fbpx Skip to main content

Onion Carbonara

By March 18, 2014February 18th, 2023Uncategorized

TESTIMONIES OF THE DAY

30 Day Accelerated Testimony: “I’ve been eating your way for about 3 wks now and there hasn’t been a recipe I didn’t like. Normally when I get a recipe book there’s only a handful that are good but all of yours are. I have to pinch myself daily that I’m actually eating healthy and I feel so much better. I’m at 5 wks postpartum and I already fit into my pre having kids jeans and that usually takes 4-6 months. My husband’s also lost 8lbs of “sympathy” weight. I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog. It has been life changing for my whole family” – Amber

 Another Great Testimony!

“Just wanted to share that last week was my Annual Physical and my doctor loved to hear that I was almost migraine free for a year and half. She also loved to hear that my asthma was under control and I no longer used 2 inhalers daily! I also hit a personal goal with my weight! She wanted the information as she knew last year what I started and I gave her yours! Thank you~ Candice”

To get the results like Ellen and Candice, click HERE for easy to follow keto-adapted meals.

 Candice before after

WHAT? No DAIRY!???

onion carbonara

I often recommend clients to go dairy free and they don’t know what fats to use if they can no longer use butter, cream or cheese.  But there are so many tasty fats that a century ago, was in every American pantry and fryer. These days, lard is an insult.

The word lard has become this derogatory term associated with fat and cholesterol.

The story of Crisco begins pre-Civil War America when a German chemist E. C. Kayser developed the science of hydrogenation by adding hydrogen atoms to the fatty acid chain (with the aide of Nickel Oxide)…in other words, he took cottonseed oil (which is already a rancid oil and full of free-radicals) and added a metal to it.

This process transformed the liquid cottonseed oil into a solid that resembled lard (strong dyes are added to it to get rid of the ugly grey color…which is now removed by bleach!). This substance was purchased my Proctor and Gamble for the use of making soap and candles….it was NEVER meant to be consumed!

BUT times are tough and Proctor and Gamble wanted to make this product more “marketable” so since it looked like lard, why not sell it as a “healthy” alternative and the price of lard was getting expensive.

Crisco was introduced as a food substance in 1911. A time when wives stayed home and cooked with plenty of butter and lard. Crisco had to convince housewives about the merits of this so-called “food.” P&G’s first ad campaign introduced the shortening as “a healthier alternative to cooking with animal fats. . . and more economical than butter.” With one sentence, P&G had taken on its two closest competitors—lard and butter. Crisco was marketed as cleaner, healthier, easier to digest, more affordable, and more “modern” than lard. Magazines portrayed housewives who used Crisco were better wives and mothers, their houses are free of strong cooking odors and their children were better behaved.

To make their product more marketable, they published and gave away a cookbook. It had everything from breads and soups to desserts and every recipe included Crisco. Not only that, but they started to target the Jewish housewife because it was technically a “kosher” food, yet cooked like butter and could be used with meats. This grabbed the attention of Jews and they quickly jumped onto the advertising.

BENEFITS OF SATURATED FATS

Saturated fats are not the cause of our modern diseases. On the contrary, they play a lot of vital roles in our body chemistry:

1. Saturated fatty acids make up at least 50% of the cell membranes. They are what create our cells necessary stiffness and integrity.

2. They play a vital role in the health of our bones. For calcium to be effectively incorporated into the skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.

3. They guard the liver from alcohol and other toxins, such as Tylenol.

4. They improve the immune system.

5. Saturated fats have antimicrobial properties, which protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.

BENEFITS OF CHOLESTEROL

Our blood vessels become damaged in a number of ways-through irritations caused by free radicals, or because they are structurally weak-and when this happens, the body’s natural healing substance steps in to repair the damage; causing us to make more cholesterol. Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and in our cells. Like saturated fats, the cholesterol we make and consume plays many vital roles:

1. Cholesterol, along with saturated fats, give our cells required stiffness and stability. When the diet contains an excess of polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils or omega-6), instead of saturated fats in the cell membrane, the cell walls become flabby. If this happens, cholesterol from the blood drives into the tissues to give them structural integrity. This is why serum cholesterol levels may go down temporarily when we replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats in the diet.

