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The Keto Guido wants to help you lose weight while satisfying those cravings for pizza and pancakes. Jersey Shore's Vinny Guadagnino understands that giving up fried chicken and cake on the high-fat ketogenic diet isn't exactly easy. That's why he developed a cookbook that includes keto-friendly versions of traditionally carb-heavy foods, like manicotti and Tiramisu.
"It’s [keto] not a prison sentence," he tells Men's Health.
Keto is based on the concept of ketosis, which means your body burns fat instead of carbohydrates for energy. That sounds great, but you'll need to consume roughly 65 to 85 percent of your calories from fat to maintain this metabolic state. The specific number is individual specific, but it generally means you'll eat fewer than 30 grams of carbs per day.
Guadagnino has been following the keto lifestyle for five years and lost more than 50 pounds. Although he always enjoyed food, taking up keto pushed Guadagnino to get creative in the kitchen.
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"We need to make these keto chicken cutlets," he'd say to his mother, Paula Guadagnino.
For the past year, Guadagnino worked with a recipe developer to create his book, The Keto Guido Cookbook: Delicious Recipes to Get Healthy and Look Great.
"There’s literally a recipe for anything that you need an alternative to," he says.
Guadagnino's personal favorite is the almond flour pizza with ricotta cheese.
"The pizza is ridiculous," he says. "I challenge you to eat it and then come back to me and tell me it’s not one of the tastiest things you’ve had in your life."
Up for the test? Guadagnino shared his recipe so you can give it a try, too.
Pizza Crust ingredients
1 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons plain cream cheese
1 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch sea salt
1 egg lightly beaten
Olive oil cooking spray
To make the crust
- Preheat the oven: Set the temperature oven to broil
- Melt the cheese. Stir together the mozzarella and cream cheese in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir the cheeses and heat them again for 30 seconds to 1 minute until they're completely melted.
- Add the dry ingredients. Stir in the almond flour, basil, oregano, and salt until everything is well mixed and set it aside to cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
- Finish the dough. When the mixture has cooled enough that it won't cook the egg, mix in the egg until it's well blended, then gather the dough into a ball.
- Roll the dough. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and spray it lightly with olive oil. Place the dough on the sheet in the center and press it down with your fingers to form a disc until it is about 1/2 inch thick.
- Broil the dough until it is golden and firm; about four minutes.
To make the pizza
- Preheat the oven to 425
- Top the pizza with prosciutto. Use a small ice cream scoop to evenly distribute about 6 scoops of ricotta cheese on top of the crust. The cheese will spread when melted. Drizzle with truffle oil.
- Bake the pizza until ricotta is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.
