Italian Cabbage Dumplings

You know, well, everybody knows that cabbage is good for you.

Right. But that taste…

I wanted to include some green cabbage in my diet and tried to think of how can I make this enjoyable and not a dread.

I thought: Chinese have been using green cabbage since forever and they make delicious stuff out of them!

Since I am not Chinese and I wouldn’t dare mess around with such a complex, rich, and ancient culinary art, I decided to give Chinese cabbage rolls an Italian spin so nobody gets offended. Though if you are Chinese and want to teach me how to make high-protein healthy cabbage rolls, please write me 🙂

So, what makes this dish “Italian”?

Besides the usual aromatics (onion, carrots, leek) I used red wine and fennel seeds. Fennel seeds really give a twist to this dish!

This has only 19g of carbs per serving which makes it ideal for someone on a LCHF diet or keto (when carbs are kept below 50g).

It’s also fairly high-protein. But if you want to increase the amount of protein without increasing calories, go for lean beef (here I used a fatty cut).

This dish can easily be boosted in protein to have 30-40g per serving just by using lean beef.

This dish has less than 500kcal per serving so it can be used for cutting as well (use lean beef in this case which will also increase the amount of protein per serving!)

If I had a broiler, I would have put some Parmesan cheese on top and gave them a couple of mins to become crunchy and even more delicious!

Gif Recipe

Stuffed Eggplants

My grandma (and mom) used to make this all the time: a big tradition in southern Italian cuisine.

The flavors are incredible and the way they combine makes you feel in Italy after a first mouthful.

Little that I realized, how high-protein and low-carb high-fat this dish can be!

Therefore, whenever I have some time and can find cheap eggplants, this dish is a must do for my post-workouts.
This is very filling too so if you are cutting you can make it as well.

So, there you have it, the authentic south Italian stuffed eggplants recipe adapted for muscle mass gains!

(I’m sure my grandma would kill me if she knew I posted her recipe hahah)

Gif Recipe

Sausage and Beans (Rural Italian Classic)

Have you ever heard of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill? They are famous Italian actors, famous for action-comedy movies such as “They Call Me Trinity”.

In this movie, there is an epic scene of almost 3 minutes in which the main character is eating a delicious beans course straight from the pan.

The scene is so well done that you start drooling right away.

Your brain goes: “MUST. HAVE. NOW.”

I tried to imagine how that recipe would be like and went about to re-create it. t was as delicious as in the movie.

It was as delicious as in the movie it seems to be.

This is a healthy, high-protein, low-carb recipe which is great for building muscles!

If you want to be as strong as Bud Spencer, you should try this recipe. It’s super easy!

This recipe is also gluten-free.

Note: the carbs indicated on the nutrition label are already net carbs (as in the style of European nutrition labels)

Gif Recipe

Simple Yet Tasty Pork Sausage Risotto

Today we go for something rather sophisticated but actually incredibly easy to make.

On top of that, it is gluten-free and perfect if you are coeliac and doing bodybuilding.

The recipe is not the quickest but it’s simple and straightforward. This would make you look like a master chef even if your biggest culinary achievement so far has been scrambled eggs.

I would recommend this recipe to whoever has never tried making risotto since it’s very basic and simple and can help you getting started.

Once you can master this high-protein risotto, every other risotto recipe is going to be a no-brainer and will add endless possibilities to your cooking repertoire. For instance, you could try this foodgasmic risotto with pumpkin and pork sausage.

I love to have risotto as my post-workout because I can get in one package carbs, proteins, and fat with benefits of an incredible creamy taste.

Great for when you are bulking and want to eat a lot of calories in a single meal!

Creamy&Crunchy Fragrant Italian Pumpkin, Sausage, and Rosemary Risotto

My plan was to cook this, wait 1 hour and then have dinner.

I failed.

The taste was so delicious, I ended up eating the whole thing after the first “tryout” bite.

In my mouth, there was a mixing of textures and flavors that left me truly surprised and in that ecstasy that only certain food can give you.

The crunchiness of the roasted pumpkin perfectly matched with the creaminess of the rice. The richness of the pork sausage masterfully combined with the smoky fresh flavors of paprika and rosemary.

This recipe is a keeper. It will always be in my repertoire from now on.

This bodybuilding recipe is high in protein and high in calories and gluten-free (great if you are coeliac!).

It’s a perfect bulking meal idea when you don’t have to watch too much at your calories.
I use it as post-workout since it gives you carbs, protein, and fat in a good ratio.

Feel free to change the amounts used to fit your macros.

Scrambled Eggs with Cauliflower, Garlic and Anchovies

Now cauliflowers are cheap. What can I do with them besides the usual boring “cauliflower pizza”?
I wanted to make something low-carb even keto-friendly for my breakfast. Furthermore, I wanted a low calories high-protein keto breakfast which is quick, easy to make and right delicious.
As usual, I looked at my Italian background and came up with this incredibly delicious and easy keto breakfast recipe.

Hamburgers with Peperonata

No idea how to serve your hamburgers?
Problems getting your veggies in while on keto?
I decided to give these burgers a spin with a traditional Italian dish: peperonata!
Peperonata is sort of a slow-cooked dish with peppers and garlic served with black olives and capers. Traditionally everything is drenched in olive oil but for this recipe, I used the fat from the burgers and beef tallow.
Why beef tallow? I bought it and I was curious to try it 🙂

This recipe is high-protein so perfect for bodybuilders and powerlifters or whoever wants to put on some muscle mass.

Pollo alla Romana

A big traditional Italian classics which is perfect for building muscle and strength too!
Furthermore, this recipe has very low amount of carbs and it’s very cheap and easy to make.
Next time you have guests at home thinking how miserable your life must be on a LCHF diet, serve them this, and you might get a convert right there 🙂

Easy and Quick Ricotta Bulking Dessert (No Cooking)

In my opinion, a heavily underrated food is ricotta cheese.
This Italian cheese is different from other cheeses as it is made from whey.

Yes, the same whey used to make whey protein powder.
And let me tell you, this is a much better alternative to whey protein powder (if you are bulking, that is).