2. Cholesterol is vital for production and function of serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is the body’s “feel-good” chemical. Low cholesterol levels have been linked to depression and aggression. Anti-depressants often don’t work for patients that are on vegetarian diets.

3. Mother’s milk is VERY high in cholesterol and has an important enzyme that assists the baby in using this nutrient. Babies and children need foods high in cholesterol to guarantee proper development of the brain and nervous system (BUT we also need these as adults!!!)

4. Cholesterol acts as a precursor to important hormones that help us deal with stress and protect the body against cancer and heart disease. It is also important to our sex hormones like androgen, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Which is why women trying to get pregnant have more success on a high saturated fat diet!

5. Cholesterol is necessary for us to use vitamin D; which is an essential fat-soluble vitamin needed for healthy bones and nervous system, insulin production, reproduction and immune system function, proper growth, mineral metabolism, and muscle tone. So why do they fortify SKIM MILK with Vitamin D??? What a waste of money!

6. Bile is vital for digestion and assimilation of fats in the diet; which is made from cholesterol that we eat.

7. Current studies are now showing that cholesterol performs as an antioxidant; which is why cholesterol levels go up with age. As an antioxidant, it protects us against free radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer.

8. Dietary cholesterol helps maintain the health of the intestinal wall. People on low-cholesterol vegetarian diets often develop leaky gut syndrome and other intestinal disorders.

onion carbonara

Cholesterol can become damaged by exposure to heat and oxygen. This oxidized cholesterol tends to promote damage to the arterial cells and cause buildup of plaque in the arteries. Damaged cholesterol is found in powdered milk; which is added to reduced-fat milks to give them body. That is why I NEVER suggest drinking skim milk! It is also found in powdered eggs and in meats that have been heated to high temperatures in frying and other high-temperature processes. So fast food items come into play here.

Hypothyroidism can result in high cholesterol levels. When thyroid function is poor, usually due to a diet low in usable iodine, fat-soluble vitamins and high in sugar, the blood gets filled with cholesterol as a protective mechanism, providing a large amount of minerals needed to heal tissues. Hypothyroid individuals are particularly susceptible to infections, heart disease and cancer.

To read more, check out my book: Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism.

ONION CARBONARA

This is a very flavorful dish. I suggest adding it to a Prime Rib salad, served with my Super Salad Dressing and zer0-carb Yorkshire Pudding (top photo). OR with a Prime Rib Sandwich served on my Keto Protein Bread and a glass of iced strawberry tea (bottom photo).

onion carbonara

Onion Carbonara

Maria Emmerich
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 1/2 cup organic butter OR bacon fat or other dairy free fat
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese OR Nutritional Yeast if dairy free
  • 3 slices sugar free bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tsp Redmond Real salt
  • 1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • OPTIONAL:
  • Thyme or Parsley for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Peel the onions and slice into rings and then cut each ring open.
  • Place the bacon in a large saute pan. Place the onions on top and saute the onions until soft and a touch "caramelized" but not brown.
  • Remove the onions and bacon from the saute pan. Chop the cooked bacon into small pieces. Set aside
  • NOTE: You can "steam" the onions by heating 2 cups of water in a medium sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the onions in a steamer basket over the boiling water and steam for 5 minutes or until soft. But the steamed onions have a stronger onion flavor in this dish.
  • Place the organic butter (or dairy free fat) in the saute pan over medium heat until it’s melted.
  • Add the cooked onions, salt and pepper to the fat.
  • Saute for 2 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat.
  • Add in shredded cheese/nutritional yeast.
  • Whisk in egg yolk, which will thicken the sauce.
  • Stir in the bacon crumbles.
  • Plate and garnish with herbs.

Notes

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving)
Traditional Carbonara = 423 calories, 20g fat, 8g protein, 47.5g carbs
"Healthified" Carbonara = 193 calories, 18.4g fat, 3.5g protein, 3.8g carb, 0.8g fiber
(85% fat, 7.3% protein, 7.7% carbs)

 

onion carbonara

 Another Great Testimony!

