Substitutes!

So you know you can't have pasta, potatoes or rice. Super high carb content. Here is a list of products that we have found and like. I put links to where you can buy them online or have indicated if it is readily available at local stores.

Pasta - Palmini - I LOVE this stuff! Especially the lasagna noodles. I would wager that you could make lasagna with this stuff and feed it to a non-keto crowd and they'd never know the difference. I also use the lasagna noodles for chicken noodle soup. I just cut them up into whatever shape I'd like! Palmini also comes in linguine and angel hair. I like the linguine just fine but have more uses for the lasagna noodles.

Rice - No perfect substitute here but the best for me is riced cauliflower. There are shirataki noodles and shirataki rice. I hated the pasta and was ok with the rice but only if I baked it in something like a maqluba (recipe to come in a later post). But again, I prefer riced cauliflower. It is readily available at all the local grocery stores but beware, it goes bad in the blink of an eye so buy at the last minute. Not a good stock pantry item. I got tired of throwing bags or partial bags out so I only buy it the day I need it.

Potatoes - Fauxtatos! These are made with steamed cauliflower blended down. I'll do a quick post shortly with the recipe. I can't take credit for the recipe as it came from my favorite keto cookbook. Quick & Easy Ketogenic Cooking. Lot's of great recipes with easy to follow instructions and great keto tips!

Potato Chips - Oh man, I craved these so badly until I found Quest chips. Oddly enough these are available at Sam's Club as well. They have original which is closest to a potato chip and tortilla style. I like the original best. Terry's favorite is sour cream and onion. I do find that I can only eat about 1/3 of a bag as they're kind of dry but that's probably a good thing!

Crackers - I love a beautiful charcuterie platter! And most ingredients on a charcuterie platter are perfect for keto, meat, cheese, and olives! But sadly crackers just are a no-no. However, we did find some keto-friendly crackers - Primal Thin and Paleo Thin Crackers from Julian Bakery. We liked the Salt & Pepper and Parmesan flavors the best.

Bread - Natural Ovens makes a great keto friendly bread with zero net carbs. It is not gluten free but they balance the use of wheat flour with high fiber resulting in the zero net carbs. It makes a decent sandwich. I find it a bit dry for toast but it makes really great grilled cheese sandwiches. They also make a burger bun which was a joyous find for us! Costco also sells the bread, but not the buns if you have a membership.