Low carb stuffed peppers with Fruitchup

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Low carb stuffed peppers are one of my favorite meals. Bell peppers make such a tidy receptacle for a stuffing made of ground beef, vegetables, and cheese! I make these almost every week and often pack one in my lunchbox to take to the office. This is one of those easy, delicious low carb recipes that fits perfectly into my keto diet.

Use any vegetables you have around—I particularly like using spinach and cauliflower rice. My secret ingredient is prepared spinach artichoke dip, which is made with cream cheese and serves as a perfect base to hold everything together. And then, of course, I include some Fruitchup, my delicious fruit-sweetened tomato ketchup (the best Paleo ketchup you'll find!), which goes into the mixture and gets painted on top before the final shower of cheese.

More of my favorite low carb recipes:
Lemon chicken with fresh cranberries
Keto mushroom quiche with an almond flour crust
Pork belly "fries"

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Low carb stuffed peppers with Fruitchup

by Erika Kerekes January-28-2018

Low carb stuffed peppers are filled with ground beef, cauliflower rice and cheese, then topped with Fruitchup Paleo ketchup before baking. A delicious keto dinner recipe.

Ingredients

• 6 large bell peppers
• 1.5 pounds ground beef
• 2 cups cauliflower rice (raw)
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup prepared spinach artichoke dip or softened cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup Fruitchup paleo ketchup
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut the tops off the bell peppers, then scoop out the seeds and ribs. Set aside.Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish large enough to hold the peppers snugly (standing up).In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, cauliflower rice, spinach, onion, spinach artichoke dip or cream cheese, 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Fruitchup, and salt and pepper to taste. It's easiest to use your hands.Using a spoon or your hands, stuff each pepper with the meat mixture. Set the peppers in the baking dish. Spread the remaining 1/4 cup Fruitchup on top of the peppers, then sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese.Bake the stuffed peppers about 1 hour, until the meat mixture is cooked through and the peppers are soft. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 15 mins Yield: 6 servings

Sweet and sour unstuffed cabbage with Fruitchup {Paleo, keto, low carb}

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My Grandma Rose made the best stuffed cabbage, sweet-and-sour style with raisins and lemon slices. But she didn't make it often because it was a *bleeping* pain in the *bleep* to blanch the cabbage, separate the leaves, and roll up all those little suckers.

Right after I launched my new Fruitchup Paleo ketchup, which is sweetened with raisins and dates instead of added sugar or artificial sweeteners, I realized that it was the perfect ingredient for Sweet and Sour "Unstuffed" Cabbage, because it actually contains everything Grandma Rose would have put into her stuffed cabbage, except for the meat and the cabbage.

This Sweet and Sour Unstuffed Cabbage recipe is Paleo and Whole30 compliant, requires only four ingredients, takes only 10 minutes of actual work (plus a few hours to simmer on the stove), and will bring my Grandma Rose right into your kitchen. I gave some of my last batch to a friend and her whole family loved it, including a preschooler and a baby.

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Sweet and Sour Unstuffed Cabbage {Paleo, keto}

by Erika Kerekes May-6-2017

This delicious, hearty stew comes together in just a few minutes and uses only four ingredients, including Fruitchup Paleo ketchup. A variation on my Grandma Rose's classic stuffed cabbage recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cups chopped green cabbage (about 1/2 large head of cabbage)
• 1 bottle Fruitchup Paleo ketchup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks.Add the onion, cabbage, and Fruitchup Paleo ketchup. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.Turn down the heat, cover the pot, and simmer 1.5 to 2 hours, until the cabbage is wilted and the flavors are well combined.Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot. For those not following a Paleo or Whole30 way of eating, the Unstuffed Cabbage can be served over rice.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 hour Total time: 2 hour 10 mins Yield: 8 servings

Cheeseburger stuffed mushrooms recipe {low carb}

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When I started eating a low-carb diet, my family's diet changed too.

My (healthy) husband and two (healthy) teenage boys do not and should not have to eat as carefully as I do. They don't have the health problems that prompted me to make these changes.

But I am my family's primary grocery shopper, meal preparer, refrigerator stocker and lunchbox packer.

I also have a full-time job and a side business to run (my Not Ketchup sauces).

All of which means I am not very interested in making two sets of meals - one for me and one for the rest of the family.

My protein-loving family loves most of the low-carb foods I have been enjoying. These Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms disappeared quickly. I glazed some of them with my new *No Sugar Added* Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, and that was also a big hit.

I love these Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms because they're easy, fast, low-carb, and FUN. Dinner tastes so much better when you can eat it with your fingers, don't you think? These would also be a great low-carb appetizer for a cocktail party.

Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 12 large mushrooms (I used crimini mushrooms)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
• Optional: 1/2 cup *No Sugar Added* Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup sauce

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
2. Wash the mushrooms and carefully pop out the stems. Brush each mushroom with olive oil and lay it on the baking sheet.
3. Put the mushrooms in the oven for about 10 minutes. The idea is to cook them partially before stuffing them to concentrate the mushroom flavor a bit and get out some of the liquid.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, mix together the ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese in a bowl. Roll the beef mixture gently into 12 balls.
5. Remove the mushrooms from the oven, then put one beef ball inside each mushroom. Press down gently and smooth the beef mixture so it fills the entire hole and extends all the way to the edges of the mushrooms. If using the Not Ketchup, brush about a teaspoon on top of each stuffed mushroom. 
6. Return the now-stuffed mushrooms to the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the beef is cooked through. Serve immediately with more Not Ketchup for dipping.

Preparation time: 45 minutes | 6 servings

New free ebook: The Not Ketchup Burger Book

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This new free ebook is about to turn your summer grilling and entertaining up to 11.

(Yep, that's a Spinal Tap reference, I'm dating myself.)

Introducing The Not Ketchup Burger Book. This book has 10 of the most delicious burger recipes you've ever tasted. My sweet and tangy Not Ketchup sauces make every burger something truly special.

The recipes:

• Cherry Chipotle Breakfast Burger
• Citrus Crab Cakes with Tangerine Dressing
• Blueberry Bison Burger
• Cherry Chipotle Southwestern Turkey Burger Bowl
• Smoky Date Banh Mi Pork Burger
• Spiced Fig Lamb Sliders
• Spicy Salmon Burger
• Smoky Date Veggie Burger
• Classic Cherry Chipotle Burger
• Tangerine Shrimp Cilantro Burger

I was lucky to have my friend Laura Bashar, who writes the gorgeous blog Family Spice and is co-author of Cooking Techniques with Olive Oil, do all the styling, photography and graphic design. I'm telling you, these are some of the most beautiful burger photos I've ever seen. (If you're looking for an ebook for your business, I highly, highly recommend her and would be happy to put you in touch.)

Click here to get The FREE Not Ketchup Burger Book. I hope you enjoy it!

Buy Not Ketchup on Amazon.com - free shipping with Prime!

Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup meatball sliders

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I believe I have now managed to work my new Not Ketchup sauces into a full 50 percent of the meals I have served my family in 2014.

On the Sunday morning I made these Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup meatball sliders, my 15-year-old son's string quartet was rehearsing in the living room. Those poor kids had to smell these delicious meatballs the whole time they were playing Beethoven. When they finished rehearsal they destroyed a large platter of these meatball sliders in mere minutes.

I have a meatball secret (meat loaf, too): I mince a large amount of mushrooms in the food processor, cook them down, let them cool, and mix them in with the ground beef. The mushrooms keep things moist, add fantastic flavor, and keep us all a little healthier. In this version, the earthy background flavor of the mushrooms works particularly well against the sweet, tangy Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup.

What's Not Ketchup and where can you get it, you ask? Click for answers: http://www.notketchup.com

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Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup Meatball Sliders

by Erika Kerekes February-25-2014

Juicy beef meatballs laced with minced mushrooms take a bath in sweet, tangy Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup. Serve on a soft dinner roll garnished with chopped green onions.

Ingredients

• 1 pound mushrooms
• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup green onions, chopped, divided
• 1 slice white or whole wheat bread, broken up into little pieces (use a food processor or your hands)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 bottle Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup
• about 24 small soft dinner rolls, like King's Hawaiian

Instructions

Clean the mushrooms and remove any woody stems. Finely mince the mushrooms in a food processor. Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced mushrooms and cook until they're soft and the water they give off has mostly evaporated. Remove from the heat and let cool.In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the ground beef, mushrooms, 1/2 cup green onions, bread, salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste until everything is well combined. Form the meat mixture into 3-inch balls. Heat the skillet in which you cooked the mushrooms over a medium-high flame and add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Put the meatballs into the skillet (if you don't have room, do this in batches). Brown the meatballs on all sides until they are crusty and well caramelized.Pour the Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup into the skillet and turn the meatballs so they are all coated with the sauce. Turn down the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and cook another 10 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling and slightly thickened.To serve, place each meatball on a roll, spoon over some of the sauce from the pan, and sprinkle with green onions. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Game day chili with Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup

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Starting a new business like Not Ketchup is hard.

Starting a new business like Not Ketchup when you're also running another business like The Kerekes Group is really hard.

Starting a new business like Not Ketchup when you have another business to run and kids to feed and pay attention to and a husband to feed and pay attention to and laundry to fold and parties to throw and conferences to attend and meetings to lead and....well, you get the idea.

To be clear, I am not complaining. At all. I love my new business, love my work, love my family, love my food blogging colleagues. Everything is going extremely well. I'm just busy and tired.

Which is why I wasn't able to muster up anything fancy for the February meeting of Food Bloggers Los Angeles. The potluck theme was "Chocolate and Champagne." I made chili. Fortunately, my chili has a secret ingredient that kept me within the rules.

