Sunday's Pesto Roasted Salmon, Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

It was overcast all day here today. I tried sleeping in, but just couldn't for some reason...so hubby and I got up and took our walk before breakfast, in case it began to rain (which it did, later on in the day). Yesterday was a busy day. My oldest son came over and we went furniture shopping for his place. He got some ideas, but didn't buy anything yet.  We went all over the place. He left to head back home later in the afternoon and then hubby and I made a late Costco run before they closed last night as soon as he got home from his conference. On our way out the door, youngest son called and said he was coming for dinner. Since it was so late when we got home (close to 8:00)...I picked up a rotisserie chicken and made us big salads with all kinds of veggies and chicken for last night's dinner. Costco had wild Coho salmon last night, so I picked that up to make for tonight's dinner.

I made Pesto Roasted Salmon which is so easy to make and even if you don't usually care much for pesto, it becomes very mild as it roasts on top of the salmon fillets.  I drizzled a little olive oil and squeezed half of a lemon on 4 salmon fillets, then spread the tops with pesto (by Mezzetta) and popped it into a preheated 450 degree F oven and then immediately turned the temp down to 425 and roasted for 12 minutes, removed it from the oven, and covered with foil and let sit for about 10 minutes or so (the recipe is below).  It turns out so tender and flavorful...and the roasted pesto gives a very mild herb flavor...not potent at all, like pestos sometimes are. I also roasted baby brussels sprouts that I trimmed and halved in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.  I simply tossed them with avocado oil (its super mild flavored, and has a higher smoking point) and then sprinkled them with a little Pink Himalayan sea salt before popping into the oven to roast. I made a batch of my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits to go with our dinner and served a fresh Caprese Salad alongside our meal. I used a beautiful fresh red, ripe tomato that a generous coworker shared with me from his garden last week and layered it with fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil I picked from the pot on my back patio. I drizzled the salad with some fresh garlic and spicy red pepper infused olive oil that I picked up at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago. It is made by Sweetwater Growers, a local company here in Georgia. They have all kinds of interesting flavors...it was hard to choose which one to try first. It was a simple, fresh and easy Sunday dinner. The recipes for the salmon and biscuits are below.  Enjoy!

I drizzled this on the Caprese Salad...it was delicious!

BOOM!

Pesto Roasted Salmon

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds of salmon filets (depending on the number of people you are serving)

Olive oil for drizzling
1 lemon, halved, optional

Salt & pepper, to taste

Pesto, homemade or store bought fresh (I used Mezzetta)

Directions:

On a foil lined baking pan, lightly drizzle each salmon filet with olive oil. Squeeze lemon juice over each fillet, if desired, and season lightly with salt and pepper.  Spread each filet with a dollop (tablespoon or so) of pesto and set aside to "marinate" for about 15 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place salmon in oven and immediately reduce heat to 425 degrees and roast/bake for 12 minutes.  Remove salmon from oven and immediately cover tightly with foil for an additional 10-15 minutes to complete the cooking out of the oven under the foil cover. 

My favorite pesto!

Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons "cold" butter, diced
1 egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 cup heavy cream 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking pan or line with non-stick foil or parchment paper.  

In a medium bowl, add almond flour, butter, egg, 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, salt, black pepper, baking powder; cut in with a pastry cutter/dough blender until crumbly and all flour is slightly moistened and cheese is pulverized into the mixture. Stir in cream and remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese; mix in lightly.  Divide and roll dough into 10 to 12  balls (I make 10) and place on a lined cookie sheet; do not flatten dough balls (this will result in a thicker biscuit).  Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown; be careful not to overcook.   Remove from oven; brush tops with melted butter, if desired.

Saturday's "Illegal Breakfast"...

Happy Saturday!  This morning we awoke to a very dark and gloomy day here.  It is only 63 degrees and there is a heavy mist falling...just enough to trick you into thinking it isn't "raining"...but enough to soak you if you were to spend 5 or 10 minutes outside.  Hubby left early this morning for an all day meeting, which leaves me to my own devices today!  Scary (shopping) and exciting (shopping)...all rolled into one!  LOL My oldest son is on his way over so we can do a little furniture shopping for his new place -- he still has no place to sit down and eat (as in table and chairs or bar stools). So, today is a great day to do that with the gloomy weather. I made myself the most awesome (and simple) breakfast this morning...and I'm fairly certain that this breakfast is probably "illegal" in at least 6 states...and it's most definitely illegal if you are trying to eat healthy and lose weight (NOT!!!).

