Asian Inspired Beef & Cabbage with Carrots and Red Peppers

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 head of shredded cabbage
• 1 red onion sliced long
• 5 cloves chopped garlic or garlic paste
• 1 inch chopped ginger or ginger paste
• 1 TBSP lemongrass paste
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 2 Thai Chili peppers or similar for heat
• 1 TBSP Fish Sauce
• 2 TBSP Coco Aminos (Soy Sauce Replacement)
• 2 TBSP Rice Wine Vinegar
• Fresh Basil Chopped (Thai Basil if possible)
• Fresh Cilantro Chopped
• Fresh Mint
• Fresh Chives or Scallions (Green Onion)
• Fresh Lime Juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Siracha Sauce
• Sesame Seeds

Makes 4 Large Servings

Directions

1. Toast the sesame seeds in a wok. Set aside.
2. In the same wok, brown the meat on its own or in a tbsp of bacon fat.
3. After browning remove from pan and set cooked ground beef aside.
4. Add 1 tablespoon bacon fat (or other oil) back into the wok you prepared the ground meat.
5. Add onions, garlic, ginger and stir fry for 3 minutes* (See notes).
6. Add chilies, and peppers to the onions and saute for 3 minutes.
7. Add fish sauce, Coco aminos, vinegar cook for 2 more minutes.
8. Add cabbage. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes tossing occasionally. Continue to cook until the cabbage is at your preferred tenderness level.
9. Add back the pork and toss to combine. Adjust salt and pepper seasonings. When ready to serve, add fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, mint, chives/scallions, toasted sesame seeds. Add Siracha a few dabs at a time for additional flavor and heat.

Notes

This dish contains onions, garlic, ginger, chives which some prefer to limit on keto. Because we were making a large portion and like the simplicity we went ahead and used up a whole red onion with no regrets because onions are also an anti-inflammation food, so there is a balance where we allow veggie based carbs when they provide other health benefits. The same goes with the ginger and garlic. However, recognizing that some people are doing Keto for medical purposes, please adjust/omit ingredients in this recipe to align with your way of keto.

Ground protein choice – This dish can be made with ground beef, ground chicken or pork or even shrimp would be wonderful in this dish. If you are vegetarian, please consider a non soy ground meat option. Remember, soy is an estrogenic and can affect hormone levels for those trying to regulate. If you are using chicken, less fattier meat, or vegetarian option, please remember to add back fat via oil, butter or avocado as a topping.

Tips & Tricks

Many of the ingredients can be prepped beforehand. Many grocery stores also offer pre-cut ingredients to shorten prep time. Here are some options to make this dish quick! Although we always strive to go as clean as possible, there are times when you have to hit the easy button.

Cabbage – We shred our cabbage on a mandolin at 1/8″ thickness.
Easy Button – Use pre-shredded cole slaw mix (organic red and green cabbage and organic carrots with no dressing) located near the prepackaged salads . Remember when counting carbs, you will subtract dietary fiber from total fat to get the net carbs. There is a lot of fiber in cabbage so don’t let the total carbs scare you.

Red Onion – Sliced long
Easy Button – Precut onions

Garlic Paste & Ginger Paste instead of Fresh – Beware of ingredients in these pastes. Although they are great to have on hand, many come with ingredients such as maltodextrin, dextrose, etc which can knock you out of ketosis or cause you to stall in your weight loss. Additionally, these can be harmful to those who are sensitive to these ingredients. Check lables and go for the ones that do not contain these. Xanthum Gum is a keto approved ingredient and gives pastes and sauces a smooth texture.

Coco Aminos – Soy Sauce Replacement – Please be sure to check the ingredients. Here is a brand we like

Fish Sauce – Used in many Asian cuisines, there are many varieties of Fish sauce. Please be sure to check the ingredients as some contain
maltodextrin, dextrose, and even MSG. Go for one that has Anchovies, water, sea salt