Two days after Thanksgiving I catered a holiday party for 40 of my parents' neighbors! This was definitely not a Keto affair, but I did manage to make some Keto friendly options both for the party and for Thanksgiving, so I wanted to share them all in one place! 

One of the great things about cooking for other people is testing myself, to see how strong my will power really is- turns out it is super strong! Two days of cooking carb-y appetizers and I stayed Keto. I was so proud! 

Here are the Keto friendly options that would be great to bring to any potluck, work party, etc...

BACON AVOCADO DEVILED EGGS

Bacon and avocado = delicious! ALWAYS! 

INGREDIENTS

• A dozen hard boiled eggs (I'm lazy, I buy them pre-boiled and de-shelled at Costco:)

• 1 Avocado

• 1/4 cup of mayo

• 1 jalapeno minced removing the seeds

• 2 TBSP of fresh cilantro minced

• 1/4 cup of shallots minced

• Squeeze 1/2 a lemon (or lime would work too)

• Pink Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup of bacon crumbled

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix egg yolks, may, pink salt, pepper, lemon juice and avocado until smooth and combined. I usually use a potato masher to mix, but that's just me.

2. Add the shallots, jalapenos and cilantro into the egg mix.

3. Get a Ziploc sandwich bag and a cup (regular drinking cup). Put the ziplock into the cup, folding edges of bag over the edges of the cup. This will make it a lot easier to fill your Ziploc full of the egg mixture to create a piping bag!

4. Spoon mix into a Ziploc bag, cut a small corner off to create a piping bag and fill white egg halves.

5. Once they are all filled cover each with the crumbled bacon! YUM!

Tip: Try to make these right before serving because Avocado of course is a little high maintenance. Even though you squeeze lemon juice in there it will still get brown if you leave them out too long.

BLT DEVILED EGGS

These are my favorite, I have been making them for YEARS! Everyone loves them. I have posted this recipe before. But it is worth posting again and I tweaked to add more detail. 

INGREDIENTS

• A dozen hard boiled eggs

• 1/2 cup of mayo

• 1/4 cup of sour cream

• 1 TBSP of Ground Mustard

• Pink Salt and pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup of crumbled bacon

• 6 grape tomatoes, quartered and seeds removed

• 2 TBSP of Basil minced

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut eggs in half (obviously)

2. Place yolks into a bowl and mash them together

3. Then I place a mixture of mayo, sour cream, ground mustard, and pink salt and pepper with the egg yolks. I really think the sour cream is the difference maker here.

4. Mix until smooth

5. Get a Ziploc sandwich bag and a cup (regular drinking cup). Put the ziplock into the cup, folding edges of bag over the edges of the cup. This will make it a lot easier to fill your Ziploc full of the egg mixture to create a piping bag!

6. Spoon mix into a Ziploc bag, cut a small corner off to create a piping bag and fill white egg halves.

7. Once they are all filled with the egg mixture:

Crumble the bacon

Cut up tomatoes into small slices, it is important that you only use the tomato skin- the insides of the tomato will make your eggs weird and mushy

Cut small pieces of fresh basil

Finally top with a small amount of paprika

Assemble and enjoy! 

BACON WRAPPED JALAPENOS

These are also extremely easy! 3 ingredients!

INGREDIENTS

• 20 whole, fresh jalapeños, halved lengthwise, seeds and membranes removed

• 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

• 2 pounds bacon (you will use 1/2 a slice per popper)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds, spread cream cheese inside

3. Wrap with bacon (depending on the size of the jalapeño, you could use a whole piece of bacon, or half). Secure bacon with 1-2 toothpicks so it stays put while baking.

4. Place on cookie sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is done and crispy. Serve immediately or at room temperature, either way they are delicious!

CHEESE PLATE

Obviously a cheese plate is always a great Keto option, this one I loaded up with yumminess: 

• Multiple Cheeses (of course!) including Mozzarella balls, cheese curds, cheddar, havarti, and goat cheese

• Trader Joe's Rosemary Marcona Almonds

• Salami

• Pepperoni

• Olives

My personal favorite is making a "mini taco" with a piece of pepperoni, slather goat cheese and stick a marcona almond inside for crunch. DELICIOUS! 

PAULA DEEN'S HOT CRAB DIP

My mom and I have made this before and it is yummy! It is not cheap because of the lump crabmeat, we bought a can and it was about $40 but it is awesome for a special occasion. You can find Paula's original recipe here, I didn't change anything. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, free of shells

• 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/4 cup green onions, minced, optional

• 5 to 6 roasted garlic cloves or 2 cloves minced

• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Combine all of the ingredients in a casserole and gently stir until thoroughly mixed.

3. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and bubbling

To keep it Keto you could just eat it with a spoon- HAHAHA or create some Keto toasts, low carb chips (Quest Labs Tortilla Chips would be AWESOME), or some other Keto option.