic Powder
  8. Baking Powder
  9. Egg
  10. Cheddar Cheese

Some Tips

  • You can choose either parchment paper or aluminum foil. Both have their pros and cons. If you go with parchment, the sausage balls will not stick but won’t be as crispy. With the aluminium foil, they will be more crispy but will stick to the foil.
    • A trick to remove the balls from the foil easier, is to wait for the cheese surrounding the balls to cool down. It will be easier to remove then.
  • If you want it to be more cheesy, you can easily make keto sausage balls with cream cheese using this existing recipe. Just add 6 ounces of cream cheese on top of the 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 2 oz of parmesan.
  • If you’re not a fan of the keto sausage balls almond flour combo, you can use coconut flour in place. Keep in mind these flours have different properties so if you’re going to sub in the coconut flour, do:
    • Use 1/3 cups of coconut flour instead of 1 cup of almond flour.
    • Use 2 eggs instead of 1 egg.
    • Coconut Flour tends to absorb liquids so add a quarter cup of water to the recipe. If you find, it’s still dry add more water.
Keto Sausage Balls Spread
Print Pin
No ratings yet

Spicy Italian Sausage Keto Balls

Quick and easy sausage balls for the keto-er trying to lose weight!
Course dinner, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine American, diet, Italian, keto
Keyword ground pork, sausage
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 5 people
Calories 480.8kcal

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Oven Pan
  • Icecream Scoop (Optional)
  • Basting Brush (Optional)

Ingredients

Protein

  • 1 lb Ground Pork
  • 2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
  • 2 oz Parmesan Cheese

For Baking

  • 1 cup Almond Flour
  • 2 tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder
  • 1 whole Egg

Seasoning

  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Oregano
  • 1 tsp Paprika More if you want it spicier
  • 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Black Pepper (to taste)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F°. Line Oven Pan with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Brush olive oil onto pan.

Mixing it all up and Forming Balls

  • Move the ground pork to a large bowl and crack an egg over it. Then add in the almond flour, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, baking powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, Apple Cider Vinegar, salt, and pepper.
    Pour cheddar cheese into bowl
  • Your bowl should look like below once everything has been added.
    Everything poured in
  • Mix everything them up with your hands by kneading, sculpting, squeezing.
    Pro Tip: Use gloves if you don't want to get your hands dirty.
  • Once mixed, it should look like below.
  • Grab about 2 tablespoons full of the mix and roll into the size of a gold ball. Depending on the size of the sausage balls, this recipe yielded me about 26 pieces. Place them neatly on the oven pan.
    Note: You can use an icecream scoop but I just used my hands.

Oven Time

  • Once all of the balls have been placed on the oven pan, move the pan over to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes and flip them over, then bake for another 10 minutes. After about 20 minutes, balls are ready for plating.
    Pro Tip: If you want them more crispy, switch oven to broil and leave in oven for another 2 minutes.
    Keto Sausage Balls Ready

Toppings and Dips

  • You can garnish with parsley or serve just the way it is. A dipping sauce I like is with low carb tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition info is approximate using the sparkpeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count does not count sugar alcohols. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy of all nutritional facts posted here, especially if you have a medical condition, in which case you should consult with your doctor before using any of the recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 5pieces | Calories: 480.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.8g | Protein: 28.6g | Fat: 40.2g | Saturated Fat: 7.9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13.4g | Cholesterol: 125.4mg | Sodium: 344.4mg | Potassium: 567.2mg | Fiber: 2.3g | Sugar: 0.8g
MADE THIS RECIPE?Let’s see it! Tag @chowyoulater and #chowyoulater
Nutrition Facts
Spicy Italian Sausage Keto Balls
Amount Per Serving (5 pieces)
Calories 480.8 Calories from Fat 362
% Daily Value*
Fat 40.2g62%
Saturated Fat 7.9g49%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g
Monounsaturated Fat 13.4g
Cholesterol 125.4mg42%
Sodium 344.4mg15%
Potassium 567.2mg16%
Carbohydrates 4.8g2%
Fiber 2.3g10%
Sugar 0.8g1%
Protein 28.6g57%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

MADE THIS RECIPE?
Lets see it! Tag @chowyoulater on Instagram or Twitter and hashtag it #chowyoulater

LOOKING FOR UPDATES? Subscribe to my email list and/or follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Filed Under: Keto Recipes Tagged With: cheddar, gluten free, ground pork, Keto, low carb, parmesan, sausage balls, Spicy

Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai Recipe

June 9, 2019 by Rich

I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who didn’t enjoy Pad Thai. Now that I’m taking on a keto diet, my cravings have been stronger than ever. What’s the best way to fill the void? To make a keto version of Pad Thai, of course! My keto pad thai dish is for those who like to live on the spicy side. The best part is that it’s easy to make!

