Hi and happy June! I’m really excited about this week’s newsletter and it’s not just because of the choose-your-own-adventure situation (power bowl! lettuce wraps!) that is the ground turkey skillet meal I’m sharing below. While the incredible flavors of Chinese Five Spice in the sweet hoisin-inspired sauce and the 15-minute prep time is certainly something to be excited about, I have something bigger to share.
I’m shifting things a little bit here with my newsletter and before I get into exactly what will be changing, I want to share a little bit about how I got to this point…
The online landscape
Last week’s newsletter linked to this BBC article on how AI-generative search is making big changes that are volatile to online creators like myself, making it harder for us to earn a living and create content that is available to readers, for free.
From recipe creation to photography, AI-generated content is pushing the boundaries of what we know to be true and ethical. Ask for a “keto cheesecake recipe” and an AI search engine will scan all the recipes online and spit out its own version within milliseconds.
The problem is, the AI-generated recipe has never been tested in a real kitchen. There are no tips and tricks and real-life anecdotes to help you out as you make it at home. And, it’s based off of thousands of other recipes (like my own keto cheesecake) that creators like myself have worked hard to test, photograph and share.
With Google’s changing algorithms prioritizing AI, online publishers and creators are losing a good amount of their audience. Many food bloggers who have been sharing recipes for years have taken massive hits to their web traffic and livelihood.
What’s new here
Fortunately, my blog has not yet been affected in the way that other websites have been. But, in order to weather the algorithm changes rolling out now and to come, and continue to do what I love and have done for years for free, I’ve decided to diversify and make use of Substack’s paid subscriber feature.
Beginning today, you can become a paid subscriber to At the Table, and continue receiving one new recipe per week (plus more, which I’m outlining in detail below).
I realize this change is a big ask— going from free content to a subscriber fee— and it’s an ask I don’t take lightly. In fact, I’ve contemplated this for a while, going back and forth and back and forth and even asking friends and family about it… wondering if it’s necessary or the right time or the right price. What I keep coming back to is exactly what Jenny Rosentrach states best in Dinner, A Love Story: this newsletter is a labor of love, but it is in fact, labor.
I believe there’s a place for both free and paid content and I will continue to share weekly recipes for free on my website Stem and Spoon. However, I’m excited about the potential for a new type of community here and my hope is that it serves you in a different way.
If you are able to, would you consider supporting my work with a paid subscription? At a small cost per month (dare I say it’s less than a Starbucks run?), paid subscribers to At the Table will receive the following:
one new low-carb/ keto-friendly recipe delivered to your inbox every Thursday, exclusive to paid subscribers (unlike the blog, these are ad-free!)
more recipe creativity and inspired ideas with a focus on quick, healthy dinners plus extensive recipe notes and options for substitutions
nutritional information for every recipe calculated for you— no need to do the math!
access to the chat feature to easily comment and pose questions
access to the full At the Table recipe archive
bonus content exclusive to paid subscribers (think holiday meal plans with shopping lists, recipe series, personal updates, bonus recipes, etc. What else would you like to see?)
Why become a paid subscriber?
You might be wondering what the difference will be between paid and free subscribers. If you choose to continue to receive my newsletter as a free subscriber, thank you! I’m thrilled to have you here and I hope you choose whichever model works best for you. Free subscribers will receive one new recipe every month, as well as recipe roundups from my website.
If you love my recipes and if you are passionate about healthy eating— specifically the low-carb, ketogenic-friendly niche— a paid subscription might suit you best. I plan to focus on quick and easy low-carb dinner recipes but will continue to share the occasional treat or breakfast recipe too.
If you prefer to view recipes on a platform that is completely free of pop-ups and busy ads, a paid subscription will give you exactly that, and more.
Not only will paid subscribers receive one all-new recipe every week, but they will also get exclusive bonus content and the chance to help me shape this newsletter into a low-carb/keto recipe resource that best serves you! With this being a brand new endeavor, I hope this becomes a place of connection over health and good food. I’d love to get your feedback and am open to your ideas.
If you’re ready to join as a paid subscriber for $5 a month (or $50 annually), click the button below and choose a subscription that works best for you.
Thank you so much for your support. I’m SO very grateful for you, I can’t say it enough.
The recipe below is this month’s select recipe available to all subscribers- I hope you love it!
Healthy hoisin lettuce wraps (or bowl!) with ground turkey
This recipe is inspired by P.F. Chang’s lettuce wraps, a favorite growing up, and my mom’s order every time we go (still to this day). It’s a quick skillet meal made with ground turkey and the easiest homemade “hoisin” sauce that is low carb and gluten free!
