That said, anytime you make a “healthy” version of something that’s delicious and high-calorie, you will almost certainly end up sacrificing some flavor. To compensate for that, instead of reducing or removing things (like a traditional dough) that give delicious flavors, we’ve replaced them with something that will produce a delicious flavor all on it’s own. So while these keto-friendly pizza pies will never replace a classic large from your favorite hole-in-the-wall up the road, this will make contest prep a hell-of-a-lot easier. At the end of the day, it’s nice to know that you can diet and prepare for a contest without needing a traditional “cheat meal” or the extra calories that come along with it when you can have a delicious low carb version that will satiate you until the contest is over and you can splurge again!

This is our first pizza-entry and for sure we will try out different versions. If you have any similar low carb or keto pizza recipes you’ve enjoyed, or have an idea on how you would modify this one feel free to leave a comment and tell us about it!

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One of the toughest things to deal with at Thanksgiving and Christmas is the trays of sweets: puddings, cookies, fudges, the list goes on.  For someone on a low-carb diet, or someone looking for keto-friendly Thanksgiving side dishes or keto-friendly Christmas desserts, having something to cure your sweet-tooth when the desserts start being passed around will be critical to surviving your diet over the holiday season.

This Keto Holiday Pumpkin Mousse is the answer to your sweet-tooth prayers, and also gives you a chance to savor the flavors of a fall Holiday classic: Pumpkin.  With hints of chocolate, this low-carb mousse can almost feel too decadent, but trust us — we ran the numbers, have tested many batches, and works out!

Bulking Tips

Your bulking, why are you eating keto foods?

Cutting Tips

Want to cut extra calories?  If you are okay with sacrificing flavor, you can switch to a low fat cream cheese, or you could also swap your heavy cream for half and half.  Both will sacrifice flavor, but you can shave off several grams of fat.  In my opinion though, if you are making this for a holiday dish, it’s already keto-friendly, so just enjoy it the way it was intended!

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The best thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to make, which means it’s very low risk and easy to experiment with.  The puree’d cauliflower acts as a vehicle for just about any flavor that you’d like.  Try a version of this recipe with a pinch of nutmeg, and then try this keto-friendly cauliflower puree recipe with a pinch of cayenne, onion, or anything else you’d like to match whatever flavor your looking for.  If you try a version of this recipe that blows your mind, tell us about it in the comments and we will add your notes with full credit officially to the recipe!

Bulking Tips

If you’re bulking and doing keto because you’re some kind of crazy person, then you can add calories by swapping heavy cream for creme fraiche.

Cutting Tips

This recipe is already pretty lean, so cutting calories anywhere would be tough without making huge sacrifices to flavor.  Perhaps you could use some kind of butter substitute, but why?  If you are using this as a low-carb Holiday option, then it’s already healthy and delicious as-is!  Enjoy it.

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Spice it up!

Spice is great for your immune system and overall health.  This recipe has quite a few sources of spice, which means quite a few ways to make it spicier to your liking.  If you would like it spicier, feel free to kick any of them up as you’d like.  Want a spicier red pepper flake flavor?  Go heavier on the red pepper.  Love the taste, but just want a bigger kick?  Try adding a few more splashes of Texas Pete Extra Hot, or add some cayenne pepper.

A word on butter

Butter can improve flavor but also comes with a ton of extra calories, and for the purposes of healthy hot sauce, actually has the effect of making it feel less “hot”.  We like to add a bit; primarily for frying the garlic, but also to give it a tiny bit of richness.  Add or remove as much as you’d like, depending on what your diet regimen allows, but keep in mind if you’re counting calories that this can quickly change the macros of the final result.

Secret Ingredient: Anchovy Paste

Anchovy paste is my secret ingredient in this keto-friendly hot sauce.  The trick is to add a tiny amount.  So tiny, you don’t even taste it, but it works to make the dish pop by bringing out all the hidden flavors of everything else.

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