Last updated: June 29, 2020

This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you as it helps support my page which is much appreciated!

Quick Links

  • Is Pad Thai Keto Friendly?
  • How about the Keto Pad Thai Sauce?
  • Is Fish Sauce Keto?
  • What is Monkfruit Sweetener?
  • Why Chicken Thighs?
  • What other Ingredients were substituted?
  • Take me to the recipe!

Is Pad Thai Keto Friendly?

Generally, no. Traditional Pad Thai has a few main ingredients I’ll cover in my post:

  1. Rice Noodles
  2. Palm Sugar
  3. Fish Sauce
  4. Tamarind

There are a bunch of other variations that use seafood and many other ingredients but for simplicity purposes we’ll leave it to these 4 main ones.

1.) As long as rice noodles are being used then it cannot be keto friendly. Instead, I’ve substituted the noodles for shirataki noodles. They’re made out of the roots of Konjac Yam which are found throughout East Asia. They have close to zero carbs which makes it absolutely keto friendly!

Related: How to Cook Shirataki Noodles the Right Way

2.) Another common ingredient is palm sugar. Just as its name implies, there is sugar in this Thai favorite. With my recipe, I’m going to replace it with Monkfruit Sweetener to capture some of the sweetness found in Pad Thai. See: What is monk fruit sweetener?

3.) Traditional Fish Sauce is commonly made with sugar therefore, I suggest using a different kind of brand. See: Is Fish Sauce Keto?

4.) With tamarind, this one’s a major no-no as it contains net carbs of 23 grams. The form commonly used is the paste which is highly concentrated and we can’t have that to stay in ketosis. Instead, I’ll be using lime to capture it’s tanginess and monkfruit for its sweetness.

How about the Keto Pad Thai Sauce?

Traditionally Pad Thai uses a mix of tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar to make their addictive pad thai sauce. This mix is made prior to cooking and is poured over the veggies and meats while they’re stir-fried. For my recipe, I’ve keto-fied it by subbing them in for lime, fish sauce, coconut aminos, and monkfruit sweetener.

Is Fish Sauce Keto?

Here’s the thing about fish sauce. Some are preserved for a long time and blended with some fillers and sugar. I hate to recommend just one brand but I’ve only seen one that’s safest for keto-ers. This one’s called the Red Boat Premium Fish Sauce. They boast only having two ingredients: freshly caught wild anchovies and sea salt. I’ve heard Costco carries them so you may want to check for them there. I’ve also seen them at Wholes Food Market. If not, you can always order them at Amazon.

So maybe that’s a good business to get into is keto fish sauce. There’s barely any competition. Maybe one day you’ll see me strike a deal on Shark Tank.

Want to see other keto friendly ingredients? Check out my Keto Grocery Shopping Guide.

What is Monkfruit Sweetener?

For those who don’t know what Monkfruit is, it’s a natural sweetener extracted from monk fruit, native to Southeast Asia. I advise using monk fruit as an alternative to sugar because it has zero calories and 100-150 times sweeter than sugar especially if you want to stay in ketosis! The one I’m using in my recipe is made by Lakanto which is very popular in the Asian Keto community and praised by many keto leaders such as Thomas Delauer and Drew Manning. You can find this brand and many others at your local Wholes Food Market, Sprouts, and Trader Joes or you can get them at Amazon.

Why Chicken Thighs?

Chicken thighs are used here simply because of the fat content. The thighs are the fattiest part of a chicken at 10.9 grams of fat. Compare that to the chicken breast at almost 4 grams of total fat which more than doubles the fat count. For this reason, I recommend the boneless and skinless chicken thigh.

What other ingredients were substituted?

Before I go into other substitutions I wanted to go into my thought process a little bit. For my recipe, my number one purpose is to make it keto friendly. Second, the recipe should be easy and convenient using ingredients found at your nearest major grocery store. With that said, lets review. I’ve substituted the tamarind for lime and monkfruit sweetener. I know, not exactly a 1 to 1 substitution but you have to trust me on this. And as mentioned above, the only fish sauce keto friendly is the Red Boat one and Soy Sauce will have to be replaced with Coconut Aminos.