My "illegal breakfast" consisted of a slice of leftover cold pizza AND a chocolate chip cookie from last night's dinner...with a little square of 85% chocolate thrown in so I make sure I get my antioxidants in for the day!  ;-) Seriously though...I know the thought of cold pizza probably makes some stomachs turn, but I have always loved a slice of cold pizza for breakfast.  And who, in their right mind, has a cookie for breakfast?  ME!  LOL  I needed to do a little celebrating...as of this morning, I am down 67 pounds and that's eating the way my previous thinking and "what I thought to be healthy (as in whole grains)" would have caused me to GAIN 67 pounds instead!  It truly is amazing how removing wheat, grains and added sugar made such a profound difference, not only in my physical health, but in my body (and mind) as well. I have more energy than I know what to do with. I am truly thankful, grateful and appreciative EVERY single day...and while I wish I had known this little "secret" earlier in my life...I am forever grateful that I picked up Dr. Davis' Wheat Belly book and read it last summer.  It is, without question, the summer that changed my life forever.  I would never have believed it possible if I had not actually tried it and witnessed it myself. Now...check out my "illegal breakfast" below.  Enjoy!

All the necessary food groups are included...and more importantly the unhealthy whole grains non-existent!

It's Pizza & Chocolate Chip Cookie Night -- Wheat Free Awesomeness...

Yesssss...Friday night finally got here!  It has been a busy week and I am so glad it's Friday.  It was another rainy day here today...but unseasonably cool.  We only made it to 66 degrees which is definitely not our typical August weather here in Atlanta.  Shortly after I got home this evening, hubby and I went ahead and took our walk before dinner so we could enjoy the cool weather and get it done before the sky opened up again.  This evening I was in the mood for a "Friday night special"...which for me simply means "pizza and chocolate chip cookies".  I made a few of my easy Almond-Flax-Parmesan Herb Pizza Crusts ahead of time a couple of nights ago and wrapped them, so tonight I had the luxury and convenience of a pre-made pizza crust, much like using a pre-made Boboli type of crust...only mine are wheat and grain free and I know exactly what went into them! I cruised my refrigerator to see what kind of toppings I might use. I found a little bowl of steamed broccoli florets from a couple of nights ago...so I decided to put that on my pizza.  I've never put broccoli on pizza before, but somehow tonight it sounded good.  I used Rao's pizza sauce because it's made with fresh ingredients with no added sugars, wheat or junk...and it's delicious. I preheated my oven to 375 degrees while I added my toppings.  In addition to sauce, I topped it with shredded mozzarella, pepperoni, broccoli florets, diced red bell pepper, sliced green spring onions and then popped it in the oven to bake for about 7 minutes to heat the toppings and melt the cheese. I then switched the oven over to broil and ran it under the broiler for about 3 minutes to get bubbly and brown a bit. When it came out of the oven, I topped it with a few diced cherry tomatoes...and BOOM...in 10 minutes I was having pizza...even Domino's can't do that!  A couple of nights ago, I also made a batch of my Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Toasted Walnuts & Ricotta. When I made them this time, I simplified the preparation and eliminated using a hand mixer. Instead, it is simply mixed by hand using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula...which means easier clean up and that's ALWAYS a good thing!  I did not notice any appreciable difference in the outcome of the cookies without using a mixer...so why pull out another appliance!  With very little effort and time, I was able to enjoy my favorite "Friday night special" this evening. What a great way to kick off the weekend.  I snapped a few photos and posted the recipes for my pizza and cookies below.  Enjoy!

BOOM!