And here's a new discovery: A slug of Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup did great things for this pot of chili. A little sweet, a little smoky, a little spicy, a little acid - it was just the thing. Highly recommend.

[For those of you who missed the news, Not Ketchup is my new line of "ketchups" made with fruit instead of tomatoes. Yes, I know tomatoes are botanically fruits. You know what I mean. Click here to learn more about Not Ketchup and order online if you're so inclined.]

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Game Day Chili with Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup

by Erika Kerekes February-3-2014

A big pot of this slightly spicy chili makes any game day a special event. The two secret ingredients: cocoa powder and Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, diced
• 1/3 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 15-ounce cans dark red kidney beans
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes in puree
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup
• shredded cheese and chopped green onions (for garnish)

Instructions

In a large pot, brown the ground beef and ground turkey together over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the onions and red bell peppers and cook another 5 minutes until the vegetables are starting to wilt.Add the chili powder, cocoa powder, beans, tomatoes, salt, and Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup to the pot. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down to low, and cover the pot. Cook 1 hour, or up to 4 hours (the longer it cooks, the better the flavors will develop and meld - just keep checking to make sure it's not getting dry, and if it is, add some water). Serve hot, garnished with shredded cheese and green onions.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 1 hour 10 mins Total time: 1 hour 20 mins Yield: 10-12 servings

New Orleans red beans and rice

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My friend Ellen call this her dad's "ancestral" recipe. Ellen's father, who passed away suddenly a few years ago, grew up in the tight-knit Jewish community in New Orleans. Ellen remembers making this with him a few times when she was little. 

Long, slow cooking transforms these simple ingredients into a comforting bowl of winter goodness. Don't skimp on the Tabasco unless you absolutely have to - it makes the dish.

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New Orleans red beans and rice

by Erika Kerekes December-4-2013

Long, slow cooking transforms a few simple ingredients into a steaming bowl of comfort food. Serve these southern-style red beans over plain white rice if you want to be perfectly authentic.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red kidney beans
• 3 quarts water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 pound ham hock, beef stew meat, or beef brisket
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or ground New Mexico chiles
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 3 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and add gradually until the beans are seasoned to your taste)
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter

Instructions

To a large pot add the beans, water, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, meat, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, Tabasco, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered 3 to 4 hours, until the beans are soft.Add salt and butter. (Do not add the salt earlier as it will toughen the beans.)Serve hot over plain white rice. Note: The beans should have a soupy consistency; if they start to seem dry, add more water.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 hour Total time: 4 hour 10 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Potato latke burger sliders for Hanukkah

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Move over, ramen burger. It's Hanukkah, and we're making potato latkes.

Let me introduce you to Potato Latke Burger Sliders.

Take one of those crispy, salty, delicious potato latkes (pan-fried shredded potato pancakes, the traditional Hanukkah dish). Top it with a big meatball or a small hamburger. Add a healthy dollop of your favorite applesauce. Lay a second potato latke on top.

And that's how we make the Potato Latke Burger Slider. Ramen burger, we'll eat you some other time.

Happy Hanukkah to those of you celebrating - may your week be full of light and latkes!

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Potato Latke Burger Sliders for Hanukkah

by Erika Kerekes November-27-2013

Move over, ramen burger. It's Hanukkah and we're surrounding our mini-burgers with crispy, salty potato latkes. The fried potato pancakes make an excellent wrapper for your favorite burger or meatball. A fun dish for any Hanukkah dinner.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 large Russet potato, peeled
• 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour or potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil, for frying
• applesauce, for serving (my favorite applesauce recipe)

Instructions

Make the sliders: Divide the ground beef into four small portions and shape into burgers. Pan-fry in a hot, heavy skillet until done. Put the sliders on a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.Make the potato latkes: Grate the potato and onion into a large bowl. (Many people eschew the food processor here, but I go back and forth between the food processor and a hand grater depending on my mood.) Gather the mixture into a ball in the bowl and put a few layers of paper towel on top of it. Squeeze and massage the potato mixture through the towel. When the towel is wet, discard it and use another. When the potato mixture is no longer giving off a lot of water, you have squeezed enough.Add the egg, flour, salt, and pepper to the potato mixture and blend thoroughly with a spoon.Heat the oil in another large, heavy skillet until shimmering. Add the potato mixture, using a very scant 1/4 cup for each latke. Press down the latke mixture in the pan so each latke is round (more or less) and thin. Fry on each side until golden brown, then drain on a sheet pan lined with paper towels or topped with a rack. This mixture should make 8 latkes total.Assemble the sliders just before serving: Place a latke on a plate, then top with a burger. Add a dollop of applesauce and lay another latke on top. Serve immediately (this is very important - the bottom latke will get soggy after just a few minutes.)

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 45 mins Yield: 4 sliders