Now that we got that out of the way, the other ingredients are pecans. Traditionally crushed peanuts are used but I found pecan has more of a naturally sweet flavor with an amazing 2 net carbs per serving, 20 grams of fat compared to peanuts at 2.75 grams/17.75 grams of fat. Either way, you can use either, I personally prefer pecan due to the higher fat and lower carbs.

Instead of bean sprouts, which can be high in carbs if you’re purchasing soybean ones, I’ve subbed it for shredded cabbage. The one I’m using has a mix of shredded red and green cabbages with julienned carrots from Trader Joe’s. Please see the picture below. It made my life so much easier. That’s pretty much it! After trying out the recipe you will find it doesn’t taste too far from the traditional version.

How to make Spicy Keto Pad Thai

Things you’ll need

Keto Pad Thai Packaged Ingredients
Just made a Trader Joe’s run. Here’s one you need for packaged foods.
Keto Pad Thai Produce and Meats Needed
Produce and meats you’ll need.
Print Pin
No ratings yet

Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai

This recipe was made for the spicy eater who doesn't have much time to cook and prepare.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Keyword keto, low carb, low carb noodles, pad thai, shirataki
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 2 people
Calories 552.6kcal
Author Rich

Equipment

  • Frying Pan or Wok

Ingredients

Meat

  • 1 piece Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh (or ¼ lb of chicken)

Veggies for cooking

  • ¾ cup Shredded Cabbage (substution for bean sprouts)
  • ¼ cup Julienned Carrots
  • 1 piece Brunoised Jalapeno
  • 2 Minced Garlic cloves

Garnish/Toppings

  • ½ cup Crushed Pecan
  • 1 tbsp MCT Oil
  • ¼ cup Cilantro coursely chopped You can also use Dried Cilantro
  • 1 stalk Chopped Scallion
  • 1 tbsp Crushed Peppers or Ground Cayenne for extra spice
  • 4 wedges Lime

Sauce for cooking

  • 1½ tbsp Coconut Aminos
  • 1½ tbsp Fish Sauce
  • ½ tspn Monkfruit Sweetener Add more if you like it sweeter
  • ⅓ Freshly Squeezed Lime

Other

  • 7 oz Shirataki Noodles
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 2 tbsp Avocado Oil (or Olive oil)

Instructions

Shirataki Noodles

  • Follow the package instructions. If not, I can show you how to cook shirataki noodles.
    Note: I found that one package may not be enough for noodle lovers. If you love noodles I suggest getting two packages or 4 servings of shirataki noodles for 2 people.

Gather all the ingredients

  • Prep all the ingredients. Cut the chicken into small strips. Brunoise the jalapeno. Mince Garlic. Chop the scallions and cilantro. Cut the lime into wedges. Beat egg.
  • Bring together the ingredients.
    Pro tip: Separate the ingredients into two groups, one for cooking and the other for garnishing.

Let's Make the Sauce!

  • Combine the sauce ingredients together: Coconut Aminos, fish sauce, monkfruit sweetener, and lime juice. Make sure monkfruit is fully dissolved.
    keto pad thai sauces

Time to cook!

  • In a frying pan, heat 1 tablespoons of oil on medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Then, remove and transfer to a plate. Let the pan cool down for about 1 minute before returning it to the burner.
    Keto Pad Thai Chicken
  • Now lower heat to medium. Add in another tablespoon of oil. Throw in jalapeno, and then garlic. Let it cook for about 30 seconds. Turn heat on medium high. Then throw in the chicken that was cooked earlier.
  • Turn heat on medium high. Add in shredded cabbage and carrots. Stir fry veggies and chicken for about 30 seconds.
    keto pad thai cabbage
  • Then move veggies and chicken to the side. Pour beated eggs to pan and scramble with spatula for about 30 seconds. Stir with chicken and veggies.
    Keto Pad Thai Egg
  • Pour in half of the pad thai sauce over the chicken and veggies, then throw noodles in. Stir fry for about 2 more minutes. Your Keto Pad Thai is ready for toppings!
    Protip: I reccomend using half the sauce but everyone has different taste preferences. If you find it too salty or not salty enough feel free to tweak it according to your tastes. If you have extra you can save it in a jar and use for next time.