DESSERT...Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Almond-Flax-Parmesan Herb Pizza Crust
Makes 1 10-inch round pizza (approximately 2 servings)

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup golden flax seed meal (organic golden flax is milder in taste than brown)

2/3 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 - 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
Dash cayenne pepper, optional

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste (decrease salt if using saltier cheeses and toppings)

Few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

4 - 5 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Wet Ingredients

1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute such as Egg Beaters)

1 tablespoon olive oil (a little more, if desired)

1 to 2 tablespoons water (start with 1 tablespoon of water and add the second, if necessary)

Toppings (Optional)  
Pizza sauce, pesto sauce, etc.
Cheese: shredded mozzarella cheese, sliced or diced fresh mozzarella, etc.
**Pre-cooked vegetables of choice: onions, green peppers, mushrooms, spinach, etc. 
**Pre-cooked meat of choice: sausage, ground beef topping, etc.
Other: artichokes, olives, pepperoni, etc.

**Tip: Fresh vegetable and meat toppings should be pre-cooked and drained to prevent crust from becoming soggy

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients together; add wet ingredients and mix well. Let the dough sit for approximately 5 minutes to thicken. 

Spread dough on a lightly oiled large pizza pan or cookie sheet lined with greased parchment paper (you can also use Reynolds non-stick foil, lightly brushed with olive oil).  Using a lightly oiled rubber spatula, press the dough out to desired shape and thickness (I usually make it about 1/4" thick -- *see note below).  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through (check crust after 15 minutes and remove from oven when it looks and feels done).  Spread with a thin layer of sauce, cheese and desired toppings (fresh vegetable and meat toppings should be pre-cooked to prevent soggy crust); place back into the oven to bake an additional 5-10 minutes to melt cheese.  If desired, run under the broiler for a few minutes to lightly brown the toppings and make the cheese bubbly (be careful not to burn it).

*Note:  For a crust that is flat, smooth and even in thickness, lightly spray a 2nd sheet of parchment paper with olive oil spray and place it on top (oiled side down) of the ball of pizza dough that is centered in the middle of your prepared pizza pan or baking sheet.  Using either your hands or the flat edge of an object (I use a big container of black pepper) press the dough smooth by swiping it the direction you want the pizza crust to go.  When it is the desired thickness and shape, carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper...and "Voila"...perfectly flat, smooth, thin pizza crust! If you don't have parchment paper, pressing the dough out with a lightly oiled rubber spatula works just fine, too.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies w/ Toasted Walnuts & Ricotta

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum free)

1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup Swerve sweetener, or to desired sweetness (other granular sweeteners can be substituted such as xylitol or erythritol)

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toasted, if desired)
3/4 cup 70% or 85% cacao chocolate bar (3.5 ounces), chopped (use 70% for sweeter chips) -- I used Green & Black's 70%

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and Swerve sweetener (or other granular sweetener).  Make a well in the center of the bowl and add softened butter, ricotta, egg and vanilla extract.  Using a wooden spoon, cream and mix dry and wet ingredients together until the dough is mixed and blended well.  Using a rubber spatula, fold in walnuts and chocolate chips/chunks and mix just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls (or lightly roll into balls) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet;  very lightly tamp down (do not flatten) -- the cookies do not spread much while they bake. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Cookies are very soft when hot and will firm up as they cool. Let sit 10-15 minutes and then, using a spatula, transfer to a rack to completely cool. Makes about 20 cookies.

  

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie - Wheat Free & Delicious!

This evening I made one of my favorite wheat free dishes, Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie.  I make this almost every week and get to enjoy the leftovers for lunch for several days afterward.  I don't ever seem to tire of it for some reason.  I like it best when I add a full pound of wilted baby spinach to the pie because I really love spinach. The crust is so easy to make and absolutely delicious.  I would love this even if I wasn't wheat free! Hubby loves it too.  I snapped a quick photo for you to see below as well as the recipe.  Enjoy!