This is an especially great meal for nights when you need to put in minimal effort and want something simple, rather quickly (we’ve had it three times this week 😉). Leftovers make great packed work lunches, too!
A few other highlights about this meal and why I think you’ll love it:
it’s ready in 15-20 minutes
choose your own adventure and serve it up as lettuce wraps or bowl-style (both options pictured), use it to top a salad or enjoy it plain, right out of the skillet
riff a little and add your own favorite vegetables or toppings.
Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep time: ~15 minutes
Ingredients
Filling mixture
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1-1/2 pounds ground turkey
1 small onion, diced (white, yellow, or red)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (optional)
1 large handful fresh baby spinach
whole butter lettuce leaves or cauliflower rice for serving
toppings like chopped green onions, fresh basil or cilantro, pickled onions, red pepper flakes
Sauce
1/4 cup tamari
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup all-natural peanut butter
1/4 cup granulated golden monkfruit sweetener with allulose
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice blend (see notes for substitute)
Instructions
Add the avocado oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once it glistens, add the ground turkey to the skillet. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon/spatula.
Add the diced onion to the turkey and cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the onion is softened and the ground turkey is mostly cooked through. Spoon out or drain excess water.
While the turkey cooks, add all of the sauce ingredients to a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk well and set aside.
Add the minced garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook another 30 seconds, then pour in the sauce. Stir the turkey mixture and let it simmer in the sauce for 2 to 3 minutes to let the sauce reduce and thicken a bit.
Remove from heat and gently stir in two handfuls of spinach, letting the residual heat wilt the greens.
Serve spooned into lettuce cups or on top of cauliflower rice with your toppings of choice. I love these with fresh basil (Thai basil is best if you have it) or cilantro, along with pickled red onions and a dash of red pepper flakes or extra sriracha.
Notes
I like using butter lettuce because it’s tender and pliable. If you prefer a sturdier lettuce with more crunch, you can use romaine or iceberg.
We’ve enjoyed this mixture served over cauliflower rice with fresh pineapple. You can create your own power bowl by adding other vegetables like steamed or roasted broccoli, crunchy snap peas, fresh cabbage or sautéed bok choy. If you’re not a fan of cauliflower rice, you can also serve this over low-carb rice (like Kaizen lupini rice) or low-carb noodles (zucchini noodles, edamame noodles, etc.).
To make quick pickled red onions: Thinly slice a medium red onion and add it to a large mason jar. Pour in 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar and 1/4 to 1/3 cup filtered water. Mix and add 1 teaspoon black peppercorns and a little bit of sea salt.
For a spicier sauce, increase the sriracha to 1 tablespoon. For a really mild sauce, you can omit it entirely.
Substitutions:
Peanut butter: Feel free to sub for all-natural almond butter or another type of nut butter. Be mindful of the added sugars in many nut butters; the best brands will contain only ground nuts and perhaps added salt.
Chinese Five Spice: You can purchase this blend separately from most grocery stores or make your own blend at home. Chinese Five Spice is a mix of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds. While the blend is ideal for achieving that authentic hoisin sauce flavor, you can still make the sauce with minimal spices on hand: use 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel, and a dash of ground cloves if you have it.
Ground turkey: Feel free to substitute the ground turkey for ground chicken or beef.
Sweetener: I like Lakanto’s golden monkfruit sweetener with allulose (affiliate link) because it has a clean taste and good flavor. Allulose dissolves well and is especially good for sauces. To substitute an erythritol/monkfruit blend, use the same amount. For a liquid sweetener, I recommend pure monkfruit drops or liquid allulose (sweeten the sauce to taste). If you’re not too concerned about added sugar, feel free to sweeten the sauce with date syrup for a lower glycemic option, or use honey or maple syrup (sweeten to taste).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on 6 servings and is calculated by MyFitnessPal. Calculation includes this dish served as lettuce wraps and does not include the zero-calorie sweetener.
Calories per serving: 274
Fat: 17 g
Cholesterol: 84 mg
Total carbohydrates: 6 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 2 g
Protein: 26 g
net carbs: 4 g
More from the blog
Reverse seared tomahawk steaks, the perfect Father’s Day meal (pictured below)
Keto turkey meatloaf, another great one for ground turkey!
If you have any questions, let me know in the comments!
Again, your consideration for a paid subscription means the world to me. Thank you for reading this incredibly long email, and for subscribing at any level. Thank you, thank you!
Until next week,
Abby