Keto Almond Flour Bread

Dear readers, have you heard the term 'keto'?  Well, I had seen the term floated about for a while now but I hadn't understood what it meant til lately.  It turns out that keto is a type of diet that utilises the process of 'ketosis' which is what occurs when your body burns stored fat instead of glucose broken down from consumed food.  Burning stored fat can help weight loss and increase energy.  Which is great if you want to lose weight, amiright?

So how does one go about this keto diet?  There is a ton of info on the internet if you want to go in-depth but basically it means eating normally but severely limiting carbohydrate intake.  Carbs breaks down to glucose, you see.

We've been trying to lower our carb intake, sorta tip toeing into a keto diet, and one of the first things that we made specifically for this reason was this gorgeous carb free, gluten free Keto Almond Flour Bread.  Perfect for a keto diet and we couldn't believe how easy and yummy this bread is!

Chinese Soy & Spice Braised Peanuts 水煮五香花生

This totally yummilicious little nutty snack was inspired by an appetizer that appeared briefly on the menu of a fav Sichuan restaurant of ours.  I think the most excellent chef there likes to try out different things which is great, except when you discover a new favorite dish only to have it disappear a month later. 😩

But, as even in that short time we became obsessed with these peanuts, we decided to make our own version of Chinese Soy & Spice Braised Peanuts 水煮五香花生.  Easy to make but oh man so yummy to nom, nom on, these cooked til soft and savory peanuts are soaked through and through with the most delicious Chinese spice flavored soy braising sauce.  Nom, nom, indeed...

Mala Spicy Chilled King Oyster Mushroom Salad 麻辣涼拌杏鮑菇

Hey hobbits out there, doncha just love, love, love mushrooms?  Then this is the dish for you!  Meaty mushrooms marinated in spicy mala sauce and a splash of numbing sichuan pepper oil, sprinkled with aromatics and then chilled to perfection.  This Mala Spicy Chilled King Oyster Mushroom Salad 麻辣涼拌杏鮑菇 is super easy to make and absolutely shroomy-licious!