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie

Crust
2 cups almond flour
3 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning (or Italian Seasoning), optional 

Filling
10 oz. fresh spinach (up to 16 oz), cooked and squeezed dry and chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 to 2 teaspoons, if using fresh)
1 to 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 eggs (or 1-1/4 cups Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup half-n-half, cream or milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place all crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut butter and egg into flour with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles small pebbles and the flour is thoroughly moistened (the same way you prepare a pie crust).  Press crust mixture into pie dish or tart pan (I used a 10" pie dish).  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temp to 350 degrees F.  In a non-stick skillet, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent; remove and set aside.  In the same skillet, saute spinach, just until wilted.  Drain and press as much liquid out of the spinach as possible (I use a mesh strainer and press it with the back of a large spoon).  Place well drained spinach in a medium bowl (coarsely chop first, if desired); add cooked onions and garlic, feta, dill, lemon zest, pepper, eggs and half-n-half.  Mix until well combined.  Pour mixture into the lightly baked crust and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes; lower oven temp to 325 F (so edge of crust doesn't over brown); bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until filling and eggs are set and cooked .  If the center still seems a little jiggly, cook an additional few minutes.

  

Chicken Salad -- Piccata Style

This evening I made a quick, simple and delicious variation of chicken salad.  One of my favorite dishes is Chicken Piccata.  For those of you that don't know what it is, it's basically a chicken cutlet, typically breaded, and sauteed in butter with lemon juice and capers.  The lemon and capers are what give it its distinct "twang"...a melange of the tartness of the lemon and the saltiness and slight bite of the capers (which are pickled in vinegar).  Capers are little olive green colored beads that are smaller than peas, and slightly larger than a peppercorn.  Back to my chicken salad.  I had leftover cooked chicken breast in the fridge that I diced (about 3 cups).  I placed the diced chicken in a medium bowl. In a separate smaller bowl, I mixed my "piccata dressing".  I used a rounded (slightly heaping) 1/4 cup of olive oil mayonnaise (you could substitute home made mayo instead).  I placed the mayonnaise in the smaller bowl, added about 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, the zest of 1/2 of a lemon, 2 heaping teaspoons of capers, and 1 to 2 teaspoons of the vinegar from the jar of capers and mixed everything together. The lemon juice and vinegar thin the mayo and make it go further. If you don't want to add the vinegar, you can omit it...but I liked the addition. Since capers are already salty, I did not add additional salt, but some might prefer adding a bit of sea salt (taste the dressing to adjust seasoning to taste). I folded the dressing mixture into the diced chicken breast and served it in little romaine boats from the small heads of artisan romaine I buy at Costco. It turned out absolutely delicious and had all the delicious flavors I love so much in Chicken Piccata...only this was a cool chicken salad version that didn't heat up the kitchen or require any additional cooking since I had leftover cooked chicken breast. There are at least a million ways you can eat deliciously without wheat...and I intend to try as many ways as I can!  ;-)  I snapped a few photos for you to see below.  Enjoy!

Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken & Macadamia Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Today was an extremely hot and humid day here.  It was bright and sunny all day long, but our old friend "rain" is supposed to return for the remainder of the week.  Hubby and I took our walk before breakfast this morning and at 9:00 it was already 80 degrees with 84% humidity (yuck)!  It made it up to the mid 90s this afternoon. Before we ran our errands this afternoon, I placed some boneless chicken breasts into a large Ziploc bag after pounding them to an even thickness with my meat mallet.  I added the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of 2 lemons, about 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 large cloves of minced garlic and a couple tablespoons of chopped fresh rosemary.  I added some generous grinds of black pepper and sea salt and then sealed the bag, massaged it to distribute everything and placed it into the fridge to marinate for the afternoon.  I still had plenty of Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash left from last night, so I reheated that to go with our chicken...except this evening, I made a little well in the middle of the mashed cauliflower and placed a pat of Kerrygold Garlic Herb Butter in the center to melt...it was delicious!

While hubby grilled the chicken, I made roasted fresh baby brussels sprouts for our veggie (I trimmed the ends and halved them). I roasted them in Macadamia Nut Oil (instead of my usual olive oil) along with some generous grinds of sea salt and black pepper. Macadamia Nut Oil has a higher smoke point (up to 450 degrees) so it is safer to use for roasting at higher temps and it has a very mild flavor.  I roasted them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees F and stirred them a couple of times while they cooked. When I served them, I topped them with chopped roasted macadamia nuts. It was a delicious variation of roasted brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are one of my favorite veggies -- as long as they aren't boiled, as that makes them a bit stinky. I snapped a few photos for you to see below. Enjoy!