“My name is Tamy Blanding and I known in the eating disorder community to be a bit of a rebel. I don’t a whole lot of whining about getting well, and I don’t believe in most of the traditional methods of treatment. I suffered with Bulimia & Anorexia Nervosa from age 11yrs to 43yrs. I now spend my time helping others get well from an eating disorder. It was a journey most could not comprehend , but as I began to get well I realized that even though my eating disorder behaviors were disappearing…I still had no clue as how to FEED myself! Yes, food was still a huge issue. I stumbled across Maria by accident! And I have to go a step further and admit…the only thing that kept me interested at first, in reading her page, was the beautiful boys in the picture! Lmao! I could relate to them. As I began to fall inlove with Marias lifestyle, I began to try the things she was suggesting. I bought two of her books right away. I am not unfamiliar to low-carb, atkins, and keto. However, I have never really stuck with it 100%. I have been fallowing Maria Emmerich for about a year now. am on my 20th day at 20-30carbs!!!! 

onion carbonara

What was different this time? I believe the book Keto Adapted was what did it for me. Yes it has some of the same info as some of her other books! That is totally normal! That’s what authors do! But, in my case I needed to hear it again. I needed this simple explanation of suggestiins and why she was making the suggestions. I loved the book! It is her BEST book yet! And the resources she provides on top of her books goes above and beyond her call of duty!”

 If you would like to help out a small family, rather than large business, I am happy to announce that you can now get my books as a high quality ebook that works on any platform.

This is an ebook format that works on any computer or mobile device. It is a beautiful pdf that has all the full color pages and layouts as the printed books with click-able table of contents and searching capabilities. This is extremely useful when trying to find a recipe. These books are much higher quality than the ebook platforms (kindle, apple). Plus, most of the profits don’t go to Amazon or apple! 

Click HERE or select “My Books” above to get your copy now!

onion carbonara

Maria Emmerich

Maria is a wellness expert who has helped clients follow a Ketogenic lifestyle to heal and lose weight for over 20 years. She has helped thousands of clients get healthy, get off medications and heal their bodies; losing weight is just a bonus. She is the international best selling author of several books including "Keto: The Complete Guide to Success on the Ketogenic Diet.".

34 Comments

  • Debra Bova says:

    Maria – I love the look of this recipe and can’t wait to try it. However, I have a question as I look at the photos. So the onion carbonara is like a “side dish” to the meat? And is it just that little dollop? What is that like half-cup? Trying to get my portions right.

  • Dianne says:

    This sounds delicious! I have a question, do you cook & crumble the bacon first, or after cooking with the onions?

  • Linda says:

    I think this would be amazing on top of a low-carb pizza crust!

  • Wenchypoo says:

    Crisco was introduced as a replacement for lard and butter, so we could send our lard and butter over to Britain for the war effort. The Germans (Hitler & co.) were always bombing ships, planes, and trains with foodstuffs meant for Britain, so we got involved in the war, and started shipping all kinds of food over there–fats, horse meat, cheese (this is why we got Velveeta), and canned goods (this is how we got Spam). Check the old WWII rationing system, and you can bet we were supplying the rationed food–this is why it was rationed. In turn, the good stuff got sent to the troops at the front, because “an army marches on its stomach”. Our rationed food was what we didn’t send over there. This was the start of the processed food movement–will it ship, store, and survive? Those were what was on manufacturer’s minds.

    While both British and American troops were getting the best of supplies, we were stuck “sacrificing” at home with such atrocities as Crisco, Spam, Velveeta, margarine, and other man-made food substitutes. Even though the war ended, we still continued to use the man-made stuff, and it got us through the inflationary 70’s, the recessionary 80’s, and for many SNAP users, the economic collapse of today. It’s price over nutrition in some circles.

    Having full cupboards (or the look of ) is important for the sense of food security, but WHAT are those cupboards full of? Your efforts, Maria, are helping to change that landscape.

  • Ginger says:

    Hi Maria! The testimony about the eating disorder made me want to ask you a question about keto diets and eating disorder recovery. I totally understand that you can’t give me advice specific to me, and I am seeing a doctor, but I have been doing my own research and the low carb/keto diet seems to be a miracle cure for a lot of people which makes me wonder if it can help me. I’ve read your book Keto Adapted, but I’m wondering if you know of any information about eating disorder recovery and if low carb diets help. I’m taking lots of vitamins and eating around 3000 calories a day for my recovery, but still having a lot of stomach pain and am basically hungry all the time, which I hoped low carb would help with. I know you can’t give me specific advice as to what I should do, but some general advice would be much appreciated if you know anything about this! Thank you so much, and I love your blog!