Toppings

  • Transfer the Pad Thai to a plate served family style or to individual plates.
  • Add in the toppings (ie pecans, limes, MCT oil, scallions, cilantro, crushed peppers) based on my reccomended amont or by your personal tastes.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition info is approximate using the sparkpeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count does not count sugar alcohols. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy of all nutritional facts posted here, especially if you have a medical condition, in which case you should consult with your doctor before using any of the recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 552.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 21.4g | Protein: 15.5g | Fat: 48.6g | Saturated Fat: 12.7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9.8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24.6g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 610mg | Potassium: 387.6mg | Fiber: 10.5g | Sugar: 4.3g
MADE THIS RECIPE?Let’s see it! Tag @chowyoulater and #chowyoulater
Nutrition Facts
Easy Spicy Keto Pad Thai
Amount Per Serving
Calories 552.6 Calories from Fat 437
% Daily Value*
Fat 48.6g75%
Saturated Fat 12.7g79%
Polyunsaturated Fat 9.8g
Monounsaturated Fat 24.6g
Cholesterol 138mg46%
Sodium 610mg27%
Potassium 387.6mg11%
Carbohydrates 21.4g7%
Fiber 10.5g44%
Sugar 4.3g5%
Protein 15.5g31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

MADE THIS RECIPE?
Lets see it! Tag @chowyoulater on Instagram and hashtag it #chowyoulater

LOOKING FOR UPDATES? Subscribe to my email list and/or follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

Filed Under: Keto Recipes Tagged With: Keto, MCT oil, monkfruit, pad thai, recipe, red boat fish sauce, shirataki noodles, Spicy, Thai

Pot Bar

April 24, 2018 by Rich 41 Comments

Pot Bar
This is where the pot goes

This placed was once a Hookah Bar, then it became a “Pot” Bar… I thought to myself, “Wow, this is a Boston first.”

Food: See pic (65%) 
Taste to price 4/5
Quality to price 3/5
Portion to price 3.5/5
Average = 3.5

Service (20%)  
Friendliness 3.5/5
Promptness 2/5
Average = 2.75

Cleanliness (15%) 
Bathroom 5/5
Dining area 5/5
Kitchen area 5/5
Average = 5

Overall Score = [F(.65)]+[S(.20)]+C(.15)]
   = [2.28]+[0.55]+[0.75] 
   = 3.58

What else to know: I was sort of right on the first pot bar thing but wrong on so many levels of my imagination :$ This place is a Hot Pot Full Service Restaurant. Something was lost in translation from Chinese to English. 

I actually came here on their soft opening back in March so I will have to come back for another review. I’m sure they’ve streamlined their processes and changed menu items since then. This place is a little bit of a different twist to your typical hot pot. Instead of throwing the veggies and meat yourself into your pot, they bring the pot to you already mixed. In otherwords, DIY hot pot became DIFM hot pot. I ordered the House Special Hot Pot which took quite some time to arrive. I will give them the benefit of doubt and label this a soft opening hiccup. As for the soup, it was pretty tasty considering I’m a fan of mala flavored foods but I did notice the price. At $12.95 with the selected veggies and meat, it was a little steep factoring in the portion and time of the day as I came in during lunch hours. Could a lunch menu be in development 🙂 ? I think it would help them a lot. I conclude by wishing this place best of luck and I look forward to my second visit. Good luck guys.

  • Pot Bar - House Special
    House Special
  • Fried Fermented Tofu

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Chinese, Hot pot, Spicy, Taiwanese

Primary Sidebar

Welcome! Pleasure to meet you

My name is Rich. I'm a restaurant consultant, content creator, and recipe developer. I'm here to help you balance the two worlds of eating out and eating in. I've worked in the food industry for over 10 years and along the way I've learned a thing or two about restaurants and developing my own recipes. Read More…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Quick No Bake Keto Cheesecake – Easy and Delish
  • How to make Elderberry Syrup – Easy DIY Recipe
  • DIY Bulletproof Coffee Recipe Keto – Easy & Quick
  • The Best Keto Crack Chicken Recipe – Instant Pot, Crock Pot, Oven
  • Keto Sushi Guide to Ordering & Making Your Own

Footer

  • Home
  • About
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Chow You Later on the Foodie Pro Theme