Fiesta Turkey Burgers, Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash and Roasted Asparagus

This evening I decided to cook some of the turkey burgers that I had in the freezer.  I buy them at Costco (they are uncooked) and come 12 to a package.  The ingredients in them are simply: white turkey, Kosher salt, rosemary extract and black pepper.  They are good sized burgers and they cook quickly...about 5 to 7 minutes per side on the grill or in a pan on the stove (you cook them while frozen).  We grilled them in between heavy downpours early this evening.  They are good, but pretty plain, so I jazzed them up a bit.  While hubby was grilling the burgers, I cut a Poblano pepper into strips and had him grill them along with the burgers.  I placed the burgers on our plates, topped them with sliced pepper-jack cheese (Monterey Jack cheese w/ Jalapeno Peppers), then placed the grilled Poblano pepper strips on top and added a spoon of fresh salsa, dollop of sour cream and diced cherry tomatoes. Voila...in just minutes, we went from plain burgers to Fiesta Burgers!  Beef burgers would be great served this way, too. I made Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash to go with the burgers along with some roasted fresh asparagus.  It was a fresh and simple dinner to put together.  I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe for the cauliflower mash.  Enjoy!

Rich and Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients:

1 medium head of fresh cauliflower, broken into 1-inch florets
1 cup (8 oz) of chicken broth or stock
2 ounces brick style cream cheese (1/4 of an 8-oz brick)
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
3 to 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, place cauliflower and chicken broth; bring to a boil and then cover pan; turn heat down to low and simmer until cauliflower is very soft and tender and chicken broth has completely cooked into the cauliflower (about 20 to 30 minutes). Make sure there is no liquid left at all in the bottom of the pan (remove the cover if necessary and cook until any remaining liquid is gone and the cauliflower is no longer wet looking).  Remove pan from heat and add cream cheese and heavy cream.  Using an immersion blender stick, blend or puree the cauliflower until the cheese and cream are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Add grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.  Blend another minute.  Adjust seasoning and add additional cream, if necessary, to thin out a little bit.  Add additional Parmesan to thicken. The cauliflower mash should be thick and not runny at all. 

*Note:  To reduce the cooking time for the cauliflower, just cut it up into smaller pieces. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can use a handheld potato masher, it just won't be quite as smooth.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

Happy Saturday!  This morning we slept in a bit and then decided to get our walk in first thing this morning before breakfast...thinking that we would "beat the heat".  Well, it was already hot as blazes out and really humid, too. But...it was sunny, so I'm not complaining (too much).  When we got back and cooled off a bit, I made us a late breakfast. I made fried eggs, chicken sage sausage, and heated up one of my leftover Easy Biscuits from last week (recipe below).  I also made blueberry yogurt using Greek Gods full fat plain Greek yogurt.  This past week I've experimented a bit with adding fruit to my yogurt. Most of the time I eat it with simply a little stevia, cinnamon and/or extracts for flavor.  For dessert or on the weekends, to make it more special, I will add berries, fruit, coconut, nuts, etc. to change it up a bit. Rather than just stirring berries into my yogurt like I normally do to make "yogurt with fruit"...I simply placed the berries in a bowl and mashed with a fork or potato masher...you could also wiz/puree them in a blender or Magic Bullet (if you didn't mind the clean up)...but I'm lazy and would rather rinse off a fork or simple tool.  When you mash/crush the berries, it makes their juices come out and also leaves small chunks of berry that you stir into your yogurt.  It is just like eating the regular "fruit on the bottom" type yogurts that you stir in (only they are usually full of sugar). It infuses the flavor throughout the yogurt rather than eating basically plain yogurt with pieces of fruit in it.  And one nice change was when I did it with ripe strawberries last night, I had "pink" yogurt instead of white (I know that sounds dorky...but I enjoyed both the taste and the added color).  :-)   I snapped a few photos for you to see below as well as the biscuit recipe. If you prefer to make a really tasty biscuit, and you like cheddar and black pepper...you might want to try my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits -- they are one of my favorites.  Enjoy!

Easy Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons "cold" butter, diced
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
4 ounces brick-style cream cheese, diced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons melted butter, optional (for brushing on top of biscuits)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking pan or line with non-stick foil or parchment paper.  

