My apologies for the late posting, but the holiday season has begun and we had two guests for dinner on Sunday. This got me to thinking about holiday parties and how to cope if you are on Keto and want to host a small party (depending on your local restrictions during COVID 19).
This year in lieu of a larger party which usually sees us having 40 plus guests, we have had to make significant changes in how we entertain. In our region, we can have 6 people together and for the next four December weekends, we will be entertaining four other people beside ourselves each Saturday.
The easiest way to handle this is to avoid cooking!
Charcuterie is a way of entertaining in France which involves presenting a variety of cold meats and cheeses, along with some fresh fruits and nuts and a selection of breads and crackers. Keeping in mind KETO, a charcuterie can easily be assembled on a lovely wooden cutting board or two or just spread out on a layer of butcher block paper on a convenient hard surface, along with paper plates, napkins, etc. Make it finger foods by cutting up your items in bite sized portions in advance. BYOB means you don’t have to supply alcoholic drinks!
The trick is to choose KETO items ONLY , especially with the breads and crackers!!!
FYI… no two are ever alike! It all depends on what items you wish to choose. Vary the amounts depending on the number of guests you are contemplating. Whatever you choose be sure to carefully check the contents label for the total percentages of carbs, protein and fats !!!
A charcuterie can easily be modified for those who are not on a Keto program, by including non-KETO items.
The following is a suggested Keto board I came across on Pinterest. There are many more to view on that site.
INGREDIENTS for 5 servings…
- 6 ounces sliced prosciutto
- 6 ounces genoa salami
- 5 ounces spicy capocollo
- 4 ounces herbed chevre
- 6-ounce sliced Manchego cheese
- 5 ounces sliced peppercorn white cheddar
- 4 ounces garlic white cheddar
- ¼ cup Sugar-Free Dried Cranberries
- 1/2 cup mixed nuts
- ½ cup fresh blackberries
- 10 strawberries hulled and halved
- 5 pepperoncini
- ½ cup pickled artichoke hearts
- 10 garlic stuffed green olives
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
- ¼ roasted red peppers
- ½ cup Low Carb Pickled Red Onion
- 20 pickled asparagus spears
- ¼ cup stone ground mustard
- 1 sleeve low carb crackers
INSTRUCTIONS
Select a large platter from the list of options in this post and carefully arrange all of the ingredients on top.
Happy Holidays!
Buen provecho...2022 