Football season is upon us, and we all know what that means! Lots of noise in the living room, lots of guests, and lots of entertaining. And of course, lots and lots of eating. While football fans are in the living room screaming at the TV, moms are usually bringing out tasty "game day" foods. Tailgating parties are always overflowing with foods like nachos, chili, wings, and ribs out the back of trucks (or tables when indoors). For those watching their weight, the only item they can probably indulge guilt-free at these events is water. If they don't want to be stuck drooling over a cup of ice, one might bring some salad or fruit along. My mom used to do this all the time, being a vegetarian in the early 2000s, and was constantly barraged with offers and pleas from well-meaning friends, begging her to eat a piece of chicken.
How can we make sure to cater to any guests that might have carb and sugar restrictions or who are on the ketogenic diet? If we ourselves are trying keto, how can we make sure that we too can dive into all the tasty treats that we've prepared, instead of surviving off trying to inhale as many delicious smells as we can to curb our cravings? Simple: make these recipes.
One important step in planning keto-friendly meals is becoming familiar with as many low-carb and low-sugar ingredients as one can. Ingredients like cauliflower, coconut, Latanko brand sweetener, stevia, pork rinds, cheeses, and meats are all keto approved. These can provide a base for the recipes. From there, we can start researching and creating delicious combinations for our guests. To get started, let's take a look some yummy keto appetizers that look perfect for game-day platters.
Spicy Chicken Empanadas With Cilantro Sour Cream
The key to making keto-friendly empanadas lies in the handmade, grain-free dough. The recipe includes coconut flour, almond flour, and a couple of types of cheese.
Get the recipe here.
White Lasagna-Stuffed Peppers
Who doesn't love lasagna? We all do — I think it's unanimous. This recipe stuffs bell peppers with the delicious flavors of a pan of lasagna, without the pasta.
Get the recipe here.
Salmon & Cucumber Hors D'Oeuvres
This light, bite-sized snack looks like it wouldn't even make an impact on a hungry stomach. But the smoked salmon packs all the flavor, while the hidden avocado gives a bit of density.
Get the recipe here.
Mini Chicken Stuffed Peppers
A bite-sized take on stuffed peppers, these tiny sweet peppers are stuffed with delicious ingredients like shredded chicken, spinach, cheese, and cilantro. Topped with sour cream and chives, and we have ourselves a remixed version of a taco.
Get the recipe here.
White Spinach Keto Pizza
This recipe gave me some enlightening information. My friend and I have been trying our hands at making keto-friendly crust in different ways. This recipe uses a special ingredient that will probably outshine all my creations.
Get the recipe here.
Keto-Friendly Pizza
This dish is loaded with some many incredible flavors, one will forget about doughy pizza pretty easily.
Get the recipe here.
Buffalo Wings With Ranch Dressing
No tailgating or Super Bowl party is complete without wings. They're essential! These wings are oven baked and seasoned with minimal but sufficient seasonings and lots of hot sauce! The homemade ranch dressing adds another layer of flavor.
Get the recipe here.
Taco Zucchini Boats
Who knew there were so many ways to replace a taco shell? This recipe actually has more vegetables than meat or cheese, which will make moms feel like they're feeding the family something healthy.
Get the recipe here.
Keto Oven Fried Chicken
How does one fry chicken in the oven? I've never tried it, but this recipe not only teaches us how, and also gives some sugar-free seasonings that claim to rival those of Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Get the recipe here.
Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
Burgers are also integral to the football experience. Obviously, its a challenge to make them keto- friendly, what with the sugar in the ketchup, in the burger itself, and of course in the buns. This is why homemade recipes like this are important. Even the guests that who aren't on keto will enjoy this dish, and can even throw a piece on a bun, if they're craving it.
Get the recipe here.
Crispy Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus
Outside of the condiments, this recipe literally only has two ingredients. But that's all we need, when they both pack such a punch. The bacon, of course, gives us fat, salt and flavor overload. The asparagus, on the other hand, gives us loads of health benefits. It's a win-win!
Get the recipe here.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
This dip would be a great accompaniment to the buffalo wings. I enjoy having different foods of the same family in a buffet lineup, and this tasty dip would be great paired with a number of dippable veggies.
Get the recipe here.
Spinach Artichoke Dip & Pull-Apart Rolls
Spinach-artichoke dip is on the menu at every sports bar or restaurant. This recipe takes the work out of having to dip chips, as the bread is already attached. And yes, the bread is keto-friendly!
Get the recipe here.
Mozzarella Sticks
One of the greatest things about the ketogenic diet is that cheese — one of life's little enjoyments — can stay on the menu. A keto diet often includes lots of cheese. This recipe takes away the bread, but somehow still gives us mozzarella sticks.
Get the recipe here.
Cuban Sliders
This recipe tries its hand at a "bread" without the sugar and the carbs. This is definitely no small feat, but the picture looks great!
Get the recipe here.
Cauliflower & Bacon Popcorn
These little popcorn-sized snacks are actually all cauliflower. Baked and seasoned and sprinkled with bacon, its a creative way to use veggies instead of simple carbs.
Get the recipe here.
Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms
These meaty mushroom tops are great to add to our arsenal of bite-sized snacks. Don't be fooled by their size — they're filled with crab meat, cream cheese and other delicious things.
Get the recipe here.
Chicken Satay Skewers
Bring a taste of Southeast Asia to the game with these skewers. The recipe incorporates one of my favorite techniques, which is marinating the chicken. This ensures the meat is bursting with flavor.
Get the recipe here.
Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts
Bacon makes everything better doesn't it? I wonder how many vegetables taste good with bacon wrapped around them. Probably all of them. This time we're using Brussels sprouts, which taste great when grilled or baked. Make the accompanying recipe for balsamic mayo to make this appetizer even more indulgent.
Get the recipe [here](http://www.savorytooth.com/bacon-brussels-sprouts/ .).
Deviled Eggs With Avocado & Bacon
So many of my Soul food-filled childhood memories included a platter of deviled eggs somewhere amid the greens, ribs, and macaroni and cheese. It took me a while to try them, but when I did, I was in love. I'm interested to try this recipe, which includes avocado in the egg yolk mixture.
Get the recipe here.