In a medium bowl, add almond flour, butter, egg, cream cheese, salt, baking soda, baking powder; cut in with a pastry cutter/dough blender until crumbly and all flour is slightly moistened and cheese is pulverized into the mixture. Stir in cream and mix in lightly; let sit for a minute or so.  Divide and lightly (not tightly) roll dough into 10 to 12 balls and place on prepared cookie sheet; do not flatten dough balls (keeping in balls will result in a thicker biscuit).  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes; remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter, if desired; return and bake an additional approximately 3-5 minutes or until light golden brown and done, careful not to overcook (if not brushing with optional melted butter, bake biscuits for total of 18-20 minutes or until done). 

Summertime "Fruity" Salad...

This evening I decided to make us big salads for dinner.  I wanted to do something different.  My youngest son used to always try and convince me to order a garden salad with chicken and strawberries at Panera that he loved, and I always said "ewwww", no thanks.  Well, I just happened to have some cooked chicken breast in the fridge, some strawberries and an orange...so I decided that tonight would be the night I gave it a go.  I chunked the chicken breast, chopped up a couple small heads of artisan romaine lettuce and then sliced strawberries and cut up a navel orange.  While I prepped the salad fixings, I popped some sliced almonds into my oven and toasted them until lightly browned and crunchy because they would become my "croutons" for added crunch.  Green salads that have fruit in them are frequently paired with a sweeter type of poppy seed dressing.  I decided to make my own version since I'm not particularly fond of sweeter dressings in general.  Since people frequently ask me about my dressing, I decided to pour it into a little ramekin and place it in my salad for you to see.  To make my dressing (for my salad only), I poured 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate infused red wine vinegar into a small glass measuring cup and added a pinch of Celtic sea salt and 1 tablespoon of Swerve confectioners style sweetener and whisked it together with my little mini whisk; I added a generous pinch of poppy seeds and whisked it again...and then tasted for seasoning (I added a touch more salt). It had a nice tangy flavor with a lightly sweet undertone and was a great combination of flavors. Note, that even though it may appear that there is a lot of fruit in my salad, there is actually only 2 thinly sliced strawberries in the salad and about 1/3 of a navel orange cut up in it -- and all the fruit is on top. I snapped a few photos for you to see below.  Enjoy!

It's Tasty Taco Night!

This evening I was in the mood for tacos. Originally, I had planned to use the pound of ground sirloin in my fridge to make them, but unfortunately when I opened the package, it smelled off...so I tossed it and used the pound of ground chicken breast instead.  I cooked the ground chicken in my wok (instead of skillet) in extra virgin coconut oil until it was cooked and then added the taco seasoning and water and simmered it until the liquid was almost gone.  I then added a few tablespoons of fresh salsa to the taco meat and continued simmering, uncovered, until there was no liquid left in the pan...just concentrated flavorful taco meat.  I used Boston lettuce leaves as my taco shells and filled them with taco meat, shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, diced avocado and topped them with a little more salsa and a dollop of sour cream. They were absolutely delicious and I couldn't have enjoyed them any more if they had been in traditional taco shells instead.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as the recipe for my taco seasoning to make the tacos linked here -----> Tacos. Enjoy!

BOOM!

Beef w/ Broccoli Stir-Fry -- Quick & Easy

This evening I made Beef w/ Broccoli Stir-Fry for dinner.  To make a quick dinner, I used a 1-pound package of top round steak that was already sliced for stir-fry.  Instead of cutting up fresh broccoli, I used a bag of pre-cut fresh broccoli florets and steamed them in a covered glass casserole dish along with a few tablespoons of water for 3 minutes in the microwave.  I added one thinly sliced carrot on top of the steamed broccoli, covered them, and steamed an additional minute in the microwave; then drained and set them aside.  I minced 2 large cloves of garlic and sliced a green spring onion and set it aside.  I heated a tablespoon or so of extra virgin coconut oil on medium-high heat in my wok, added a couple pinches of red pepper flakes and the beef and stir-fried just until the meat was no longer pink.  I used a large spoon and spooned the juices off into a bowl as the meat cooked so it would sear nicely and not simmer in its own juices.  I spooned off about 1/2 cup of beef juices into my bowl and set it aside to use to make the sauce later (if you don't get enough beef juices, you can use 1/2 cup of beef broth or water to make the sauce instead).