    • cemmerich says:

      Hi, Yes, I have helped several clients recover from eating disorders eating this way. It can be very helpful for healing and feeling better. 🙂

    • paulette says:

      While I can’t advise anyone on this blog personally, as a psychiatrist treating eating disorders, I believe the type of food plan an eating disorder patient follows is extremely important: keeping mood stable is so much easier if you are eating the Maria way–keto-adaptive. If you are eating carbs, they too often increase appetite and can be associated with mood swings. Fat is your friend. (So many of my patients freak out when they hear that) Read Maria’s books and visit this site often.

  • cyndee says:

    i love leeks i wonder if you could cut leeks into fettucini noodles for this?

  • Isadora says:

    I made this for dinner tonight, and… YUM! Thank you, Maria (from the whole family!)

  • Norma Tumberg says:

    Ginger, does your stomach make hydrochloric acid? I used to be hungry all the time, always had stomach pain, and after 10-12 years of that I went to a practitioner and she found out that my stomach does not make hydrochloric acid, plus by then I had a good case of parasites and candida. This might be an avenue you might want to explore.

  • Emma says:

    I also found atkins/low -carb/ keto nutrition to be a fantastic recovery tool for my own eating disorder recovery.

    It was so hard to stop the binge eating, the carb indulgences at midnight, and the “saving” myself for desserts.

    Unfortunately I didn’t find Maria’s WOE until after regaining the weight. I researched dieting in the midst of returning body image issues and self-hate, and somehow… stumbled upon not a diet, but a way to nourish myself that even included all the foods I craved the most ( I was anemic as a child and have always had low blood pressure, craving red meat and fatty foods – ice cream , cake, and pudding were the only sweets I really liked.)

    Since then (6 months) I slowly and safely lost some of the accumulated fat from carb binges (about 2 lbs a month) and replaced it lb for lb with muscle!

    I now have pride, a healthy body image, and the tools that make me confident to eat whatever I need without having to experience blood sugar crashes or cravings.

    Furthermore, I’ve hugely reduced the anxiety and neurotic obsessions that fed into the eating disorder, a definite byproduct of OCD I was diagnosed with at age 9 that has plagued me and dragged down my life ever since.

    I now take no antidepressants, only B 1, 2, NAC, and 5-HTP as supplements, and eat a roughly 75/20/5 fat/prot/carb ratio.

    I feel so “steady”, intestinally regular, and psychologically “normal” most of the time, it’s the best thing I have ever done for myself!

    Despite not having found Ketogenic nutrition through Maria, I have quickly become a huge fan of her recipes and blog, and love that someone out there is helping so many people with this WOE. I truly believe that modern diets and most people’s food plans are completely backwards and harmful, and I only wish that more health professionals would speak the truth!

    Thank you, Maria, for spreading an easy and healthful way to treat your body right, so it can help us through a better life!

    It’s my dream to do similarly, and someday go back to school to study nutrition and sports science to become another voice FOR FAT! 🙂

  • Lori says:

    Hi Maria,
    I purchased 2 of your books for my Kindle. I love your recipes and the good info in between. I have a question; I made the Chili Cheese Fries tonight. I added 1 tsp. Stevia Extract Powder (NOW brand). Is it sweeter than the Stevia Glycerite that your recipe calls for?? We all thought is was pretty sweet.
    Thank you in advance.
    Lori

  • JPavlick says:

    Have you written anything about Garcinia Cambogia?

    • cemmerich says:

      No, but I am not a big fan. Just not good evidence on it and I try to stay with natural supplements over herbs.

  • Laura says:

    What kind or type of nutritional yeast would you suggest?
    Thanks,
    Laura

  • ingrid says:

    Hi Maria, i have already 3 of your books which i bought for my kindle. I have already prepared some of the recipes but since almost all reci9es are for 4 or 6 servings i do really have a problem…. i am cooking only for myself since my husband does not like this lifestyle. My question…. how to make these recipes for one person? the amazing bread buns are perfect because i can freeze them…. but like the manicotte. .. with all the cheese…. keep one aubergine and reduce the fat and cheese????? I thank you in advance. is it ok to eat each day a protein bun? i made them with cashewnuts… just perfect.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Free Email Updates

Don't miss any of our free content or sales!

We respect your privacy. We never share your information with anyone.