Saag

This recipe was created by Ariel Helperin-Lange. Ariel has been on various forms of the ketogenic diet for nearly two years for epilepsy control. She is the creator of arielsketorecipes.org which was part of her senior high school project. She knows first hand that it can be intimidating to take on such a big lifestyle change and is difficult to sustain it. That experience has motivated her to expand the library of available keto recipes to make the diet more accessible and more pleasant for others. * This version of Ariel’s recipe posted on the Charlie Foundation website was calculated using KetoDietCalculator.org.

When looking for keto dishes to make, I thought of saag because this Indian dish is thick and creamy, something that often (but not always) indicates fattiness, which is essential for keto recipes. My first draft was stringy because I didn’t cook the spinach for long enough and didn’t blend it well, but once I got it down it became a delicious recipe even for people not on a diet. I shared the dish with my family at Thanksgiving and I got so many compliments. Thanksgiving might seem like a strange occasion for saag, but after my dad tried it a few weeks earlier, he insisted I make some for everyone. 

Nutrition ( for entire batch): Fat: 56 grams, Protein 6.8 grams, Net Carb: 6.7, Calories: 559, Ratio: 4:1

Ingredients: 

• 35 grams of olive oil
• 55 grams of heavy cream
• 175 grams of spinach
• 15 grams of yellow onion
• 1.4 grams (1 teaspoon) of coriander seeds (to grind)
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (to grind)
• 0.6 grams (1/4 teaspoon) of garam masala powder
• 0.6 grams (1/4 teaspoon) of turmeric powder
• 1 gram (½ teaspoon) of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of salt.

Instructions: 

1. Dice the yellow onion.
2. Put the coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a mortar and pestle and grind for at least 30 seconds until you don’t see full seeds left. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can use ground coriander and ground cumin instead of seeds).  
3. In a large pan, the olive oil, the onions, the ground coriander seeds, the ground cumin seeds, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, ground black pepper. Turn it to medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly to keep it from burning. 
4. Add the spinach. Cover the pan with a pot lid, but leave a crack for steam to escape, and stir occasionally for at least 10 minutes until the spinach has fully wilted. If your pan is small, wilt for at least 15 minutes.
5. Blend everything together along with 55 grams of heavy cream until smooth. Mix or blend in about 1 teaspoon of salt.