I transferred the cooked beef to a plate and then added the minced garlic to the hot wok with a pinch of red pepper flakes and stir-fried for about a minute, then added half of the sliced green onions and poured the beef juices back into the wok; added about 3 tablespoons of organic Tamari sauce (its similar to soy sauce, but wheat free), a few grinds of sea salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and stirred in a heaping tablespoon of organic peanut butter to use as a thickener for the sauce.  The peanut butter provides the same texture/consistency you would normally get if you used traditional cornstarch to thicken the sauce (cashew butter can be substituted).  I tasted and adjusted the sauce for seasoning.  It makes just enough sauce to glaze and coat the stir-fry, so it is important to make the sauce flavorful.  If you prefer more sauce you can add more beef broth or a little water and increase the peanut butter. I prefer my stir-fry lightly coated and not swimming in sauce.  I added the beef, steamed broccoli and carrots to the wok and tossed it together to coat with the sauce and heated for a couple minutes, just until warmed through. I sprinkled it with the remaining sliced green onions. Hubby ate his over rice and I enjoyed mine as is.  Because of the shortcuts I used (pre-sliced beef and pre-cut fresh broccoli florets), this dinner was a snap to put together and probably only took about 20 minutes from start to finish.  I snapped a few photos for you to see below.  Enjoy!

BOOM!

Sunday's Grilled Chicken & Veggie Kabobs

This evening I made grilled chicken and veggie kabobs for dinner and youngest son came over to eat with us. After running errands this afternoon, I cut up about 2 pounds of boneless chicken breast into chunks and placed them in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag so they could marinate.  It was a super simple, fresh marinade.  I added about 1/4 cup of olive oil, the juice of 2 lemons, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, generous grinds of sea salt and black pepper, 2 large minced cloves of garlic, and a large sprig of chopped fresh rosemary into the bag and sealed it, pressing out most of the air. I massaged the bag to mix the chicken and marinade together and placed it in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours.  I seeded and cut up 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell pepper into large chunks.  I also cleaned and trimmed a small container of fresh mushrooms for my son and I (hubby doesn't eat mushrooms). Shortly before hubby grilled our dinner, I threaded the chicken and veggies onto bamboo skewers that had been soaked in water for about 30 minutes to keep them from catching on fire while on the grill. I brushed the peppers and mushrooms with olive oil and seasoned them with sea salt and handed them over to hubby to do the grilling. They turned out great.  I enjoyed my kabobs with a side salad and the guys had rice with theirs.  I snapped a few photos for you to see below.  Enjoy!

Before going on the grill...

The grilling has begun!

BOOM!

Sunday Brunch...Eggs, Sausage and Easy Biscuits

Happy Sunday!  It's bright and sunny here this morning and we are supposed to have sun for a couple more days...yay!  This morning I wanted to make a simple basic biscuit that did not use cheddar cheese or black pepper -- a more simple, plain style biscuit.  I made a half batch to see how they would turn out and they turned out great...although I will admit that I REALLY like my Easy Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits a lot.  But, sometimes you may not want cheddar flavor in your biscuit, depending on what you are using them for or having them with.  For example, if you wanted to make these basic "Easy Biscuits" as a base for strawberry shortcake, you could add a couple tablespoons of granular sweetener to them, such as Swerve Sweetener, and a dash of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla to give them a faint sweet backdrop as opposed to a more savory flavor.  It's important to form them loosely into balls (either with your hands or a retractable cookie scoop) without flattening at all when you place the dough on your baking sheet so they don't spread out too much as they bake -- you will end up with a thicker biscuit.  I snapped a few photos below as well as the recipe.  Enjoy!

Easy Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond flour
3 tablespoons "cold" butter, diced
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
4 ounces brick-style cream cheese, diced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons melted butter, optional (for brushing on top of biscuits)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking pan or line with non-stick foil or parchment paper.  

