If you’ve recently started a Keto diet, you may be wondering whether you can still have a delicious St. Patrick’s Day feast. You may not be able to indulge in some Irish soda bread or any potato dishes, but there’s so much more. I’m here to tell you that you most certainly can have an Ireland-inspired feast on a keto diet!
Main dish
Corned beef and cabbage- This Irish fave is already pretty keto-friendly, you just need to leave out the potatoes if you’re used to including them. Opt for point cut corned beef, it will have more fat than flat cut. Also, most corned beef packages around St. Patrick’s Day will include a packet of corned beef seasonings. These are usually filled with spices and herbs, all keto friendly. Just make sure the packet doesn’t contain any sugar (most won’t).
You’ll need:
-Corned beef
-Head of cabbage
-1 cup of chopped celery
-1 cup of chopped baby carrots (include for flavor, then if the amount of carbs doesn’t fit in with your day, pick the carrots out of your portion)
Place corned beef in a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover beef. Add in the spice packet that comes with the corned beef. Simmer for 2-3 hours, then add in coarsely chopped cabbage and the other vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Remove beef from water and thinly slice, and serve next to a heaping scoop of veggies from the stew!
Side dish
Potatoes come to mind as the typical Irish side dish to almost any meal, but they’re of course far from keto friendly. So here are two replacements options! Serve with a healthy helping of kale for some greens (both for their health benefits, and well, because they’re green!)
Mashed cauliflower:
You’ll need:
-Head of cauliflower
-3 Tbsp of butter
-1 clove of garlic, minced
-Salt
Cut cauliflower down into florets. Steam them on the stovetop until very soft (you should be able to effortlessly stick a fork in them). While the cauliflower is steaming, sauté the garlic in one tablespoon of butter. Mash the cauliflower (in a food processor or with a fork) until it’s nice and smooth. Halfway through mixing, add in the garlic, the rest of the butter, and salt to taste, and mix it in as you continue to mash your cauliflower.
Roasted radishes: While not a 100% perfect match, radishes are a surprisingly good low carb sub for potatoes when roasted. Follow this simple recipe for delicious roasted radishes.
You’ll need:
-Radishes
-Olive oil
-Rosemary
-2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-Salt and pepper to taste
Cut radishes into quarters. In a bowl, toss them together with all other ingredients until they’re coated. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Dessert
A keto diet means no sugar, but don’t let that mean no dessert! Jello brand gelatin offers a sugar free lime-flavored jello that is the perfect shade of bright green for your St. Patrick’s Day table. For an added Irish feel, get some shamrock shaped molds! Or try a Jello parfait…prepare Jello in shot glasses and top with some whipped cream. Top with this green sugar-free edible glitter.
Another fun dessert option is keto-friendly cookies. Buy a keto-friendly cookie mix for easy baking. Then, make this keto-friendly buttercream icing to top your cookies with:
-6 ounces of unsalted butter at room temperature
-½ cup of erythritol or your keto-friendly sweetener of choice
-Green food coloring
-Vanilla extract (a few drops)
Whip together all ingredients. Store at room temperature until frosting time. Top your cookies with some sugar free sprinkles or sugar free edible glitter!
Serve with some Bailey’s Irish creme coffee, and you’re good to go!