In a medium bowl, add almond flour, butter, egg, cream cheese, salt, baking soda, baking powder; cut in with a pastry cutter/dough blender until crumbly and all flour is slightly moistened and cheese is pulverized into the mixture. Stir in cream and mix in lightly; let sit for a minute or so.  Divide and lightly (not tightly) roll dough into 10 to 12 balls and place on prepared cookie sheet; do not flatten dough balls (keeping in balls will result in a thicker biscuit).  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes; remove from oven and brush tops with melted butter, if desired; return and bake an additional approximately 3-5 minutes or until light golden brown and done, careful not to overcook (if not brushing with optional melted butter, bake biscuits for total of 18-20 minutes or until done). 

  

Greek Style Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops

Today we got up early and took our walk before breakfast -- thank goodness, because it got pretty warm and humid here today with all the sun.  It was nice seeing the sun all day long though.  We ran our errands this afternoon, including our Costco run.  We picked up some lamb chops at Costco (Australian lamb).  They have some of the most beautiful lamb chops I have ever seen.  Our Costco also had hazelnuts for the first time.  I bought a 2-lb bag of them for $10.99.  I decided to prepare my Greek Style Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops for dinner since it was such a beautiful day to grill out for a change!   My oldest son joined us for dinner.  I made salads to go with our lamb chops and also made baked potatoes for my son and hubby to go with their meals.  I snapped a few photos of our meal below.  The recipe for the marinated lamb chops is embedded in the link above (that link has pictures of the lamb chops before cooking them so you can see how beautiful they truly are).  Enjoy!

I found these at Costco today!

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie w/ Bacon

This evening I was in the mood for my Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie.  Without question, it is one of my favorites.  I could eat it every day.  I always add the maximum amount of spinach to my pie when I make it because I really love spinach.  One of my followers recently mentioned that she had added bacon to it when she last made it and it turned out great.  I've thought about adding it in the past, but never seem to have leftover bacon handy when I make the pie. This evening, I just happened to have 6 slices of cooked uncured bacon left in my refrigerator from this past Sunday's brunch...so tonight was the night to finally add it to the pie. After I made the filling, I simply cut the cooked bacon into bite-sized pieces and stirred it into the filling mixture before pouring it into the crust.  I must say...it turned out fabulous!  Thank you, Barbara!!!  This "pie" makes an excellent breakfast, lunch or dinner.  It is one of those dishes that can be served any time of day and portable enough to pack in your lunch and take with you, too. I snapped a few photos for you to see below as well as the recipe.  Enjoy!

Our first tomatoes of the summer...not too many this year with all the rain we've had!

BOOM!

Greek Style Spinach-Feta Pie

Ingredients:

Crust
2 cups almond flour
3 tablespoons cold butter, diced into small cubes
1 egg
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning (or Italian Seasoning), optional 

Filling
10 oz. fresh spinach (up to 16 oz), cooked and squeezed dry and chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or 1 to 2 teaspoons, if using fresh)
1 to 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5 eggs (or 1-1/4 cups Egg Beaters)
1/2 cup half-n-half, cream or milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place all crust ingredients in a medium bowl.  Cut butter and egg into flour with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles small pebbles and the flour is thoroughly moistened (the same way you prepare a pie crust).  Press crust mixture into pie dish or tart pan (I used a 10" pie dish).  Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until lightly browned; remove from oven and set aside.

Increase oven temp to 350 degrees F.  In a non-stick skillet, saute onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent; remove and set aside.  In the same skillet, saute spinach, just until wilted.  Drain and press as much liquid out of the spinach as possible (I use a mesh strainer and press it with the back of a large spoon).  Place well drained spinach in a medium bowl (coarsely chop first, if desired); add cooked onions and garlic, feta, dill, lemon zest, pepper, eggs and half-n-half.  Mix until well combined.  Pour mixture into the lightly baked crust and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes; lower oven temp to 325 F (so edge of crust doesn't over brown); bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until filling and eggs are set and cooked .  If the center still seems a little jiggly, cook an additional few minutes.

**Optional:  Add crumbled cooked bacon to the filling mixture before baking. Almond meal also works well in this crust recipe (I've been told that almond meal can be purchased at Trader Joe's for $3.99/lb).